(Star dreaming) Kite was dueling against Heartland in the middle of the city. It was apparently Heartland, but in his Barian form, I barely recognized him. He looked like a repulsive cross between the infamous Thousand-Eyes Idol and some giant, ugly, beetle-like insect. The rest of the gang was watching the duel except for Yuma, Astral, and the Kastle twins. Quinton and I were ahead of the others in watching Kite, both of us looking worried.
Kite looked to be in a lot of pain, struggling to keep his footing. Quinton and I kept sending each other worried sideways glances; we both knew Kite wouldn't be able to hold up much longer. Our fears soon came to life as a sudden explosion of pain came from Kite, and he collapsed to the ground.
(Star) My eyes snapped open with a start, seeing that it was the afternoon. I was sitting in one of the couches in my living room, with my parents' journal in my lap. I mentally scolded myself for dozing off while I was reading - or trying to read - the other journal entries. I guess I nodded off when I was on the last page a while earlier. Well, at least I went near the hospital this morning to mentally check in on Rio without dealing with the crowd that's usually in the lobby. Either way, I went back to reading the last entries in the journal.
Marina: Mr. Heartland and his group of evildoers are trying even harder than ever to get rid of me, Tomo, and our little Star. Tomo and I have been making preparations to leave Heartland City for the time being. The duel spirits of the house are sure to protect it from anyone with malevolent intentions. They all promise that they'll recognize us when we return with our daughter. But it's such a shame Tomo has to leave his closest friend, Byron. It's even worse that Star must leave his oldest son, Chris. I believe that the two are to be destined soulmates, and should remain united. But these visions of us dying in Heartland City are too much to bear; we must leave before we are captured.
Tomo: It grieves me deeply to leave Byron and his sons. I know that Chris will surely miss my daughter; they've grown very close over the short time they were with each other. But are they really meant to be destined soulmates as Marina believes? After all, a soulmate bond is already rare enough; one involving a Phantom during these times is something that almost never happens.
Star, if you ever come to the point of reading this and we're not around, you must do this for Marina and me: grow strong enough to defeat your true foes. Make many friends and reunite with your soulmate, Christopher Arclight, in remembrance. Marina and I have prepared many gifts for you, in case you survived life away from Heartland City and we didn't. But if we are on the other side of the Realm when you find this journal, always know that you are a Phantom, and Phantoms are raised to fight for peace.
I teared up a little at my father's last bit of writing, despite already knowing about their gifts. I suppose I've already been living up to their wishes since I got here. I've made a good number of friends, reunited with Quinton, and stood up for and made a promise of peace. After putting the journal away and drying my eyes, I phantomized and returned to the Arclight submarine. Only Quinton was there as I entered and did the same thing as before.
"Star, have you had a vision today?" he asked.
I nodded. "I had a dream-vision just about an hour ago."
"I thought so; I also had a vision at the same time." That was strange; only Phantoms are supposed to have visions unless we really are soulmates. "Has one of our previous visions come true?"
"Yeah; last night, it all happened just how we both saw it. Don't worry, Quinton, no major problems came up. Yuma's friends are safe, and all their memories are accounted for."
"Good. Trey told me that he's staying at Yuma's house for the time being. Quattro's job as of now is to keep an eye on Shark and Rio without Shark's knowing; he was sent off very early this morning. If the next vision comes true, I fear it will happen in a short time."
"Tori's been keeping me posted about Rio," I added. "Ever since leaving the undersea ruins, there's been almost no change in her condition. There's been no change in Shark's mental state, either; he's still really upset and worried about his sister. I sensed it when I walked near the - agh!" Quinton and I stopped cold when we both sensed a strong surge of strange, dark power. "What was that?"
"Whatever it was, I doubt it's anything good," Quinton assumed, heading to the submarine's computer. He rang up Quattro on the screen.
"Now what?" Quattro asked when he answered.
"Quattro, you need to get to Heartland Hospital," Quinton commanded. "Something terrible is about to happen, if it hasn't already."
"Just great, now you tell me it's urgent," the Puppet Master groaned. "Fine, I'm going. See you later." With that, he signed off.
