It has been two days since Vixen dueled Kite. Alex was sitting in a lesson looking over to see Yuma and Astral sulking in the back of the class, Tori trying her best to cheer him up.
"I knew Astral took their loss pretty hard, but Yuma?" he thought. "Maybe he's just in a little funk right now."
Come Duel Period, Yuma just sat off to the side. Even when Bronk tried to encourage him to a duel, he just subtly declined. Alex furrowed his brow at this and decided to put off his schoolwork for now and went over to the protagonist of the original story.
"What's up Yuma?" he asked, causing the said boy and his friends to look at him. "Look I get that you lost, but you can't let it get you down."
"What do you know? You don't even duel Alex," Yuma retorted, causing his friends to look at him in shock, before he got up and walked away with his head held down. Alex didn't let Yuma's answer to his attempt of support get to him. He was determined to get Yuma back into fighting shape, if it was the last thing he did, which is why later he was at a card shop looking for something to get Yuma (Not by stealing it mind you).
"5000 yen?! For two simple spell cards?!"
"These spells are anything but simple, sir," the cashier said.
"But they only support Xyz Decks!" Alex countered.
"Which is like 90% of the meta right now."
"Touche… fine, here." He then paid the man upfront and got two copies of the same spell, Xyz Rebirth. It was basically a spell card version of Xyz Reborn, bringing back an Xyz Monster from your graveyard and attaching itself as material to that reborn monster. The only drawback is that it has a hard once per turn. Alex decided to get one for both Yuma and himself, thus buying two.
Alex found Yuma walking home from school, a couple of bruises on his face (most likely from Tori) and Astral floating above him, still sulking.
"Yuma!" he called out, getting the boy's attention.
"What is it Alex?" he replied, not with anger, but with melancholy. Alex then pulled out one of the copies of Xyz Rebirth.
"Look, I know I don't play the game like you guys, but I still want to help, because you're my friend." He then held the spell card over to Yuma, both him and Astral looking at the card with interest. "So, I thought I'd get you this to… y'know, strengthen your deck."
Yuma grabbed the card, a familiar sparkle seeming to return to his eyes, only to fade as he remembered the duel he had a few days prior. "Thanks Alex, but you shouldn't have got me this. I'll never do anything good with it."
"Hey! Don't say that!" Alex responded. "I know you can beat him. You lost, yes, but you can only go up from there. You just need to practice and prepare your deck to deal with his strategies."
"Alex… I'm sorry, but I can't," Yuma said, tears starting to form in his eyes. Before Alex could say another word, he ran off.
"Grr…" Alex grumbled in frustration. "What the heck? Yuma was never like this in the anime. Did his duel with Kite hurt him that much? Well I'm sick of this sob story drama he has going on." He turned around and marched away with a frown on his face. "Alex may not be able to get through to him… but I think I know someone who can."
30 minutes later
Yuma had slowed down sometime after losing Alex and was slowly walking to his house. He felt like taking the long way home so currently we find him at the port where he had dueled Shark. Since Astral wasn't talking to him, he was alone with his thoughts. "I appreciate the help Alex, but I'm no good. I almost lost mine and Astral's soul to someone who defeated me with no effort. How could I ever stand up to that in a million years?"
Through his internal rant, he had failed to notice someone approaching him from behind in the shadows. Astral however felt as though they were being watched, so he stopped sulking for a brief moment to look in the direction his instincts were pointing him towards, and saw quick movement.
"Yuma! Watch ou-" But it was too late. Before Yuma could register what he was saying, a red beam shot out and latched onto Yuma's arm. Seeing it reminded him of someone he now feared.
"Oh no! Don't tell me that Number Hunter is…" He paused as he looked to the beam's origin, that being from a duel disk, and that duel disk was attached to none other than Vixen, and he had a crossed look on his face. "The Number Thief?"
"There are no words that could describe my disappointment in you Yuma," he said with a cold tone, causing the said boy to have a chill go up his spine. "I thought you were worthy to wield the power of the Numbers. Clearly I was wrong."
"W-What?"
"There is no going back Yuma! You and I shall duel, and whoever wins shall get all the loser's Numbers they have on them!" the thief explained, making Yuma and Astral go wide eyed.
"WHAT?! We're gonna duel?!" he responded to the opponent in front of him.
"That's right, unless you're too scared to duel me, in which case I'll take all your Numbers here and now!"
Yuma became conflicted. He wasn't sure if he could beat him, but Astral's life was now on the line, so he shouldn't risk it.
"We have no choice Yuma," came the being of light's voice from beside him. Turning to him, Yuma gave him a questioning look, begging for an answer. "He has us pinned to the wall now, all we can do is duel, and hope for victory. "Number cards, the keys to my memories. We must get them back!"
