"AAAAARRGH!" Lithon screamed, as wave after wave of pain surged through his body, and the glowing beige number blazed like a beacon from his neck. "GYAAAAAAAH... yes, more power, I almost have it! It's almost perfect!" With a great effort, for even moving was a struggle, he turned his head to the supervising scientists. "Turn it up higher!"
"But sir, it's almost at its maximum," one of the scientists called. "If we turn it up any higher, your body and soul may not be able to handle it!"
"Nonsense!" Lithon shouted. "My soul can hold up fine! Now turn it up!"
The scientist shrugged and, with a worried expression, turned the machines up to their maximum.
Lithon cried out in agony once again, his body involuntarily straining against the straps holding him against the table. Numerous wires were running from his skin into a bank of computers, which in turn were connected to a giant incubator. Inside the incubator was an indistinct shape, several times bigger than any of the humans in the lab. It was thrashing around inside its glass prison, slamming against the sides, and recoiling every time Lithon shouted in pain.
The scientists truly thought it was impossible. What Lithon was planning went against the very rules of the universe. It simply couldn't be done, and they had told him as much many times.
Yet here he was, trying it anyway. Ambition and determination were two things that Doctor Lithon was not lacking in, and to achieve his goals, he had been willing to go to any lengths – even submitting himself to these painful experiments. These factors combined made the scientists willing to listen to Lithon when he said it was possible.
And now things were changing. The creature within the test tube was starting to glow with energy. The glow grew brighter and brighter, dazzling the scientists. Through the glare they heard Lithon cry out in triumph.
Then the test tube exploded. The glass front shattered, and a wave of pure energy blasted out of its interior. Every single scientist in the room was thrown backwards, knocked unconscious before they even hit the ground. Cracks spread across the ceiling and floor, and every single computer in the lab short circuited, their screens exploding violently, spraying more glass across the lab.
And at the centre of it all was Doctor Lithon, freed from his restraints, clutching a card and laughing maniacally.
*SOME TIME LATER*
"Hey, spotted anything yet?" Dan's voice crackled over Leah's D-Gazer.
"Not yet," she replied, putting a hand to her other ear to block out the background noise. "We've been searching for almost an hour now. Do you think the Number holder could've moved on?"
"I doubt that," Dan replied, his voice still fuzzy. "What concerns me more is if either Skyler or Doctor Lithon has got to it first."
"I'm sure they haven't," Leah reassured him. "We would've noticed a duel between two Numbers."
It was a pretty dull Saturday afternoon. There was nothing much going on, and the five members of Team Delta would've been perfectly happy to stay indoors and lounge around all day. Unfortunately they had a job to do, so here they were, hunting down a Number holder that they had no idea where to find.
They knew the rough position, but according to the news there's recently been a strange radio wave surge, and it was messing with their tracking equipment. So they'd had to split up like they used to.
Each of the Deltas was searching different parts of the area. Matt and Katie were wondering up and down the high street, James was checking out the mall, Dan was in a nearby amusement arcade, and Leah was checking out the local dueling areas. In this case, it was a park similar to the one around their area.
"So, any of you other guys find anything?" Leah asked, more out of hope than expectancy. They had all linked their D-Gazers to the same call, so the responses came immediately.
"Nope," Katie replied.
"Nothing on this end," Matt added, and they heard James huff in the background.
"So how much longer should we keep searching, Matt?" Dan asked.
"Just a little bit longer," Matt replied. "If we still can't find it after that, we'll drop a call to Professor Usur, asking him to try to pinpoint the Number with a bit more accuracy."
"But if the tracking system isn't working, how is he-" Leah began, but stopped as she heard a scream. It was a female scream, and it wasn't the 'Eek, I've seen a spider' type of scream. It came from much deeper than that, as though this person was in a lot of pain. "Actually, scratch that guys," Leah said, already moving across the park towards the source. "I think I've found something." As she got closer, an option came up to link her D-Gazer into the current duel. What she saw was interesting to say the least.
Drayan LP: 4000
Tri-Horned Dragon: Dragon-Type/DARK/Level 8/ATK 2850/DEF 2350
Wattaildragon: Dragon-Type/LIGHT/Level 6/ATK 2500/DEF 1000
Seiyaryu: Dragon-Type/LIGHT/Level 7/ATK 2500/DEF 2300
Tamika LP: 2050
Number 9: Skrapi Drake: Reptile-Type/Xyz/WIND/Rank 1/ATK 900/DEF 700 – 1 OLU
The girl, Tamika, was the one who had a Number on the field, yet she seemed to be losing badly. The Number itself was a strange cross between a reptile and a bird, and was clutching an apple between its two front claws. Judging by the life points, Drayan had just used Tri-Horned Dragon to attack Skrapi Drake.
