Skyler LP: 0
Matt LP: 500 [WINNER]
Chaos Number 51: Dark Excalibur Reita: Warrior-Type/Xyz/DARK/Rank 6/ATK 2800/DEF 2000 – 0 OLU
Leah LP: 0
Chaos Number 17: Passion Aurora Sol: Fairy-Type/Xyz/LIGHT/Rank 5/ATK 2800/DEF 1800 – 0 OLU
The sword seemed to take forever on its way down, as though time itself was determined to draw out the duelists' suffering for as long as possible. Leah had her arms thrown up in a futile attempt to defend herself as the Chaos Number's blade bore down on her. Matt watched everything, a demented grin splitting his face.
Then, several things happened at once.
The sword wreathed itself in a curtain of shadows...
...Katie and James screamed...
...Leah shut her eyes tight...
...a streak of gold blazed across the field...
...the sound of crackling electricity coupled with the swoosh of the blade...
...and an explosion, the likes of which they'd never seen, ripped across the park. It wasn't a normal explosion with fire and smoke; it was a pulse of pure energy that tore up the grass and earth, pelting Matt and the spectators. Leah was directly beneath the epicentre, and covered her face as the shockwave passed overhead. She caught the smell of burning hair as the blast singed her scalp, and felt her very skin tingling at the immense power.
Stunned, her ears ringing, she glanced up to see what had caused such a thing... and beheld her own Chaos Number standing over her, grappling with Matt's. In the commotion, Passion Aurora Sol had come to her aid, charging its fist with a pale yellow aura which crackled like electricity, and smashing it head on into Dark Excalibur Reita's shadowy blade. It was this that had produced the explosion.
Dark Excalibur Reita's twisted grin quickly became impatient scowl, mirroring Matt's. Its eyes narrowed, its teeth bared, and it pushed down harder with its sword, trying to force the opposing Chaos Number to its knees. But the golden angel refused to give an inch, pushing back just as hard. Neither could make any headway.
Leah attempted to use the distraction to shuffle back, away from the confrontation. If she could get to a safe distance, she could call on more Numbers to fight. But as if sensing her intentions, Reita turned its glare on her and shifted its grip slightly, as if warning her not to move. Sol used the temporary lapse to push the sword back a few inches, but Reita quickly returned its attention to the struggle, and they were deadlocked again.
Katie breathed a sigh of relief. "Phew... I thought she was done for."
"Speak for yourself," James said, trying and failing to keep the shakiness out of his voice. "I- I wasn't worried in the slightest..."
"Shush James," Dan said, before turning to Katie. "Do you have a plan?"
She nodded, trying to stay calm. "I think so... but we've got literally seconds. I need you to do exactly what I say and don't question me." Dan nodded without hesitation. "Both of you..." she added, turning to James.
Her boyfriend nodded. "You're the boss."
"Alright..." Katie took a deep breath before giving her first order. "Dan, get a hold of James and restrain him."
"Restra- whuh?!" James gasped in shock as Dan swiftly grabbed hold of his arm, ducked underneath it, and twisted it up behind his back. "What the hell is- Katie, what're you doing?"
"Sorry James," Katie said. She raised her right hand and pointed it and the centre of James' chest. The polished metal band on her wrist lit up a pure white colour.
James' eyes widened. "You're not using that bloody thing on me!" he said, struggling against Dan's hold on him. "Gerroff me! Let me go, you-"
"James, just calm down. It won't hurt, I promise-" Katie insisted. Unfortunately, James was now beyond reason, and was wrenching at Dan's grip with all his might. Finally abandoning her attempts to explain, she decided that it was better to just get on with it, and released her band's powers, sending the tendrils of light from her wrist straight into her boyfriend's chest.
It was the most unsettling thing he'd ever felt. James could actually feel the band's influence poking around in his very core, searching, scouring. He hadn't felt this strange since his Number first infected him. He suddenly understood why it was usually better for a Number holder to be defeated before the band was used – Numbers derived their strength from their owners, and if James' will had been stronger, his Number could probably have fought off the invasive powers. Still, even though it was outmatched, he could feel his Number fighting back. The sensation of a miniature war being waged inside his own soul made him feel horribly nauseous. While Katie had been right about it not hurting, it was still one of the weirdest sensations imaginable, and he found himself involuntarily thrashing around, trying to escape the sense of 'wrongness' that plagued his body as the band worked its magic.
As quickly as it started, it was over. The tendrils retracted from James' body, carrying with them the only Number that James owned – his original, Number 73: Matrix Gardna. Katie caught it her outstretched hand, and Dan immediately released his hold in James, who collapsed to his knees. His skin was pale, and he was breathing heavily.
"Katie..." he muttered. "Why...?"
She knelt down in front of him, feeling overwhelmed with guilt. "James, I'm sorry, I really am. But we've got so little time left... I promise, I'll give your Number back after we're done with this-"
"But why...?" he murmured, staring up at her. "Why did you do that?"
"I'll explain later, I swear," she assured him. "But right now I need your band."
"My... what?"
"Your band," she repeated. "I need to borrow it for a while."
"You..." The realisation hit him like a truck, and he stared at her in awe. "So that's it..."
"Katie," Dan interrupted. "We have to move now!"
"James, please..."
Without another word, James slipped the metal contraption off his wrist (for possibly the first time in months) and pressed it into Katie's palm. He felt no fear or trepidation as the band changed hands – with his Number gone, he no longer had any need for the thing. Which, he now knew, was why Katie had done what she'd done. Her gamble had paid off.
Now they had two spare bands.
"Katie, seriously," Dan insisted, slipping his own band off his wrist as he prepared to run. "It's now or never! I'd prefer now!"
