Welcome Back Once Again! Last Chapter was definitely eventful wasn't it?

Wait?! What's this?! I actually managed to get another chapter in so early? Oh glorious time on my hands! How I love thee right now!

Anyways, now for the thrilling conclusion to the duel between Yuma and Kotori!

I would have gotten away with trying to own Zexal if it hadn't been for those meddling Copyright Infringement Laws, but we can't always get what we want now can we?

Enjoy!

Chapter 35: The Dragon's Gift

Current Status of Duel:

Kotori: 3000 Lifepoints

Yuma: 500 Lifepoints

Kotori's Field:

Number C96: Black Storm: Rank 3/DARK/Fiend/1000 ATK/1000 DEF

Yuma's Field:

Number C39: Hope Ray V: Rank 5/LIGHT/Warrior/2600 ATK/2000 DEF

One Card Face Down in the Spell/Trap Zone

Kotori's Turn:

This was a nightmare. This had to be a nightmare. Any minute now, Yuma Tsukumo would wake up screaming and then Akari would yell at him for being late for school, but Yuma knew his pleas for an escape from the horrors he just witnessed would only fall on deaf ears. Only seconds ago he had witnessed Kotori Mizuki, the kindest girl he ever had the honor, no, the privilege of knowing since childhood, forfeit her humanity and her soul to Number 96 in order to transform into a horrible monster. Other than her face, which was now ash grey in color, there was nothing that could identify the horror in front of him ask Kotori. Even as she spoke, all traces of who she was were undetectable.

"What's the matter, Yuma? Don't you like how magnificent we look?" It was a cross between a seductive purr and a hellish growl.

"No Kotori! Frankly, I don't! I don't like it one bit!" Yuma answered, even more defiant than ever.

"Well get used to it! Time for you fall on your knees, Yuma! We will use the effect of Black Storm! When we battle, we can reduce the attack power of your monster to zero and then add its attack power to us with our ability, DARK LEECHING!"

Chaos Number 96 pounced on Chaos Number 39 like a black panther and his claws dug into the warrior's armor, draining him of his strength.

Hope Ray V: 2600 - 2600 = 0 ATK

Black Storm: 1000 + 2600 = 3600 ATK

"It's over Yuma! Now you are finally ours! Time for you to pay for denying us! Don't worry though! You will suffer for what you did to us, but we will be there to kiss all your wounds and make them better once you devote your existence to our greatness! Black Storm, attack Hope Ray V with BLACK MIRAGE CLAW!"

After draining Hope of its power, Black Storm threw the Number into the air and pounced again, but before Black Storm could destroy Yuma's monster, it vanished, and five enormous swords bathed in blue fire stood in its place, blocking any access to Yuma.

"What?! What happened?" Kotori asked in surprise. She got her answer when Yuma revealed he had one more trick up his sleeve.

"I activate my trap card, Number Spell Casting! By sacrificing Hope Ray V, I can pick one spell card in my deck and activate it immediately! I choose the Continuous Spell Card, Swords of Burning Light!

Black Storm tried its best to slither its arms in between the burning blades to reach Yuma's lifepoints, but to no avail.

"With this card out on the field, as long as I have no monsters on my side of the field, you cannot attack at all!"

"You just don't know when to quit, do you Yuma?" Kotori asked her rhetorical question with a growing sense of annoyance. "Should have expected that from you! That quality was cute at first, but now it is just becoming annoying! Can't you see that you're at the end of your rope and out of your league, Yuma?! Anything you try, we can overpower!"

"We'll see!" replied the battered young man. "Draw!"

"Yuma, we cannot keep Swords of Burning Light up forever." Astral reminded him. "Sooner or later she will find a way around it."

"I know." said Yuma. "But at least it can protect me awhile longer in case this card doesn't work."

"I activate the Spell Card, Overlay Rocket! With this card, I can return Hope from my Graveyard to the Extra Deck and then draw one card, but that's not all! My Rocket will destroy Chaos Number 96 once and for all!"

A large red rocket with spirals on its design shaped like overlay units fired out of the ground and toward Chaos Number 96, but the Number Monster caught the rocket in its claws and crushed it into dust. The spell card had no effect on it.

"What...? How... How did your monster survive that?!" Yuma exclaimed.

"I knew it wouldn't be that easy." Astral muttered.

"The answer is obvious!" Kotori mocked him. "We cannot be destroyed by card effects while we are in this form of beautiful perfection!"

