YuGiOh! Delta: Frostbite

by Rebster6

In this story, we'll attempt to set up a few plot points that will become relevent later. Also, for fun, we've decided to bring back two characters from one of our previous stories, for a cameo appearance. And nothing else. There's definitely nothing sinister going on in this story. No sir. Enjoy.

7. Chapter 7

Dan LP: 1900

Troop Dragon: Dragon-Type/WIND/Level 2/ATK 700/DEF 900

Twin-Headed Behemoth: Dragon-Type/WIND/Level 3/ATK 1500/DEF 1200

Polaris Dragon Islingh: Dragon-Type/WATER/Level 3/ATK 1000/DEF 300

Spell & Trap Card Zone: Polaris' Blizzard, 1 set card

Jad LP: 3000

Epignosai Aleph: Machine-Type/Xyz/LIGHT/Rank 4/ATK 3300/DEF 2300 – 0 OLU

Number 55: Vapour Freeze: Pyro-Type/Xyz/WATER/Rank 4/ATK 2100/DEF 1200 – 2 OLU

Spell & Trap Card Zone: Epignosai Dimension Lab

"Doctor Lithon...?" Dan said. "I'm sorry, but are we supposed to recognise that name or something?"

"No, you aren't," said Jad – now known as Doctor Lithon. "But from this day forth, I promise you that you shall never forget it. Once I have finished with you, young man, I will hunt down each and every one of your friends – one at a time if necessary – and I will acquire your Numbers!"

"Wait, you're a Number hunter?" Matt shouted. "Does that mean you have more Numbers than this one?"

"I have a few Numbers, yes." Lithon replied. "Although, I would hazard a guess at saying you kids possess more Numbers than I do."

"But why are you hunting them?" Katie asked. "And how?"

"How I acquire the Numbers is none of your concern, my dear," Lithon replied. "As to why I hunt them... let's just say I'm searching for something. Something that I believe the Numbers can give me."

"Is that even you talking, or is that just your Number?" Dan accused.

Lithon looked at him with dispassionate eyes. "If you're referring to how the Numbers possess their wielders, then no, none of my Numbers are possessing me." He pointed at Leah. "At the time when I was dueling her, I only pretended to be under the influence of Number 10, so as to lure in unsuspecting Number hunters such as yourselves." He shook his head in disappointment. "Unfortunately, she turned out to be stronger than I expected, and she took one of my Numbers from me. It was a good thing I didn't have any more Numbers on me at the time, else I would have lost them too."

"So that means you have some sort of protection against the Numbers' power." Dan asked. Lithon nodded in response. Dan sighed: he just couldn't believe this was happening. "I still want to know how you can absorb Numbers. Do you use the same technology as us?"

"No," Lithon grunted. "And like I said, you don't need to know anything more. Now stop asking questions!"

"Just one more," Dan interrupted. "Why did you wait until now to Summon your Number? Why not Summon it right at the start?"

Lithon grinned. "Because I knew that if you didn't think I had a Number, you wouldn't use yours against me. And it's a lot easier to set up my lockdown without the interference from all your pesky Numbers." Dan gasped, realising that he'd been tricked again. On the inside, however, Lithon was less smug. 'It's a real pain, not Summoning my Number so soon.' He thought. 'Especially considering the nature of my extraction method. I can only capture Numbers that my opponent has Summoned during the duel, so by doing it this way and Summoning my Number late, I'm potentially missing out on a load of Numbers. Still, my lockdown was more important; I have to set that up before anything else.' "Well?" He shouted. "What are you waiting for, boy? It's your turn!"

Kodoku was staring at his teacher with a dazed look on his face. Katie looked at him sympathetically. Seeing his teacher act this way, learning his teacher was using a fake identity, Summoning a Number… it must be a lot for him to take in.

Katie knelt down beside him and put a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry Kodoku," she said kindly. "We rescued your teacher before, we'll do it again, I promise."

Kodoku said nothing. Instead he shrugged her hands off and dashed away, running away from the duel. As he ran, he ripped his D-Gazer off. The moment it came away, the duel program no longer recognised him, and he disappeared from sight.

Katie started to go after him, but James grabbed her hand to stop her. "Let him go," he said. "We have more pressing issues. We have to find a way to get Dan out of this duel."

"Why?" Katie asked. "Why do we need to get him out?" Matt and Leah also turned to look at him.

James looked back at the duel with a scowl on his face. "Because he can't win." He held up a hand when Katie started to argue. "Just look at him. He's too heavily locked down, and he's facing a Number. He stands no chance of winning."

Clearly, however, Dan thought otherwise. "It's my turn, draw!"

James looked on incredulously as Dan started his turn. "Dan, what're you doing? You have to escape! You don't stand a ch-GPHMPHUTH!" His voice was muffled as Katie clamped a hand over his mouth.