At least he answered, Quinton mused to himself. Kite hasn't been picking up lately. Almost every time I contacted them, Hart would answer instead of him.
"You're not the only one he's been ignoring," I added. "Besides the issue with Number 96, Kite hasn't been answering any of us ever since the Number hunt at Temple Draghos."
"The fabled temple in China?" Quinton asked in surprise. "Which of the Barians did that place mention?"
"Kite's Galaxy-Eyes rival," I answered. "The Barian's name is Mizar. Of all the Barians we've met so far, Mizar seems to be the only one refusing to believe the legend of his respective ruins. Each of them holds a story that appears to describe a time when one of the Barians were human. Not only does every legend have a tragic ending, but the ruins the legends were found in each had a Tsukumo King's Coin inside; the undersea ruins had two coins, since two Numbers were inside them." By the time I finished explaining, Quattro called back.
"Looks like you two were right. Trey, Tori, and Yuma said Rio's somehow been poisoned by a Barian. I think the doctors said something about toxins from a sea wasp. I'm trying to find Shark right now. Just in case this Barian has a Number, Yuma returned my Number cards."
"Check the abandoned Kastle mansion," I suggested. "It a little out-of-the-way, but Shark and Rio once lived there, according to what I know about them. But be careful; if a Barian's also there, they'll most likely cheat if you challenge them to a duel."
"Sounds like a strange plan, but it's a start. I'll give your idea a shot, and if there's any trouble, I can take 'em. See ya, Ghost Girl." Quattro signed off again before I could scold him for calling me that.
"I told him not to call me that," I growled in annoyance.
"I've been telling him not to tease," Quinton sighed. "Then again, since when does Quattro listen to either of us?" We sighed simultaneously. "But a sea wasp - also known as the box jellyfish - is nothing to underestimate. If I recall correctly, it has a reputation as the deadliest fish in the world."
"If the vision's accurate, this Barian's name is Chironex," I added, "and his powers in poisons are almost exactly like the sea wasp. Similarly, Erazor - the Barian Trey and Yuma dueled - was just like a cicada."
"Have any of your monsters reported that Astral really is gone?"
"Unfortunately, no. All of my monsters have been going through the entire Shadow Realm with a fine-tooth comb ever since his disappearance. They keep hearing about something happening on Astral world from a bunch of strange monsters. According to reports, they look like all sorts of figures from Egyptian mythology, and say that their duelist is a powerful entity. I really hope that Astral is still alive somewhere, and that he can be reached."
The computer started beeping, indicating someone was calling; Quinton answered on the monitor. To both our surprise, it was from Kite, standing in some kind of strange laboratory.
"Quinton, Star," Kite addressed, seeing that I was with his former mentor. "I've noticed something strange ever since our Mythyrian Number hunts. Before the hunt, you never knew the Numbers were even there. During the hunt for the Mythyrian Numbers, I noticed the signal from the Astral airship didn't target the Numbers; it was actually targeting the King's Coins Yuma found at all of them."
"What's your point?" I asked.
"My theory is that there's something strange about those coins; something related to Astral world. However, I'll need one of them to know for sure. Quinton, come over to my location as soon as you can; I'm sending the coordinates to you now. Star, before you come to the location, I need you to secretly enter Yuma's house and get one of those coins; your stealth capabilities should help." A location on a map showed up on the monitor, and I recognized the land mass it was on.
"Wait; you want me to steal from Yuma's family and then head to Alaska?! After everything I've been through, I do not like the cold!" I exclaimed. Kite's expression on the screen clearly stated he wasn't joking. "Fine, I'll do it; but if Kari or Yuma asks, it was your idea, Kite." The blonde rolled his eyes before signing off.
Kite, can't you ever fully explain yourself when you do things like this? Quinton asked in his thoughts. "Looks like Kite put us on a surprise mission," he commented. "I'm not fond of cold weather either, Star, but it appears we'll have to do this."
