The next morning at the Tsukumo household, Yuma was given a rude awakening by his sister crying out in shock. After rubbing his rump to soothe its pain, his strange key glowed, Astral appearing soon after.
"Oh great, so you weren't a dream," Yuma grumbled in annoyance.
"Your sister seems quite shocked about something," Astral says casually. "Perhaps something is wrong?"
"Why don't you butt out of my family's business!" the younger Tsukumo exclaims. After getting dressed he proceeded to walk downstairs to see his older sister typing away frantically on her computer, multiple breaking news stories posted on the screen. "Hey sis, I know I sleep in a lot, but I'd prefer it if you weren't my alarm clock."
"Hold that thought Yuma! Heartland city just got its newest story waiting to be scooped!" the red head exclaimed in excitement. "Three card shops were just broken into last night and apparently, some cards were stolen!"
"WHAT?!" Yuma exclaims, now having an interest in the story as it involved his favorite card game. "Who would do such a thing?!"
Kari looked at her brother at his sudden interest, but decided to brush it off for now. She knows how much he loves duel monsters but would prefer it if he didn't get tangled up in its secrets. After all, that's how they… She then shook her head, dismissing the sullen thought from her head. "Well apparently, someone broke into these card shops and stole a few cards from them, which is the strangest thing since instead of taking a bunch of cards, they only took like one or two cards specifically, but the most mysterious thing of all was the fact that they left these ominous cards at each scene of the crime. No fingerprints, no DNA samples, nothing but a single message and strange logo. Whoever this guy is is a professional, and they're showboating it!"
An image of the ominous card was brought up. It was white, with one side having a black silhouette of a domino mask and a fancy hat, along with an image of a card beside the mask with the letter N written on it. On the other side was the ominous message; "Salutations from the Number Thief!"
"The Number Thief?" Yuma questions aloud, Astral soon appearing beside him.
"A Number Thief?" the ghostly man thought. "Could these cards that this thief has stolen are perhaps Number cards? If that is true, then we may have to face him in a duel sometime in the future. After all, these Numbers are the key to unlocking my memory. I can only wonder what conflicts may arise from this endeavor."
Later at Heartland Academy, the Number Thief was all the rage on the school's grounds. Students wouldn't stop talking about the newest hunter added to the game board, and Astral was greatly worried about this strange new opponent to his goal. "I sincerely wonder just what kind of person this Number Thief is?"
"Unbelievable! All us duelists spend our hard earned money to get cards and this guy just comes and steals them for himself! So uncool!" Yuma complains to himself.
"How are you certain that this thief is a he?" Astral questions the boy beside him.
"Huh? Well… I don't know that specifically, but…"
"Nevermind that Yuma. There's something else that I wish to discuss with you about this thief."
"Yeah? Like what?"
"The name they chose, 'The Number Thief', by the sounds of it I believe they are stealing Number cards."
"What?! What makes you so sure?!"
"Think about it, they only stole a few cards from each of the card shops, around one to two, correct?"
"Yeah?"
"Why would they only steal so little cards when they could have taken much more? The answer is obvious, this thief is stealing Number cards!"
"Wah?! So, am I gonna have to duel somebody that has an entire arsenal of Number cards?! Shark was tough enough to beat with only one, how am I gonna beat a guy with an entire Extra Deck full of them!" The novice complained, before perking up after remembering one crucial detail. "Oh wait, I have Number cards too! I'll totally be able to beat him if he comes my way!"
"But you only have two Numbers, going up against what would theoretically be at most fifteen. Those aren't very good odds," Astral responds to his statement, making the said boy sweatdrop.
"I don't need luck as long as I can still high five the sky!" Astral simply sighed in defeat at his partner's naivety.
Once class had started, Yuma was seen snoozing on his desk, Tori looking at him in annoyance and Alex was trying to stay awake. Since he was up late last night doing his 'new job', he had barely gotten any sleep the night prior. "I really ought to watch how late I stay out, or else people may get suspicious."
