Yu-Gi-Oh! ZEXAL 1. Chapter 1

**Greetings fellow fanfiction lovers!**

**I have wanted to do this story for over a year, but procrastination and writers block kept this story from ever developing, but now I am ready to bring this project of mine to life. As you have probably guessed from the summary, the main pairing of this story will be DurbexRio, so if you ship those two, or if you just want to read a good Zexal story, then this might very well be the fic for you. If you despise the pairing or you hate Yu-gi-oh, then why are you here? Another thing I want to point out is that you guys won't have to wait until after the World Duel Carnival part of the story to see your favorite Barians. I plan to introduce them VERY early and they will actually be participating in the WDC, taking a more active role in hunting the Numbers.**

**One more thing, since this is my very first fanfiction, I know that I am bound to make a mistake at some point, but if you do happen to point out something that you believe I am doing wrong, or you just don't like my story for one reason or another, I encourage you to tell me why, but PLEASE be constructive and respectful with your criticism. Flaming will not be tolerated and it will not do anything to make what you don't like about the story go away. On the other hand, if you like my story, which I hope you do, please tell me why you like it! That's what the review section is for after all.**

**With that being said, Let's get this fanfiction started! Enjoy!**

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><p>Chapter 1: When the Shark Falls, the Ice Queen Rises<p>

Heartland City General Hospital went hand in hand with bad memories for 16 year old Rio Kamishiro. It was the place where her parents died after a horrific car crash ended their lives, and today, it was the place where she wept for her critically injured brother, Ryoga "Shark" Kamishiro, whose broken body was lying motionless on the hospital bed completely covered in bandages to conceal the 2nd and 3rd degree burns that were scattered across his body. Regret coursed through the heart of the weeping bluenette from the fact that she failed to stop her brother from going to that warehouse. Perhaps if she had known that something was suspicious when an invitation to duel randomly appeared in the mail that fateful day, or if she had followed her brother to that God-forsaken warehouse where Shark was supposed to meet his mysterious opponent, then her brother would not be...

Rio looked down at the mummified form of her brother. "Ryoga", she whispered. "Who would do such a thing to you?" She knew there was no point in asking since Shark's mouth covered with an oxygen mask, preventing him from talking properly, but to her surprise, she did get a response in the form of Shark's quivering hand, which started to make motions as if he was trying to draw the letters of a name. His finger drew the letter I in the air, followed by the letter V, and then he proceeded to hold up four fingers before his hand went limp again and he drifted back into unconsciousness.

Rio was very confused, but then she started to put two and two together and piece together the message. "I V and 4" she muttered, and then she gasped "IV DID THIS!" Rio was shocked by the epiphany. She had heard rumors of IV's rather questionable actions in his dueling career in the form of "fan service", but she never thought he would try to outright murder someone, much less her own brother!

Rio swallowed the lump in her throat and dried off the tears in her blood shot eyes. She was done crying. Tears were not going to help her brother. Action would! She swore with every fiber of her being that one day she would find that bastard and make him suffer for what he did. "IV", she uttered his name with as much venom and spite that she could muster, "If you are out there, then hear these words! You WILL pay for what you did to my brother! YOU WILL PAY!"

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><p><strong>6 months later.<strong>

For other students at Heartland Academy, it was just another normal day at school. For Rio on the other hand, it was another frustrating day that her goal went unaccomplished. To make things even more frustrating, IV had rubbed salt on Shark's burn wounds by winning tournament after tournament in the pro leagues, including the National Duel Circuit. She raged at the thought. That should have been Shark winning the circuit, not the bastard who burned him. Perhaps that was IV's motive. Perhaps he knew just how much of a threat Shark was to his chances of winning the tournament, so he decided to eliminate the competition before the pro leagues even began. What a dirty tactic, and the only thing worse than his unrightfully earned glory was the number of people who worshipped him, particularly among the population of girls around Rio's age. Every single time IV did something oh so awesome, they would talk, chatter, and gossip nonstop like a flock of clucking hens at how handsome he was. Rio raged again. If only they knew the truth, and what's worse, she even tried telling them the truth, and they all thought she was crazy. "_Damn you IV_", Rio thought. "_Damn you straight to HE__"

"Oi! Rio! Hey Rio!"

Rio turned towards the sound of the voice, and she saw a rather chubby looking teenager approach her. Black hair curled upwards and a baseball cap adorned his head along with an orange T-shirt and overalls decorating his large body. His name was Tetsuo Takeda, and he had the biggest crush on Rio.

A boy crushing over her was nothing new to Rio. Hell, she had to deal with dozens of them ever since she went through puberty. Many of them were pigs, only caring about the womanly figure that she had developed, and they would often be on the receiving end of the Ice Queen's wrath if they persisted. Tetsuo was one of the few exceptions, although she still wasn't interested in him in any form of romantic way, but she still appreciated his kindness. For the most part he meant well despite his obvious desires, and he even bothered to be one of the few who supported her during the first few weeks after her brother's hospitalization when she was at her lowest low.

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><p><strong>Flashback (1 week after Shark's hospitalization)<strong>

_Tetsuo had just finished his exam in Professor Ukyo's class and was 99% sure that he failed, but the good news was that class was over and now he could blow off some steam by giving Yuma another duel where it would be the 8__th__? 9__th__? 10__th__ time in a row that he would kick his scrawny butt across Heartland City? He was just about to leave to go find Yuma when he noticed __**HER. **__There, just on the other side of the hall was the most beautiful girl that he had ever seen. Hair as blue as the ocean, eyes a radiant magenta, and a face that would make an angel jealous, but much to his shock, he noticed that those eyes of hers were bloodshot, and her makeup was running, as if she had been crying. Deciding to play the Good Samaritan, he approached her._

"_What's wrong?" he asked, "Are you ok?"_

"_I-It's Nothing", she stuttered. "Please just leave me alone"._

"_It definitely doesn't look like nothing! Now I understand if you don't want to talk about it now, but talking to someone always helps, so if you ever want to talk, I will be willing to listen. I'm sorry for bothering you". Tetsuo was just about to walk away when the girl suddenly stopped him._

"_Have you heard of the pro duelist known as IV?"_

"_Yeah, who hasn't?" Tetsuo responded._

_The girl tightened her hands into fists, anger taking command of her next choice of words._

"_My brother is in the hospital because of him. My friends, or rather ex-friends, said I was crazy for claiming such a thing, that my brother deserved to be in the hospital because I dared say something bad about their so called "idol", but I know the truth about him, I know what he did. My brother told me himself before he fell into a coma._

_Tetsuo's expression changed into an angry frown. "Damn…I….I'm sorry. I always had a feeling that there was something off about that guy. I heard rumors about his "fan service", but I never thought it would go that far. If I ever meet that guy he is going to wish he has never been born"._

_She looked at him with an icy glare, "You're just saying that to make me feel better. Now tell me what you really think. Tell me I'm crazy"._

"_No! I mean it!" Tetsuo exclaimed. "I mean I understand that it's hard to believe sense you have no proof, but if you heard it straight from your bro's mouth, then how could it not be true?"_

_Her icy glare receded into a much calmer expression. "Thank you. That means a lot to me."_

"_No problem". He extended his hand. "I'm Tetsuo by the way. Tetsuo Takeda"._

_She took his hand and shook it genuinely, "Rio Kamishiro", and for the first time since the dreaded fire, Rio smiled a genuine smile._

_After that, Rio was able to recover slowly but surely from her depressed state, even though icy winds of vengeance still billowed within her heart. She lost some friends that day, but she also made a new one._

**End Flashback**

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><p>"So...Rio...How ya doing?" Tetsuo asked nervously.<p>

"I'm doing a lot better." Rio responded cheerfully, although the cheerful tone was somewhat false due to what was on her mind a few minutes ago, but she still tried to be nice as to keep her friend at ease. "Still haven't found any lead on IV, any evidence I could use to prove his guilt in what he did, nor have I found any opportunity to go after him, but on the bright side, Ryoga has mostly recovered. Most of his burns are healed, and the doctor said he might be able to be out of the hospital in another month, maybe even a few weeks if we are lucky."

"Really? That's great news!" Tetsuo cheered. He then paused, wanting to choose his words carefully. "Say, Rio, I was kinda wondering…..well…."

"Yeeeeeeeeeeeees", Rio responded with a sly look on her face, knowing full well what he was going to ask.

"_C'mon Tetsuo. Quit chickening out and ask her". _"Will you go out with me?!" Tetsuo practically forced that last sentence out of his mouth and mentally cursed to himself that it might have come off as desperate begging.

Rio sighed. She knew this would come up at some point. "Tetsuo, I like you, but not in that way. I appreciate all you have done for me, but with all that has been going on; I just don't think a relationship would be best. We can still be friends, right?"

Testuo frowned, but then decided to suck it up. He felt the painful sting of rejection, but at least she let him down gently. "Well, if I can't get a date, then how about a duel? I would love to have a chance to melt the Ice Queen!"

Rio raised an eyebrow and her lips twisted back into her sly grin. "Well let me tell you something buster. You'll be bowing down to this Ice Queen when I ice you!" She said playfully. "You got yourself a duel. Say 4:00 after school?"

"Alright! It's a date!" Tetsuo yelled in excitement, punching his fist into the air for emphasis.

**AHEM!**

"Right! Sorry! Not a date! Not a date! I meant to say it's a duel!"

"Right" Rio muttered sarcastically. "Suuuuuuuuuuure you did".

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><p>It was 4:30 already, and Rio was impatiently waiting on the school grounds for Tetsuo to arrive, but even after half an hour there was still no sign of them.<p>

"Good Lord". She fumed. "Doesn't he know how rude it is to keep a lady waiting? I am so giving him a piece of my mind when he gets here!"

At least she would not be completely bored while waiting for her opponent, for she had her duel gazer on to observe another duel taking place between two of her other friends, a scrawny looking boy with short, spiky black hair that had two red streaks in the front, and a young girl with green hair tied back in a bun. These two individuals were Yuma Tsukumo and Kotori Mizuki.

Yuma, in Rio's eyes, was basically the class goofball. Always setting extremely high expectations for himself, and then constantly making a fool of himself when these extraordinary feats he attempted to do proved too much for him, be it trying to swim the entire length of the school swimming pool without taking a breath or trying to beat the record of the high jump, and believing that his signature motto, "Kattobingu", was all he needed to accomplish his goals. To put it bluntly, he was all heart and no brain. Nevertheless, Rio still considered him to be her friend, for he was a kind individual who always placed the needs of others before himself, and Rio actually respected him for the infinite amounts of determination and confidence that his "Kattobingu" brought him.

Kotori Mizuki was a different matter entirely. Ever since Rio befriended Yuma, she noticed that Kotori was always there to watch his duels and cheer him on, yet despite having a duel gazer, she never dueled herself. One day, Rio pulled her over to ask why, and she revealed just how under confident she was in her dueling abilities, and the reason she would watch all of Yuma's duels was because she greatly admired how much spirit he had, and she secretly wished that she had the confidence that Yuma had. As Rio noticed a blush appear on Kotori's cheeks as she explained herself, it became clear to her that Kotori definitely liked Yuma as more than a friend. Deciding to play matchmaker, she took it upon herself to get Kotori to come out of her shell and strap on a deck and duel disk herself, helping her build a winged-beast deck similar to her own, but gravitating toward the wind attribute as opposed to the ice birds that Rio liked to use. It suited her, for Kotori's name did mean "Bird of Luck" after all. Now, Rio beamed with pride as she watched just how far her student had come, for Kotori was not only dueling with sheer confidence, but she was actually beating Yuma.

**Current Status of Duel:**

**Kotori: 2500 Lifepoints**

**Yuma: 2000 Lifepoints**

**Kotori's Field: **

**Sacred Crane: Level 4/LIGHT/Winged-Beast/1600 atk/400 def**

** Tornado Bird: Level 4/WIND/Winged-Beast/1100 atk/1000 def**

**Yuma's Field: **

**Gagaga Magician (Equipped with Wonder Wand): ****Level 4/DARK/Spellcaster/2000 atk (Originally 1500)/1000 def**

**Kotori's Turn:**

"Well Yuma, It's been fun, but now it's time to end this duel!" the greenette announced as she made her move. "With these 2 level 4 monsters, I shall construct the overlay network!" Yuma knew what was coming next. He had seen that portal open in the ground all too often. He could only watch as Sacred Crane and Tornado Bird transformed into small glowing balls of light and enter the portal.

"XYZ SUMMON!" "DESCEND FROM THE SKIES CASTEL THE AVIAN SKYBLASTER!"

Out of the portal rose a tall and intimidating looking half human half bird creature with large purple wings and an owl-like face. It was dressed in a blue 18th century musketeer outfit and it carried a large military musket rifle. It let out a screech before pointing its gun at Yuma.

**Castel the Avian Skyblaster: Rank 4/WIND/Winged-Beast/2000 atk/1500 def/2 overlay units**

"HA! Looks like you're wrong, Kotori!" Yuma boasted. "Your little birdy still isn't strong enough to take down Gagaga Magician. If they battle, they'll just kill each other and I won't take any damage.

Rio face palmed "_Once again Yuma, you fail miserably at using your head"._

"Did you forget about Castel's special ability?" Kotori asked rhetorically. "By detaching both of its overlay units, your monster is shuffled back into your deck! Say goodbye to Gagaga Magician!"

Castel then proceeded to beat its mighty wings, whipping up a powerful gust. It blew the storm winds towards the wizard who was quickly blown off his feet before vanishing completely.

"NO! MY MAGICIAN! Yuma cried out in panic. "Now I'm wide open!"

"Right you are Yuma! Go Castel! Attack his lifepoints directly! Ready! Aim! Fire!"

The birdman fired out a shot from its rifle, sending it toward Yuma at lightning speed. The bullet struck Yuma point blank, and he cried out in pain as his lifepoints dropped to zero.

**Yuma; 2000 – 2000 = 0 (LOSE)**

**WINNER: Kotori**

"I can't believe it…..I…..won?" Kotori was in shock, but then her shock turned to bliss as she jumped for joy at her very first victory. "I WON! I WON!"

Yuma got back up and went back over to Kotori. "That was an amazing duel Kotori! You really did a number on me! I knew! I KNEW you had it in you to be this great a duelist!"

"You…You really mean that Yuma?" asked Kotori, a blush developing on her face.

"Of course I mean it Kotori! You were amazing out there! You ARE amazing!"

"Yuma…" Kotori whispered, desperate to hide her tomato colored cheeks from him.

Rio could only laugh at this development as she approached the two duelists. "You have done well young grasshopper. Your training is complete". She complemented in a tone of voice that mimicked an old man, giving Kotori a mock bow. "Now all we have to do is find where Tetsuo has gone off to. I swear, if he keeps me waiting for one more second I am going to do something nasty to him!"

"Tetsuo?" Yuma questioned. "Well now that you mentioned it, someone challenged Tetsuo shortly before you got here. Some big muscular guy with dreadlocks said that anyone who could beat him would get this super rare card, and Tetsuo kinda volunteered. He left with him and some other guy into that alleyway over there."

"Well why didn't you mention this befo_" Rio paused for a moment, her face turning pale with fear. "_Muscular? Dreadlocks? Alleyway? Rare Card?" _There was only one person she knew who matched a description and modus operandi like that. "Yuma..." she trembled. "Was this particular man accompanied by another guy with short black hair, dressed in white?"

"Yeah, why do you ask?"

Rio's expression instantly turned to one of panic. "We have to go after them NOW! Those two are dangerous! VERY dangerous! Their names are Rikuo and Kaio Fukuma, better known as Scorch and Chills. They run an underground duel gang called "The Pack", and they hunt down other duelists to steal their decks, and sometimes they take more than just your cards. If Tetsuo is dueling them, then he is in more trouble than you can imagine."

Yuma raised an eyebrow in confusion. "And you know this, how?"

Rio sighed, "Because they tried to recruit my brother into their little gang not too long ago. He refused. _Thank God_. But they do not like being rejected".

"Well we can't just stand here!" Kotori yelled. "We have to help him!"

The three friends nodded in agreement and proceeded to race through the alleyways as fast as they possibly could. Sure enough, after what seemed like an eternity of running, they found Tetsuo, and it was just like Rio feared. He was dueling, and it did not look good for him. They hid behind the corner of the alley so they could continue to watch the duel without being spotted.

**Current Status of Duel:**

**Scorch: 3300 Lifepoints**

**Tetsuo: 2500 Lifepoints**

**Scorch's Field: **

**Evolzar Laggia: Rank 4/FIRE/Dragon/2400 atk/2000 def/2 overlay units**

** Evolzar Dolkka: Rank 4/FIRE/Dragon/2300 atk/1700 def/2 overlay units**

**Tetsuo's Field: **

**Tin Archduke: Rank 4/EARTH/Machine/2200 atk/1200 def/3 overlay units**

** 1 card face down in the Spell/Trap Zone**

**Scorch's Turn:**

"It's over fatass!" Scorch taunted. "Evolzar Dolkka! Attack that scrap heap of a monster!"

"It ain't over yet!" Tetsuo yelled back boldly. "I activate Mirror Force! This nasty trap of mine will make both your dinosaurs go extinct! It destroys all your attack position monsters!

"HA! What a joke!" Scorch laughed. "I activate Laggia's effect! By detaching both of its overlay units, I can negate your trap and destroy it!" The Green Dragon devoured both of its overlay units in its powerful jaws and then unleashed a jet of fire on Tetsuo's trap card, which exploded, leaving Tetsuo and his Archduke defenseless.

"As I was saying," said Scorch in a mocking tone, "Evolzar Dolkka! Attack Tin Archduke! PREHISTORIC PUMMEL!" The White Skeletal Dragon's bony fist became engulfed in flames and it let loose a mighty punch, tearing a hole out the back of Tin Archduke and causing it to explode.

**Tetsuo: 2500-100 = 2400**

"And now it's time for you to get BURNED! Laggia! Finish him off! MESOZOIC METEOR!" The Green Dragon unleashed a large ball of flame which exploded on contact with Tetsuo, sending him flying and hitting the ground with a thud.

**Tetsuo: 2400-2400 = 0 (LOSE)**

**WINNER: Scorch**

"Damn it." Tetsuo muttered. "I lost".

"AWWW YEAH! The Pack strikes again!" Chills cheered in a victory celebration of his brother. "And now fatass, cough em up. The Pack never leaves without claiming a prize! Hand over your deck or else!"

"Hey! We never agreed to that! You just said the loser gives up one card!" Tetsuo protested.

"Sorry Dawg, but my brother and I are feeling a bit greedy today, so if you won't hand it over, we'll just take it by force!"

Scorch lunged at Tetsuo like a tiger pouncing on its prey, and he landed a battering ram of a punch into his gut, knocking the wind out of him. He then finished with another punch straight into his face, sending Tetsuo flying backwards, his cards scattering across the ground. Tetsuo clutched his left cheek in agony, knowing full well that he had a black eye from that last hit.

Scorch proceeded to shuffle through Tetsuo's cards. "Hmph! Just a bunch of junk if you ask me, although that Xyz Monster might be worth something on the card market. What do you think bro?"

Chills just snorted with disdain. "I say we just take the Xyz Monster and torch the rest".

"Good idea!" Scorch laughed as he took a lighter out of his pocket preparing to set Tetuso's cards on fire. "Sorry Chubby, but we gotta make an example out of why this world has no place for weak duelists like you! Now say goodbye to your cards!"

"Not if I have anything to say about it! Put my friend's deck down NOW!" The two thugs turned to the source of the noise and saw Yuma standing directly in front of them in a fighting stance with an angry look on his face. Despite his posture, Yuma did not look the least bit intimidating to either of them.

Scorch chuckled darkly. "You lost kid?" "Or are you looking to pick a fight with The Pack?"

The taunting question only made Yuma angrier. "Bronk is my friend! I'm not going to just sit by and allow you to hurt him! Kattobingu Daze Ore!" And with that he charged towards Scorch only to be knocked off his feet by a sweeping kick to his ankle. Scorch laughed as Yuma fell to the ground.

"Heh, you got guts kid, but once the pack claims a prize, we don't give it up, especially not to scrawny little punks like you!" His eyes then darted down to a rather odd looking pendant upon Yuma's neck. He grinned. "Interesting piece of jewelry you got there. Hope you don't mind if I take it off your hands." He then snatched the pendant off of Yuma's neck and then threw him back down to the ground.

"What do you think bro?" Scorch asked, showing the pendant to Chills, "This thing worth anything? We might be able to get a couple of big ones selling this if its solid gold".

"Nah", Chills responded. "It can't be gold. It's probably some cheap trinket he got at the carnival for next to nothing after he couldn't win the crane game".

Yuma was incredibly distraught seeing his most prized possession in the hands of the two thugs. "Not my key! Not the Emperor's Key! Give that back! That was my dad's!"

Scorch gave Yuma a look of blatantly false regret. "Aw my bad kid. I didn't know it was your old man's. I'll give it back". His arm moved towards Yuma making it look like he was going to give the key back, but then, to Yuma's horror, he snapped the key in two with his thumb. "Oops", he said mockingly, laughing as the 2 pieces of Yuma's greatest treasure fell to the ground.

Yuma was on the verge of tears as his trembling hands picked up the two pieces of his father's legacy. "My key..." he whimpered. "My key..."

From their hiding place, where the two women had remained hidden during the confrontation, Kotori developed an equally sad look on her face. She knew just how important that key was to Yuma. It was what his father, Kazuma Tsukumo, gave to him shortly before he and Yuma's mother, Mirai Tsukumo, mysteriously went missing. More importantly, it symbolized the power behind the Kattobingu spirit that allowed Yuma to give 500% effort in everything with the belief that he could accomplish anything.

Rio however, saw red. "_That tears it"_. She stormed out of the alley towards the two thugs. "Hey Jackasses! Remember me?"

Chills grinned a sinister sneer. "Well if it ain't Shark's little sister? How's your bro doing? Oh wait that's right! Little Sharky got sizzled! Guess you could call that karma for not accepting our offer to join the pack. Then again, maybe you could join us. What do you say girl? We could get to know each other a little better if you know what I mean."

Rio was very much disgusted by his words, especially that last statement, but she wasn't going to back down. She had dealt with people like them many times before, and she knew how to play their game. She put on her all too familiar sly grin and walked towards Chills.

"Hmmm, sounds tempting". She said playfully "You know what I say to that Chilly?" her voice turned into a rather seductive purr. "You really wanna know?"

Chills' wolf-like grin grew even bigger. "Sure thing babe. What you gonna say?"

"GO JUMP OFF A BRIDGE! I'd rather eat my cards than go out with you! I'm here to get Tetsuo's deck back, and I'm not leaving until you hand them over!"

The brothers both frowned, anger coursing through their veins. Nobody insulted them like that and got away with it, especially some chick with an attitude. Scorch approached Rio, getting dangerously close to her.

"So, you're friends with fatass are you? Well I got news for you. When the pack claims a prize, we don't give it up that easily, so what are you going to do about it, Bitch!"

"_BITCH? Oh he did not just call me that."_ Rio fumed with rage. "How about this? We duel! If I win, you give back Tetsuo's deck, no ifs, ands, or buts!"

Chills' wolf grin returned to his face. "Oh I like the sound of that, but let's sweeten the deal a bit. If we win, you have to hand over your brother's deck. He's not going to need it anymore the way he is now, AND you have to join our little crew. Don't worry; we'll make you feel nice and comfortable with us. Now the real question is: Who's it going to be? Do you want to get burned by my bro, or iced by yours truly?"

Tetsuo, who up until this point had been busy trying to find a way to stop the swelling in his black eye, but failing miserably, heard what had just transpired and immediately protested just how adamantly against Rio's decision he was.

"Rio, No! You don't have to risk your brother's deck for mine! I can get some new cards! Just call this whole thing off!"

"You don't have to worry about a thing Tetsuo because Rio will not be doing this alone", said a new voice. Everyone turned to see that Yuma was back on his feet with Kotori helping him up, one half of the Emperor's Key in her hand and the other in Yuma's

"My key may be broken, but my fighting spirit will never die. Knock me down and I will just get back up again! Threaten my friends however, and you will wish you have never been born! This duel will be a tag duel, the two of us against the two of you, and I will wager my deck as well!"

"HA! AGREED!" Scorch exclaimed with predatory excitement. "Now we'll get two decks in one duel! What do you think Chills? You up for a little tag duel?"

"I'm always ready for a tag duel bro!" Chills responded back. "Let's show these fools that anyone who messes with the pack ends up in one place and one place only: 6 FEET UNDER!"

The brothers proceeded to activate their Duel Disks and Duel Gazers while Yuma and Rio did the same. Tetsuo and Kotori also turned on their Duel Gazers as they could only watch and pray to whatever higher power willing to listen that Yuma and Rio would win.

**Duel Gazer Set**

**Augmented Reality Vision Online**

**Yuma: 4000**

**Rio: 4000**

**Scorch: 4000**

**Chills: 4000**

**DUEL!**

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><p><strong>Author's Notes:<strong>

**Yeah I know, first chapter of the fanfiction and I already end it on a cliffhanger.**

**As you probably noticed, I am using the Japanese names of the characters, but there are no kuns, chans or other Japanese honorifics or words that one would typically find in an anime fanfiction. The reason being is that I am terrible at writing in that style. I could either try to write the story that way and make lots of mistakes, or I could do it my way and have the story flow better. The one obvious exception to this rule is using the Dub names of Rikuo and Kaio. I made a bit of a compromise by having their Japanese names be their real names, and their Dub names are the nicknames that they use. It's not uncommon for gang leaders to go by nicknames. **

**Next Chapter will be the duel, and Astral and the Numbers will be showing up. Judging by their opponents, I think you guys know which Numbers Yuma will be dealing with first instead of Number 17: Leviathan Dragon.**

**Rio will also be getting a Number of her own next chapter. (No, it is not Number 17). Whoever guesses correctly which Number it's going to be gets a free cookie! (Hint: It is a Number from the Manga.)**

**So, what did you think of the first chapter? Did you like it? Did you not like it? Whatever your opinion is, leave a review and let me know!**

**Until next time, this is Nox Descious signing out!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Greetings and Welcome Back my readers!**

**Now things are going to pick up a notch because it's time for the first duel of the fanfiction, and the introduction of Astral and the Numbers! I did make a few changes to Scorch and Chills decks though, giving them different cards than what they had in canon. Scorch, the Fire Dinosaur user will be using Jurracs, and since there isn't an archetype of Water Attribute Dinosaurs in the OCG/TCG, Chills will be using a fan made archetype that I created myself. Any fan made cards that I create for this series will be highlighted in bold when introduced and displayed in an author's note at the bottom of the page, and just in case someone gets confused, any inner thoughts of a character will be written in italics while Astral, the Numbers, and the door will be written in bold.**

**Now before we begin, to anyone out there who wants to sue me for copyright, no I do not own Yu-gi-oh Zexal, I am just conveniently borrowing it for the sake of entertaining people, but seriously though, why must everyone on this site make this disclaimer in every chapter of their story? What is the point? It should be blatantly obvious that I don't own the show. If I did, I would be in a luxury mansion greedily counting my money instead of spending my days at my laptop writing fanfiction.**

**Now that that's out of the way, I present to you the first duel of the fanfiction! Enjoy!**

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><p>Chapter 2: Enter the Numbers: Fire and Ice vs. Hope and Justice<p>

**Duel Gazer Set**

**Augmented Reality Vision Online**

**Yuma: 4000**

**Rio: 4000**

**Scorch: 4000**

**Chills: 4000**

**DUEL!**

"I'll make the first move! Kattobingu Daze Ore! Draw!" Yuma announced, drawing his first card. "I summon Zubaba Knight in Attack Mode! With that I end my turn!"

As soon as Yuma finished his sentence, a short but muscular looking knight clad in gold armor and a long red cape emerged out of the ground. It carried two jagged daggers and gave a battle cry of "ZUBABA KNIGHT!" as it took to the field in a battle ready stance.

**Zubaba Knight: Level 3/EARTH/Warrior/1600 atk/900 def**

Rio was very disappointed by this move. She had placed a great deal of trust in Yuma by allowing him to be her partner in this tag duel, and she could not afford to have Yuma make moves like that one if they were to win, so she decided to call him out on it.

"Yuma! What are you thinking? Your play style is way too simple and way too reckless! No strategy, one card plays, no defense, and no spells and traps to back up your monsters; what's wrong with you? I thought that with my brother's cards and your cards on the line you would at least be trying to use your head!"

Yuma's eyes widened as he realized that he did indeed make a mistake. He had no idea what kind of cards Scorch and Chills were going to use, and there was nothing preventing Zubaba Knight from biting the dust if one of them summoned a strong enough monster since he didn't play any spells or traps to support or protect it, but he sure as hell wasn't going to admit it.

"Uh…..don't worry Rio. Of course I'm using strategy. I have a plan that will win this duel for sure!"

"Really now?" Rio responded back sarcastically. "What is it?"

"Uh….I can't tell you because then Scorch and Chills would know that I'm up to something and then the whole plan would be ruined!"

Rio sighed. "Ok then. I'll just take your word for it. _Great, he doesn't have a plan at all"_.

"I hate to interrupt the argument, but it's my turn now, so I draw!" Scorch yelled as he looked at the card he just drew. He grinned, indicating that he liked the result. "Perfect! I summon Jurrac Guaiba in attack mode!" Scorch's monster emerged as a rather intimidating looking carnivorous dinosaur with a long neck, razor sharp teeth, a body decorated in red, yellow and purple colors, and flames dancing across its body. It gave a monstrous roar, and then glared at Zubaba Knight, eager to make it its next meal.

**Jurrac Guaiba: Level 4/FIRE/Dinosaur/1700 atk/400 def**

"Now since this is a tag duel, no one can attack until everyone has made their first move, but that won't stop me from burning you! I activate the spell card, **Meteor Shower**! Now by discarding a dinosaur from my hand, I can pop a cap in one of your monsters, and then you take damage equal to the level of the monster I discarded multiplied by 100, so I will discard the Level 9 Jurrac Titano, and now Zubaba Knight dies, and you take 900 points of damage".

**Jurrac Titano: Level 9/FIRE/Dinosaur/3000 atk/2800 def**

A swarm of meteors then descended from the sky hurdling toward Zubaba Knight. The warrior desperately jumped and dodged the burning rocks one after another, but one eventually struck him in the chest and the poor knight was no more.

**Yuma: 4000 – 900 = 3100**

"I'm not done yet." Scorch announced as he played another card. "I activate the continuous spell card, **Lava Geyser**! Now during each of my end phases, if I didn't attack this turn, and I have a dinosaur on the field, you take 500 points of damage. Turn end!"

The moment those words left Scorch's mouth, Yuma was suddenly hit by a torrent of fire rocketing out of the ground beneath him, causing him to cry out as he fell to the ground.

**Yuma: 3100 – 500 = 2600**

"Yuma NO!" Kotori and Tetsuo both cried out as they watched helplessly as their friend took even more damage.

Rio cursed, her mind riddled with frustration and panic. "_Damn it. The first round isn't even over and Yuma has already lost a large amount of lifepoints. I need to do something, and fast."_

"My turn! Draw!" Rio carefully studied the cards in her hand, desperate to recover from the blow that Yuma suffered at the hands of Scorch's deadly and aggressive assault. "I summon Blizzard Falcon in attack mode!" A blue colored falcon with snowflake shaped wings and talons soared out of the sky and descended to Rio's field, letting out an intimidating eagle cry.

**Blizzard Falcon: Level 4/WATER/Winged-Beast/1500 atk/1500 def**

"Now I'll equip my falcon with this spell card, Follow Wind. This will give Blizzard Falcon an extra 300 attack and defense points."

**Blizzard Falcon Atk and Def: 1500 + 300 = 1800**

"Now that my falcon has a boost, his effect activates. When his attack points increase, you take 1500 points of damage! Put Scorch on ice Blizzard Falcon!" The bird cawed in response as it began to flap its wings, letting loose a gust of icy wind and snow towards Scorch.

"It will take a lot more than that to take down the pack!" Chills boasted as he played his own card to defend his brother. "I activate the effect of **Cretaceo Stego **in my hand. He special summons himself to the field in defense mode, and he reduces the damage to zero! Your little birdy ain't going to touch my bro's lifepoints any time soon." A blue stegosaurus emerged out of the ground. It was completely blue as if it had spent an eternity frozen in ice, and the plates on its back and the spikes on its tail were made of solid ice.

**Cretaceo Stego: Level 4/WATER/Dinosaur/1200 atk/2000 def**

Rio grimaced in frustration. "Well that's fine. I'll just get you next time. I set two face downs and end my turn."

"And now, last but definitely not least, it's my turn! Draw!" Chills drew his card. "I summon **Cretaceo Brachio **in defense mode. An incredibly large, blue brachiosaurus appeared on the field. A huge icy glacier acted as a substitute of its body with its limbs, tail, and long neck sticking out of it. Yuma and Rio gasped in awe of its size as it towered over them. "Good luck getting rid of him because as long as there is another dinosaur on my side of the field, he can't be destroyed by battle."

**Cretaceo Brachio: Level 4/WATER/Dinosaur/500 atk/2200 def**

"But he can be destroyed by card effects! I activate my trap card, Diamond Dust! This card destroys all water monsters on the field, and you take 500 points of damage for each one." Rio's face down activated, causing a strong snowstorm to billow across the field. Jurrac Guaiba dug its feet into the ground and withstood the roaring winds, but Blizzard Falcon, Cretaceo Stego, and Cretaco Brachio were unable to hang on as they were picked up and sent flying into the sky, exploding shortly afterwards.

"That's three water monsters, so that's 1500 damage for you, and this time your Stego won't be protecting you!" Rio grinned as the snowstorm picked up again and blew towards Chills, who braced himself for the impact as his lifepoints took a big hit.

**Chills: 4000 - 1500 = 2500**

"Now I activate a second trap card, Torrential Reborn!" Another one of Rio's facedowns activated. "When one or more of my water monsters are destroyed, this trap brings them back, and then you take 500 damage for each one, so say hello to Blizzard Falcon, and say goodbye to 500 more of your lifepoints!" A jet of water erupted from the ground, and Blizzard Falcon flew out of the raging torrent to rejoin the side of its mistress. Another jet of water then fired out of the trap card towards Chills, drenching him from head to toe.

**Chills: 2500 – 500 = 2000**

From the sidelines, Kotori and Tetsuo cheered with excitement and joy. There really was a chance of them winning after all. "Alright Rio! That's showing him who's boss! Another hit like that and he's done for!"

Chills got back up and growled with anger. "How ironic that the Ice Queen is using burn cards against me, well two can play at that game. I activate the effect of **Cretaceo Pachycephalo **in my hand! Since you destroyed my dinosaurs this turn, I can special summon him to the field, and then you take 800 points of damage!"

**Cretaceo Pachycephalo: Level 4/WATER/Dinosaur/1800 atk/1800 def**

A tall and powerful looking Pachycephalosaurus appeared on the field. It was just as blue as the previous monsters that Chills had summoned. The bony dome on the top of its head was completely encased in ice, and it had a small horn on its nose that was also made of ice. Its legs brushed the ground like an ox about to charge, and it wasted no time doing just that as it dashed forward at lightning speed, slamming its battering ram of a head into Rio and knocking her to the ground.

**Rio: 4000 – 800 = 3200**

"I'll set one card facedown and end my turn, but don't think I'm done with you yet!" Chills sneered. "Since it's the end of my turn, and I didn't attack, the effect of my bro's Lava Geyser kicks in, burning you for 500 more!" Rio didn't even have time to get up as she was hit by a jet of fire from underneath her.

**Rio: 3200 – 500 = 2700**

"Nice move Chills!" Scorch complemented his brother. "Now it's your move brat! Enjoy your last turn, or do you want to quit now and run home scared?"

"If there is anyone who will be running home scared, it will be you! My turn! Draw!" Yuma drew his card. "I summon Gagaga Magician in attack mode!" A white haired wizard with a droopy pointed hat appeared on the field. He was clothed in maroon and blue colored robes and had chains wrapped around his body. A determined glare was in his single visible eye as he entered the field ready for battle.

**Gagaga Magician: Level 4/DARK/Spellcaster/1500 atk/1000 def**

"And now for a little boost! I equip my magician with the spell, Wonder Wand, giving him an extra 500 attack points, plenty to take out Scorch's Jurrac Guaiba! Go my magician! Attack!"

**Gagaga Magician Atk: 1500 + 500 = 2000**

"I got your back bro!" Chills called out to Scorch as he activated his face down. "I'll use my Negate Attack trap card to block your attack and end the battle phase. It will take a lot more than that to even think of touching our lifepoints!"Gagaga Magician fired a green energy blast out of the Wonder Wand only for it to hit an invisible barrier and dissipate into nothingness.

"Well fine then, I'll set one card facedown and end my turn!"

Scorch started to laugh. "Is that really all you got? It's almost like you don't even want to win. It's my turn again, and now I am going to enjoy breaking you like I broke your precious little key!" Scorch drew his card, preparing for yet another aggressive assault.

"I told you before Scorch, my key may be broken, but my spirit will never die. If there is one thing I never learn, it's when to quit. I will never quit because my Kattobingu spirit is ETERNAL!" Suddenly, the broken half of the Emperor's key began to glow a radiant light, and over on the sidelines, the other half that was in Kotori's pocket also began to glow the same light. Kotori could only gasp as her half of the Emperor's Key floated over to Yuma's half. The two halves connected, and everything faded to white.

When Yuma came to, he was floating in the vast nothingness of empty space, and the only thing visible was a large door with a demonic looking face and chains decorated on it. Yuma looked down at his hand to see that the Emperor's Key was 100% repaired, and then he looked back at the door and noticed its familiarity.

"This…..This is the door from my dream!"

"**This is no dream human!"** The door responded in a deep booming voice. ** "Do you have what it takes to unlock my power and receive my gift?"**

Yuma gripped the Emperor's Key in his fist and his eyes flamed up with determination. He was never one to back down from a challenge, and this situation was no exception. He charged forward, rushing towards the door, taking out his key and slamming it into the keyhole of the door. The door opened, and a strange looking figure flew out of it, and everything faded to white once again.