"Nobody's perfect, Kotori, not even your Chaos Number! I'll just have to find some other way to destroy it! I end my turn!"

"Will you, Yuma? I highly doubt that! I can see the fire in your eyes going out! Deep down you know you are at the end of your rope! If you still don't believe me, then allow me to demonstrate! I draw!"

She grinned, allowing her fanged smile stretching across her ash grey face.

"Perfect! This card is the perfect counter to your Swords of Burning Light! I activate the continuous spell card, Number Karma!"

"What is that?!" Yuma asked.

"It guarantees my victory! That's what it does! In order to stay alive, you will have to summon a Number Monster next turn because at the end of your next turn, if you do not control a Number Monster, you will take 500 points of damage, which is all you have left!"

"NO!"

"Yes! Now you will have to destroy Swords of Burning Light in order to keep yourself in the game, which will leave you at the mercy of Chaos Number 96! Now start falling on your knees and begging your new mistress for forgiveness! I set two more cards face down and end my turn."

"There is no doubt in my mind that he is going to summon Hope again." Number 96 spoke to Kotori from the connection their minds shared. "And now with these two traps, we have everything we need to guarantee our victory. I am well aware of how crafty Yuma is, but all we have to do is activate one of them, and anything he tries to do with Hope, attack, or defend, will be all for nothing. I can see the look on Astral's face when he dies already."

"Kotori..." Yuma whispered, lowering his head in what appeared to be defeat. "Is this what you really think of me? Did you really think of me as someone who was too selfish to care about your feelings, someone who actually thought you were unworthy of me?"

"Yes!" She hissed. "Why? Are you going to apologize, or is this another worthless attempt at trying to get the old me back! I told you before, Yuma! This is who I am now, and if you refuse to accept my decision to change, then you never really understood me at all! All you saw me as was someone who could make you look good as you constantly failed at everything you did, and that is what you will do today, Yuma! You will fail! You will fail and the Kotori you knew will be forever out of your reach!"

"The Kotori I knew would never even dare think that I would fail at anything, and if I did fail, she would always help me get back up!" Yuma spoke. A slight quiver in his voice caught Kotori's attention. "If I really did push you into the arms of Number 96, then I am sorry, so very sorry."

Kotori growled. What was he trying to do now? Make her feel sorry for him by crying? Any sense of sympathy she had for anyone left when she became Dark Storm.

"Sorry isn't going to save you now, Yuma! Sorry won't erase all the times you made me feel so inferior to you! Sorry won't erase the fact that you barely even know me!"

Minutes of silence passed by, and all Yuma did was stare at Kotori with a peculiar look on his face. He was smiling, but there were tears coming out of his eyes. She felt strange as she stared into those eyes, as if they reflected a time she wanted to forget but chose not to because she cherished those memories too much.

"Your favorite color is green. You play the violin and you hated it at first when your parents made you practice, but then when I said you were a natural at it, you started to try harder and then you became really good at it and I went to every recital!

With each sentence, Yuma's voice grew louder and more passionate, and the tears in his eyes began to flow freely. It was then Kotori realized that those tears were of joy, joy from remembering all the precious times they had together, and she could not stand listening to them, or looking at him. It made her feel sick, but not the normal kind of sickness. She felt sick in her heart.

"Yuma... Stop..."

But Yuma only continued even louder.

"You love birds, and whenever you walk home from school the first thing you do when you get home is to check the bird feeder to see if any are there. One time you found a baby bird that fell out of its nest and broke its wing, and it couldn't fly. You called me over to help you and we raised that little bird together and nurse it back to health until it could fly again. You named it..."

Yuma stopped himself to catch his breath as he felt the nostalgia of the memory get to him.

"You named the bird Kattobingu. You named it that because your mother said it would never fly again... and... and... you wanted to show her even something as small as a little bird could accomplish the impossible."

"Shut up!" Kotori shouted. Now the sickness was spreading to her mind, and she was clutching the right side of her head from the sharp waves of pain, as if something locked away had been shaken loose. She had to bury it back again for the sake of devotion to her master, but no matter how hard she tried, the sickness continued.

"We... We... We met..." Yuma continued, stuttering as his voice choked up. "We first met ten years ago. Your parents had just moved into the neighborhood and my parents were welcoming them with open arms, but then I saw you hiding... You were crying that day... because you were afraid you wouldn't make any friends... and then... and then... and then I told you I didn't have any friends either because the other kids laughed at me for all the ridiculous stunts I tried to pull... and you... you asked me if I liked to play tennis... and even though I had no idea how to play, I told you I did because I wanted to make you happy... I remember... I remember us laughing together when I tripped over the net we set up... I remember how happy you were..."

