'So what happens next then?' Angel asked, an anger rising in her voice, 'Are you just going to hunt down the Numbers and Barians with your new execution deck?'

Zak stopped and turned to face her with a question on his face.

'Something wrong?' Zak inquired.

'You're throwing away your best card for the sake of power as if you never cared about it!' Angel blurted out.

Zak sighed and looked at her, before nodding. He walked over to her and placed his hands on her shoulders while looking into her eyes.

'Do you know what the reason is for me being trapped in that timestream?' Zak asked gently.

'It was because we were fighting Number Zero right?' Angel responded, sounding a little confused, but still trying to keep the anger present in her voice.

'Exactly, the Numbers trapped me there. Number Zero was at the forefront of it. The Numbers were the reason I was trapped and why we were put in so much danger. Now I plan to hunt them all down so they don't harm another person ever again. And this deck will help me do just that. You see, I'm not throwing away Number Thirteen, Angel, I'm giving him up temporarily. I'm trying to save everyone, and if that means losing my best card for a while; then I have no choice.'

'Okay, fine… But you promise me that you'll take him back after all of this!'

'I promise. For now, you are free to use him and all other Numbers I've collected.'

Angel sighed and added Number Thirteen to her Extra Deck along with any other Numbers she saw as useful to her. The cards were mostly lower Ranks that had suited Zak's previous deck, but some worked well enough for Angel. The duo approached the elevator and waited to return to Angel's apartment. Angel had another thought about Zak's new deck.

'One last thing,' Angel began, 'What about Crimson Blader, your Synchro?'

Zak sighed, 'This deck doesn't have a single Tuner monster, so I can't use him either; but he's still in here as a memento.'

'Is it possible to even use him at all? Or even Number Thirteen?'

'Under very specific circumstances; I could use either one. Crimson Blader is easier but it relies on the opponent having a Tuner.'

'But Zak…' Angel trailed off.

'Angel!' Came a fiery tone in Zak's voice, 'I appreciate you worrying about me and my deck; but we have more important things to worry about than that. Our job isn't over since we still have Numbers and Barians to defeat!'

'Fine,' Angel replied with a grunt.

'And we also have a huge problem that I need your help with,' Zak finished as the elevator hit Angel's floor, 'I'll tell you inside.'

Zak strode over to Angel's door and unlocked it with the key Angel had given him before the whole alternate timestream incident. Angel followed with a sad frown forming on her face; this was not the Zak she remembered. He was colder and more distant from her since he'd returned. She only hoped that he'd return to normal after they'd finished collecting the Numbers and defeating the Barians. Zak was waiting for her inside at the kitchen table when she entered. He gestured for her to sit as he removed his duel disk and placed it on the table. Angel sat down and waited for Zak to explain about the problem he'd mentioned.

'Number Zero is back,' Zak said shortly.

'D-Didn't we already beat Number Zero?' Angel said, with a hint of fear entering her voice.

This revelation was a big one: Number Zero had threatened the entire world and had been the overlord of the alternate timestream that Zak had been trapped in. Both Zak and Angel had fought against its power and had only just managed to destroy it with a last minute miracle. They'd defeated it fair and square, or so Angel thought. She saw that Zak wasn't smiling at all, this was a serious problem, and they both knew it. Number Zero was the overlord of all Numbers and its effects were unparalleled, even if it was almost impossible to summon in any deck unless the deck was made for it. 5 Level 13 monsters was not an easy feat, but the monster that they summoned when they were all overlayed was one that was peerless in power and absolute in destruction.

'We did, but it seems that some of its essence survived since the alternate timestream was not destroyed. I'm sorry to say that it was my fault. Since I was in the timestream and I prevented its collapse; Number Zero also managed to survive,' Zak explained.

'But it can't be here can it? It can't have escaped, unless…' Angel looked at Zak, wide-eyed.

Zak didn't respond and bowed his head. Angel was shocked.

'Unless it escaped when I did,' Zak finished, 'And it did; in another duel ghost. It possessed the ghost with the remaining ounces of its power and managed to get through the portal a few moments after I had done so. The portal then collapsed since the ruler was no longer in the alternate timestream.'

'Whose duel ghost was it?' Angel asked, trying to calm down.

Again, Zak did not respond. Angel was beginning to get sick of this new alien personality.

'Whose was it?!' Angel finally shouted, slamming her hand on the table.

'Kite's,' Zak said quietly.

Immediately Angel fell silent; she understood why Zak had kept silent. Kite was the strongest duelist she knew personally, aside from Zak. She understood that Kite was almost undefeated and, now, since his duel ghost had the power of Number Zero; she had no idea whether or not it would be possible to even defeat Kite's duel ghost.

'Can, can he summon it?' Angel asked quietly.

'I don't know; but Number Zero wouldn't have chosen to possess him if it wasn't possible,' Zak replied in an equal tone, 'Even now I don't know where he is. As soon as he got through the portal, he disappeared completely. I knew I wouldn't be able to find him; so I came searching for you. Even with this new deck I've created; facing Number Zero and winning is a small possibility.'

'And so you came to me asking for my help?' Angel asked, the anger rising again, 'Is that all you came back for? Just help for your revenge and another quest where we may not survive?'

'I'm sorry for how I've acted,' Zak sighed, holding her eyes, 'I've been through a lot…'

'You've been through a lot?!' Angel cried, 'I was pushed through a portal two months ago by my friend who did not return! I thought you were dead! It's been two hard months without you and now you just rock up and expect me to act like nothing's changed!'

Angel felt the tears welling up couldn't help but to let them stream from her eyes. Zak looked at her sadly and stood up before pulling her to her feet. He pulled her into a tight hug as she once again let the tears fall onto his shoulder. She'd missed him so much, and it tore her up to see him so different from before. Zak pulled away a little and looked deep into her electric blue eyes. Angel could see a tear had fallen from his eye too. He'd missed her and he wasn't going to hold that back.

'I'm so sorry,' Zak said with a broken voice.

Angel tried to wipe away the tears as she nodded.

'It's okay, I'm just happy you're back,' She whispered.

Zak looked at her for a few more long moments before releasing his grip on her. His expression asked her the question of whether she was sure that she was alright. Angel nodded and wiped the remaining tears from her eyes. Zak nodded gently and looked toward her bedroom.

'I'll go shower, alright?' Zak said calmly, 'We'll just stay here for the rest of the day. Oh, and one more thing...'

Zak reached into the inside pocket of his hoodie and pulled out a single card before handing it to Angel.

'Consider this a reunion gift and part of my apology,' Zak smiled, 'You'll probably need it where we're heading.'

Zak looked at her one last time before heading for Angel's bathroom. Angel watched him leave and then looked at the card he'd just handed her. She gasped when she saw it and remembered what it was. The card was called 'Metaion, the Timelord.' It seemed that Zak was desperate to end Number Zero once and for all. Angel sighed again and finally resolved to help him until the end. She was his friend and, although his personality was questionable, his cause was noble. Angel nodded at the closed bathroom door.

'Thank you,' Angel mouthed.