Leah hardly dared believe what she was seeing. Her hands trembling, her heart pounding, she stood up next to her friend, who turned back to face her. "Dan..." she said slowly. "Is it really you?"
"It's really me," Dan replied. "I can't tell you how good it feels to remember everything. It feels like I never forgot."
Still Leah couldn't bring herself to believe it yet. "Prove it," she said. "Tell me what you remember. Give me an example of something that you experienced before you forgot everything."
Dan sighed. "As you wish, sweetie." He had meant it to sound sarcastic while he thought of a proper example, but seeing the look of shock on her face, he grinned and went with it. "Ah yes," he said. "You hate that word, don't you? You basically equate it with patronization. Remember the time after our first duel with the Numbers, when we met Matt, Usur, Katie, and James for the first time? That man proposed that we come and work for him, and we asked for a moment to think about it. The moment we got out of earshot, the first thing you started talking about wasn't about his mysterious proposition. Nor was it about the three kids following him, or the chaotic duel we'd just survived, or the power of the Numbers. No, the first thing you complained about was the Professor calling you 'sweetheart'."
Leah gasped.
"Not quite enough?" Dan grinned. "Alright then, another example. Let's see... ah, what about Skyler's duel with Doctor Lithon? If memory serves me – which it does, at last – they were dueling each other for the dubious honour of dueling one of us. While they were hammering away at each other, we could've snuck away. They were both insanely strong, and you were in no condition to duel. Yet you refused to leave. You wanted to watch the entire duel from start to finish. And why? Because you were interested in the outcome. You were actually having fun watching two psychopaths duel to decide who gets to come after us." He shook his head, still grinning. "Young lady, you are totally, utterly, wonderfully insane, and I've missed you so much."
Leah stared at him, her eyes shining, but otherwise giving nothing away. Matt smiled, waiting for the hugs, laughter, and maybe even tears that were sure to follow. In retrospect, he would realise that this was probably a bit short-sighted of him.
As it turned out, Leah initially had none of those things on her mind. Instead, she took a step forward and punched Dan in the arm, hard.
"Yow!" Dan cried, recoiling and clutching his arm in pain. "Geez... what was that for?"
"That's for losing your memory in the first place!" she shouted. She kept on coming, and swiftly landed another punch on his opposite shoulder, prompting another yelp of pain. "That's for calling me sweetie!" she yelled. "And this..." Dan clamped his eyes shut and cowered behind his outstretched arms, waiting for another punch.
It didn't come. Instead, he felt her duck under his protective stance, followed by a gentle pressure just below his shoulders. Peaking under his eyelids, he saw Leah right in front of him, finally giving him the hug he'd been missing out on for months.
"And this...?" he asked tentatively.
"And this is because I missed you too," she finished, smiling.
Dan laughed and returned the hug. Leah smiled contentedly, then a thought occurred to her, and she broke off. "How much do you actually remember?" she asked.
"Everything," Dan assured her. "Do you need more examp-"
"No no, I didn't mean that," she said, shaking her head. "I mean after your duel. How much do you remember from after dueling Skyler?"
"Oh, right," Dan nodded. "Same answer. I remember everything. Everything before that duel, everything since then, and even everything during the duel." He shuddered. "Man, that was not a pleasant experience."
"Nor was it for any of us," Matt said, stepping forward. Then he grinned and clapped him on the shoulder. "It's good to have you back, man."
"Good to be back," Dan nodded.
Finally losing his patience, Lithon cleared his throat. "Enough of this. The punching was at least entertaining, but this endless display of emotional drivel is starting to bore me. Now do you accept my challenge or not?"
"Shush it. I'll be with you in a minute," Dan said. Lithon's eyes widened in outrage, but Dan had already turned back to Matt. "If they're still awake," he said. "Would you mind telling Katie and James that I'm ok now, and that I'll talk to them properly once the duel's over?"
"Of course," Matt nodded. "Come on Leah, we should get out of the way."
Leah started to follow, but then Lithon's voice made her stop. "You can wait right there. As a matter of fact, the duel I'm proposing is a little... different," he said.
"Different how?" she asked, turning to face him.
"How does a Tag Duel sound to you?"
"A Tag Duel?" Leah repeated, surprised. "So that's you and Kodoku against..."