"Yuma! Stop!" Kotori shrieked a second time. Yuma noticed that when she said those words, her voice was in her normal tone, the voice she had when she was herself.

"You didn't need to change for me! You didn't need to become worthy of me because you already were! You didn't need to change because you were perfect just the way you were before! Kotori, you shouldn't be ashamed of who you were before because I wouldn't want anyone else with me! If anything, I should be ashamed! Every time I think about it, I feel like a complete idiot!"

"Why?" She asked him. She could feel her own voice quivering as well. Yuma's words were becoming too much for her to bare.

"I should be ashamed for not realizing how much you mean to me, Kotori. If I had, then maybe... maybe you wouldn't be like this. Kotori, you told me you loved me, and whether the real you can hear me say this or not... I love you too... Even if I never see the real you again, I will always love you Kotori."

"Yuma..." She could feel it. Just enough of the darkness surrounding her heart had parted away, and Yuma started crying again from the sheer happiness of what he saw. Half of Kotori's face had returned to its normal skin color. The veins of slime had parted from the right half of her face, revealing the real her behind the mask of darkness.

"Yuma it's too late..." The real Kotori sobbed through the prison that was her own body. "I can't fight it anymore... This is who I am now... I am a monster..."

"Yes you can, Kotori! You can fight it! I know you're not a monster! You're the most beautiful girl I ever met with the same Kattobingu spirit that I have! If you don't think you are strong enough, then just think Kotori! Remember that day! I was helpless against Number 96! He had my life in his hands, and who saved me? I didn't save myself! Astral didn't save me! You did! You dueled Number 96 and you defeated him! You were strong enough save me from him and I know you are strong enough to save yourself from him! I know it!"

"No... I..." Her right hand started to twitch and it appeared to be involuntarily moving towards the head of her duel disk. Yuma let out a small gasp as she saw what she was trying to do. Placing one's hand on top of their duel disk was a sign of surrender. She was trying to take herself out of the duel. Kotori really was still in there.

"I...s-s-s-s-s-s-s..." Kotori stuttered out, but she couldn't finish her sentence. Her hand suddenly pulled away from her duel disk, and her eyes flashed a deep shade of red.

"WHOOPS! That one slipped out!" a much deeper growl came from her voice as the real Kotori was pushed back into the prison once again.

"Kotori! You're almost there! Just one more try! Fight him off!"

"That was the last you will ever see of Kotori, Yuma! This body belongs to Number 96!" This time Kotori's voice had returned to the deep rasp it was and her face was now once again encased by a mask of ashes and the Number 96 on her right shoulder grew larger in size, as if the Number was attempting to guarantee she would never be free.

Yuma was crushed. "We... We've really lost her, Astral..."

Astral could only look on with despair as Kotori was further consumed by the Number. It was this same helplessness that reduced him to a frightened state when Kaito had crushed them that long time ago. He had no idea how to help Yuma now, and he wished he could just strap on a duel disk himself and take over for his friend's sake.

"No." He said to Yuma. "No we have not! The fact that we heard her real voice, even if it was only for a brief period of time, means that she is there. Number 96 may have trapped her inside her own mind as a countermeasure, but he cannot destroy her! Remember Yuma! Our very first Number, Number 39 has its name for a reason! We have to press onward! We have to embody the spirit that you taught me how to wield. We have to keep dueling until the very last card is played. We have to have HOPE!"

Just then, the two of them were consumed by a flash of golden light from the Emperor's Key. Yuma's vision went black, but when he opened his eyes again, he was standing in front of a very familiar object. He and Astral were on a floating patch of rock in the void of space, and in front of them was the same door that Yuma opened so long ago, the door from his dreams that released Astral and the Numbers into his life.

"We meet again, Yuma Tsukumo!"

"That voice!" Astral exclaimed as he gazed at the door with his human friend beside him. It seems so familiar, like a distant memory from long ago!"

"You recognize the door too?" asked Yuma.

"Yes, but...it is strange... the voice is coming from behind the door, as if something is trapped behind there and needs our help to get out."

"Correct, Astral." The voice of the door boomed. "Even with the loss of your memories, you remain perceptive as always, although I wish I could have prevented your memory loss, it strayed you away from the dark path the will of the Astral World put you on. The new perspective you have on life is much more fitting to the grand design which is needed to restore balance."