"James, will you be quiet and have some faith in our teammate for once!" Matt said, finally getting irritated with James' attitude. "We've dealt with tougher things than this before and we've always come out relatively okay. You're part of a team now. Start acting like it, and put some trust in your teammate, damnit!"

James' eyes widened with outrage, and he was about to argue back, but Leah stepped between them and tried a more diplomatic argument. "Remember James, Lithon performed the same lockdown on me, and I was able to find a way around it. Dan can do it too. Trust me." James looked thoroughly unconvinced and still very angry, but he decided not to argue back, and instead continued watching the duel.

Dan, meanwhile, had finished examining his hand and was preparing to make a move. "Well, here goes everything…" he muttered. "From my hand, I activate the Spell Card, Scales of Skhulglyss!" The Spell Card materialized next to the Polaris' Blizzard Trap Card.

"Scales of Skhulglyss?" Lithon repeated. "What is that card?"

Dan grinned. "This card can only be activated if I control at least three Dragon-Type monsters, including at least one Polaris monster. Also, I have to target one face-up Polaris card I control and send it to the Graveyard. But after I do, you can't activate the effects of any of your cards during this turn. Which means all of the Trap Cards you currently have banished will be prevented from activating!" A tornado of snow and ice whipped up around the Polaris' Blizzard Trap Card, signifying that it was the Spell Card's target.

Lithon's eyes widened in shock. "There's no way I'm allowing a card like that to go through! Epignosai Counter's effect activates!" A ghostly image of the Counter Trap Card appeared behind him. "By returning this banished card to my Graveyard, your Spell Card is negated and destroyed!" A portal opened up behind the Spell Card, and black and white tendrils grabbed the card and pulled it into the void. The snowy tornado surrounding Polaris' Blizzard disappeared.

"Hmm," Dan grinned. "Looks like I've well and truly got you now."

"Excuse me?" Lithon replied.

Dan took a second Spell Card from his hand and played it. "From my hand I activate the Quick-Play Spell Card, Cold Feet! With this card, I can't use any of my Spell or Trap Cards, nor their effects, for the rest of the turn."

"What are you up to now?" Lithon asked. "I've locked you down severely enough, now you want to lock yourself down further?"

"Not quite," Dan replied. "To the activation of this Spell Card, I chain the Trap Card, Mystical Refpanel!" His last face-down Trap Card activated.

"No!" Lithon gasped, realising what was happening.

"Yep," Dan answered. "With this, I can take the effect of a Spell Card that affects a player, and transfer it to another player. In this case, I'll take the effect of Cold Snap affecting my field and transfer it to your field! Looks like I'm the one locking you down this time!"

"Not yet!" Lithon replied. "To your Trap Card, I chain the effect of Epignosai Sin! By returning this banished monster to the Graveyard, I can increase the ATK of one Epignosai monster I control by 1000. I target Aleph!" One of the Field Spells test tubes once again filled with tar, as Sin rose up into it from a hatch in the base.

Epignosai Aleph: ATK 3300 → 4300

Then, Lithon's entire field was flash frozen - covered with a sheet of ice - as the Spell Card took effect.

"Well well," Dan grinned. "That seemed like a bit of a desperate move to me."

"Enough of your idle talk," Lithon snapped. "Just finish your move."

"I'll be finishing more than that," Dan retorted. "I Normal Summon Delta Fly!" An insectoid dragon flew onto the field.

Delta Fly: Dragon-Type/Tuner/WIND/Level 3/ATK 1500/DEF 900

"Delta Fly's effect activates. Once per turn, I can increase the Level of another monster I control by one. I target Troop Dragon!" The warrior-esque dragon was surrounded by a flurry of wind which upped its Level.

Troop Dragon: Level 2 → 3

"I'm sure you know what's coming now."

"I shall assume it's a Number," Lithon growled. "Please, by all means, Summon it. That's exactly what I've been hoping for."

"Wait wait wait, hold on, you've been hoping for it?" Dan asked, confused. "Why?"

Lithon sighed. "Since you must know, it is because my method of extracting the Numbers requires me to see them in the duel. In other words, once I've beaten you, I can only extract the Numbers you've used during that duel. The others I cannot get."

"Ah," Dan nodded in understanding. Then, he appeared puzzled again. "Hang on, you wanted my Numbers to appear in order to absorb them. So I'll ask again: why did you wait so long before Summoning yours? You must know that I would've Summoned my Numbers immediately if I knew I was facing a Number holder."

"Indeed, but setting up my lock takes priority," Lithon replied. "Though it seems that was all for naught now… no matter, you still cannot defeat me."