"Against you and the boy," Lithon finished, indicating Dan. "If you remember, both of you have dueled me before, and both of you have taken Numbers from me. Additionally," he pointed at Leah, "you still possess the healing Number. Thus, by defeating you both in one duel, I can reacquire all of my Numbers at once with minimal effort, as well as the numerous others you happen to have on you."
Dan considered the proposition for a moment, then glanced at Leah. "What do you think?" he asked.
She grinned. "I think it's a great idea," she nodded. "As long as you think you're up to a duel right now."
Dan laughed. "Who do you think you're talking to?" he grinned, prompting a giggle from her. "Alright, Lithon, we accept your challenge."
"Splendid!" Lithon clapped his hands together in a business-like way, as the other duelists readied their gear. "Then let us waste no time getting started. We will duel using modified Tag Duel rules. As opposed to a Battle Royal duel, your teammate is considered to be your partner and not your opponent. Duelists may confer with their partner, and even though each duelist has their own five-zone field, the fields of individual teams will be treated as the same field. For instance, you can use your cards to power up your partner's monsters as though you controlled them. You can also use your partner's monsters for Tributes, Xyz Material, etc, but only if they give permission for it. And finally, Life Points will not be shared. Each duelist will have a separate score of 4000, and the duel will end when both duelists on a team have their Life Points dropped to zero. Are you ready, Kodoku?"
"Yes sir!" the boy said excitedly, watching the augmented reality warp the area around them. Matt retreated to a safe distance.
"AR Vision – link established."
"DUEL!"
Lithon LP: 4000
Kodoku LP: 4000
Dan LP: 4000
Leah LP: 4000
"The first move is mine," Lithon asserted. "I draw. To begin, I will Summon Epignosai Lamedh!" The monster that appeared was some sort of leopard with pitch-black fur, a distinct lack of eyes, and a gaping mouth filled with rows of teeth. Black tar dripped from its body, saturating its already black fur.
Epignosai Lamedh: Beast-Type/DARK/Level 4/ATK 1800/DEF 1800
"Then I'll use Lamedh's effect. When it's Normal Summoned, I can banish any card with Epignosai in its name from my Deck. Obviously, I choose Epignosai Pit." He extracted the card from his Deck and immediately banished it.
Leah groaned. "Not that thing again."
"Indeed," Lithon smirked. "Now I activate the Spell Card, Light of the Shadows." The Spell Card appeared directly behind the black leopard. "With this, I can Special Summon any LIGHT monster from my Deck that has the same Level as a DARK monster on my field. I select Epignosai Nun." A small, pure white elginerpeton appeared, balanced precariously on its hind legs. Nothing resembling eyes or eye sockets was visible on its skull, but it did possess a gaping mouth filled with sharp teeth. A white tarry substance clung to its scales.
Epignosai Nun: Reptile-Type/LIGHT/Level 4/ATK 1000/DEF 1000
"The downside to using Light of the Shadows is that I have to skip my Battle Phase for this turn," Lithon went on. "However, that isn't so much of a problem, what with it being the first turn and all. Now then, Level four Lamedh and Nun, Overlay!" The two vile monsters morphed into amorphous masses of energy – purple and yellow respectively – then shot upwards. Beneath them, a galaxy-shaped portal materialized. "I use these two monsters to construct the Overlay Network! Xyz Summon!" Both monsters flew into the portal, and an eruption of darkness spewed from it. "Arise, Number 54: Curserider Chevalier."
An orange number fifty-four flared into life on his left hand. From within the pillar of shadows came the demonic whinnying of a horse, which suddenly burst out of the shadows a moment later. It was pitch black, and was covered in dark grey armour which extended over its entire body, including its head, legs, and even its tail. The curious thing was that there was no rider, but just a lump of metal on its back like a camel's hump. Suddenly, the metal shifted, changing and reconfiguring, until it reformed itself into a fiendish warrior. It was completely encased by its terrifying armour – which sported a similar intimidating appearance to that of its steed – it carried a tremendously long battle-axe, and it had absolutely no visible feet. Instead, it seemed to be attached to the horse's back from the waist up. Two purple Overlay Units circled it.