"Balance?" questioned Yuma. "What do you mean?"

"I am to blame for Astral's memory loss, but it was not intentional." The voice of the door explained. "I used to have the power to shape both the world of order and the world of chaos to the way that was best for balancing both, but now... now I am so weak. I can barely maintain focus in my prison at the crossroads. The will of the Astral World did not understand that destroying the Barian World would only make everything worse and cause irreversible damage to the other two worlds, so I was forced to take drastic measures in order to stop that plan from coming into fruition."

"What did you do to me?" asked Astral.

"I used every ounce of strength I had to send you off course. Instead of sending you to the Barian World, I intended to send you here to the person you would need the most in order to face the threats ahead of you, the bearer of the Emperor's Key."

"The Bearer of the... Emperor's Key..." Yuma breathed out in awe. "But that's me! What makes me so special!"

"Astral possessed the will, and you possessed the heart." The voice continued. "You each possessed the quality the other one needed to grow into the ones you needed to be to face the threat that is slowly killing me, and with my slow and painful death... all three worlds will unravel... and to make matters worse, when my focus was interrupted by my own fatigue, your Numbers were scattered to the winds, and the Dark One was set loose."

"The dark one?" Yuma gasped. "You mean Number 96 don't you?!"

"No" said the voice. "There is another one far more powerful than him. Number 96 is only a byproduct of his work. You know him as Number 43: Manipulator of Souls."

Yuma's mouth gaped open. If that Number that possessed III and nearly tricked him into handing over the Emperor's Key was even more powerful than Number 96, who knows what he was capable of if he was left to walk away unchecked.

"I am gravely sorry I am not able to directly assist you." The voice apologized. "But I can give you one final gift, the power of ZEXAL."

The word, ZEXAL, echoed across the vast reaches of space. "ZEXAL?" both Yuma and Astral said at the same time.

"It is the source of my power, the power I used to shape the fabric of dimensions. When two souls beat as one, the power of ZEXAL can create miracles. That is why I sent Astral to you, Yuma Tsukumo, so that your souls can beat together and unlock the power necessary to turn the tide of this blight and restore what has been lost."

"I..." Yuma stuttered, unsure if he was even worthy of such a powerful gift. "I don't know what to say..."

If Yuma could see the form of the voice behind the door, he would be able to see a kind smile, like a grandfather watching his grandchild grow up.

"Just tell me Yuma Tsukumo. What do you wish for?"

It was an odd question, one that Yuma never considered. He had many wishes. He wished to be the best duelist in the world. He wished to honor the memory of his lost parents and make both of them proud. He wished for all of his friends to grow up and live happy lives where all of them accomplish their dreams, and he wished for peace between the Astral World and the Barian World, but there was one wish he knew he wanted to have, one wish that he wanted to come true now.

"I wish... I wish to see Kotori again! I wish to free Kotori from Number 96 and to tell her I love her again! I wish for her!"

"A most noble wish indeed." Thundered the door. "Then open this door, Yuma Tsukumo! Accept my power and use it to grant your wish!"

Yuma took his key from his around his neck. He pointed it and the door, but then he felt Astral's hand wrap around his.

"Yuma, whatever lies beyond this door, we shall open it together."

Yuma smiled. "I wouldn't have it any other way!"

"KATTOBINGU DAZE ORE!" Both of them yelled at the same time. They slammed the Emperor's Key into the lock of the door and the door burst open with radiant white energy. As Yuma felt his vision fade away once again in the white, he thought he saw a silhouette of a golden dragon with the Number 100 on its chest.

"It's my turn now! Yuma shouted, as he snapped back into reality. "And I will build the overlay network with Astral! Two souls will merge into one with the power of ZEXAL!"

"WHAT?!" Kotori screeched. "What the hell are you talking about? You can't overlay yourself!"

But Yuma did indeed overlay! Everyone on top of the tower watched in shock as Yuma's body dissolved into a red overlay unit with Astral spiraling around him as a blue overlay unit. The entire duel arena was engulfed in a flash of golden light as Yuma's new body materialized before them. He was now taller and more muscular, and his body was now encased in a white suit with red armor plating over his legs, chest, and left arm. His duel gazer had merged with his face and his eyes were now the same color as Astral's, a deep gleaming gold, but the most striking feature was his hair. Yuma's black hair had now been replaced with a large spiked mane of golden locks, with the exception of two red spiked streaks in the front. If the voice from the door was watching them now, then the synchronized form of Yuma and Astral knew that he would be smiling. This was the ultimate warrior that the voice had envisioned.

