Edward LP: 2500
Number 14: Phantom Linker: Spellcaster-Type/Xyz/LIGHT/Rank 3/ATK 1200/DEF 1800 – 1 OLU
Vision HERO Witch Raid: Spellcaster-Type/DARK/Level 8/ATK 2700/DEF 1900
Gem-Knight Pearl: Rock-Type/Xyz/EARTH/Rank 4/ATK 2600/DEF 1900 – 2 OLU
James LP: 900
James was slow to stand up, still feeling pretty shaky after the Number's attack. His entire body ached, and there was a nasty bump on the back of his head where he'd hit the ground so hard. 'So this is what it's like to be attacked by a Number…' he thought as he staggered to his feet. 'This is what all the others have gone through.'
Wearily, his mind flashed back to when Katie was being attacked by Number 94: Matrix Golem... to when Matt was almost knocked out cold by Number 36: Mermonstrosity... to when Leah was nearly killed by Number 10: Terra Storm... to the state Dan and Skyler had been in after a prolonged battle with their Numbers... and he berated himself for being so pathetic compared to them.
"Hey mister! Hey, hey mister!" Edwards calls snapped James out of his thoughts. "You okay mister?"
James nodded wearily. For better or for worse, he just wanted this duel to be over.
"Well... it's kind of your move..." Edward said, still a little perplexed at his opponent's strange behaviour. He of course had no idea that his Number was inflicting real damage, and that as a result, James was struggling to remain on his feet.
"Okay... my turn, draw..." James drew his card with exaggerated movements, trying not to hurt himself. He barely glanced at his card before placing it on his duel disk – he wasn't even thinking about his moves anymore. "I... I Summon Spark Knight." A warrior in dark yellow armour took to the field with a shout, streaks of electricity running up its blade.
Spark Knight: Thunder-Type/LIGHT/Level 4/ATK 1800/DEF 1000
"Now what're you doing, mister?" Edward asked. "That monster can't defeat any of mine, and if I attack it now, then you'll lose. You should've Summoned it in face-down Defence Position."
'And yet another mistake to add to the list,' James thought to himself, swaying slightly on his feet. 'Damnit all, why can't I do anything right?' It was then that he looked at Edward again, and noticed the yellow number fourteen, still glowing serenely on the back of his hand.
And quite suddenly, James had an idea. He looked down at the metal band around his wrist, the only thing standing between him and total possession by his Number, and stroked it with one finger. 'Yes… I still have my own Number. If I remove this band, then my Number will possess my body and start controlling my actions. Maybe it'll start winning the duel for me. Hell, it can't possibly be a worse duelist than me.' He chuckled at his own thoughts, then realised what he was doing and shook his head. 'No! I can't do that. If I take off the band and let my Number take hold, I might not be able to stop it. It'll go crazy, just like Matt's Number did. It'll hurt this kid and destroy this city. Maybe it'll find its way back to the others. Maybe it'll hurt my friends. Maybe it'll hurt Katie…'
He clenched his fists tight and willed himself to get a grip. 'No. I can't take off the band and pass on responsibility to the Number. It's out of the question. But maybe… just maybe…' It had been a pretty roundabout method, but James' crazy train of thought had just given him a much better idea. Acting on the impulse of inspiration, he raised his hand. "I activate the effect of Spark Knight! When it's Normal Summoned, I can Special Summon any Level four or lower Thunder-type monster from my hand. I Summon Tribe-Shocking Virus!" A cloud of small yellow glass spheres rose up behind him. Each one had electricity crackling inside it, and four black electrodes jutting from its shell. They produced a low buzzing noise.
Tribe-Shocking Virus: Thunder-Type/WATER/Level 4/ATK 1700/DEF 1000
James was absolutely terrified that he was going to make yet another mistake, especially now that he was dealing with Numbers. But he truly felt that he couldn't make his situation any worse, so he went for it. "Here goes something! Level four Spark Knight and Tribe-Shocking Virus, Overlay!" The two monsters turned fully yellow and blue respectively, and shot up into the sky. For the first time in his entire life, James witnessed the galaxy-shaped portal opening up on his field. "I use these two monsters to construct the Overlay Network! Xyz Summon!" The two Xyz Material Monsters spiralled into the portal, which erupted outwards. "Come on out! Number 73: Matrix Gardna!"
