The next day, Kite said he had to go back home for something. He left on a hover-plane, leaving Orbital, Quinton and me back at the research facility. I knew the real reason why Kite left, and Quinton had a similar guess.
"He probably went back to tell Yuma," I told him after Kite left. "You know that, right?"
Quinton nodded slowly. "I wouldn't be surprised if that were the case. Knowing how stubborn Kite can be, neither of us would be able to convince him not to."
I nodded silently in agreement. "That's what I thought. Now let's go inside before we get frostbite." Quinton agreed and followed me into the building, while Orbital stayed outside with the Teleporter.
That evening, we heard the hover-plane come back. I could detect Kite's thoughts, as well as those of Yuma and Tori.
"Looks like we were right," I confirmed. "Kite did leave earlier today to get Yuma and Tori."
Quinton sighed in exasperation. "We'll have to get there and meet up with them."
I nodded in agreement, and we both went to the Interdimensional Teleporter.
"Kite," Quinton called as we were both behind Kite, Yuma, and Tori.
"Quinton! Star!" Yuma awed, shocked that we were here with Kite.
"I thought I told you not to bring him here," my old friend scolded Kite.
"You did," the blonde confirmed. "But unlike you, I don't see any point in babying him."
"I thought we agreed I would test out the device; and if it was successful, then and only then, would we inform Yuma of our plan."
"Not to mention, if it didn't work, I'd send a portal to bring him back," I hissed coldly.
"Well, I guess I changed my mind," Kite snapped.
"Quinton, Star, why didn't you tell me that I could get to Astral World?" Yuma demanded.
"Because we know you," Quinton replied simply. "And we knew if we told you, you would insist on going."
"We didn't want you and your stubborn attitude interfering with the original plan," I explained, crossing my arms.
"You have to let me use it, Quinton!" Yuma pleaded. "You know I'll do anything it takes to find Astral!"
"A million things could go wrong and we haven't tested any of it," warned Quinton. "Even if the transporter worked and you survived the trip to Astral world, it's a world we know absolutely nothing about. It could very well be a one-way trip." Tori staggered in shock, but Yuma stood firm.
"I don't care! It's a risk I'm totally willing to take!"
"Look, you two," Kite interrupted. "We all know that Yuma's father left those coins in the ancient ruins on purpose. Those seven coins must be a message for Yuma to go to Astral world."
If that's true, it's gotta mean Astral's still alive!" Yuma exclaimed with a grin. "And if he's still alive, I'm the person who should go and find him. The only person!"
"You guys gotta let Yuma do this," Tori spoke up. "Yuma and Astral share a special bond. I know that he can find Astral!"
"Thanks, Tori," Yuma thanked his old friend. "Please, Quinton. Please, Star. Let me go find Astral."
Quinton and I took a moment before we finally agreed. "All right, Yuma," Quinton relented. "You win."
"But only because you're not the only one who shares a bond with someone else," I added. Yuma grinned in thanks and went up to the machine platform, ready to get going.
"The Teleporter is going to open the portal to Astral world and send you there," Quinton explained. "But we don't know how long we can keep the portal open. If it closes, you may never come home again."
"Guys, don't worry about a thing!" Yuma reassured. "I'll bring Astral back, guaranteed!"
"Orbital, let's do this," Kite commanded.
"Yes sir, Master k-k-Kite!" stuttered Orbital.
"Charge up the Astralite," Quinton added. "When it reaches maximum strength, we'll release all the stored energy in a single burst that'll create a wormhole to Astral world. At least, that's the plan. Yuma, for your own safety, stay in that exact spot until it's fully charged. The Astralite's only good for a single blast, so we only have one shot to open the portal." As Yuma was lifted into the air by the charging energy, I began to sense Barian power nearby. Quinton turned to look at me. And for your safety, Star, hide in my shadow like you would in your own, he thought. If a Barian shows up, you will have to hide. As much of a nuisance it is, we'll have to follow Quattro's idea of you being my shadow brought to life. I'm counting on you, old friend, to make sure that any Barians that come don't remain. I nodded once and disappeared into his shadow. Since we looked like each other, no one would know the difference.
"As-Astralite charged to 40%," the robot at the computer reported. "45, 50, 55 -." The power in the area was suddenly cut, cloaking the entire place in shadow.
"What's wrong?" Tori asked, worry growing in her mind.
"The power's down," Kite sneered.
"So it can't charge!" Quinton realized, turning back to the machine. "We need to find more power, now!"
"Orbital, jack this thing into your power core!" Kite shouted to the robot.
Orbital looked panicky, if that's even possible for a robot. "B-b-but sir, I - I -"
"Just do as I tell you!" Kite persisted.