Number 54: Curserider Chevalier: Warrior-Type/Xyz/DARK/Rank 4/ATK 2200/DEF 1900 – 2 OLU
"Really? Haven't you got anything original to show Lithon?" Dan grinned. "That thing wasn't scary when Skyler Summoned it, and time has not been kind to it since then."
"Mock it to your heart's content, young man," Lithon smirked. "It serves its purpose. I end my turn there."
"My turn then, I draw!" As excited as Dan was to be dueling again, he refused to allow himself to get overexcited. He knew that acting recklessly against Lithon was a dangerous thing to do. 'The biggest problem is that banished Trap Card of his,' he mused. 'As long as that's there, I can't Summon anything powerful without it getting banished.'
"You ok Dan?" Leah asked anxiously.
"Yeah, I'm fine," he assured her. "Just thinking. I'll Set one monster in Defence Position, plus two other face-down cards. Turn end." All three of his face-down cards appeared before him.
"My turn, draw!" Kodoku began his own turn in earnest. "First, I Normal Summon Aquabot Guard!" A massive tempered shield, constructed from the same gelatinous blue substance as all Aquabots, emerged. Inside it a series of circuitary flashed and buzzed away merrily. Emblazoned onto the front of the shield was a single line of text. It read CODE: (0z1D53![331D32.
Aquabot Guard: Machine-Type/Ritual/WATER/Level 3/ATK 1400/DEF 1000
"Not these things again," Leah groaned. "Ritual Monsters that can be Normal Summoned... whoever came up with such an idea?"
"Hey, don't be mean to them. They're brilliant," Kodoku insisted. "I activate Aquabot Guard's effect. When it's Normal Summoned, I can add any Aquabot Spell Card from my Deck to my hand, and then send one Aquabot monster from my Deck straight to the Graveyard. I'll put Aquabot Liquid Armour in my hand, and Aquabot Clench into my Graveyard."
"Dan, be careful," Leah warned him. "These things can-"
"I remember," he cut in. "I was there, you know." Leah smiled.
"Now I activate the Ritual Spell Card, Aquabot Liquid Armour!" The Spell Card appeared behind the defensive hulk on Kodoku's field. "This card lets me Ritual Summon any Aquabot Ritual Monster from my hand by Tributing monsters whose total Levels are equal to that monster's Level. I Tribute Gishki Vision." He showed them the card in his hand. "And due to Vision's effect, if it's being Tributed to Ritual Summon a WATER monster, I can use it as the entire Tribute, regardless of Level."
"Good Kodoku, that's the way," Lithon muttered, as Kodoku sent the card to his Graveyard.
"Come on out, Aquabot Repair!" Kodoku declared. In a burst of spectral lights a new monster appeared, formed from the same blue slime and controlled by layers of circuitary beneath its surface. This one, however, was humanoid in shape. It had a small remote controller in one hand, and the other hand... it wasn't really a hand at all, but instead a writhing mass of blue tentacles. Its line of text was printed onto its chest, and read CODE: 237/_/2/32.
Aquabot Repair: Machine-Type/Ritual/WATER/Level 3/ATK 500/DEF 300
Dan glanced furtively at one of his face-down cards. 'Not yet,' he thought to himself. 'It's too soon. I mustn't use it until the right moment.'
"Yes, that's perfect Kodoku!" Lithon shouted. "Now follow it through! Summon your original Number, now!"
Leah and Dan both gasped. Kodoku was likewise taken aback, and turned to his master. "Um, sir, is that a good idea?" he asked. "It's so early in the duel."
"I know what I'm doing Kodoku," Lithon snapped. "I don't want to waste any time in this duel. Now Summon your Number immediately."
Kodoku didn't hesitate a second longer. "Yes sir," he chirped. "Level three Guard and Repair, Overlay!" Both gelatinous monsters turned completely blue, their circuitry and defining characteristics disappearing. Then they sailed up into the air, clearing the way for another galaxy portal to open beneath them. "I use these two monsters to construct the Overlay Network! Xyz Summon!" The two monsters spiralled down into the portal, which exploded with light. "Come on out, Number 24: Friendship Demon!"