Yuma snapped back to reality, his mind rattled by what he had just experienced, confused by why he would have such a dream right in the middle of a duel. He looked down and gasped. Just like in his "dream" his key was completely repaired, but he did not get much of a chance to muse over how it was possible, for on the other side of the duel field, he and Rio could see a dark aura surrounding the bodies of Scorch and Chills, they were clutching their heads and yelling out as if they were in pain. A sinister voice whispered in their ears like the devil on one's shoulder.

"**Yes! Let the Number take hold!"**

The eyes of both brothers started to glow an eerie magenta, and Scorch made his move, his voice sounding deeper and gruffer than normal. "I summon Jurrac Iguanon in attack mode!" A large green Iguanodon appeared next to Jurrac Guaiba. Its body was also bathed in flames and it carried a ball of fire in its hands.

**Jurrac Iguanon: Level 4/FIRE/Dinosaur/1700 atk/700 def**

"Now I activate the spell card **Tribute Volcano**! With this, I can discard a Level 2 or lower dinosaur from my hand, and the levels of all my monsters are increased or decreased by the level of the monster I discarded, so I will send the Level 1 Jurrac Aeolo from my hand to increase the levels of my monsters from four to five." A small baby dinosaur whose lower body was still incased in an egg shell appeared on the field before bursting into flames. 2 stars arose from the ashes of its corpse and entered the bodies of Jurrac Iguanon and Jurac Guaiba.

**Jurrac Aeolo: Level 1/FIRE/Dinosaur/Tuner/200 atk/200 def**

"Now with these 2 Level 5 Monsters I shall construct the overlay network!" An overlay network portal appeared in the ground that was, oddly enough, colored gold instead of the normal red, appeared in the ground, and the two dinosaurs transformed into glowing balls of light and entered the portal.

"XYZ SUMMON! BE BORN NUMBER 61: VOLCASAURUS!"

From the portal arose a strange looking object, a sphere made entirely of molten lava, but then the sphere shape shifted into a more monstrous form, and when the transformation was complete, an enormous and terrifying looking red and orange Tyrannosaurus stood in the sphere's place. Its hands were large orange spears, the number 61 glowed on its neck, fire radiated off its body, and its eyes were filled with malice, like it truly desired to murder Yuma and Rio.

**Number 61 Volcasaurus: Rank 5/FIRE/Dinosaur/2500 atk/1000 def/2 overlay units**

Kotori and Tetsuo were equally surprised. "N-Number? I've never heard of a card like that before. Have you?" Kotori stuttered in fear. "Don't look at me. I've never seen a card like that either." Tetsuo responded with an equal amount of fear in his voice.

"Now here comes the real surprise!" Scorch yelled, the dark aura around his body growing larger. "By detaching one overlay unit, Volcasaurus can burn one of your face-up monsters to a crisp, and then you take damage equal to its original attack points. Go Volcasaurus! Show that brat's magician what you're made of! MAGMA MAX!" The fiery dinosaur devoured one of its overlay units in its jaws, and then proceeded to unleash a torrent of fire from its mouth. Gagaga Magician braced itself, but it was no use, the wizard was quickly engulfed by the flames, disintegrating in seconds.

**Yuma: 2600 – 1500 = 1100**

"Now Volcasaurus can't attack directly during the turn I use its effect, so you're safe brat, but she's not! Volcasaurus, attack her Blizzard Falcon! MAGMA MAX!" Another jet of fire was sent rocketing towards the ice bird who was helpless as it suffered the same fate as Gagaga Magician.

**Rio: 2700 - 1000 = 1700**

A smile of pure insanity appeared on Scorch's face, and a glowing yellow 61 appeared on his left hand. "Now do you see that you can't win, especially now that the mighty Number 61 is on the field? You idiots were doomed from the moment you challenged us! Your decks are as good as ours, and with the power of these new number cards, NOTHING WILL STOP US!"

Yuma hated to admit it, but he was trembling in fear. He had never dealt with such overwhelming power before. He was even beginning to doubt whether his Kattobingu actually was enough.

"**Rise Up!"** said a voice.

Yuma looked up and saw the absolute strangest thing he had seen in his entire life. There, right in front of him, was a glowing transparent blue figure staring stoically forward. He had a humanoid figure, but other than that, he could not be more different from a human in terms of appearance. Small green crystals decorated his transparent body, his hair was a mohawk curled upwards, and his heterochromic eyes, one white and one gold, were the type that stared into a person's soul.

"Wh-Who are you?" Yuma stammered in complete awe of the newcomer's appearance

"**Astral, if I recall."**

"If you recall? What do you mean by that? Don't you remember anything?"

"**Actually no, I cannot seem to remember much of anything. All I know is that my name is Astral and I was sent here for a particular reason, but that reason escapes me as well."**

"Hey Yuma, what's going on over there?" Tetsuo asked.

"Yeah, who are you talking to?" Kotori added, for she was also completely unaware of Astral's presence.

Rio was just as confused as they were. "Yuma, we have a duel to win. Now is definitely not the time to be talking to yourself! Don't you dare go crazy on me!"

"I AM NOT CRAZY!" Yuma shouted back. "Can't you see him? He's right here!" "_Wait. Maybe only I can see him, but how is that possible?"_

Astral heard Rio's words and his eyes widened in realization. One particular word stood out among the rest.

"**Duel? That word is familiar to me. Yes! That's it! I duel!"**

Yuma was not buying that last statement. "Yeah sure buddy and Santa Claus is real."

"**My name is not buddy. It is Astral. And who is this Santa Claus that you speak of? Is he human, or a being like me? Perhaps he can help me recover my memories." **

Yuma face palmed.

"**And another thing, I can duel and I will prove it to you now! It is my turn, I draw!"**

"Actually it's her turn." said Yuma, pointing to Rio. "This is a tag duel you know."

For the past few minutes of Yuma ranting back and forth with Astral, Rio had been staring at him with a look on her face that made it clear that she believed that Yuma had gone completely insane. "_Just what I need, right when I think it cannot possibly get any worse, worse finds a way to prove me wrong. Scorch is acting creepier than he usually is, he has this new overpowered number thing, and on top of that, my partner in this duel now thinks he has an imaginary friend."_ Rio's brain rattled with frustration. "It's my turn! I draw!" She carefully studied her cards. With Volcasaurus on the field, she could not afford to make any mistakes. "I set two facedowns and one monster face down and end my turn." Rio decided that a more cautious approach would be necessary until she found a way to kill that thing. Plus, Scorch said that his Number's effect could not target face down monsters, so she was safe for now.

Chills grinned, he had been itching to show off his own new power and now he finally had the chance. "Is that all you got? My draw! Now if you thought my bro's number was too much for you, just wait till you see mine!"

"You have one too?" Yuma and Rio both shouted at the same time.

"Damn right I do! Now since I control a water dinosaur, I can special summon **Cretaceo Allo** from my hand, and then the level of Cretaceo Pachycephalo becomes equal to Allo's level." A large blue Allosaurus appeared on the field. Its claws were much longer than that of a normal Allosaurus, and they looked like sickle blades completely encased in ice.

**Cretaceo Allo: Level 5/WATER/Dinosaur/2300 atk/1500 def**

**Cretaceo Pachycephalo: Level 5**

"Now with these 2 Level 5 Monsters I shall construct the overlay network!" History repeated itself as the gold portal appeared again, the two dinosaurs transforming into overlay units and entering the portal.

"XYZ SUMMON! RISE NUMBER 19: FREEZERDON!"

From the gold portal rose a spear tipped chunk of ice, which began to transform until a gigantic dinosaur similar in appearance to Volcasaurus towered over the battlefield. It was more of a walking ice sculpture than an actual dinosaur. It was completely blue, its arms and legs were large pillars of ice, the number 19 glowed brightly on its torso, and on its tiny head, four eyes radiated the same malice as its fiery counterpart.

**Number 19 Freezerdon: Rank 5/WATER/Dinosaur/2000 atk/2500 def/2 overlay units**

A green 19 appeared on Chills' right hand. "Now you're finished! Freezerdon, attack Yuma's lifepoints directly! TUNDRA BREATH!" The ice covered dinosaur roared and released a jet of snow and ice from its mouth straight towards Yuma.

"Yuma NO!" Kotori cried out and then looked away in sadness, unable to bear the thought that her best friend and secret crush was about to lose the duel and his deck.

"**I highly suggest you activate that trap card or you will most certainly lose." **Astral said calmly.

"Yeah! Yeah! I was already planning on doing that!" Yuma snapped back. "I activate Damage Diet! This will cut the damage I take in half!" The icy blast still made contact though and Yuma experienced the ultimate case of frost bite. "OH GOOD LORD THAT'S COLD!" Yuma cried out as his lifepoints took a near fatal hit.

**Yuma: 1100 – 1000 = 100**

"**So you managed to save yourself after all. Observation Number 1: Perhaps your dueling skills are slightly better than I originally thought they were."** Astral commented.

"HEY WHAT IS THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?" Yuma yelled.

"Well what do you know? I guess the weak and pathetic have a habit of finding dumb luck." Chills mocked. "I end my turn."

"**Then it is my turn. I draw!"**

"Will you shut up already? I'm in the driver's seat in this duel, not you!" Yuma snapped, clearly on the verge of losing his temper. "It's my turn. I draw!"

Astral looked at Yuma's hand. **"First I will activate Monster Reborn to bring back Gagaga Magician in defense mode, then I will summon Gogogo Golem also in defense mode."**

"Did you not hear me the first time?" Yuma yelled. "I summon Gogogo Golem in attack mode". A large robot that, oddly enough, looked like a walking grenade with blue arms and legs appeared on the field.

**Gogogo Golem: Level 4/EARTH/Rock/1800 atk/1500 def**

"Now I will use the spell card Blustering Winds! This will give my golem an extra 1000 attack points, which is just enough to take out Volcasaurus! Gogogo Golem, Attack!"

**Gogogo Golem Atk: 1800 + 1000 = 2800**

The robot's right fist glowed blue, and it charged forward towards Volcasaurus, punching the dinosaur in the face. The Number monster roared in pain as it took the attack, but to Yuma and Rio's horror, it didn't die.

**Scorch: 4000 – 300 = 3700**

"Alright what gives?" Rio asked in protest, unable to believe that Volcasaurus was still standing.

Scorch smirked. "It will take more than that to crunch this number. You see a Number monster can only be destroyed in battle by another Number monster!"

"What? For real? Then how do we kill that thing?" Yuma asked, panic raging throughout his mind.

"That's just it kid. You don't. The only end result will be your decks in our hands, and your heads under my boot!" Chills taunted, stomping his foot on the ground for emphasis

"Then Volcasaurus and Freezerdon are invincible. I don't have any cards in my hand that can destroy them with a card effect, and I don't have any Number monsters of my own!"

"**On the contrary human, you do."** a new voice boomed. To Yuma's surprise, the voice was coming from Yuma's extra deck. Yuma looked and saw a faint glow coming from it. He opened his deck box and was surprised to find a card there, but not just any card. The name of the card indicated that it was a Number monster.

"**I bid you greetings my new master!" **The voice inside the card boomed. **"I could not help but notice that you are in a situation that requires my assistance, so I decided to make my presence known".**

"Who are you? What are you?" Yuma asked.

"**I am the last remaining memory of the Original Number. I am the blade of the Astral World that pierces the hearts of evil. I am the embodiment of your spirit and the desire that you will one day see your parents again and make them proud. I am Number 39: Aspiring Emperor Hope! Summon me and I shall do battle against my numerical kin." **

"**I must confess. I did not believe you were worthy of using this Number, but apparently Hope says otherwise". Astral admitted.**

"Gee, thanks for the faith in me. Let's see what this new card can do! Kattobingu Daze Ore!" Yuma yelled in excitement gaining a second wind of confidence and spirit.

"I activate Monster Reborn from my hand to bring back Gagaga Magician from my graveyard." A purple portal appeared in the ground, and the white haired wizard rose from it, alive and prepared for battle once again. "Now with these 2 Level 4 Monsters I shall construct the overlay network!" The gold portal appeared once again, and Yuma's monsters entered it as overlay units. Yuma and Astral announced the coming of their ace at the same time.

"XYZ SUMMON! RISE UP! NUMBER 39: ASPIRING EMPEROR HOPE!"

A glowing orb encased in what appeared to be folded metal wings appeared from the portal. The wings opened up, and the sealed Number transformed into a winged knight in white and gold armor. Twin curved swords were equipped on his waste, large metal wings were spread across its back, a red 39 flashed on the left shoulder plate of his armor, and its helmet, oddly enough, had gold spikes on it that somewhat resembled Yuma's hairstyle. It gave a battlecry of "HOPE!" as it glared at the other two numbers, eager to defeat them. The onlookers of the summoning gasped in awe. This was a true knight in shining armor, a true hero that gave a new meaning to the word hope.

**Number 39 Aspiring Emperor Hope: Rank 4/LIGHT/Warrior/2500 atk/2000 def/2 overlay units**

"When did Yuma get a card like that?" Kotori questioned in confusion.

"I have no idea, but if it can win the duel, then I'm not questioning it." Tetsuo responded.

"Yuma has a Number too? Then why isn't he acting all creepy like Scorch and Chills?" Rio wondered.

Yuma took another look at Hope's card text and realized something. A grin spread across his face. "Good Luck getting past him because Hope can negate any attack at the cost of an overlay unit. I end my turn."

Scorch wasn't impressed. He drew his card. "So the little brat has a Number too? Well that's fine. I'm going to enjoy taking it from you. Now Hope can negate attacks, but he is a sitting duck for the effect of Volcasaurus so I activate..."

"That Number isn't going to get a chance to activate its effect Scorch!" Rio interrupted. "I activate Book of Moon! This will force your monster into face down defense mode." A giant blue tome appeared on the field, and the moment it opened, a blinding light flashed in the face of Volcasaurus, forcing the dinosaur to its knees. It then transformed into a sideways facedown card.

"Yuma gave a sigh of relief. "Thanks for the save Rio!"

Rio smiled back and gave a thumbs up. "You're my partner in this duel. There is no way you are losing on my watch!"

Scorch wasn't worried though. "Well that's fine. I end my turn, and now, since I didn't attack this turn, Lava Geyser's effect activates. You didn't forget about that did you? Now you will take 500 damage and lose the duel!

"Not if I use my Mystical Space Typhoon and destroy Lava Geyser!" Rio activated her other facedown, creating a gust of wind that destroyed Scorch's spell with ease.

Scorch growled in anger. "Fine! Take your turn already!'

"I will! It's my turn! I draw!" Rio drew her card. "I activate Card of Sanctity! Now we all get to draw until we have six cards in our hands." Everyone drew their extra cards, and Rio proceeded to study and analyze her new hand. "_My Book of Moon isn't a permanent solution. If I don't get rid of Volcasaurus, then Scorch will just flip summon it next turn, but that's the problem. I don't have any way to get rid of it. What do I do?"_

"**Perhaps I could be of assistance?"** said a new voice that was distinctly female. Rio looked down at the source of the voice, which to her surprise was her extra deck. Searching through it she noticed a glowing card amongst her other Xyz Monsters. She took a look at it and gasped. "This is a Number!"

"**I am indeed a Number. I have come to you in your time of need to offer my assistance, Queen of the Barians."**

"Barian? What in the world is a Barian?" Rio wondered. "And how do I know I can trust you. How will I know that you won't make me end up like Scorch and Chills?"

"**I must confess that I did try to make you my host once I discovered you, but you have your own power that prevented me from doing so. Once I took form, I decided that if you could not be my host, then perhaps a mutual alliance would be more suitable. You could always ignore me if that is what you desire, but you are in quite the dire situation, so from my point of view that is most unwise. As for what a Barian is, you will understand in time."**

Rio hated to admit it, but the Number was right. Either she summoned her and risked possession, or chose not to summon her and risk losing both Shark and Yuma's decks, and if that happened, she would not be able to live with herself. Deciding to take a leap of faith, she made the preparations necessary to summon her new ace in the hole. "First I will flip summon my face down monster, Aurora Wing, and then I will use my own Monster Reborn to bring back Blizzard Falcon". Two avian figures appeared at Rio's side, the familiar Blizzard Falcon, and another monster that looked like a blue phoenix whose wings glowed with the Aurora Borealis.

**Aurora Wing: Level 4/Water/Winged-Beast/1200 atk/1600 def**

"Now I activate the field spell, Lemuria the Forgotten City!" The terrain of the battlefield began to change, and the Augmented Reality displayed a city with architecture similar to Ancient Greece, but most of it was completely submerged in water. "Now I will activate the effect of my city. Not only do my water monsters gain 200 attack points, but since I have two water monsters on the field, their levels increase from four to six."

**Blizzard Falcon Atk: 1500 + 200 = 1700 (Level 6)**

**Aurora Wing Atk: 1200 + 200 = 1400 (Level 6)**

"Now I activate Cost Down. This lets me summon a Level 5 or higher monster with one less tribute, so I will summon Mobius the Frost Monarch in attack mode." A knight clothed in a long blue cape and silver armor that resembled the coldest ice possible appeared on the field next to the two ice birds.

**Mobius the Frost Monarch: Level 6/WATER/Aqua/2400 atk/1000 def**

"Now with these 3 Level 6 Monsters I shall construct the overlay network." The gold portal reappeared again, and Rio's 3 monsters descended into it as overlay units.

"XYZ SUMMON! RISE FROM THE ICY DEPTHS NUMBER 21: FROZEN LADY JUSTICE!"

From the gold portal arose a large glowing diamond with a red jewel at the center, which quickly transformed. When complete, there stood a stunningly beautiful woman. Blue armor covered her torso, white gloves, stockings, and high heeled boots adorned her arms and legs, and a red 21 glowed on her left leg. Her short spiky hair and skin were pale blue, the color of ice, and a long broadsword was equipped on her waste. She stared at Scorch and Chills menacingly, and the brothers could not help but be intimidated by her cold blue eyes that were gazing directly into their souls.

Yuma, Kotori, and Tetsuo were dumbfounded at what had just transpired. Even Astral was surprised.

"**So she has a Number as well? Then why is she not behaving as if she was possessed? Is Number 21 benign like Hope, or is there some other power at work here?**

"First those thugs get Numbers, then Yuma gets a Number, and now Rio has one? Where are all these Number cards coming from?" Kotori wondered. Tetsuo just made an "I don't know" gesture with his hands.

**Number 21 Frozen Lady Justice: Rank 6/WATER/Aqua/500 atk/500 def/3 overlay units**

"You went to all that trouble to bring out a monster with only 500 attack points?" Scorch questioned.

"I know right? How pathetic can you get?" Chills taunted.

"Don't get too cocky. Justice gains 1000 attack for every overlay unit she has!" Rio retorted.

**Justice Atk: 500 + 3000 + 200 (from Lemuria) = 3700**

The brothers were taken aback by the increase in power. "WHAT? 3700?"

"Now I activate the effect of my Number. By detaching one overlay unit, all monsters my opponent controls that are in defense mode are destroyed. Frozen Lady Justice, go put Volcasaurus on ice! ETERNAL PERMAFROST!" Justice unsheathed her sword and spun the blade around in the air, whipping up a powerful blizzard that surrounded the facedown Volcasaurus. It was flipped face up again, and the dinosaur stared down at its feet in shock as ice began to creep up its body until eventually it was completely frozen solid. The frozen Number monster then shattered into pieces.

**Justice Atk: 3700 – 1000 = 2700**

"NOOOOO! MY NUMBER! MY ULTIMATE POWER!" Scorch yelled in disbelief, his hands gripping his dreadlocks as if he was about to tear his hair out.

"Now for my final card, Aqua Jet, which will boost my lady up by 1000 more points, giving her enough to wipe you out!" An orange hovercraft suddenly appeared under the feet of Rio's Number, levitating her off the ground.

**Justice Atk: 2700 + 1000 = 3700**

"It's over for you Scorch!" Rio declared with venom in her voice. "Frozen Lady Justice, attack Scorch's lifepoints directly! FROSTBITE BLADE!"

Scorch could only watch in horror as the woman surfed on the hovercraft towards him, blade armed and ready. The broadsword impaled him in the chest, and he was sent flying backwards from the force of the attack. He fell to the ground and did not get up.

**Scorch: 3700 – 3700 = 0 (LOSE)**

Kotori cheered as loud as she possibly could! "ALRIGHT! That's one down and one to go!"

"It ain't over yet Kotori." Bronk reminded her. "They still have Chills to deal with and he does not look happy."

As if on instinct. Astral soon realized what he needed to do. He extended his hand forward and concentrated on Scorch's body, and the Number 61 disappeared from Scorch's hand and reappeared in its card form in Astral's hand.** "My suspicion was correct. This Number represents a piece of my memory, but only a small piece, but now I know what I must do. In order for my memory to be restored, I must reclaim all 100 of the Number cards."**

To say that Chills was pissed off would be the understatement of the year. He was angrier than he had ever been in his life. The dark aura around his body grew stronger than ever, and the darkness overtook his eyes again. "YOU LITTLE BITCH!" He roared in anger. "NOBODY DOES THAT TO MY BROTHER AND GETS AWAY WITH IT! YOU ARE DEAD! I DRAW!" Chills drew his card. "I will equip Freezerdon with the spell card **Hunting in Packs.** By banishing the four dinosaurs I have in my graveyard, Freezerdon gains 500 attack points for each one. But that's not all, if Freezerdon is ever destroyed, you will take damage equal to its original attack, so if he goes down, you will go down with him."

**Freezerdon Atk: 2000 + 2000 = 4000**

"Freezerdon, Attack Hope with TUNDRA BREATH!

"**Activate Hope's effect." **Astral commanded

"Yeah, I'm on it. I activate Hope's effect! By detaching an overlay unit, your attack is negated. GO MOON BARRIER!" Hope pulled out a long chain which converted into a golden shield that stopped Freezerdon's attack dead in its tracks.

Chills growled. "FINE! I end my turn!"

"Then I guess it's my turn again. Come on good card! Draw!" Yuma looked at his card. "Alright, if I can't destroy the monster, then I guess I will destroy the equip spell. I will use my own Mystical Space Typhoon to get rid of Hunting in Packs."

Chills could only watch as his secret weapon was blown away by a gust of wind. He had a bad feeling about this, for despite his pride not wanting to admit it, he could see that his chances of winning were getting incredibly low.

"Now I will attack Freezerdon with Hope, using my last overlay unit to negate my own attack." Yuma declared.

"Why the hell would you negate your own attack? Chills questioned. "Are you stupid or something? Wait a minute. Don't respond. I already know the answer!"

"I did that so I could activate this card, Double or Nothing! When the attack of my monster is negated, his attack points double and then he can attack again! Now let's do this Hope! Finish him off with RISING SUN SLASH!"

**Hope Attack: 2500 + 2500 = 5000**

Hope charged forward and cleaved the ice dinosaur in half with his blades. The top half of Freezerdon's body fell to the ground with a crash, and then both halves exploded. Chills cried out "NOOOOOO!" as his lifepoints dropped to zero. He too fell to the ground and didn't get up.

**Chills: 2000 - 3000 = 0 (LOSE)**

**Winner: Yuma and Rio**

Rio marveled at the display, and she thought to herself. "_These new cards, these Numbers; They are more powerful then I any card I have ever seen. If Yuma or I could do that with just one Number, then imagine what I could do if I had two, or even a dozen? IV won't even stand a ghost of a chance if I used them against him. I have to find more of these cards. I NEED those Numbers!"_

The moment she said those words, her hand suddenly glowed bright red with energy. It shot forward, and a strange symbol appeared in front of it. It looked somewhat similar to a blue Fleur-de-Lis with a red jewel at the center. A ghostly red hand invisible to everyone but Astral and Rio shot out of the jewel and entered Chills' body, pulling out Number 19, and then retracting back to her. The Number then disappeared from Chills' hand and reappeared in Rio's hand in card form. Rio was shocked at what she just did, and she began to tremble, eyes wide with fear.

"_H-How did I just do that? W-What w-was that?"_

Back at Yuma's side, Astral wondered the same thing, for that energy, and especially that symbol, seemed familiar to him and gave off an aura that seemed very threatening.

"**Observation Number 2: That girl has a very peculiar power within her, one that allows her to take Number cards. This makes her dangerous. VERY dangerous."**

Yuma did not even have time to turn around, for Kotori ran up to him and hugged him tightly. "Oh Yuma you won! You won! I knew the both of you could do it!" she cried out, causing Yuma's cheeks to turn slightly red.

"I hate to ruin the moment." Tetsuo spoke up, "But what should we do about them?" He asked, pointing to the still unconscious Scorch and Chills.

Kotori unwrapped her arms from Yuma and pulled out her cell phone. "I say we make sure that they never bother us again" and she dialed 911.

By the time Scorch and Chills came to, the police had already arrived, and words could not describe how eager they were to arrest the brothers, for they had done time before on numerous occasions for a variety of reasons, including theft, assault, and even drug possession.

Tetsuo smiled at the scene of the brothers being hauled off to be put behind bars for what would be the umpteenth time, happy to see justice done. Should the situation arise he would have no problem testifying against them in court about their attempt to steal his deck, using his black eye as solid evidence.

He walked over to Rio. "Hey Rio, I know you didn't have to do what you did, but I can't thank you and Yuma enough for getting my deck back. Thanks." He didn't get an answer. "Rio?" She still didn't answer. She just continued to stare at the two Numbers in her hand. Her mind desperately tried to process what had just happened, but all she had were more questions. What exactly were these cards? Where did they come from? Were there more? And if there were more, where could she look for more? And most importantly, why did Frozen Lady Justice call her "Queen of the Barians?"

* * *

><p><strong>Author Made Cards:<strong>

**Meteor Shower: Normal Spell**

**Effect: Discard 1 Dinosaur Type Monster from your hand; target one monster your opponent controls, destroy it, and if you do, inflict damage to your opponent equal to the level of the monster you discarded X 100. You cannot conduct your battle phase during the turn you activate this card.**

**Lava Geyser: Continuous Spell**

**Effect: During each of your end phases, if you did not attack this turn, and if there is at least 1 Dinosaur Type Monster on your side of the field, inflict 500 damage to your opponent.**

**Tribute Volcano: Normal Spell**

**Effect: Discard 1 level 2 or lower Dinosaur-Type Monster from your hand; increase or decrease the levels of all Dinosaur Type Monsters you control by that monster's level until the end phase**

**Hunting in Packs: Equip Spell**

**Effect: Equip only to a Dinosaur-Type Monster when you have 5 or less monsters in your Graveyard. Banish all Dinosaur-Type Monsters from your Graveyard. The equipped monster gains 500 atk for each monster banished. When the equipped monster is destroyed, inflict damage to your opponent equal to the equipped monster's original atk.**

**Cretaceo Stego: Level 4/WATER/Dinosaur/1200 atk/2000 def**

**Effect: If you would take 1000 or more points of damage (either by battle or by card effect) you can special summon this card from your hand, and if you do, reduce the damage to 0**

**Cretaceo Brachio: Level 4/WATER/Dinosaur/500 atk/2200 def**

**Effect: When this card is normal summoned, change this card to defense position. If you control another Dinosaur-Type Monster, this card cannot be destroyed by battle.**

**Cretaceo Pachycephalo: Level 4/WATER/Dinosaur/1800 atk/1800 def**

**Effect: If one or more Dinosaur-Type Monsters you control are destroyed (either by battle or by card effect) you can special summon this card from your hand, and if you do, inflict 800 damage to your opponent.**

**Cretaceo Allo: Level 5/WATER/Dinosaur/2300 atk/1500 def**

**Effect: If you control exactly 1 WATER Dinosaur-Type Monster (and no other monsters), you can special summon this card from your hand, then target 1 WATER Dinosaur Monster you control, its level becomes 5.**

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes:<strong>

**Well after finishing this chapter, I just realized something. DUELS ARE INCREDIBLY HARD TO WRITE! Other Zexal Authors on this site make it look a lot easier than it actually is.**

**Now about that archetype I created for Chills. I wanted there to be an ice counterpart to the Jurracs that I gave Scorch. Since Jurracs are named after the Jurassic Era of the Dinosaur Age, I merely picked another dinosaur time period, the Cretaceous Era, and my Cretaceos were born! I hope that you guys like them. Rio's Number was an obvious choice for her. Not only is it an ice number, but it represents her goal as well. Numbers mold themselves to the desires of their owners, and Rio's greatest desire is to have "Justice" done to IV for what he did to Shark, so it is only fitting that she gets the Number with Justice in its name.**

**Now for those of you wondering how she was able to take the Number herself, I have slightly changed the rules about Barians. Number 1 (LOL no pun intended) Barians cannot be possessed by Numbers. Yes I know Shark got possessed by Number 17 in the anime, but I highly doubt that the writers were thinking of making him a Barian that early on. Hell, there are tons of moments in Zexal where it looked like the writers were making it up as they go. Second, the Barians don't need those cube things to take Numbers. It is within their own power to do so. Exposure to the Numbers has awakened Rio's own power which is acting on instinct, although Rio doesn't even know what she is (YET). Speaking of Barians, next chapter will introduce them into the story and it will also be the chapter where Durbe and Rio first meet. I hope you are excited for that because I sure am!**

**So what did you think of the chapter? What about the duel? Did you like it? Did you not like it? Whatever your opinion is, leave a review and let me know!**

**Until next time! This is Nox Descious signing out!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Greetings once again! **

**For all you shippers out there, this is a chapter to be excited for, since both members of the main pairing in this story will be meeting face to face for the first time!**

**One thing I need to make a note of, many of you might be more familiar with Durbe's cards in their TCG form, Star Seraphs, well I am going to be referring to them by their OCG names, Holy Lightning, just as a heads up for you all in case some of you are not familiar with the name. This is going to be the case for many cards in Zexal whose TCG names I do not particularly like (Example: Which sounds more badass to you? Burning Knuckles or Battling Boxers?)**

**And last but not least, I don't own Zexal, I do however own the plot of this fanfiction and the OC I created for this chapter for the sake of giving Rio her own Number holder to duel.**

**With that being said, let the chapter commence! Enjoy!**

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><p>Chapter 3: Reunion of Knight and Queen<p>

Beyond the vast reaches of the human world, across the very fabric of space and time, lay an alternate dimension ruled by the power of chaos. Its surface contained magenta colored crystals as far as the eye could see, and its skies appeared to constantly be in a state of eternal sunrise. This was the Barian World, and its center was the location of a gathering of four cloaked individuals who all shared one single goal in mind: Destroy the Astral World and claim the Numbers for themselves. Two of them were currently arguing over the matter.

"Durbe, I have had enough of sitting around and doing nothing. Your decision to wait for Vector's plan to succeed is going to be the ruin of us all!" A yellow cloaked individual said to another cloaked in grey. "Do you really have that much self-doubt as a leader? You need to take action. What if Vector's plan fails? I am starting to wonder why Merag declared that you would be in charge in case anything happened to her or Nasch."

"You dare insult the memories of our missing comrades, Misael?" The one called Durbe asked in an accusative tone.

"Not at all." Misael responded dismissively. "All I am saying is that Merag gave you this leadership position for a reason, and doing nothing seems to be a very poor way to repay her and Nasch for all they have done for us, and that is not even the real reason why I oppose this."

"Oh really?" Durbe questioned. "And just what is this real reason of yours?"

Misael decided to answer in the form of a question. "Durbe, do you trust Vector?"

That got Durbe's attention. If there was one thing that the four remaining Barians agreed on, it was their mutual dislike and distrust of Vector. His mental instability was off putting enough, but now that he had gone to the human world on his own, he was a wildcard, a dangerous and unpredictable wildcard. But the one thing that disturbed Durbe the most was his reaction to Nasch and Merag's disappearance. Unlike the others, especially Durbe himself, who mourned the loss of their comrades, Vector did not seem to be bothered by their disappearance at all; in fact, he behaved as if he was glad that they were gone. Durbe's mind became fearful with a new suspicion. Vector had always challenged and questioned Merag's decisions as a leader, insulting her every chance he got, and this caused him to also clash with Nasch, who was rather over protective of her. Durbe knew just how much Vector disliked them, but was he really willing to go so far as to murder his own comrades over a petty grudge? He clenched his fists in anger. If he found out that Vector was responsible for what happened to Nasch and Merag, he would murder that psychopath himself. Sighing in defeat, he acquiesced to Misael's wishes.

"Very well Misael, I see your point. Our situation is far too dire for us to put all our eggs in one basket. We would be in a very bad way if Vector's plan were to fail, or worse, if Vector were to betray us. If we go to the human world now and begin collecting the Numbers ourselves, then our goal will be accomplished far quicker, and by the time Vector's plan reaches its outcome, be it success, failure, or betrayal, we will have enough Numbers to withstand any consequences." He made his mind up. "GILAG! ALITO!" he called out to two other cloaked figures nearby. "There has been a change of plans. We move now!"

The muscular green cloaked figure, Gilag, raised his tree trunk arms in excitement. "Finally some action! We will get every single Number if it's the last thing we do!"

The one in red, Alito, was not as enthusiastic. "I don't want to go to the human world." He whined. "The dueling skills of the humans there pale in comparison to mine. I'll get bored way too quickly."

Durbe glared at him. "Alito, I am not in the best of moods right now. Do you really think this is a good time to protest against my orders?"

The moment they made eye contact, all courage left the red Barian's body. Despite his bravery and fiery spirit, Alito was no match for what he liked to call, The Durbe Death Stare of Doom. "Uh…Right! What I meant to say was I'm super excited to go to the human world! We should go immediately!"

"That's what I thought you said," Durbe muttered. His eyes flashed red for a second, and a portal opened up next to them. The other three Barians entered the portal which would take them to the human world. Durbe took one look back before entering himself. "Nasch, Merag, if you are out there, I will find you, and if you are truly lost to us, then I shall continue on and accomplish our goal to honor your memories, for the sake of the Barian World".

* * *

><p>Adrenaline was pumping though Rio's veins as she stared down her opponent. She was excited to finish this duel and acquire the 3rd Number in her collection. She had been walking home from school when she noticed a muscular teenager with short red hair attempting to mug another student. This was Fugaku, who took a new meaning to the words "School Bully", but he was never THAT violent with the people he picked on, until today. She was about to get the can of pepper spray out from her purse to get him to stop, when she noticed a yellow 52 pulsing on his neck. She had called him out, showing him her Numbers to bait him into a duel. Now she was stuck in this mess, and staring at her was an elephant sized crab with shiny crystals sprouting out of its back. It became a huge annoyance right away with its high defense, but now she had the means to deal with this monster, and soon it would be hers.<p>

**Current Status of Duel:**

**Rio: 4000 Lifepoints**

**Fugaku: 2500 Lifepoints**

**Rio's Field:**

**Tundra Eagle: Level 5/WATER/Winged-Beast/2000 atk/1500 def**

**Snow Crow: Level 5/WATER/Winged-Beast/1700 atk/1700 def**

**Fugaku's Field:**

**Number 52 Diamond Crab King: Rank 4/EARTH/Rock/0 atk/3000 def (2 overlay units)**

**Rio's Turn:**

"My turn, I draw!" Rio drew her card.

"Draw as many cards as you like little girl, but you still won't get past my ultimate defense! Diamond Crab King is invincible! This duel is as good as over! Your Numbers are Mine!" Fugaku taunted her in a maniacal tone, the yellow 52 on his neck pulsing with every word.

A ghostly form appeared next to Rio. She knew who it was, the Number 21 on her leg making it obvious. She studied the status of the duel before adding her own commentary. **"Oh my, this human is stupid. Very Stupid. This duel was over the moment he chose to rely on such a defensive monster, and I make mincemeat out of such monsters. Shall I take care of him for you?"**

"I wouldn't have it any other way!" Rio said to her, preparing to set the stage for her summoning. "I activate the spell, **Rising Tide,** by discarding a water monster from my hand, the levels of all my water monsters increase by one!" She announced, sending Blizzard Falcon to the graveyard as the appropriate cost.

**Tundra Eagle and Snow Crow: Level 6**

"Now I activate the spell Xyz Plant, which special summons itself as a monster with the same level as one of my other monsters!" A small plant sprouted out of the ground, the bud on top of it slightly resembling an overlay unit.

**Xyz Plant: Level 6/EARTH/Plant/0 atk/0 def**

"Now with these 3 Level 6 Monsters I shall construct the overlay network!" The 3 monsters turned into glowing balls of light and entered the gold portal that appeared from the ground.

"XYZ SUMMON! NUMBER 21: FROZEN LADY JUSTICE!"

Rising from the gold portal was the familiar sight of the giant diamond that immediately transformed into the beautiful woman of ice who bared the sword and title of Justice. She stared menacingly at the crab, prepared to annihilate it and add it to the collection of her mistress.

**Number 21 Frozen Lady Justice: Rank 6/WATER/Aqua/500 ak/500 def/ 3 overlay units**

"Only 500 attack points? What a joke! You really think that can get past my ultimate defense?" Fugaku mocked.

"The only joke here is you Fugaku. Justice gains 1000 attack points for each of her overlay units". Fugaku suddenly became speechless as he saw the ice woman's attack points increase. Beads of sweat trickled down his forehead as he realized that even his Number could not withstand that kind of power.

**Justice Atk: 500 + 3000 = 3500**

"Now I activate her effect. By detaching one overlay unit, all defense mode monsters on the field are destroyed, so say goodbye to Diamond Crab King, ETERNAL PERMAFROST!" Justice absorbed the overlay unit into her sword and unleashed a massive snowstorm towards the crab, who was helpless as it was frozen solid before shattering into pieces.

**Justice Atk: 3500 - 1000 = 2500**

"And now Justice, finish him off! FROSTBITE BLADE!" Fugaku screamed as he was impaled in the chest by Justice's sharp broadsword. He fell to the ground and didn't get up.

**Fugaku: 2500 – 2500 = 0 (LOSE)**

**Winner: Rio**

"_Now to see if I can get that power to activate again, but how do I do it?"_ She thought. She extended her arm, focusing directly on Fugaku's unconscious form. "_Come on. Concentrate, Concentrate! I want that Number. I NEED that Number!"_ To her surprise, it actually worked. The blue symbol appeared in front of her and a ghostly red hand shot out of it, entering Fugaku's chest. When the hand retracted, Rio had successfully acquired her 3rd Number.