A yellow light blazed trails across the back of his hand, giving shape to the number seventy-three. From out of the portal flew several streams of yellow digital code, which congealed in the air to form a massive digital structure, similar to the body of Thunder King Rai-Oh. The entire augmented reality field flickered and distorted around the creature. The digital code rippled like water, each ripple changing its structure very slightly, spreading it out, giving definition to its limbs. Within moments, a fully formed monster stood behind James. It was made entirely out of the yellow coding, and bore the vague shape of a humanoid, with two legs, two arms and a head. Where it differed was in proportion. It more resembled a golem than a human: its legs were short and stubby, whereas its torso was relatively bulky, and its hands were ridiculously oversized. Its head was little more than a semi-flat cylinder. The Number seventy-three was printed onto its chest, and two yellow Overlay Units orbited around it. It was in Defence Position.
Number 73: Matrix Gardna: Psychic-Type/Xyz/LIGHT/Rank 4/ATK 1700/DEF 2000 – 2 OLU
James braced himself, waiting for the waves of hatred to wash over him if the band failed him. But it held just fine. He had nothing to be worried about there.
"Awesome," Edward breathed, staring up at the monster, then down at his own duel disk. "So there's more than one of these Number thingys?"
James nodded. "With that I end my turn." He was still worried about his strategy, because it would rely heavily on what Edward did next, but he was confident that Matrix Gardna would provide him a few turns of protection.
"My turn, draw!" Edward drew his card with excitement. "I activate the Equip Spell Card, Fairy Meteor Crush! Equip to Vision HERO Witch Raid!" The cackling HERO was surrounded with a red aura. "Any monster equipped with this card inflicts Piercing Damage. So go, Vision HERO Witch Raid! Attack Number 73: Matrix Gardna!" At the cannon end of her broomstick, the witch charged a pale blue mass of energy, tinged with red.
And for the first time in the entire duel, James made a snap decision correctly. "I activate the effect of Matrix Gardna! Once per turn, during either player's turn, by detaching one of its Overlay Units, I can apply one of two effects." One of the yellow orbs broke orbit and shot into Number 73's core.
Number 73: Matrix Gardna: 2 → 1 OLU
"Now I target one monster, and apply one of its two effects," James explained. "The first effect will halve the target's DEF, and increase its ATK by the amount of DEF it lost. The second effect does the exact opposite. I halve its ATK, and increase its DEF by an equal amount."
"So, what're you choosing?" Edward asked.
James pointed at the attacking monster. "I'm targeting Vision HERO Witch Raid. And I'm going to reduce its ATK by half, and increase its DEF by an equal amount!" Witch Raid was surrounded by green binary symbols, which clung to the monster like shackles.
Vision HERO Witch Raid: ATK 2800 → 1400/DEF 1900 → 3300
James grinned. "Now my monster has more DEF than your monster's ATK, so you take the difference as damage!" Witch Raid fired its cannon, but the energy projectile bounced off the much larger monster, and struck Edward head on. He cried out and staggered back, almost losing his footing.
Edward LP: 2500 → 1900
"Fine!" Edward shouted, stamping his foot. "I activate the effect of Vision HERO Minimum Ray in my Graveyard. Since I took damage, I can place it in my Spell & Trap Card Zone!" The Vision HERO card that was detached last turn reappeared on Edward's field. "Now, Gem-Knight Pearl, attack Matrix Gardna!" The pure white Xyz Monster started running towards the Number, preparing to swing its mighty fist.
"Did you forget?" James called. "Numbers can only be destroyed by other Numbers, and Gem-Knight Pearl isn't a Number!" Pearl smashed a fist into Matrix Gardna, but the creature's body did little more than ripple as it absorbed the blow. It raised one of its massive hands to bat the monster away, but Pearl leapt back before it got a chance.
"Whoopsie," Edward laughed. "Guess I forgot. Ah well, it's still my turn anyway. I activate the effect of Number 14: Phantom Linker, detaching its last Overlay Unit to Special Summon Vision HERO Minimum Ray from my Spell & Trap Card Zone, in Defence Position!" Phantom Linker absorbed its final Overlay Unit and sent five small orbs flying over its shoulder as before, breaking the card apart and releasing Minimum Ray back onto the field.
