Vile: With Keys of the Solution Chapter 2 done, here's the start of my newest Numbershot: Numbershot 85!
Yuma: Man, when was the last time you wrote a Numbershot?
Vile: *looks at the archive* ...October 30th of '13. Damn. I've been out of the loop for half a year! Well, time to get back on track. As I mentioned back in Keys, my newer Numbershots won't have Yuma, Kotori, Astral, Mia, or Keegan in them. This one in particular stars Akari and Spade.
Spade: So we have to deal with Crazy Box, huh?
Vile: Yep, but it's not the sort of Duel you'll be expecting. No disclaimer needed, so let's get going!
Ekushiizu Shoukan! Arawareyo! Nanbāzushotto Hachijūgo!
85!
Numbershot 85: Crazy Gauntlet
Chapter 1
Within the Tsukumo household, the older sibling, Akari, sat at the kitchen table gazing at a large mass of cards splayed in front of her. Only an hour ago, Yuma had jumped through the portal to seek out the Master Keys alongside Kotori, Keegan, and the two spirits that Akari now knew existed (thanks to Master Key Beetle making them visible for a brief moment). Her face was a look of both scrutiny and uncertainty, the latter of which was broken when a knock sounded at the door. Sighing, Akari got up and answered the door, finding an uncharacteristically serious-looking Spade. "Hey Akari. Mind if I come in?"
"Sure, come on in." Akari said, letting the speedster into her house and shutting the door.
"One look at you tells me that something's wrong." Spade said. Akari sighed again, plopping back into her chair. Spade looked at the table, seeing all the cards. "I didn't know you Dueled."
"I used to." Akari replied, staring at her cards. "I used to like Dueling as much as Yuma did."
"So what stopped you?" Spade asked.
"I had a career to focus on. As much as I liked Dueling, I found that it was distracting me from getting a good job." Akari told him.
Spade looked confused. "There's a lot of jobs in the Duel field. This journalism gig must've been pretty important, huh?"
"When Tou-chan and Kaa-chan disappeared, I thought that if I became a journalist, I could eventually travel the world… and maybe I could find them. I used to give Yuma grief for Dueling because I didn't want Dueling to consume his life." Akari said. "But now that I know what happened to our parents…" Her hands began to shake.
Spade placed a hand on her shoulder. "Easy. You know that Yuma will rescue them, right?"
"That's what I'm afraid of." Akari said, confusing Spade yet again. "The things Yuma have been through are deadly. He's lucky that he's even alive. I'm supposed to protect him like a big sister should… but I'm just sitting here on the sidelines." She looked at her cards again. "It's been some time since I touched these cards, but I feel like I need to do my part to help Yuma."
"He'd appreciate every bit of help you could give him, Akari." Haru, who had appeared nearby, told her. Her open eyes seemed to shine with seriousness. "Though I must ask, you are aware of what could happen to you, yes?"
"Mm-hmm… I could be hurt." Akari said. "But… Yuma wasn't afraid. Tou-chan and Kaa-chan wouldn't be afraid. I can't be afraid either."
"Now you're talkin'!" Spade said with a grin and thumbs-up. "Wasn't that what Yuma said, uh… kattobingu?"
Haru chuckled. "The desire to challenge yourself and surpass your limits extends to doing what's right in the face of harsh odds. Yuma's proven himself capable of that multiple times. Can you do that, Akari?"
Akari was silent for a moment, then she steeled her face. "…I will. If trouble happens while Yuma's gone, I'll do what I can to help."
Haru nodded. "Kazuma would be so proud of you, Akari." She went back to cleaning the house, chuckling to herself.
Spade took a seat at the table with a smirk, looking over the cards on the table. "Hmm. Fairy-Types. For some reason, I expected Kotori to use these kinds of cards." He shot a glance and smirk to the camera.
"They gave me powerful combos back when I Dueled." Akari told him.
"Hmm…" Spade snapped his fingers. "Hang on, I just thought of something." He fished out his own Main and Extra Decks, rifling through the cards. He picked out six of them (five from the Main and one from the Extra) and handed them to Akari. "Here."