"Is that so?" Dan grinned, raising his hand. "Level three Delta Fly, Troop Dragon, Twin-Headed Behemoth, and Polaris Dragon Islingh, Overlay!" Three of the four monsters turned green, the remaining one turned blue, and all four shot up into the air and stayed there, chasing each other in circles around the ceiling of the lab. Beneath them, a galaxy portal appeared. "I use these four monsters to construct the Overlay Network! Xyz Summon!" All four monsters sailed into the portal, which erupted with light. "Appear, Number 3: Comet the Skylord!"

The pure white number zero-three flashed onto Dan's hand. The rays of light from the portal parted, and out of it rose a white and grey asteroid with spiral patterns on either side, and a large metal halo floating just above it. With a shower of glowing dust, the asteroid split down the middle, and four wings unfurled themselves from inside. The wings looked like they were made of something impossibly smooth, and seemed to be reflecting a swirling rainbow pattern. Its body was a small diamond shape, enclosed on either side by the two spiral-patterned domes that had been its shell. Behind it was the halo, which was now fixed to the monster's back rather than above its head. All in all, the monster looked like some sort of synthetic, angelic insect. Four green orbs of light flew around it.

Number 3: Comet the Skylord: Fairy-Type/Xyz/WIND/Rank 3/ATK 2300/DEF 2000 – 4 OLU

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Author-made cards:

Polaris Dragon Islingh
Dragon-Type/WATER/Level 3/ATK 1000/DEF 300
You can Special Summon this card (from your hand) by removing 3 Polaris Counters from the field. If this card is in the Graveyard, when a face-up WATER Dragon-Type monster (except "Polaris Dragon Islingh") you control is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard: You can Special Summon this card from your Graveyard.

Epignosai Aleph (credit to Superjad)
Machine-Type/Xyz/LIGHT/Rank 4/ATK 2300/DEF 2300
2 Level 4 "Epignosai" monsters
This card gains the original Types of all Overlay Units attached to it. Once per turn: You can detach and banish 2 Overlay Units from this card, then target 1 card your opponent controls; destroy that target.

Number 55: Vapour Freeze (credit to Superjad)
Pyro-Type/Xyz/WATER/Rank 4/ATK 2100/DEF 1200
2 Level 4 monsters
This card cannot be destroyed by battle, except by a "Number" monster. Once per turn: You can detach 1 Overlay Unit from this card, then target 1 face-up monster; apply 1 of these effects. ●Switch its current ATK and DEF. ●Halve its DEF.

Number 3: Comet the Skylord
Fairy-Type/Xyz/WIND/Rank 3/ATK 2300/DEF 2000
4 Level 3 monsters
This card cannot be destroyed by battle, except by a "Number" monster. You can detach 1 Overlay Unit from this card, then target 1 face-up Effect Card on the field; destroy that target, then this card gains 1000 ATK until the End Phase. When this card destroys an Xyz Monster by battle and sends it to the Graveyard: Draw 1 card for each Overlay Unit attached to this card.

Epignosai Dimension Lab (credit to Superjad)
Field Spell Card
Once per turn: You can target 1 of your banished "Epignosai" monsters; return that target to the Graveyard, and if you do, banish 1 "Epignosai" card from your Deck.

Scales of Skhulglyss
Spell Card
If you control 3 or more face-up Dragon-Type monsters, including at least 1 "Polaris" monster: Target 1 face-up "Polaris" card you control; send that target to the Graveyard, and if you do, any card effects your opponent activates this turn are negated.

Polaris' Blizzard
Continuous Trap Card
When your opponent Summons a monster(s): Place Polaris Counters on each of those Summoned monsters, equal to their respective Levels. You must control a face-up "Polaris" monster to activate and resolve this effect.

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Fun Fact #18: Ok, time to come clean. Yes, Jad was intended to be Doctor Lithon ever since the first episode, before he'd even made his debut. We've been building up to it this whole time, carefully making sure that we never gave away our true intentions (although if you look closely at some of the past chapters, you can see certain hints - for instance, that Jad felt no pain when Number 10: Terra Storm was defeated, and that he interrupted Kodoku who was about to say his name).

Fun Fact #19: No, that isn't what all the Ultra-Subtle Foreshadowing Hints are leading up to. That event is still to come. It's amazing, no-one's actually guessed what that is yet (not even Superjad, so please don't bombard him with questions about it). Maybe the hints are a bit too ultra-subtle...

Fun Fact #20: It's practically the law for Dan to use Delta Fly. I mean think about it: he uses a Dragon-Type Deck, most of his Dragons are Level 3 with high ATK, he uses Synchro Monsters, and he's part of Team Delta. Seriously, how could he possibly not use Delta Fly?

Fun Fact #21: We've modified the start-of-chapter life point layout. We've separated the two duelists' LP readouts, and beneath each one we've listed the monsters that player currently has face-up on their field. This will make it easier for readers to just start reading one of our chapters, without having to go back to previous chapters to remember what's on the field at the time.