"Please hurry, Orbital!" Tori begged.
"All right," Orbital complied, taking the plug for the Teleporter. " I knew I should've packed some spare batteries," he grumbled before plugging it into himself. The robot sparked with red electricity for a second before falling to the ground, scaring Tori.
"Settle down, it's nothing a quart of oil won't be able to fix," Kite assured Tori. We all were suddenly interrupted by cackling; a small form appeared from a shower of Barian particles.
"So sorry to spoil your little science project but I can't allow Yuma to go to Astral world," the Barian spoke as he materialized. I knew his name was Scritch, and I saw that he did something to Kite.
"You Barians always show up at the worst possible times," Kite insulted. "Don't you know you're not welcome here?"
Scritch, I telepathically told Quinton. The dream-vision concerning him came around two weeks ago. I think he did something to Kite.
Yuma sneered. "I'll make you stop laughing -!"
"Stay where you are," Kite ordered. "Remember that you can't leave that spot until the Astralite's fully charged. I'll be the one to pounce on this pathetic pest."
"He won't get near the Teleporter till you're through the portal," Quinton assured Yuma. "We'll both make sure of that."
Scritch chuckled. "So be it. I'll take you two down first, then!" Scritch threw down a smokeball that made Don Thousand's emblem appear on the ground.
Ow! I really hate when they do that! I mentally shouted as the sensation of my strength draining came up again.
"In this field, my LP are doubled, and your LP are halved," the Barian explained.
"Like that's gonna help you," Kite remarked sarcastically.
"Let's do this," Quinton smiled confidently.
"I'm going to love taking the two of you down," Scritch smirked before going into his Barian form, which looked much like a black-and-white striped humanoid mosquito, d-pad ready. "I can't wait to get under your skin!"
"Somebody call pest control," Kite commented.
"Quinton, use this!" Yuma called, throwing a card at the male in question.
"This was my Number card," he mused. From the shadows, I could see the memory of a gargantuan Machine-type monster vividly in the minds of those around me.
"I figured it might come in handy," grinned Yuma.
"I appreciate the card and I'm positive that it will," Quinton thanked Yuma. "I have to admit, I never thought the day would come when we'd be dueling together like this Kite."
"Just do the best you can to keep up with me, Quinton," the blonde replied.
"Keep up with you? If it wasn't for me, you wouldn't know how to duel."
"The student frequently outshines the master."
"Then I think we should be able to squash this mosquito," Quinton commented. "We're going to swat you down! This I promise!" Quinton exclaimed as he and Kite readied their d-pads and tattoos. Star, when the right time strikes -
Say no more, I interrupted, knowing his thoughts. At the right time, I'm all in on playing dragonfly with this oversized mosquito.
That's one way of putting it, Star, and quite relative to nature, my old friend complimented through his thoughts.
"You shouldn't make promises you know you can't keep," Scritch countered.
Quinton took first draw, summoning lvl 9 Deep-Space Cruiser IX, using the spell Hologram Projection to duplicate his Machine. He overlaid both monsters to Xyz summon rank 9 Number 9: Dyson Sphere - the monster from their memories that easily blotted out the sky - before ending his turn.
"The bigger they are, the harder they fall," Scritch denounced the giant Machine, displaying his "bigger isn't better" nature.
"I can assure you that try as you might, my monster will not fall," Quinton defended. "But you, however, will not be as fortunate."
Kite took his draw and special summoned lvl 4 Photon Thrasher. He also summoned lvl 4 Photon Chargeman, using its effect to double its atk from 1000 to 2000. Kite tributed his two monsters to summon his lvl 8 Galaxy-Eye Photon Dragon, also ending his turn afterward.
Dyson Sphere and Galaxy-Eyes, just where I want them, I heard Scritch think before he drew his card. He summoned lvl 2 Mosquito Force, using its effect to add another Mosquito Force to his hand. He activated the spell Ninjitsu Art of Mosquito Marching to add two more Mosquito Forces to his field. Scritch overlaid the three of them to Xyz summon rank 2 Number 2: Ninja Shadow Mosquito.
But... where was it?
That's the question we all had in mind at the moment after the summoning; none of us could see Scritch's Number. Reading Scritch's thoughts, I figured out that the monster was the tiny green glint of light hovering over his shoulder
"Where's your monster, Scritch?" Quinton demanded.
"My monster's right here!" cackled the Barian. I began to notice Kite's mind starting to spin, his thoughts suddenly confused. "Maybe you boys can't see my monster because your eyes have gone bad."
Something's wrong, Kite was thinking as he held his head. I feel dizzy.