Then Leah gasped as she looked between both opponents. Tamika had the glowing yellow number nine on her hand, representing her own Number, but the shocking thing was that Drayan had one too. The red number ninety-three, shining clearly on his muscular chest.
She muttered into her D-Gazer. "Big news guys. There are two Number holders, and they're dueling each other at the moment. One is called Drayan, the other is called Tamika. It looks like Drayan's winning."
There was a moment's pause as Matt relayed the information to James, then he was back on the line. "We're on our way. It'll be a while before we get there, so until then, keep this line open and don't do anything reckless."
"Once this duel's finished, I'll extract the loser's Number, then challenge the winner," Leah told him. "But don't worry, I promise I'll be careful."
Matt paused for a moment longer, then said, "Alright, but be very very careful."
"I will," Leah assured him. But before she could return her attention to the duel, Dan spoke up.
"Leah, Drayan is one of the duelists in the pro circuit," he told her. "He's going to be very tough to defeat. So be careful – if you get hurt and end up in the hospital, I'll be very cross with you."
Leah laughed. "Don't worry, I'll be fine. He doesn't look so tough-"
"Seiyaryu, attack Skrapi Drake!" The pterodactyl-like dragon flew down and battered the Number. It wasn't destroyed by the battle, but Tamika still took damage.
Tamika LP: 2050 → 450
"And now, Wattaildragon, finish her! Attack Skrapi Drake!" The third dragon wreathed itself in electricity and charged forwards, ramming into the Number. Tamika was thrown onto her back.
Drayan LP: 4000 [WINNER]
Tamika LP: 450 → 0
Drayan punched the air. "YEEEEAAAHH!" he shouted, his voice drowning out the final claxon. The augmented reality faded away as he pounded on his chest, and proudly bellowed his victory to the world.
While he was celebrating, Leah quietly walked over to examine his downed opponent. Tamika was unhurt, simply unconscious from sheer exhaustion. With swift, practised movements, Leah placed a hand on her chest and extended the tendrils of light from her metal band straight into her body. Within seconds, she had hold of the Number, and pulled it out without incident.
As she stood up holding the card, Drayan became aware of her presence. "Hey, who're you?" he roared at her. "Who gave you permission to come onto my field?"
Leah turned to look at him coldly. "First of all, I was under the impression that this was a public dueling park. Secondly, I was just checking to see if your opponent was ok."
It was only then that Leah realised that Drayan must be a little bit thick. His brain was clearly unable to process the concepts she had just put to him. "What? You wanna start something with me? Are you really gonna challenge me? The mighty Drayan!"
"Sure," Leah said, much to Drayan's amazement. "Let's get started."
As Leah reached into her bag and pulled out her duel disk, Drayan just stared at her, open-mouthed. Why hadn't she been more intimidated by his name? Why hadn't she fled at the mere sight of him? "Er…" he stuttered, "do you even have any idea who you're messing with, girl?"
Leah looked up at him, and gave him her best good-little-girl smile. "Nope, not a clue," she grinned. "But you look pretty weak, so I reckon I can take you down before lunch."
That did it. Leah almost laughed at the effect these words had – Drayan looked close to blowing up. "Alright! That does it! Let's do this! I'mma kick you to the curb, missy!" He immediately triggered his duel disk and D-Gazer, wanting to waste no time. Not two minutes after it had disappeared, the augmented reality field rose up again.
"AR Vision – link established."
"DUEL!"
Drayan LP: 4000
Leah LP: 4000
Leah didn't need to use her trademark opening line on Drayan; he was so impatient that he dove straight in without asking. "It's my turn, draw! I activate the Spell Card, Ancient Rules!" The Spell Card appeared on his field. "Using this, I can Special Summon any Level five or higher Normal Monster from my hand. Go, Tri-Horned Dragon!" The slouching dragon materialized behind him, with a series of lethal-looking horns jutting out of its head.
Tri-Horned Dragon: Dragon-Type/DARK/Level 8/ATK 2850/DEF 2350
"With that I end my turn," he proclaimed proudly.
Leah was largely unimpressed by this monster, and began her turn. "I draw. I activate the Spell Card, Burden of the Mighty." The Continuous Spell Card appeared on her side. "As long as this card is in play, all face-up monsters you control lose 100 ATK for each of their Levels. Tri-Horned Dragon is Level eight, so it loses 800 ATK."
Tri-Horned Dragon: ATK 2850 → 2050
"Next I'll Normal Summon Borealis Tatami." A rainbow hue descended over her field, and a white-garbed angel appeared, her striking orange hair blowing in the breeze.