Seeing no other choice, he equipped his duel disk and duel gazer. "Okay, so I might be dueling the Number Thief, the same guy who dueled Mr. Kay and totally kicked him to the curb with his strange deck of unknown monsters, but then again, he isn't Kite so maybe I'll…" His thoughts were interrupted by the opponent across from him, and what he said nearly tore the last shred of hope he had left of winning.
"If you think I'll be easy to defeat because I'm not that Number Hunter you lost to, don't bother. I dueled him once already quite recently and beat him without breaking a sweat."
"What?!" both Yuma and Astral replied, shocked. "No way, he beat someone we couldn't even land a scratch on like he was nothing? If that's true, then what chance do we have of beating him?"
"We must duel him Yuma, we have no other option," Astral said, a look of hopelessness in his eyes. "Let's just hope that by some miracle we win."
"Hmm… alright. Let's…"
"DUEL!"
Vixen's LP: 4000
Yuma's LP: 4000
"I'll go first!" Yuma declared, drawing his card. He stared at his hand with conflict, unsure what to do. Even when he thought of an idea, he immediately second guessed it, and this lasted for well over a minute. "Maybe if I… no, what if he has a counter for that? Maybe I could…"
"If you're not going to play anything, just end your turn so I can do mine," Vixen interrupted with a cross face. Yuma then started to panic, trying to think of something, anything that could work. He finally settled on a strategy.
"I'll set a monster face down and set a card!" two face downs appeared onto the field. One in the monster zone and one in the spell/trap zone. "I'll end my turn." Astral raised an eyebrow at Yuma's play, curious to see that he was playing defensively instead of offensively like he normally does, something Vixen noticed as well.
"Hmm… a good start I'll admit, but let's see if you can keep up with me," he said as he drew his new card. After looking at his hand for only a second, he made his play. "First, I'll set a card, then since I have no trap cards in my graveyard I can activate it the turn it was set! The Phantom Knights of Shade Brigandine! Which shall special summon itself as a Normal Monster! (ATK: 0, DEF: 400, LV: 4)"
"What?!" Yuma stared at the monster that was once a trap card in shock and awe at the unknown play that was just made.
"A trap card that becomes a monster," Astral comments. "The Number Thief's deck is just full of surprises. It also makes me feel our chances of winning this slip from our grasp more and more."
"Oh gee… thanks for the confidence boost," Yuma responds annoyed. "Sadly I can't help but feel the same."
"Now I'll summon Time Thief Chronocorder! (ATK: 1000, DEF: 1000, LV: 4)" Chronocorder was then summoned to the field next to Brigandine in defence mode. "Now I'll overlay them 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 was summoned to the field in attack mode, ready to go on the offensive.
"Ah! He got his strongest monster out already?!" Yuma exclaimed.
"And with a trap card attached to it no less," Astral added, worry spread across his face. "With it he'll be able to-"
"Redoer, attack his face down monster! Quantum Strike!" Vixen interrupted, the being of light raising an eyebrow in confusion. Redoer complied and flew at the face down monster, which then flipped up revealing Yuma's iconic rock monster.
"Sorry if you were hoping to destroy my monster because thanks to Gogogo Golem's ability, it can't be destroyed by battle once per turn while in defence mode! (ATK: 1800, DEF: 1500, LV: 4)" The golem braced the attack head on and survived, with barely a scratch on it.
"Good move Yuma," Astral complemented. "But I am curious as to why-"
"I activate Redoer's ability!" Vixen interrupted once again. "By detaching a trap card, I can return one card you control to the top of your deck! I choose Gogogo Golem! Phantom Reversal!" A time vortex appeared beneath the golem's feet as it was sucked in, returning to the top of Yuma's deck. Astral's eyes narrowed as he began thinking. "I'll end my turn with two face downs. Your move."
"I draw," Yuma said, drawing his Gogogo Golem. Redoer's Quantum Thievery then activated taking the next card on top of Yuma's deck. "Grrr… what should I do? I could set Gogogo Golem again, but he'll probably have a new monster next turn, then he'll just use his thief's effect to return Golem back to the top of my deck. Ah… what am I supposed to do?!"
"Set Gogogo Golem Yuma," Astral answered his rhetorical question.
"Huh?"
"Set Gogogo Golem and that card in your hand," he repeated, his eyes looking at a specific card in his hand.
