Skyler LP: 4900
Number 4: Tesseract Dragon: Thunder-Type/Xyz/DARK/Rank 4/ATK 4100/DEF 2800 – 3 OLU
Lithon LP: 1700
Number 89: Blacklight Prototype: Fairy-Type/Fiend-Type/Xyz/LIGHT/DARK/Rank 4/ATK 1900/DEF 1900 – 2 OLU
"CHAOS XYZ CHANGE!" Lithon cried. A maelström of black and white particles of light erupted from the portal. "Appear before us! Chaos Number 89: Synthetic Chaos!"
The beige number eighty-nine around Lithon's neck crackled with energy, then shattered, revealed a pulsating, much darker version of the symbol. Nothing rose out of the portal yet, but five smaller portals opened up in a circle around it, and fired five beams of pure energy into the vortex. It swirled faster and faster, throwing off pure light in all directions, before exploding completely. From within, a new spinning cube appeared. This one was visually similar to the previous cube, and folded out into a very similar-looking monster... except, the feel of the creature had completely changed. Instead of being a dull pulsating grey, it now blazed with a radiance that hurt the eyes of any who stared at it for too long, yet also managed to give off an aura darker than they'd ever seen. It had also gained the bodily features of a human, including piercing eyes that held no emotion whatsoever, which gave a real sense of just how artificial it was. The monster was now whole, seamless, complete. It was encircled by three yellow orbs of light, but their glow was overshadowed by the creatures blinding radiance.
Chaos Number 89: Synthetic Chaos: Fairy-Type/Xyz/LIGHT/Rank 4/ATK 1900/DEF 1900 – 3 OLU
Skyler took a step back, staring at the new monster in horror. "C-Chaos Numbers...?" he breathed. "What the... what in the hell is that thing?"
"These are the ultimate forms of the Numbers," Lithon replied. "A form that allows them to unleash the full extent of their power!"
The spectators were likewise enthralled. "Leah..." Dan said, "have you ever heard of these Chaos Number things?"
She shook her head. "No... I never knew such a thing existed-" She fell silent for a moment as Number 9: Skrapi Drake briefly assailed her mind, before going on. "To think that the Numbers had such power and we never knew about it."
Doctor Lithon heard this and laughed at them. "Of course you haven't heard of them, pathetic brats!" he taunted. "You don't have what it takes to create one. No-one does."
"What do you mean, create one?" Skyler cut in.
Lithon turned back to him. "I suppose it can't be helped, so I guess I'll give you a lesson on Chaos Numbers. Such creatures are created when a Number holder experiences a certain emotion so strongly and deeply, that it sweeps aside all doubts and confusion and carves a path into the light. This will evolve the corresponding Number into its Chaos Number variant."
"I think I understand..." Leah said. "So which emotion did you get so strongly that allowed your Number to evolve?"
"Ah, now that's just the problem," Lithon said, shaking his head. "I've done a great deal of research, and from what I've seen, it seems that for a human to experience such an emotional surge is physically impossible."
"Impossible?" Skyler repeated.
"Correct," Lithon replied. "It cannot be done. No human being can physically experience such emotion required to evolve their Number."
For a moment, everyone was silent as they digested this information. Then Dan spoke. "Alright then, I'll ask the obvious question: if it's impossible for a human to acquire a Chaos Number, then how do you have one?"
Lithon grinned widely. "Ah, well... you might say that I didn't exactly use the... conventional method."
"Straighten your tongue, Lithon!" Skyler snapped. "I didn't come here to listen to riddles. Now answer the question."
The scientist gave a mocking bow to his opponent. "As you command, hunter. The truth is that I also conducted numerous experiments on myself. And I found an interesting method that allowed me to alter the requirements of a Chaos Xyz Change. I won't go into much detail, but let's just say it involves using some of the other Numbers in my collection..." He grinned. "Anyway, by sufficiently lowering my own bodies strength and simulating the emotions required, I was able to do what I thought was impossible. I forced a Chaos Xyz Change!" He gestured to the disturbing creature on his field. "And the result is standing before you now. The most glorious and perfect Number in all of creation!" The monster stretched its arms, its soulless eyes never leaving Skyler.
