Leah gave a small 'eek' of terror, and quickly backed away. Matt stood firmly where he was, staring Skyler down. But Katie's reaction was the most dramatic. With a furious cry, she leapt at Skyler. The enemy hunter quickly lifted his robotic arm to defend, but he needn't have worried – Katie was suddenly grabbed around the waist by Dan, and pulled away.

"Leave it," Dan said, struggling to keep a hold of her. "You'll just get yourself hurt!"

"Let me go!" she screamed, thrashing about as Leah came in to help restrain her. "I'll kill him! He hurt all those innocent people! They'll never be normal again! And it's his fault! AND HE DOESN'T CARE!"

"Katie, stop," Leah insisted. "That won't solve anything. You need to calm down."

"I'd listen to your teammates if I were you," Skyler said, watching the scene with mild amusement. "Behaviour like that can cause you a lot of pain very quickly."

"No!" she snarled, struggling to break free. "I won't let him get away with this! He has to pay!"

"Katie, stop it," Matt snapped without turning round. "You should be able to control your temper better than most, especially after that incident with Keane and Esta. The way you're behaving right now is exactly the way Keane behaved after you injured his little sister. Don't give in to your anger and lust for revenge like he did. Don't become him!"

Katie froze. The weight of those words fell on her like hammer blows. She crumpled to the ground, sobbing her heart out as the memories of that day flooded back. Leah tried her best to comfort her, but to no avail.

Dan stood up and walked over to stand next to Matt. "Was that really necessary?" he muttered.

"Yes," Matt replied bluntly. "Feelings will heal, but injuries inflicted by this guy won't. Trust me, it's better this way."

Skyler was smirking at the entire thing. "Well, it seems that there's a fascinating story behind all that," he said, indicating Katie. "At any other time I might ask you to tell me about it, but right now I have my objectives to complete. So, number one..." he looked Matt straight in the eye, "...you've visited the Kasen World, haven't you?"

Matt and Dan stiffened. "How did you know that?" Matt asked.

"I have my methods," Skyler replied cryptically. "So, did you enjoy your little trip? Did you like what you saw in the Kasen World? Did you meet a lot of interesting people? Was it all cosy and happy and lovely?"

"Well..." Dan said, remembering the turbulent ride that had taken them out of the world, the deep-seated unease at being so far from home, the colossal clash of souls in Leah and Katie's duel, and the mad dash to escape. "...I wouldn't exactly call it cosy…"

"And what of the Professor?" Skyler asked impatiently. "What did he tell you about the Kasen World and the Astral World? Come on, spill it. What did he tell you?"

"Hang on... for all we know, you're just fishing for information," Matt replied. "Why should we tell you anything?"

Skyler glared at him for a moment, then took a deep breath to calm himself. "Because I believe you've been lied to."

Matt stared back for a long while, struggling internally with himself. On the one hand, Skyler clearly had knowledge beyond there's. On the other hand, he was their sworn enemy, and had ruined the lives of many innocent people in the name of denying them the Numbers. He just couldn't decide.

Finally, Dan spoke for him. "Professor Usur told us that the Astral World is evil, and that we have to form an alliance with the Kasen World in order to-"

"I knew it!" Skyler exclaimed triumphantly. "That lying old cretin! He's got you lapping up every word he says, hasn't he? He has you believing that every word he says is the truth."

"And you think he's lying?" Leah asked. She had finally calmed Katie down, and had come over to join the discussion.

"I know he's lying," Skyler replied.

"Then what is the truth?" Dan asked. "Tell us the truth if you know so much."

"It would be my pleasure, you clueless Delta," Skyler said. He took another deep breath, then went on. "The Professor is lying. The people of the Astral World are not evil, nor are they your enemies. They are powerful – that much is true – but they would never even think of attacking other worlds. That just isn't their nature."

"How powerful are they?" Matt asked.

"Hmm, how should I describe it...?" Skyler muttered. "You're familiar with the power of the Numbers, right? Well, the Numbers are all pieces of a single being from the Astral World."

The Deltas gasped in shock. They were all thinking the same thing: if a single Number was so powerful, just how strong was the original entity? They were all beginning to feel very small again.

"So..." Dan said, breaking the silence. "...the Numbers... does that mean that they...?"

"Yes," Skyler replied. "The Numbers come from the Astral World."

Matt's thoughts went back to the day that they'd asked the Professor where the Numbers came from. But he had merely replied: "I'm afraid that you're not ready for that information. Not yet. Know this, however. The place that the Numbers came from is pure evil, and as such, the Numbers themselves are pure evil." Defiantly, he rounded on Skyler. "Everything you've just said goes against what the Professor said. Why should we believe you?"