"Are you sure?" Yuma asks, wondering if it's a good idea or not. "Because if his Redoer gets a trap card, he could just…"
"I believe there is something that he is not telling us about Time Thief Redoer's effect," Astral responds, Yuma looking in confusion. "Think about it, if he wanted to deal damage to us, he could've just used Redoer's effect to return Gogogo Golem to our deck before the battle."
"So what are you saying?"
"I think that Redoer's Phantom Reversal can only be used on face up cards," the ghostly being concluded.
"So, it can't target Gogogo Golem while it's in face down defense mode!" Yuma responds, a determined look on his face. "Alright! I'll set a monster and a card face down, and end my turn!"
Vixen then drew his next card and used Redoer's effect to take the top card of Yuma's deck. "Playing defensive again? Very well, I shall go on the offensive! I'll activate my face down Time Thief Flyback, which shall allow me to attach a Time Thief card from my deck to it as an overlay unit. I'll attach another Time Thief Flyback!" From the activated trap, a yellow orb flew out and started orbiting around the thief. "Now Redoer, attack that face down once again!" a repeat from before as Gogogo Golem flipped face up and blocked the attack.
"Do it now Yuma!" Astral exclaimed.
"Right! I activate the trap Gogogo Shackles!" Yuma's new face down activated, his Golem combusting and rebuilding into a pair of cuffs made of rock. "By tributing a Gogogo monster I control, I can have a monster you control lose ATK equal to that of the tributed monster and its abilities are negated!" The cuffs flew at Redoer, attempting to latch onto it, but it was all for naught.
"A good attempt, but not good enough! I activate Redoer's ability! By detaching a monster card from it, I can banish it until the End Phase! Quantum Jump!" A time vortex opened again, Redoer going through it this time, and leaving the field before the cuffs could attach onto it.
"Damn!" Yuma cursed.
"Next, Chronocorder revives from my graveyard due to its effect! (ATK: 1000, DEF: 1000, LV: 4)" The metal butterfly appeared in defense position. "Now during my second Main Phase, I'll summon out Time Thief Bezel Ship! (ATK: 1000, DEF: 2000, LV: 4)" Bezel Ship flew onto the field in attack mode. "Now I'll overlay them both in order to Xyz Summon once more!"
"No way!" Yuma exclaimed.
"Maiden of quantum mechanics, assist us with your wonderful inventions! I Xyz Summon! Time Thief Perpetua! (ATK: 1900, DEF: 2500, RNK: 4)" The maiden appeared in defense mode, two overlay units orbiting around her. "I'll end my turn, thus returning Redoer to my field." Redoer then appeared back through its time vortex.
"My turn I draw!" Yuma said, drawing his next card.
"Redoer's effect! Quantum Thievery!" Redoer then took the top card of Yuma's deck. Just as Yuma was about to start his turn, Vixen made a few more plays. "Next, I'll use Perpetua's effect to attach a Time Thief card from my deck to Redoer as an overlay unit!" Perpetua then began to tinker with a glowing orb of light. Upon finishing her tinkering, she gave it to Redoer, making it orbit around the thief with the other unit that it just gained, and that isn't the last of it. "Finally, by banishing Flyback from my graveyard, I can attach a card from your graveyard to Redoer! I'll choose your Gogogo Shackles trap card!" The Flyback trap then appeared from a portal, casting a lead of light into a portal on Yuma's field, dragging Gogogo Shackles from it and turning it into an overlay unit for Redoer.
Both Yuma and Astral stared in shock at the play just made. "Incredible… he managed to prepare himself for this turn, all during our Standby Phase. I honestly don't know if we could truly win against him," the being of light responded somberly, Yuma getting angered.
"Your words of confidence are greatly appreciated," he said with heavy sarcasm, but he couldn't help but agree, although looking at the card he drew gave him a little hope. "I activate Xyz Treasure! For every Xyz Monster on the field, I can draw a card! There's two, so I'll draw that many!" He then drew two new cards, and smirked at what he saw. "Alright! I'll set a monster and a card face down! I'll end my turn!"
"My turn, I draw," Vixen said, drawing his new card. Upon seeing the card, his eyebrow raised. "Now I'll activate Redoer's effect! Quantum Thievery! Next, I'll set a card, next I'll switch Perpetua to attack mode. Now Redoer, attack his face down!" The thief flew at the face down monster, flipping up to reveal something Vixen was not expecting; a little goblin with a large sack on its back. (ATK: 0, DEF: 0, LV: 1)
"Ha, gotcha! My Overlay Goblin's flip effect activates! It detaches all overlay units from all Xyz Monsters on the field, and for each unit detached, it gains 300 ATK and DEF!" The little goblin then zipped across the field, swiping all the overlay units from each Xyz Monster and putting them in its bag. Upon returning to its original position, it held its enlarged bag up in an act of defense, its stats rising higher.