Skyler stared at the creature for only a moment longer, before shaking his head and returning his attention to the scientist. "I don't care what kind of tricks you pull out of that Deck of yours; the result will still be the same. Even your Chaos Number cannot defeat my Number! And do you know why? Because the evolution of something weak will still be inherently weak!" Tesseract Dragon roared in agreement.
"Hahaha, is that so?" Lithon laughed. "Well then, let us test your hypothesis. I'll start by applying the continuous effect of Chaos Number 89: Synthetic Chaos. As long as its on the field, it's also treated as a DARK Fiend-Type monster."
Chaos Number 89: Synthetic Chaos: Fairy-Type → Fairy-Type/Fiend-Type
Chaos Number 89: Synthetic Chaos: LIGHT → LIGHT/DARK
"Now, I'll activate the effect of Chaos Number 89: Synthetic Chaos! By detaching one of its Overlay Units, I can banish any card you control until my next turn begins." One of the yellow orbs of light sank into the monster's skin.
Chaos Number 89: Synthetic Chaos: 3 → 2 OLU
"And of course, I target Number 4: Tesseract Dragon!" A colossal portal opened up above the large dragon, and tendrils shot out and ensnared it, dragging it into the different dimension. Its three remaining Overlay Units, now useless, simply dissipated.
"No!" Once again, Skyler felt no pain from his Number's destruction, but he was still distraught to lose one of his strongest Numbers.
"Battle!" Lithon declared. "Synthetic Chaos, direct attack!" The monster spread its arms wide, as if to embrace the world. The light emanating from its body grew brighter and brighter, blinding both Skyler and the spectators. Suddenly, Skyler was struck by an invisible shockwave, which threw him backwards.
Skyler LP: 4900 → 3000
"With that, I end my turn," Lithon said, smirking as Skyler struggled back to his feet.
"My turn, draw." Skyler drew his card, then stopped to consider his next course of action. Eventually, he decided on a defensive one. "I Special Summon Solar Wind Jammer, in Defence Position." A large purple shuttle appeared, with a cluster of solar panels on either side that resembled sails.
Solar Wind Jammer: Machine-Type/LIGHT/Level 5/ATK 800/DEF 2400
"I can Special Summon this card from my hand while I control no monsters," Skyler explained. "But if I do, its ATK and DEF are cut in half."
Solar Wind Jammer: ATK 800 → 400/DEF 2400 → 1200
"Then I'll set one more monster face-down and end my turn." The face-down card appeared.
"My turn then. I draw," Lithon drew his card, and was immediately interrupted by Skyler again.
"During your Standby Phase, the effect of your Chaos Number wears off, and my banished monster returns to my field. Reappear, Number 4: Tesseract Dragon!" The same large portal opened up again, and the dragonic creature fell from it, landing behind its owner with an earth-shaking crash. Unfortunately, its trip to the banished zone had left it devoid of Overlay Units.
Number 4: Tesseract Dragon: Thunder-Type/Xyz/DARK/Rank 4/ATK 4100/DEF 2800 – 0 OLU
Lithon started laughing. "You imbecile! Do you honestly think you still have control of your monster? Not on your life!"
"You what?" Skyler said, worried.
"I have control of your moves now," Lithon explained. "And I shall not allow this monster to see the light of day! I activate the effect of Chaos Number 89: Synthetic Chaos once again! By detaching another Overlay Unit, Tesseract Dragon is banished again." A second Overlay Unit disappeared just like the first, sinking into the Chaos Number's skin.
Chaos Number 89: Synthetic Chaos: 2 → 1 OLU
The Number was dragged into the portal yet again. Skyler gritted his teeth in frustration.
"We're not done!" Lithon called. "I'll activate its effect one more time, detaching the last Unit to get rid of your set monster!"
Chaos Number 89: Synthetic Chaos: 1 → 0 OLU
Skyler's set monster – which turned out to be Planet Pathfinder – was dragged into oblivion. And still Lithon's turn continued. "Next I'll activate the Spell Card, Light of Redemption!" The Spell Card appeared on his field, and shrouded him with particles of light. "By paying 800 Life Points, this card lets me return one of my banished monsters to my hand."