Akari took the cards, noting that they were the Herald series: Orange Light, Purple Light, Green Light, Perfection, Pure Light, and Dawn of the Herald. "Why give these to me, Spade?"
"I couldn't find room for them in my Deck. I don't use too many Fairy-Type monsters." Spade told her. "I figured you'd be able to make better use of them than me." He gave her a thumbs-up.
The young woman smiled. "Arigatou, Spade." She placed the cards among the rest of them, gathered them back into a Deck, and shuffled them up. "There. That should do that."
"Who knows what kind of ass you'll kick with those cards?" Spade asked with a laugh.
At that moment, however, there was another knock on the door. "Who is it this time?" Akari wondered. She and Spade walked to the door, but when the door was opened, no one was there. "Eh?" Akari peeked her head out and looked back and forth, seeing nothing.
"Akari." Spade said. When she looked at him, he pointed to underneath her. She looked down and saw what looked like a white box on the doorstep. She knelt down and picked it up, Spade moving to get a better look. "What do you make of it?"
"Got me." Akari said, knocking on the top and getting a sound that indicated that it wasn't hollow. Spade noted a pull tab on the front and took hold, pulling open the top. Within was an odd machine of some sort… which immediately sprayed the two of them with an odd purple gas. Akari and Spade coughed from the odd fumes, but their bodies immediately started feeling weak. Soon, the two of them collapsed in the doorway.
Haru heard the thump of their bodies hitting the ground from the second floor of the house. "Eh?" Curious, she moved toward the steps, but as she descended, she heard the door being shut. When she reached the bottom, she found that the door was closed and the two young adults were gone. Haru wasn't sure whether to be confused or worried.
*A Little Later*
Still groggy from that weird gas, Akari's eyes shook with a groan before slowing opening. Realizing she was laying down, Akari slowly sat up, grabbing her hand and groaning. "What the hell?" As she came to, Akari noticed that she wasn't anywhere familiar. Finally awake, she looked around. She was in a completely empty building that was stark white with a checker pattern, making the whole area look like it was made out of white tiles. Looking beside her, she noticed that Spade was next to her, also laying on the ground. She quickly shook him. "Spade! Get up!"
"*snort* Nn, huh?" Spade groaned as he stirred. Snapping his eyes open, Spade sat straight up, shaking his head. He quickly grabbed his head. "Ngh… wake-up headache…" He noticed where they were. "Where… where the heck are we?"
"I don't know…" Akari said. She pulled out her D-Gazer and tried to connect someone. "Kuso. There's no service!"
"Ah… Good morning, my guests." A voice that was clearly altered with a synthesizer said over an intercom. Akari and Spade looked around to try and find the voice. "Please, use your D-Gazers." Putting the devices on their faces, they saw a screen in an AR field depicting a figure that was completely covered by a cloak, wearing a white full-face square mask with red (also square) cheeks. "I'm glad you could join me here. Welcome to my domain."
"You must be the crook who sicced that gas box on us." Spade said with a glare.
"How else was I supposed to get you here?" The figure asked.
"Who are you? What do you want with us? And where are we?!" Akari demanded to know.
"I prefer to keep my identity a secret… but I am someone of importance." The figure said, holding up a card with the back facing them. "You see, I'm a good friend of the one you call the Number Distributor." Both Akari and Spade glared at the figure. "He contacted me and the rest of my friends. He said he wanted me to 'deal with you'. Of course, he didn't specify how, so I decided I'd have a little fun with you two."
"Let me guess. You want this, don't you?" Spade asked, holding up Number 48: Godspeed Mirage.
"You're smarter than the Distributor gave you credit for, speedy." The figure told him. "Naturally, I can match the wager." The masked figure flipped the card around. They couldn't read the whole name, but it had the unmistakable "No." symbol that indicated the Numbers. "But to fully answer what I want with you… I want to play a game."
"'Game'? You mean a Duel?" Akari asked.
