A/N: Thank you so much to everyone who took the time to read this story.

Disclaimer: I will be alternating between anime effects and TCG/OCG effects for some of Naruto's cards, depending on which effect is better. The ones with anime effects will be noted with an *. Anime effect applies to other characters.

I will also be using some OCG card names if they sound cooler.

Under the shadow of the colossal dragon, Naruto seemed like a grinning madman. A strange mark had appeared on the side of his hand, carved in the shape of the number 17, and blazed with azure light.

Honestly...it had been a while since he felt this...invincible.

"I hope you didn't forget Skull Eagle's effect!" Naruto shouted. "When they are used as materials for a Xyz summon, the Xyz monster gains 300 points for each Skull Eagle that I used! Which means Leviathan Dragon's attack points become 2600!"

"That's not all! Numbers 17, Leviathan Dragon's effect activates!" Naruto pointed wildly at the colossal dragon that hovered above him. "By detaching 1 Xyz material, Leviathan Dragon gains 500 attack points!"

The water dragon's head shot forward and snatched away one of the energy spheres that rotated around it.

No. 17 Leviathan Dragon RANK 3 ATK: 2600→3100 Xyz Materials: 2→1

"N-No way. 3100 Attack Points…" Yuma breathed as he took a step back in fear.

"Battle! I will attack Gogogo Golem with Leviathan Dragon!"

The dragon opened its jaws and let loose a high-pressure stream of water.

Yuma managed to recover from his daze just in time. "Doesn't matter how powerful your monster is! As long as I have this trap card!" Yuma punched a button on his Duel Disk. "Go, Mirror Mail! Gogogo Golem now is just as strong as Leviathan Dragon!"

Gogogo Golem EARTH LV 4 Rock/Effect ATK: 1800→3100

"Yes! This is it!" Tetsuo pumped his fist. "Naruto doesn't have any set cards on the field! If this effect goes through, Leviathan Dragon will be destroyed for sure!"

"Go, Yuma!" Kotori cheered, swept up in the excitement of the moment.

In an instant, Gogogo Golem's body became clad in armor made of mirrors that reflected Leviathan Dragon's visage. As the stream of water barreled towards Gogogo Golem, the steadfast Golem raised its bulking arms and hammered it away.

Even before the scattered water could finish drizzling across the floor, Leviathan Dragon pounced, as if enraged by its prey's defiance.

With lightning-fast speed, the giant serpent seized the Golem in its mouth and rushed off into the clouds. A large collision ensued up there, echoing downward with the sound of a large thunderclap.

Yet, seconds later, Leviathan Dragon was the only one who returned.

"W-what?" Yuma stuttered out. "W-Why is Leviathan Dragon still here!"

"Because, Yuma…" Naruto spread his arm out to the side and kneeled onto the ground in worship. The blonde boy whipped his head back and stared into the sky, screaming like a religious zealot.

"NUMBERS can only be destroyed by other NUMBERS!" As his voice faded, he still kept his mouth open, allowing lingering threads of saliva to be tangled in between. His eyes had rolled halfway back into his head in absolute ecstasy.

Sanity seemed to be a companion that had long deserted him.

"I-It can't be…" Yuma dropped to his knees in despair. "3100 Attack Points and I can't even destroy it..."

Naruto smirked at Yuma's pitiful form. It seemed like that boy was finally ready to give up on this duel.

Then suddenly, the boy rose from the ground and started talking to himself.

To say Yuma was confused would be an understatement. One second, he was coming to realize his own helplessness. The next, a ghostly apparition of a man told him to rise and fight. After a drawn-out conversation, the 'ghost' introduced himself as 'Astral'.

"Draw your card, Tonma! It's our turn!"

"It's YUMA!" Yuma corrected angrily. "And it's MY TURN!"

T6 Yuma H:2→3 LP: 500

"Summon Gogogo Giant!" Astral commanded.

"Gogogo Giant?" Yuma searched his hand until he finally found the monster hidden behind a Spell Card. "Oh….There it is!"

