Zak had a surprisingly good sleep that night; mainly because he was exhausted. The roof of the hospital was also a helicopter pad, used to transfer in patients by air. This meant that there were a few hospitals beds on standby atop the roof. Zak would use them if he ever slept up here and they were rather comfortable. Zak enjoyed his sleep and relished every moment; it was a luxury to him at the moment. The only downside of the peace and solitude the hospital roof gave him was the sunrise. It hit him earlier than most people, but he didn't mind: an earlier start meant he had more time to prepare for Number Hunting.

The sunlight hit him without a word of warning; causing Zak to instinctively raise his arm to cover his eyes from the glare. After tossing and turning and trying to resist the everlasting light, he opened his eyes and sat up. He rubbed his head and shook it to wake himself up completely. After a long yawn and a stretch, he pulled himself out of the bed and faced Heartland. It was the second day of the World Duel Carnival today and Zak felt ready for it. He looked toward the end of the bed, we he had hung his hoodie and shirt. His sneakers sat just beside his feet and his D-Gazer and deck were under his pillow. As for the Duel Disk and Photon Gauntlet: Zak had hung it on a hook attached to the bed. The hook was there presumably to hold a drip for any patient that may require it.

Zak turned to where he'd hung the Duel Disk and promptly frowned. It wasn't there; the Duel Disk he'd worked so hard to create had just disappeared. Zak moved closer to the hook and bent down to look under the bed. Nothing there too. He stood up, about to consider anywhere it could have gone.

'Morning sweetie,' Came a familiar voice.

Zak almost jumped and quickly spun around to face the source. Angel was just sitting on some boxes on the other side of the bed. She was smiling innocently as usual; but in her hands was Zak's Duel Disk.

'Quite a time you had last night,' Angel said, 'All that running about and chasing trains. I almost lost track of you at one point.'

Zak was still confused from seeing her here in the first place, let alone with his Duel Disk. He'd taken her two Numbers and removed them from her soul. So why was she here; what was her motive for seeing him? Zak then realised she was talking to him and thought quickly to answer her.

'Why were you tracking me in the first place?' He said, still sounding a little shaken.

'You have something of mine, I have something you want and I want your help,' Angel answered sweetly, holding up a shining card.

'Another Number; I should have known,' Zak replied grimly, 'Let me guess, you want to exchange that Number for Number 88 right?'

'So smart… And so sexy!' Angel said eyeing Zak up and down, 'You know you're pretty hot for an antisocial guy who spends his time chasing cards.'

Zak realised he hadn't put his shirt on yet and was facing Angel wearing only his jeans.

'Are you trying to seduce me?' Zak asked, raising an eyebrow.

'Oh believe me sweetie, if I was trying to seduce you; I'd have done it by now.'

'I doubt that. You said you wanted my help. Why?'

Angel took a more serious tone of voice now: she was done being playful. She carefully placed Zak's Duel Disk on the bed and faced him.

'I want to team up with you to hunt Numbers,' she said adamantly.

Zak almost laughed at the idea, but he faced her seriously.

'And why might that be,' he replied, heading for his shirt and hoodie.

'Because I'm a Number Hunter too. And when I was defeated by you, I saw that I couldn't do it on my own. You're a really good duelist and I want to stop the Numbers from destroying Heartland. That's why I want your help.'

Zak was curious now: Angel seemed almost sad. Her voice was quieter and she was looking at the bed, instead of at Zak's eyes as she usually did.

'And why do you want to save Heartland. What's your motive?'

'Will you keep it a secret?'

'If you want me to.'

'Fine then. I was possessed by Number 88 two weeks ago. I found the card lying on top of a jumper I was going to buy. I picked it up and then it took control of me. I then ran away, while still holding the jumper. When I got home I was crying because I had no idea what to do. So I called my now ex-boyfriend and told him what happened. It turns out he had been possessed by a Number too and he dumped me then and there with no regrets. I realised at the time that all of that had been because of the Number cards and so I wanted to get rid of them.'

Zak noticed a tear build up in Angel's eye. She was telling the truth. Zak pitied her: she appeared to be a flirtatious and confident girl but was actually heartbroken and lonely. Zak looked at her steadily for a few moments as she looked back into his grey eyes. He gave her a small smile as he made up his mind.

'Your secret is safe with me. Now, about teaming up…' He began.

Angel looked at him with an anxious expression. Zak reached for his deck and pulled out a single card. Angel was becoming nervous. But that feeling was short-lived when Zak revealed the card he now held. A huge smile broke upon her face.

Number 88: Goddess of Light.

'Here, you can keep using it,' Zak continued, handing her the card, 'You may keep the other one too. If we're going to be a team, you'll need all the support you can get. But there is one thing you need to know; if you betray me at all, I will take back that Number just as quickly as I gave it to you. Understand?'

Angel nodded quickly and held the card close to her chest. Zak then noticed she had a small silver key on a chain around her neck. He thought it was probably the key to her home. Angel had returned to her usual energetic mood now and rushed around making sure everything was in check as Zak got dressed. Zak too then made a mental check of everything he had and needed. After he was satisfied, he glanced at Angel and pulled his hood up. She smiled in return and headed for the elevator. Zak followed suit and pressed the button. Now that he stood next to her, he realised that she was only an inch shorter than him.

'One more thing sweetie,' Angel said, turning to Zak, 'Can you teach me how to Synchro Summon?'