(DEF: 0 - 1800)
"An impressive play, but my monster's ATK is still higher! Redoer, finish it! Quantum Strike!" Redoer then continued its attack, destroying the little goblin. "Perpetua, attack Yuma directly!"
"Now! I'll activate my trap card, Gogogo Blockade! Thanks to this card, when I'm targeted for a direct attack, I can summon up to two Gogogo monsters in my graveyard to my field! I choose my Gogogo Golem, (ATK: 1800, DEF: 1500, LV: 4) and Gogogo Goram! (ATK: 2300, DEF: 0, LV: 4) I bring out both of them in defense mode!" The two rock giants appeared onto the field in a defensive position. "Whew… looks like my life points are safe for now."
"That was a pretty good move on your part," Astral comments.
"Well duh, I won't take any damage if my monster is in defense mode."
"I meant you summoning Gogogo Goram in defense mode as upon summon it switches its battle position," Astral adds as the said monster changes from a defensive stance to a battle one. Yuma began to panic at his 'misplay' while Astral raised an eyebrow in confusion. "What's wrong Yuma? His Perpetua's attack points are less than Goram's and Gogogo Golem can't be destroyed in battle once a turn while in defense mode. It's a well thought defense."
"No it's not!" Yuma exclaimed to his partner. "What if he has a card that'll increase his monster's ATK, huh?!"
"You are afraid," Vixen interrupted, Yuma looking at the thief in confusion.
"Me… afraid?"
"Yes. At first I thought you were just playing defensive because you have yet to make a proper counter attack, but now I see that perhaps it was a ploy to defend yourself. A good defense is a good strategy, but eventually all shields break at some point. I'll end my turn here. Your move."
Yuma then drew his card, trying not to think about what he said. After Redoer took Yuma's top card, he then looked at the card he drew and his hand, and selected two cards among them. "If you want me to play offensive, fine! I summon out Gagaga Magician! (ATK: 1500, DEF: 1000, LV: 4)" Yuma's black robed wizard appeared onto the field in attack mode. "Next I'll play the spell Gagaga Bolt! This card destroys a card on your field. I choose your Time Thief Redoer!" A bolt of lightning was cast from Gagaga Magician's hand as it soared towards Redoer.
"Unfortunately I had a counter for that! I activate the counter trap Time Thief Retrograde! This not only negates your spell, but it also attaches it to a Time Thief Xyz Monster I control! I choose Perpetua!" The trap card blasted the bolt and turned it into an orb that swirled around the redheaded Time Thief.
"Damn!" Yuma exclaimed. "I should've just kept building my defenses. Maybe this card will help." He then played the card that he drew earlier. "I activate the equip spell Wonder Wand! This card boosts my Magician's ATK by 500! (ATK: 1500 - 2000)" a magic wand then appeared in Gagaga's hands. "Next I'll use Wonder Wand's other ability to send both it and the equipped monster to the graveyard to draw two more cards!" Wonder Wand glowed as both it and Gagaga vanished allowing Yuma to draw two cards.
"I'll chain the other Time Thief Flyback in my graveyard to banish it in order to attach your Gogogo Blockade trap card!" Vixen declared, the other copy of the trap taking another card from Yuma's graveyard. "Go ahead, summon your Number. I'm ready for it!"
"Great… I draw." He then drew his two new cards, both of them quick play spells. "Double or Nothing? That's not gonna help right now… hey, isn't this the card Nelson gave to me?"
Flashback
"It's strange. I barely remember doing anything as the Sparrow," Nelson told Yuma after their duel.
"Hey, don't worry about it Nelson. You're all better now," Yuma responds.
"But there's one thing that I remember almost perfectly, and that was my duel with the Number Thief."
"The Number Thief?!" Yuma exclaimed.
"Yeah, and I remember using a certain card to block his monster's ability," Nelson replies, taking a certain card from his deck. "Yuma… you're searching for these 'Numbers', right?"
"Yeah, not like I have a choice really," he answered with a quick glance at Astral who was floating next to him.
"Then that probably means you'll have to duel the Number Thief sometime in the future." Nelson then walked over to Yuma with the card in his hand. "I want you to have this card, Yuma. Use it to collect more Number cards!"
Yuma then took the card held out to him, eyes widening in shock. "Woah! Hey this is a pretty rare card! Are you sure you want me to have this?"
"Of course! You're my friend Yuma. Plus, due to me working in show business, I can just buy another one." Yuma comically sweat dropped at that last comment, his head turning crooked.