The day went on as normal, as normal as it could be with Yuma constantly arguing with his new 'friend', then during the afternoon the "Crashbug" incident occurred where the whole city's electronics went haywire. It was a lot more terrifying in person than watching it from an anime.
"Man, have you guys seen the news?" Alex comments to Tori and Bronk, while Yuma and Astral argue up ahead. "City's been going haywire. Some kind of virtual virus seems to have hacked Heartland's database."
"Yeah," Tori replies. "Aside from that, have you heard about this new character that's shown up? The Number Thief?"
"Huh? Oh yeah, I heard the whole school talking about them. Apparently they stole some cards from some card shops last night."
"Yeah," Bronk joins in. "That no good thief stealing cards instead of buying them like the rest of us! Who does he think he is?! Some elitist who can get away with anything?!"
"Hmm… but that name he chose, 'The Number Thief'. Why use that name over perhaps something like, 'The Card Thief'?" Alex 'wonders' aloud.
"It is strange," Tori replies, as they make it to Yuma's house, just in time to see his sister complaining about her latest story (that being The Number Thief) has been deleted. After forcing her brother to go out searching for a new story, Alex parted ways with them, with the excuse of wishing to get his homework done early, despite the fact he already finished it during Lunch and Duel Period. Later that night, the Number Thief would strike again.
NT's LP: 4000
Opponent's LP: 1200
Alex's opponent had Number 80: Rhapsody in Berserk in defence mode (ATK: 0, DEF: 1200, RNK: 4) and all it's overlay units were gone, as well as the card he just recently set. Meanwhile, as the turn ended, Time Thief Redoer (ATK: 2400, DEF: 2000, RNK: 4) reappeared onto the field, and Time Thief Hack and a set card were in the spell/trap zones.
"It's my turn then! I draw!" Alex, using his fake voice, declared. "And during the Standby Phase, Redoer takes the top card of your deck! Quantum Thievery!" the cable shot out and latched the top of the opponent's deck and drew it, making it an overlay unit. "Next I'll use Time Thief Hack to boost Redoer's attack points by 300! (ATK: 2400 - 2700) Also since he has a card that was originally yours as an overlay unit, he can attack you directly! Go! Quantum Strike!"
Redoer used it's cable to swing above Rhapsody and dived down at his opponent, only for them to smirk. "Ha! Fell for it! I play my trap Sakuretsu Armor! While Hack may have protected Redoer from Mirror Force earlier, its effect won't save it now!" The haunted armor appeared and launched at the thief, only for Alex's other face-down to flip up.
"I play the counter trap Time Thief Retrograde! While I have a Time Thief Xyz Monster on my field, this trap can cancel any spell or trap card's activation and then have it get attached to that Xyz Monster as an overlay unit! Your armor's negated and Redoer gets a new unit to his collection!" A bright beam shot out of the trap card and collided with Sakuretsu Armor and turned it into the bright yellow sphere that began circling Redoer as it continued the attack, ending the duel.
Opponent's LP: 0
NT wins
Once more, Alex's opponent fell backwards, but before they could hit the ground, he dashed forward and appeared behind them with their Number Card in his hand. The dark aura appeared and Dark Rebellion quelled its energy, and then they were off into the dark night. Unfortunately card shops were being heavily guarded by officers since his skillful robberies the night prior.
The next day came and Alex experienced the duel between Yuma and Caswell, as well as Astral's mysterious disappearance. Just like before, Alex was a bit tired, but not as much as yesterday, when their math teacher Mr. Kay explained how the school's systems were shut down, to which Caswell wanted to explain how it happened, only for Yuma to suggest starting a duel tournament in class.
"Is dueling all he thinks about?" Alex asks no one in particular.
"You know the answer to that Alex," Tori answered anyway.
Caswell then challenged Yuma to a duel, which he accepted and lost after realizing his Numbers were gone. After school Yuma and Tori began to walk to their homes, which would eventually end up with them confronting Caswell in the school library, while Alex walked to his house, preparing his deck for another job as The Number Thief.
As the sun had just set, Alex found himself looking at an old run down tower that his Number Sense led him to. Upon sneaking into the abandoned building, he found Yuma, Astral, Tori and Caswell standing before their teacher Mr. Kay, and a bunch of digital clocks were counting down from computer screens.