A deep blue number twenty-four flared into life on Kodoku's right hand. Out of the portal rose a colossal teardrop-shaped object, constructed from clear glass, and filled with some sort of clear liquid. Suspended in the liquid was what appeared to be a child of some kind, fully clothed and curled over in the foetal position with his eyes closed. Quite suddenly, the teardrop shattered, spilling its contents across the field, and the bedraggled child dropped down in front of its master. Now that they could see it clearly, they saw contrast etched into every feature of its body. Its childish appearance was ruined by the presence of demonic, bat-like wings on its back. Its innocent smile showed off a line of sharp, threatening teeth. And its eyes... they weren't stoic like other Numbers, but instead seemed to betray an aura of innocence and deep, unbearable despair. Two pale blue orbs of light circled it, and the childish figure watched them with both a gentle curiosity and a passionate longing that ill-befitted a child.
Number 24: Friendship Demon: Fiend-Type/Xyz/WATER/Rank 3/ATK 1500/DEF 2450 - 2 OLU
Author-made cards:
Epignosai Lamedh (credit to Superjad)
Beast-Type/DARK/Level 4/ATK 1800/DEF 1800
When this card is Normal Summoned: Banish 1 "Epignosai" card from your Deck.
Epignosai Nun (credit to Superjad)
Reptile-Type/LIGHT/Level 4/ATK 1000/DEF 1000
During either player's turn, if this card is currenly banished: You can return this card to the Graveyard, then target 1 card in your opponent's Graveyard; banish that target.
Aquabot Guard (credit to Superjad)
Machine-Type/Ritual/WATER/Level 3/ATK 1400/DEF 1000
Can be Normal Summoned (from your hand). You can Ritual Summon this card with any "Aquabot" Ritual Spell Card. When this card is Normal Summoned: Add 1 "Aquabot" Spell Card from your Deck to your hand and send 1 "Aquabot" monster from your Deck to the Graveyard. If this card is Ritual Summoned: You can Tribute this card you control, then target 2 cards on the field; destroy them. If the monster that was Ritual Summoned using this card destroys a monster by battle, the controller of the Ritual Monster draws 1 card.
Aquabot Repair (credit to Superjad)
Machine-Type/Ritual/WATER/Level 3/ATK 500/DEF 300
Can be Normal Summoned (from your hand). You can Ritual Summon this card with any "Aquabot" Ritual Spell Card. When this card is Normal Summoned: Target 1 banished "Aquabot" card; return it to the Graveyard. If this card is Ritual Summoned: You can Tribute this card you control, then target 2 of your banished "Aquabot" cards; return both targets to the hand. If this card is Tributed for a Ritual Summon: Target 1 of your banished "Aquabot" cards; return that target to the hand.
Number 54: Curserider Chevalier (credit to Dreamlord8025)
Warrior-Type/Xyz/DARK/Rank 4/ATK 2200/DEF 1900
2 Level 4 monsters
This card cannot be destroyed by battle, except by a "Number" monster. When an effect is activated in the hand or the Graveyard: You can detach 1 Overlay Unit from this card; negate that effect, and if you do, banish that card, then inflict 1500 damage to your opponent.
Aquabot Liquid Armour (credit to Superjad)
Ritual Spell Card
Ritual Summon 1 "Aquabot" Ritual Monster from your hand. You must also Tribute monsters from your hand and/or field whose total Levels equal the Level of that monster. If this card is in the Graveyard: You can banish 1 "Aquabot" card (except this card) from your Graveyard; shuffle this card from your Graveyard into the Deck.
Fun Fact #89: Twofold rematch anyone?
Fun Fact #90: As it turns out, Leah still doesn't like being called sweetie. Don't call her sweetie.
Fun Fact #91: That's the joy of being on FanFictionDotNet rather than the YCM wiki. We can actually use words like demon, death, holy, god, Knuckler, etc, words which the TCG localizers have a mortal fear of. We'll obviously have to change it when we upload it to the wiki, but while it's on here, we can use its actual name (the one that Superjad gave it).
Fun Fact #92: Oh lord, someone save us! Superjad's cards are taking over the fic again!
Fun Fact #93: That shift with the Aquabots - from being based around Level 4 monsters to suddenly incorporating Level 3 monsters in order to Summon a Rank 3 Xyz Monster - is rather reminiscent of the Burning Knuckler's strange shift to using Level 3 monsters to Summon Cheat Commissioner.