"I'm sorry Nelson, but I don't think…"
"Yuma," Astral interrupted. The said duelist looked up to see Astral looking at his two newly drawn cards, Nelson's card in particular. "With that card, we will be able to keep Utopia on the field."
"Huh?"
"Now, overlay Gogogo Goram and Gogogo Golem!" he then explained briefly. Yuma looked in confusion, until he figured out what he was implying.
"Wait! Are you saying I should summon Utopia now?! B-But what about his Redoer's effect?!"
"Yuma… trust me," was all that Astral responded with. Yuma felt conflicted about it, but Astral was the better duelist between them (not that he'll ever admit that) so he put his trust in Astral's judgement.
"Okay, I overlay level 4 Gogogo Golem and Gogogo Goram! With these two monsters, I build the overlay network! I Xyz Summon, Number 39: Utopia! (ATK: 2500, DEF: 2000, RNK: 4)" Yuma's ace card then appeared onto the field in a flash of light, standing before the master thief in front of it. Yuma was then drawn to the sound of slow clapping, seeing it originated from none other than Vixen.
"Good show, you finally summoned your Number, but I'm sure you knew what would come next, right?" The thief's answer was an unsure look from Yuma as he activated his monster's effect. "By detaching a trap card from Redoer, I can return a card you control to the top of the deck! I choose your Utopia! Phantom Reversal!" One of Redoer's overlay units was absorbed into its device, causing a time vortex to manifest below Utopia.
"Great! I knew this would happen!" Yuma cried in anger.
"Now Yuma, play that card!" Astral exclaimed.
"Huh?!"
"Use that card on Utopia, hurry!"
"On Utopia?" Yuma then looked at the card Astral told him to play, and after a moment's hesitation, he followed Astral's demand. "From my hand, I activate the quick play spell card Book of Moon!" A look of surprise appeared on Vixen's face upon seeing the card he had only encountered once before. "With this card, I can change a monster to face down defense mode! I choose my Utopia!" The said warrior then changed into a set card as the time vortex vanished from where it was, the set Utopia being completely unaffected. "Hey, it actually worked!"
"Nice going there, Yuma," Vixen commented. "I guess you figured out Redoer's effect only works on face up cards." His face then turned serious. "But don't think that you'll win by simply figuring that out."
"I end my turn," Yuma said with an indifferent face.
"My turn then! I draw! And Redoer's effect! Quantum Thievery!" Upon looking at the card he drew, his eyes narrowed as he added it to his hand. "Now Perpetua! Attack Yuma's face down Utopia! Quantum Gadget!" Perpetua brought out her blaster and shot at the face down, which flipped up to reveal Yuma's Utopia. Upon being hit with the beam, the shining warrior defended itself from the attack as it then countered with a gust of wind that damaged the Number Thief.
Vixen's LP: 3900
"Huh? Why would he attack a monster that he knows has a higher DEF?" Yuma asked aloud, Astral wondering the same thing.
"Because I needed it face up for this," Vixen answered. "I activate my face down trap, Breakthrough Skill!" The face down on Vixen's field then revealed itself. "This card negates the special abilities of a monster my opponent controls. I choose Utopia!" The said monster then grew visibly weakened as the trap worked its magic, negating its effects. "Now my Redoer can attack it with no problem. Redoer, finish it! Quantum Strike!" The thief flew at Utopia with swift speed. Yuma, seeing the attack coming, began to panic.
"Ahh! What do I do?! What do I do?! This is just like that duel with Shark all over again! No it's not like that, it's worse! How can I stop it?!" After his little episode, Yuma's eyes landed on the card he had set at the start of the duel. "That's it! I activate my face down card, Impenetrable Attack! This trap card allows me to activate one of two effects. I can either defend myself from taking damage this turn, or I can defend my monsters from destruction this turn. I choose the second effect to protect Utopia!" Redoer's attack finally landed, but thanks to Yuma quickly activating his trap card, Utopia wasn't destroyed.
"I'll set two cards, and end my turn," Vixen finished. Yuma then started his turn, hoping luck was on his side.
"My turn I draw."
"And now during your Standby Phase, Redoer takes a card on top of your deck. Quantum Thievery!" The top card of Yuma's deck was then taken, but Vixen was not done yet. "Now I activate Perpetua's other ability! During the Standby Phase, I can detach 1 overlay unit to special summon a Time Thief from my graveyard! Return Bezel Ship! (ATK: 1000, DEF: 2000, LV: 4)" Shocking both Yuma and Astral as they witnessed the red headed thief's other effect, also the ship appeared onto the field in defense position.