"I summon…" He paused and looked at the ghost. "I just want you to know I'm not doing this because of you. I was planning on doing this anyway!"

"..." Astral simply stared at him with an unreadable expression.

Yuma understood his point. "Alright, alright! I will summon Gogogo Giant in attack mode!"

"Now use Gogogo Giant's effect!" Astral instructed.

Yuma stomped the ground in a tantrum. "Don't tell me what to do!" He refocused on the duel shortly after. "I will use Gogogo Giant's effect! When it is Summoned, I can revive Gogogo Golem from my Graveyard! Then, Gogogo Giant goes to defense mode!"

A dark pathway opened up on the ground, surrounded by a ring of magical runes. Gogogo Giant quickly reached in and pulled out Gogogo Golem by its shoulders.

Gogogo Giant EARTH LV 4 Rock/Effect DEF: 0

Gogogo Golem EARTH LV 4 Rock/Effect DEF: 1500

"So you have strengthened your defenses," Naruto observed. "But, neither of your monsters are strong enough to defeatmy Leviathan Dragon!"

"Agh!" Yuma scratched his head furiously in panic. "He's right. None of my monsters even have enough defense points!"

"We're not done yet! Xyz Summon, Tonma!"

"It's YUMA!" Yuma corrected angrily for the second time.

He then paused, realizing that he just glossed over something important that Astral said. "W-wait, Xyz summon?"

Yuma was confused. "But, I don't have any Xyz monsters!"

"Look in your Extra Deck."

"Extra Deck?" Yuma did as he was told and flipped open a compartment on his D-Pad. To his surprise, there it was, shining with celestial light, was the card of an Xyz Monster.

He grabbed the card in his hands and was dumbfounded by the hieroglyphs inscribed upon it. "I can't read this." He whined.

"But I can." Astral asserted. "It says Number 39, King of Wishes, Hope."

Just as Astral's words fell, the previously foreign hieroglyphs transformed into Japanese.

"Hope…" Yuma repeated after the name and immediately decided that he liked it. "Alright! I will overlay the Level 4 Gogogo Golem and the Level 4 Gogogo Giant to build the overlay network!"

"No way…" Tetsuo uttered in disbelief as a galaxy-like portal spread out in front of Yuma.

"Yuma is Xyz Summoning?" Kotori finished the sentence.

"Xyz Summon! Appear, Rank 4! Number 39, King of Wishes, Hope!"

From a spiraling portal of light, an almost cylindrical object rose to the top. Two tessellating wings of pure white wrapped around its body like two pieces of disjointed walls. Its core body resembled a column of interlocking rings that built around one, blue, glowing sphere. Near the end of its body, one could see what appeared to be the tips of two large crescent blades poking out.

Gradually, the alien object unfurled and a winged warrior of light started to take shape. From behind its grey iron mask, two crimson eyes beamed with dignity and authority. On its left shoulder plate, the digits '39' could be seen painted in red.

No. 39, King of Wishes, Hope R4 Warrior/Xyz/Effect ATK: 2500 Xyz Materials: 2

Naruto ground his teeth in anger. "I can't believe that you managed to summon a Number too!"

"But!" Naruto narrowed his eyes at the digital window that displayed Hope's attack value. He chuckled lightly at the mere measly 2500 displayed in white. "Hope is still weaker than Leviathan Dragon!"

"Not for long!" Yuma countered as he inserted a Spell Card into his D-Pad. "I activate Blustering Winds. Until my next Standby Phase, Hope gains 1000 attack points!"

No. 39, King of Wishes, Hope ATK: 2500→3500

Naruto seethed in silence as the winged warrior flew towards him.

"Go, Hope Sword Slash!"

Hope swung its giant crescent blade, hacking the dragon from top to bottom. Leviathan Dragon let out one final roar of agony before it dissipated into wisps of darkness.