"_I_..._I can't believe it. It worked. I can control it! I can actually control it!"_

* * *

><p>The next day at school, Rio was filled with inspiration and excitement. She marveled at the possibilities of her powers. If it could allow her to take these special Numbers, then she could only imagine what else it could do, and the best part was, these powers would be her ace in the hole against IV. She continued to giddily muse over the subject until she ran into Yuma, Kotori, and Tetsuo, who told her that even after two whole weeks, Yuma was still talking to himself, or as they put it, "His Imaginary Duelist Friend". It made absolutely no sense to her. Yuma had never gone through that phase in his life, yet right in the middle of their tag duel, he suddenly acted like he did have imaginary friend. Perhaps he really had gone insane. Then again, if she could suddenly conjure spectral hands out of thin air, which was farfetched enough, then maybe ghosts exist too.<p>

"Hey Yuma, may I talk to you in private for a second?" She asked, beckoning the boy to follow her behind the school building.

"Sure thing Rio, what's up?" Yuma asked.

"I was just wondering if you figured out what this whole Number thing is about."

"Oh, well Astral says that they are pieces of his memories, and if I collect them all, he'll get his memory back!" Yuma said, pointing to nothing. Rio, of course, was unaware that Astral was actually floating right next to them.

"Astral? Who's Astral?" Rio asked, completely confused.

"He is my new dueling friend. He's invisible, and he has amnesia, but I can see him, and he helps me out during duels!" Yuma answered. Rio only became more confused, but decided to change the subject.

"Ooooookaaaay, so how many have you found so far? I got this one just yesterday!" She held up Number 52: Diamond Crab King to confirm her statement.

"Other than Hope and Volcasaurus, I found two others, so that means I'm in the lead." He responded, holding up Number 34: Terror-Byte and Number 83: Galaxy Queen

"Yuma, this is not a competition." Rio scolded. "This is_" She paused mid-sentence. Her body suddenly began to tremble and shake, and her eyes became glazed over as if she was in a trance. She began to stare off into space as if she had entered her own little world.

"Rio? Rio what's wrong?" Yuma asked, but then Astral floated over in front of him, and to Yuma's surprise, he was shaking as well.

"**Yuma" **he called out to him.** "I sense that something is very wrong. I sense a powerful presence. I am not sure what it is, but it feels threatening, almost as if my very energy is being drained by it.**

"What do you mean Astral?" Yuma asked, but the Rio spoke up.

"They are coming!" she cried out. "They are coming! Coming to take them!"

"Who is coming?" Yuma asked her. "What are they trying to take? The Numbers?"

Suddenly Rio stopped shaking, and her eyes returned to normal. Her eyes darted around her, wondering what just happened. _"Did I just black out? I never black out!"_

"I...I'm sorry Yuma. I need to get to class.", and she ran off with a panicked expression on her face.

Yuma did not know what to make of that at all. "What was that all about?"

Astral had also stopped shaking. **"I do not know, but I strongly suggest we keep an eye on her. Perhaps she knows more about the Numbers than she is letting on, and one can most likely assume that she is connected to the presence I felt."**

"Hey what are you saying Astral?" Yuma accused, clearly bothered by the transparent alien's choice of words. "Are you saying that Rio can't be trusted? How could you say that? She is my friend!"

"**Observation Number 3: Even Friends hold hidden secrets that one might not like." **Astral stated cryptically.

* * *

><p>Astral was right to be worried, for deep in the center of the city, large storm clouds were gathering in the sky. A red hole in the sky opened up, and three large globes of red energy slowly descended down to the ground. The energy receded, revealing 4 male humans, but despite their looks, they were actually not human at all. These were the Barians, and they had finally arrived to begin their Number hunt.<p>

"So this is the human world huh?" Gilag asked rhetorically, taking the form of a giant muscular man with large lips, tan skin, and a mohawk. "It looks like a dump to me."

"See? This is why I wanted to stay in the Barian World. It looks boring!" Alito continued to whine, taking the form of a lean teenager with tan skin and black tentacle shaped hair that curled slightly upward.

"Oh will you be quiet you simpleton!" Misael scolded, appearing as a slender figure with long blond hair. "And if you continue whining I will personally feed you to Tachyon!"

"That's enough. We are all here now, and we have a job to do. I will not tolerate such petty quarreling." Durbe said. "Alright, here is the plan. The three of you will split up and begin searching for Numbers immediately. I on the other hand, will search for clues to the potential whereabouts of Nasch and Merag's location. If they are not in the Barian World, then they are most likely here somewhere. I am well aware that my chances of finding them are low, but I cannot give up without confirmation of whether they are alive or dead. We shall pick a rendezvous point and meet there every nightfall to check each other's progress and replenish our energy. Before I go, take these sphere cubes with you. These will allow you to use your Over Hundred Numbers in this world and create a high enough concentration of energy to regress back to your true forms, but use them only if absolutely necessary. Now let us begin, for the sake of the Barian World!"

"For the sake of the Barian World!" The other three Barians repeated, and they teleported away, Gilag, Alito, and Misael hunting the Numbers, and Durbe searching for his missing comrades.

"_I shall start by locating and infiltrating a place that has a large gathering of humans. Hopefully I can blend in and look for any sign of them there."_

* * *

><p>The next day at school, Yuma had somewhat taken Astral's advice and was studying Rio with a worried look on his face. He had tried to further question her on what she had said in her trance like state, but every time he asked, she adamantly stated that she had no idea what he was talking about. Yuma sighed in defeat and decided to drop the subject. The two of them sat down at their desks, when Professor Ukyo made an announcement.<p>

"Alright Class, today we have a new student joining our class, so please give a warm welcome to Durbe Knight." He announced the new student's prescence, and a boy with short, gray spiky hair, pale skin, and glasses entered the classroom.

"Well Durbe, before we begin our lesson. Why don't you tell us a little about yourself?" Professor Ukyo encouraged.

"I bid you all greetings. As you already know, my name is Durbe. I enjoy reading and dueling, and I hope that I will enjoy my time with you all." He greeted the class in a monotone, but he tried to at least sound pleasant. He was just about to sit down at his desk, when he suddenly stopped. His eyes widened and his heart stopped for a few seconds as he stared at the girl sitting next to him.

"_It cannot be. It just cannot be."_ He could not believe how much luck he was experiencing, for he had already found her on the 2nd day of his search. He could feel it in his gut that this was definitely her. The resemblance was uncanny, the long blue hair, the flawless face, the magenta eyes that shined like rubies.

"_Merag? Is that you? Is it really you?"_

* * *

><p>Rio was relieved now that she was out of class. She was eager to duel someone, and hopefully she could find another Number holder and make her collection grow. She was just about to head to the school grounds, when a voice stopped her.<p>

"I cannot believe after such a long time, I have finally found you, my queen." Rio turned to see the new student, Durbe, staring at her with a peculiar look on his face. He was acting as if he knew her, but that was impossible. She had never seen this boy, or anyone that looked like him or shared his name in her life.

"Words cannot describe how happy it is to see you again Merag." Durbe said to her. "But how did you make it all the way here? Then again, I do not even know how you vanished from us. What happened to you?"

Rio had no idea how to react to this. "Wait. Hold on. Back up. Who the heck is Merag? My name is Rio Kamishiro, and I have never seen you before in my life. You've got the wrong girl."

Durbe was surprised. The gears in his mind turned faster to come up with an answer to this new dilemma. "_She does not remember? But how is that possible? Did something go wrong with her entry into the human world which caused her to experience amnesia? Or perhaps I am mistaken. Perhaps this is not Merag, but merely a human female who coincidentally looks like her."_ Desperate to regain control of the situation, he decided not to pursue his accusation. Besides, there were plenty of other ways of finding out if this was really her.

"My most sincere apologies my lady." He said to her, bowing respectfully. "I mistook you for someone else."

"_My lady? Who does this guy think he is, some kind of knight in shining armor?"_ She thought. "Well may I ask why you would mistake me for your missing girlfriend?"

Durbe's cheeks turned slightly red at the word girlfriend. "My...friend went missing a long time ago, along with another friend of mine. I have been looking for them ever since, and I miss them very much. You bear a striking resemblance to her, and therefore I only assumed that you were her. I have never given up the search, and I swore that I would one day find them."

Rio's expression softened into one of sympathy. The poor boy, if Ryoga went missing for a long period of time, and she came across a look alike, desperation would create such an assumption, and she might react the same way he did.

"No, I'm sorry Durbe. I'm sorry for your loss. I really hope you find them some day." She said to him in a comforting tone with 100% sincerity.

A small smile appeared on Durbe's face. "Thank you. Say, I could not help but notice that you were looking for someone to duel. Perhaps I could be your next opponent?"

Rio grinned. "Alright, you got yourself a duel, but when you challenge the Ice Queen, you get iced! Don't say I didn't warn you!" She activated her Duel Disk and Durbe did the same.

"_This will work perfectly"_ he thought._ "Now I can truly find out whether you are indeed Merag or not."_ "Come at me with everything you have! I will not hold back either!"

**Duel Gazer Set**

**Augmented Reality Vision Online**

**Rio: 4000**

**Durbe: 4000**

**DUEL!**

"I shall make the first move." Durbe stated calmly. " I Draw!" He looked at his cards, quickly devising a plan. "I summon the monster Holy Lightning Wings from my hand in attack mode. When he is summoned, I can special summon one Holy Lightning Monster from my hand, so I will special summon Holy Lightning Scale in defense mode." A strange looking monster appeared on the field. It looked like a cross between a mechanical bird and a satellite. It was mostly colored black with its wings a bold purple and the outline of its body glowing a bright yellow. The moment the monster it the field, another monster appeared by its side looking exactly what its name described it as, a scale. It was completely gold in color, and it had the same glowing highlights as its avian mechanical ally.

**Holy Lightning Wings: Level 4/LIGHT/Fairy/1200 atk/1800 def**

**Holy Lightning Scale: Level 4/LIGHT/Fairy/1500 atk/900 def**

"I am not finished yet. Scale's effect activates. Since he was special summoned, I can special summon another Holy Lightning Monster from my hand, so I will special summon Holy Lighting Scepter in attack mode!" Another glowing metal monster appeared on the field, and this one looked like a cross between a magic wand and a mechanical mosquito. It was completely blue in color save for the glowing yellow highlights all over its body.

**Holy Lightning Scepter: Level 4/LIGHT/Fairy/1800 atk/400 def**

"And now, Scepter's effect activates, allowing me to add one Holy Lightning Monster from my deck to my hand." Durbe scanned his deck until he found the card he wanted, adding it to his hand.

Rio was surprised by the swarming skill of Durbe's deck. "_He actually managed to summon three monsters in one turn, and the worst part is, they're all Level 4. I think I know what's coming next."_

"I set one card face down and end my turn." Durbe said, diverting to Rio for her turn.

Now Rio was really surprised. "_He didn't Xyz Summon? What is he planning?_ _It doesn't make any sense. He had the perfect opportunity to do so, but he chose not to. Either he has no Xyz Monsters in his deck, or he has a deadly trick up his sleeve. I'm going to have to be careful."_

"It's my turn, Draw Card!" Rio drew her first card. "Since I have no monsters on my side of the field and you do, I can special summon **Tundra Eagle** from my hand, then his effect lets me search my deck for one of my ice birds!" From the sky descended a bald eagle that was colored as white as the whitest of snow. It screeched and bared its ice covered talons.

**Tundra Eagle: Level 5/WATER/Winged-Beast/2000 atk/1500 def**

"Now since I control one of my ice birds, I can summon **Snow Crow** from my hand without tributing, and since I did this, he gains 500 attack points". Another bird descended from the sky to accompany Tundra Eagle. This one was a large crow, but it was colored blue instead of black, and it has small ice crystals decorating its back like spots on a leopard.

**Snow Crow: Level 5/WATER/Winged-Beast/1700 atk/1700 def**

**Snow Crow Atk: 1700 + 500 = 2200**

"Now with these 2 Level 5 Monsters, I shall construct the overlay network!" The red portal opened in the ground and the two ice birds proceeded to enter it as overlay units.

"XYZ SUMMON! RIOTO HARPYIA THE FROZEN BIRD PRINCESS!"

Out of the portal rose a dark blue skinned woman clad in armor that strongly resembled ice. Two wings also looked like large icicles were sprouting out of her back. She twirled the yellow colored sickle that she carried in her hand and took a battle ready position on the field.

**Rioto Harpyia The Frozen Bird Princess: Rank 5/WATER/Winged-Beast/2500 atk/2100 def/2 overlay units**

"I am afraid I will have to stop you there!" Durbe called out. "I activate the trap card, Solar Ray. Now you take 600 points of damage for every light attribute monster I control. I have three, so you take 1800 points of damage!" A blinding light exploded out of the trap card and flashed in Rio's face, who winced as her lifepoints took a hit.

**Rio: 4000 – 1800 = 2200**

"Not bad Durbe." Rio complimented. "But you still have to deal with Rioto and her effect. By detaching one overlay unit, I can reduce the attack points of one of your monsters to zero, like that scepter of yours you conveniently left in attack mode. Put him on ice Rioto!" The ice covered woman absorbed one of her overlay units into her sickle, and fired a blue ray from her eyes. The moment the ray made contact with the scepter, it was completely frozen solid.

**Holy Lightning Scepter Atk: 1800 – 1800 = 0**

"Rioto Attack! SUB-ZERO SICKLE SLASH!" The woman charged forward, sickle in hand, but Durbe was not worried at all.

"I am afraid that my scepter is here to stay. I activate the effect of **Holy Lightning Shield** in my hand. By discarding it, my monster is not destroyed and I take no battle damage." Before Rioto's attack could connect, a large golden shield appeared in front of them. It had a crest in the middle of it that crudely resembled a face. The sickle collided with the shield, but the shield would not budge, so Rioto backed off and moved back to Rio's side of the field. The shield then disappeared, for its job was done.

**Holy Lighting Shield: Level 4/LIGHT/Fairy/0 atk/2200 def**

"Alright fine. I end my turn." Rio said, clearly annoyed that her attack led to no results.

"Then it is my turn again. I draw!" Durbe looked at his cards. "I will activate the spell card, **Gift of Lightning**. Since I control three Holy Lightning Monsters, I can draw three cards, but I cannot attack or special summon monsters from my extra deck." Durbe drew his cards, noticing two in particular. "_Perfect. Now it is finally time to see whether it is truly you or not...Merag."_ He thought to himself. He stared at the card, Rank Up Magic Barian's Force. Under normal circumstances, a human exposed to its power would be stripped of their free will, their minds only thinking about serving the Barian World and collecting the Numbers, the success of the mind alteration indicated by the Barian symbol present on their foreheads. Should Rio play it, and no mark appeared, then it would confirm his suspicions that she was really his long lost queen, leader and comrade, for the power of that card had no effect on other Barians. In truth he detested this method of forcefully recruiting humans, preferring more honorable means, but he knew this method was necessary to gather more soldiers and acquire the Numbers faster. Everything they did was necessary, everything for the sake of the Barian World.

Durbe made his move. "I shall place one card face down, then I shall summon Fairy Archer in attack mode." A tiny elf with short brown hair appeared on the field. She was dressed in a purple outfit with a skirt made out of leaves. She carried a large golden bow in her hands and was quite prepared to use it.

**Fairy Archer: Level 3/LIGHT/Fairy/1400 atk/600 def**

"Now I activate her effect. She can inflict 400 points of damage to you for every light attribute monster I have on the field. I control four, including herself, so you take 1600 points of damage." The elf wasted no time as she drew her bow, the arrow glowing bright red. She fired, and the arrow shot towards Rio at lightning speed, piercing her chest and causing her to fall to the ground.

**Rio: 2200 – 1600 = 600**

"I am not finished yet. I activate the spell card, Exchange. Now we look at each other's hands and I get to take a card from your hand and add it to mine, but you can also do the same." Durbe walked over to Rio, who had gotten back up from Fairy Archer's attack. Durbe scanned Rio's hand. It did not matter to him which card he took, for the point was to give her his card, but he eventually decided on taking Monster Reborn from her hand. He held up his card and handed it to Rio. "Since this is the only card in my hand, you have no choice but to take it. Use it well." He walked back to his spot on the duel field, and Rio looked at the card that Durbe gave her. Her heart skipped a beat. The image on the card was the exact same symbol as the one that appeared whenever she took a Number. How was that even possible? She read the name of the card and her heart skipped a beat once again. Her mind became flooded with questions. _"Rank Up Magic Barian's Force. BARIAN? That was the word that Frozen Lady Justice used when she called me their queen, but what in the world is a Barian, and how am I their queen? How am I a queen of anything? I'm not a royalty figure. I'm not anyone special. This is way too big to be a coincidence. I am DEFINITELY going to have to have a little talk with Durbe after the duel. Who knows? Maybe this card has the answers to this whole Number mystery. Only one way to find out._" She read the text on the card carefully to understand what it did before taking a deep breath. "Here goes nothing. I now activate RANK UP MAGIC BARIANS FORCE!"

Durbe smiled as his plan came into fruition. _"Excellent"._

"With this card I shall rebuild the overlay network to turn my Xyz Monster into a Chaos Xyz Monster!" The red portal reappeared again in the sky and Rioto Harpyia rose up into it. The portal exploded with energy, and when the smoke cleared, a new face had entered the duel.

"CHAOS XYZ EVOLUTION! RISE FROM THE ICY DEPTHS! **CHAOS XYZ: RIOTO SIRENIA THE FROZEN BIRD EMPRESS!"**

Rioto reappeared on the field looking quite different from her original form. The ice armor that covered her body was pitch black instead of light blue, and her skin was red instead of dark blue. The ice wings on her back were much larger and sickle shaped, and they contained veins with glowing red energy flowing through them. Her sickle blade was much longer and colored red instead of yellow, but the most striking change were her overlay units. Instead of glowing balls of light, large red jewels orbited her body. This was one monster to be feared by all who witnessed its entrance.

**Chaos Xyz Rioto Sirenia The Frozen Bird Empress: Rank 6/WATER/Winged-Beast/3000 atk/2500 def/2 chaos overlay units**

A sharp pain coursed through Rio's body and she clutched her head in agony. Waves upon waves of visions flashed through her mind: A world of red crystals, seven cloaked figures, a terrifying maniacal laugh, a scream, a pair of glowing red eyes, and throughout these visions a single word repeated over and over again, **BARIAN**!

Durbe waited for the Barian symbol to appear on her forehead but the symbol never came. That could only mean one thing. His normally stoic face turned into a small smile. This was the happiest he had ever felt in such a long time. _"Merag...It really is you..."_

The pain and visions ceased and Rio let go of her head, horrified by the experience. "_What the hell was that?"_ Not sure what to make of that, she continued her move.

"Now her effect kicks in, all your defense mode monsters change to attack mode, and their attack points become zero!" Rioto absorbed the jewel into her sickle, and a pair of red lasers shot out of the Chaos Xyz Monster's eyes. Upon striking Durbe's monsters, they were forced out of their defensive postures and into a fighting stance. Afterwards, red colored ice covered their bodies until they were completely frozen solid.

**Holy Lightning Scepter, Scale, Wings, and Fairy Archer: 0 atk**

"Now for Rioto Sirenia's other effect, by detaching a chaos overlay unit, she gains 300 attack points for every monster on the field that has zero attack points."

**Rioto Sirenia Atk: 3000 + 1200 = 4200**

"This duel is over Durbe! Rioto Sirenia, attack his Fairy Archer! SUB-ZERO CHAOS SLASH!

"You are correct in saying that this duel is over Rio, but not in the way you think." Durbe said as he played his face down. "I activate a trap, Ring of Destruction! Now your monster is destroyed and we both take damage equal to its attack points! This duel is a draw!" Suddenly, a large metal collar with grenades surrounding it became equipped to Rioto Sirenia's neck. The grenades glowed red and exploded, and the Chaos Xyz Monster was no more.

**Rio: 600 – 4200 = 0**

**Durbe: 4000 – 4200 = 0**

**DRAW!**

Durbe walked over to Rio's side. "Now do you remember Mer_"

"WHAT IS GOING ON?" Rio asked in an angry tone, not giving Durbe a chance to finish.

Durbe grimaced "_So she still does not remember? I expected her memories to return the moment she used that card. Perhaps the progress is slow and gradual, and the power of the Barian World will return her memories to her overtime. For now though, I need to find a way to convince her to join my side anyway,"_

Rio unleashed her angry interrogation. "I know you have something to do with the Numbers! What is this card? What the hell is a Barian? And what the hell does it have to do with the Numbers?" She asked loudly, holding up the Rank Up card and her three Numbers.

Durbe sighed. "If you calm down I will give you an explanation. My true purpose for coming to this school is to collect all 100 Number cards. The Numbers are a menace. Every time they come into contact with another human being, they possess them like a demon from hell, amplifying their desires to the point of absolute obsession. The Numbers originated from the Astral World, accidentally released into this world when a being from that world attempted to cross over. He is most likely somewhere among us, collecting the Numbers for his own sinister purpose, which is to destroy the counterpart of the Astral World, the Barian World, and since all 3 worlds are connected, if one world is destroyed, this world will suffer as well. To answer your other question, a Barian is a being that has been chosen by the Barian World itself to protect it and win the war against the Astral World. There were seven of us originally, but our leader, Merag, along with her brother Nasch, went missing a long time ago. That is why I dueled you today, in hopes that I may recruit you as an ally in my quest. If you choose not to, for whatever reason, I understand, but I insist you keep the Rank Up Magic Barians Force card. Use it as a powerful weapon against the Numbers."

Rio's anger left her, a puzzled look replacing her angry look, desperate to process all the new information that Durbe had just given her. Most of it was incredibly hard to believe, yet at the same time, a lot of it made sense. She had seen the way the Numbers made Scorch, Chills, and Fugaku behave, yet why did they not affect her? Had this so called "Barian World" chosen her to replace the missing chosen ones? If so, then things had just reached a whole new level for her. The fate of not one, but two worlds lied in the hands of them collecting all 100 Numbers. Then she stopped for a moment, backing up to a certain word that Durbe had used to identify his enemy, Astral. That was the name that Yuma used for his imaginary friend, but that would mean that Astral was real, and that would also mean he was using Yuma as a pawn to collect the Numbers for him. Yuma said they were to restore his memory, but Astral could have been lying to him. Rio feared for her friend, and in order to protect him, Ryoga, and those close to her, she made up her mind right there.

"Alright Durbe, I'll help you. If what you are saying about the Numbers is true, then you need all the help you can get. But I have one condition." Rio told him.

"By all means, name it." Durbe responded.

Rio clenched her fists, dark thoughts entering her mind as she thought about the vengeance she craved. "There is this guy who goes by the name of IV. He set my brother on fire and put him in the hospital. I want to use these cards to get back at him and make him suffer for what he did. Once I find him and avenge my brother, you can have all of the Numbers I collect. Do we have a deal?"

Durbe raised an eyebrow, another epiphany entering his mind. "_She has a brother? Interesting. Since she is Merag, then there is a very high chance that her brother could be Nasch."_ He thought to himself. "Very well, I understand such a desire. I would want to do the same thing if I was in your situation. Allies?" He extended his hand for a handshake, which Rio took and firmly shook, solidifying the alliance between the two Number Hunters.

"Well I guess I'll see you in class tomorrow Durbe. Take care!" Rio said cheerfully.

"Indeed. Farewell." And they parted ways. Durbe put a hand over his heart, listening to the rhythm of its beating sound. He knew he had found something better than the Numbers today. He had been reunited with his queen. He hoped that she would remember soon, for then he would truly have her back. "Until we meet again, Merag."

* * *

><p><strong>Author Made Cards:<strong>

**Tundra Eagle: Level 5/WATER/Winged-Beast/2000 atk/1500 def**

**Effect: If your opponent controls a monster and you control no monsters, you can special summon this card from your hand, then you can add one WATER Winged-Beast Type Monster from your deck to your hand.**

**Snow Crow: Level 5/WATER/Winged-Beast/1700 atk/1700 def**

**Effect: If you control a WATER Winged-Beast Type Monster, you can normal summon this card without tributing, and if you do, this card gains 500 atk.**

**Chaos Xyz: Rioto Sirenia The Frozen Bird Empress (TCG Name: CXYZ: Ice Empress ZereSiren): Rank 6/WATER/Winged-Beast/3000 atk/2600 def**

**3 Level 6 Winged-Beast Type Monsters**

**Effect: When this card is successfully Xyz Summoned, change all monsters your opponent controls to atk position, and their atk becomes 0. If this card has "Rioto Harpyia The Frozen Bird Princess" attached to it as an Xyz Material, it gains the following effects.**

**Once per turn, you can detach one Xyz Material from this card, this card gains 300 atk for every monster on the field that has 0 atk, until the end phase.**

**Holy Lightning Shield: Level 4/LIGHT/Fairy/0 atk/2200 def**

**Effect: During either player's battle phase, if a Holy Lightning Monster you control would be destroyed by battle, you can discard this card from your hand, if you do, that monster is not destroyed and you take no battle damage from battles involving that monster.**

**Gift of Lightning: Normal Spell**

**Effect: Draw 1 card for every Holy Lightning Monster you control. You cannot special summon monsters from your extra deck or conduct your battle phase during the turn you activate this card.**

**Rising Tide: Normal Spell**

**Effect: Discard any number WATER monsters from your hand; increase the levels of all WATER monsters you control equal to the number of monsters you discarded.**

* * *

><p><strong>Authors Notes:<strong>

**Well that was one hell of a ride. Yes, I am fully aware that Durbe pulled a Raphael on Rio in order to get her to use Rank Up Magic Barians Force. That wasn't just for the sake of the plot. I also used it to pay a slight homage to that one episode of the Orichalcos Saga of the original Yu-gi-oh series where Raphael got Atem to play the Seal of Orichalcos. I LOVED that episode. (*starts playing the Orichalcos theme music*)**

**Now some of you might think that Durbe is OOC by lying to Rio and withholding information from her, but what was he supposed to do, walk up and say "Hi, your name is actually Merag, and you are actually the long lost leader of a group of aliens from another dimension." Since he saw that Rio had amnesia, he had to find away to get her to join him even though her memories still had yet to return. Plus, most of what he said was correct; he just left out a few details. Besides, it is reasonable to believe that the Barians know what Astral's original purpose was, destroying the Barian World, so in Durbe's eyes, Astral IS the bad guy. In every war in history, one side firmly believes that they are in the right, and their opposition is evil for opposing their goals. It is a fact of life.**

**So what did you think of the chapter? Did you like it? Did you not like it? Whatever your opinion is, I REALLY would like to hear it, so leave a review and let me know!**

**Until next time, this is Nox Descious signing out!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Well Dear Readers, the wait is over! Here's another chapter for you!**

**Time to see if my first attempt at building up the Durbe x Rio Romance works. Now before you say anything, NO they will not be boyfriend and girlfriend by the next chapter, so be patient. It is going to be a LONG way off before that. Hell, any romance is going to be quite secondary to the rest of the story, for I firmly believe that romance should help a plot rather than BE the plot. However, I will still give you plenty of shipping moments for you guys to enjoy!**

**Still don't own Zexal. If I did, I would make this story canon instead of what we got from those hack writers who wasted Rio's potential.**

**Now that this chapter is here we can see some good old fashioned Number Hunting by our favorite Barians, plus some bonding time between Durbe and Rio!**

**Enjoy!**

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><p>Chapter 4: Nightmares and Number Hunting<p>

"_NASCH NO!" Merag screamed as the assailant stuck a knife made of red crystal into the heart of his hostage before throwing him over the edge of a bottomless pit, laughing as he performed the act of murder._

"_YOU! YOU BASTARD! YOU MONSTER! Why would you do this? What did I do to you?"She yelled with infinite amounts of rage, tears streaming down her face due to witnessing the death of her brother._

_His face still cloaked in darkness, the murderer laughed the most maniacal laugh he could muster. "HAHAHAHAHAHA! It's actually simpler than you think! I just don't like you! But I couldn't just kill you right away OH NO! So I invented a little point system! Every time you did something that annoyed me, you would get a point, and I would kill you when you reached 100 million points! Well guess what Merag? That time is now! I'm actually glad I killed your brother first. The look on your face was PRICELESS!"_

_Merag snapped as she charged forward with murderous intent in her eyes, but her target was ready. He sidestepped her at the last second, tripping her with his foot. She could only watch in horror as she shared her brother's fate, tumbling down into the bottomless pit below with the maniacal laugh of her killer echoing in her head. Only one single thought ran through her mind as she plummeted down to her doom._

"_Durbe…Help Me!"_

* * *

><p>Rio's head shot forward as she woke up in a cold sweat, screaming as if she had experienced the most horrifying thing in her life. Her hyperventilating began to recede, and her breathing returned to normal as she tried to comprehend what she just experienced. It was just a nightmare, but that was just it. She NEVER had nightmares, so why would she have one now? She was about to try to get back to sleep when she noticed a faint source of light shining below her. She looked down, and to her surprise, her hands were glowing a bright magenta, the same color that they would glow whenever she took a Number card. Why would her powers react to a dream? Then again, it felt far too vivid and specific to be a dream. It was almost as if she was reliving a memory, but that was impossible. She never experienced what she saw in the dream in real life. Her hands were trembling as she began to get scared. She shuddered at the thought of experiencing that nightmare again.<p>

"_What's happening to me?"_

* * *

><p>The following day, elsewhere in the city, each of the Barians had struck gold in their search for the Numbers. Gilag had been scouting the city park when he noticed a duel going on. It was not a particularly interesting duel, but then Gilag's attention had been captured when one duelist summoned a Number, Number 58: Burner Visor to be exact. The duel then became one sided incredibly quickly, and after the other duelist took off running from the humiliating defeat, Gilag approached his target.<p>

The Number Holder was gloating to himself with maniacal glee, not even noticing him, "AMAZING! I've never felt so powerful before! This card will be my ticket to the pro leagues and I will be…."

"I hate to cut your speech short, but that particular card you were talking about belongs to me." Gilag interrupted.

"Who the hell are you?"

"That depends. I can be your best friend if you hand over your Number or your worst enemy if you don't. So what's it going to be?" Gilag asked in a challenging tone, cracking his knuckles.

"Get real. I'm not giving up this card for anything. You'll have to pry it off my dead body!"

"That can be arranged! LET'S DUEL!" Gilag deployed his duel disk. The hunting had begun!

* * *

><p>Alito had been searching the docks when he stumbled across a rather interesting sight. A group of leather clad bikers were circling a rather frightened looking man. One of them in particular, obviously the leader of the group, had a red 80 glowing on his left shoulder.<p>

The frightened man was on his knees begging for mercy. "P-P-Please good sir, just give me a little more time. I'll have your money soon. I promise!"

The Biker Leader was not backing down. In fact he became even more threatening. "Your time ran out a long time ago, and if you keep delaying, things are only going to get worse for you. It would be a shame if something **happened** to your wife and kids while you were away on your next fishing trip."

The frightened man became even more panicked. "NO! PLEASE! I'LL DO ANYTHING! I'M JUST A SIMPLE FISHERMAN! DON'T HURT MY FAMILY!"

Alito had enough. He ran towards the confrontation and placed himself in between the biker and his victim. "HEY! Why don't you pick on someone your own size?"

The fisherman looked at this newcomer like he was crazy. Why would some kid he didn't even know defend him from that biker? He was ten times the kid's size and could easily crush him into dust.

The biker sized up his new prey. "Like you?"

Alito merely grinned back, duel disk ready. "I was thinking the same thing! LET'S DUEL!

* * *

><p>Misael had chosen to investigate Heartland Stadium, where a soccer game was currently taking place. According to what he had learned about the human world so far, this was a place where strong athletic humans competed in physical competitions other than dueling, and thousands of humans would gather there to watch these competitions. Misael figured that with so many humans in one place, one of them was bound to have a Number. Sure enough, he was correct. Just before half time, he saw one of the fans slip away from the crowd and head to the locker rooms of one of the soccer teams, and Misael saw a green 57 on his neck. From what Misael could gather, this guy was a super fan, and with the Number's influence, he would want to do ANYTHING to make sure his team won, even drug the water bottles of the other team's players.<p>

Misael had cornered him before he could slip the drug. "You know, if you truly admire someone, cheating is a very poor way to assist them in battle."

The Number holder tensed up as he realized he had been caught. "Oh Yeah? Well what are you going to do about it?"

"Tell you what, if you defeat me in a duel, I shall keep quiet. If you lose however, the consequences will be very dire indeed. You up for a bit of sport?" Misael offered.

The Number 57 pulsed on its host's neck as if to say "Challenge Accepted". "Fine, I'm game. LET'S DUEL!"

* * *

><p>Rio groggily woke up from her bed, eyes heavy with the remnants of sleep. She stretched her arms, only to find just how drained she felt. Did that nightmare really take that much out of her? She looked at her bedside alarm clock only for her eyes to widen at the time. "4:00 IN THE AFTERNOON? But that means I missed school! I couldn't have slept that long!" She remembered fainting after her hands stopped glowing, but that was it, nothing after that. Was she so blacked out that she didn't even hear her alarm? She began comprehending what to do when she suddenly heard the doorbell ring. Panicking, she rushed to get dressed before dashing downstairs to greet her visitor, only to be quite surprised as to who it was.<p>

"Durbe?" She asked, still groggy and lethargic. "What are you doing here?"

"When I noticed that you were missing from school today, I assumed that something was wrong. I came as quickly as I could. Do not worry about attendance. I covered for you in class. I told Professor Ukyo that you received word that your brother's condition had changed, and you were visiting him in the hospital as a result. He excused your absence, and you will not have to worry about missing assignments either. I brought you all your homework." Durbe held up the stack of notes, books, and papers he was carrying as confirmation before laying it down on the couch. "That brings me to my question. Is there anything wrong? Are you ill?"

"No Durbe I'm fine. Thanks for asking and thank you for covering for me in class. This may sound crazy, but I actually had a nightmare last night, and then shortly after I woke up I passed out on my bed. I didn't even wake up until just a few minutes ago. The weirdest thing is that I woke up, my hands were glowing. Can you believe that?" Rio was expecting Durbe to give her a look of disbelief, but no look came. In fact, Durbe's face seemed rather apologetic.

Durbe's mind began process this new information. "_This can only mean one thing. Her memories are beginning to return, but it is too early to tell her now. She does not even fully realize that she is reliving the past rather than simply dreaming."_

Durbe chose his next words carefully trying to come up with a more rational explanation that would set her at ease. "This is my fault. I should have told you this after our duel. The card I gave you, Rank Up Magic Barians Force, it has rather….peculiar side effects on one's mind after one uses it the first time. The human mind needs time to adjust to its power, but that is a sign that the Barian World has indeed chosen you to protect it. Normally I would offer my congratulations, but in this case I must sincerely apologize. I am sorry I did not inform you of this." He bowed respectfully at her, hoping she would accept this explanation.

Much to his happiness, Rio's reaction was a positive one. "Hey, it's ok. Don't blame yourself. I'm still here in one piece, so no harm done." Technically she was lying though, she may not have been harmed physically, but the dream still traumatized her mind.

Durbe saw the look in her eyes. "Rio, something tells me that this nightmare of yours is bothering you more than you are letting on, and judging by how it is connected to your Barian power, these dreams of yours are only going to persist. You may be fine now, but if these dreams begin to take their toll on you, then I implore you to let me know. Just know that I will be there help you in any way I can. You have my word."

Rio was surprised by the sincerity in Durbe's words. If anything he had already proven his sincerity in his desire to help her by going out of his way to cover for her in class. A faint blush began to appear on her cheeks._ "That's…actually very sweet. No one has ever been so willing to support me like that. Not even Ryoga. Hell, if I told Ryoga that I had a nightmare, he would just tease me about it like the brother he always is. But Durbe is different, and I actually kind of like it. Well, it's not every day that a handsome guy is so willing to... Wait, HANDSOME? Where did that come from?"_

"So now that you are out of bed, and you are alright, I suggest we continue our search for the Number cards. My fellow Barian allies are already hunting. If we join in the search we will most likely have at least one Number secured by the end of the day."

Rio was adamantly against this. "Durbe, I am still not myself from what happened last night, and you expect me to stress myself out further over this whole Number hunting thing? Look, I know how important collecting the Numbers are, but one day off isn't going to kill anyone. Besides, you said your friends are out hunting. Even if we take a day off, then they will still collect some Numbers. Come on, you look like you need to loosen up yourself."

Durbe sighed in defeat. "Very well, if you truly need more time to recover your strength, then I shall acquiesce to your wishes. What do you have in mind?"

Rio's trademark sly grin appeared on her face, and she began to speak in a playful tone. "Weeeeeell, there's this new movie out in theatres that I wanted to go see, but it's no fun if I go alone. If only there was someone out there who could ask me to go with them. I wonder who that person could be."

Durbe immediately knew she was talking about him. "Fine, do you want go to the movies with me?"

Rio continued her playful act. "Why Durbe, how thoughtful of you. Of course I will go with you. Let's head out now before the crowds show up."

"Yes, but before we go I have one question."

"Sure thing Durbe, what is it?"

"What's a movie?"

* * *

><p><strong>Current Status of Duel:<strong>

**Alito: 1700 Lifepoints**

**Opponent: 800 Lifepoints**

**Alito's Field: **

**Burning Knuckle Leadblow the Bound Barbarian: Rank 4/FIRE/Warrior/3800 atk (Originally 2200)/2000 def/No overlay units left**

**Opponent's Field:**

**Despair from the Dark (equipped with Number 80: Rhapsody in Berserk): Level 8/DARK/Zombie/4000 atk (Originally 2800)/3000 def**

**Opponent's turn:**

"Despair from the Dark, attack his Bound Barbarian DEMONIC ASSASSIN STRIKE!" The red and black demonic shadow disappeared from view and reappeared behind Leadblow prepared to assassinate.

"Is that the best you got for me?" Alito taunted, prepared for his counter strategy. "I activate the effect of Burning Knuckler Counterpunch in my hand! By banishing it, Leadblow gains 1000 attack points! Leadblow! Give this guy a TRIPLE K.O! Attack Despair from the Dark with INDOMITABLE DEATH BLOW!" The boxer turned around to face the shadow. Despair struck, but Leadblow was quicker. He sidestepped the shadow, and then he landed a painful bone breaking uppercut to the face. The shadow let out a demonic shriek of pain before bursting into flames.