"Why did he summon that?" Yuma wondered aloud. "Well, Utopia attack his Time Thief Perpetua! Rising Sun Slash!" Utopia then drew one of its swords as it attacked the red head. One look from Vixen was all she needed to know to prepare for the worst. "Now I activate Utopia's effect! By detaching 1 overlay unit, I can negate Utopia's attack!" An overlay unit clashed into the sword, making it begin to fade, only for Vixen to make other plans.
"I don't think so, Yuma. I activate a second Breakthrough Skill to negate Utopia's abilities once again!" The familiar trap card flipped up on the field as it caused the warrior to weaken in power again, its sword solidified back to normal as its attack continued, destroying Perpetua.
Vixen's LP: 3300
"Why would you purposefully negate an effect stopping my own attack?" Yuma asks.
"Because I know of your strategies Yuma," Vixen answered, shocking his opponents. "I know that the only reason you would use that effect on yourself is if you had a Double or Nothing in your hand." Yuma and Astral's shocked faces was all that he needed to confirm his claim. "Now, if you were paying attention, you also would have noticed that a certain monster is missing." Indeed, a monster was missing; Bezel Ship. While it had vanished, a new overlay unit had appeared encircling Redoer.
"W-What happened to it?"
"Similar to Flyback, Bezel Ship can take a card from your graveyard and attach it to an Xyz Monster I control, all for the simple cost of sacrificing it from my field. Take a guess as to what card I chose." Yuma's eyes widened in realization at what he meant. "At the end of your Battle Phase, I detach a trap card from Redoer to return a face up card on your field to the top of your deck. I choose Utopia!" A time vortex spawned beneath the warriors feet, and unlike last time, it was pulled in. Expecting a worried expression on Yuma's face, instead he found a calm one.
"Good thing I drew this card when I did. Since I control no monsters and you do, I can normal summon this card as a level 4 monster. Come on out, Gagaga Head! (ATK: 2100, DEF: 2000, LV: 6 - 4)" A new monster appeared onto the field, wearing orange and blue armor and a cape. "Now Gagaga Head's effect! When it's normal summoned, I can summon up to 2 Gagaga monsters from my graveyard. I have only one so I'll bring it out now! Come on back Gagaga Magician! (ATK: 1500, DEF: 1000, LV: 4)" The spellcaster reappeared next to the blue armored monster. "Now I'll overlay them in order to Xyz Summon! Appear again, Utopia! (ATK: 2500, DEF: 2000, RNK: 4)" The golden warrior rose once more, this time in defense position. "And now Gagaga Head's effect lets me draw a card when it's used as material for an Xyz Summon." He drew it, and immediately set it. "I'll set a card and end my turn."
"It's my turn then, I draw, and now Redoer's Quantum Thievery!" After drawing his new card, and the Time Thief took the top card of his opponent's deck, Vixen gave a serious look. "There are many things that make a duelist Yuma, and variety is one of those such things."
"Huh?" the said duelist replied with a confused expression.
"If you don't understand, then I'll show you. I summon out the Tuner monster Black Salvo! (ATK: 100, DEF: 1100, LV: 3)" The little bomb appeared with it's sinister smirk as it was normal summoned.
"A Tuner monster?" Astral said, looking at the strange new monster.
"When Black Salvo is normal summoned, I can bring a dark machine monster back from my graveyard. Appear Chronocorder! (ATK: 1000, DEF: 1000, LV: 4)" Chronocorder appeared next to the bomb, its fuse lighting in anticipation. "Now, I tune level 4 Chronocorder with Level 3 Black Salvo! (4 + 3 = 7) Mechanized warrior of the shogun, let your rage boil into an unrivaled force! I Synchro Summon! Appear, Samurai Destroyer! (ATK: 2600, DEF: 1400, LV: 7)" A robot in orange samurai armor appeared with a katana on it's back while its right hand had a built-in cannon. Yuma and Astral stared in shock and awe at the monster's summon.
"S-Synchro Summon?" Yuma stuttered.
"I have no recollection that this method existed," Astral said, staring at the samurai as if it was a ghost.
"Now, Samurai Destroyer, attack Number 39: Utopia! Mecha Slash!" The samurai drew it's blade and charged at Utopia with the intent to kill.
"Wait! Utopia can't be destroyed in battle since Samurai Destroyer isn't a Number!" Yuma cried out in confusion.
"Normally yes, that is true, but Samurai Destroyer has a special ability that activates when it battles a monster. Not only can you not activate cards or effects until the end of the Damage Step, but your monster's abilities are negated during the Battle Phase!" Gasping in shock, Yuma watched as the robot samurai aimed its right arm cannon and fired, coating Utopia in black sludge, signifying that its effects were negated. Finally, in the blink of an eye, Samurai Destroyed slashed through Utopia like a hot knife through butter. Upon sheathing its blade, Utopia exploded into pixels.