Quinton, I alerted. I think something's wrong with Kite. Look! Quinton turned to see Kite's confused stance.
"Kite, what's the matter?" he asked his former student in worry.
"I'm totally fine," Kite lied. Quinton and I seemed rather skeptical of that.
That bite's kicking in, Scritch observed.
"Hey, needle nose!" Yuma shouted. "Why are you foolin' around playing hide-and-seek with your Number?!" He suddenly stopped. "I see it! Over there! Look, over his left shoulder!" The others followed Yuma's gaze, soon spotting the tiny Number. Even Tori commented on how tiny it was.
"It's tiny and dangerous," Scritch explained, setting a facedown and ending his turn. "Don't let my Number's size fool you. Big things come in small packages. And once you witness my Number's buzz-worthy abilities, you'll wish you never met me!"
"I already wish I never met you!" yelled Quinton as he took his draw. Since his Number has zero atk, it must have other surprises in store for us.
Whatever a Number lacks in atk, it more than makes up for in special abilities, I relayed. Be careful, Quinton; I think Scritch did something bad to Kite before the duel.
Quinton agreed before sending Dyson Sphere to attack Shadow Mosquito in a test run. As we expected, Scritch activated one of his Number's effects, using an OLU to protect both the monster and his LP. Frustrated but slightly glad to know one of Shadow Mosquito's effects, Quinton set two facedowns and ended his turn.
"Tori, what's the charge level on the Teleporter?" Kite demanded.
"It's at 72%," she reported.
"That leaves me plenty of time to destroy the Teleporter," Scritch chuckled darkly. "You'll never get to Astral world!"
"Button it, bug-brain!" Kite barked, drawing a card. I saw the bite affecting him even more with a small glint of red light on his neck, and Kite staggered on his feet.
"What's wrong?" Quinton asked again, his worry starting to grow.
"Nothing," Kite fibbed. "I keep telling you I'm fine."
It's working, Scritch mentally rejoiced. He's feeling my little sting.
This Shadow Mosquito's OLUs protect it from being destroyed, Kite recalled. Time for a workaround. "It's been a while, but I'm going hunting!" the former Number Hunter yelled before ordering his dragon to attack. He activated Photon Dragon's ability to banish both monsters, but something wasn't right with the dragon.
Photon looks almost... confused, I remarked.
"You don't get it!" exclaimed Scritch. "Galaxy-Eyes was poisoned, with a little something called a Hallucination Counter."
"What is it and what does it do?" Kite demanded.
Scritch chuckled menacingly. "When Ninja Shadow Mosquito used an OLU during Quinton's turn, it didn't just keep the two of us safe. It also put a Hallucination Counter on Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon. My sneaky Ninja Shadow Mosquito can't be destroyed by a monster that's been tagged with a Hallucination Counter. So it's special ability not only keeps it safe, but the damage I would've taken hits one of you instead. Now, which one should I choose? I think I'll target that oversized orb, Dyson Sphere! So say goodbye to your LP, Quinton!"
The misguided dragon turned around, ready to attack, but Quinton activated the Micron Force trap to halve Photon Dragon's atk, from 3000 to 1500. Even so, he was blasted back in the direct attack as his LP dropped to 500.
Quinton! I called out to him from within his shadow.
I'm alright, Star, the male's thoughts assured me. I can still duel.
"Quinton, are you okay?" Kite asked his former mentor. He suddenly took another hit from the sting in his neck, beginning to waver. Why can't I focus? he asked himself as he set two facedowns to end his turn.
Yes, yes, the poison is working! Scritch thought. This is going to be great!
"You keep saying that everything's okay, Kite, but something's up," Quinton lectured the blonde.
"For the last time, Quinton, I'm fine," Kite denied. "That's enough already."
"Well, then you know what you have to try and do, don't you?" Quinton inquired. Kite was overcome by the sting, and I saw in his thoughts what he was seeing.
"Yeah, I know what. I have to defeat you now!" Kite exclaimed at "Scritch."
"What did you say?" Quinton staggered. "Defeat me? Kite, you're supposed to take the enemy down, not me. Now get your head in the game!"
Quinton, he's under a hallucinogen, I explained. He doesn't see you, he sees Scritch!
Hallucinogen? Quinton echoed. No wonder he's talking to me like this; he's hallucinating.
"I'm going to squash you like the annoying little pest you are!" Kite hollered.