Katie made to stand up, but James squeezed her hand before she could. "Be careful..." he muttered. "Those creatures are lethal... and their Numbers are pretty scary too."
She nodded. "I'll be back soon, I promise," she whispered, before releasing his hand and turning to Dan. "Alright, Dan, get your band onto Leah! I'll handle Matt! Go!" With no more time to spare, the two kids sprinted towards the duel as fast as their legs would carry them.
Dan reached his target first. Throwing himself to the ground, he rolled underneath the two Chaos Numbers – which were still grappling for control of the blade – and landed heavily beside Leah. She regarded him first with surprise, then with fury, and she opened her mouth to order her Chaos Number to strike the intruder.
Before she could articulate the words, however, Dan grabbed a hold of her arm and pressed the smooth metal against the back of her left hand.
The results were instantaneous. The four glowing symbols on her right arm, as well as the dark pulsating one of her left, flickered out of existence, and Leah gave a sharp intake of breath as the four invasive creatures were banished from her mind. At the exact same moment, Passion Aurora Sol seemed to dissipate into a shower of light particles, and Reita staggered forwards as the pressure on its blade vanished. The monster seemed confused as to where its enemy had disappeared. It couldn't comprehend it. Puzzled, it turned back to its 'master' for new commands, and spotted Katie speeding towards Matt as fast as she could.
As emotion-starved and primitive as its consciousness was, Reita had no way of knowing that Katie was trying to subdue it with the shiny piece of metal in her hand. Nor did it fully understand how the bands even worked. Still, someone was moving purposefully towards its master, and the Chaos Number immediately perceived it as a threat. Its instincts kicked in, and a single thought formed in its head – 'eliminate'.
Spinning on its heel, the shadowy warrior let out a battle cry and charged towards Katie. She, noticing the danger, immediately quickened her pace, desperate to reach Matt before the Number reached her. James and Dan shouted to her, spurring her on.
The mental warning, however, reached Matt before either of them did. As inexorably linked as he and his Numbers were, they immediately sensed the potential danger from Reita's thoughts, and urged him to turn, quickly! He glanced over his shoulder, and for a brief moment his furious expression was replaced by one of surprise as Katie closed in on him, even as Reita closed in on her.
"She's not going to make it," Dan muttered. Leah said nothing – exhaustion had finally gotten the better of her, and she was out like a light.
Katie was so close now. She was less than three metres away. She could almost taste victory. Glancing out of the corner of her eye, she saw that Reita was just as close now. She could see right into its eyes; they were dark, soulless, and filled to the brim with pure hatred.
Right now, it wanted nothing more than to kill her.
She watched as, mid-stride, the dark warrior steadied its weapon in preparation to swing, and heard a whooshing sound as the length of the blade was wreathed in shadows.
'You're not winning this race!' she thought determinedly, and with her final step she lowered her body, took a deep breath, and launched herself at Matt. Her right shoulder slammed into his stomach, and she wrapped an arm around his waist, pulling him down to the ground with her.
The shadowy blade passed harmlessly overhead, missing her by millimetres.
They both landed heavily, and Matt felt all the air driven out of his lungs. He lay there, dazed and breathless, as Katie quickly scrabbled for his arm and touched the metal band against his skin.
With a bellow of frustration, Dark Excalibur Reita seemed to explode into cloud of light particles just as Sol had done. At the same time, Matt gave a sharp intake of breath as every single other conscience in his mind – fifteen of them – were swept aside like leaves in a gust of wind. The aura of shadows faded from around his body, and the seemingly unstoppable tide of anger and bitterness was suddenly drained away, leaving a strange void that was filled only surprise, confusion, and guilt.
Slowly, tenderly, Katie pushed herself up and grinned at him. Her hair was a mess, her shirt and jacket was covered in mud, and she was holding her arm awkwardly, as though her shoulder was causing her pain. But that didn't stop the joy spreading across her face as she beheld their leader.
"Welcome back, Matt," she smiled.
Then Matt's eyes closed, his head slumped back, and he fell into the welcoming embrace of sleep.
Author-made cards:
Chaos Number 17: Passion Aurora Sol
Fairy-Type/Xyz/LIGHT/Rank 5/ATK 2500/DEF 1800
3 Level 5 LIGHT monsters OR 1 "Number 17: Passion Aurora"
This card cannot be destroyed by battle, except by a "Number" monster. If you have 1000 or more Life Points, destroy this card. During either player's turn: You can detach 1 Overlay Unit from this card, then declare 1 type of Summon (Normal, Flip or Special); destroy all other face-up monsters that were Summoned this way, then this card gains 300 ATK for each one.
Chaos Number 51: Dark Excalibur Reita
Warrior-Type/Xyz/DARK/Rank 6/ATK 2800/DEF 2000
3 Level 6 DARK monsters OR 1 "Number 51: Dark Excalibur"
This card cannot be destroyed by battle, except by a "Number" monster. If you have 1000 or more Life Points, destroy this card. Once per turn, at the start of your Battle Phase: You can detach 1 Overlay Unit from this card; during this Battle Phase, this card can attack all monsters your opponent controls once each. When this card targets a monster for an attack: You can detach 1 Overlay Unit from this card; negate that attack, and if you do, inflict damage to your opponent equal to that monster's original ATK. You can only use this effect of "Chaos Number 51: Dark Excalibur Reita" once per turn.
Fun Fact #38: Slightly shorter Chapter this time, but this one really deserves to stand alone, as every attempt we made to write about the aftermath of the duel seemed to cheapen the effect of the entire Chapter. You'll have to wait a little for the resolution.
Fun Fact #39: The "Chaos" story isn't over yet. Not be a long shot.
Fun Fact #40: Apparently 'Gerroff' isn't a word. Hmm, who knew...