"Utopia!" Vixen's opponent cried as his monster was totalled.
Yuma's LP: 3900
"Now Redoer, attack Yuma directly! Quantum Strike!" Redoer then charged in at Yuma as it then struck its opponent down, making them cry out as their life points depleted.
Yuma's LP: 1500
"I end my turn. Make your move Yuma, for it may just be your last."
"M-My… turn…" He had brought his hand up to draw his card, but he couldn't do it. He trembled at the power that Vixen displayed, showing that he was a far more powerful opponent than even Kite could hope to be. What chance did he have against him? He couldn't beat Kite even when he was trying his hardest, and yet this Number Thief not only claims, but has proven time and time again in their duel that he had beaten Kite with barely any effort. Astral is currently in a state of stupor he has yet to break out from, so he's no help at the moment. So what chance did he have of winning?
"...Don't you dare quit." It was subtle, but Yuma heard Vixen say those words in anger. He was angry? Why? "If you give up now without even taking a chance at victory… well, I have no words to describe the amount of disappointment I would feel."
"Yeah? So what? You've cut off every one of my plays, you had the advantage since turn 1 and you use a summoning method I didn't even know existed! You have shown that you're a better duelist than both me and Kite combined! What chance do I have against you?"
"...So is what you say a lie then?"
"Huh?"
"When you talk about 'feeling the flow' or 'high fiving the sky', that is usually you saying you won't give up until the very end, that you won't back down until you have taken every chance at victory! Was that all just a lie?!" Yuma began to scowl at Vixen. Of course it wasn't a lie. His father taught him the meaning of those lines and he wasn't going to let someone talk bad about them sitting down.
"Of course not! I would never lie about that!"
"Then where is that tryhard Yuma Tsukumo that I remember?" Yuma seemed stumped at Vixen's words, lost in thought at what he meant. After a moment of silence, the thief continued. "Listen Yuma, just because Kite decided to cut your duel short doesn't mean you'll be spared from facing him again. It will happen whether you like it or not. Now, are you going to mope around doing nothing to prepare yourself for round 2 with him, or will you better yourself, increase your deck's power and when the time comes, high five the sky and win?!" Yuma was silent for a few seconds, until a familiar cheshire grin appeared on his face.
"You're right, Number Thief, I can't just sit around moping. I gotta improve my game and beat that Number Hunter, and it'll start with your defeat! Get ready 'cause I'm feeling the flow! My turn, I draw!" Yuma drew his new card, eyes widened at seeing what he drew. "Hey, this is…"
"Redoer's effect! Quantum Thievery!" The thief once again took the top card of Yuma's deck, to his opponent's luck, not a trap card, but Vixen didn't really care about that. All he cared about was seeing his friend back on his feet. "Welcome back Yuma," Alex thought.
"Alright! Time for me to high five the sky! I activate the spell, Xyz Rebirth!" The very spell card that Alex had given him earlier that day was then played, much to the pride of the disguised person across from him. "Thanks to this spell an Xyz Monster in my graveyard is summoned back to my field. Return for the last time, Number 39: Utopia! (ATK: 2500, DEF: 2000, RNK: 4)" Utopia revived onto the field with shining power, once again taking the field in attack position. "That's not all as Xyz Rebirth gets attached to Utopia as an overlay unit!" The spell turned into a glowing orb that then encircled Utopia. "Now Utopia, attack Time Thief Redoer, only now activate your special ability to negate your attack!" The shining warrior drew its blade as it charged at the thief, only for its overlay unit to get absorbed causing its blade to shatter, negating its own attack, as Yuma wanted. "Now! II activate the quick play spell Double or Nothing! Now I can have Utopia attack again, only this time it's ATK is doubled!"
(ATK: 2500 - 5000)
"Now Utopia, this time aim your attack for Samurai Destroyer! Rising Sun Slash!" Utopia once again attacked, this time it drew both of its swords, each blade growing with increased energy given from Double or Nothing. Vixen couldn't help but smirk.
"Yuma, as much as I take pride in seeing you back to your old self…" he thought... "But my pride as a duelist won't let you win that easily!" ...as he activated his set card. "I activate the continuous trap, Phantom Knights' Fog Blade!" A sword whose blade was made of a ghostly fog flew out of the trap and pierced through Utopia's core, causing it to turn to stone.
"Utopia!" Yuma exclaimed as his monster was completely pacified. It was at this moment Astral snapped from his stupor to see their ace monster made into a statue with a ghostly bled sticking out of its chest. "What did you do?!"
