Vile: This fic was coming easy for me, so I got this chapter done really quickly!
V: Hmm. It isn't often that your chapters get done so quickly.
Vile: I have to agree with you, V. This chapter introduces the names that I gave to III and IV, since we currently don't know them. I probably won't change them even if they are revealed, though.
IV: And why is that?
Vile: Because I think my names fit well enough. ^_^ Disclaimer's on the first page, III and IV's names and any bolded cards are mine. Enjoy!
Numbershot 38: End of a Crusade
Chapter 3
IV looked somewhat scared. "Worse than the Numbers…?"
"It is something you possess as well…" III breathed. "I will show you. Boku no turn. Draw!" He drew his card. "OOPArts Antique Gear, Shoukan!" A set of three stone gears appeared, all connected to each other.
OOPArts Antique Gear: Lv.4 EARTH Machine ATK:2200(due to Pyramid Eye Tablet, originally 1400)/DEF:1200
"OOPArts Antique Gear no kouka hatsudo. Once per turn, I can reduce its Level by 1 until the End Phase." The gears turned for two seconds before shrinking slightly.
OOPArts Antique Gear: Lv.3
"Boku wa, Reberu San no Colossal Head to, Antique Gear de Obarei!" Both of his monsters turned fully orange before spiraling into the air. Another red spiral portal opened up, and both his monsters flew inside. "Ni tai no monsuta de… Obarei Netwaaku kochiku. Ekushiizu Shoukan!" A blue crystal appeared, shined, before cracking and shattering. "Arawareyo, OOPArts Crystal Alien!" The mirror shards flew away to reveal a lanky creature with a purple crystal body, two solid wings, bulging yellow eyes, and a mirror in its chest. Two yellow Overlay Units orbited it.
OOPArts Crystal Alien: Rank 3 LIGHT Rock/Xyz ATK:2900(due to Pyramid Eye Tablet, originally 2100)/DEF:1000 2 Overlay Units
"Now, you monster… observe yourself in my Alien's mirror!" III ordered. The mirror reflected IV's form to him, and the older boy gasped. The darkness that whirled around III was around him as well, but it was even thicker. IV couldn't even recognize himself in the darkness.
"What… What is this darkness?" IV breathed. He went to reach for his Numbers, but his Crest pulsated, sending a bit of pain through him. "Ngh!"
"I told you… this is not the Numbers." III's tone had become low and menacing. IV looked back at III in time to see his eyes glow red.
"III…?" IV whimpered.
"Do you know what is covering us? Do you know what this darkness is?" III told him, pausing for a second. "It is hate… pure, unrestrained hate. Hate is what has driven our actions… caused us to lose our souls, becoming monsters, dragging innocents into the crossfire of our actions. Or have you forgotten?" The mirror flashed again, showing IV the evil acts that he and his brothers had been involved in. IV's eyes quivered as he stepped back instinctively. "So you do see it. Look at what hate has done to us. We are no longer the people we were… we deserve to be destroyed for our actions." III then placed his hand to his chest, causing an image of his Crest to cover his chest. "So I will now take the first step. The self-destruction procedure is underway."
"Self-destruction…? Y-You wouldn't…" IV whimpered.
"I have made up my mind. Upon my loss in this Duel, I shall rid the world of my presence and my hate." III said with no emotion. "Magic Card, Training Bind, hatsudo. By destroying a Continuous Magic or Continuous Trap Card I control, one monster on the field gains 1000 Attack Points. I will give the bonus to Gimmick Puppet – Vacuumaw!" OOPArts Pyramid Eye Tablet turned fully green and became string-like, wrapping around Vacuumaw's neck.
Vacuumaw ATK:4000
Crystal Alien ATK:2100
"III, stop this!" IV cried.
"I will not. III is gone, just as the boy he used to be is. I am nothing more than a monster of hate, so I shall depart from this world! OOPArts Crystal Alien, attack Gimmick Puppet – Vacuumaw!" Crystal Alien's mirror glowed brightly before firing a powerful beam of light.