Naruto was flung onto the ground from the resulting shockwave. (Naruto's LP: 4000→3600)

"Yes!" Yuma cheered. "I finally managed to damage Naruto's Life Points! I will set one card and end my turn!"

"I can't believe it…" Naruto's eyes wavered fiercely as he stared at the fragmented remains of Leviathan Dragon. "Number got defeated?"

His eyes flitted back to Yuma. When he saw the look of determination etched on the young boy's face, a sense of urgency, panic, and fury welled up inside him.

"Don't think for a second that I'm finished!" He barked fiercely. Yet, he sounded desperate even to himself.

He ripped a card from the top of his deck and turned it over to peek at what he had just drawn.

It was just the card that he needed.

T7 Naruto H: 0→1 LP: 3600

"I will summon Raidraptor- Retrofit Lanius!"

The monster Naruto called forth was one with six, thin, spider-like limbs. Its body was clad in a green armored shell. Extending from its oval-shaped body was a long, slender neck that supported a tiny mono-eyed head. The creature's tail was silver in color and tapered off into the end, almost resembling those of a dragon.

Raidraptor - Retrofit Lanius* LV 4 DARK Winged-Beast/Effect ATK: 800

Yuma's face brightened with relief. "Whew, he only has one monster. That means he won't be able to Xyz Summon!"

Naruto smirked, knowing that he was about to ruin Yuma's little celebration. "Unfortunately for you, when Raidraptor-Retrofit Lanius is used for the Xyz Summon of a Raidraptor monster, it can be treated as two monsters!"

As if to back up Naruto's point, Retrofit Lanius split into two right in front of everyone's eyes.

Suddenly, Yuma felt very foolish. "T-Two m-monsters!?"

"With the Level 4 Raidraptor-Retrofit Lanius, I will build the overlay network!"

"Knight of the underworld, rise from the remains of your fallen comrades and blaze a new trail of carnage! Xyz Summon! Appear, Rank 4! Raider's Knight!"

The sound of a galloping horse rung throughout the duel field. From seemingly out of nowhere, an armored knight came running out, mounting a steed of black steel. Three metal pipes poked out from each side of the horse's neck, leaving behind streams of azure flames in their wake.

Raider's Knight R4 DARK Warrior/Xyz/Effect ATK: 2000 Xyz Materials: 1

"H-hold up a minute!" Yuma crossed his arms in front of him like an error message. "That's clearly not a Raidraptor monster! I call cheating!"

"Raiders' Knight is always treated as a Raidraptor card," Naruto explained simply.

"SUCH A CONVENIENT CARD!" Yuma gave a comical outburst.

"I will now activate Raider's Knight's special ability! By detaching 1 Xyz material, I can Special Summon from my Extra Deck a Raidraptor Xyz Monster that's one Rank higher!"

"What did you just say!" The surprises of this duel hit Yuma one after another. He could feel himself starting to get dizzy from all the twists and turns.

Both the armored knight and his steed merged into a singular beam and streaked towards the sky.

"The unseen bold falcon. Reveal your wings' unknown power here and now! Rank-Up Xyz Change! Come forth! Rank 5! Raidraptor - Étranger Falcon!"

An ominous thundercloud gathered above them. From within a new arcane power started to take shape. Bolts and screws turned into place as the mechanical bird spread its round, circular wings. As its system loaded, a cylindrical protrusion poked out of its chest, accompanied by a swift flash of crimson nerves. A second later, its twin violet eyes burst to life from within its mechanical exoskeleton. Finally, it burst through the thundercloud, unveiling its form for all to see.

The creature's core body looked to be rather thin without the high-tech cybernetics that served as its armor. Its body resembled a barebone skeleton of a bird made from black steel. Yet, the double cannons that poked from above its shoulders made sure to convey its threat.

Raidraptor - Étranger Falcon R5 Winged-Beast/Xyz/Effect ATK: 2000 Xyz Material: 1

Yuma's eyes were so wide that they could have popped out of their sockets. "H-he evolved his Xyz monster!"