Lithon LP: 1700 → 900
Lithon took one of his monsters back, then immediately decided to Summon it. "Now then, by banishing one LIGHT monster and one DARK monster from my Graveyard, I can Special Summon this card from my hand. Arise, Black Luster Soldier – Envoy of the Beginning!" Epignosai Mem and Epignosai Samekh appeared behind him as ghostly images, which swiftly faded away into the other dimension. In a flash of light, the infamous blue-and-gold armoured warrior appeared.
Black Luster Soldier – Envoy of the Beginning: Warrior-Type/LIGHT/Level 8/ATK 3000/DEF 2500
Skyler groaned. "You have to be kidding me. First a Chaos Number and now this! I thought Envoy monsters were so rare that almost no-one had them anymore."
"Well," Lithon grinned, "as luck would have it, I was fortunate enough to obtain one of these cards some time ago. But enough of that, on with the duel. Go, Synthetic Chaos, destroy his Solar Wind Jammer!" The Chaos Number's blazing aura grew brighter and brighter, until the same invisible shockwave that had struck Skyler moments ago smashed into the shuttle. The Machine was demolished in an instant.
"No!" Skyler cried out.
"Black Luster Soldier, direct attack!" Lithon declared. The soldier rushed forwards and slashed Skyler across the chest. He was knocked off his feet by the attack, and the wind was knocked out of him as he landed.
Skyler LP: 3000 → 0
Lithon LP: 900 [WINNER]
Lithon laughed maniacally as the augmented reality faded around them. "Let that serve as a lesson, o mighty hunter! Even you are nothing before the power of the Chaos Numbers!" Lithon staggered forward slightly with fatigue, but was upright again in an instant, and started walking forwards as though nothing had happened. The pulsating number on his neck faded away as he walked over to the downed hunter, who was lying on his back, dazed and fighting for breath.
"Hey Lithon!" Leah called.
The scientist stopped beside Skyler, and turned to face her, a look of irritation on his face. "What is it, girl?"
"What're you going to do to him?" she asked.
He grinned. "Be patient, young lady. I'll be doing it to you soon enough." Without another word, he knelt down beside Skyler and pulled a small metal device from within his jacket. It was a thick metal disk, with a glass dome on top of it, and several sharp metal protrusions that resembled the legs of an insect jutting from the side. Lithon placed the device in the centre of Skyler's chest, and the protrusions clamped down on his skin, preventing him from pulling it off.
"No... don't..." Skyler muttered.
"Too little too late, hunter," Lithon replied. He rolled up his left sleeve and tapped a few buttons on a small keyboard strapped to his wrist. "And with this..." he grinned, pressing one last key, "...your Numbers belong to me!"
The orb in the centre of the device lit up an angry red colour, and Skyler screamed in agony, arching his back against the ground. He scrabbled at the device with his fingers, trying to pry it off, but it held firm. He screamed again, thrashing about in the dirt as the device sent waves of agony through his body. Leah and Dan averted their gaze. The sight was too horrible.
With one last effort, Skyler clamped his robotic hand around the thing and attempted to crush it, but it was futile. It was too strong. He cried out in pain and gripped harder, crushing it with all his might. If he had been clutching a human arm, that grip would have ground the bone into powder, but it didn't leave so much as a dent on the small metal contraption.
"DAMNIT!" he shouted, and smashed his fist down on top of the thing.
And because the two Deltas weren't looking, they didn't see what happened next.
A tiny spark jumped between the metal device and Skyler's hand. Then, two things happened at once. Firstly, a bolt of lightning blasted through Skyler's body, and he immediately went limp. Secondly, the device short circuited with a bang, sending off a tiny wisp of smoke from underneath.
Lithon recoiled. "Gah! Damn you, hunter!" he growled. Just then, the device gave a mechanical cough, and four cards were spat out of the side, landing on the grass beside Lithon. He picked them up and examined them, a smile creeping back onto his face. "Ah, well at least I was able to extract his Numbers before the Drainer Pack short circuited." He looked on as the numbers forty-five, nineteen, fifty-four, and four all etched themselves onto the back of his hand, one after the other.
With an effort, he got to his feet and began to walk away. The duel anchor still binding him to Skyler appeared briefly, but he gave it a slight tug, and it shattered completely.
"Hey!" Dan called after him. "Where are you going?"