Number 14: Phantom Linker: 1 → 0 OLU
Vision HERO Minimum Ray: Warrior-Type/DARK/Level 3/ATK 1200/DEF 700
"That ends my turn," Edward said proudly. The green binary shackles draped over Witch Raid burst into pixels as Matrix Gardna's effect ended
Vision HERO Witch Raid: ATK 1400 → 2800/DEF 3300 → 1900
"My turn, draw!" James drew his card, now feeling slightly more confident than before. That confidence was only increased when he turned over his card and saw what he'd drawn. "Sweet! I activate the Equip Spell Card, Megamorph! Equip to Matrix Gardna!" The Megamorph symbol appeared on the Number's small forehead. "With this card, while I have less life points than you do, the equipped monster's ATK is doubled!"
Number 73: Matrix Gardna: ATK 1700 → 3400
"Now I activate Number 73: Matrix Gardna's effect. By detaching an Overlay Unit, I can halve its own DEF, and increase its ATK by that amount." Matrix Gardna absorbed its last remaining orb of light into its chest, before wrapping itself in the same green coding it had used on Witch Raid mere moments ago.
Number 73: Matrix Gardna: 1 → 0 OLU
Number 73: Matrix Gardna: ATK 3400 → 4400/DEF 2000 → 1000
"Then I'll switch it to Attack Position!" James changed the position of the card on his duel disk, and in response, Matrix Gardna stood up straight and spread its arms wide, ready to embrace the world with pain.
"Wait, no!" Edward gasped.
"Battle! Matrix Gardna, attack Phantom Linker!" Edward's eyes widened as Matrix Gardna drew back its arm and smashed a massive hand into his Number. Phantom Linker cried out in agony and dissipated. The shockwave was huge – it lifted Edward off his feet and threw him several feet back.
Edward LP: 1900 → 0
James LP: 900 [WINNER]
And that was it. The finishing buzzer sounded and the augmented reality descended around them, taking the remaining monsters with it. James had used his band once before to try to extract Numbers from Skyler, so he was familiar with its usage. He extended the tendrils of energy straight into Edward's body without a moment's hesitation, and withdrew then seconds later carrying Number 14 with them.
With the Number secure, his first thought was how to deal with the unconscious boy before him. He had two options. He could walk off and abandon the boy. Or he could call the authorities. Neither idea appealed to him. Abandoning the boy was obviously out of the question, but if he called the authorities, they'd undoubtedly arrest him for having something to do with it – which, he supposed, he probably did.
In the end, he settled on a happy medium. He carried the still unconscious child to the nearest house he could find, set him down on the doorstep, rang the doorbell and legged it. He was out of sight long before someone answered the door.
'Good, let them call the authorities,' James thought as he jogged away. 'They'll know what to do better than me. Besides, I have my own problems to deal with when I get back…'
Author-made cards:
Spark Knight
Thunder-Type/LIGHT/Level 4/ATK 1800/DEF 1000
Cannot be used as a Synchro Material Monster. When this card is Normal Summoned: You can Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower Thunder-type monster from your hand in face-up Defence Position.
Number 73: Matrix Gardna
Psychic-Type/Xyz/LIGHT/Rank 4/ATK 1700/DEF 2000
2 Level 4 monsters
This card cannot be destroyed by battle, except by a "Number" monster. Once per turn, during either player's turn, if this card is in face-up Defence Position: You can detach 1 Overlay Unit from this card, then target 1 face-up monster; apply 1 of these effects until the End Phase. ●Halve its ATK, and increase its DEF by an equal amount. ●Halve its DEF, and increase its ATK by an equal amount.
Fun Fact #40: As some of you may have already discovered, FanFictionDotNet has recently introduced a proofreading system, which will check over any documents you upload for spelling and grammar errors. That's a lovely thought FanFictionDotNet, thank you for that.
Fun Fact #41: Unfortunately, this system is worse than useless at proofreading Yu-Gi-Oh! fanfics. It picks out words like Synchro, Duel, ATK, and Spellcaster, and calls them spelling errors. And don't even get us started on the grammar checker. It's a very kind thing to give us FanFictionDotNet, really. But as far as Yu-Gi-Oh! fanfics are concerned: fellow writers, remember to take its advice with a pinch of salt. Well, more than a pinch. Maybe a freight train.
Fun Fact #42: No, Matrix Gardna has absolutely no relation whatsoever to Matrix Golem, why do you ask?