Borealis Tatami: Fairy-Type/Spirit/WATER/Level 4/ATK 1700/DEF 1100
"Now I'll use Tatami's effect," Leah added. "When it's Normal Summoned, I can add any Borealis monster from my Deck to my hand. I choose Borealis Minami." Her duel disk extracted the card for her, and she placed it in her hand. "Next I'll activate the Spell Card Double Summon, which lets me perform an additional Normal Summon or Set during this turn. So come on out, Borealis Minami!" A second rainbow-hued angel appeared to join the first. This one had light brown hair and a different style of clothing, with a collar made of swan feathers. On her head sat a tiara, styled after what looked like butterfly wings.
Borealis Minami: Fairy-Type/Spirit/WATER/Level 5/ATK 2500/DEF 1700
"And next I'll activate-"
"Wait, hold on there!" Drayan interrupted. "That thing's a Level five monster! You need one Tribute to Summon it!"
Leah shook her head. "Nope. You see, Minami has an effect that lets me Summon it without a Tribute if I already control a Spirit monster. But if I do, then it won't return to my hand during the End Phase like most Spirits, but it'll be banished instead."
"Alright, alright, whatever!" Drayan barked. "Just get on with it!"
"Alrighty," Leah grinned, "I activate the Equip Spell, Orb of Yasaka! Equip to Borealis Minami!" The stronger of the rainbow-hued spirits took hold of a blue crystal ball that materialized in front of it. "Now, battle time! Borealis Minami, attack Tri-Horned Dragon!" The angel lifted the crystal ball above her head, and a swirl of glowing butterflies materialized around it. The flapping butterflies condensed around the orb into a sphere of light, which Minami threw at the Tri-Horned Dragon. The dragon was consumed by the energy, and exploded violently.
Drayan LP: 4000 → 3550
"Oh, and did I mention my Orb of Yasaka's effect?" Leah smiled, as a blue glow enveloped her. "When the equipped monster destroys an opponent's monster by battle, I gain life points equal to the destroyed monster's original attack points.
Leah LP: 4000 → 6850
"Little brat!" Drayan spat. "I'll make you pay for this!"
"Save your threats until after I'm finished," Leah replied. "Go, Borealis Tatami, direct attack!" The angel launched a spectral array of lights at Drayan. They struck him in the chest, shoving him back a few steps.
Drayan LP: 3550 → 1850
Leah nodded, satisfied. "I'll place one card face-down and end my turn. And during my End Phase, Borealis Tatami returns to my hand, and Borealis Minami is banished." Both monsters faded away into mist. The crystal ball dropped to the ground and shattered as the Equip Card was destroyed.
Drayan was breathing heavily. He looked positively enraged. "You... how dare you! How dare you just destroy my strongest monster as though it was nothing!
"How dare I?" Leah repeated, pretending to consider the question. "Um... because that's how the game is played, perhaps?"
Drayan practically had steam venting from his ears by this point. "I won't let a little brat like you smear my reputation! Do you have any idea what would happen if the press found out I was beaten by a kid? Worse, a girl! I won't let that happen! I'm going to pulverize you! My turn, draw!"
Author-made cards:
Borealis Tatami
Fairy-Type/Spirit/WATER/Level 4/ATK 1700/DEF 1100
Cannot be Special Summoned. During the End Phase of the turn this card was Normal Summoned or flipped face-up: Return it to the hand. When this card is Normal Summoned: Add 1 "Borealis" monster from your Deck to your hand.
Borealis Minami
Fairy-Type/Spirit/WATER/Level 5/ATK 2500/DEF 1700
Cannot be Special Summoned. If you control a face-up Spirit monster, you can Normal Summon this card without Tributing. During the End Phase of the turn this card was Normal Summoned or flipped face-up: Return it to the hand, OR if this card was Normal Summoned without a Tribute, banish it instead.
Number 9: Skrapi Drake
Reptile-Type/Xyz/WIND/Rank 1/ATK 900/DEF 700
2 Level 1 monsters
This card cannot be destroyed by battle, except by a "Number" monster. Once per turn: You can detach 1 Overlay Unit from this card; each player draws 1 card, then sends the top card of their Deck to the Graveyard.
Fun Fact #1: Everything's better with maniacal laughter.
Fun Fact #2: Now that we've finished establishing the characters, we can start to focus much more on the Numbers themselves, and explore some cool features that we feel Yu-Gi-Oh! ZEXAL kind of left unfinished.
Fun Fact #3: Another word for 'turmoil' is 'chaos'.