**Leadblow Atk: 3800 + 1000 = 4800**

**Opponent: 800 – 800 = 0 (LOSE)**

**Winner: Alito**

Alito unleashed the Barian Hand which latched into the now unconscious opponent's chest, pulling out Number 80. "WOOOO! Score 1 for the Barians!" Alito cheered for his own victory. "Nobody outmatches my counter strategy!"

* * *

><p><strong>Current Status of Duel:<strong>

**Gilag: 2200 Lifepoints**

**Opponent: 800 Lifepoints**

**Gilag's Field:**

**1 Monster face down**

**1 Card face down in the Spell/Trap Zone**

**Front Hand Back Hand face up in the Spell/Trap Zone**

**Opponent's Field:**

**Caius the Shadow Monarch (Equipped with Number 58: Burner Visor) Level 6/DARK/Fiend/2400 atk/1000 def**

**Opponent's Turn:**

"It's over for you! Number 58 lets the monster he is equipped to attack directly! CAIUS! Strike him down! DARK ENERGY BLAST!" The opponent commanded as the monarch's fist glowed purple.

Gilag wasn't fazed at all. "I activate Mystical Space Typhoon. Since your Number is equipped to your monarch as an equip spell, Mystical Space Typhoon can destroy it!" The opponent flew into a rage at the sight of his precious Number being destroyed.

"FINE! I can still attack your facedown monster!" Caius redirected his fist towards Gilag's monster rather than Gilag himself. The attack connected and a giant hand made entirely out of molten lava appeared on the field before exploding.

"Talk to the hand, Fire Hand to be exact. When he is destroyed, your monster is also destroyed." Fire Hand reappeared behind Caius and punched the monarch in the face, causing his body to catch fire and vaporize into nothingness."

"And now the effect of my **Front Hand Back Hand** trap card kicks in. Since one of your cards was destroyed by one of my Hand Monsters, you take 800 points of damage." Fire Hand then turned its attention to Gilag's opponent, charging forward before opening its palm and slapping him across the face. Fire Hand then gave him another slap with the other side of its body before flipping him the bird and disappearing.

**Opponent: 800 – 800 = 0 (LOSE)**

**Winner: Gilag**

The moment the opponent fell down, Gilag unleashed the Barian Hand, snatching up the Number from his opponent's hand. He grinned at the thought of how many more were just waiting out there for him to take.

* * *

><p><strong>Current Status of Duel:<strong>

**Misael: 4000 Lifepoints**

**Opponent: 1900 Lifepoints**

**Misael's Field:**

**Schwartzchild the Limit Dragon: Level 8/DARK/Dragon/2000 atk/0 def**

**Fiendish Chain face up in the Spell/Trap Zone**

**Opponent's Field:**

**Number 57: Tri-Head Dust Dragon: Rank 4/FIRE/Dragon/100 atk/2600 def/ 3 overlay units (Effects negated by Fiendish Chain)**

**Misael's Turn:**

"You humans are so pathetic! I draw!" Misael smirked as he knew the duel was over. "Since your Number's effects are negated, it can be destroyed by non-Number monsters. Schwartzchild, Attack his Dust Dragon and end this duel! BLACK HOLE BREATH!" The dragon unleashed a giant black orb from its mouth, sending it flying towards the 3 headed, dragon shaped ash cloud. The attack connected and the Number was history.

**Opponent: 1900 – 1900 = 0 (LOSE)**

**Winner: Misael**

Misael smiled arrogantly. "What a fool. He actually thought he could stand up to the might of a Barian." He extended his hand and the Barian Hand appeared, adding Number 57 to his collection.

* * *

><p>After an incredibly hectic explanation, Durbe and Rio were finally at Heartland Cinemas ready to watch the movie of Rio's choice. Durbe had been cursing to himself all the way there and wishing that he had learned more about the human world before this, for the moment he confessed that he didn't even know what a movie was, Rio looked at him as if he had sprouted a second head. He desperately tried to save himself from the humiliation by claiming he was only joking, but he reaffirmed his honesty with another confession, the fact that he had never seen a movie in his life, explaining with the white lie that his "parents" were incredibly strict and would not let him abandon his studies for any reason. Rio calmed down after that, but then she went into an incredibly long soliloquy of how wonderful it was to experience big screen cinema.<p>

Now that Durbe was there, watching the movie with her, he could easily see that she was right. To Rio, this was just a normal movie, but to Durbe, this was one of the most amazing experiences of his life. It was like one of the countless books that he had read, only he was witnessing the story unfold with his own two eyes as if he was there with the characters. Rio would often give Durbe odd looks as the movie progressed as it appeared to her that he was enjoying it a bit too much. As the movie progressed though, Durbe began to feel strange, for he started to notice a rather personal connection with the story. The movie was a medieval fantasy about a knight who was in a romantic relationship with the queen that he served. Said Queen was desperate to protect her lands from a powerful and evil tyrant who desired to invade and destroy them. However, this queen was no pushover, no damsel in distress, she was a fighter, and she joined her troops and the man she loved on the battlefield with the knight by her side at every step of the way. These strange feelings reached their peak when the film transitioned into a romantic scene involving the knight and the queen, for Durbe was not seeing the two characters kissing each other and engaging in...other things, he was seeing himself and... "_Oh by the Barian World I can't take this anymore!"_ He immediately got out of his seat and ran out of the movie theatre, leaving a very confused Rio behind.

* * *

><p>Durbe entered the men's bathroom and splashed water on his face to calm his nerves. <em>"Why on Barian World was I thinking something like that. I must remove these unwanted thoughts. It's not my place. She is my queen, and I am her subordinate. It would be too inappropriate. We have no time for such relations with the fate of the Barian World at stake. Besides, if we were to do...that, then Nasch would have my head on a spike."<em>

He exited the bathroom to find Rio standing there waiting for him. "Durbe what happened? You missed the ending! Don't tell me you got all nervous because of a sex scene? Did your parents really shelter you that much?"

Durbe was desperate to dismiss that incident. Rio teasing him about it would make the situation ten times worse than it already was. "It was nothing like that. It was just uh... some popcorn that didn't agree with me. Yeah that's it!"

Rio wasn't buying it at all, but she decided to drop it. "Whatever you say Durbe."

Durbe agreed to walk her home, when they returned, Rio was just about to say goodbye, but Durbe suddenly stopped her.

"Rio, before I go, I just wanted to say that I truly enjoyed my time with you today. Perhaps we could do this again sometime, if you are interested?"

Rio smiled a genuine smile and a faint blush appeared on her cheeks. "I'd like that. I'd actually like that a lot. Goodnight Durbe."

"Goodnight." Rio closed the door to her apartment, but not before Durbe whispered two more words that were just quiet enough for her not to hear. "Goodnight..."

"Merag."

* * *

><p><strong>Author Made Cards:<strong>

**Front Hand Back Hand: Continuous Trap Card**

**Effect:** **Each time one of your opponent's cards is destroyed by the effect of a Hand Monster, inflict 800 points of damage to your opponent.**

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes:<strong>

**Yeah I know I may have over played Durbe's reaction to the movie, but fun fact for you, his initial reaction was based on personal experience. I was around 7 and my parents took me to see Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring in theaters. I was never the same again. Come on, show of hands, who else was mind blown when they saw Lord of the Rings for the very first time?**

**And of course the plot I invented for the fictional movie they were watching was for the sake of irony and symbolism. In case you didn't figure it out, Durbe is the knight, Rio/Merag is the queen, and Vector is the tyrant.**

**So what did you think of the chapter? Did you like it? Did you not like it? Whatever it is, I strongly encourage you to allow me to hear your opinion, so leave a review and let me know!**

**Until next time, this is Nox Descious signing out!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Boys and Girls of Every Age, Wouldn't you like to see something strange?**

**How about a new chapter? I am sure that will make a nice Halloween Treat!**

**I don't own Zexal. If I did, I would have given Cat-chan a Number during her debut episode so that way the duel with her would not have been completely pointless. I intend to rectify that this chapter, only she will have a Chaos Xyz Monster instead of a Number!**

**Enjoy! AND HAPPY HALLOWEEN!**

* * *

><p>Chapter 5: Crouching Kitty, Hidden Barians<p>

After escorting Rio home, Durbe returned to his own temporary home, the rendezvous point where he and his fellow Barians would meet. He definitely needed to thank Gilag for finding such a convenient location, for it had served them well. It was a restaurant, tavern, and motel all at once, but what struck him the most when he first laid eyes on it was the irony of the name, the BAR Ian. According to Gilag, the reason he chose this location as their rendezvous point was because of the name. Gilag was convinced that there were Barian allies, or at least humans who sympathized with their cause, living there, only to find out later that the only reason it was called that was because the name of the owner of the place was in fact, Ian. Luckily they did not have to worry about money in this situation since Gilag used Rank Up Magic Barians Force on Ian in order for him to give them free food and lodging for as long as they were staying there. Sure enough, when Durbe entered the building, Gilag, Alito, and Misael were already there waiting for him.

"I take it the three of you have been successful so far with your Number Hunting?" Durbe inquired.

"Indeed. I have collected a total of five!" Misael responded, holding up the Numbers he had successfully acquired:

Number 57: Tri-Head Dust Dragon

Number 91: Thunder Spark Dragon

Number 72: Line Monster Chariot Hisha

Number 74: Master of Blades

Number 28: Titanic Moth

Alito also held up his Numbers "I may be behind you, but not by much, I have four. Guess I'm not a simpleton after all, hey Misael?"

Number 14: Greedy Sarameya

Number 63: Shamoji Soldier

Numebr 79: Burning Knuckle Nova Caesar

Number 80: Rhapsody in Berserk

Durbe was impressed, but Misael wasn't. "Alito, even if you collected all 100 Numbers in a single day, you would still be a simpleton in my eyes."

"HEY!"

Durbe decided to change the subject before a fight broke out. "What about you Gilag?" The Barian Giant didn't respond. "Gilag?" Still no response. Durbe looked closer at Gilag, and he discovered that he wasn't even looking at him, but staring off into space with a look of pure bliss on his face. Durbe found the source of his friend's distraction. He had two earbuds in his ears which connected to the IPod that was in his pocket. The music was on, preventing him from hearing anything that Durbe was saying. Durbe decided to take drastic measures. He yanked the cord of the IPod, taking Gilag's face with it, causing his chin to slam onto the counter of the bar.

"Now do I have your attention?" Durbe asked, clearly annoyed.

After rubbing his hurt chin, Gilag responded. "Oh the Numbers! Yeah! I found dozens of them!" The tone of his voice sounded nervous, and an overly wide smile was on his face, making it clear that he was lying.

"Gilag, were you slacking off again?" Durbe accused, giving Gilag his trademark death glare.

Gilag finally caved. "OK Fine! I only have this one!" He confessed, holding up Number 58: Burner Visor. "But it's not my fault! I can explain!"

Durbe's annoyance only grew. "Gilag, this task determines the fate of our world, and I find you slacking off again instead of Number Hunting?"

"I can't help it! Her voice is so beautiful!" Gilag exclaimed. "Her name is Sanagi Chono! I knew from the moment I heard her sweet angelic voice that she was the one. When this Number Hunt is over, I'm going to find her, get her autograph, and then…." He didn't get to finish his sentence, for Misael had whacked him on the head.

"Sometimes you can even be an even bigger simpleton that Alito." Misael growled in annoyance.

"Oh yeah, well what about Durbe?" Gilag responded defensively, rubbing the spot on his head where Misael whacked him. "He hasn't found any Numbers at all, so why are you picking on me?"

"My job was to find Nasch and Merag. Remember? If I locate any Number Holders during my search, then I will take them, but finding Nasch and Merag is a much greater priority."

"So, have you found any leads?" Alito asked, taking a drink of his soda.

"Even better, I have found Merag."

Alito's eyes widened and he did a spit-take with the soda he just drank. "WHAT?"

Gilag and Misael were equally surprised. "Are you sure Durbe? If you found her then why isn't she with you?" Gilag asked.

Durbe knew this explanation was going to be rather complicated. "She is not with me because she has no memory of who she is. She is trapped in her human form, and she believes that she is a human girl by the name of Rio Kamishiro."

After hearing those words, Misael became doubtful and suspicious. "And how do you know this is really her and not just some human who coincidentally looks like her?"

Durbe continued his explanation. "I thought that at first, so I set up a duel where I would give her Rank Up Magic Barians Force as a test. She activated the card, yet the mark did not appear on her forehead, and she maintained total control of her free will. After the duel, she showed me that she had collected a total of three Numbers so far, and whenever she took a Number, the Barian Hand would activate. By using Rank Up Magic Barian's Force, her memories are beginning to return in the form of dreams, but the process is very slow. I shall continue to spend time with her and monitor her activity for any signs of progress. Eventually we will have our queen back."

The other three Barians continued to stare back at him in disbelief.

After what seemed like an hour, Misael finally broke the silence. "What about Nasch?"

"I have a theory on that as well. Rio told me that she has a brother who is currently injured and in the hospital. If Rio is Merag, then this brother of hers could very well be Nasch. If my theory is indeed correct, then once he is recovered, I will begin restoring his memories as well."

Alito could no longer contain his excitement. "WOOOO! The Seven Barian Emperors are finally back together!"

"Not yet!" Durbe reminded. "It will be official when Nasch and Merag get their memories back. Now this brings me to my next issue of importance. Gilag, seeing as you are proving difficult to trust, you will be coming with me tomorrow."

"What? Me?" Gilag asked, quite surprised of this. "Why me?"

"Seeing as you cannot hunt the Numbers without getting distracted by some musician with a pretty face, I will have to keep an eye on you. Do not worry, that is not the only reason. During my time at the school, I have been sensing a very familiar presence, a presence that bares the energy trails of the Astral World. The Astral being is nearby, which can mean one of two things. Either there are many Number cards at the school, or he has found a human to call an ally. I need you to find which human he has allied himself with. If he has chosen a powerful duelist as an ally, then the combination of them could be very dangerous against us."

"I'll find him for you Durbe." Gilag answered confidently. "That will be easy."

"Of course it will be easy, seeing as how for the remainder our time here in the human world, Misael is going to be confiscating your IPod." Durbe answered back.

"NOOOOO! NOT MY MUSIC! NOT MY SANAGI! ANYTHING BUT THAT!" Gilag cried out, tears pouring down his eyes like waterfalls.

Alito smirked. "Serves you right. At least when I get called into action, I don't get distracted by girls and music. Besides, I only fall for angels."

Gilag rolled his eyes and he heard Misael mutter "Simpleton" again under his breath. Durbe dismissed them, and Gilag and Misael returned to their rooms to sleep, leaving Durbe and Alito by themselves.

A sly look appeared on Alito's face, and he began to tease Durbe.

"You aren't going to tell them what you were up to with her this afternoon?"

Durbe's face turned bright red. "How did you know about that?"

"I was patrolling that part of the city, looking for Numbers, and I happened to notice you with whom I can only assume is that Rio chick. You entered some theatre, and you two were **holding hands**! What's up with that?"

Durbe couldn't believe it. Of all the Barians who had to catch them together, it had to be Alito. Well, at least it wasn't Vector. If it was Vector, Durbe wouldn't hear the end of it. He quickly came up with an excuse. "It is not what you think Alito. She was in a bad way due to her nightmares and I was merely assisting her in recovering her strength."

"Riiiiiight. Of course that was all you were doing." Alito responded sarcastically. He continued to tease him.

"So?"

"So what?"

"When's the second date going to be?"

Durbe stopped him there. His face was redder than ever and his death glare was active in full force.

"Alito"

"Yes?"

"SHUT! UP!"

* * *

><p>"<em>NASCH NO!"<em>

"_Every time you did something that annoyed me, you would get a point!"_

"_Durbe…Help Me!"_

"_I'm actually glad I killed your brother first. The look on your face was PRICELESS!"_

"_Hehehehehehe Hahahahaha AAH HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"_

Rio's eyes snapped open as she woke up in an all too familiar cold sweat. She was trembling even more than last night, and as if reacting to her increased fear, her hands were glowing even brighter than before. She dove back under her covers, her hands clutching her pillow in an iron constricting squeeze, desperate to fight off the waves of shivers coursing through her body. She knew what happened, and it was not what had happened that frightened her, but the fact that it had indeed repeated itself from last night, and that most likely meant she would have to face it again the next night.

"_Same Dream… Same Dream."_

* * *

><p>Luckily, Rio did manage to wake up on time for school, although she could still feel the side effects of her nightmares in the form of feeling completely drained of energy. She prayed that the entire pot of coffee she drank before leaving home was enough to keep her awake. She had just arrived at school when she saw Yuma approaching, and once again he was talking to himself, but when she got closer, she noticed that Yuma actually was talking to someone. There, floating right next to him was what appeared to be a ghost, but it did not look like any normal ghost, more like a transparent blue alien. Rio was taken completely by surprise. Was this the enemy that Durbe spoke of? If he was, she would need to pay extra caution around him, especially if he found out that his invisibility strategy had been broken. Who knows what he would be capable of if he decided to attack? Yuma then took notice of Rio's presence and saw the strange look on her face.<p>

"Hey Rio! What's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost!"

"**Actually Yuma, this might sound strange, but it appears that she has seen me! While you may not pay attention to detail, I noticed that during our conversation that she was looking directly at me." **said Astral.

Rio's eyes widened as she heard Astral's words, and she began to panic. "_HE KNOWS? Oh my God! What do I do? What will HE do? Will he force Yuma to duel me and take my Numbers, or do something worse? I don't want to wait around to find out!"_

Yuma was about to snap back at Astral for saying he never paid attention, but then he became surprised. Rio could see him? How was that possible? And even if she could see him now, why couldn't she see him before? Yuma didn't get the opportunity to question her, for Rio took off running in the opposite direction before he could say anything.

A puzzled look appeared on Astral's face. Why would Rio run from him?

**"Observation Number 4: The mystery surrounding that girl is getting stranger and stranger by the day."**

"You can say that again." Yuma agreed. He was about to go after her, when he saw Kotori approaching him.

"Hey Yuma, what was that all about? Why was Rio running away?"

Yuma couldn't tell Kotori about Rio seeing Astral since she couldn't see Astral herself. No matter how many times he tried to explain that Astral was real, Kotori still would think he was crazy. "Oh, I'm sure it was nothing Kotori. She was probably just late to class."

Kotori accepted the answer and changed the subject. "Hey Yuma, I recently got my hands on some new cards for the deck that Rio helped me build. Do you want to have another duel after class?"

Yuma smiled. "I never say no to a duel Kotori! You're on!" He then paused for a second. Why should his afternoon end there? "Hey Kotori, I have an idea. It's a pretty hot day today. After our duel, what do say we go get some ice cream together, just the two of us?"

Kotori realized what Yuma was saying and blushed. "You mean…are you…asking me out?"

Yuma's eyes widened as he realized that his choice of words implied just that. He never planned on it being a date. He liked Kotori, but he didn't like her in **that** way. Did he? Then again, after the tag duel against Scorch and Chills, ever since Kotori hugged him in...that manner, he was beginning to feel strange whenever he was around her. He had no idea where these feelings were coming from, but they felt surprisingly... good. He wondered if it was these strange feelings that pushed him into this situation, but he brushed them off and tried to regain control of the conversation. He had no idea what would happen if he said yes, so he decided to go with a safer route.

"Uh… no, no Kotori, it's not like that. I...was just thinking of...rewarding you for becoming such a great duelist! Yeah that's it! I mean you beat me last time we dueled, so if you win again today, then I'm buying!" His face was red from embarrassment, and he hoped Kotori would buy it.

Unbeknownst to Yuma, Kotori was disappointed. She sighed. "Ok Yuma. If you don't want it to be a date, then it's not a date. Now let's head to class, we don't want to be late."

As the two teenagers left, a third figure stealthily popped out from behind some bushes. She watched them leave with a sad and heartbroken look on her face.

"It's not fair...It's just not fair." She sobbed. "Why does it have to be her? Why does she have to swoop in and take him from me? If only I wasn't so shy, Yuma would be in my arms and not hers." She left in the opposite direction to find a corner to continue her crying. No one heard her sobbing, for her cries were as quiet as the footsteps of a little kitten.

* * *

><p>Rio raced across the school grounds, her mind racing at the thought of being spotted by Durbe's enemy. Suddenly she stopped, and she was glad she did, for she almost bumped into Durbe. She was about to greet him, when she noticed another man standing next to him. She was rather intimidated by his presence, for he was a hulking giant of a man, with tan skin and a mohawk.<p>

"Hi Durbe! Who's your friend?" Rio asked.

"I'm glad I found you Rio." Durbe responded kindly. "I would like to introduce you to my friend and fellow Barian ally, Gilag. He is currently helping me with the Number hunt, and the reason I have brought him here to help find the Astral being, whom I have reason to believe is somewhere in the school.

Gilag's eyes widened with recognition as he made eye contact with Rio. "_I don't believe it. Durbe was right! That is Merag!"_ But he quickly changed his expression back into a normal one. He remembered that Durbe told him that she still had no memories of her Barian life.

"Nice to meet you Rio." Gilag said pleasantly, extending his hand for a handshake which Rio shook respectfully.

Rio was quick to tell Durbe the news. "Well he won't have to look for long. I saw him! I saw Astral! He is with a friend of mine, a boy named Yuma Tsukumo. He's following him around, so he must be using Yuma to collect the Numbers!"

"Really?" Durbe asked in surprise. "Well that was easy." He then turned to Gilag for his next set of instructions.

"Well Gilag, now that we have found our target, I have another job for you. I need you to find a strong duelist amongst the student body and "convince" them to duel Yuma Tsukumo. If they win, then his Numbers will be ours and the Astral being will be no more. If they lose, then at least we will have an appropriate analysis of how strong Yuma is, and we will be able to strategize on how to deal with him from there."

"Leave it to me!" said Gilag proudly. He began to leave when Rio stopped him.

"Gilag wait!" Gilag turned around to look at her. "Don't hurt Yuma. He's still my friend."

Gilag's expression softened, and he nodded back at her and then turned back to leave, searching for the right soldier to be Yuma's opponent.

* * *

><p>Gilag had been searching for over an hour, mostly because he was not satisfied at all with what duelists the school had to offer. He was about to turn back to persuade Durbe to search someplace else, when he suddenly heard the sound of crying. He turned toward the source of the sound and found a young girl sitting alone in a corner of the school bulding. Gilag approached her.<p>

"What's wrong?" He asked.

The girl didn't look up at him. She didn't even appear to notice him. "Yuma..." She said, sobbing and hiccupping in between her words. "Why won't you notice me?"

Gilag's ears perked up at the mention of the name Yuma. "You know Yuma Tsukumo?

The girl finally looked up at him. "Know him? If only I did. It's not fair!" Her words turned from sadness to spite. "Why did that thieving little bitch Kotori have to get there first and steal him from me? She's not even a good duelist. I can duel way better than she ever could!"

Gilag was intrigued. _"Hmmm, she knows Yuma personally, and she's a good duelist, or so she says she is. I think I might have struck gold! That settles it." _He pulled out a card out of his pocket and showed it to her. "I'm sorry to hear that, but please, take this card as a present. I guarantee that if you use it, Yuma will be in the palm of your hands."

She was about to question how a card could win Yuma over, when a flash of red light shone into her eyes. Her eyes began to glaze over as if she was in a trance.

Gilag smiled. The process was a success. She was now 100% obedient. "Now here is what you got to do. Yuma has these cards called Numbers. You need to duel him, beat him, and take every single Number he has. You got that?"

She nodded, her lips slowly curling upward into a smile.

"Take...Numbers...For the sake of the Barian World."

* * *

><p>Later that afternoon, Yuma and Kotori had just left the ice cream shop after enjoying their ice cream. Yuma was still fuming that he had to buy after Kotori beat him again. The two teenagers continued walking until they heard a small meow. They turned to the source of the noise, and they saw a small grey tabby kitten staring at them. It looked very sad, and it gave another small meow in order to attract their attention.<p>

Kotori was instantly won over. "Awwww, you're so cute! What's wrong little guy? Are you lost? You can't find your owner?"

Astral suddenly appeared behind Yuma with a look of alarm on his face.

**"Yuma what is that thing? That sound it is making is making me uneasy, and the way it just stares at me is unsettling!"**

Yuma was about to laugh at that statement. He turned to the spirit. "Are you serious Astral? Don't tell me you are afraid of cats?"

"**I am not afraid! I have simply not made an observation on them!"**

"Well the cat is right there. Why don't you make one right now?" Yuma asked, clearly teasing him.

"**Uh…Observation Number 5: Cats are terrifying. Now I am returning to the key. Please inform me when it is gone. Goodbye!"**

Yuma snickered. He was definitely going to use that against him.

Just then the kitten took off running, and Kotori took off after it.

"Hey wait little guy, where are you going? I just want to help you find your owner."

Yuma chased after them both. "Kotori wait for me!"

The kitten then lured them into a dark alley, where no one else was around.

Kotori tried her best to calm the feline down. "Hey little kitty. Why did you run? I won't hurt you."

The cat's sad face then twisted into a cunning smirk. Kotori and Yuma had no time to react as a pair of hands covered both of their faces. They breathed in the smell of chloroform, and they were helpless as darkness engulfed their eyes and they faded into unconsciousness.

* * *

><p>When Yuma and Kotori came to, they found themselves to be inside the foyer of a mansion, but not just any mansion, everywhere they looked they saw cat themed décor, cat paintings, cat statues, and not to mention the dozens of cats that surrounded them. Yuma looked up to see Astral frozen solid like a deer caught in the headlights of a car.<p>

"Yuma, where are we?" Kotori asked.

"I don't know, but I have to admit, all this cat stuff is starting to creep me out." Yuma answered.

"Ah, finally, you are awake my sweet!" said a voice.

Yuma and Kotori turned to the source and found a strange looking girl descending the stairs to the center of the foyer where they were. She had long grey hair, the front of which was styled to resemble cat ears. Her emerald green eyes shined behind the pair of large square framed glasses on her face. She was dressed in a black Gothic Lolita style dress with a white tail sticking out the back, and she wore long black gloves that resembled cat paws. She approached Yuma, swaying her hips from side to side and purring like the cats she loved so much.

"Who the heck are you?" Yuma asked. "And why did you bring us here?"

"You may not remember me my precious." She answered back in a seductive tone. "But I most certainly remember you. I am Cathy Katherine, but you can call me Cat! Nya!" She curled her paws, imitating a cat's meow as if she was trying her hardest to be a cat herself.

Kotori snapped her fingers in realization. "Wait a minute. I know you. You go to school with us, don't you?"

Cat turned to her and growled angrily. "How ironic that the first person to actually notice me is the bitch who stole the man I love."

Kotori's expression turned angry. "WHAT DID YOU JUST CALL ME? And what are you talking about? I don't steal guys!"

"Oh don't play dumb with me little birdy." Cat hissed. "I am talking about this handsome devil right here." She pointed to Yuma and got closer to him, her body touching his.

"Wait, YOU'RE IN LOVE WITH ME?" Yuma exclaimed, completely in shock.

"More than ever" Cat answered.

"But I don't even know you!" Yuma protested.

"Well I am sure we could get to know each other better if you know what I mean. I used to be too shy to talk to you, but now the power of Barian World has made me stronger! Now every Number will be mine, along with you my precious Yuma!"

"Barian World? What the heck is that?" Yuma wondered.

"**Beware Yuma."** Astral warned him.

**"She said she knows about the Numbers, so it is safe to assume that she has one, and if that is the case, then you know what we must do."**

"Right!" Yuma said to Astral. "Well Cat, if you want my Numbers, you will have to duel me for them!"

"Yes, we could duel for them, or we could do something a lot more **fun**!" Her face inched closer and closer to his, and she whispered in his ear. "All you have to do is hand over all your Numbers, and I will give you a special **treat **as a reward! Think about it Yuma. We would make a purr-fect couple." Yuma's face was turning redder and redder with each seducing word she spoke.

Kotori's temper was at its peak. She was about to explode with rage. "THAT'S IT! If anyone is dueling right now, it's me! If I win, you back off, you got that?" She called out to Cat.

Cat turned and taunted her. "Awww, did I make the widdle birdy angry? Fine, I'll claw you to bits, and then Yuma will see that I am the only woman for him!"

The two women activated their duel disks, and Kotori activated her duel gazer, while the color of Cat's left eye changed from green to red.

From the shadows, unbeknownst to them, Gilag was watching. His left eye was also red. He frowned.

_"This isn't right. She was supposed to duel Yuma. Oh well, this chick doesn't look so tough. This duel will be over in just a few turns."_

**Duel Gazer Set**

**Augmented Reality Vision Online**

**Kotori: 4000**

**Cat: 4000**

**DUEL!**

"I'll go first. Draw!" Cat looked at her hand and purred with delight. The card that master gave her was in her hand, but like any hungry cat waiting to devour a helpless bird, she would be patient and only pounce at the right moment. "I set one monster face down and end my turn. Your move little birdy, but don't bother. You don't stand a chance against the power of Barian World!"

"Alright, then it's my turn. Draw!" Kotori drew her card. "Looks like it's going to get a bit windy in here because I'm summoning out** Storm Warrior – Eagle Knight** in attack mode!" A powerful gust of wind billowed across the field and when the storm receded, there stood an intimidating looking half man half bird soldier. Its feathers were a bold brown and it wore a green suit of mediaeval knight armor. It carried a large sword in one hand and a shield in the other which bared a sigil that depicted a green eagle flying inside a tornado. It swung its sword around and then pointed it at Cat, prepared to use it.

**Storm Warrior – Eagle Knight: Level 4/WIND/Winged-Beast/1700 atk/1200 def**

"And now I will attack, and when he does, I can banish one of the birds in my hand to give him 400 more attack points and the ability to pierce!"

**Eagle Knight Atk: 1700 + 400 = 2100 (Inflicts Piercing Battle Damage)**

"But that's not all. The monster I just banished was **Storm Warrior – Finch Ninja**. When this little bird is banished, you take 800 points of damage!" A shadowy figure darted out of the corner of the room and into the air. It was a tiny brown bird dressed in a green ninja suit. The same sigil that was on Eagle Knight's shield was on the back of its clothes. The little bird pulled out two shurikens and threw them towards Cat, who hissed as they grazed her body.

**Storm Warrior – Finch Ninja: Level 2/WIND/Winged-Beast/800 atk/800 def**

**Cat: 4000 – 800 = 3200**

"Now, Eagle Knight, Slice through her face down monster!" The birdman took to the air and dive-bombed towards the monster, which revealed itself to be a grey rodent the size of a bear. It was easily dispatched of as Eagle Knight stabbed it in the chest.

**Giant Rat: Level 4/EARTH/Beast/1400 atk/1450 def**

**Cat: 3200 – 650 = 2550**

Cat was not happy that her enemy had made such a large dent in her lifepoints. "Hiss! Well you may have struck my lifepoints, but the dead rat always attracts the hungry cat, for due to rat's effect, I can special summon an earth monster from my deck, so prepare to meet one of my little kitties! Nya!"

Kotori smirked. "I don't think so. Rat's effect only works if it goes to the graveyard. Eagle Knight banishes any monster it kills, so you are going to have to wait another turn before your kitties get to play. I set two cards face down and end my turn."

**Eagle Knight Atk: Back to its original 1700**

Cat grew even more furious by the second. "Grrrr, when I get my claws on you, you will wish you never crossed this cat's path. My turn! I draw!" She looked at her hand and then licked her lips with glee. It was time for her to pounce. "I will activate the continuous spell card, Cat Meeting, and then I will summon Stray Cat in attack mode!" A tiny white kitten with black spots appeared on the field. Its back was turned away from Kotori and its tail was wagging from side to side.

**Stray Cat: Level 1/EARTH/Beast/100 atk/300 def**

"Meow I will activate the effect of Cat Meeting! Since I normal summoned a cat monster, Cat Meeting will let me summon another one, now my first Stray Cat won't be lonely anymore." Another kitten appeared on the field. This time it was a gray tabby. Its back was also turned.

"But I'm not done yet. I activate One fur One! By sending a monster from my hand to the graveyard, I can special summon a level one monster from my deck, so say hello to my third Stray Cat!" This time a brown tabby appeared next to the white and gray ones, and the three little kittens wagged their tails in a synchronized motion."

Astral began to worry.** "3 level 1 Monsters?"**

Yuma also saw the danger. "I bet she's going to summon her Number."

Cat's face twisted into a look of pure insanity. "I heard that Yuma! What I have in store for little bird brain is far worse than any of your Numbers! The power of Barian World makes Numbers look like weak mice! Now with these 3 Level 1 Monsters I shall construct the overlay network!"

Much to Yuma and Astral's surprise, the portal that appeared was the normal red instead of the gold that one would expect when a Number was about to appear.

"XYZ SUMMON! TWIN TAILED CAT LADY!"

Rather than the sealed form of a Number, this monster jumped out of the portal already in her true form, an adult woman in a red leather cat suit with two tails hanging out of the back. Wolverine style claws decorated her hands, and she let out a ferocious meow, glaring at Eagle Knight and prepared to strike.

**Twin Tailed Cat Lady: Rank 1/DARK/Beast-Warrior/1000 atk/1000 def/ 3 overlay units**

Yuma and Astral watched with confusion. "She didn't summon a Number? If this Barian power isn't a Number, then what is it?"

From the shadows, Gilag watched with interest. "_Oh you are about to find out Yuma Tsukumo_."

Cat's insane smile only grew wider. "I meow activate Rank Up Magic Barian's Force! With this card, I rebuild the overlay network, turning my Xyz Monster into a Chaos Xyz Monster!" The Barian symbol appeared on Cat's forehead and her eyes began to glow a bright red color. The overlay portal reappeared and Twin Tailed Cat Lady back flipped into it, causing an enormous explosion of energy.

"CHAOS XYZ EVOLUTION! **CHAOS XYZ: TRIPLE TAILED CAT QUEEN!**"

When the smoke of the explosion cleared, there stood a much different version of Twin Tailed Cat Lady. She had three tails instead of two, and her cat suit was pitch black instead of red; veins of glowing Barian energy coursed through it. Instead of her long claws as weapons, she carried a chainsaw blade on each of her wrists, and they roared with power, eager to tear Kotori to ribbons. Lastly was her face. It shared the exact same smile of insanity that was on Cat's face.

**Chaos Xyz Triple Tailed Cat Queen: Rank 2/DARK/Beast-Warrior/1500 atk/1200 def/ 4 chaos overlay units**

Yuma was shocked beyond belief. "Chaos Xyz Monster? I've never heard of a card like that!"

"**Yuma…" **Astral called out to him feebly. Yuma looked over to his friend and saw that his body was beginning to flicker in and out. **"I know not what that monster is, but it is draining my energy. Its power is unlike anything I have ever felt before. It is almost as if it was created for the sole purpose of destroying me."**

"You went to all that trouble to bring out a monster that is still weaker than mine?" Kotori questioned.

"She won't be weak for long. By detaching a Chaos Overlay Unit, she gains 1000 attack points!"

**Cat Queen Attack: 1500 +1000 = 2500**

"Before I attack, I will activate the card that will seal your fate and put you in the ground for good, the card that will defeat you and make Yuma mine! I activate the continuous spell, Poisonous Winds! Not only do your birdies lose 500 attack points, but you cannot special summon any wind attribute monsters as long as this spell is on the field."

When the spell appeared, an eerie purple mist leaked out of the card and covered the entire field. The moment it reached Eagle Knight, the birdman started violently coughing. He got down on one knee, crippled and stricken completely sick by the noxious fumes.

**Eagle Knight Atk: 1700 – 500 = 1200**

"It's time to feast on that birdy my cat queen! Attack her Eagle Knight! MASSACRE SCRATCH!" Cat Queen's chainsaw blades buzzed loudly as she dashed towards Eagle Knight.

"I activate my trap." Kotori was about to counter when Cat cut her off.

"Actually you can't. My queen has another effect. As long as she is on the field, you can't activate trap cards during the battle phase, which means that nothing can protect you against my monster!" Eagle Knight tried to hold up its shield to protect itself, but the chainsaw burrowed through the shield and impaled him in the chest. Eagle Knight exploded, leaving Kotori defenseless and severely damaged.

**Kotori: 4000 – 1300 = 2700**

"I think that's enough suffering for now." Cat purred. "I end my turn."

"Kotori are you Ok?!" Yuma cried out in concern.

Cat growled. "Kotori, Kotori, Kotori, Is that all you think about? Why can't you see that I am the one who truly loves you? I want my Yuma and I WANT YOU MEOW!"

"Cat please; for the last time, I don't like you in that way! How many times do I have to say it? How can I love you back if I don't even properly know you?" Yuma called out to her in frustration.

That only made Cat angrier. "That is just the Numbers talking. You would be in my arms right now if it wasn't for that little thief. KOTORI! I will defeat you and get rid of that spell you put him under with those Numbers you gave him! For the sake of the Barian World!" Her eyes began to glow even brighter and the darkness reentered her mind tenfold, returning the insane smile to her face.

"Well if you can't be reasoned with, then I guess I will just have to beat you. I draw!" Kotori looked at her hand and frowned. She had nothing strong enough to take on that Chaos Xyz Monster, and with Poisonous Winds on the field, she wouldn't be Xyz Summoning any time soon. "I set a monster in defense mode and end my turn."

Cat mocked her for such a move. "Awwww, was that all you could do? I draw!" She grinned. She now had the means to bring forth another of the Barian World's beautiful creatures. "I activate Card of Sanctity! Now we get to draw until we have six cards. Now I will summon Cat Girl in attack mode." An adult woman similar in appearance to Triple Tailed Cat Queen appeared on the field. She was dressed in a fuzzy orange and black cat suit, and she had a bell collar on her neck. She yawned and stretched like a cat typically would before standing up.

**Cat Girl: Level 4/EARTH/Beast/1200 atk/ 1600 def**

"Now her effect activates, which will let me special summon Stray Cat Girl to keep her company." A small human girl with cat ears on her head appeared right next to Cat Girl. She looked no more than five years old, and she was dressed in a yellow raincoat and carried a large blue umbrella.

**Stray Cat Girl: Level 4/EARTH/Beast/600 atk/1500 def**

"Now with these 2 Level 4 Monsters I shall construct the overlay network again!"

"XYZ SUMMON! CAT GIRL MAGICIAN!"