"Alright Mr. Kay, I challenge you to a duel! If I win, you have to stop this now!" Yuma declares to Mr. Kay, who then smirks in confidence.
"You really think you can defeat me? Fine, let's duel Yuma!" he says putting on his duel disk, which then Alex took his chance. The duel anchor shot out from the darkness latching onto Mr. Kay's wrist. "What's the meaning of this?!"
Alex then dropped down from the shadows, landing with style. "Greetings Mr. Kay."
"Who are you?!"
"Oh yes, no one really knows my appearance yet, but perhaps this will give you a hint?" Alex then threw a white card at the teacher who caught it. Upon seeing the logo on one side a look of realization washed over him.
"Y-You're the-"
"Salutations, I am the Number Thief," he said, taking a bow. "And I am here to steal your Number."
"What?! That's the Number Thief?!" Yuma exclaims, while Tori, Caswell and Astral stare in shock at the newcomer's appearance.
"No way, he's real," Tori says shocked.
"In the end, it would seem so," Caswell adds.
Astral merely stared at the individual, trying to get a read on who it might be, but a powerful energy was blocking him from any good findings. He couldn't even sense any Numbers on him. "This is very strange, I can't get a read on him. It seems like something is preventing me from learning anything about him, and it greatly puzzles me."
"You want to steal my Number?! Well you can't have it!" Mr. Kay rages.
"I couldn't take it from you now, even if I wanted to," Alex replies. "That card has bonded to your soul, and therefore I must unbind it through a duel. Only then will I be able to steal it."
"A duel huh? Well I suppose I can duel you then!"
"Same stakes apply also. If I win not only do I get your Number Card, you have to shut this virus down!" the Number Thief adds.
"Heh… I didn't think a rotten thief would care. If this virus manages to blackout the whole city, you could theoretically steal all the cards you want!"
"Rotten? I prefer gentleman thank you, also I'm not interested in stealing just any card, not even the most powerful ones," the thief explains, bringing everyone's attention to him. "I have witnessed firsthand how a Number can change a person, so I have dedicated my life to stealing the Numbers from those who cannot handle their power and become possessed by them or use them for their own selfish acts. That is why I broke into those stores. There were Number Cards in them that had yet to find owners, hosts you could say. I stole them to prevent that from happening. Now enough talk!"
"Yeah, lets…"
"DUEL!"
"DUEL!"
NT's LP: 4000
Mr. Kay's LP: 4000
"I think I'll go first! I draw!" The teacher declared, drawing his sixth card. "I'll play a monster in face down defence mode! That'll do for now!"
"Oh man! We can't even see what's coming!" Yuma says.
"Is that all? I expected more. I draw!" Alex then adds his sixth card, and prepares to go off. "First, I'll summon a man's best friend, Time Thief Regulator! (ATK: 600, DEF: 200, LV: 4)" A robot dog appeared on the field.
"Hmm… peculiar," Astral comments.
"What's peculiar? He just summoned a monster," Yuma pointed out.
"But Yuma, that monster only has 600 attack points. I very much doubt that it will be able to destroy Mr. Kay's face down monster. In the end, that mutt is useless."
"You should listen to him Number Thief, not a very smart move playing such a weak card," Mr. Kay comments, only for Alex to respond with a cocky smirk.
"Regulator is anything but weak. Sure he may not have that many attack or defense points, but what he lacks in power, he makes up for in his skillful use of his special ability, which I'll use right now!" the thief said, gesturing to the robot dog that then glowed as it used its effect. "While it's the only monster on my field, I can tribute Regulator to bring out two other Time Thieves in my deck to the field in defense mode!"
"IT WHAT?!" everyone else in the room exclaimed, including Astral surprisingly. Two cards then ejected from Alex's duel disk as he drew them.