Scritch drew and summoned Mosquito Commando, sending it to the Grave to place a Hallucination Counter on Dyson Sphere. He activated the spell Ninjitsu Art of Mosquito Combustion to deal 600 damage each to Kite and Quinton, as their monsters had a Hallucination Counter. Quinton activated the trap Elastic Space to redirect all 1200 damage to Scritch. Unfortunately, Kite saw it as Scritch preparing to hurt Quinton, and activated the Power Exchange trap to negate the damage by taking 1200 atk from Photon Dragon, lowering its atk to 300. By that time, Yuma began to notice something wrong with Kite.
"Before the duel, I injected your friend with a potent poison," the Barian explained.
"I was with Kite before you even got here and I never saw you inject him with anything!" Quinton exclaimed.
"I never said it happened here. I hitched a ride with Kite on his fancy flyer, and while he was busy blabbing about Astral, I pricked him with my poison."
Looks like now's your time to step out of the shadows for a moment, Quinton thought. We need Kite and his Galaxy-Eyes if we're going to take that Barian down. But if Kite's hallucinating, there's no telling what he's going to do. We've got to figure out a way to help him fight the poison. I mentally agreed and sneaked a ways from Scritch so he wouldn't see me, leaving the shadows. I sneaked up on the humanoid mosquito, moving slowly so Kite wouldn't get the wrong idea. I lifted my hand, claws poised to strike. My power concentrated around my hand, coating it in dark violet energy and sharpening my claws as I heard, Shadow Strike.
"No way! Sneaky Skeet!" Yuma snarled.
"Oh, dear, why thank you for the compli - AAAAAGH!" The Barian shrieked in shock and pain as I swung down, shredding his wings. He crouched down, clutching his shoulders where his wings were originally mounted.
Man, I know I'm tall for my age but this is ridiculous! I remarked as I returned into Quinton's shadow. With the pain keeping him quiet, Quinton was now able to think of a way to help Kite. He remembered training Kite to be a duelist, years ago. He pushed Kite to the red line.
There's only one thing to do, Quinton thought, taking his draw. I have to push Kite to the extreme! He ordered Dyson Sphere to attack Photon Dragon while Kite was still in a daze, trying desperately to fight the poison. I've got to get through to him. "You don't have what it takes to win!" he taunted Kite in a shout, awakening hidden power in Kite's mind, neutralizing the poison. Kite's eyes glowed red and blue as he was surrounded by a pale red aura. "That's more like it," Quinton smiled, "now let's duel." As the attack struck and destroyed Photon Dragon, I saw Kite activate a trap card. When the dust cleared, Kite had 500 LP left, though he was expected to have none left; the sight of it stunned Scritch. Kite activated Prevent Reborn, which lowers his battle damage by 1000 when a monster is destroyed.
"My inner duelist instincts finally kicked into overdrive," Kite stated as the mark of the sting vaporized. "And that's much more powerful than your poison could ever be." The aura dissipated around him. "You thought you could destroy my game with your cheap, sneaky, cowardly tricks! So now I'm going to squash you like the bug you are!"
"Better make that we're going to squash you," I corrected, slipping out of the shadows and in between the boys. "After all, I've already clipped your wings."
"Marina?!" the Barian squeaked in confusion.
"It's Star, not Marina! Didn't Heartland already tell you?" I hissed. "My parents are gone because of you and your pals, so I'm the strongest and the only Phantom left!" My Phantom aura blazed to the point that the shadows themselves seemed to glow. "The four of you drove me away from the only true friend I ever had, and gave so many of us so much pain to endure. Now, you will all pay the long-overdue price, in your defeat."
"And it looks like Star wants to help deal the final blow," Quinton mused. Kite activated Prevent Reborn's other effect to revive his dragon, at full strength and without the Hallucination Counter.
Yuma sighed in relief. "I gotta admit you had me scared there for a while, Kite."
"I never had a doubt," Quinton assured. "I was the one who trained Kite how to be a duelist. So I know what kind of strength he has."
Quinton and Kite, they're lucky, Yuma thought. Those guys have a special bond between them. A real strong one. Just like I had with Astral. Only mine was taken away from me, just like the bond between Quinton and Star.
"Kite, why don't you show our friend here a thing or two about dueling," Quinton suggested, setting two facedowns and ending his turn.
"It would be my pleasure!" Kite replied, drawing his card. He sent Photon Dragon to attack Shadow Mosquito. This time, its ability wasn't thwarted, and both monsters were banished. Shadow Mosquito's OLUs went to the Grave before both it and Photon returned to the field. Photon gained 500 atk for each OLU shed by the tiny Number, adding up to 4000. "A Shadow Mosquito that doesn't have OLUs is as helpless as a mosquito that doesn't have its wings!" Kite exclaimed, pointing out Scritch's shredded wings. Scritch activated the trap Ninjitsu Art of Mosquito Repellent, banishing all four Mosquito monsters in his Graveyard to give his monster 4000 atk, also making it look much bigger.