From the red portal rose a strange looking witch. Her pointed hat had two points sprouting out of the top, resembling cat ears, and there were yellow cat eyes on the brim of the hat. She had a beautiful face with dark blue hair tied in a ponytail, and she wore a short black dress and red thigh high boots. Lastly, she carried a staff with a jewel at the head that resembled a cat's eye.

**Cat Girl Magician: Rank 4/LIGHT/Spellcaster/2000 atk/1800 def/ 2 overlay units**

"She may be strong now, but when the power of Barian World flows through her, she'll be invincible. I activate Magic Stone Excavation! By discarding 2 cards from my hand, I can bring a spell from my graveyard back to my hand, and I think you know which one I will choose!"

"**Not again."** Astral muttered, still weak from the first exposure to Barian energy.** "As if one Chaos Xyz Monster was bad enough, now Kotori has to deal with two."**

"I activate Rank Up Magic Barian's Force again! Now I can rebuild the overlay network, turning Cat Girl Magician into a Chaos Xyz Monster!"

"CHAOS XYZ EVOLUTION!** CHAOS XYZ: CAT GIRL DARK SORCERESS!**"

From the explosion in the overlay portal rose the transformed witch. Her dress was replaced with longer black witch robes that had glowing Barian energy etched into the fabric. Her hat was black instead of red, and the points on her hat were thinner, and curled upward to resemble devil horns instead of cat ears. Lastly, instead of a cat's eye on her staff, the Barian symbol was there in its place, pulsing with chaotic energy.

**Chaos Xyz Cat Girl Dark Sorceress: Rank 5/DARK/Spellcaster/2400 atk/2000 def/ 3 chaos overlay units**

"Now I will activate Triple Tailed Cat Queen's effect again, detaching a chaos overlay unit to gain 1000 more attack points!"

**Cat Queen Atk: 2500 + 1000 = 3500**

"Now I could attack your monster, but I have something much more fun in mind, by detaching one chaos overlay unit, my Dark Sorceress can attack directly! Now strike her down! CAT'S EYE CHAOS BLAST!" The feline witch fired a red laser out of the Barian symbol on her staff which struck Kotori point blank, violently knocking her to the ground.

**Kotori: 2700 – 2400 = 300**

"Now here comes the fun part, when Dark Sorceress inflicts battle damage, she can scratch off one of your cards, like that face down monster you have." The cat witch fired another laser from her staff which struck Kotori's face down monster and completely vaporized it.

"And now that your only monster's gone, Triple Tailed Cat Queen is free to attack you directly as well! FINISH HER OFF WITH MASSACRE SCRATCH!" The beast-warrior activated her chainsaw blades again and charged towards Kotori. She struck her, creating a small explosion which covered the field in smoke.

"KOTORI NO!" Yuma cried.

Astral looked away in sadness. **"It appears it is over."**

Cat was jumping for joy. "NYAHAHAHAHA! I WON! I WON! Yuma is MINE! ALL MINE!"

"No he is NOT!" said a voice. When the smoke cleared, there stood Kotori, whose lifepoints were untouched, and on the field stood a small green parrot which had caught Cat Queen's chainsaw blades in an incredibly large shield that looked way too heavy for it to carry. The Chaos Xyz Monster was struggling to get through, but the parrot did not budge.

**Storm Warrior – Parrot Protector: Level 2/WIND/Winged-Beast/500 atk/500 def**

"NYA? BUT MEOW? Meow are you still standing?" Cat shouted in absolute rage.

"If I would take damage, my **Storm Warrior – Parrot Protector** steps in. By banishing him and one other wind monster from my hand, I take no damage. Speaking of damage, the monster I banished with him was another Finch Ninja, which means you take 800 more damage." A shadowy figure leaped from behind Parrot Protector, revealing itself to be Finch Ninja, who threw a shuriken at Cat, grazing her skin and striking her lifepoints.

**Cat: 2550 – 800 = 1750**

"HISS! Fine, but you won't be so lucky next time! I end my turn!"

"There is not going to be a next time Cat! I draw! Now I think I will start with a spell that you might know, Card Destruction. We discard our hands and then draw the same amount of cards that we discarded."

Cat and Kotori proceeded to do so. Cat was not happy about that move, for her old hand contained cards that she liked.

"I now activate Soul Release. Now I can banish five cards from my graveyard."

Cat was suspicious. She could tell that Kotori was up to something. "Nya? Why would mew do that?"

"So that I can activate this spell card, Chaos End, when seven or more cards are banished, Chaos End destroys all monsters on the field!" Up above the two duelists, a large, black, otherworldly portal opened up. The two Chaos Xyz Monsters looked up in confusion, only for them to be struck by lightning that came out of the portal. Their bodies melted away into Barian energy, and the chaotic essence was sucked into the portal, never to be seen again.

"NYOOOOO!" Cat cried out. "Not my kitties! Not my beautiful kitties!"

"I'm not done yet. I play Mystical Space Typhoon to get rid of Poisonous Winds!" Kotori smiled in triumph as the card that had crippled her so much was blown away in a gust of wind.

"Now for my final move" Kotori announced. I summon Battlestorm in attack mode!" Another birdman descended from above onto Kotori's field. This one was clothed in red battle armor and his wings were as black as the night.

**Battlestorm: Level 4/DARK/Winged-Beast/1700 atk/1000 def**

Cathy didn't seem to be worried. "You may have gotten rid of my kitties, but that little birdy doesn't have enough attack points to finish me off."

Kotori smiled confidently. "Check again Kitty Cat. Battlestorm gains 100 attack points for every Winged-Beast on the field, including itself."

**Battlestorm Atk: 1700 +100 = 1800**

Cathy began to get scared. "Meow wait a minute Kotori. Let's talk about this. I mean we could share Yuma if you want! Did you hear that Yuma? All you need to do is hand over your Numbers and you could have not one, but two girlfriends! What do you say?"

"No deal Cat. Battlestorm, attack her lifepoints directly! FIST OF THE SKYMASTER!"

The humanoid avian took flight and then soared at lightning speed towards Cat, his huge fist ramming her with the force of a freight train. She cried out as her lifepoints dropped to zero, falling to the ground with a crash.

**Cat: 1750 – 1800 = 0 (LOSE)**

**Winner: Kotori**

Yuma cheered at the outcome of the duel. "Alright Kotori! You won! That was awesome! You truly had that Kattobingu spirit with you all the way!"

Kotori blushed at the complement. "Yuma…"

From the shadows, Gilag frowned. Everything had gone horribly wrong. Not only did the soldier he recruited duel the wrong person, but she lost anyway, meaning his chance to witness Yuma's dueling ability was gone. _"Durbe is not going to be happy with me." _He thought, and he teleported away.

Just then, the Barian symbol on Cat's forehead shattered into pieces, and she regained consciousness with a confused expression on her face. "Nya? What happened? Where am I? What am I doing on the ground? Was I in a duel just now?" Then she looked over and saw her crush. She blushed a deep shade of red. "_OH! MY! GOD! Yuma Tsukumo is in my house right next to me? Pinch me I must be dreaming!"_

"What are you talking about Cat?" Yuma burst out. "You don't remember kidnapping us, dragging us to your little mansion, and then dueling Kotori in an attempt to take my Numbers?"

"Numbers? What are you talking about?" Cat wondered. "_I mean I always wanted Yuma's number, but I would just ask him to call me. I would never kidnap him."_

Astral pondered Cat's apparent amnesia. **"Yuma, I believe that she was not acting of her own free will. That card she used, Rank Up Magic Barian's Force, it is most likely the culprit."**

Cat was starting to become quite fearful of the looks that Yuma and Kotori were giving her. They were acting as if she did something wrong, but she had no idea what. She began to cry. "I don't understand. Why can't I remember? Did I hurt you? I would never want to hurt you."

Yuma began to feel sorry for Cat, and regretted aggressively calling her out for her actions. While Kotori helped her back on her feet, Yuma told Cat what had happened, and how she was not acting herself due to being possessed by Rank Up Magic Barian's Force. Unfortunately, this only made her cry even louder.

"_Yuma must hate me now."_ She thought sadly, tears streaming down her face. "_Now that the only boy I ever loved hates me. I'll be a sad lonely kitten for the rest of my life."_

Yuma was quick to comfort her. "Hey, Cat, it's ok. You had no control over yourself. Besides, I saw the whole duel, and you were just as awesome as Kotori was! I could totally see the Kattobingu in you!"

Cat smiled softly, drying the tears off her face. "Thank you. I guess that means you know about my secret then. I have had the biggest crush on you for the longest time. I have watched you from afar, wanting to tell you, but I was just too shy. That's how it always is with me. I have always been by myself because I was too shy to make any friends."

Yuma took these words into account and, out of sympathy and the kindness in his heart, made an offer to her. "Well Cat, I still barely know you, so I don't think it would be right for you to be my girlfriend, but I would love nothing more than for you to be my friend. You can join me, Kotori, and Tetsuo, and we can duel and hang out anytime you want."

Cat's eyes widened. "You…You really mean that?"

"Of course!" Yuma grinned, giving her a thumbs up. "Welcome to the team Cat!"

Cathy couldn't believe what she was hearing. This was without a doubt the happiest day of her life. She would never be lonely again, and it was all thanks to Yuma. "OH YUMA! THANK YOU! I promise to Cat-obingu just like you!" She then tackled him to the ground and glomped him, which made Kotori furious.

"HEY! BACK OFF!" She yelled, pulling her off him.

"What's the matter Kotori?" Yuma asked. "Cat was only giving me a hug. There's nothing wrong with that." That statement only made Kotori angrier, and she stormed out of Cat's Mansion.

"Damn it Yuma, you can be so naïve sometimes!"

"Hey wait a minute Kotori! Come Back! What did I do?" Yuma wondered, and he chased after her.

"**Observation Number 6:" **Astral noted. **"Yuma is still completely oblivious to the thought process of the female gender."**

He was about to float after them, when he suddenly stopped. A grim look appeared on his face as he came up with a much darker observation.

**"Observation Number 7: It appears we have a new enemy to deal with, and its name is Barian. Whoever or whatever it is, we must be vigilant and prepared."**

* * *

><p>Elsewhere, on the top of a tall skyscraper, there stood a lone figure overlooking the city. A small white robot was standing next to him, and it spoke to the figure.<p>

"M-Master Kaito, another Number has been detected!"

"Then prepare to engage flight mode Oribital 7. We're going after it." The figure responded.

"It is time for the hunt to begin!"

* * *

><p><strong>Author Made Cards:<strong>

**Chaos Xyz: Triple Tailed Cat Queen: Rank 2/DARK/Beast-Warrior/1500 atk/1200 def**

**4 Level 2 Monsters**

**Effect: You can detach one Xyz Material from this card; this card gains 1000 atk. If this card has Twin Tailed Cat Lady attached to it as an Xyz Material, it gains the following effects:**

**Your opponent cannot activate trap cards during the battle phase**

**Chaos Xyz: Cat Girl Dark Sorceress: Rank 5/DARK/Spellcaster/2400 atk/2000 def**

**3 Level 5 Monsters**

**Effect: Once per turn, during your Battle Phase: You can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card; this card can attack your opponent directly. If this card has Cat Girl Magician attached to it as an Xyz Material, it gains the following effects:**

**When this card inflicts battle damage to your opponent, you can target one card on the field; destroy it.**

**Storm Warrior – Eagle Knight: Level 4/WIND/Winged-Beast/1700 atk/1200 def**

**Effect: Any monster that this card destroys by battle is banished instead of being sent to the graveyard. When this card attacks, you can banish one WIND monster from your hand or graveyard, and if you do, this card gains 400 atk and inflicts piercing damage until the end of the battle phase.**

**Storm Warrior – Finch Ninja: Level 2/WIND/Winged-Beast/800 atk/800 def**

**Effect: If this card is destroyed, (by battle or by card effect) banish it instead of sending it to the graveyard. When this card is banished, inflict 800 damage to your opponent.**

**Storm Warrior – Parrot Protector: Level 2/WIND/Winged-Beast/500 atk/500 def**

**Effect: If you would take battle damage, you can banish this card and one WIND monster from your hand, and if you do, reduce the battle damage to 0.**

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes:<strong>

**Well that was a pretty nice cliffhanger wasn't it? Yes, Kaito will be next and Yuma will be in for the duel of his life. For the most part it will be similar to Kaito's canon debut, but I will try to make it as different and original as possible.**

**What was really complicated for this chapter was making Kotori's deck. I looked through every Winged-Beast card I could find and I noticed that there aren't many good Winged-Beasts that are not part of an existing archetype (Harpy Ladies, Blackwings, Gustos), and I did not want to give Kotori either of those archetypes since Gustos focus more on synchro summoning and Harpy Ladies and Blackwings are already used by canon characters of previous series. So I decided to solve it the same way I solved Chills' problem, and the Storm Warriors were born! Don't worry. You will see more of them during Kotori's future duels! I hope you guys liked this archetype!**

**So what did you think of the chapter? Did you like it? Did you not like it? Whatever your opinion is, just know that giving your opinion allows me to make the story better, so leave a review and let me know!**

**Until next time, this is Nox Descious signing out!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Well everyone, here is a chapter that I am sure any Kaito fans among my readers have been waiting for!**

**Not only will we have an exciting duel on our hands, but a certain someone will be watching which will set up a very infamous rivalry that you guys most likely remember!**

**Still don't own Zexal. If I did, Kaito would NOT be called Kite in the dub. Does it look like I want to take him out on a windy day and fly him?**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

><p>Chapter 6: Photon Stream of Destruction<p>

It was 2:00 in the morning and Yuma was still unable to get to sleep. He had far too much on his mind to even think about sleep. It had been three days since he encountered the power of the Barians at the hands of a possessed Cathy, and already had another enemy to deal with, a so called "Number Hunter". Earlier that day he had been at the Heartland Mall with Kotori when a criminal attacked and tried to hold some of the shoppers hostage for money, only for Yuma to discover that he had a Number, Number 56: Gold Rat to be exact. Yuma tried to push his way through the crowds to duel the criminal, but by the time he got there, the Number Hunter had already defeated him, and the criminal was on the ground looking quite different. His skin was emaciated, and his hair was bleached white. The last thing he said before the police arrested him was "Number Hunter", which left Yuma puzzled and disturbed. Yuma's mind was infested with unanswered questions. Was this Number Hunter the one who brainwashed Cat with that Barian card or someone else entirely? Why does he want the Numbers? And why would he do such a thing to the people he dueled?

Astral materialized next to him.** "Something is troubling you Yuma. Is it the same thing that is troubling me?"**

"If what's on your mind is the Number Hunter, then yes." Yuma responded.

"**What should we do?"** Astral asked.** "We need a plan in case he comes after us."**

"Well there is only one thing we can do!" Yuma answered. A smile of confidence and spirit had replaced his worried look. "We are going to have to duel him at some point if we want to restore your memory, and if he finds out that we have Numbers, then he will come after us eventually. I see no point in waiting around, so I say we go hunt the hunter!"

Astral only grew more worried. **"I think this is a bad idea. However, if we hide from him, it will only delay the inevitable."**

* * *

><p>The next morning, at around 10:00, Rio was in her kitchen drinking her third cup of coffee. Luckily it was Saturday, so she did not have to worry about school, but she still desperately wanted to regain some form of energy after experiencing yet another nightmare last night. She shook her head in frustration. When was it going to end? And what did it even mean?<p>

Her thoughts were interrupted by her doorbell ringing, and when she opened her door, Durbe was there to greet her. He was straight to the point of why he was visiting. "Have you heard the news about the Number Holder at the mall?"

"Of course!" said Rio. "I mean I know that criminal had it coming, but how could a duelist be so ruthless, and all because that guy had a Number?"

"Well either way, it can be safe to assume that this hunter has collected quite a substantial amount of Numbers, which means we will be hunting him eventually if we want to collect all 100." Durbe continued. "Speaking of Number Hunting, I have heard of a new Dueling Plaza that is being built in a neighboring city. The Grand Opening is tonight, which means that a great deal of duelists will be there. That would create a high chance that a Number Holder will be among them. I was wondering if you would like to accompany me to this Duel Plaza, so we can collect any potential Numbers together."

Rio, seeing an opportunity to tease Durbe, smiled her trademark sly grin. "So is this a date then? A follow up from that great time we had at the movies? Why Durbe, I didn't know you could be so forward with your desires."

Durbe's face turned bright red and began to fumble with his words, not sure what to say.

"Well...I...no... I mean...I was only...I mean we are going there for Number Hunting...I mean it's not really a..."

Rio continued to tease and pretended to feel insulted. "Oh I see. Strictly professional is it? And here I thought you were fun. Guess I was wrong."

Durbe continued to stutter. "No it's not like that! I didn't mean to...I mean if you want to then we could..."

Rio burst out laughing. "Oh Durbe, you are so easy! I was just joking around!"

Durbe was relieved at that. He regained his composure. "Right, so I guess I will meet you here tonight so we can start our Number Hunt?"

"Sure Durbe, I'll be ready!" Durbe was about to leave when Rio stopped him. "Wait, what if we run into that other hunter?"

Durbe tensed at the thought of that. Obviously this Number Hunter was a very powerful duelist, and the way he left his victims raised the stakes higher than any normal duel with Numbers on the line. He shuddered at the thought of what would happen if Merag lost a duel to him. He was not even sure if he could stand seeing her like that. His expression turned grim and serious.

"Now listen to me Rio. This is very important. You have to promise me that if you encounter the Number Hunter, you will NOT duel him. You will alert me, and I will duel him instead. If he finds you, then you run. Understand?"

Rio was offended. "Are you trying to say that I'm not strong enough to take him on? I can take care of myself thank you very much! God, you are starting to sound like my brother!"

Durbe corrected himself. "I did not mean that. I have full faith in your skills. I just…"

"Just what?" Rio snapped.

"I just...don't what you to suffer like his previous victims have. It would destroy me if anything happened to you." He paused, the greater truth transcended through his thoughts. "_I just don't want to lose you again...Merag..."_

Rio's expression softened, but her eyes radiated with surprise. She really meant that much to him? "Durbe...I..."

"I'm sorry." Durbe apologized. "I did not mean to imply that your dueling abilities were inferior, or not enough to take on the Number Hunter. I have seen you duel, and I am quite sure you could hold your own with him, but please…be careful."

Rio smiled. "Durbe, don't you realize that I would be just as sad if you dueled him and lost? I appreciate your concern for me, but I don't want anyone to get hurt just because they want to protect me. The day you gave me that Rank Up Card was the day when we became a team, so if we find that hunter, we take him on together!"

Durbe's grim look faded away after hearing that speech. He conjured up a small smile.

"Together."

* * *

><p>Night had fallen, and Durbe and Rio attended the Duel Plaza just as they planned. They won all their duels, but much to their disappointment, there were no Number Holders amongst the duelists they face. They had left the plaza and they were just about to head for home, when a voice from up on the roof of a nearby building called out to them.<p>

"Durbe! Is that you? Come up here! I must speak with you at once!"

Durbe knew that voice anywhere. If Misael was in the area, then whatever was going on must be important. He took Rio with him and entered the building, racing up the flights of stairs until they got to the roof. Rio took a look at the person that had called them up hear. It was a man with long blond hair, with a wing shaped hair extension on the left side. He had red markings on his face, and he was dressed in a grey vest with white pants.

Misael took a look at Rio, and any doubts about Durbe's success in finding Rio were removed from his mind, but his stoic expression remained the same, and he did not let his surprise show. He extended his hand to her for a handshake, which Rio accepted.

"So you must be Rio. My name is Misael. Durbe has told me quite a bit about you. It takes a strong duelist for him to accept you into our ranks."

"Indeed she is a strong duelist." said Durbe. "Now what is this all about?"

"Tachyon is angry." Misael began. "And that Number Hunter is to blame. Ever since he made his presence known when he took Number 56, Tachyon has been growling with more anger that I have ever felt. I have been tracking him ever since, and I know he is somewhere very close by."

Rio was confused. "Hold on, who the hell is Tachyon?"

Durbe explained. "We Barians have rather…special Number cards. They are not part of the original 100 Numbers. Instead they were created by the Barian World so that we could have an advantage over those who use Number cards. Tachyon is one of them."

"Oh!" said Rio understandingly. "I see. Well since I joined your team, and since you said the Barian World "chose me", whatever that means, will I ever get one?"

Durbe smiled "_You will when your memories return."_

"Soon Rio, very soon."

Just then, the ghostly form of Frozen Lady Justice appeared next to Rio. She appeared to be quite disturbed. "**He is nearby. I can sense the presence of the hunter. I count one, two, three, no… eleven, eleven Numbers in his possession. And…"** She paused, and her eyes widened. A look of horror was on her face. **"I sense something else. There is a very powerful monster with him, and it hungers for my kind. It hungers to destroy the Numbers!"**

Rio was both surprised and confused. What was Number 21 talking about? What monster? If it wasn't a Number, then what was it? And why would it make her so frightened?

Rio's thoughts were interrupted by arrival of rain, which poured down like a waterfall on her head. She and her two friends were about to get off the roof and find cover, when suddenly, the raindrops began to descend slower and slower, until they were completely motionless. It was as if time had completely stopped.

"What's going on?" Rio asked. "How did this happen?"

"I believe the answer to your question is down there." Misael answered, pointing down to the streets below the building. Rio looked down to where Misael was pointing, and to her surprise, she saw Yuma and Kotori down below. Kotori was floating in midair, and an oncoming truck was right next to her. It was clear that before the time stop had occurred, Yuma had shoved her out of the way to prevent the truck from hitting her. Yuma on the other hand had a glowing red whip-like object wrapped around his wrist, and holding the other end of the whip was another man standing across from him. His hair was short and blond, curled upward with three green spikes at the front, and he was dressed in a long black trenchcoat with a high collar over a grey shirt and white pants. A small white robot stood next to him.

"You must be the Number Hunter." Yuma said to him. "Just who are you? What have you done to me? And what did you do to that other guy you dueled? Are you going to do that to me as well?"

"My name is Kaito Tenjo." The hunter responded. "I would tell you not to forget it, but it won't matter once I'm done with you. As for what I do, let's just say my method of taking the Numbers is rather forceful. Number cards attach themselves to people's souls, so when I take them, their soul is taken with it, so when you lose this duel, you will lose your soul as well."

"MY SOUL?" Yuma cried out in shock.

"Yes, your soul. Now I can tell you are tempted to run, but with my Duel Anchor active, you aren't going anywhere until we duel, and when you lose, you won't be going anywhere at all! Now allow me to hunt your Numbers!"

"Well fine then. If it's a duel you want, then it's a duel you will get! Kattobingu Daze Ore!"

"**Well spoken Yuma. We must be** **fearless if we want to defeat him."** Astral added, floating next to Yuma.

"Wait a second; I thought you just said you wanted me to run away!"

"**That is when I thought you could run away."** Astral stated grimly.

Yuma activated is duel disk and turned on his duel gazer. He was fired up, but he could not help but feel a twinge of apprehension in his heart.

On the rooftop, Rio also turned on her Duel Gazer, while Durbe and Misael's left eyes turned red.

"Duel Mode Photon Change!" Kaito's body began to glow, and the color of his coat transformed from black to white. A white crescent moon shaped duel disk spun around like a boomerang before attaching itself to his wrist. Rather than using a duel gazer, a purple tattoo surrounded his left eye, and the color of his left eye turned red. Kaito was ready for battle, and the duel commenced.

**Duel Gazer Set**

**Augmented Reality Vision Online**

**Yuma: 4000**

**Kaito: 4000**

**DUEL!**

"Hunters before prey!" said Kaito, announcing that he was going first. "I draw!" He looked at his hand and smiled. This duel was going to be easy. "Since I control no monsters on my side of the field, I can special summon Photon Thrasher from my hand!" A strange humanoid monster appeared on the field. It was a warrior dressed in blue armor with an orange jewel on its left shoulder. It carried a large sword and a single red cyclops-like eye flashed on its helmet, but the strangest thing about it was its limbs. Rather than actual flesh or skin, this monster's limbs appeared to be made of eerie blue light, which glowed just as bright as Kaito's white coat.

**Photon Thrasher: Level 4/LIGHT/Warrior/2100 atk/0 def**

"Now I normal summon Photon Crusher in attack mode!" A second warrior appeared on the field looking just as strange and alien as Thrasher. Its armor was a combination of silver and green, and its weapon of choice was a double ended metal club. Like Thrasher, it also had a single eye which flashed a menacing red color.

**Photon Crusher: Level 4/LIGHT/Warrior/2000 atk/0 def**

"I will also activate the quick play spell, Photon Lead, which lets me special summon Photon Chargeman from my hand." A third glowing warrior appeared next to the two others. This one was a large robot decorated in blue and silver armor. Unlike its other photon brethren, it had two eyes, but they flashed the same menacing red glow as the others did.

**Photon Chargeman: Level 4/LIGHT/Warrior/1000 atk/1000 def**

Astral observed what Kaito just summoned. He grew nervous as he noticed their levels. **"3 Level 4 Monsters? I believe I know what is coming next."**

"Now with these 3 Level 4 Monsters I shall construct the overlay network!"

"XYZ SUMMON! NUMBER 10: WHITE KNIGHT ILLUMINATOR!"

From the gold overlay network arose the Number's sealed form, a white, claw shaped diamond with a green jewel in the center, which transformed into a demonic looking medieval knight. It was clothed in shiny silver armor, and it was riding a large horse that matched its color, which whinnied loudly. An orange 10 pulsed brightly on the right shoulder plate of its armor.

Yuma was quite amazed at the sight of it. "He summoned a Number on his first turn just like that?!"

Astral shared Yuma's amazement. **"I believe this is solid evidence that this Number Hunter is a force to be reckoned with."**

**Number 10 White Knight Illuminator: Rank 4/LIGHT/Warrior/2400 atk/2400 def/3 overlay units**

"I'm not done yet! Since I control an Xyz Monster, I can special summon Photon Slayer from my hand in defense mode!" A large silver knight similar in appearance to Photon Thrasher appeared. Its sword was much larger than Thrasher's, and it required two hands to carry, and its single eye was blue instead of red.

**Photon Slayer: Level 5/LIGHT/Warrior/2100 atk/1000 def**

"And now that I have a Photon Monster on the field, I can special summon **Photon Spider** from my hand, and its effect allows me to make slayer's level equal to spider's level!" A large glowing spider attached to a string of web descended from above. Its body was a bold dark blue color, with the exception of its eight legs, which were made of the same light as the other photon monsters. It then proceeded to bite Photon Slayer on the leg, but the knight didn't even flinch, then the bite marks that the spider left behind took on the appearance of three level stars.

**Photon Spider: Level 3/LIGHT/Insect/1000 atk/0 def**

**Photon Slayer: Level 3**

"**2 Level 3 Monsters?"** Astral noted.

"Are you kidding me? He's going for another one already?" Yuma exclaimed in disbelief.

"Now with these 2 Level 3 Monsters I build the overlay network again!"

"XYZ SUMMON! NUMBER 20: GIGANTO – BRILLIANT!"

This Number's sealed form was a large cylinder with a pink jewel in the center that appeared to resemble an ant hill. It quickly transformed, revealing an enormous bipedal black and purple ant. Its arms and jaws resembled shiny silver sickle blades, and a yellow 20 was glowing brightly on one of the sickle arms.

**Number 20 Giganto – Brilliant: Rank 3/LIGHT/Insect/1800 atk/1800 def/2 overlay units**

"Now I activate Brilliant's effect. By detaching an overlay unit, all my monsters gain 300 attack points!"

**White Knight Illuminator Atk: 2400 + 300 = 2700**

**Giganto Brilliant Atk: 1800 + 300 = 2100**

"I end my turn." said Kaito calmly.

Astral was growing more and more uneasy by the second. It appeared that like Rio, Kaito was not possessed in any way shape or form by the Numbers he had just summoned. If he was strong enough to resist Number possession, then it would be safe to assume that he was powerful enough to win the duel with ease.

"**This is quite troubling"** Astral stated nervously. **"If he is capable of such a move on his first turn, then who knows what he will be able to do in the future? We cannot afford to make any mistakes in this duel."**

"I was thinking the same thing." Yuma agreed. "Now I have an idea. He doesn't have any facedowns to protect his Numbers. If we summoned Hope right away, we will be able to attack strong, and then defend if he tries anything next turn."

"**You called, Master?"** The ghostly form of Number 39 appeared next to Yuma and Astral. He appeared to be studying the field, but there was a nervous look in his eyes.** "While I am eager to be summoned onto the battlefield, I fear that these two Numbers are not the only threat we will have to deal with. I sensed another presence when he arrived. I know not what it is, but I can hear it growling, almost as if its only desire is to destroy and devour my kind. We must be wary."**

Yuma started to get worried as well. What kind of monster could cause even Hope to experience such apprehension and fear? There was only one way to find out. "My turn! I draw!" Yuma looked at his hand, prepared to summon his ace. "First I will summon Gagaga Magician in attack mode!" The familiar chain bound, white haired wizard took to the battlefield.

**Gagaga Magician: Level 4/DARK/Spellcaster/1500 atk/1000 def**

"Next since I summoned a Level 4 Monster, I can special summon Kagetokage from my hand!" Next to Gagaga Magician appeared a strange looking black lizard, but it looked more like the shadow of a lizard. It was completely two dimensional, and it had small beady red eyes.

**Kagetokage: Level 4/DARK/Reptile/1100 atk/1500 def**

"Now with these 2 Level 4 Monsters, I build the overlay network!"

"XYZ SUMMON! NUMBER 39: ASPIRING EMPEROR HOPE!"

The gold overlay portal pulsed with energy as Hope's sealed form rose up from it. The wings extended, and then the main body formed, revealing the heroic knight that never let Yuma down. He brandished his sword and then let out a battlecry of "HOPE!"

**Number 39 Aspiring Emperor Hope: Rank 4/LIGHT/Warrior/2500 atk/2000 def/2 overlay units**

Kaito smirked. "So the Number finally shows itself. I'm going to enjoy taking it!"

Yuma suddenly began to get nervous again. He remembered Astral's constant reminders of being cautious, and with the Hunter's mystery monster lurking in the shadows, this situation demanded such caution. "_I could attack, but then again, even if he doesn't have any facedowns, I could still be walking into a trap. What if he wants me to attack? I know what Number 20's effect is, but I still don't know what Number 10 does. It could be nothing to worry about, or it could be a strong defense that would destroy Hope, and if Hope goes, then I'm wide open."_ Yuma made up his mind and chose the cautious approach. "I set one card face down and end my turn."

Kaito raised an eyebrow. "Really? Is that all? Fine then. I draw! First I will activate White Knight Illuminator's effect! By detaching an overlay unit, I can discard one card from my hand, and then draw one card!"

Yuma cursed. "_Damn it. So Number 10's effect wasn't defensive after all. I could have killed Number 20 with Hope and then we would have had one less Number to deal with. What is wrong with me? Why am I so nervous? Is my Kattobingu slipping up?"_

Kaito was not done drawing. "Now I activate the spell card, **Photon Overlay Draw**! This lets me draw one card for every Xyz Monster on the field. There's your Number along with my two Numbers, so that means I get three cards! However, since I drew more than two cards, I take 1500 points of damage, and I can't special summon monsters from the extra deck this turn." Kaito drew his new cards, but the moment he finished drawing, he suddenly grunted in pain. He began to grip his chest in agony, almost as if he was having a heart attack.

**Kaito: 4000 - 1500 = 2500**

"MASTER KAITO! Are you alright!" The robot cried out. "You know you shouldn't do that! If you strain yourself to much, then the Photon Mode will..."

"I know Orbital! I'm fine!" Kaito snapped at the robot. "Now be quiet and let me duel!"

Astral raised an eyebrow, quite puzzled of what was transpiring in front of him.** "Chest Pains? Could the Numbers be affecting him after all? Or is there something else at work? Why is it that whenever we discover that our foe has a weakness, it is incredibly difficult to tell what it is?"**

Kaito looked at his new hand and smiled. He had drawn his signature weapon against the Numbers. This duel was as good as over. "Now I sacrifice Giganto-Brilliant and White Knight Illuminatior!"

"WHAT?" Yuma cried out, completely dumbfounded. "Why would you get rid of your Numbers?"

Kaito smirked. "You are about to find out!" The two Number Monsters exploded into particles of energy, and the energy began to mold together until it transformed into a red, crescent moon shaped spear. Kaito caught the spear and threw it in the air, and once airborne, the spear began to gather more energy, until it started sprouting body parts, claws, wings, a long tail, and a ferocious looking dragon head. The spear became the dragon's chest, and the dragon's new body glowed with bright blue photon light as it gave a mighty roar.

"I SUMMON GALAXY EYES PHOTON DRAGON!"

**Galaxy Eyes Photon Dragon: Level 8/LIGHT/Dragon/3000 atk/2500 def**

From the building above, Rio and the two Barians were completely aghast, but one in particular was fuming with rage at the impossibility of the situation. Now Misael knew why Tachyon was angry, and he could hear his dragon's growling grow even louder.

"_Galaxy Eyes? That is impossible! COMPLETELY IMPOSSIBLE! No mere human is capable of mastering the power of Galaxy Eyes! Once this duel is over, I will take it upon myself to put him in his place, and show that only I am the one worthy of the title of Galaxy Eyes Master, not this human worm!"_

Both Yuma and Astral's eyes were wide as dinner plates. "What is that thing?" Yuma wondered, but then he saw Hope take a step back, and something clicked in his mind. _"This must be the creature that Hope warned us about!"_

"Now your Number is as good as mine! Galaxy Eyes, attack Number 39 with PHOTON STREAM OF DESRTUCTION!"

The dragon gathered energy in its mouth before unleashing a massive jet of light towards the Number Monster.

Yuma smiled. "I activate Hope's effect! By detaching an overlay unit, he can negate your attack! GO MOON BARRI_"

"I don't think so." Kaito interrupted. "I activate the effect of **Photon Cobra** in my graveyard. I sent this little snake to the graveyard with Number 10's effect, and now it's ready to strike! By banishing it, Cobra can negate your monster's effect, and since Number 39 is an Xyz Monster, you take 800 points of damage!" Hope had unleashed the moon barrier, but suddenly a large king cobra appeared and wrapped its body around the shield. It then constricted the shield until it was nothing but crushed scrap metal. The snake's body was completely covered in the same photon light with the exception of its head and hood, which was dark blue with red fangs. After destroying the shield, the snake then spat out glowing white venom from its fangs, which struck Yuma in the face, who winced in pain as his lifepoints took a hit.

**Photon Cobra: Level 4/LIGHT/Reptile/1000 atk/2000 def**

**Yuma: 4000 – 800 = 3200**

"Now my dragon's attack commences, but don't worry, your Number isn't dying yet, for when my dragon attacks, both monsters are banished!" The photon stream suddenly stopped, and then both monsters vanished into thin air.

"HOPE NO!" Yuma cried out.

Kaito continued his explanation of the dragon's effect. "Now that I am ending my turn, both monsters come back, but my dragon had decided to play thief and steal your Number's overlay units! Did I mention that when Galaxy Eyes does this, he gains 500 attack points for each one!" Both monsters reappeared, but instead of orbiting around Utopia, his last overlay unit traveled to Galaxy Eyes, who absorbed it in the jewel on its chest.

**Galaxy Eyes Atk: 3000 + 500 = 3500**

Yuma was completely shocked by the power of Kaito's dragon. "So now Hope is completely defenseless and his dragon is even stronger?"

"**Yuma I implore you not to panic!" **Astral commanded. **"The dragon may be outclassing Hope in terms of attack points, but battle is not the only method of achieving victory. What was that figure of speech you taught me? There is more than one way to skin a cat, or in this case, slay a dragon."**

Yuma knew what he was talking about. "It's my turn! I draw! First I am activating Foolish Burial! Now I can send Ganbara Lancer from my deck to the grave! Now I activate my face down, Call of the Haunted, to bring back Gagaga Magician!" The purple graveyard portal appeared, and from it appeared Yuma's signature spellcaster.

"Now that my magician is back, I'm going to sacrifice him in order to summon Ganbara Lancer from my hand." The magician disappeared, and in its place stood a large bulky knight clad in dark blue armor. It carried two incredibly large jousting lances in its hand.

**Ganbara Lancer: Level 5/LIGHT/Warrior/1000 atk/2000 def**

"Now I'm activating Lancer's effect, which lets me special summon the Ganbara Lancer that I dumped in the graveyard with Foolish Burial." The graveyard portal opened again, and a second Ganbara Lancer arose from it to accompany the first one.

"Now with these 2 Level 5 Monsters, I will build the overlay network!"

"XYZ SUMMON! NUMBER 61: VOLCASAURUS!"

A sphere of lava rose from the gold portal and transformed into the very first Number that Yuma encountered, a giant red and orange Tyrannosaurus whose body was glowing with heat energy. It roared at Galaxy Eyes, making its desire to burn the dragon to ashes quite clear.

**Number 61 Volcasaurus: Rank 5/FIRE/Dinosaur/2500 atk/1000 def/2 overlay units**

Kaito was surprised. He had been expecting Yuma to only have one Number. "So you have a second Number? That must mean you are not just a Number Holder, but a Number Hunter just like me. That's good. The more Numbers you have, the more I can take when I defeat you!"

"You won't be beating me when I take out your dragon!" Yuma retorted. "I activate the effect of Volcasaurus! By detaching an overlay unit I can burn your dragon to a crisp and then you take damage equal to its attack points! GO MAGMA MAX!" The dinosaur roared as it unleashed a jet of fire out of its mouth towards Galaxy Eyes. Yuma smiled. He was sure that he would win now.

Kaito merely laughed. "HA! You honestly think I wasn't prepared for something like that? Well guess what? I am! I activate the effect of Photon Mirror Goblin in my hand, by banishing it, Volcasaurus will be destroyed instead of Galaxy Eyes, and you will be taking the damage instead of me!" A small, glowing, blue goblin-like creature emerged in front of Galaxy Eyes. It was carrying a large mirror and it held it up as a shield. The jet of fire bounced of the mirror and was sent rocketing back towards Volcasaurus. The dinosaur's menacing expression then turned into one of fear and shock as its body was completely engulfed by its own attack, doomed to be consumed in a fiery death. Yuma was blown backwards by the force of the reflected blast.