"These two will do nicely. Thanks for the assistance my friend." Regulator gave its own bark of farewell as it vanished leaving two portals behind. "I summon Time Thieves Winder (ATK: 1800, DEF: 1300, LV: 4) and Chronocorder (ATK: 1000, DEF: 1000, LV: 4)!" Both Winder and Chronocorder appeared from the portals in defense mode. "Next, Winder's effect will allow me to search my deck for any Time Thief card and add it to my hand!" Everyone gasped or stared in shock as another card was added to Alex's hand. "I'll add Time Thief Hack, which I will then activate!" The continuous spell appeared in his spell/trap zone.
"Then again it seems in the end, that mutt was a lot more useful than we gave it credit for," Caswell says after witnessing the big play.
"I don't know. That mutt summoned those monsters in defense mode. He can't attack with them, so they're pretty much just taking up space," Yuma adds.
"Don't be so sure Yuma," Astral replies. "Notice anything about those monsters, particularly their levels."
"Their levels?" Yuma repeats. Before he could figure out what he meant, Tori beat him to the punch.
"They're both level 4!"
"I overlay level 4 Time Thieves Winder and Chronocorder in order to build the overlay network! Master of thievery across the temporal plane, appear before us with your masterful craft! I Xyz Summon! Time Thief Redoer! (ATK: 2400, DEF: 2000, RNK: 4)" Redoer then appears after Alex's chant. The master Time Thief in all his gusto as he prepares his attack. "Now Redoer, attack that face down with Quantum Strike!" Redoer does as he was told and flew down on the hidden monster before it was revealed as Crashbug X (ATK: 0, DEF: 2000, LV: 3). The attack points were high enough to end the tiny gremlin as it was destroyed.
"No, Crashbug X!" Mr. Kay exclaims.
"I suppose you weren't expecting an Xyz Summon on the first turn, huh?" Alex says. "I'll set 3 cards face down and end my turn." Three face downs appeared next to Hack.
"Curses, I wasn't expecting that Xyz Summon at all," Mr. Kay thinks to himself. "Looks like I gotta do something else." He then starts his turn. "My turn, I draw!"
"And during the Standby Phase Redoer takes the top card of your deck and attaches it as an overlay unit. Quantum Thievery!" Redoer shot its cable from his wrist and snatched the top card of Kay's deck.
"Darn it! That thief is ruining my perfection! I'll Summon Crashbug Z! (ATK: 0, DEF: 1500, LV: 3) Then I'll activate the spell card Double Summon! This card allows me to Normal Summon once more this turn! I summon Crashbug Y! (ATK: 1400, DEF: 1600, LV: 3) And when it's Normal Summoned while I have a Crashbug Z on my field, I can bring out another copy of Crashbug X from my Deck! (ATK: 0, DEF: 2000, LV: 3)" The three Crashbugs appeared onto the field one after another.
"In response, I'll activate one of my face downs, Time Thief Flyback!" The trap flipped up as it shot a beam at Redoer. "Upon this card's activation, I can attach a Time Thief card from my deck to Redoer as an overlay unit. I'll attach another copy of Time Thief Flyback!" A new sphere appeared from the beam as it began to circle Redoer.
"Where did this guy get these cards?!" Caswell exclaims. "Deck searches, Special Summons, first turn Xyz Summons, and now overlay units from the deck?! In the end, this duelist is very skillful and has an extremely powerful deck!"
"You'd be surprised what can beat it," Alex thinks to himself.
"Now I overlay all three of my Crashbugs in order to build the overlay network, and Xyz Summon, Number 34: Terror-Byte! (ATK: 0, DEF: 2900, RNK: 3)" The mechanical Rhinoceros Beetle appeared in defense mode on Kay's field.
"Oh no! It's his Number Card!" Yuma exclaims.
"A Number is unable to be destroyed unless it is by another Number, which the Number Thief currently doesn't have on his field," Astral comments with a curious gaze.
"While a Number cannot be destroyed in battle unless it's by another Number, card effects are another thing entirely!" Alex responds to Astral's observation, causing the ghostly being to look at him in wonder.
"Did he just hear me?" he thinks to himself.