"I use Raidraptor - Étranger Falcon's effect. By detaching 1 Xyz material, I can target one monster on your field and destroy it! Then, you take damage equal to the monster's attack points! Take 3500 points of damage and die!"

The two shoulder cannons of Étranger Falcon pointed directly at Hope, unleashing from them concentrated beams of golden energy.

"Yuma, your trap card!" Astral reminded. Yuma seemed to have caught on as he pressed a button on his D-Pad.

"I activate my Trap: Commoner's Revolt!" The card depicted a naked king surrounded by a bunch of pitchfork-wielding peasants.

"With this card, I can negate Hope's destruction and inflict 800 points of damage to you!"

(Naruto LP: 3600→2800)

"Fine by me!" Naruto snapped back. "I will just attack Hope with Étranger Falcon!"

"But why would you attack with a weaker monster? Hope has 3500 attack points!"

"Hmph." Naruto looked unbothered. "When Étranger Falcon is destroyed by battle, it will revive one of my destroyed Raidraptor Xyz monsters and attach itself to that monster as material."

"Revive a destroyed Raidraptor Xyz monster?"

"But the only Raidraptor Xyz monster in your Graveyard is Devil Eagle*… oh …." Yuma paused as he saw the writing on the wall. "You plan on using Devil Eagle's effect to inflict effect damage to me!"

"1500 points damage is a small price to pay for what you will suffer!" Naruto shrugged arrogantly. "After all, I still have 2800 Life Points remaining! While you only have 500!"

"AAGHGHGH!" Yuma stomped the ground in a panic. "Doesn't Hope have any special abilities?" He asked as he looked at Astral.

"During the Battle Phase, you can detach 1 Xyz Material from Hope to negate an attack." Astral's voice was as calm and collected as ever.

"You couldn't have told me that sooner?!" Yuma pouted petulantly.

"I use Hope's effect." Yuma said as he turned his attention back to the duel at hand. "By detaching one Xyz Unit, I can negate Raidraptor - Étranger Falcon's attack! Go, Moon Barrier!"

At Yuma's command, Hope's wings unfolded in front of it as a shield, blocking the miniature black hole that Étranger Falcon hadhurled its way.

Naruto tutted his tongue in annoyance. "...I end my turn!"

"At the beginning of this Standby Phase, Hope's attack points return to normal," Yuma said as Hope's attack points dropped.

No. 39 King of Wishes, Hope ATK: 3500→2500

Yuma perched his fingers and got ready to draw. "It's my turn! I-"

"Stop right there, Yuma!" Naruto interrupted. "You seem to not have grasped your situation fully!"

Yuma blinked. "What do you mean?"

"What I mean is that there's no way for you to win this duel!" Naruto claimed. "After all, if you destroy Étranger Falcon, then Raidraptor - Devil Eagle will come back!"

"Ah...that's right…" Yuma trailed off as the gravity of the situation settled in. He looked at Astral for help, only to see that the azure ghost seemed to be at a loss for words too.

"And if you don't attack, I will just crash Étranger Falcon into Hope during my next turn. Your Hope only has one Xyz Material left. At best, it can only stop my attacks one more time. But what will you do after that?"

Naruto smiled feeling that his point had been made. "Why don't you just give up? There's no way for you to win!"

Yuma shook his head. "Why are you so obsessed with getting me to give up?! Does that mean you have given up something in the past?"

Suddenly, the memories of that cursed tournament invaded Naruto's mind.

When Naruto looked visibly shaken, Yuma knew that he had hit a bullseye.

"Well, giving up is not my style!" Yuma's jumped up into the sky, and with another Kattobingu battle cry, he drew his card.

T8 Yuma H:0→1 LP: 500

The boy's face lit up at the card that he drew. "...It's here!"

"I will attack Raidraptor-Étranger Falcon with No. 39 Emperor of Wishes, Hope!"

"Hmph! So you have lost your mind!?" Naruto spat, his brows knitted tightly with deep malice. "Intercept him, Raidraptor- Étranger Falcon!"