Skyler glared at him. "Look, if you want to side with your precious Professor, I won't stop you. Unfortunately, this means that you all remain my enemies. My mission is to stop the Professor, and if you choose to get in my way, then I'll show you no mercy."

"Likewise," Matt replied calmly. "Now then, it's pretty clear that you're here for a duel, so can we get on with it?"

"In a minute," Skyler said. "First, I want to know one more thing." He looked at each of the others in turn. "Suppose I'm right. Suppose, just for the sake of argument, that everything I told you is the truth. If that's the case, and the people of the Astral World aren't the evil ones, who do you think the evil ones are?"

"The people of the Kasen World, I'd assume," Leah guessed.

Skyler snorted with amusement. "Well, you're partly right. The Kasen World does have its fair share of evil doers, but that's not what I'm talking about." He spread his arms wide. "It's us. The people of this world. The monsters are right here, in the Barian World! Hidden in plain sight!"

That did it. Matt took a step forward. "Alright, that's enough out of you! Since the moment you got here, you've done nothing but spout utter nonsense to try and bring us around to your way of thinking. But guess what... we're not buying it. You're just talking a whole bunch of lies that contradicts everything we've learnt."

"The proof you need is right in front of you!" Skyler shouted back in frustration. "Numbers amplify emotions and desires. So how come everytime a human gets a hold of one, bad things happen?"

"That's not the fault of the people!" Matt insisted. "That's the Numbers being selective about what they amplify! They only amplify the bad emotions, and that's made you think that all humans are inherently evil!"

Skyler let out a deep sigh and lowered his arms. "Fine, fine... it seems reason is beyond you. Looks like I'll have to resort of force after all. I suppose I can spare some time to duel." Matt started to prepare his equipment, but Skyler held up a hand to stop him. "But not with you."

"Excuse me?" Matt growled, his hand on his duel disk.

"I didn't come to duel you," Skyler replied. "Your Numbers are weak; they're not what I'm after." With a feeling of authority, he pointed at Dan and Leah. "I'm challenging one of you."

"Us? Why?" Leah asked, though she thought she already knew the answer.

"Because you are in possession of Number 93," Skyler replied, before turning his gaze on Dan. "And you are in possession of Number 40. Those aren't really strong Numbers, but they're a lot stronger than anything you two have." He indicated Katie and Matt, the latter of whom glowered at him. "So, decide amongst yourselves who wants to duel me. I honestly don't care, so long as you decide quickly."

Dan and Leah turned to face each other. The moment they made eye contact, they both knew exactly who was going to be dueling.

"You don't want to duel him, do you?" Dan asked.

Leah shook her head, looking sad and ashamed. "No."

Matt was surprised by her uncharacteristic timidness. "What? Why?"

She turned to face him. "I'm sorry, Matt. It's just... we've been through a lot in the past few days, and it's really starting to get to me. After that duel with Katie in the other world, I just... I just don't think I can deal with this right now. Not today."

Dan laughed, startling the pair of them. "Hey, there's nothing to be ashamed of. This is a serious duel. People could end up getting hurt. If you're not feeling on top of your game, it's better that you sit out for a while."

"Then maybe you should let me duel," Matt replied. "You've just dueled, so you're bound to be tired. I can borrow your Number for the duel so Skyler has an incentive to duel me. That'll let both of you get some res-"

"No," Dan interrupted. Matt looked at him more closely; there was a glint in his eyes that hadn't been there earlier. "That's the other thing. I'm not just doing this because Leah's not feeling well." He grinned. "I want to duel him." He turned to look at his team's leader. "Think about it, Matt. This is my chance for a rematch with one of the strongest duelists we've ever faced. How can I possibly back down?"

Matt stared at him for a good few seconds, struggling to think of an excuse to say no. Finally he sighed. "Just be careful," he said, and backed away towards Katie.

Dan nodded, and was about to step forward, when Leah grabbed his hand. He felt her press something into his palm, and even without looking, he knew immediately what it was. "Good luck," she grinned. "Have fun. And don't you dare get hurt, or I'll be extremely cross."

He laughed. "No promises, but I'll definitely try." At that moment, something wrapped around his left wrist and tugged him away from Leah. Turning around, he saw Skyler's duel anchor fixed onto his left arm. "Ah, I see you've mended it."

"Indeed," Skyler said. He was trying to be serious, but he couldn't stop the savage grin spreading across his face. "How very interesting. A rematch with one of the few duelists who ever defeated me. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't looking forward to this."

"Then let's not waste any more time," Dan replied.