"I knew he'd have a trick like this up his sleeve," muttered Quinton. Mosquito Repellent's other effect would allow him to banish his Number to deal damage equal to its atk. Yuma called out to us and attempted reaching through the energy field around him.
"Yuma, stay where you are!" Kite ordered. Yuma obeyed, retracting his hand.
"What do you think you're doing, Yuma?" Quinton demanded.
"Helping you!" Yuma answered.
"Don't forget why we're here," Kite admonished. "We're battling to send you to Astral World. If we don't accomplish that, winning this duel doesn't mean anything." Kite activated the spell Eternal Spell to gain the effect of Quinton's Hologram Projection and duplicate his Photon Dragon.
"Nice try, Kite," Scritch hissed, "but that hologram is nothing but a shell of its original self. It can't attack; it's easily destroyed and more fragile than your ego."
"Your wrong, bug face," Kite insulted.
"Luckily, I've got a little surprise for you," Quinton added, activating the trap Power Analysis, allowing Dyson Sphere's atk to become the same as Kite's Photon Dragon. He then activated the Paradox Synthesis trap, sending Dyson Sphere and Kite's Hologram Projection to the Graveyard to add their atk to the original Photon Dragon, raising it to 12000.
"It's got 12000 atk, but it's too little too late!" Scritch yelled, attempting to hide his growing fear. "Even if you raise it too a bazillion atk, you're still not allowed to attack anymore this turn! So it's impossible for you to win!"
"I wouldn't bet on that," Quinton smirked. Kite activated the spell Miracle Galaxy to let his dragon attack again this turn.
"Wait, please, let's talk this over," the Barian begged.
"I'm not interested in anything you have to say," Kite growled. "Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon, attack Ninja Shadow Mosquito with Photon Stream of Destruction!"
"Shadow Stream!" I shouted, gathering all the energy of the shadows. I fired the stream that merged with Photon Dragon's attack, pulverizing the Mosquito and defeating Scritch. The particles of his vaporizing body flew at me and Quinton, causing us both to see something.
(Flashback) A five-year-old, silver-haired boy was huddled in the corner of a dark, moonlit room, holding a black-haired yearling girl. Both of them looked frightened of a shadow creeping over them both. The human form of Scritch was slowly approaching the pair, a devilish smile plastered on his face as he held a small dagger in his hand. The boy's blue eyes were wide with fear, as were the violet orbs of the girl.
As Scritch raised the blade over the children's heads, two different sounds echoed through the room. One was a defiant growl; the other sounded vaguely like a charging cannon. A small rover and a small, purple dragon appeared protectively in front of the children. The dragon launched a ball of fire, and the rover fired an energy cannon. Scritch was blown out through the window and into the surrounding forest.
At the sound of the breaking glass, three adults burst into the room; two men and a woman. The little boy stood and rushed to them, still holding the girl as the woman flicked on the light switch. The three adults surrounded the tiny children, comforting them from their frightening experience...
(Star) I shuddered and blinked back into focus. "What was that?"
"What was what?" Kite asked.
"You didn't see that?" Quinton asked back. Kite, Tori and Yuma shook their heads. "Well, it looked like a much younger version of Star and myself, being threatened at dagger-point by Scritch. But before he could attack, Planet Pathfinder, and that dragon..."
"Pathfinder and Koumori Dragon blasted him out the window," I completed. "Those two children were the two of us, and our duel monsters saved us both." Clicking came from the computer of the Teleporter.
"Hey, guys, look: the Teleporter's fully charged!" Tori reported happily. The yellow sphere Yuma was in started to glow brightly, and the ground began shaking.
"The portal should open any second now," Quinton explained.
"Hey, don't mess this up!" Kite commanded Yuma. "Go find Astral and bring him back, Yuma!"
"Will do," Yuma agreed. Tori ran up in front of the Teleporter, scared for her friend. "You know I'll come back, right, Tori?"
"Yes, if you promise you will, Yuma!" the green-haired girl confirmed.
"Yeah, I promise, Tori," Yuma vowed before he was sent through the wormhole.
"I hope he can keep that promise," Tori commented, a tear falling from her eye.
Good luck, Yuma, Quinton thought quietly. A soft red glow from our bracelets caught our attention. Quinton and I looked to see a thread of soft red energy connecting the jewels of our bracelets together. Everyone grew shocked at the phenomenon, especially Quinton and me. The thread vanished after a few seconds, but the power from it still remained; the power of a soul-born bond.
"That's the Red String of Fate," I breathed, eyes wide. "Quinton, you and I... we really are soulmates."