"Sort of. We are going to Duel, but this Duel isn't your everyday Duel." The figure said. "This area you're in also serves as a Field Magic Card known as Death Cube. It has a plethora of effects that will make this Duel more interesting. If you can manage to complete my challenges AND defeat me… I'll let you go, and my Number will be yours."
"And if we lose or refuse?" Akari wondered.
The figure chuckled. "…You asked for it." A "beep" was heard. "Behind you." Akari turned to see that, from one of the panels on the wall, an odd mechanism emerged and unleashed a powerful jet of fire that screamed toward her.
"AAAAAAH!" Akari screamed, quickly jumping out of the way, making the fire completely miss her. She looked back with a fearstruck look at the fire died down, showing scorch marks on the ground.
Spade gulped, equally freaked. "No wonder it's called 'Death Cube'!" He cried.
"I think you get the idea. This area is rigged with numerous traps that I have full control over. However, I'm merciful: I'll spare you if you can complete my challenges." Death Cube's worker said. "So… will you play my game?"
"Do we have much of a choice?" Spade asked as Akari got to her feet.
"Not really." The figure said.
Akari and Spade groaned. "…Fine. We'll play your little 'game'." Akari said. "Since Yuma's not here, we'll take care of you!" Spade smirked at Akari's confidence.
"Excellent. Please, activate your gear. I can Duel from my control panel." The masked man told them.
Akari and Spade looked at each other and nodded. "Duel Disk, set!" Both of their D-Pads equipped to their wrists and activated. "D-Gazer, set!"
"AR VISION, LINK ESTABLISHED." The area didn't change since Death Cube's worker said it acted as a Field Magic. "ESTABLISHING LINK BETWEEN A AND B." Both of their D-Gazer's flashed, as did one of the eyes of the worker's mask.
"DUEL!"
Akari LP:4000
Spade LP:4000
Cube Mask LP:4000
"The first move shall be mine. Watashi no turn. Draw!" The sound of Cube Mask's card being drawn was heard. "As this is a three-way Duel, none of us can attack on the first turn. Kaado ni mai settei. Turn end." Two facedowns emerged.
"Watashi no turn! Draw!" Akari drew her card. Looking at her hand for a moment, she tried to figure out a move. 'I've been out of practice for a while… but I need to do my best.' She picked a card. "Shining Angel, Shoukan!" Her monster emerged as a blond-haired man in a white toga, a halo over his head, and four large golden wings.
Shining Angel: Lv.4 LIGHT Fairy ATK:1400/DEF:800
"Kaado ichi mai settei! Turn end!" A facedown appeared for Akari.
"Ore no turn! Draw!" Spade drew his card. "Silver Robo, Shoukan!" His monster emerged as what appeared to be a silver-plated toy robot with blue eyes and pincer-like hands.
Silver Robo: Lv.2 LIGHT Machine ATK:700/DEF:600
"Silver Sprinter no kouka hatsudo! When I Normal Summon a Level 2 monster, I can Special Summon it from my Deck!" A silver blur shot out from Spade's Deck, screeching to a halt to reveal itself as a fully-silver-armored humanoid with jets equipped to its heels.
Silver Sprinter: Lv.2 WIND Warrior ATK:1000/DEF:0
"Ore wa, Reberu Ni no Silver Robo to Silver Sprinter de Obarei!" Spade's monsters turned fully green and yellow before spiraling into the air. A red spiral portal opened up, and both his monsters sailed inside. "Ni tai no monsuta de, Obarei Netwaaku kochiku! Ekushiizu Shoukan!" From the portal, a new figure emerged: Another humanoid, female this time, decked out in form-fitting silver armor, a ponytail of platinum-blonde hair coming out the back of a knight-like helmet. "Ideyo, Silver Swordswoman!" Shooting her blue eyes open, the woman pointed a large sword with a polished silver blade to the sky before slashing with it, taking a stance with two yellow Overlay Units orbiting her.
Silver Swordswoman: Rank 2 LIGHT Warrior/Xyz ATK:1700/DEF:1100 2 Overlay Units
"Hmm… you've got more under your belt than I was told." Cube Mask mused.