**Photon Mirror Goblin: Level 1/LIGHT/Fiend/0 atk/0 def**

**Yuma: 3200 – 3000 = 200**

Rio watched from above completely baffled. Yuma's opponent had just swatted Volcasaurus away like a fly. "_Just who is this guy?"_ She wondered.

"Great." Yuma muttered. "Now what do I do?"

"**There is still one last thing you can do."** Astral reminded him.** "Set that trap face down. It is our last chance to achieve victory."**

Yuma looked at the card Astral was talking about and smiled. He understood the plan. "I set one card face down and end my turn!" The card Yuma had just set was Mirror Mail, which would make Hope's attack points equal to Galaxy Eyes should Galaxy Eyes attack it, but since Galaxy Eyes is not a Number, Hope will survive, whereas the dragon will not, then come Yuma's next turn, Hope and whatever new monster he decided to summon could attack the Hunter directly for game. Yuma's smile grew wider. He was going to win this after all.

"It's my turn." Kaito announced. "I draw!" He looked at his new card. "Now I could attack you right now, but if you honestly think I am going to charge head on into what could be a deadly trap, then you have underestimated me yet again. I summon Photon Cerberus in attack mode!" A large three headed dog whose body was covered in the same photon light appeared on the field. All three heads were covered in robotic red helmets with yellow jewels glowing on their foreheads.

**Photon Cerberus: Level 3/LIGHT/Beast/1300 atk/600 def**

"And when Photon Cerberus is summoned, you cannot activate any trap cards for the rest of the turn, so there is nothing protecting you against my dragon's wrath!" The dog charged forward and three long chains erupted out of its back, which proceeded to wrap around Mirror Mail, completely binding it and rendering it useless.

Astral was completely paralyzed and was floating in midair as if he had completely shut down.** "I cannot believe it. He has out dueled us both. If this attack connects, then I am done for. Farewell Yuma."**

Yuma was completely devastated. He had failed. Even with all the effort and all the Kattobingu spirit that he put into the duel, he still failed, and what's worse he let Astral down. Because of him, his friend would be gone forever. He was about to cry. "I'm sorry Astral…I'm so sorry."

Back up on the rooftops, Durbe and Rio looked down with surprise on their faces. Misael simply glared at Kaito.

"_So it appears I do have a rival after all."_ He thought.

"Now your Numbers and your soul are MINE! Galaxy Eyes Photon Dragon, attack with PHOTON STREAM OF DESTRU_"

"MASTER KAITO!" Orbital 7 yelled, interrupting him. "Incoming message!"

The robot projected an image where his master could see it, and what Kaito saw made his heart stop. His brother was unconscious and appeared to be in a very bad way.

"HARUTO NO!" Kaito shouted. He then turned to Yuma, deactivating his duel anchor. "We'll finish this later, but you better believe that I'll be back! ORBITAL! Let's go!"

"Roger!" The robot then proceeded to transform until it resembled a white motorcycle. Kaito immediately hopped on, and they dashed away in hyperdrive speed.

Immediately after they left, the rain started to pour down again, and time had apparently returned to its normal speed. Kotori fell on the sidewalk, the truck that was about to hit her missed her completely. She looked up and saw Yuma staring off into space with practically no life in his eyes. She ran over to him.

"Yuma what's wrong? What happened?

Yuma slumped to the ground and fell on his hands and knees, tears building up in his eyes.

"Kotori…I just realized…that I don't…have…what it takes…" Yuma said no more as he broke down, crying harder than he had ever cried before, with Kotori having no idea what to say or do to help him.

Back on the rooftops, Rio felt an equal amount of sadness, which came in the form of sympathy. She hated to see her friends suffer, and it frustrated her that she was just as powerless as Kotori to comfort Yuma.

Misael spoke to Durbe. "So it appears that this Number Hunter is a much larger threat that we expected, especially since he has a Galaxy Eyes Monster and can use it with such efficiency."

"You are quite right Misael." Durbe responded. "We should return to the Bar Ian at once and inform Gilag and Alito about our new target. We shall begin tracking him immediately and then…"

"ABSOLUTELY NOT!" Misael shouted, interrupting him.

"None of you are going anywhere near the Galaxy Eyes user."

He turned away from Durbe, glaring off into the distance.

"He is **MINE**!"

* * *

><p><strong>Author Made Cards:<strong>

**Photon Spider: Level 3/LIGHT/Insect/1000 atk/0 def**

**Effect: If you control a Photon or Galaxy Monster, you can special summon this card from your hand. If you do, apply one of the following effects:**

** 1. Target one Photon or Galaxy Monster you control; its level becomes 3**

** 2. This card's atk becomes 2000, but it cannot attack as long as it is on the field**

**Photon Cobra: Level 4/LIGHT/Reptile/1000 atk/2000 def**

**Effect: During either player's battle phase, if your opponent would activate a monster effect, you can banish this card from your hand or graveyard, and if you do, negate that effect. If that monster was an Xyz monster, inflict 800 damage to your opponent.**

**Photon Mirror Goblin: Level 1/LIGHT/Fiend/0 atk/0 def**

**Effect: If exactly one Photon or Galaxy Monster you control would be destroyed by a card effect, you can banish this card from your hand or graveyard. If you do, target one monster on the opponents side of the field; that target is destroyed instead, and any effect damage you would take for the rest of the turn is instead inflicted to your opponent.**

**Photon Overlay Draw: Normal Spell Card**

**Effect: If you control at least one LIGHT monster and you have 2 or less cards in your hand, draw one card for every Xyz Monster on the field. You cannot special summon monsters from the extra deck during the turn you activate this card. If you drew more than 2 cards with this effect, you take 1500 damage.**

* * *

><p><strong>Authors Notes:<strong>

**So how was that for a Yuma vs. Kaito duel? **

**I was originally thinking of having Volcasaurus succeed in destroying Galaxy Eyes, only for Kaito to revive it and continue his assault, but then I realized that would make it so Yuma almost beat Kaito, and it would show that his big scary dragon actually can be beaten, thus Yuma would not be so broken and demoralized since he came close to beating Kaito, which can't happen for the sake of the plot. But I did the whole Volcasaurus thing mainly because in canon, Yuma acquired Volcasaurus before he dueled Kaito, and if Yuma summoned him, Volcasaurus could have EASILY dealt with Galaxy Eyes with his effect. Yet another reason why it was stupid of the writers to have Yuma only use Hope, and on occasion, Leviathan Dragon.**

**So what did you think of the chapter? Did you like it? Did you not like it? Whatever your opinion is, leave a review and let me know!**

**Until next time, this is Nox Descious signing out!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Alright, here is the next installment in our grand tale ready for reading! This time I am going to give Kaito a rest. He won't be appearing again until next chapter. Instead our character in the spotlight for this chapter is everyone's favorite Boxing Barian Simpleton, Alito!**

**I figured that if there was anyone who could get Yuma out of his Kaitophobia and back into his fiery Kattobingu attitude, it would have to be a guy with an equally fiery attitude. Alito seems to fit that description pretty well.**

**Now Yuma is going to be using a Non-Number Xyz Monster in this duel even though this takes place before he got those extra cards from Roku, and before he paid Roku a visit, Baby Tiragon was the only Non-Number Xyz Monster Yuma had. To fix this, I have a different way of Yuma receiving this specific card, and this card will play an important role in the relationship between Yuma and the character who gives it to him.**

**Still don't own Zexal. If I did, Alito's Burning Knuckler Monsters would NOT be called Battling Boxers in the dub. Seriously, that name makes me think of boxer shorts for some really weird reason that I don't understand.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

><p>Chapter 7: Rekindling the Kattobingu<p>

Yuma lay in his bed in the dark of the night looking forlorn and defeated. He was more than broken, for while Kaito had not taken his Numbers during that fateful duel, he had taken something much more valuable to Yuma, his will to continue. Yuma knew for a fact that if Kaito had not cancelled the duel, he would have lost, and Astral would be gone forever because of his carelessness. "_I did everything I could, and yet it wasn't even close to being enough."_ He thought._ "I thought that if I believed in my Kattobingu, then I could accomplish anything, but no matter what I threw at that guy, he had an answer for everything. It was only through the sheer dumb luck of his decision to cancel the duel that I am still here breathing. Otherwise, I would have lost my soul, and I would have broken so many hearts because of it, Akari, Tetsuo, Cat, Rio, and… Kotori…"_ He stared at The Emperor's Key for what seemed like an eternity. "_Dad…Dad I'm sorry… I let you down. How can I be a duel champion if I can't even live up to what you taught me? I tried to carry on without you, but now… Now I just don't know."_

Floating up above Yuma's bed, Astral was deep in thought, also contemplating what had transpired during Yuma's duel with Kaito, and how he almost died. Astral had not spoken to Yuma since the duel ended, for he did not know what to say. He could still feel the presence of that dragon, its eyes gazing into his very being, filling him with dread and panic, the attack that almost connected replaying over and over again in his mind. **"**_**I do not understand."**_ He thought to himself._**"Ever since our narrow escape from that Number Hunter, I have felt vastly different. In order to complete the restoration of my memories we will have no choice but to duel Kaito again, for he has some of the Numbers I seek, and yet, I cannot muster any desire to do so. I keep feeling this strange sense of dread every time I think of him. My mind keeps telling me that if we duel him again, then we will most certainly lose, and if that happens, then Yuma will lose his soul, and I will vanish forever."**_ He stared off into space for hours until an epiphany entered his mind. _**"Observation Number 8: I believe I now understand what it truly means to be afraid."**_

* * *

><p>Back at the Bar Ian, the four Barians had been contemplating for days over what to do about the new threat that came in the form of Kaito. Misael was restless and would not stop complaining about not being allowed to immediately seek him out.<p>

"I despise all this waiting around!" He shouted at Durbe.

"Now is not the time to get antsy Misael." Durbe answered back in a much calmer tone. "We still do not know where Kaito's headquarters are, and even if we did, charging after him unprepared would still be unwise. If you lose, we will be down a man, and then you will lose all the Numbers you collected to him. Is that what you want?"

"I WILL NOT LOSE TO A HUMAN!" Misael roared, completely losing his temper.

"I understand your desire to face him Misael, and I have faith that you will not lose." Durbe continued. "But you cannot let this Galaxy Eyes induced blood feud that you invented lead you into making reckless decisions. Here is how I see it. We know that Kaito is out hunting Numbers, and so are we. Therefore, it can be assumed that if we discover another Number Holder, he will not be far behind, so there is a chance that we might end up going after the same Number at some point and encounter each other that way. Plus, the time stopping trick that he conjures when he duels will make his presence obvious, and we do not have to worry about that since our own Numbers grant us immunity. Besides, as long as we have Numbers, then he will target us eventually, and when he does, that will be the biggest mistake of his life. You must be patient Misael, but know that when we do encounter him again, he is all yours."

Misael growled. "Fine, we will do it your way, but I don't like it."

"What about Yuma?" Gilag chimed in.

"What? That pathetic weakling?" Misael answered arrogantly. "Seeing as he could not even lift a finger against my new rival, he will not stand a chance against one of us. The Astral being most certainly has bad taste in choosing allies. I suggest we finish him off now before he regains his strength."

Durbe once again reprimanded Misael for his arrogance. "That type of attitude towards dealing with him is ill advised. However, you are correct in taking immediate action. For the sake of pragmatism and eliminating the Astral being once and for all, we should deal with him sooner rather than later, and I have just the Barian for the job."

Gilag immediately stood up, his face beaming with pride at the thought of a second chance.

"Gilag sit down! I was not referring to you." said Durbe in a rather annoyed tone. "Alito! Alito get over here!" Upon command, Alito hopped down from his seat on the bar counter and hurried over to Durbe.

"Don't worry Durbe, I have been listening. You have a job for me, and this job involves dealing with Yuma Tsukumo and the Astral being, correct?"

"Well what do you know? You actually do have enough mental capacity to pay attention." Misael muttered mockingly.

Alito merely shrugged off the insult. "Hardy Har Har. First of all, I gladly accept the mission! I was starting to get bored of all these ordinary Number holders and their mediocre dueling abilities anyway. However, I have one condition. If you want me to go after Yuma, then we will be dealing with him my way."

"What do you mean Your Way?" Durbe inquired, not sure that he liked where this was going.

"Judging by how you described the duel that Yuma had with this Kaito guy, he is not just down, he is completely broken. I refuse to kick a man when he's down. No, the duel where I take Yuma's Numbers will be when Yuma is at his absolute strongest. Anything less and it just won't be worth it."

Misael's frustration towards the Burning Knuckler user reached its peak. "Are you serious? Is that really all you care about? All you care about is having the best duel of your life when you should be putting our cause first and before anything else! And you call yourself a Barian Emperor."

"I know what I am doing!" Alito answered back. "Contrary to your belief that I always rush in without thinking, I actually have a plan that will allow us to gain more than what we will receive if we just swoop in and take Yuma's Numbers now." He then turned to Durbe and spoke with absolute sincerity to his face. "I understand the importance of the mission, and I will defeat Yuma whether it happens now or later, but I am asking you as a fellow Barian and as a friend to trust me."

Durbe stared at Alito for what seemed like an eternity, and then a look of understanding appeared on his face. Whenever Alito was this serious about something, there was no stopping him in what he wanted to do. "Very well Alito. I trust you. I will leave the matter of Yuma to you, and you can carry out this "plan" of yours. Do not fail us."

"Don't worry Durbe I won't!" Alito shouted with pride and excitement. "I will begin my search for him right away! I'm off to the school!" With that, he teleported away to search for his new opponent.

"WAIT ALITO!" Durbe called out to him. "I haven't even told you what he looks like!" But it was too late. Alito was already gone.

Misael sighed and gave Durbe a look that screamed "I told you so".

"Once a simpleton, always a simpleton."

* * *

><p>Alito had been searching the school for hours before realizing his mistake. He thought that identifying Yuma would not be a problem, since all he had to do was look for a guy who had a floating transparent alien standing next to him, but now he realized that he was looking for a needle in a haystack since he did not know exactly what Yuma looked like. If the Astral being was not by his side all the time, then his means of identifying him were gone, and he could easily miss him. He was so deep in thought that he did not notice that he was walking directly into someone. The two of them crashed into each other and fell to the ground.<p>

"Hey, watch where you're…" Alito could say no more as he stared into the eyes of the person he bumped into. There, inches away from his face, was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. Hair as green and pure as the shiniest of emeralds, hazel eyes that glowed as bright as the light of the moon, and a face that that had no equal in beauty. There was no other word that Alito could think of to describe her. This was an…

"Angel…" Alito whispered in complete awe.

"I'm Sorry. What?" said the girl in confusion.

"Uh… Angle! Yeah that's what I said! I need to watch my angle! I was not looking where I was going!

The girl smiled, getting back up. "It's no big deal. No harm done. My name is Kotori by the way."

"Kotori… What a lovely name…" Alito muttered with hearts in his eyes. "My name is Alito! Words cannot describe how much of a pleasure it is to meet you!"

"It's nice to meet you to Alito." said Kotori cheerfully. "I'd love to stay and chat but I'm kind of in a hurry. I'll see you later!" She then turned away and left, leaving Alito still in a state of entranced amour and desire.

"Yeah… See you later…"

After a few minutes of staring off into space, Alito snapped out of it, but now he had a new goal in his mind. "That girl… Kotori… I think I just experienced love at first sight. That settles it then! I am going to win her heart! I know just how to do it! She will be defenseless against my counter strategy, and once I use it, I can sweep her off her feet!" Alito remembered that he passed by a flower shop the other day on one of his Number Hunting Patrols. That would be the perfect place to begin phase one of his plan. With his mind made up, the Barian raced off to the flower shop, eager to succeed in his new mission to win the girl of his dreams.

* * *

><p>The real reason Kotori was in such a hurry was that she was looking for Yuma. He had been avoiding her for quite some time, and when she did see him, it was like she was looking at a completely different person. Yuma was not just down in the dumps, it was like a part of him was missing, and when Yuma was sad, Kotori felt equally sad. It infuriated her that she had no idea how to cheer him up. She did have an idea though, and she was praying that it would work.<p>

She turned the corner in the hallway to find Tetsuo talking to Yuma, and it appeared that he was suffering the same frustration, trying to get through to Yuma but ultimately failing. Although Tetuso was acting rather aggressive in his interrogation to find out what was wrong with his friend.

"You're hiding something Yuma! I know it!" He accused. "It's been three days now and you are still acting all down! Kotori says you told her you dueled someone and lost! You lose all the time, but you are always back on your feet and just as happy as you were before the duel. What makes this loss so devastating to you? Does this have something to do with those Number cards you have been collecting? Are Number cards dangerous or something?"

Yuma tensed up at the mention of Numbers, and he hoped that whatever excuse he could come up with would get Tetsuo to drop it. If Tetsuo, Kotori, or anyone else he cared about ended up roped into this Number War, they could fall prey to Kaito. Yuma could never forgive himself if that happened.

Kotori decided to intervene. "Tetsuo, leave Yuma alone. Whatever he has been through, it's been rough on him, and you are only making it worse!" She then turned to Yuma and conjured up a sweet smile that would possibly put him at ease. "Hey Yuma, I know you don't want to talk about it. Take as much time as you need, but we're your friends. You shouldn't shut us out just because you're feeling bad. Whatever it is, I want to help you."

Yuma smiled softly, but his eyes still radiated with sadness. "Thanks Kotori."

Kotori took Yuma's thanks as a sign that her comfort was working on him. "I have just the thing that will cheer you up! I bought this new card, and I just know it will go well with your deck, and the best part is that it's an Xyz Monster! You love Xyz Monsters! We could have another duel right after class and you could use that Xyz Monster against me! Come on, what do you say? Just for fun!"

Yuma took the card and stared at it with a rather blank expression on his face. He turned away from her. "Thanks for the card Kotori, but no thanks. I'm just not in the mood for a duel right now."

Kotori stared at Yuma as if the world had just turned upside down. Her jaw dropped out of sheer shock to what Yuma just said. Yuma **never** said no to a duel no matter what the occasion was. "Not in the mood? You are always in the mood! WHO ARE YOU AND WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH YUMA TSUKUMO!"

"You would not understand." muttered Yuma.

"Not understand? I want to understand!" She could not take it anymore. She just wanted Yuma back. She began to cry.

"I just want to help you Yuma." She sobbed. "Why won't you let me help you?"

Yuma began to feel guilty. The last thing he wanted to see was Kotori crying. "Kotori I…"

"HOW DARE YOU MAKE KOTORI CRY!" Yuma, Kotori, and Tetuso turned towards the source of the voice, and there stood Alito with an enraged look on his face, holding an extremely large bouquet of red roses. He continued to vent his rage towards Yuma.

"You have no right! Absolutely no right to make this angel cry! Only a complete monster would do such a thing! I challenge you to a duel to win back her honor!"

Yuma was completely confused. "Uh… who are you?"

"My name is Alito and I am going to be your next opponent whether you like it or not! I will not take no for an answer!" He then turned to Kotori and gave her the roses.

"Oh, and by the way, these are for you!"

Kotori had no idea how to respond to this incredibly awkward situation. Her face turned slightly red. "Uh… thanks Alito, but you don't really have to duel for me. Yuma didn't mean it. He is just having a bad day, that's all!"

Alito's head perked up in surprise. "_Did she say Yuma, as in Yuma Tsukumo? Well what do you know, it looks like I finally found my target. Now I definitely won't take no for an answer"._

"Sorry Kotori, but this is something that absolutely must be done! Come on Yuma, we're going to the roof!" Before Yuma could react, Alito yanked him by the collar of his shirt and started pulling him away. Yuma desperately tried to struggle, but he could not get out of Alito's iron grip.

"Hey! Put me down! What are you crazy or something?!"

"Yuma! Alito! Come back!" Kotori called out to them, but it was no use. Alito was going to duel Yuma no matter what anyone tried to do.

"Let him go. This might actually do him some good." Kotori and Tetsuo turned to find Rio standing right behind them. Apparently she had witnessed the entire scene.

"Rio, what are you doing here?" Tetsuo asked.

"Yuma is keeping secrets for the sake of your safety." She told them. "I on the other hand, will tell you for the sake of your safety."

"Safety? What do you mean?" Kotori asked nervously.

"Number cards are dangerous. VERY Dangerous. When a duelist finds one, it latches on to them like a parasite and possesses them like a demon, making them completely obsessed with whatever they desire the most. The only people immune to the influence of the Numbers are Yuma, myself, and a few others, my friend Durbe being one of them. In order to prevent these cards from causing trouble, we have been trying to collect all 100 Number cards, but there are others hunting the Numbers who are using rather… unethical means to take them from their holders. Yuma dueled one of these hunters and almost lost, and he is worried that this hunter might use you to get to him and take his Numbers. Kotori, Tetsuo, I BEG you to stop pursuing this before you end up digging too deep, for Yuma's sake and your own."

Rio then turned away and left, leaving Kotori and Tetsuo completely speechless.

* * *

><p>Alito had finally succeeded in getting Yuma up to the roof, and he was still not backing down in his desire to duel Yuma. At first Yuma had protested adamantly that he was not interested, but then he thought back to Alito's surprising gesture in giving Kotori those roses. Something stirred inside his chest when he saw him do that. It was a strange and tight feeling that would not go way. For some reason, seeing Alito give Kotori those roses bothered him, and he did not know why.<p>

"Well Yuma, what's it going to be?" Alito called out to him.

Yuma clenched his hands into fists. "Alright Alito, you got yourself a duel! But leave Kotori out of this!"

Alito smirked. "That's fine with me! LET'S GET IT STARTED!"

**Duel Gazer Set**

**Augmented Reality Vision Online**

**Yuma: 4000**

**Alito: 4000**

**DUEL!**

"I'll go first. I draw!" Alito announced. "First I am going to summon Burning Knuckler Headgear in attack mode!" Upon Alito's command, a strange looking warrior appeared on the field. It appeared to have the design of a robotic boxer wearing red sparring gear and boxing gloves. The rest of its body was a dark shade of blue. It banged its two boxing glove fists together in an intimidating fashion to show how eager it was to knock its foes into the ground.

**Burning Knuckler Headgear: Level 4/FIRE/Warrior/1000 atk/1800 def**

"And now his effect activates, letting me send one Burning Knuckler Monster from my deck to the grave." Alito searched his deck for the card he wanted and proceeded to dump it in the graveyard. He smiled as he thought of the surprise that his monster would set up when his opponent walked right into his counter strategy. "Now, since I control a Burning Knuckle Monster, I can special summon Burning Knuckler Spar from my hand." Another robotic boxer appeared next to Headgear. This one was beige in color and was equipped with orange boxing gloves and two red sparring pads on each of its arms.

**Burning Knuckler Spar: Level 4/FIRE/Warrior/1200 atk/1400 def**

"Now with these 2 Level 4 Monsters I shall construct the overlay network!"

"XYZ SUMMON! IN MY CORNER, THE ONE AND ONLY, BURNING KNUCKLER LEADBLOW THE BOUND BARBARIAN!"

After Headgear and Spar disappeared into the red overlay portal, a massive hulking tank of a warrior took their places as it rose out of the network. Unlike the other Burning Knucklers, which were robotic in appearance, this one appeared to be human, and he was dressed in the attire of a roman gladiator with a menacing metal mask over his face. True to his name of being "bound", he was shackled to a large ox harness with one shackle binding his right hand, and the other gripping his neck like a collar.

**Burning Knuckler Leadblow the Bound Barbarian: Rank 4/FIRE/Warrior/2200 atk/2000 def/ 2 overlay units**

"I set two cards face down and end my turn."

Yuma was about to begin his turn when Astral suddenly materialized next to him.

"**You must be extra cautious."** Astral said, catching Yuma completely by surprise since this was the first time since the duel with Kaito that Astral had spoken with Yuma.

"Astral? Well gee, nice of you to finally start talking to me again." Yuma snapped at him. "I thought you were busy giving me the silent treatment!"

"**I apologize for my lack of communication."** Astral expressed with regret. **"I cannot simply stand by while you face this new threat alone. I am sensing something very different about this opponent."**

Alito was caught off guard by Astral's sudden appearance, but he didn't let it show. He did not want Astral to know that he could see him. "_So that's Astral." _He thought. _"With him around this duel is going to be a lot more interesting."_

"Alright Astral. Let's face him together. It's my turn. I draw!" Yuma studied his hand. His eyes darted to Alito's intimidating Xyz Monster, then back to his hand, and then back to Alito's Xyz Monster again. "_This guy means business. He already Xyz Summoned on his first turn. It's like Kaito all over again. I mean so far he doesn't look like he has a Number, but what if he does? If he does have a Number, then Astral is done for if I screw up, and I screwed up big time during my last duel. Astral is right. I have to be cautious. I can't take any chances this time. I have to play it safe."_

"I set two cards face down and one monster in defense mode and end my turn." said Yuma with no fire in his voice at all.

Alito raised an eyebrow. "Seriously? That was it? Come on man! At least give me a challenge! I draw!"

"First by detaching an overlay unit from Leadblow, I can special summon Burning Knuckler Shadow from my hand in attack mode!" Next to Leadblow appeared another boxer completely clothed in black armor, but it looked more like a ninja than an actual boxer. It let loose a barrage of rapid fire jabs and punches before taking a fighting stance next to Leadblow.

**Burning Knuckler Shadow: Level 4/FIRE/Warrior/1800 atk/1400 def**

"And now here is where our little sparring match really heats up! Whenever Leadblow loses an overlay unit, he gains 800 attack points!" Suddenly the shackle on Leadblow's right arm began to crack until the barbarian broke free from it and flexed his now free arm. A red aura covered his body as a surge of power coursed through his veins**.**

**Leadblow Atk: 2200 + 800 = 3000**

"But wait, there's more! I activate the effect of Burning Knuckle Left Hook in my hand! By banishing it, I can give Shadow a boost of 500 attack points and the ability to inflict piercing battle damage! That defense monster is not going to provide much protection now!"

**Burning Knuckler Left Hook: Level 3/FIRE/Warrior/800 atk/1800 def**

**Shadow Atk: 1800 + 500 = 2300 (Inflicts Piercing Damage)**

"What? No way!" Yuma cried in alarm.

"Yes way! Shadow attack! SHADOW BOXING BARRAGE! The ninja boxer leaped into the air and attacked from the sky, unleashing a rapid fire of jabs and punches on Yuma's monster, revealing it to be a large blue and green robot that somewhat resembled a walking grenade. The boxer continued to punch the robot over and over again, but it stood its ground. However, Yuma's lifepoints still took a hit.

**Yuma: 4000 - 800 = 3200**

"Gogogo Golem isn't Gogogo going anywhere. Once per turn he can't be destroyed by battle if he is in defense mode." said Yuma.

**Gogogo Golem: Level 4/EARTH/Rock/1800 atk/1500 def**

"Well then it's a good thing I have two monsters." Alito replied. "That defense won't last for long because guess what? I have another Left Hook in my hand, so by banishing it, Leadblow gains 500 attack points and the ability to pierce!"

**Leadblow Atk: 3000 + 500 = 3500 (Inflicts Piercing Damage)**

"Leadblow attack his Golem with INDOMITABLE DEATH BLOW!" Leadblow's right fist glowed bright red with energy, and the barbarian unleashed a powerful energy blast towards Gogogo Golem. This time, its defense did not hold, and the energy blast blew a gaping hole through the robot's armor, causing it to explode into pieces.

**Yuma: 3200 - 2000 = 1200**

"Don't think you're out of the woods yet! Now that Leadblow destroyed your Golem, I can activate the effect of **Burning Knuckle Right Cross **from my Graveyard! By banishing it, Leadblow gains another 500 attack points, and he can attack again!"

**Burning Knuckler Right Cross: Level 3/FIRE/Warrior/500 atk/1500 def**

**Leadblow Atk: 3500 + 500 = 4000**

"Now Leadblow the Bound Barbarian, attack him directly and finish this duel! INDOMITABLE DEATH BLOW!" The barbarian fired another red energy blast out of his right hand at Yuma. The attack connected and covered the field in explosive smoke. However, when the smoke cleared, Yuma was no longer defenseless. On his field was a shield wielding human with a rather peculiar choice of attire. He was dressed in a black leather trench coat and black pants, and his face was concealed by an orange bandana and a small brown helmet with pilot goggles.

Yuma explained the sudden turn of events. "If you would attack me directly, I can special summon Gagaga Gardna from my hand in defense mode, and by discarding a card from my hand, he won't be destroyed by your monster's attack."

**Gagaga Gardna: Level 4/EARTH/Warrior/1500 atk/2000 def**

Alito was actually glad that the duel wasn't over just yet. "So you haven't thrown in the towel after all. Good to know. I end my turn."

**Leadblow Atk: Back to 3000**

**Shadow Atk: Back to 1800**

"**This is most troubling."** Astral said to Yuma. **"I have never seen such an aggressive strategy before. That Xyz Monster is clearly a force to be reckoned with, and if he continues to make moves like that, then I doubt our defenses will hold."**

"Alright then it's my move again. I draw!" Yuma looked at his hand and began to feel nervous again. "I summon Gogogo Giant in attack mode!"

**Gogogo Giant: Level 4/EARTH/Rock/2000 atk/0 def**

Alito was impressed with the new monster's high attack points. "_Finally he is starting to fight back. With a monster like that, he could get rid of Shadow easily, or he could possibly go for an Xyz Summon by using that thing with Gagaga Gardna. Now this duel is starting to pick up a notch. Show me what you got!"_

Yuma continued his move. "When Giant is normal summoned, he can revive Gogogo Golem from my graveyard in defense mode, but then Giant is changed to defense mode as well!" The purple graveyard portal opened next to Gogogo Giant, and Gogogo Golem rose out of it in a defensive posture. Then, Gogogo Giant dropped down on one knee and took a defensive stance as well.

"Now that I special summoned a Gogogo Monster, I can special summon Gogogo Gigas from my graveyard in defense mode. I dumped this guy in the grave when I paid the cost for Gagaga Gardna's effect." The graveyard portal appeared again and third collossus appeared next to the other two. This one had a large yellow block for a chest while steel girders made up its limbs. Two very tall girders erupted from its shoulders, while a short stubby one served as its head.

**Gogogo Gigas: Level 4/EARTH/Rock/0 atk/2200 def**

"And last but not least, I activate the continuous spell, Gogogo Gofu, with this card, I take no effect damage, and I can prevent a Gogogo Monster I control from being destroyed by battle once per turn. With that I end my turn."

"**Well done Yuma."** Astral complimented. **"He can no longer continue his aggressive tactics if he cannot destroy your monsters. Your lifepoints appear to be safe for now."**

At the sight of such a passive move, Alito finally lost patience. "Alright, that's it! Why are you constantly pulling your punches? HIT ME ALREADY AND FIGHT LIKE A MAN!"

Yuma was confused at Alito's outburst. "What do you mean?"

"You will find out once I show you how pointless it is to continue hiding. I draw!" He looked at his hand. He had to get Yuma to open his eyes in some way, and he had just the card to do it. "I active the continuous spell card, **No Holds Barred Boxing Match**!" The Augmented reality began to transform the battlefield until both Yuma and Alito's monsters were encased in a large boxing arena. A referee that looked similar in appearance to the other Burning Knucklers was in the center of the arena, and he held up a sign that had a picture of a shield with a large X crossed through it, indicating that defending was not allowed. The referee then rang his boxing bell for the match to proceed.

"This spell card provides a little twist to our duel. As long as this card is on the field, any effects that would prevent a monster from being destroyed are negated, so all your Gogogo cards and Gagaga Gardna lose their protection abilities. They now have no choice but to fight!"

"WHAT?" cried Yuma. "Are you serious? I can't defend?"

"Dead serious," Alito confirmed. "Now I will summon Burning Knuckler Switch Hitter in attack mode!" Joining Leadblow and Shadow in the ring was a new robotic boxer. This one wore a beige colored hood and took a southpaw fighting stance.

**Burning Knuckler Switch Hitter: Level 4/FIRE/Warrior/1500 atk/1400 def**

"And he is not going to be alone in this match, for when he is summoned to the field, I can special summon one Burning Knuckler monster from my graveyard, so come on back for Round 2 Burning Knuckler Headgear!" The purple graveyard portal opened next to Switch Hitter, and Headgear athletically leaped out of it and stood up in a firm fighting stance.

"Now to take care of your defense, I activate the spell card, **Lightweight Boxing Match**! Now the weakest monster you control, Gogogo Gigas, switches from defense to attack mode, and he now has no choice but to battle with the weakest monster I control, which is Headgear!" The referee from before reappeared again and blew a whistle at Gogogo Gigas, forcing the robot out of its defensive stance and into an offensive stance, then the referee rang his bell again and the two monsters charged at each other. Gogogo Gigas swung first, but Headgear was prepared. The boxer sidestepped the steel girder of an arm by an inch and delivered a mighty punch into the very center of its chest, causing the golem to groan in pain before exploding in an inferno of robotic debris.

**Yuma: 1200 - 1000 = 200**

"I'm not done yet!" Alito shouted. "Unlike you, I never pull punches! Burning Knuckler Shadow, attack his Gogogo Golem! SHADOW BOXING BARRAGE!" The black ninja boxer raced over to face his opponent and once again unleashed an onslaught of rapid fire punches of its quick and powerful fists, but this time, the golem could not withstand it, and it was blown to bits in seconds.

"Switch Hitter, it's your turn! Attack Gogogo Giant! SOUTHPAW PUNCH!" The hooded boxer obeyed and charged forward towards the giant, jumping high in the air to reach its towering form. The boxer unleashed a wrecking ball of a punch right into the giant's face, sending it toppling over and crashing to the ground.

"And last, but definitely not least, Leadblow, attack Gagaga Gardna! INDOMITABLE DEATH BLOW!" The barbarian's fists began to glow bright red with fury and power, and he charged forward towards the shield warrior. Gagaga Gardna held up his shield in protection, but to his surprise, the barbarian lowered his fist and unleashed an uppercut under the shield, sending it flying out of Gardna's hands. The surprised warrior did not even have time to react as he was delivered a bone crushing punch to the jaw, causing him to meet the same fate as his allies. He exploded into nothingness before he even hit the ground.

"Alright, now that your field has been cleared of monsters, I will set one card face down and end my turn!" Alito deferred to Yuma, hoping that his aggressive assault was sending the appropriate message._ "If the words of your friends could not reach you, then perhaps you need the push of a rival."_

Yuma drew his card, and he was about to make his move when Alito called out to him.

"Wait! Before you continue, let me ask you something. Why are you dueling like a coward?"

"What are you talking about?" Yuma shouted back defensively. "I am not a coward!"

"Your eyes say otherwise." Alito countered.

"My eyes?"

"Yeah, I can see it just by looking at you. Those eyes of yours are supposed to be filled with fire and spirit, but it's gone, like two campfires that have had water dumped on them, leaving nothing but ashes. Something happened to you didn't it, and now it is affecting your dueling skills. Am I right? What happened to you?"

Yuma was at a loss for words. He had no idea how to respond to such an accusation despite the fact that Alito could not have been more correct with his words. "I…"

"Someone crushed you. That's what happened, isn't it? You were on top of the world winning duels left and right until someone finally came along and beat you so bad that you are beginning to doubt yourself to the point where you are thinking about giving up on dueling. I'm right aren't I?

"You don't understand Alito!" Yuma cried out to him hysterically. "The guy I dueled plays for keeps! Have you heard on the news about all those comatose duelists in the hospital that look like they aged 70 years? The guy I dueled is the one who caused all of them to suffer such a fate! If it wasn't for the fact that he stopped the duel at the last second, I would have been his next victim! Do you know how many hearts I would break if I that happened? My sister, my grandmother, my friends, one in particular who is counting on me to duel for him, they would all suffer because I was not good enough! I thought that if I fought tooth and nail with my undying spirit, then I could accomplish anything!" He looked down to the ground in shame, tears building up in his eyes. "That's what my dad taught me, but it wasn't enough."

Yuma was caught completely by surprised when Alito laughed. "You think I don't understand? The more I have interacted with you, the more it feels like I'm looking in the mirror because we are so much alike! I also have friends who are depending on me, counting on me to succeed in my duels, and yes. I sometimes get scared that I might fail. Who doesn't? I might let my comrades down if I fail, but they will still know that I tried my absolute hardest, and I will try even harder next time. However, I will let them down even more if I quit. Quitting shows that they never should have had faith in you in the first place, that all the support they gave you was for nothing. I understand that you have so much to lose by dueling that guy, but if you do nothing, then he is just going to keep hurting people, and their blood will be on your hands for doing nothing! If there is one thing that is even worse than a bad person doing bad things, it's when good people do nothing when they could have helped. That is the definition of a coward. Tell me Yuma, are you a coward? Are you going to sit by and do nothing while this guy continues to hurt people? Are you going to show your friends and family that their faith in you is misplaced?"

Yuma stared at Alito in complete shock. It was as if his entire mind had been struck with a sledgehammer. He reflected back to the day when his father taught him about Kattobingu. His father taught him because he had faith that Yuma would follow in his footsteps and grow up to be a man he could be proud of. If he did not have faith in Yuma, then he would not have bothered. Yuma realized how selfish he was being by even thinking for a second that he should quit. He would be letting everyone down, his father most of all. He clenched his hands into fists. Even though his father was gone, he was still watching over him, and his Kattobingu spirit would always be with him. _"Dad… you were always there to help me back up every time I fell down. You would always make me feel better every time I felt sad or scared. Ever since you left I have tried to carry on without you. When I lost to Kaito, I felt like I needed you more than ever. I needed your words to tell me to stand back up, but you weren't there, so I didn't know what to do. Now I realize that even though Kaito practically destroyed me, you would still be proud of me even though I didn't win. You would still be proud of me because I tried my absolute hardest! I'm sorry Dad. I'm sorry I doubted your Kattobingu even for a second. Never again! This time I will get back up on my own and show you just how much of a man I can be!"_

"No Alito, I am not a coward! I AM NOT A COWARD! You were right! I was holding back! I was running away, but not anymore! I will no longer be pulling any punches! I will Kattobingu and WIN THIS DUEL!"

Alito was taken aback by Yuma's outburst, but then he made eye contact with him and smiled. He saw it, the fire in his eyes that was not there before. This was the Yuma Tsukumo that Alito wanted to face. "Well then prove it to me right now and HIT ME!"