"Duel disk, set!" Both players readied their duel disks – Dan's was an ice blue standard issue model, while Skyler's was a dull grey that sharply contrasted with the shiny metal of his robotic right hand. "D-Gazer, set!" The augmented reality rose up around them. Leading Katie with them, Leah and Matt retreated to a safe distance.

Before they started, Dan called across the field. "Same deal as before! I know you have the ability to stop our bands from extracting your Numbers, but if you lose, I want you to guarantee that you'll give up your Numbers. No funny business."

"I kept my word last time, I shall do so again, Skyler replied. "It just so happens that I have a total of six Numbers with me. Will that satisfy you, Delta?"

Dan grinned. "That'll do me just nicely."

Skyler nodded. "Then no more waiting. Let us begin."

"DUEL!"

Skyler LP: 4000

Dan LP: 4000

"The first move will go to me," Skyler declared. "I draw. For my first move, I Special Summon Solar Wind Jammer!" A purple spearheaded space ship appeared, with two clumps of solar panels sticking out from either side like sails.

Solar Wind Jammer: Machine-Type/LIGHT/Level 5/ATK 800/DEF 2400

"Solar Wind Jammer can be Special Summoned from my hand if I control no monsters," Skyler explained. "But if I use this effect to Summon it, then its ATK and DEF will be reduced by half."

Solar Wind Jammer: ATK 800 → 400/DEF 2400 → 1200

"Then, I Normal Summon Dark Catapulter." A new, vaguely dragonic creature appeared, with a large charging station on its back that could be used to fire energy projectiles.

Dark Catapulter: Machine-Type/EARTH/Level 4/ATK 1000/DEF 1500

"Now I banish Dark Catapulter, to Special Summon this card from my hand!" The Summoned monster dissipated almost instantly. "Appear, Cosmic Corruptor LV3!" With a flash of light and a crackling sound, Dark Catapulter reformed... except its appearance had changed drastically. It was now a much darker, deeper shade of blue, with black electricity lancing across its body.

Cosmic Corruptor LV3: Machine-Type/DARK/Level 3/ATK 700/DEF 0

"Hang on, I remember that card," Dan gasped.

"No you don't," Skyler retorted. "You remember the LV1 version of this card from our previous duel. Regardless, their effects are similar. I can Special Summon this card from my hand by banishing a Machine-Type monster from my field, and if I do, then its Level is increased by the Level of the banished monster."

Cosmic Corruptor LV3: Level 3 7

"Now I'll give a similar treatment to my other monster," Skyler declared, holding up yet another monster from his hand. "I banish Solar Wind Jammer, to Special Summon Cosmic Corruptor LV2!" The spaceship dissipated, only to reform a second later with much the same colour scheme as Catapulter, and with the same black electricity crackling across its body.

Cosmic Corruptor LV2: Machine-Type/DARK/Level 2/ATK 400/DEF 0

"And like my previous Cosmic Corruptor, this one gains the Levels of the monster I banished to Summon it," Skyler explained.

Cosmic Corruptor LV2: Level 2 7

"I'm sure you can guess what's coming now, young Delta," Skyler said, raising his robotic arm into the air. "Level seven Cosmic Corruptor LV3 and Cosmic Corruptor LV2, Overlay!" The two infected monsters turned fully purple, then shot upwards, away from the galaxy-shaped portal that opened beneath them. "I use these two monsters to construct the Overlay Network! Xyz Summon!" The two monsters spiralled into the portal, which erupted with light.

And with the explosion of the portal came a huge boom, the likes of which they'd never heard. The very earth shook with the force of the sound. The four kids covered their ears and screamed in pain… a scream that none of them could hear. It felt like someone was driving nails deep into their ears.

And through it all came Skyler's voice, cutting through the commotion like a knife. "Come forth! Number 25: Sonicboom Dragon!"


Author-made cards:

Cosmic Corruptor LV3
Machine-Type/DARK/Level 3/ATK 700/DEF 0
You can Special Summon this card (from your hand) by banishing 1 face-up Machine-Type monster you control. When you do: Increase this card's Level by the original Level of the banished monster.

Cosmic Corruptor LV2
Machine-Type/DARK/Level 2/ATK 400/DEF 0
You can Special Summon this card (from your hand) by banishing 1 face-up Machine-Type monster you control. When you do: Increase this card's Level by the original Level of the banished monster.


Fun Fact #14: Rematch anyone?

Fun Fact #15: For those of you who were asking if Numbers that appeared in the filler stories would appear in the canon, there's you answer. For those of you who have been skipping most of the filler, Number 25: Sonicboom Dragon originally featured in Chapter 8 of the Filler Collection, where Skyler used it to capture Number 39: Ignite-Mare. And for those of you who think we're going to put its stats in this chapter... I'm not sure what to tell you.