"ZEXAL XYZ EVOLUTION!"

Everyone stared at the new form of Yuma in shock, especially Kaito. He had never seen anything like it in his life. Yuma really was full of surprises, but this surprise surpassed everything he had ever witnessed.

"What just happened to Yuma?! Orbital! Get a read on that armor he's wearing!"

"I have no idea where it came from, Master Kaito!" the robot told him. "It doesn't match anything I have seen before, but the energy readings are off the charts!"

Merag wasn't sure how to react to this new transformation, but if this is what Yuma could do with Astral when his strength was at his peak, then he would be more dangerous than she thought it would be. She had to know more about this new power if she wanted to crush Astral underneath her heel.

Tron remained silent. All he could think of was the failure his sons made when they could not convince Yuma to join his side. If Yuma had been working for him, then this ZEXAL power or whatever it was would be his to command. The thought of such a missed opportunity infuriated him, and it was even worse that such power had to go to waste when he would have to kill the boy.

However, there was one person in the room who knew exactly what that power was, and he was furious. Number 43 shook all three of his hands as he saw Yuma acquire the one thing that could potentially ruin everything he had built. "Impossible!" He fumed. "The Numeron Dragon should be too weak to bestow that power to a human! I made sure of that! Number 96, if you ruin this and make a mockery of my efforts, so help me, I will wring your filthy little neck!"

"With the power of ZEXAL, we ask for the card that can make miracles! SHINING DRAW!" Yuma yelled, and as he drew, a golden streak of light streamed across the field, following his arm as he looked at the card, but the card was a surprise. A puzzled look appeared on his face.

"I've never seen this card before! How did it get in my deck?" Yuma said, more confused than ever.

"I do not know, Yuma." Astral spoke inside his mind. "But it gives us exactly what we need to end this! We just need to summon Hope one last time."

The now ZEXAL powered Yuma stood firm against the Dark Number, ready to use his new gift.

"If you wanted us to summon Hope again, Kotori, then all you had to do was ask! We summon Gogogo Giant in attack mode!

Gogogo Giant: Level 4/EARTH/Rock/2000 ATK/0 DEF

"And now we use his effect! When Gogogo Giant is normal summoned, he can special summon Gogogo Golem from our Graveyard!

Gogogo Golem: Level 4/EARTH/Rock/1800 ATK/1500 DEF

"Now, once again! We build the overlay network! With Gogogo Giant and Gogogo Golem, we XYZ SUMMON! RISE UP! NUMBER 39: ASPIRING EMPEROR HOPE!"

The overlay network appeared one final time, and the two rock monsters gave way to the arrival of Yuma's ace, who let out another battle cry of "HOPE!"

Number 39: Aspiring Emperor Hope: Rank 4/LIGHT/Warrior/2500 ATK/2000 DEF

"Behold our final card!" ZEXAL Yuma announced. "ZEXAL WEAPON - UNICORN SPEAR!"

A tower of golden light flashed beside Hope and a robotic unicorn in orange and gold armor appeared next to the Number Monster.

"This monster can be equipped directly from our hand to Number 39, and when it does, Hope gains 1900 attack points!"

ZW - Unicorn Spear: Level 4/LIGHT/Beast/1900 ATK/0 DEF

Hope: 2500 + 1900 = 4100 ATK

Out of sheer ignorance as to what ZEXAL could really do, Number 96 didn't appear to be intimidated by the new weapon at all.

"You fool! Even if you acquired this new power, you are still doomed to fail! Any attack you launch at us will be overwhelmed by Chaos Number 96! We are invincible!"

As if Number 43's anger couldn't increase any further, now he was hearing the most idiotic boasting he had ever heard. Number 96 still didn't understand that he was not as invincible as he believed. If that Number used his head for once in his miserable life, he would actually be terrified of ZEXAL.

"NO! FORFEIT! JUST FORFEIT YOU FOOL AND CUT YOUR LOSSES! CEASE YOUR ARROGANCE YOU PATHETIC EXCUSE FOR A NUMBER!"

"You won't be invincible when Unicorn Spear's effect activates! When Number 39 attacks your monster while equipped with Unicorn Spear, the effects of your monster are negated, which means Number 96 won't be able to overpower Hope this time! This time, you will fall!"

"WHAT?! NO!"