"I activate Time Thief Redoer's ability! I can detach up to 3 overlay units of different card types and activate an effect depending on what was detached!" Three out of the four units were absorbed into Redoer's device. "First, since I detached a spell, I can draw a card!" The Number Thief tells drawing a new card. "Second, since I detached a trap, I can return one card on your field to the top of your deck! Phantom Reversal!" Redoer's device caused Terror-Byte to rewind back to the Extra Deck, vanishing from the field.
"Terror-Byte!" Mr. Kay shouts, everyone staring in shock.
"He got rid of a Number that easily?!" Yuma exclaimed.
"This Number Thief is very skilled," Astral adds with a look of shock.
"And finally, Redoer banishes itself until the End Phase. Quantum Jump!" Redoer then vanished through it's time vortex, confusing everyone in the room.
"Why would he get rid of his strongest monster like that?" Caswell wonders.
"Because in the end, Chronocorder's effect allows it to Special Summon itself when a Time Thief monster leaves the field by a card effect," Alex explains, Chronocorder appearing soon after in attack position. (ATK: 1000, DEF: 1000, LV: 4)
"You gave up your strongest monster for that one? Well it's a good thing I have this card in my hand! By banishing Crashbugs X, Y and Z from my graveyard, I can Special Summon Super Crashbug to my field in defense mode! (ATK: 0, DEF: 3000, LV: 4) And while this card is on the field, attack position monsters have their ATK switched with their DEF!"
"My Chronocorder's ATK and DEF are the same, so no change is made," Alex points out.
"Grr… I'll set a card and end my turn," Mr. Kay finishes as Redoer reappears.
(ATK: 2400 - 2000)
"My turn then! I draw, and Redoer's effect! Quantum Thievery!" The top card of Kay's deck was taken and attached, it being the Trap card Bug Switch. "Perfect. Now I'll Summon out Time Thief Bezel Ship! (ATK: 1000, DEF: 2000, LV: 4) And once again I'll build the overlay network! Maiden of quantum mechanics, assist us with your wonderful inventions! I Xyz Summon! Time Thief Perpetua! (ATK: 1900, DEF: 2500, RNK: 4)" A woman with orange hair then appeared, whose time device was on her left hand.
(ATK: 1900 - 2500)
Soon after Perpetua hit the field, the platform below them began to rise. Taking one look at the clock revealed that there was ten minutes left. The Number Thief certainly had plenty of time left, and he won't need it. "Next, I use Perpetua's ability! Once per turn, I can attach a Time Thief card from my deck to another Xyz Monster I control! I'll attach a Time Thief Startup to Redoer!" Perpetua then appeared to be tinkering until a small orb of light was given to Redoer, which then proceeded to encircle him as an overlay unit. "Next up, I'll activate Time Thief Flyback's effect from my graveyard!"
"Huh?! The graveyard?!" Yuma exclaims.
"His cards even have graveyard effects?" Astral ponders.
"By banishing Flyback from my graveyard, I can attach a card from your graveyard to a Time Thief I control! Your second copy of Crashbug X is attached to Redoer!" The trap appeared from a vortex on the ground and shot a yellow beam at a vortex on Kay's side of the field, pulling out Crashbug X and turning it into an overlay unit before it began to circle Redoer. "Next up, I'll use Time Thief Hack's effect, to boost Redoer's ATK by 300 for every overlay unit it currently has, which is three!"
"But due to Super Crashbug, those become it's defense points!" Kay reminds Alex of his monster's effect.
(DEF: 2500 - 3400)
"Yes, but now I'll use Redoer's effect to detach only one overlay unit this time, which is a trap, meaning a card on your field goes back to the deck. Saionara Super Crashbug! Phantom Reversal!" The time vortex then swallowed up Super Crashbug, thus leaving the field, its effect ending and Mr. Kay wide open for a direct attack. (ATK: 2000 - 3400) (ATK: 2500 - 1900) "Now Perpetua, attack Mr. Kay directly! Quantum Gadget!" The female Time Thief sprang over to Mr. Kay and pulled out a sci fi blaster, shooting him and dealing him damage.