"Oh I will hit you and then some! I activate the spell card**, ****Onomatodrawa**! With this card, I can banish the three Gogogo Monsters in my graveyard in order to draw three cards!" Yuma looked at his cards and a wide grin spread across his face. The luck of the draw was on his side, and if he played these cards right, then he could actually turn this duel around and win! His heart was beginning to beat faster than it had in a long time, and an all too familiar feeling of excitement was burning within his soul. The feeling of his Kattobingu was back, and he was going to use it with every fiber of his being.

Astral saw the change in Yuma's demeanor and noticed the look in his eyes. He was surprised that Yuma's spirit was revived so quickly, but he had to admit that he was also moved by Alito's speech.

"_**It is comforting to know that Yuma's spirit was only wounded and not destroyed**_**."** He thought, but then he looked back down with a grim expression on his face. **"**_**If only mine were as easy to revive."**_

"Alright Alito, It's time to show you what I can really do! Kattobingu Daze Ore!"

"That's the spirit!" Alito praised. "Now show me what you got!"

"Oh I will! I summon Achacha Archer in attack mode!" A tornado of fire erupted from the ground, and a masked archer dressed in a yellow tunic emerged from the flames. He carried a longbow with a flaming arrow armed and ready, and he gave a maniacal battle cry of "ACHACHA!"

**Achacha Archer: Level 3/FIRE/Warrior/1200 atk/600 def**

"But he is not just here for show and tell. When my archer is successfully summoned, you take 500 points of damage!" The archer bellowed another "ACHACHA!" battle cry and fired the flaming arrow from his bow, which struck Alito in the chest.

**Alito: 4000 - 500 = 3500**

"Not bad Yuma!" Alito complimented. "But you will have to do better than that!"

"Oh I will do better than that and then some! Since you took effect damage, I can special summon Achacha Chanbara from my hand, and when he is summoned this way, you take 400 more points of damage!" The flaming tornado appeared again and gave rise to another masked warrior, who was dressed in a red tunic and carried two long katanas. The warrior began to swing his katanas in the air like spinning helicopter blades and then threw them both like boomerangs at Alito. The blades struck the Burning Knuckler duelist and then spun back to the warrior, who caught them back in his hands.

**Achacha Chanbara: Level 3/FIRE/Warrior/1400 atk/400 def**

**Alito: 3500 - 400 = 3100**

Yuma opened his extra deck holster, taking out the card that Kotori gave him. He stared at the card, his thoughts paving way to the girl who gave it to him.

"_Kotori… You always believed in me, and you were always there to support me no matter what. With this card, I will show you that your faith in me is not misplaced."_

"Now with these 2 Level 3 Monsters I shall construct the overlay network!"

"XYZ SUMMON! BRING ME VICTORY **ACHACHA CHAMPION****!**"

Yuma's new monster rose out of the red overlay network portal in the form of a tall and muscular knight in shining armor. The red flame shaped crest of the Achacha Archetype was glowing brightly on the center of his silver chest plate. He wore a mask similar to that of Achacha archer, and instead of a weapon like a sword or a bow, he was equipped with two gigantic spiked gauntlets on each of his hands, which were completely engulfed in roaring flames. He punched his fists into the air and bellowed a mighty "ACHACHA" battle cry that sent chills down Alito's spine, but the chills did not scare Alito. They only made him even more excited to face this new opponent.

**Achacha Champion: Rank 3/FIRE/Warrior/2000 atk/1800 def/2 overlay units**

"I now activate Champion's effect! By detaching both of his overlay units, Champion inflicts 600 points of damage for every Xyz Monster on the field, and then the damage is added to his attack points! Leadblow and Champion himself make two, so you take 1200 points of damage and Champion gains 1200 attack points!" The knight absorbed both overlay units into the red crest on his armor, and then pointed his massive fists at Alito. He unleashed a jet of fire towards the Barian, knocking him back from the force of the blast.

**Alito: 3100 - 1200 = 1900**

**Champion Atk: 2000 + 1200 = 3200**

"And now it's time to win this duel! Achacha Champion, attack his Burning Knuckler Headgear! ACHACHA INFERNO FIST!"

Alito grinned, prepared to counter attack. "Well Yuma, I must say it's been fun! Impressing me with your new found spirit is one thing, but beating me will not be happening today! I activate the trap card, Attack Guidance Armor! Now your attack is redirected to Leadblow the Bound Barbarian!" Achacha Champion reeled his fist backward in preparation to attack Headgear, but suddenly, Leadblow's chest was covered in an armor plate with a demonic face on it. The eyes of the face glowed, and the knight was suddenly compelled against his will to point his fist towards Leadblow.

"What good will that do? Did you forget that your No Holds Barred spell card affects both sides of the field? You might be able to save your lifepoints from dropping to zero, but you won't be able to save Leadblow since he can't use his effect."

Alito just smiled. "I will be able to save Leadblow because he is going to win this battle, and then you will lose! I activate the quick play spell card, **Fair Play Boxing Match**! Now the attack points of both of our monsters return to their original value, giving Leadblow 200 more attack points than your Champion, which is just enough to give you a knock out that you won't be getting up from!"

Leadblow and Achacha Champion were about to engage in battle, when suddenly they stopped. The two monsters stared at each other for a few seconds, and then Leadblow extended his hand to Champion for a handshake. The knight accepted, and the two monsters shook hands, a symbol of respect that their duelist masters now shared for each other as rivals. Leadblow and Champion then walked back to their respective sides of the battlefield before immediately turning around and charging towards each other to finish the duel once and for all, their hands glowing bright red with fury, passion, and power.

**Leadblow Atk: 3000 - 800 = 2200**

**Champion Atk: 3200 - 1200 = 2000**

"That's a nice counter there Alito!" said Yuma. "But I have a counter of my own! I activate Battle Rush! Now my monster won't be destroyed by battle and you will be taking the damage instead of me!"

"I expected that Yuma, but I am the master of the counter strategy. I will block anything you try to hit me with!" boasted Alito, quick to retaliate with his own trap card. "I activate Jolt Counter! This will negate the effect of your Battle Rush and destroy it! Now go for the victory blow Leadblow! Pummel Achacha Champion into oblivion with INDOMITABLE DEATH BLOW!"

Astral lowered his head in despair.** "It appears that even with your rekindled spirit, our opponent still overpowered us. This is just like the duel with Kaito again, all our efforts for nothing."**

"Don't worry Astral. He countered my counter, so I will do the same by countering his counter! I will use Xyz Strike!"

"**You cannot Yuma! It is far too risky!"**

"First I get to draw one card, and if that card is a monster, Champion's attack power becomes equal to Leadblow's, and then Leadblow's attack becomes zero!"

"**Yes but if you draw a spell or trap card, then the battle damage you take will be doubled, and this gamble of yours will all be for nothing."**

"I know Astral, but I have no choice! Alito was right! I can't just keep running and hiding! I have to take this chance! If I don't take every chance there is to win, then I don't deserve to be a duelist! I have to have hope! I have to Kattobingu!" Yuma drew his card, feeling the faith that his friends and family had in him, crossing his fingers that the card that he drew was a monster. He looked at the card and it was….

Zubaba Knight! A Monster!

"OH YEAH!" Yuma shouted in victory. "A Monster! Now Achacha Champion, finish Leadblow off with ACHACHA INFERNO FIST!"

**Champion Atk: 2000 + 200 = 2200**

**Leadblow Atk: 2200 - 2200 = 0**

The two monsers clashed, each of them matching the other blow for blow, punch for punch, until Achacha Champion finally found an opening. The knight sidestepped Leadblow and slammed his burning gauntlet into the barbarian's torso. Leadblow roared in pain and was sent flying backwards by the force of the knight's massive fist, exploding into dust. Alito felt the full force of the attack, and he was also sent flying backwards, falling to the ground with a thud as his lifepoints dropped to zero.

**Alito: 1900 - 2200 = 0 (LOSE)**

**Winner: Yuma**

For a moment, time seemed to stop for Yuma, his mind trying to comprehend what just happened. "I…..won…? ALRIGHT! I WON! I WON! I AM BACK! KATTOBINGU DAZE ORE!" He began to dance and jump for joy in victory. He had not felt this happy in what seemed like forever.

"Yuma Tsukumo…" Yuma turned to the source of the voice and saw that Alito had gotten back up, and he did not look happy. "I can't believe you defeated me!"

Yuma held up his hands nervously. "Now wait a minute Alito. It was a close duel! I mean if we dueled again, things might turn out differently!"

Just then Kotori burst through the door and stepped in between Yuma and Alito. "Stop it right now! I don't want you two dueling over me anymore!"

Alito ignored her and walked past her until he was inches from Yuma's face.

Alito looked up at Yuma with fire in his eyes and a wide smile on his face. "That…was…AMAZING! OH MAN! I thought I had you, but you managed to pull through even with my counter strategy! This was one of the best duels I ever had! You better remember my name Yuma because you got yourself a rival now, and his name is Alito! We are going to be dueling a lot in the future!"

Yuma smiled. "I wouldn't have it any other way!" The two duelists fist bumped each other, signifying their official rivalry and new found friendship.

Yuma then turned to Kotori. "Kotori, I just want you to know how sorry I am. I should have told you what was going on. I didn't mean to make you cry."

Much to Yuma's surprise, Kotori responded to his apology by hugging him, causing Yuma's face to turn bright red.

"I'm just glad you are back to your old self again. Just promise me that you will stay your happy high spirited self forever. I never want to see that leave you again."

Alito watched the display of affection that Kotori gave his new rival. At first he was quite jealous, but then he sighed in defeat. It was clear to him now that this angel had feelings for one man and one man only, and that was Yuma Tsukumo._ "Oh well. I guess I will just have to search the skies for a new Angel. But I found something even better today: Someone who can provide me with the best duel of my life". _Alito was just about to walk away when Yuma stopped him. "Alito!"

"Yes Yuma?"

"Thank you. I mean it. I really needed that pep talk from you. Next time we duel, I will be dueling at my best from the start!"

Alito grinned and gave Yuma a thumbs up. "No problem Yuma! I look forward to that duel."

As Alito turned to leave, Astral turned towards Yuma, observing how happy his friend was. He could not help but feel a twinge of shame for how pessimistic he was during the duel, but if Yuma could overcome his fear, then perhaps he could do so as well.

**"Observation Number 9: Fear is a deadly poison, a poison that is ruining me, and its antidote is Hope. If I am to conquer my fear of Kaito and his dragon and stand by Yuma when he needs me the most, then I must learn how to Hope again."**

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><p><strong>Author Made Cards:<strong>

**Burning Knuckler Right Cross: Level 3/FIRE/Warrior/500 atk/1500 def**

**Effect: When a Burning Knuckle Monster destroys an opponent's monster by battle, you can banish this card from your Hand or Graveyard; that monster gains 500 atk, and it can make a second attack during this turn's battle phase. You can only use the effect of Burning Knuckle Right Cross once per turn.**

**Burning Knuckler Left Hook: Level 3/FIRE/Warrior/800 atk/1800 def**

**Effect: Once per battle, You can banish this card from your Hand or Graveyard, then target one Burning Knuckler Monster you control; that monster gains 500 atk, and it inflicts piercing battle damage during that battle.**

**Achacha Champion: Rank 3/FIRE/Warrior/2000 atk/1800 def**

**2 Level 3 Monsters**

**Effect: Once per turn, you can detach two Xyz Materials from this card; inflict 600 damage to your opponent for every Xyz Monster on the field, and then this card gains attack equal to the damage you inflicted, until your opponent's next end phase.**

**No Holds Barred Boxing Match: Continuous Spell Card**

**Effect: Activate only if you control a face up Burning Knuckler Monster. Negate any effects that would prevent a monster from being destroyed by battle or by card effects. If you do not control a face up Burning Knuckler Monster, send this card to the graveyard.**

**Lightweight Boxing Match: Quick Play Spell Card**

**Effect: Target one monster your opponent controls with the lowest atk (If it is a tie, you get to choose) and one Burning Knuckler monster you control with the lowest atk (If it is a tie, you get to choose); change both monsters to attack position and those monsters must battle each other this turn.**

**Fair Play Boxing Match: Quick Play Spell Card**

**Effect: Activate during either player's battle phase while you control a Burning Knuckler Monster and there is at least one monster on the field whose atk is different from its original atk. The atk of all monsters on the field become equal to their original atk.**

**Onomatodrawa: Normal Spell Card**

**Effect: Banish up to 3 of the following monsters from your Graveyard, then draw cards equal to the number of cards you banished. All of the monsters you banish must be of the same category. **

**1. Gagaga**

**2. Gogogo**

**3. Dododo**

**4. Achacha**

**5. Zubaba**

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><p><strong>Authors Notes:<strong>

**First of all, to anyone who became slightly impatient by the delay of this chapter, I apologize. Normally I write quickly enough for weekly updates, but college related delays and general writers block pushed things back, but at least the chapter is here! **

**Now before I upload next chapter, whenever that may be, I am first going to start constructing a bomb shelter to protect myself. Why? Because I know that quite a few of you are going to HATE ME for what I am going to do next chapter. What might that be? If I told you guys, then the attempts to murder me would begin immediately.**

**So what did you think of the chapter? Did you like it? Did you not like it? As always, I most definitely want to hear your opinions because they matter a lot to me, so leave a review and let me know!**

**Until next time, this is Nox Descious signing out!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Alright everyone! I must say this story has come a long way! Only 8 chapters so far and I have already reached almost 60,000 words! This is going to be a LONG story!**

**For the record, now that I have gotten this far, I want to SINCERELY thank everyone who has reviewed and favorite this story so far! It means a lot to me and it gives me a serious confidence booster, so I appreciate all the support!**

**Slight time skip between last chapter and this one. This takes place after Yuma defeated Yamikawa/Kaze and Jin/Fortuno, so he already received those special cards from Roku, evolved Hope into Hope Ray, and he has acquired Shock Master, Big Eye, and Crimson Shadow Armor Ninja. I skipped those parts because in this story, they happened exactly the same way they did in canon. Just avoiding redundancy.**

**I don't own Zexal. If I did, the Kaito vs. Shark Duel would have been a lot closer of a match, and Shark would have gone out with a bang instead of like a weak guppy caught in Kaito's fishing net.**

**Enjoy!**

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><p>Chapter 8: Hunted Down<p>

As the light of the moon shined into the windows of the top of Heartland Tower, two hands lay pressed against the glass looking out into the horizon of the city. The boy stared off into space with an impassive look in his golden eyes, his white hair and pale skin giving him the appearance of an emaciated ghost. He barely felt anything anymore, but he still continued to gaze out into the city, silently wishing things were back to the way they were before.

"Hey Haruto!" The boy, Haruto, turned to see Kaito standing next to him with a mug of hot chocolate in his hands. "I brought you your favorite! Come on, take a sip! I'm sure you'll love it!"

Haruto just stared at the mug without any emotion, not even smiling at the gesture. "Thanks Kaito but… I can't remember liking this… or anything… Ever since I… got sick, it's like something is missing from me, but I don't know what it is. Mr. Heartland says my powers are a gift that will help people with the mission he has given me, but it feels like they have taken everything away."

Kaito sighed, hugging his brother with sympathy and comfort. "I know Haruto, but don't worry. I will help you get better. If it's the last thing I do, you WILL get better."

Haruto gripped his brother tighter in the hug. "I know… I know…"

Kaito left his brother to rest and then descended down to the bottom floor of the tower, a dark room filled with computers, the walls glowing with the lines of a circuit board. In the center of the room was a large diamond like structure connected to a large network of computers, where Orbital 7 was currently working. As Kaito walked towards the central mainframe of the computer room, frustration coursed through his mind.

"_Every Number I hunt is supposed to get me closer to saving my brother, but why does it feel like I am still not getting anywhere? I have 11 Numbers so far, but Haruto's condition is still not improving. Perhaps it will just go away when I have all 100? No, that can't be right. There is something that snake Heartland and my fa- NO! Dr. Faker doesn't deserve to be called that anymore, not after all he has done. There is something they are not telling me. They know more about the Numbers then they are letting on, and if they aren't going to tell me, then I will find out for myself."_

"Rise and shine Orbital 7. We have Numbers to hunt!"

The robot sprung to life instantaneously, praying that Kaito would not notice that it was sleeping on the job. "AH! Roger! Orbital 7 reporting for duty Master Kaito!"

"While you continue working on your reports, I also need you to locate the Original Number."

"The Original Number?" Orbital 7 questioned. "What do you mean?"

Kaito explained. "Dr. Faker said that the Numbers came to our world from another dimension, but they did not come here on their own. They were brought here by a visitor from whatever dimension that the Numbers came from. If we find this visitor, or whoever it has chosen as a host, then our job will become a lot easier."

A light bulb went off in Orbital 7's artificial mind. "OH! I think I got it! Do you remember that Yuma kid you dueled the other day?"

"Yeah? What about him?"

"Well, I noticed that he was wearing a strange looking pendant around his neck. I ran a computer analysis, and the results say that the pendant did not come from this planet!"

"And you did not tell me this the moment you found out, why?" Kaito asked in a threatening tone.

"Uh… It might have slipped my mind…" The robot squeaked out nervously.

"Perhaps I should find an Orbital 8 to replace you with. Maybe a newer model won't forget such important details."

Orbital panicked. "NO! PLEASE DON'T DO THAT! I'LL DO BETTER NEXT TIME!"

"Of course you will. Now find me everything you can about Yuma Tsukumo and tell me how to find him. I intend to duel him again and take his little pendant as a prize, and this time, Yuma won't get the chance to run away!"

* * *

><p>The next day, at Heartland Academy, Rio was overlooking the school grounds on the roof of the school, staring at the card that Durbe had given her, Rank Up Magic Barian's Force. She had experienced yet another nightmare the night before, but this one was slightly different from the previous dreams. She was in the world where the other nightmare took place, the mysterious world of red crystals, and in the center was a large throne with a strange looking figure sitting on it, like a queen awaiting her subjects. She approached the woman only to find that she strangely resembled herself. She shared Rio's long blue hair and shiny magenta eyes, yet her face made her look anything but human. It was more like a mask than a face, pale white with two red markings on each of her cheeks, a golden tiara with a red jewel in the center, and oddly enough, no mouth. The next thing Rio knew, the woman was inches from her face, eyes burning into her soul, and she echoed one single word into Rio's ears:<p>

"**Remember!"**

Rio continued to stare at the Barian card. She shook her head in frustration. _"Another day goes by and another nightmare occurs. Even though that one was different, it still provides no answers about my powers, or what the nightmares mean in general. In fact, this one only raises more questions. Who was that woman in the dream? Why did she look like me? What do I need to remember? Perhaps I forgot something that could help solve this puzzle, or maybe the memory is the key to unlocking the secrets of the Numbers, or whatever this Barian World is? Maybe I'll ask Durbe again whenever he gets here."_

She was just about to leave the roof and head to class when she noticed something peculiar. Scuttling across the school grounds was an upside down trashcan moving by itself. That only meant someone was under it. She called out to it.

"HEY! You under the trashcan! What are you doing there?"

The trashcan jumped, and out from under it emerged a strange looking white robot. Rio instantly recognized it as the robot that accompanied Kaito when he dueled Yuma, but that would mean that Kaito was in the area, looking for Yuma. Then again, Rio also had Numbers, so Kaito could possibly be hunting her as well.

Orbital desperately tried to think of an excuse. "I… Uh… I was just looking for my good buddy Yuma! Yeah that's it! Have you seen him?"

Rio was not buying it at all. She called the robot's bluff. "You can drop the act **Orbital 7!** Now where's Kaito? If you are here, then he can't be far behind!"

The robot stared at her in disbelief. How did she know its master? Master Kaito never encountered her before. Orbital shook off the shock. Desperate times called for desperate measures. If bluffing its way out failed, then a more aggressive approach would be necessary. Orbital transformed into glider mode and flew upwards towards the roof, landing with grace and then transforming back into its default form. "Alright, no more Mr. Nice Robot! You tell me where Yuma is right now, or things will get nasty!"

"That's enough Orbital! I will take it from here!" Rio darted back around to see Kaito standing right behind her. "Now I think it would be in your best interests to tell me how you know my name!"

Rio was completely caught off guard by Kaito's sudden appearance. "_He… He was there the whole time? How the hell did he sneak up on me?"_

Rio regained her composure. "You really want to know? Guess what? I was there when you dueled Yuma! I saw you and your little dragon give him a run for his money, and I know what you planned to do with him if you didn't stop the duel. Let me tell you something Kaito, NO ONE tries to steal the souls of my friends and gets away with it! If you want Yuma, then you have to go through me!"

Kaito snorted. "And what makes you think dueling you is worth my time?"

Rio grinned and reached into her deck box, pulling out the three Numbers she had collected so far and showing them off to Kaito, instantly getting a rather shocked reaction out of the Photon Duelist. "Now are you interested?"

Kaito's eyes widened at the sight of the cards. "So, you have Numbers? "Well then allow me the opportunity to hunt them down!"

"That's more like it Kaito, but I'm afraid that this is going to be your last hunt! "I know about your little dragon, and all the power it has! I am going to be the one to slay that dragon once and for all! LET'S DUEL!" Rio activated her duel disk and duel gazer. Waves of nerves coursed through her veins, for she knew what would happen if she lost, but she ignored them. "_Durbe, I know you warned me not to duel him, but I am afraid I am going to have to ignore that warning. I know you wanted to protect me by keeping me away from him, but I am doing this to protect you! I can't let you, or Yuma, or anyone else fall victim to Kaito! As long as I stand, I will keep those I care for safe!"_

"Orbital, activate the time vaccum!" Kaito commanded. "We don't want any interruptions."

"Roger!"

"Duel Mode Photon Change!" Kaito activated his dueling mode, changing his coat from black to white, his purple duel gazer tattoo appearing on his left eye, and his crescent moon shaped duel disk spinning through the air and attaching itself to his wrist.

**Duel Gazer Set**

**Augmented Reality Vision Online**

**Kaito: 4000**

**Rio: 4000**

**DUEL!**

"I'll go first. Draw card!" Rio looked at her hand, smiling as she noticed one card in particular. Her opening hand contained the card that would cripple Kaito's dragon, rendering its effects completely useless, and in case he summoned one of his Numbers, she had a trap to use against that as well. Kaito may think that Rio was just an ordinary Number holder, but she was about to prove him wrong. "I set three cards face down and one monster face down and end my turn."

"You are going to have to do better than that to beat me." Kaito mocked. "I draw! Now since I have no monsters on my side of the field, I can special summon Photon Thrasher from my hand in attack mode." Rio instantly recognized the glowing sword wielding cyclops as it appeared on the field, but if Kaito walked into her trap, then it would not be much trouble.

**Photon Thrasher: Level 4/LIGHT/Warrior/2100 atk/0 def**

"Now attack her face down monster! PHOTON SWORD SLASH!" The glowing blue warrior charged forward towards Rio's mystery monster, which revealed itself to be a large grizzly bear. Thrasher sliced through the bear's torso with its blade, killing it instantly.

**Mother Grizzly: Level 4/WATER/Beast-Warrior/1400 atk/1000 def**

Rio smirked. "Thank you! That is just what I wanted you to do. When Mother Grizzly is destroyed, I can special summon a water monster with 1500 or less attack points from my deck, so say hello to Snowman Eater!" After Mother Grizzly disappeared, a new monster took her place. This monster appeared to look like a normal snowman that a child would typically build on a winter morning. However, hidden underneath its body was a ferocious looking beast with large jaws. It snarled menacingly at Kaito.

**Snowman Eater: Level 3/WATER/Aqua/0 atk/1900 def**

"I'm not done building snowmen Kaito. I activate the quick play spell, Inferno Reckless Summon! Now I can special summon two more Snowman Eaters from my deck!" True to her word, two doppelgangers of the first snowman appeared next to it on Rio's field, the beasts under their bodies snarling at Kaito. Rio smirked with triumph. "Normally you can do the same, but that Thrasher of yours can't be special summoned from the deck, so you won't be getting a free ride from my card."

Kaito frowned. He was not happy that his attack had led to her gaining such a large field advantage. Most likely she was going to use those snowmen to summon her Number. "Fine then, I end my turn."

"Then I guess it's my turn again. I draw!" Rio announced. "I activate the field spell, Lemuria the Forgotten City!" The terrain of the battlefield began to change until it resembled an Ancient Greek city completely submerged in water. "Now that we have a nice change in scenery, the effect of my city boosts the attack of my snowmen by 200 and I can increase their levels equal to the number of water monsters I have on the field. I control three so their levels increase by three."

**Snowman Eater Atk: 0 + 200 = 200 (Level 6)**

"Now with these 3 Level 6 Monsters I shall construct the overlay network!"

"XYZ SUMMON! RISE FROM THE ICY DEPTHS NUMBER 21: FROZEN LADY JUSTICE!"

Kaito watched with interest as the Number's sealed form rose from the gold overlay portal in the form of a giant glowing diamond with a red jewel in the center, which transformed into Rio's signature Number, the beautiful woman of ice who bared the sword and title of justice. She gave Kaito a menacing glare that felt quite peculiar to him. If he didn't know any better, it was almost as if this Number recognized him.

**Number 21 Frozen Lady Justice: Rank 6/WATER/Aqua/500 atk/500 def/3 overlay units**

Kaito raised an eyebrow as he noticed the attack points of the Number. "So that's your Number? Only 500 attack points? I can't say I'm impressed."

"I'm not here to impress you Kaito, but you will be terrified when you see her effects in action. Justice gains 1000 attack points for every overlay unit she has, and don't bother playing defense Kaito because Justice can wipe out all defending monsters at the cost of an overlay unit.

**Justice Atk: 500 + 3000 + 200 (from Lemuria) = 3700**

"Now that Justice is on the field, a special guest can join our party. Say hello to my **Winter Whisper.**" A slight breeze began to pick up, and Kaito began to feel a chill in the air. The breeze picked up into a spiraling gust of icy winds and they spun around in a circle until they took the shape of a large blue hummingbird. It was completely transparent, and its eyes were glowing an eerie shade of red.

**Winter Whisper: Level 5/WATER/Winged-Beast/1800 atk/2500 def**

"Winter Whisper can be special summoned from my hand in defense mode if I control a Water Xyz Monster, and now that she is on the field, I can normal summon **Snow Crow** without tributing, and he gains 500 attack points when normal summoned this way." Joining Justice and Whisper on the battlefield was a large blue crow covered in ice crystals. It flew above the battlefield circling Kaito like a vulture hungry for food before landing on Rio's side of the field, letting out a shrill caw.

**Snow Crow: Level 5/WATER/Winged-Beast/1700 atk/1700 def**

**Snow Crow Atk: 1700 + 500 + 200 (from Lemuria) = 2400**

"Now with these 2 Level 5 Monsters I build the overlay network again!"

"XYZ SUMMON! JOIN YOUR SISTER NUMBER IN BATTLE NUMBER 19: FREEZERDON!"

The gold overlay network appeared again, and after the two ice birds disappeared into it as overlay units, a large spear tipped glacier rose from the portal. The glacier then shape shifted into a gigantic bipedal ice sculpture of a dinosaur. The blue beast let out a loud and terrifying roar, making it clear to Kaito that it shared the same desire as its mistress, to take him down!

**Number 19 Freezerdon: Rank 5/WATER/Dinosaur/2000 atk/2500 def/2 overlay units**

**Freezerdon Atk: 2000 + 200 = 2200**

"Frozen Lady Justice, Attack his Photon Thrasher! FROSTBITE BLADE!" The ice woman unsheathed her sword and dashed towards Photon Thrasher at lightning speed. The glowing warrior held up its own sword to engage her in battle, but when the two swords collided, Justice easily disarmed Thrasher and then sliced her blade across its torso, causing it to explode into nothingness.

**Kaito: 4000 – 1600 = 2400**

"Freezerdon, Attack his lifepoints directly! TUNDRA BREATH!" Freezerdon obeyed and unleashed a torrent of ice and snow from its mouth. Kaito was completely engulfed by the raging blizzard, but he still stood his ground, grunting in pain as his lifepoints plummeted.

**Kaito: 2400 – 2200 = 200**

"I think that's enough damage for now." said Rio. "I end my turn."

"Don't think you have won yet!" Kaito snapped back. "I draw!" He looked at the card he just drew and smiled. It was time to set the stage for his dragon. "First I am going to normal summon Photon Crusher in attack mode!" Another one of Kaito's glowing warriors appeared on the field, which Rio also recognized from Kaito's duel with Yuma. The silver and green robotic cyclops spun its double ended club in the air and pointed it at Rio in an intimidating manner.

**Photon Crusher: Level 4/LIGHT/Warrior/2000 atk/0 def**

"Since I now control a Photon Monster, I can special summon the two **Photon Spiders** that are in my hand!" Upon Kaito's command, two large blue spiders slowly descended from above attached to bungee cord like webs. All eight of their legs were glowing an intense bright light with the photon energy coursing through their bodies.

**Photon Spider: Level 3/LIGHT/Insect/1000 atk/0 def**

Rio took notice of Kaito's choice in monsters and immediately grew suspicious. "_2 Level 3 Monsters? That can only mean he is going to summon one of his Numbers. That leaves only one question. Which one is he going to use?"_

"Now with these 2 Level 3 Monsters, I shall construct the overlay network."

"XYZ SUMMON! NUMBER 30: ACID GOLEM OF DESTRUCTION!"

The gold portal appeared again, and the sealed form of the Number rose out of it as a jumbled mass of purple cylinders. They began to pulse and shift until they transformed into an ugly and terrifying form, a large ogre covered in purple body armor. Its ribcage was exposed and leaking out a disgusting purple slime and its fingers were robotic nozzles that also dripped with the acidic slime. Other nozzles adorned different parts of its body, and purple mist was seeping out of them. Lastly, the Number 30 appeared on the monster's left leg, glowing a bright shade of orange. The grotesque behemoth let out an inhumane roar as it stared at its opponent with a look of pure malice.

**Number 30 Acid Golem of Destruction: Rank 3/WATER/Rock/3000 atk/3000 def/ 2 overlay units**

**Acid Golem Atk: 3000 + 200 = 3200**

Kaito grinned. "He is called Acid Golem of Destruction for a reason! He gets his name because he is the instrument of YOUR DESTRUCTION!"

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, Yuma was deep in slumber in the middle of Professor Ukyo's class, dreaming of his recent accomplishments. He could see it now, with the new Numbers he had acquired, those special cards he received from Roku, and the new form of Hope he gained when he dueled that creepy fortune teller, Jin, he would become a duel champion in no time! He could see it now! He was in the middle of Heartland Stadium, emerging victorious as the winner of the World Championship, and the announcer handing him the trophy and declaring him the world's greatest duelist. The crowd was cheering at the top of their lungs. "YUMA! YUMA! YUMA! YUMA!"<p>

"Yuma? Yuma? Yuma? YUMA!"

The shouting voice woke Yuma up with a start. "AH! I'm sorry Professor Ukyo! I wasn't sleeping! I was just resting my eyes! PLEASE DON'T GIVE ME DETENTION AGAIN!"

He then looked to his right and saw that the person who woke him up was not Professor Ukyo.

"Hey wait a minute. I know you. You're that new kid, Rio's friend. What was your name again? Doorbell? Derp?"

"MY NAME IS DURBE!" Durbe shouted angrily. "And if you would pay attention, I believe you will notice that something is amiss in this classroom."

Yuma turned to see what he was talking about and instantly saw it. No one was moving at all, as if a wave of paralysis had enchanted the classroom. One student's hand was raised in the air to answer a question, but it was completely stiff like a statue.

Yuma had seen this once before, and drew a very horrifying conclusion. "It's like… It's like time has stopped… but that means…"

"It means," finished Durbe, "That the Number Hunter known as Kaito is in the area, and he is dueling someone right here in this school at this very moment."

A puzzled look appeared on Yuma's face. "Hey wait a minute! How do you know Kaito? And more importantly, how can you even move? Kaito said that only people with Numbers can move when this weird thing he does is going on!"

"Rio is not the only person other than you who is immune to the possession of the Numbers." Durbe responded.

Yuma took a step back. "You have a Number?"

"Yes I do, but that is not important right now. Now think for a second. Other than you and I, who is the only other person in this school currently in the possession of Numbers?"

Yuma thought for a moment and he gasped in realization. "RIO!"

"Correct." said Durbe. "Now we can sort out the matter of me having a Number later. Right now, Rio is in grave danger! We have to find her immediately!"

"You don't have to tell me twice!" Yuma answered back, and the two raced out of the classroom to find Rio, praying that she would be safe. Dread echoed within Durbe's heart as he hoped Rio would not lose to Kaito. He dared not think of what would happen if she did.

* * *

><p>Rio took a few steps back, slightly unnerved by the intimidating form of Number 30, but then she quickly regained her composure. She would not let Kaito get to her that easily!"<p>

"That's a pretty powerful Number you have there Kaito." Rio called out to him. "But whatever effects it has are going to be useless now! I activate my trap card, **Overlay Robbery**! Now your golem loses all its overlay units and then we both get to draw one card for every overlay unit your golem lost. That's two overlay units, so we get to draw two cards."

Kaito smiled as he drew his cards. Unbeknownst to Rio, she had just made things a lot easier for him. "Well if you like my golem so much, I think I will give it to you as a little present since I am oh so generous. I activate Creature Swap. Now I can give Acid Golem to you, as long as you give me one of your monsters."

Rio chose to send Freezerdon over to Kaito's field, and the two Number Monsters then disappeared and reappeared on opposite sides of the field. Rio was quite confused by this move, but then she read the text that described the effect of Number 30 and her confusion turned to horror.

"Judging by the look on your face I think you figured out why I would give you such a powerful Number. A card that powerful has a few nasty drawbacks. For instance, you have to detach an overlay unit or you take 2000 points of damage, but Golem has no overlay units now so you have no choice but to take damage. Also, you can't special summon any monsters or attack with Golem. I'm afraid that little blessing I gave you is actually a curse." Kaito explained.

Rio did not falter. "I can still win this duel. Now summon your dragon already. I know you have it in your hand!"

"With pleasure! I sacrifice Photon Crusher and Freezerdon in order to special summon GALAXY EYES PHOTON DRAGON!" The two monsters exploded into particles of light and then transformed into the all too familiar crescent moon shaped spear. Kaito threw the spear into the air and it began to gather more energy until it finally took the shape of the terrifying and powerful dragon that all Numbers feared. The dragon's body pulsed with bright blue photon energy, and it let out a loud roar, expanding its wings and claws as the glow of its photon light practically engulfed the entire field.

**Galaxy Eyes Photon Dragon: Level 8/LIGHT/Dragon/3000 atk/2500 def**

Rio smiled. It was all according to plan. "Hold on! My trap card is about to render your dragon useless! I activate Imperial Iron Wall! Now as long as this card is on the field, we can't banish any cards under any circumstances, so your dragon's secret weapon against the Number Monsters is now null and void! And since Justice and Golem are both stronger than your dragon, engaging them head on without banishing them is a pretty bad idea."

Kaito was quite shocked by this new situation. "So you weren't kidding when you said you were prepared to take down my dragon. Well it won't matter in the long run. I set one card face down and end my turn."

"Alright, my turn again. I draw!" Rio was about to make her move, when Acid Golem suddenly turned around and faced her, its rotten blue face growling at her with anger. It then aimed its right arm at her and sprayed a noxious purple liquid out of the holes on its fingers which sizzled and burned as it touched her skin causing her to cry out in pain and fall to the ground."

**Rio: 4000 – 2000 = 2000**

Rio slowly but surely got back up. "Well that was unpleasant." She then looked at the card she just drew, and her eyes lit up with excitement. It was the card that Durbe gave her, Rank Up Magic Barians Force. "_Hmmm, I have seen what this card can do when I use it on a normal Xyz Monster like my Rioto, but what happens if I use it on a Number? Well Acid Golem, it looks like you are going to be my guinea pig for this little experiment, and if all goes well, then you might actually be a blessing to me instead of a curse. Here goes nothing."_

"I now activate Rank Up Magic Barians Force!"

Kaito had never seen that card before, but he definitely recognized the word, for Orbital 7 had a Barian Crystal inside its body, its otherworldly energy serving as a source of power for the robot. What did this girl know about the Barian World and the Astral World? And more importantly, where did she get a card like that?

"With this spell card, I can rebuild the overlay network, turning my Xyz Monster into a Chaos Xyz Monster!" The gold overlay network reappeared and Acid Golem sank into it, causing the portal to explode with chaotic energy, and when the smoke cleared, there stood Acid Golem looking very different.

"CHAOS XYZ EVOLUTION! BE BORN **CHAOS NUMBER 30: CORROSIVE GOLEM OF MASS DESTRUCTION!"**

The golem's body armor was now black instead of purple and two Viking style horns were sprouting out of its head like a barbarian helmet. Its face was more rotten than ever, for there was practically no skin left. Its ribcage was completely exposed, and its ribs and eyes were glowing a bright Barian magenta. Lastly, equipped onto its shoulders were two massive water cannons which oozed purple acid out of their holes. The golem let out an malicious growl as purple mist began to seep out of its body.

**Number C30 Corrosive Golem of Mass Destruction: Rank 4/WATER/Rock/4000 atk/4000 def/ 1 chaos overlay unit**

**Corrosive Golem Atk: 4000 + 200 = 4200**

Kaito could not help but be intimidated by such a ferocious creature. "What the hell is that?"

Orbital 7 answered the question in a panicked tone of voice. "Master Kaito! I am running a scan of the new monster, but my database is not turning up anything. My files have no records or data on Chaos Numbers. All I can tell you is that it is giving off energy readings that are very similar to the Barian Crystal that is powering my system, so it is safe to assume that the Rank Up card she just used comes from another world just like the Numbers. Other than that, I have no idea what that thing is either."

Kaito took in this new information with confusion and interest. That card, Rank Up Magic Barian's Force, if it was capable of evolving the Numbers, then perhaps it is somehow connected to the origin of the Numbers. If that was the case, then he definitely needed to take that card. He smiled. Perhaps he would not need to take Yuma's pendant after all. Then, Kaito realized something. "Hey! Wait a second! You can't summon that thing! Acid Golem's effect prevents you from special summoning monsters!