"IT ENDS HERE, NUMBER 96! GO! ASPIRING EMPEROR HOPE! ATTACK BLACK STORM WITH RISING SUN ZEXAL SPEAR!

The robotic unicorn suddenly transformed. It's mechanical body shifted until it resembled a golden metal spear. Number 39 grabbed the spear in its hands and took to the sky, charging at the dark beast with the power of ZEXAL at his command.

"I WILL NOT COWER BEFORE YOUR POWER, YUMA!" Number 96 roared. "YOU WILL FALL BEFORE MINE! ACTIVATE MYSTICAL SPACE TYPHOON!"

"Since your Zexal Weapon is treated as an equip spell card when it is attached to your Number, all it takes is a simple card like Mystical Space Typhoon and you will be right back to where you started! How sad that all that power you acquired from your Key is for nothing!"

Before Hope could strike, a gust of wind knocked the spear out of his hands, disarming the warrior and sending the ZEXAL Weapon spiraling into oblivion.

Hope: 4100 - 1900 = 2500 ATK

Yuma had no choice now but to use Hope's effect to negate his own attack and then hopefully hold down the line of defense, but then he saw Kotori's arm move to her duel disk again. It was quivering like before, when she tried to forfeit the duel. Not only that, but he saw that the black flesh on her right hand was starting to peel off, revealing Kotori's normal hand underneath.

"What? What are you doing?! Stop that! I forbid you to use that trap card!" Number 96 shouted.

"No... I won't... listen to you... anymore... I don't want this... I...WANT...YOU... OUT!"

"ACTIVATE TRAP CARD, DIMENSIONAL RADIANCE!"

"Dimensional Radiance?!"

Kotori, the real Kotori, explained the effect of her card.

"With this card, I can target one monster on the field and it loses 200 attack points for every one of my banished cards, and then I can target another monster on the field and have it gain the same amount of attack points!

"But why would you use that? Why power up your own monster now when you already have enough attack points to finish me off? Yuma wondered.

Yuma... I'm not using it to help Number 96... the effects of this trap card can be used on any monster on the field, and I choose to use it against him! I use my trap card to weaken Black Storm, and I add all of my strength to Hope!"

"NO! YOU CAN'T!" Number 96 screamed. "OBEY ME YOU INSOLENT GIRL! OBEY ME!"

Black Storm: 3600 - 4600 = 0 ATK

Hope: 2500 + 4600 ATK = 7100 ATK

"Now Yuma!" Kotori cried out to him "Attack me! END IT!"

"I knew you could break free Kotori!" Yuma congratulated her. "I will end it for you! Number 39, attack Chaos Number 96 with RISING SUN SLASH!"

With one final push, Hope broke free of the iron grip of Number 96's claws, and with a powerful swing of his sword, he sliced the Dark Number in half. The Chaos Number's body dissolved into ash, and the force of the blast sent a torrent of wind back towards Kotori.

Kotori screamed as the black skin on her body armor started to peel off, each peeling becoming a black tentacle billowing backwards from the force of the attack. As more and more of her armor began to peel off, Yuma could see the tentacles take the shape of the real Number 96, screaming in synchronization with Kotori. Soon, their one voice became two, and with a one final snap, the last of the armor forced itself off Kotori, and Number 96 was sent flying out of her, collapsing to the ground in a heap.

Kotori had only seconds to realize what had happened before fatigue consumed her. In her last moments before she fell unconscious, she let out one final smile as a single tear descended from her left eye.

"He's gone... He's finally gone... Thank you Yuma... Thank you for... believing in me..." and Kotori passed out, giving into the first blissful slumber she had in days.

Kotori: 3000 - 4400 = 0 (LOSE)

Winner: Yuma

Yuma's ZEXAL Form became cloaked in light, which split Yuma and Astral back into two beings, and now Astral had one final task. He extended his hand to absorb Number 96 and imprison him in the Emperor's Key once and for all, but when he activated the extraction process, nothing happened.

Number 96 staggered upward, using his hands to prop himself up from the ground. He barely had enough energy to speak, but he used the last of it to taunt Astral and Yuma with one final act of defiance.

"Surprised, are you Astral? Yuma may have gotten his little girlfriend back, but thanks to the use of Barian's Force, she now has given me the power of chaos! You can't absorb anything that has been tainted with Barian Energy, Astral, and that means I won't be locked away in that key ever again! I promise you! This isn't over!"