Lithon stopped, and spoke without turning around. "I've... I've used up too much energy," he muttered. "That was my first time performing the Chaos Xyz Change in a duel. As it turns out, it drains far more of my energy than I first thought." He shrugged. "Besides, my Drainer Pack is damaged... so even if I were to defeat you, I have no way of extracting your Numbers."
"But what about Skyler?" Leah asked. "What did you do to him?"
"Haven't you guessed girl?" Lithon replied. "I've simply extracted his Numbers. Normally, my Drainer Pack would also transport him to my lab where I could conduct further experiments on him, but it seems that some of his so-called technology-" he gestured towards Skyler's robotic arm, "-screwed up the extraction process, and damaged the extractor. He escaped unharmed. It's irritating, but perhaps it's for the best... after all, I now know I can easily defeat him, so I can let the little scoundrel run around gathering up more Numbers, then swoop in and take them for myself at my leisure..." He chuckled to himself. "Yes, that actually works out rather nicely." Suddenly, he turned to face them with a grin. "I will let you two go today for the same reason. But be assured, young Deltas, I will get you before long. For now, rest easy, safe in the knowledge that we shall meet again." With that, he departed, his yellow lab coat flapping behind him like a cape.
The two Deltas looked at each other, but really couldn't think of anything to say. Each knew what the other was thinking - they were completely outmatched by the forces against them. It was as simple as that. They were losing.
Wearily, Dan helped Leah to her feet, and they began the long trek back home.
Author-made cards:
Number 4: Tesseract Dragon
Thunder-Type/Xyz/DARK/Rank 4/ATK 4100/DEF 2800
3 Rank 4 monsters
Must be Xyz Summoned, and cannot be Special Summoned by other ways. This card cannot be destroyed by battle, except by a "Number" monster. If this card would be destroyed, you can detach 1 Overlay Unit from this card instead. You can detach 1 Overlay Unit from this card; apply 1 of these effects (you cannot apply 2 or more different effects during the same turn): ●Banish 1 card your opponent controls. ●Banish 1 random card from your opponent's hand. ●Banish 1 card from your opponent's Graveyard.
Number 89: Blacklight Prototype (credit to Superjad)
Fairy-Type/Xyz/LIGHT/Rank 4/ATK 1900/DEF 1900
1 Level 4 LIGHT monster + 1 Level 4 DARK monster
This card cannot be destroyed by battle, except by a "Number" monster. This card is also treated as a DARK Fiend-Type monster. If this card battles a non-LIGHT/DARK monster, at the start of the Damage Step: Detach 1 Overlay Unit from this card, then target that monster; banish that target.
Chaos Number 89: Synthetic Chaos (credit to Superjad)
Fairy-Type/Xyz/LIGHT/Rank 4/ATK 1900/DEF 1900
3 Level 4 LIGHT/DARK monsters OR 1 "Number 89: Blacklight Prototype"
Cannot be Xyz Summoned unless there are 5 or more banished cards. This card cannot be destroyed by battle, except by a "Number" monster. This card is also treated as a DARK Fiend-Type monster. You can detach 1 Overlay Unit from this card, then target 1 card on the field; banish it until your next Standby Phase.
Fun Fact #18: Oh hey, did Doctor Lithon just become incredibly awesome? I think he did.
Fun Fact #19: There are a few things we need to establish regarding our layout of the Chaos Numbers. Firstly, we're not calling them "Number C", on account of that name being utterly pointless and silly. Secondly, we are using the anime-style variation of their limitations, which means that they require certain conditions to be Summoned, rather than to activate their effects. Thirdly, not all Chaos Numbers we use will have the "1000 LP or less" limitation that the anime ones do. Fourthly, rather than having the CXC conditions in their text, we're putting the CXC option as part of the actual Summoning requirements, separated by an "OR" (we find that this makes it look slightly better).
Fun Fact #20: For some reason, maelström is our collective new favourite word. Maelström!
Fun Fact #21: Yes, Lithon did say that it's physically impossible for a human to perform a CXC (Chaos Xyz Change), even though we all know that isn't true. Remember, Lithon is a heartless scientist who tortures kids, Numbers, and even himself to get results. What does he know of emotions?