The warrior of light pulled a crescent blade from its hilt and jumped towards Étranger Falcon with an overhead slash.

"Now, I use Hope's effect. By detaching 1 Xyz material, I can negate my own attack!"

Just like that, Hope's crescent blade shattered into millions of luminous fragments.

"What?!" Naruto was shocked. "Why did you negate your own attack?!"

Yuma held out a Spell Card as his answer. There was an absolutely vibrant smile on his face. "I activate the Quick-Play Spell: Double or Nothing! When a monster whose attack is negated, it can attack again!"

"It's useless!" Naruto snapped back. "Did you forget that once Étranger Falcon is destroyed Devil Eagle will come back? Then you will take 2500 points of damage from Devil Eagle's effect and lose the duel! It's my complete and perfect victory!"

Naruto started to laugh, his entire body trembling as his laughter became uncontrollable. It was as if the devil was laughing through him.

Yuma glared at Naruto. "But that's only if you still have Life Points left!"

"What?" Naruto's swagger faded, as did his laughter. Just for that moment, he started to doubt his own victory.

"When a monster attacks by the effect of Double or Nothing, its attack points become double of its current value!"

Naruto's LP: 2800

Raidraptor - Étranger Falcon ATK: 2000

No. 39 King of Wishes, Hope ATK: 2500→5000

"5000 attack points?!" Naruto exclaimed, unable to believe his eyes. Yet, the window that displayed Hope's attack value remained unchanged no matter how many times he blinked.

Hope became enveloped in a cloak of light as it pulled both of its blades out of their hilt. The warrior of light rushed towards the falcon of darkness and sliced into it with an X-shaped attack.

"Go! Hope Sword Double Slash!"

In an instant, Étranger Falcon was sliced to bits and Naruto was flung back across the field by the ensuing explosion.

Impossible…The thought flew and lingered into Naruto's mind as he crashed repeatedly onto the ground. Me lose? I lost to this idiot? With one final rough bump, Naruto's body finally came to a stop.

Naruto LP: 2800→0

Yuma LP: 500 → WIN!

…

…

…

...

Astral stared at the Number 17 that he had just absorbed from Naruto and seemed to be deeply wrapped up in thought.

Across the other side of the field, Naruto picked himself back up and tossed a Deck towards Yuma, who caught it with his hand. "Here! It's your friend's deck as promised."

The blonde Uzumaki teen shoved his hands in his pants pockets and started to walk off.

"Hey, Naruto!" Yuma called out.

Naruto halted in his steps and tilted his head to look at Yuma. "What do you need?"

Yuma gave him a thumbs up. "That was a fun duel! Let's do this again sometime, alright?"

Naruto continued to walk away but raised a hand in the air to wave Yuma a cool goodbye. "Yeah. I will see you around."

...

...

...

Enna was worried. No, she was absolutely wrought with anxiety.

There she stood, standing on a cliff near the edge of the Astral World, watching as her friend make the biggest decision of her life.

The sky appeared to be a supercell of light. The breeze of the evening was cold and cutting.

"Eliphas will have you tried for treason." She warned as she spoke to her friend.

"It's okay as long as I don't get caught." Her friend replied as she hopped onto a space pod— her chosen vehicle for the upcoming journey. "I will head to the human world. Take care, Enna."

It was clear to Enna that there was no changing her friend's mind.

A few seconds later, the pod blasted off and soared towards the heavens. Enna followed the pod with her eyes, even as the pod turned into a mere twinkle in the distant sky. Only when her friend's space pod could no longer be seen, did Enna finally turn away.

She locked her hands and prayed for her friend's safety.

…

…

…

From the crystallized chambers of the Astral World, Eliphas let out a lengthy sigh. He stared out the window of his palace wistfully. It seemed that despite their best efforts, that girl still ended up getting away.

"Luna…" He whispered the name as he silently cursed the girl for her foolishness.