Number 96 vanished in a cloud of smoke, leaving Yuma and Kotori on their own.

"Well, what an exciting duel Ladies and Gentlemen!" Mr. Heartland announced. After a thrilling battle of twists and turns, a winner has emerged, and the winner is YUMA TSUKUMO!" Congratulations, Yuma! Now please take your seat so the final duel of the quarterfinals can begin."

Yuma picked up Kotori in his arms and walked off the platform, but he didn't go to the stands, he walked towards the doors of the elevator.

"No, Kotori needs rest." He answered Mr. Heartland. "I need to take her home. She's been through enough!"

"Well, I am sorry, Yuma." Mr. Heartland attempted to talk him out of leaving. "but the rules state..."

"To hell with your rules, Heartland!" Yuma shouted, finally losing patience. "I don't care if you disqualify me! I don't care if you ban me from dueling! I am going to take Kotori back to her home where she can rest from all the trauma she has been through for the past five days! Do you understand?!"

Mr. Heartland was now in an awkward position. Truthfully, he only made that rule up just to make sure Merag and Misael would be separated from Durbe so that his new friend could do his work with him, but Mr. Heartland also needed the Numbers, and as the bearer of the Emperor's Key and the partner of the Original Number, the Astral being himself, Yuma was one of the most important pieces in this game, second only to The Barian Queen herself. Yuma needed to be kept here so he could keep an eye on him, but on the other hand, Heartland understood a great deal of Yuma's personality during the brief time he observed him. Yuma wasn't going to walk away while his enemies still threatened him, and he would never walk away from a challenge either. If Mr. Heartland allowed Yuma to leave, he would be back.

"Hmmmmm, As you wish! Considering Kaito's duel is the last duel of the day, that means your duel in the semi-finals won't take place until tomorrow, so you have time to make sure your friend is alright. Run along now, Yuma!"

Yuma carried Kotori bridal style down the elevator, and as they descended, Yuma could not help but notice how peaceful she looked as she slept in his arms, as if this was the first time in a long time she had ever felt at peace.

The elevator doors opened, exposing Yuma to the setting sun of on the horizon of the city.

"Sweet Dreams, Kotori. It's so wonderful to finally have you back."

Severely weakened, but still alive, Number 96 retreated to the dark underground area of Heartland Tower, a place Mr. Heartland had set aside to satisfy Vector's needs. Number 96 was hoping to find Vector there in order to discuss a way to strike back against Yuma for humiliating him in that duel, but Vector wasn't there. Instead, Number 96 was greeted by Number 43: Manipulator of Souls, and neither Number looked happy to see each other.

"Oh Joy!" Black Mist sneered. "Look who has come to welcome me! If you don't mind, Number 43, I am still licking my wounds, so would you kindly go..."

Number 96 was cut off by Number 43's clawed hand gripping his throat, and the puppet master violently slammed Number 96 back against the wall.

"You idiot!" Number 43 growled. "You were supposed to kill Yuma Tsukumo or at least take his key before that damn dragon regained enough strength to bestow the power of Zexal to that boy! Do you realize how much of a threat that is?! Yuma may not know what that power is, nor has he figured out how to properly control it! The fact that he managed to conjure a Zexal Weapon on his first try was pure luck in it of itself, but if he figures out how to overcome all of its drawbacks and master its power, then he will be more than just a threat! He could ruin everything, and it is all because of you and your incompetence!"

Number 96 was furious. How dare this inferior Number lay a hand on him and have the gall to order him about like a common servant? He shoved his attacker backward.

"Get your filthy hands off me! Do you know who you are talking to?! I am the Strongest Number and as long as I live, I am in charge!"

Number 43's beady red eyes narrowed, and his next words came out as a deadly whisper.

"Do you feel in charge?"

That set Number 96 on edge. He knew he was in no condition to duel again after the beating he took at the hands of Yuma's new Zexal Form. If Number 43's intentions were to betray him, then he was in trouble, but Number 96's pride demanded that this inferior Number pay for insulting him like that. It was this sense of pride that would soon make Number 96 realize that he was his own worst enemy.

"You're definitely not the Strongest Number now, are you?" Number 43 continued. "This marks the second time in a row that a little girl defeated you! You do not deserve that title if your own host managed to evict you from her body!"

That did it! Number 96 finally lost his temper.

"I'm strong enough to put you in your place!" He roared at the other Number and he sent a flurry of spear tipped tentacles hurdling towards the puppet master, but Number 43 easily dodged them all with incredible levels of speed. The next thing Number 96 knew, Number 43 was behind him, and all three of his arms were wrapped tightly around his body.