"That would normally be the case." Rio explained. "However, when I summon Corrosive Golem with Rank Up Magic Barians Force, the effect of Acid Golem is ignored. Now with Corrosive Golem on the field I can't attack at all, not even with Justice, nor can I special summon any monsters, but now that Corrosive Golem has an overlay unit, he can give you a little surprise. On my next turn, I will take 2000 points of damage, but by detaching an overlay unit, you will take the damage instead, so on my next turn, you will lose and your Number Hunting days will be over. I end my turn."

Kaito frowned. Frustration took over his mind. "_Damn it. I was hoping that she would attack with Number 21. Then the Photon Current trap card that I set would activate, boosting the attack of Galaxy Eyes by 3700 which would overpower Number 21 and win me the duel. With Acid Golem replaced by that chaos thing, my strategy of burning her is ruined, and with Imperial Iron Wall on the field, I can't use the effect of Galaxy Eyes. I can't lose now. I can't let Haruto down. I have to collect her Numbers! I have to save my brother!"_

"My turn, I draw!" Kaito looked at the card he just drew and smiled proudly. Luck was on his side after all. "I activate Mystical Space Typhoon to get rid of Imperial Iron Wall!"

"OH NO!" gasped Rio as she witnessed her trap card blow away in a gust of wind.

"OH YES!" Kaito taunted. "And I think you know what that means! Galaxy Eyes can use its effects now, so go my dragon! Attack Corrosive Golem with PHOTON STREAM OF DESTRUCTION!" The dragon's mouth began to glow, and it unleashed a powerful blast of light energy towards Rio's Chaos Number.

"Oh but I have no intention of killing that Chaos Number. I activate the effect of my dragon, banishing both of our monsters!" The jet of light then stopped in midair, and both Corrosive Golem and Galaxy Eyes disappeared.

"I end my turn." Kaito announced. "And I think you know what that means. Our monsters come back, only your monster loses its overlay unit, and with no overlay unit, you will be taking damage next turn instead of me! 2000 lifepoints is all you have left, so your Numbers and your soul are as good as mine!" The two monsters reappeared on the field, but the chaos overlay unit that was orbiting Corrosive Golem traveled towards Galaxy Eyes, who absorbed it in the jewel on its chest.

Rio shuddered with fear and disbelief. "It can't be! It just can't be!"

"Well it is!" Kaito taunted. "You lose!"

**Galaxy Eyes Atk: 3000 + 500 = 3500**

Rio drew her card to begin her turn, but she did not even bother looking at what she drew, for she knew it was over. She looked up at the Chaos Number, dreading what was coming. Sure enough, Corrosive Golem turned around and faced Rio, eyes burning with malice. It let out an inhumane roar and unleashed a jet of slimy acid from the cannons on its shoulders. Rio was engulfed by the slime and sent rocketing backward, falling to the ground with a crash.

Frozen Lady Justice looked back at Rio with a look of sadness on her face, knowing that she was powerless to do anything to help her. The Number lowered her head in shame. She had failed, and now Rio was done for, and Justice would be stuck in the hands of this damned hunter because of it.

**Rio: 2000 – 2000 = 0 (LOSE)**

**Winner: Kaito**

Kaito grinned at the sight of his well-earned victory. "And now to claim my prize, your Numbers, and your soul!" Kaito activated the Photon Hand, which phased towards Rio's body and impaled her in the chest. Rio screamed out in pain as she felt her life being drained from her, piece by piece. Seconds felt like minutes as her life began to flash before her eyes. In the last moments she had, she reflected on those she let down with sorrow and regret.

"_So this is it? This is the end for me? All my efforts were for nothing? Now Yuma will be at Kaito's mercy and there will be nothing I can do to help him. Ryoga… what will Ryoga say? I will never get to see him again! I will never get to see him truly live again! How will he react when the first thing he finds out once he recovers is that his sister is in a coma too? And Durbe… I'm so sorry… We promised we would take Kaito on together and I broke it… I must admit… Even though our time knowing each other has been short… I… enjoyed it… very much… perhaps we could have been…"_

"_Ryoga… Yuma… Durbe… Forgive me! For… give…"_

And Rio knew no more.

Kaito retracted the Photon Hand, pulling out the glowing orb that was Rio's soul and compressing it to reveal the three Numbers that Rio had collected, Numbers 21, 19, and 52. "Well that was quite a satisfying hunt!" He mused to himself. "Now it's time to claim my other prize!" He walked over to the lifeless husk that used to be Rio and took her deck out of her duel disk, shuffling through it until he found the card he was looking for, Rank Up Magic Barian's Force. "With this card, I won't need that pendant. The secrets of the Numbers will be unlocked!"

"RIO!"

Kaito turned towards the shouting to find quite the familiar face approaching him. Yuma and another boy had arrived. How ironic that his originally intended prey appear right after this detour hunt resulted in more success. "Hello Yuma."

"Long time no see Kaito." said Yuma. "What are you doing here? And what have you done with Rio! Why don't you pick on someone your own size and duel me! Don't you want a rematch?"

"Master Kaito! The Photon Mode is at 85%! You can't duel anymore! No more dueling today please!" Orbital 7 warned.

"Relax Orbital. We're leaving anyway. I may not have what I came for, but I won something even better!" He held up the Rank Up Card that he stole from Rio's deck, and the moment Yuma saw it his eyes widened in shock.

"_That… That's Rank Up Magic Barian's Force! That's the card that brainwashed Cat! Why would Rio have that in her deck? Could Rio be…? No she couldn't be… Could she?"_

Durbe surveyed the scene, and when his eyes darted to the body on the ground, his heart stopped. There was Rio, but she was in the worst possible condition. The beautiful face that he remembered was long gone. Instead, her hair was a sickly grey color, her skin as pale as a ghost, and her eyes completely devoid of life, which could only mean one thing, the Number Hunter had taken her soul.

"No… Not this! Anything but this! It cannot be… Merag…"

Durbe rushed over to Rio's comatose form and clutched her in his arms, shaking her and begging her to wake up, and praying that what had just happened was not true, but it was no use. No response came from her. She was truly gone. Durbe lowered his head, on the verge of breaking down in sadness and heartbreak. It was all for nothing. He had finally found his queen after all this time, only for her to be spirited away yet again by a cruel twist of fate. He had not even been able to tell her that he…

He embraced Rio's lifeless form. "Merag… I swear. I SWEAR that I will get your soul back if it is the last thing I do! I lost you once, and I will not lose you again!" He then turned towards the Number Hunter with murder in his eyes, all the sorrow in his heart replaced with pure untamed rage. "KAITO! YOU GET BACK HERE AND DUEL ME RIGHT THIS INSTANT!"

Kaito didn't answer. He didn't even look back to acknowledge his presence. He jumped off the roof of the building with Orbital 7 attached to his back. The robot transformed into its glider mode, and the Number Hunter took off into the air without so much as a word. Durbe rushed to the balcony, still calling out to him for vengeance.

"KAITO! DON'T YOU RUN FROM ME! GET BACK HERE RIGHT NOW! KAITO!

KAITOOOOOOOOOOO!"

* * *

><p><strong>Author Made Cards:<strong>

**Winter Whisper: Level 5/WATER/Winged-Beast/1800 atk/2500 def**

**Effect: If you control a WATER Xyz Monster, you can special summon this card from your hand in defense position. As long as this card is face up on the field, your opponent cannot attack Xyz Monsters.**

**Snow Crow: Level 5/WATER/Winged-Beast/1700 atk/1700 def**

**Effect: If you control a WATER Winged-Beast Type Monster, you can normal summon this card without tributing, and if you do, this card gains 500 atk.**

**Photon Spider: Level 3/LIGHT/Insect/1000 atk/0 def**

**Effect: If you control a Photon or Galaxy Monster, you can special summon this card from your hand. If you do, apply one of the following effects:**

**1. Target one Photon or Galaxy Monster you control; its level becomes 3**

**2. This card's atk becomes 2000, but it cannot attack as long as it is on the field**

**Number C30: Corrosive Golem of Mass Destruction: Rank 4/WATER/Rock/4000 atk/4000 def**

**3 Level 4 Monsters**

**Effect: If this card would be summoned by the effect of a Rank Up Magic spell card, ignore the effect of Number 30: Acid Golem of Destruction. During each of your standby phases, you take 2000 damage. You cannot special summon monsters or conduct your battle phase as long as this card is on the field. If this card has Number 30: Acid Golem of Destruction as an Xyz Material, it gains the following effects:**

**If you would take damage from this card's effect, you can detach one Xyz Material from this card; your opponent takes the damage instead.**

**Overlay Robbery: Normal Trap Card**

**Effect: Activate only when a player Xyz summons an Xyz Monster. Detach all Xyz Materials from that monster, then both players draw cards equal to the number of Xyz Materials that were detached.**

* * *

><p><strong>Authors Notes:<strong>

**That's right. I just did that to the main character of the story. I am so evil aren't I? Don't worry. She is not going to be stuck that way for too long. Not if Durbe has anything to say about it! I would run if I was Kaito. Hell hath no fury like a Barian who just witnessed the woman he loves get her soul stolen!**

**Now I know what you're thinking. "But Nox, why didn't you have Rio use Rank Up Magic Barians Force on Frozen Lady Justice? That is her ace Number after all." Well I intend to save that for much later in the story. Chaos Number 21 will make her debut in a much more fitting duel. Besides, this is most likely the only time we will ever see Acid Golem, so I thought I would take advantage of its only appearance and give it a Chaos Form.**

**So what did you think of the chapter? Did you like it? Did you not like it? Whatever your opinion may be, leave a review and let me know!**

**Until next time, this is Nox Descious signing out!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Alright my readers, here is the moment that many of you have been waiting for! The first Kaito vs. Misael Duel! However, it will not turn out in the way that you think. After what happened to Rio last chapter, Durbe is going to want to take a stab at Kaito as well! I know it has almost been a month since I posted a chapter but now that I am finally free from college for a month I can devote more time to writing and updating this story.**

**On another note, I just found out that Number 21: Frozen Lady Justice is finally getting printed in the OCG/TCG and it is considerably different from what I have portrayed in this story. Since it would be way to much trouble to go back and change things, I am going to be sticking with Number 21's Manga effects for this story.**

**I don't own Zexal. If I did, the Kaito vs. Misael duels would actually have an outcome rather than ending with no result due to very stupid reasons. Seriously, they stopped their duel during the Sargasso Arc just so they could watch the Yuma vs. Vector duel! What the hell writers?**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

><p>Chapter 9: Avenging the Queen<p>

Agony

Absolute Agony

That was all that Durbe could feel ever since he laid eyes on the soulless body of Rio Kamishiro. Not the physical kind of agony. No, this agony came from within the core of his very being. This was the agony of heartbreak, and it came from the knowledge that he had failed his queen. Even if he succeeded in acquiring all 100 Numbers and saved the Barian World, the victory would feel completely empty without her, and as he stared at her lifeless form lying motionless on her bed in the hospital, he realized just how much he had lost. The doctor said that there was nothing wrong with her physically, a diagnosis that Durbe detested. Everything was wrong with her, for everything that made her the beautiful woman he knew was missing, cruelly spirited away by that damned Number Hunter. Durbe clenched his fists and gritted his teeth at the very thought of him. How dare he? How dare he take her from him when she had just returned into his life?

"When I find you Kaito," Durbe growled silently. "You will regret ever touching a single hair on her body." He then journeyed over to the window next to Rio's hospital bed and began to stare off into the distance. "_The only question is..." _He thought in frustration._ "How do I find you?"_

"You know Durbe, I would ask if you are alright, but clearly there is no point in asking that since I can tell that you are not."

"What do you want, Misael?" Durbe asked, turning toward his friend who had just entered the room.

"I want the same thing that you want." The Tachyon Duelist answered. "I want to go after Kaito and make him pay for what he did to Merag!"

Durbe raised an eyebrow in surprise. "If I did not know any better Misael, I would say that you wished to duel him for a reason other than that petty feud of yours."

"First of all," Misael responded. "The rivalry that I have with him is not petty. It is justified! There can be only one Galaxy Eyes Master!" His eyes then softened, and his tone of voice became more calm. "Second of all, the moment he dared harm one of my comrades, this rivalry became personal. I understand that you wish to duel him just as much as I do, so when we find him, we will duel him together. An attack on one Barian Emperor is an attack on all of us!"

Durbe smiled, and his eyes darted back to Rio. A profound silence filled the room for what seemed like hours before Misael finally broke it.

"You love her don't you?"

Durbe froze, his body stiff as a statue as his friend practically blurted out the truth that he had been denying for so long.

"What makes you say that?" He asked.

"Oh don't play dumb with me Durbe." Misael countered as he continued to press the topic. "I remember long before she disappeared that you would take every oppurtunity to talk with her, even if it was something completely trivial. I saw the way you two looked at each other. I could hear the life in your voice as you spoke with her. I saw how happy you were when you told me that you finally found her. Even someone like Alito could see that something was there. When you were around her, you were more than happy. You truly felt alive."

Durbe lowered his head, daring not to look at Misael. He could feel a slight moisture build up in his eyes, and there was no way he was going to let it show. Another long silence filled the room before Durbe finally answered Misael's accusation. It dawned upon him that he could deny the truth no longer.

"Yes," He whispered. "I love her. I love her more than anything in existence. I want to tell her that she is the most beautiful woman I have ever laid eyes on, and I want her to be happy for the entirety of her life, even if it means putting my life on the line for her, but now..." He continued to stare at Rio's soulless form. "Just seeing how she is now, to see that she is here physically but gone in every other since, to see that I have failed her... It is practically killing me."

"Well are you going to sit around and mope, or are we going to find Kaito and get her soul back?" Misael asked, hoping to provoke Durbe into action. "If you just continue to lament on something that was completely out of your control and do nothing, then you truly have failed her. She put you in charge because she believed that you could lead us to victory in her absence! PROVE HER RIGHT!"

"Of course I want to do that!" Durbe snapped. "But this is a large city and we have no idea where Kaito's headquarters are! It could take days to track him!"

"And that is where my plan comes into fruition!" said Misael. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a Barian Sphere Cube, it's red core glowing and pulsing with bright chaotic energy. "We will not need to look for Kaito. He will come to us, and this will serve as the perfect method to guarantee that he will!"

"I am not following." said Durbe, clearly confused. "Of course we will need the Barian Sphere Cubes if we are to use our Over Hundred Numbers against him, but how will that draw Kaito to us?"

"The first rule of war is to know thy enemy, and that is exactly what Kaito wants to do." Misael explained. "Why do you think he took Rank Up Magic Barians Force from Merag's deck? Obviously he wishes to analyze it, for he does not know who or what we are. If he can detect Numbers, then he can clearly detect the energy of The Barian World as well with whatever human technology he possesses. However, the Barian energy kept within that card is just a very small sample, so just imagine how he will react when we unleash the massive energy of a Sphere Field! He will be drawn to it like a moth to a flame, and then we will have him in our trap!"

Durbe smiled as the pieces fell into place in his mind. "I like the way you think Misael! It is an excellent plan! Kaito won't know what hit him when he arrives! The roof of the hospital should suffice as a battlefield, so let us activate the sphere field and lure him there!"

"Then let us waste no time!" said Misael. "I am eager to finally face my rival and crush his pathetic dragon! For the sake of the Barian World!"

Misael turned to leave, but Durbe grabbed his arm to stop him. He turned his friend towards him and looked the blonde Barian square in the eyes, his own eyes burning with determination.

"No..." Durbe muttered. "For Merag!"

* * *

><p>Elsewhere, deep within the science lab at the base of Heartland Tower, Kaito and Orbital 7 were working overtime to decipher the secrets behind the card that they had acquired from Rio, Rank Up Magic Barians Force. Kaito gritted his teeth in frustration, for they did not seem to be getting anywhere with all the scientific probing and prodding they had been performing on the card. They had managed to acquire some data, but most of what they had was not much use.<p>

"Have you managed to decipher anything else about the card?" Kaito asked his robotic sidekick for the umpteenth time.

"Well," the robot began. "I have concluded that the energy readings that this card is giving off do not match that of the Numbers, so it is logical to draw the conclusion that the Numbers did not come from the Barian World."

"Then that leaves only one other possibility." Kaito deduced. "The Numbers came from the Astral World, which explains why Dr. Faker is so determined to destroy it." He clenched his fists in anger. "It wasn't enough that those bastards from Astral World strike my brother down with his sickness, but now they make others suffer by sending their Numbers to possess people!" He turned back to interrogate the robot for more information. "What about the Barian World? What is there role in all of this?"

"I can't really say for sure." Oribital responded. "But I can guess that they also want the Numbers for themselves. You might not like this Master, but this card is way too dangerous to use. My analysis has revealed that the card is capable of binding the minds of humans to the will of the Barian World, which implies that the residents of the Barian World want human soldiers so they can collect the Numbers quicker. Now I know your Photon Mode allows you to resist the possession abilities of the Numbers, but I am not 100% sure if it can withstand the energy that this card will give off should it try to enter your mind if you activate it. Better safe than sorry, right Master."

"I guess so." said Kaito. "However, the potential to evolve the Numbers like that Rio girl did with Acid Golem is too enticing to pass up. I already have an advantage over them with Galaxy Eyes, so just think of how easy the hunt will be if I can evolve the Numbers I already have, like White Knight Illuminator or Giganto - Brilliant? Perhaps with the right tools, we can create our own version of this card, one that is completely risk free of the power that the Barians have in it."

"So I guess you want me to start work on that immediately?" Orbital 7 inquired.

Kaito was about to say yes, when suddenly the alarm went off in the lab, blaring a loud cacophony of emergency noise.

"Orbital, what's going on?" Kaito asked loudly over the noise of the alarm.

"Master Kaito, you are not going to believe this." the robot responded in a panicked tone. "But a sphere field has formed!"

"WHAT? That's impossible!" said Kaito in shock of the news. "Dr. Faker's sphere field isn't ready yet, so if it isn't his, then who activated it?"

"I think I can answer that!" said Orbital 7. "The energy the sphere field is giving off is identical to the energy contained within the Rank Up Magic Barians Force card, only its hundreds of times stronger! The energy levels are going off the charts!"

"Can you pinpoint a location?"

"I sure can! Just one second." The robot began to rapidly type at various computer keys until he finally came up with an answer. "I've got it! The sphere field has been activated on the roof of Heartland General Hospital."

"Then let's go there right now Orbital 7!" Kaito ordered. "If we get there quickly, then we might be able to interrogate whoever activated it and gather even more information about the Numbers."

* * *

><p>Thanks to Orbital 7's glider mode, it did not take long at all for Kaito to reach Heartland General Hospital, but when the robot and Photon Duelist arrived, they could not believe their eyes. The roof of the hospital was completely engulfed in a giant glowing red globe. The globe was pulsing with bright red Barian energy, almost as if it was alive. Kaito then made the critical mistake of getting too close to it. The moment he was within ten feet of the sphere field, a glowing red hand made of the same energy as the sphere field shot out of the globe and grabbed Kaito by the leg. Orbital 7 struggled to free his master from its iron grip but it was no use. Kaito was pulled into the sphere field. Surprisingly, the sphere field did not allow Orbital 7 to enter, and the robot was forced of his master's back and sent crashing down to the ledge of the hospital roof, the only part of the roof that was not engulfed in the sphere field. The robot called out to his master, but there was no reply. The robot was completely helpless and unable to do anything to rescue him.<p>

Immediately after his body was completely submerged within the interior of the sphere field, the Barian Hand let go of Kaito, and retracted back to its owner. Kaito got back up to gaze upon the owner of the hand, and he saw two figures standing on the opposite side of the sphere field, a slender young man with long blonde hair, the top left corner of his hair styled in the shape of a wing, and another young man with short grey hair and glasses.

"Ah, Kaito Tenjo! We meet at last!" said the blonde man, beaming with excitement. "Nice of you to finally drop by! Welcome to the battlefield of your last duel!"

"Who the hell are you two?" Kaito asked.

"My name is Misael." The blonde man answered. "And my friend and I are going to be your next opponents. You remember my friend Durbe don't you? He is quite eager to duel you after that stunt you pulled yesterday."

"Stunt?" Kaito asked in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"Does the name Rio Kamishiro ring any bells?" Durbe spoke up, a look of hatred spread across his face. "Or do you even bother to remember the names of your victims?"

"That's what this is about? She had Numbers and I took them. End of story!" Kaito bluntly explained. "Speaking of which, how do you two have the ability to produce a sphere field? What can you tell me about the Numbers, the Astral World, and the Barian World?"

"So it is information you want?" Durbe asked. "If that is the case then you will be very disappointed. We do not give away valuable information for free. Should you defeat the both of us in a duel however, then we will tell you everything you wish to know. We will even throw in the Numbers that we have collected to make the wager even larger. Should you lose however, the consequences will be very dire indeed. You think your conscience is clear from the blood you have on your hands? I am here to warn you now Kaito, that you are gravely mistaken."

"Fine." said Kaito, accepting their challenge. "If it's a duel you want, then I will be happy to give you one. Allow me to hunt for your Numbers!"

"Duel Mode Photon Change!" Kaito then proceeded to activate his dueling form, changing his coat from black to white and activating his duel gazer tattoo which decorated over his left eye, turning its color bright red. His crescent moon shaped duel disk spun around in the air before resting itself on his arm.

"Glad to know that you are eager for a challenge Kaito." said Misael. "But I must warn you. This duel will be unlike anything you have ever experienced, for we are stronger than any human you have ever faced. In fact, we are not human at all!"

Durbe and Misael raised their right arms in the air and simultaneously yelled "BARIAPHOSE!". Their bodies were then engulfed in a bright light as their physical appearance molded into a much more alien form. Misael's clothes exploded off of his body and were replaced with an exposed upper body. His skin was now bright yellow with a caduceus shaped Barian emblem at the center of his chest, a red jewel glowing bright with chaotic energy. His hair was now a dark orange color, and his face was now replaced with a sliver mask devoid of a mouth. A green jewel decorated the top of the mask, and the upper left corner curved upward in the shape of a wing. Durbe's true form took the shape of an even more alien figure. His skin was completely silver in color, and he was decorated in silver jewelry with blue gems at the center, the one exception being the red Barian jewel just above the right side of his chest. A large blue jewel decorated the center of his dark grey hair, and blue war paint like markings draped down over the dark grey voids that were now his eyes. Like Misael, Durbe's Barian form also appeared to have no mouth.

"So, you two don't just wield the power of the Barian World, but you actually are Barians!" Kaito realized after witnessing the transformation of his opponents. "If you think a little wardrobe change is going to scare me, then you're wrong!"

"Oh we are not here to scare you Kaito." said Durbe, his grey eyes lighting up with the flames of vengeful desires. "We are here to defeat you! NOW LET'S DUEL!"

**Duel Ga****zer Set**

**Augmented Reality Vision Online**

**Durbe: 4000**

**Misael: 4000**

**Kaito: 4000**

**DUEL!**

"I'll start this duel off!" Kaito announced. "I don't care that you two are Barians! You both will still be hunted down! I draw!" Kaito looked at his hand, carefully calculating his move. He knew that he would have to be careful. If these two individuals really were from the Barian World, then this duel would most likely be his most difficult challenge yet, but Kaito shrugged off the nerves. Not even two Barians would stop him from saving his brother. "First I will activate the spell card, Polymerization!"

Durbe's eyes perked up in surprise. "A Fusion Summon?"

"Yes, a Fusion Summon." Kaito parroted back to the Barian. "People tend to ignore these cards in favor of Xyz summoning since they are all the rage these days. Most people forget just how deadly fusion monsters can be! I send my two Photon Leos to the graveyard in order to Fusion Summon Twin Photon Lizard!" Two white robotic lions appeared on the field and were immediately sucked into a spiral like vortex. Out of the spiral emerged a strange looking two headed reptilian creature. Its two dragon like heads were actually on its shoulders, while the spot where its head would normally be contained a glowing red orb. Its right head and wing were coated a bloody shade of red while its left head and wing glittered a shiny gold color. Its body was a jet black armor and a long ghostly tail streamed out of its back, completely coated in blue photon light.

**Twin Photon Lizard: Level 6/LIGHT/Dragon/Fusion/2400 atk/2000 def**

"However," Kaito continued. "This lizard isn't sticking around. By destroying Twin Photon Lizard, I can use his effect to special summon the two Photon Leos I used to summon him!" Upon command, Twin Photon Lizard seemingly self destructed, and immediately after its demise, two graveyard portals opened in the ground, and the two robotic white lions that Kaito had previously sent to the graveyard emerged out of them, letting out menacing roars as they stared the two Barians down.

**Photon Leo: Level 6/LIGHT/Beast/2100 atk/1100 def**

"And now I play Monster Reborn in order to bring back Twin Photon Lizard from the graveyard!" The graveyard portal appeared once more, and the two headed dragon emerged out of the abyss as if it had never left the field, taking its spot in the sky just above the two lions.

Durbe was slightly puzzled by Kaito's strategy. "_How strange. With the two Photon Leos that he summoned he already has the requirements to summon Galaxy Eyes Photon Dragon, so what was the point of summoning a third monster? Unless..." _He then noticed the levels of the three monsters and his eyes widened in shock.

"You're not!"

"With these 3 Level 6 Monsters I shall construct the overlay network!"

"You're honestly not!

"XYZ SUMMON! NUMBER 21: FROZEN LADY JUSTICE!"

"YOU SON OF A BITCH!"

True to Kaito's word, the monster that emerged from the gold overlay network was none other than the signature Number of Rio Kamishiro, but there was something different about her. While the ice woman mostly resembled her normal appearance, her skin was much more pale than normal, but the most striking new feature was her eyes. The ocean blue irises were completely gone, replaced by hollow and soulless sockets that slightly resembled the color of Kaito's Photon Hand. No longer were they filled with the life and determination that her mistress had filled them with. All that was left was emptiness.

**Number 21 Frozen Lady Justice: Rank 6/WATER/Aqua/500 atk/500 def**

Rage and hatred coursed through Durbe's veins at the sight of Rio's Number being used against him. "So it was not enough that you had to take her Number and soul, was it? Now you flaunt her Number in front of us like some trophy you won? Are you trying to say that you are proud that you took her soul Kaito Tenjo? Are you proud that you ended her life?"

"What I do with the Numbers that I acquired fair and square is none of your business!" Kaito retorted. "Now I think you are familiar with Frozen Lady's effect. She gains 1000 attack points for every overlay unit she has!"

**Justice Atk: 500 + 3000 = 3500**

"Oh but wait, there's more! I haven't normal summoned yet, so I will summon Rescue Rabbit in attack mode!" Another monster appeared next to Frozen Lady Justice, this one taking on the form of a large white cottontail rabbit with grey spots on its fur. It was also wearing a yellow hard hat, ski goggles, and a walkie talkie around its neck.

**Rescue Rabbit: Level 4/EARTH/Beast/300 atk/100 def**

"And now I activate his effect! By banishing Rescue Rabbit, I can special summon two Level 4 or lower Normal Monsters from my deck! I special summon two Alexandrite Dragons!" The bunny hopped into the air and vanished, and in its place emerged two ferocious dragons. The dragons stood tall and proud on two legs, their scaled bodies a grey color that resembled a large sheet of granite. Decorated across their bodies were thousands of glittering gemstones that made their armored hides glow a shiny aura.

**Alexandrite Dragon: Level 4/LIGHT/Dragon/2000 atk/100 def**

"And now it's time to introduce you to my ace in the hole! I sacrifice both of my Alexandrite Dragons in order to summon the dragon that will bring about your destruction, a dragon stronger than a supernova, who's blinding light brings about the defeat of all Numbers who dare face it! I SUMMON GALAXY EYES PHOTON DRAGON!" The two dragons proceeded to explode into a massive aurora of light particles which quickly took the form of the all to familiar red crescent moon shaped spear. Kaito threw the spear into the air, and it began to gather more light energy until it finally took the form of the powerful dragon of photon light. The dragon roared loudly as the photon energy in its body emanated outward into a bright pulsing glow.

**Galaxy Eyes Photon Dragon: Level 8/LIGHT/Dragon/3000 atk/2500 **

Misael snorted arrogantly at the sight of his dragon's competition. "So this is your Galaxy Eyes? I can't say that I am the least bit impressed. I am afraid it will fall quite easily once I summon mine."

"Yours?" Kaito asked in surprise and confusion. "What are you talking about? What do you mean, yours?"

"You'll see..." said Misael in a rather sinister tone of voice.

"Well then I end my turn." said Kaito. "Show me what you Barians are made of!"

"With pleasure!" Durbe shouted. "It's my turn now. Draw Card!" Durbe drew his card, eager begin his quest to avenge his queen. "First I shall summon Holy Lightning Wings in attack mode, and its effect allows me to special summon one Holy Lightning Monster from my hand, so I will special summon Holy Lightning Books, also in attack mode!" A golden glow of light radiated on Durbe's side of the field, and two strange looking monsters erupted from the ground to join the battle, one taking the appearance of a mechanical avian with wings akin to that of a satellite, and the other somewhat resembling a giant blue book with a golden crest on its spine that somewhat resembled a face.

**Holy Lightning Wings: Level 4/LIGHT/Fairy/1200 atk/1800 def**

**Holy Lightning Books: Level 4/LIGHT/Fairy/1600 atk/1400 def**

"Oh but two Holy Lightning Monsters is not nearly enough. I activate the effect of Holy Lightning Books! By sending one spell card from my hand to the graveyard, I can special summon Holy Lightning Sword from my hand!" The golden glow appeared again, and a third Holy Lightning Monster joined the first two, this one resembling a red and gold sword with large spikes sticking out of the hilt of the blade that functioned as the creature's arms.

**Holy Lightning Sword: Level 4/LIGHT/Fairy/1400 atk/1000 def**

Kaito quickly took notice of the levels of Durbe's monsters and knew exactly what the Barian was planning. "3 Level 4 Monsters? So I finally get to see what Numbers you Barians have to offer for me!"

"Numbers? Oh no Kaito. These are no ordinary Numbers! The Numbers that we Barians command exceed that of 100 and are far stronger than any Number you have ever faced! Now watch as I summon the monster that will inflict judgment upon your soul, the divine archer whose arrows rain down from the heavens to avenge the fallen Barian Queen!"

"With these 3 Level 4 Monsters I shall construct the overlay network!"

"XYZ SUMMON! DESCEND FROM THE HEAVENS NUMBER 102: HOLY LIGHTNING GLORIOUS HALO!"

The golden overlay network portal appeared again and the sealed form of Durbe's Over Hundred Number rose up from it in the form of a large golden ring. The ring began to glow, enveloping the field in an aura of golden light. When the light receded, a shining majestic warrior stood proud and tall, hovering over the battlefield. The warrior was robotic in appearance, its armor a glittering gold color. Its singlular gemstone of an eye gleamed brightly on its helmet, and two long diamond shaped spiked draped downward to the ground from the helmet. It's weapon of choice, a massive longbow, was armed and drawn, the golden arrow pointed directly at Kaito's head. Lastly, a yellow 102 appeared on the right spike of its helmet, pulsing with energy and solidifying its status as one of the seven Barian Numbers.

**Number 102 Holy Lightning Glorious Halo: Rank 4/LIGHT/Fairy/2500 atk/2000 def/3 overlay units**

"It can't be!" Kaito shouted, unable to comprehend the sight of the Number on the creature's body. "A Number over 100? But Dr. Faker said that there were only 100 Numbers! What kind of trick are you Barians trying to pull?"

"This is no trick Kaito." said Durbe. "This is merely the instrument of your demise, and I will show you why! I activate the effect of Glorious Halo! By detaching one overlay unit, I can negate the effects of your Photon Dragon and cut its attack points in half!" The divine warrior absorbed one of its overlay units into its bow, causing it to glow with radiant gold energy. Halo drew back his bow and fired at the dragon, sending the arrow soaring towards it at lightning speed. The arrow connected, impaling the jewel on the dragon's chest and shattering it into pieces. Galaxy Eyes roared in pain and then lowered its head in exhaustion as the cursed arrow began to sap its strength. Kaito could only watch in frustration as the glow of his dragon's photon light began to grow fainter and fainter until it was dim and weak like a used low watt light bulb.

**Galaxy Eyes Atk: 3000 - 1500 = 1500**

"My dragon!" Kaito yelled. "You'll pay for that!"

"If there is anyone who should pay for their transgressions," Durbe responded. "It is you, Kaito! Now since this is a Battle Royale duel, I cannot attack until everyone has made a move, so I shall set one card face down and end my turn."

"Then it is finally time for the true Galaxy Eyes Master to make his move" Misael announced. "I draw!" He smiled as he looked at his hand, knowing that he could easily summon Tachyon on his first turn. It was finally time for his rival to understand the definition of true Barian power. "I am actually quite glad that you summoned Frozen Lady Justice, for now that you control an Xyz Monster, I can special summon Radius the Half Moon Dragon from my hand, and its effect allows my dragon to transform itself into a Level 8 Monster!" Upon the command of its summon, a rather peculiar looking dragon swooped down from the sky onto the battlefield. It was completely blue in color and mechanical in appearance, and rather than having a set of proper wings, two shield like appendages were equipped onto its shoulders which curved downward and crudely resembled half circles, making the dragon's name quite appropriate.

**Radius the Half Moon Dragon: Level 8 (Originally Level 4)/LIGHT/Dragon/1400 atk/1200 def**

"Now that I control a Level 8 Monster, I can normal summon Parsec the Interstellar Dragon without tributing!" Another dragon descended from the sky to join Radius on the battlefield, and this one looked even more bizarre. It was purple in color and thin as a wire, with an insect like face and wings that resembled large sickle blades.

**Parsec the Interstellar Dragon: Level 8/LIGHT/Dragon/800 atk/800 def**

"Now with these 2 Level 8 Monsters I shall construct the overlay network!"

"Beware Kaito Tenjo! For I Xyz Summon a monster far stronger than your Photon Dragon, a monster stronger than a cosmic storm, the dragon that controls time itself! APPEAR BEFORE ME NOW! NUMBER 107: GALAXY EYES TACHYON DRAGON!"

Once again the gold overlay network erupted out of the ground, and this time a black upside down pyramid with red and blue jewels emerged out of it. Kaito's eyes widened in horror as his mind processed the name of the Number Monster and the sight of what the Number's sealed form was transforming into. The pyramid opened up and took the form of the most terrifying dragon that Kaito had ever laid eyes on. A dark shade of violet completely coated the cybernetic body of the colossal beast. Its massive metal wings spread outward across the battlefield and three cable like tails danced out of its back. A purple 107 glowed ominously on the right crest of its large reptilian head. The dragon let out a mighty roar that echoed throughout the entire city. Surprisingly, Kaito's Photon Dragon roared back in response, and then both dragons began to growl angrily at each other, making it clear that they desired nothing more than to tear each other limb from limb.

**Number 107 Galaxy Eyes Tachyon Dragon: Rank 8/LIGHT/Dragon/3000 atk/2500 def/2 overlay units**

Kaito took a step back as he gazed in shock at the massive leviathan. "Galaxy Eyes? But that's impossible! There is only one Galaxy Eyes Dragon and that's my Photon Dragon! What sort of crazy trick did you do to create that thing?"

"Surprised Kaito?" Misael taunted. "This is the true Galaxy Eyes Dragon, and it makes your pathetic Photon Dragon look like an insect in comparison. You may think that you are a mighty Number Hunter Kaito, but Tachyon is here to prove once and for all that you are **NOTHING!**" Tachyon let out another monstrous roar in agreement with his master's words. "Oh but why settle for a mere 3000 attack points?" Misael continued. "I activate the effect of **Estre the Oribiting Dragon** in my hand! By paying 1000 lifepoints, I can attach him to Tachyon as an overlay unit, and when I do, Tachyon gains 500 attack points!" Misael's duel disk began to glow a bright orange color, and a meteor shaped stream of energy shot out of it, which took the form of a small black wyvern bathed in red flames. The small winged serpent flew around Tachyon before transforming into an overlay unit, which began to follow the orbiting pattern of the other overlay units as if it had always been there.

**Estre the Orbiting Dragon: Level 1/DARK/Dragon/500 atk/500 def**

**Tachyon Dragon Atk: 3000 + 500 = 3500 (3 overlay units)**

**Misael: 4000 - 1000 = 3000**

"Sadly, my dragon's triumph over yours will have to wait one more turn. so I shall set one card face down and end my turn." Misael then deferred to Kaito for his turn.

Kaito was about to draw his card when Durbe stopped him.

"Before we continue this duel, Kaito, I must ask you a question. Did you look Rio in the eye when you took her soul?"

"This again?" Kaito snorted, clearly annoyed that the matter of Rio was being brought up yet again.

"Answer the question!" Durbe commanded in a much angrier tone of voice.

"Alright fine!" said Kaito. "Yes, I did look her in the eye. What does it matter to you?"

"IT MATTERS A GREAT DEAL BECAUSE SHE MEANT THE WORLD TO ME!" Durbe roared. "Now I want you to take a good long look into the eyes of Tachyon Dragon and Glorious Halo, and then look into mine, not a fleeting glance, but a good long look, and maybe, just maybe you can see just how much vengeance is directed towards you for the blood on your hands. Maybe you can finally understand just how much Rio, myself, and countless others have suffered due to your cold blooded actions because mark my words Kaito. You will suffer tremendously before this duel is over!"

"Mark my words!"

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><p><strong>Author Made Cards:<strong>

**Estre the Orbiting Dragon: Level 1/DARK/Dragon/500 atk/500 def**

**Effect: When you Special Summon a Dragon Type Xyz Monster, you can pay 1000 lifepoints; attach this card from your hand to that monster as an Xyz Material, and if you do, that monster gains 500 atk points.**

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><p><strong>Authors Notes:<strong>

**And CLIFFHANGER! Yeah I know, right in the middle of the duel, but for the sake of the story I had to!**

**Since this is practically the climax of the pre World Duel Carnival Arc, I thought it fitting to split things up into two parts for the sake of suspense and excitement. The duel will conclude next chapter which I hope to upload soon.**

**So what did you think of the chapter? Did you like it? Did you not like it? Whatever your opinion is, leave a review and let me know!**

**Until next time, this is Nox Descious signing out!**


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Yu-Gi-Oh! ZEXAL, Adventure, Romance