"Phantom Knights' Fog Blade targets a monster on the field; that monster cannot attack and its special abilities are nullified," Vixen explained.
"What?!" Yuma exclaimed.
"However, the targeted monster in turn cannot be declared as an attack target, meaning both you and your Utopia are safe, for now," the thief then added, causing Yuma to give a sigh of relief.
"*whew* Almost thought we'd end up losing Utopia again there," he says with a sigh of relief.
"Don't be so sure," Astral replies. "If his Redoer ends up getting a trap card attached to it, then Utopia can be returned to our Extra Deck, then there will be nothing we can do."
"Then we'd better hope he doesn't get a trap card!" He then takes the last card in his hand and sets it face down. "I'll set one card and end my turn! Bring it on Number Thief, because I'm gonna win this duel!"
"My turn, I draw!" Vixen then drew his next card, looked at it for a few moments…
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...and then places it back on top of his deck, his hand resting above it. "I surrender."
Vixen Surrenders
Yuma Wins!
"...Huh?" Yuma replies, tilting his head in confusion of what just happened.
"I surrender," Vixen repeats. "That means you win Yuma."
"...WHAT?!" he then exclaimed, running over to the thief as the duel anchor faded. "What do you mean you 'surrender'?! You can't just cut a duel off like that! Why on earth would you do that?!"
"I drew a bad card, it pretty much guaranteed I would lose," the thief explained with an embarrassed smirk, backing away from Yuma.
"I doubt that! With a deck as powerful as yours, I doubt that that card was bad! Come on, show it!"
"Huh?"
"Show us the top card of your deck!" Yuma was not backing down from this, that's for sure, so reluctantly, Vixen drew the top card of his deck and showed it. "Huh, Monster Reborn?"
"With that card, Vixen could've used it to bring back Time Thief Perpetua, who would allow him to attach a Time Thief card from his deck to Redoer," Astral summarized. "By attaching a trap, he would then use Redoer's effect to return Utopia back to the Extra Deck."
"So… why didn't you use it?" Yuma asked the question in both their heads. Vixen then turned and started to walk away, but answered their question.
"I'm a thief Yuma, not a murderer. I'd rather not have Astral's blood on my hands," he said with a wave of his hand. It took a few moments for his words to settle in, and their reaction was as expected.
"WHAT?! YOU KNOW ABOUT ASTRAL?!" Yuma exclaimed while Astral stared in shock.
"Know him?" The Number Thief turned around, adjusting his domino mask like a pair of glasses. "I can see and hear him clearly. Oh! That reminds me…" He then reached into his pocket as he pulled out a card. "To the victor go the spoils, here." He threw the card as Yuma caught it, looking to see it was none other than Number 34: Terror-Byte.
"A Number card," Astral said, sensing another piece of his memory returning by being in the Number's presence. Yuma looked at the card for a moment and started to frown.
"Hold up," he interjected as Vixen was about to leave. "Where are the others you've gathered?"
"What do you mean?" the thief replied.
"You said whoever won got the other's Numbers! I doubt you only collected just Terror-Byte! So where are the others?!"
"...Not on me at the moment," Vixen answered with a fox-like grin, causing Yuma to fall over comically.
"What do you mean 'not on you at the moment'?!"
"What, you didn't expect me to keep all the Numbers I've gathered with me now do you?" he responded with a shrug, causing Yuma to gawk at the thief's antics.
"S-So you've never used any of the Numbers you've gathered?"
"Nope, and I don't intend to use one any time soon." The thief then turned around and ran off with a wind beneath his coat as he vanished into the night.
"...Wait… how do you know his name, Astral?"
"He told us after we found him dueling with the Sparrow, Yuma."
"Huh?! Well how do you expect me to remember something that brief?! Wait, hold up…" The young duelist then looked up to see that the sky had gotten dark. "Huh?! How did it get so late?! I've gotta get home before Kari kills me!" And like that, he was gone, Astral following close behind.
"Observation #13: It has come to our attention that Yuma is not the only human in this world that can see or hear me. It makes me wonder if there are others out there that are also capable of noticing or hearing me."
Author's Note: FINALLY! IT IS DONE! AFTER LONG PAIN STAKING WEEKS OF MENTAL LABOR I HAVE DONE IT! I am so sorry it took this long to finish but hopefully it is to your liking. Anyways, I have something to announce. As of this moment I am at a college training camp for the next three weeks so I more than likely won't be able to upload any new chapters during that time. I had hoped to finish this first arc by then but it seemed that wouldn't happen. Anyways, until next time!
P.S.: Fixed an error in the story.