"I'm full of surprises." Spade joked. "Kaado ichi mai settei. Turn end!" His facedown emerged.
"Watashi no turn. Draw!" Cube Mask drew his card. "Now to set this game into motion. Snipe Hunter, Shoukan." This monster was a small purple-skinned fiend of some sort, wearing what looked like black leather on only the front of his body and face (leaving holes for his mouth and fully yellow eyes), a tail, two small wings on his back and head, a long tongue, and an odd laser gun that had a roulette wheel on it.
Snipe Hunter: Lv.4 DARK Fiend ATK:1500/DEF:600
"Continuous Traps, hatsudo! Tiki Soul! Tiki Curse!" Both his facedowns flipped face-up. "These two Trap Cards are now Special Summoned as monsters." The images on the cards came out of them, becoming two solid tiki-like statues. One had four blues eyes, a grimace, and held a sword and shield, while the other had two red eyes, a pseudo-grin, two staves, and what was either a cape or a pair of wings.
Tiki Soul: Lv.4 LIGHT Rock ATK:1000/DEF:1800
Tiki Curse: Lv.4 DARK Rock ATK:1800/DEF:1000
"Watashi wa, Reberu Yon no Tiki Soul, Tiki Curse to, Snipe Hunter de Obarei!" His three monsters turned fully purple (Hunter and Curse) and yellow (Soul) before shooting into the air in a spiral. A galaxy portal opened up, and all three monsters sailed inside. "San tai no monsuta de, Obarei Netwaaku kochiku. Ekushiizu Shoukan!" A burst of light erupted from the portal.
The number "85" formed and flashed in magenta, but rather than a sealed form emerging, pats of the air began to recede like metal hatches. "Arawareyo, Nanbāzu Hachijūgo (Number 85)!" When the air finished receding, a large purplish-black box of metal was left. Then, slots of its faces began to recede as well, revealing inner workings of sickly colors. Neither of them could tell if they were flesh or mechanics. "The roulette of Hell that decides how your fate is sealed!" Each side had a number of open areas, with the face that held the Number (in the lower-right) having a single open area with what appeared to be a pink eye that was undoubtedly a flesh-and-blood eye, making the whole thing look like some sort of die. "Crazy Box!" The eye flashed as the large just floated there ominously, orbited by three purple Overlay Units.
Number 85: Crazy Box: Rank 4 DARK Fiend/Xyz ATK:3000/DEF:300 3 Overlay Units
"This soon?" Akari wondered.
"Those Attack Points are insane for a Rank 4 monster!" Spade cried.
"My Number is essential for this challenge…" Cube Mask told them. They chuckled on the other side of the screen. "Let the game begin…"
Author-Made Cards (Death Cube's effect will be shown at the end of the Numbershot)
Silver Robo
Level 2 LIGHT Machine
ATK:700/DEF:600
Level 2 monsters you control cannot be destroyed by battle.
Silver Sprinter
Level 2 WIND Warrior
ATK:1000/DEF:0
When you Normal Summon a Level 2 monster: You can Special Summon this card from your Deck.
Silver Swordswoman
Rank 2 LIGHT Warrior/Xyz
ATK:1700/DEF:1100
2 Level 2 monsters
Once per turn, when a monster you control with 1000 ATK or less is attacked: That monster is not destroyed by battle, also you take no Battle Damage from that battle. Once per turn, you can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card to target 1 monster you control: Its ATK becomes 1000.
Vile: Akari's Dueling debut is upon us with her and Spade trapped inside the Death Cube. It's going to take more than skill to win this.
Akari: Seems like you watch too much of the Saw series.
Vile: Actually, I've never seen that series. I don't watch horror movies. I just thought the premise worked for Crazy Box.
Spade: And you had to stick us in the middle of it.
Vile: I did say I was going to give you guys more screentime. XD Anyway, if you guys liked this chapter, leave a review for me! Ja ne for now!
Computer Voice: Vile, logging out.