It was over...

The duel. It was over.

Astral was blown off his feet and against the door as his life points plummeted to zero.

He was glowing and dimming slowly.

"ASTRAL!" he yelled as he practically threw off his D-Gazer and sprinted towards the blue alien.

He knelt beside him.

"Yuma..." Astral said, emotion clear in his voice. "You've improved since I first met you."

He smiled at Yuma, who was yet again on the verge of crying. "You've grown from an amateur, naïve boy to a strong independent duelist. I have taught you important duelling skills and you've taught me valuable information about friendship, bonds and memories."

"No, Astral!" Yuma's tears were flowing down his face. This wasn't happening again! It couldn't be. HE CANT LOSE ASTRAL AGAIN!

Astral lifted a hand to wipe the boy's tears away. "I'm sorry," he whispered sadly, "but you know what happens when I'm defeated by a Number Card..."

Yuma couldn't stop crying.

"You promised," he said, "You promised you wouldn't leave me but-!"

"I'm sorry Yuma-"

"I LOVE YOU ASTRAL-NII!"

Time seemed to have stopped. Astral was close to being nothing but his shock was still clear.

"Wh-what?"

The others were dumbfounded.

"You..." Yuma said softly, "You were like a brother to me. The brother I had always wanted and never had... I don't want to lose you...nii-san...I wish you wouldn't leave..."

He had expected nothing to be there but instead, as his and Astral's fingers somehow intertwined, Yuma started to glow a vibrant blue.

That glow was coming from his heart.

Astral was becoming more solid, his hand squeezing Yuma's gently.

Yuma gasped. What...?

"The Numeron Code has spoken," the Door had said before disintegrating into dust.

Yuma made an audible gasp.

Then, the Numeron Code floated from his chest to his hand and started flashing a blinding white...

"Yuma...Yuma~"

Yuma groaned slightly as he was shaken.

He had this really weird dream, where he met some blue alien that looked really like his big bro Astral (except, well, naked-ish) and they were a duelling team and Shark and Rio turned out to be some crystal alien or something. All his friends were in it, actually. It was really cool but also sad...

"It's 8 o'clock Yuma," he jumped as he heard the familiar monotonous tone near his ear.

"Nii-san!" Yuma pouted but then looked at the clock.

Yes, it was indeed 8 am.

"OH SUGARY DUEL FUEL!" he yelled as he leapt out of his hammock, rushing to find his uniform.

"Where is it Astral?!"

"I won't tell you, Yuma," Astral said, a hint of sass in his voice.

"At least not without a proper drum roll."

"STOP IT SASSTRAL!" Yuma whined. "Nee-chan~! Astral hid my uniform in the drum again!"

"THEN FIND IT!" Akari screamed from downstairs.

After Yuma had put on his uniform, the two boys ran out the door in record time (until Astral butted in with his observations).

"Yo Yuma! Astral!" a large boy their age came speeding across on his skateboard.

"Same as before, Tetsuo?" Astral asked.

"You got it!" Tetsuo said excitedly before wheeling off, Yuma and Astral following close behind.

"I'm gonna-"

"I'll-"

"KATTOBINGU!"