I sighed in exasperation before I phantomized to leave the submarine and head back to the bridge. I reverted once I was standing on it. Melting into my own shadow, I raced over to Yuma's house. I really didn't like to steal from anyone, especially if it was one of my friends. Nevertheless, I sneaked in through the open attic window, leaving the shadows. On the small crate in the corner that had a picture of Yuma's parents on it was the King's Coins, all in a small pile. Knowing I had to do it, I silently took one of the coins, disappearing into the shadows to leave through the window. I rushed into the forest where my house was so I wouldn't be easily seen. Remembering the coordinates, I opened and entered a Shadow Gateway to head to the location.
While in the vortex, I felt energy coursing through the coin; energy that was very similar to Astral's. When I was at the location, I was immediately greeted by a cold wind that nipped at my hands and face. I was standing in between two large buildings, and Kite and Quinton were in one of them. I walked into the building to see both of them, with Orbital, at a supercomputer.
"I have the coin, Kite," I spoke up as I approached them. "Now explain yourself. Why were Quinton and I called to the middle of an abandoned research facility in Alaska, of all places?"
"We're here because the place is in a remote area, and the equipment might help us figure out exactly what happened to Astral," Kite replied, taking the coin from my hand. He put the coin in front of a scanner on the computer, and the results came out on a piece of paper. "And looks like I was right. These coins aren't made of real metal; they're just painted disks of Astralite, a mineral from Astral world."
"If he's correct, we can use the Astralite as a power source for the Interdimensional Teleporter Kite and Orbital have apparently been constructing," Quinton explained. "The necessary materials had been delivered from Heartland City by plane. The machine is designed to create a portal to Astral world so that we can know for sure if Astral's still alive."
It's a decent plan, if it works, Yin commented, appearing beside me.
But it'll have to be done quickly if we want to find Astral before anything bad happens, added Yurei on my other side.
"You two must be Star's monsters," Quinton presumed, able to see the spirits. "I remember you from before, Yinlong. But the other one is unfamiliar."
I am Yurei Kuin, my Ritual Fiend introduced herself. But you can call me Yurei. Yin and I have been getting reports from some extremely distraught monsters from the decks of the Kastle twins. Chironex poisoning them both isn't helping them at all. Tori's also very worried; she looks up to her female friend, and Rio promised to teach her how to duel sometime. Yurei then returned to my deck.
It appears that Abyss is finally in the clear from his spouse, though, Yin added. Ever since visiting their ruins, Crystal has been throwing Abyss some very stern lectures against the possession of humans and threatening of life. We've all learned to forgive, but it's forgetting that's not likely to happen anytime soon.
"I know what you mean," Quinton replied, stroking Yin's long, thin snout. "Forgiving and forgetting are two different things, though one is almost always more likely to happen than the other."
"Enough talk," Kite interrupted, his thoughts irritated and confused. "Whatever you two are looking at, Orbital and I can't see it. Besides, you both are wasting time talking about past problems. If we want to get in touch with Astral world fast, we'll have to get back to constructing the Interdimensional Teleporter. I'll be holding onto the King's Coin for now. Now let's get moving." Curse of Dragon and Curse of Dragonfire both came out for a second, hissed something loudly at Kite, - which made Yin reel in evident shock - and returned to their respective cards.
"What did they say, Yin?" I asked my dragoness.
Nothing that I would like to repeat in polite company, she replied uneasily, twisting her body and laying her ears back in discomfort before returning to her card.
"Uh, okay. That's enough of an answer to me," I replied, sweatdropping. Between Yin's words and her body language, I'm getting the feeling that some swear words were involved in that insult from the twin dragons. (Makes me glad I can't quite translate anything dragonic yet.) Quinton was also mentally cringing at Yin's response. Twins, I mentally remarked to Quinton, almost impossible to understand. I guess those two don't have "Curse" in their names for laughs.
You're going to lecture them later, aren't you? Quinton presumed.
Actually, I'll leave dealing with them to Yin and my other dragons, I replied mentally. I was exhausted after lecturing misbehaving duel spirits a few nights ago. I don't really want to repeat that at a time like this. Quinton's thoughts voiced his agreement as we looked over the blueprints for the machine.
"Every piece must be p-p-placed per-per-perfectly," Orbital stuttered loudly. "A single part out of place could be ca-ca-catastrophic!"