Mr. Kay's LP: 2100
"I won't allow you to win so easily!" the teacher exclaimed, activating his face-down. "I activate Damage Vaccine Omega Max! I would appreciate not losing any life points but now I see I won't come out unscathed. Thanks to this trap, all the damage I just received is regained, so I'll be able to hold out a bit longer for next turn!"
"There is no next turn, Mr. Kay!" Alex counters with a look of seriousness in his eyes, before one of his set cards flipped up also. "I activate the counter trap Time Thief Retrograde! Your trap card is nullified and gets attached to a Time Thief I control! I choose Redoer once more!" A beam shot out from the card as it hit Mr. Kay's trap, turning it into an overlay unit that circled Redoer.
"So he was prepared for his face down card," Astral analysed. "Could we even defeat him if we had dueled? The answer to that question grows more and more obvious as this duel concludes, and I don't like where it's going."
"Redoer, finish this! Quantum Strike!" Redoer then dealt the final blow as the platform reached the summit of the tower, knocking Mr. Kay back, the number 34 vanishing from his neck, and before he hit the ground, Alex dashed forward and appeared behind him in a flash of violet, Number 34: Terror-Byte in his hand.
Mr. Kay's LP: 0
NT Wins!
Everyone was silent as they looked to the infamous person that was the Number Thief, and just how skilled he really was.
"Incredible… So this is the Number Thief?" Tori says.
"He beat Mr. Kay without taking a single point of damage! He even had another face down card he didn't even use!" Caswell summarizes. "In the end, the Number Thief is as skilled at dueling as he is at stealing these… 'Number Cards' you called them?" Tori responded with a nod. Yuma meanwhile just looked at the thief with both amazement, and worry.
"This is the infamous Number Thief?! He's crazy powerful! I don't even think I would stand a chance against him! He just beat Mr. Kay like he was nothing!" he thought. Meanwhile Astral was having a similar dilemma, questioning how far apart Yuma and this Number Thief were. Their thoughts were silenced when the said thief turned his attention to them, and began to walk over to them.
"Yuma, whatever you do, don't duel him," Astral demands.
"What?"
"We cannot win against him, you stand no chance." Yuma looked at Astral with confliction. As much as he wanted to argue with him and say he was wrong, he can't help but feel that he was right, but he couldn't say no to a challenge if he was presented with it, so if this thief wanted a duel he's got one.
"Yuma Tsukumo, correct?" the thief asks, sending a chill down Yuma's spine, though he refuses to show it.
"Yeah, and you're the Number Thief, right? So do you want a duel, because I can give you one!"
"WHAT?!" everyone but Yuma and the thief exclaimed.
"Yuma, I told you not to duel him!" Astral reprimands.
"So what?! I won't turn down a challenge! If he wants a duel, he's got one!"
"If you lose, I'll fade away. My life is literally in your hands."
"If I'm too afraid to fail, then I'll never move forward! To feel the flow as my father told me!" Silence followed after Yuma's declaration, before a faint chuckle burst into laughter, which was coming from the Number Thief.
"I like your spunk kid! I know you have Number Cards on you, but you don't seem to be possessed or anything, so I'll let you off the hook for now, but I'll be watching." And with that, Alex left the building, before they all realized that the countdown was still happening and that interaction with the Number Thief took up all the time they had left. Good news was that a virus wasn't set off into Heartland's Datagrid, it just created a giant hologram of the Crashbug Normal Monster. Mr. Kay then explained how he just wanted people to feel like they got goodluck by seeing Crashbug on a full moon and hacked the datagrid to fix one small little problem to get the hologram up and running again. Meanwhile Alex watched the Crashbug dance in the sky with a smile on his face and a new number card in his hand.
Author's Note: So, Alex has Terror-Byte. I just want to say, good god, am I not the only one who thought that duel was pathetic? Time Thieves are too OP for pre-Duel Carnival! Hopefully there will be more interesting duels later on, especially the one with Kite. I hope… Anyways I would like your opinion on who Alex should duel next. I am thinking of having him replace Yuma for the Shark team up against the goons. If you have another idea, be my guest to suggest in the reviews section. Until next time!