"Oh no, Number 96! It is high time I put you in your place! If there is one thing you must know about me, it is that I have always hated you and your arrogance! The only reason you are still breathing is because you were useful to me, and now I am starting to doubt that right now!"

Number 43 dug his claws deep into Number 96's ebony flesh. It was pure agony for the Number, and it only got worse when Number 43 sent waves of electricity through his claws into the open wounds. Number 96 screamed and convulsed as he was electrocuted multiple times.

"S-S-S-S-Stop!" He hissed, much to Number 43's delight since it sounded like a beg.

"Stop? Stop doing what? Oh! You mean this?!" And Number 43 electrocuted him again with his claws digging deeper. Any further, and Number 43 could pull out Number 96's essence with ease.

"Stop! You'll kill me! Stop!" Number 96 screamed.

"It is no less than what you deserve for setting in motion a power that could destroy centuries of placing pawns on the right spots of my chessboard. As of right now, you are no longer the Strongest Number, or even a Number at all! You aren't even my puppet! As of right now, you are nothing!"

Number 43 released a third blast of electricity, and he finally dropped Number 96's charred body to the ground, who quivered from a combination of pain and newfound fear.

"No..." He barely managed to speak

"SAY IT!" Number 43 growled.

"No..."

"SAY IT!" Another blast of lighting, this time to the face. More waves of agony, each one more painful than the last. In mere seconds after being defeated, Number 96 flew out of the frying pan and into the fires of hell. For the first time in his life, he now knew what it meant to be afraid.

"Have mercy! Please!"

"I don't believe in mercy!" The Manipulator hissed and unleashed yet another blast of lighting. "I won't let up until you say it!"

Number 43 continued his torture until finally, the battered and burned shell of a Number gave up.

"I... I am nothing..."

"LOUDER!"

"I am nothing!" Number 96 whimpered, this time completely broken.

"Good! Now, do you bend to me?" Number 43's face crept dangerously close to his victim's

"What?"

"Do you pledge your soul to me?!" He asked in the form of a threat.

"Your life is in my hands now, Number 96, and you will have one more chance, but I need to hear it from you! Do you pledge your soul to me?"

"...Yes..." Number 96 whispered.

"YES, WHAT?! I CAN'T HEAR YOU!"

"...Yes...Master..."

Author Made Cards:

Overlay Rocket: Quick-Play Spell Card

Effect: Target one Xyz Monster in your Graveyard. Return it to the extra deck and then draw one card. Then target one monster your opponent controls. Destroy it. You cannot Special Summon Monsters with the same name as that Xyz Monster during the turn you activate this effect

Dimension Radiance: Normal Trap Card

Effect: Target one monster on the field. Its effects are negated and it loses 200 ATK for each of your banished cards. Then target one other monster on the field. It gains the same amount of ATK. These changes last until the end phase.

Authors Notes:

What's this? We finally get a chapter with a happy ending! Have I gone crazy?

No, I just thought it was high time Yuma gets a break from all the hell he has been put through, and I added a nice juicy bonus by having Number 96 get his comeuppance by being tortured by Number 43! I have a feeling quite a few people will like that part since he deserves every second of that!

Now with ZEXAL as a power, I had no other way to introduce it except in the manner similar to how it was in the show, Deus Ex Machina style, but I intend to do my best to subvert the Deus Ex Machina as a trope, and the first step to doing so was to have Kotori ruin the effect of Yuma's Zexal Weapon by countering with Mystical Space Typhoon, so that way, not only is ZEXAL proven that it can't guarantee a win every time Yuma uses, it, but now, Yuma wasn't the one responsible for the victory, Kotori was, since she broke free at the last second.

In terms of what I have planned for the future, let's just say in terms of how ZEXAL will be used, Yuma will not be pulling Zexal Weapons out of his ass left and right. Like Number 43 said, Yuma is going to have to learn how to control that power and handle any nasty drawbacks it might have.

On another note, Congratulations Yuma! You actually made the calm and collected Number 43 panic! You should be really proud of that feat!

So what did you think of the thrilling conclusion to the duel between Yuma and Kotori? Did you like it? Did you not like it? Whatever your opinion is, the fact that you guys are still reading and still liking it after so long means so much to me, so feel free to leave a review and let me know!

Until Next Time! This is Nox Descious Signing Out!