"I understand that this is delicate machinery," I notified, glaring at the robot. "You don't need to yell about it." Orbital kept yelling about how fragile the machine was. "And you choose to wonder why we left you back on the airship at Spartan City!" I snapped angrily, causing the robot to go silent. I facepalmed and took a deep sigh to calm myself down. The crystal on my bracelet started flashing. I put my hand down to tap the crystal; it was a message from Yuma with a linked recorded video. The message itself stated that Rio and Shark were in the clear from Chironex's poison. On the appearing screen was a video of a baffled Chironex.
"That rotten punk kid," Chironex remarked. "I know I've met him before." His face was suddenly even more shocked. "I remember now! That time, years ago, when the cops were chasing me. I lost control; I slammed into that car. But I saw... I could never forget that face, but... That kid couldn't be you!"
"Hold up," Shark's voice called. "What're you babbling about?"
Chironex fell to his knees, clutching his head in shock. "There's no way it can be you! There's no way!..." Chironex's body disintegrated into particles as the recording ended.
"What was that all about?" Kite asked as he and Quinton watched the video over my shoulder.
"I have a guess," I remarked. "When I was around the hospital, I noticed that some of the older doctors and nurses knew Shark and Rio. They remembered how their parents were killed in a car crash involving a criminal driving an 18-wheeler truck around ten years ago. They remembered how the twins nearly died that night, and that they were orphans from that point on."
"No wonder Shark worries about his sister so much," concurred Quinton. "Rio is the only living family he has left. That also explains why he so detested Quattro after the fire incident. The poor girl was unconscious for a year and a half, at least."
Well, two dream-visions down; two to go, I mentally notified Quinton, who nodded in understanding.
We spent the next few hours or so putting the rest of the Interdimensional Teleporter together, following the blueprints. I was able to use my power to lift and move the parts into their correct places, being as careful as I was when I moved Alito into a Baria Crystal. Quinton was able to do the same with his Crest bracelet, riding off the memory of using his original Crest on Hart a few months back (a memory with a fair amount of guilt around the edges, I might add). Orbital was able to use his long robotic arms to move the pieces, but was a little clumsy on account of some glitches that Kite seemingly can't quite fully repair. Kite himself was mostly reviewing the blueprints and supervising our quick work. I would've considered it almost lazy if I didn't notice how much pain Kite was hiding. He had a lot of bad memories concerning Mr. Heartland and what he did to Kite and Hart in the past.
By the time we had finished the machine, it was nighttime. Quinton and I were exhausted from using our powers for so long without a rest, and Orbital looked a little low on battery power.
"Looks like we finished the Interdimensional Teleporter just in time," Kite commented, looking over the finished machine.
"But how are we going to test whether it works or not?" I asked. "One of us is going to have to go through the portal ourselves to be sure it works."
"You have a point," Quinton commented. "It might well be a one-way trip using the Teleporter. I will go through the portal."
"What?!" I exclaimed, voicing Kite's surprise. "Quinton, if something were to happen to the Teleporter, you'd be -"
"I know," he interrupted, placing a hand on my shoulder. "And that's where you come in, Star. You're the only one who can easily find me, no matter what the distance. If something happens to the Teleporter, you can reach out to me and create a portal to bring me back. You have been able to trust me this long; and I need you to trust me now." I sighed, but nodded to him.
"Let's get the machine outside," Kite suggested. "That way, the buildings here won't be damaged in case something does happen."
Quinton and I had to use our respective power to carefully lift the heavy machine and slowly phase it through the thick, metal wall of the building. It took an eternity, but we both did it; by the time we put down the Interdimensional Teleporter, our powers were pretty spent. We then went outside to see how it was, being greeted by a windy snowstorm.
"Well, it looks like we picked the right place," Kite mused. "Even if we can barely see it."
"You deserve all the credit, Kite," Quinton congratulated his former pupil. "You made the call."
"Are you positive you want to go through with this, Quinton?" Kite asked.
"I'm sure," his mentor confirmed. "I have to, even though it's dangerous. And there's no way Yuma can know about it."
Even though Yuma probably will know about it one way or another, I thought to myself.