IV eyed his facedown as the beam came forward. If this attack worked, his brother would be dead. "You've left me no choice…" A tear fell from his eyes as he looked at III with determined eyes. "I will not let you die, Keegan!"
III's eyes widened. "K… Keegan…?"
"Trap Card, Reverse Nuke, hatsudo!" Vacuumaw gulped down the beam through its mouth. "Regardless of what hate has done to us… I will not let it destroy us! Reverse Nuke lets me destroy a monster I control with 3000 or more Attack Points in order to destroy all cards on your field!" Vacuumaw's body emitted white light. "But as payment… that monster's Attack Points come back to me as damage!"
III's eyes widened, the red glow vanishing. "N-Nani…?"
The darkness around IV slowly dissipated through the light, and IV gave a genuine smile; Not sadistic, not forced. "You protected me, Keegan… now it's my turn to protect you." Vacuumaw then exploded violently, obliterating Crystal Alien and Pyramid Eye Tablet as well. IV's eyes widened as the blast came back, throwing him backwards. "UWAAAAAAAAHHHHH!"
III let out a fearful gasp. "NII-SAMA!" IV landed hard on the ground, sliding a bit.
III LP:1700
IV LP:0 – LOSER
III's, or rather Keegan's, face appeared with the word "WIN" as the buzzer sounded, and the Augmented Reality faded. IV groaned as he slowly got to his feet, looking at his brother. The pink-haired boy had fallen to his knees, his head down, eyes quivering, the Crest image on his chest having faded. "Keegan?" IV asked, moving over to check on him, kneeling in front of him. He shook Keegan's shoulder slightly. "Daijoubu?"
Keegan slowly looked up at his brother, his expression not changing. Out of nowhere, he shot forward and hugged IV tightly, sobs coming from him. "Nii-sama… Marcus-nii-sama…" He sobbed. IV, apparently named Marcus, was shocked, but returned the hug, trying to comfort the younger boy who kept repeating "Nii-sama" through his sobs.
Marcus felt extremely guilty. The hate had nearly destroyed his brother. "Gomen-nasai, Keegan… I now know what has become of us." He told him.
"…I-I don't want revenge anymore…" Keegan moaned, surprising Marcus. "I don't care anymore… All I want is our family back. You, Chris-nii-sama, Tou-chan… I want us all to be free of this miserable hate!" He lost the rest of his words into his crying.
Marcus looked sad and sighed. "I understand your pain, Keegan. If there was a way I could save us, I would. But I'm not sure if there is a way… I'll stick by you, but I don't know if Chris or Tou-chan can be saved…" Keegan's grip tightened on his brother.
Unknown to the two of them, the whole exchange had been seen by their eldest brother, who had a sympathetic look. He walked into the room, getting their attention. "Chris-nii-sama…" Keegan whimpered. Chris walked over and joined in the brothers' hug, bringing some more comfort to Keegan.
"Marcus. Keegan." Chris said. "There is a way we can get rid of our hate. We must find a way to get through to Tron."
Marcus suddenly slapped him, looking at him angrily. "Don't call him that again!" He snapped.
"Yes. Forgive me." Chris said, rubbing his cheek. "But I repeat: We must find a way to convince Tou-chan to relinquish his hate. It is the only way."
"B-But… how? Tou-chan has been on a short fuse for four days!" Keegan asked.
Chris gave it some thought. "There is one person that might be able to help… the one that gave us our first Numbers." Marcus and Keegan gasped. "He is the only person I can think of that could help us. I will contact him."
"Wait. What about the Tsukumo boy?" Marcus asked.
"No. Not Yuma. If Tou-chan sees him, Yuma will be in grave danger." Chris told them, making them nod. "We have caught too many innocents in the crossfire of our actions. No more can be afforded. I will handle this, my brothers."
Marcus looked skeptical, helping Keegan to stand up. "Be careful, Chris. That man always gave me a bad feeling." Chris nodded and walked out of the room. Marcus noticed Keegan looking worried. "Don't worry, Keegan. Chris always came through for us in the past, and he wouldn't let us down now."
"You think so, Nii-sama?" Keegan asked. Marcus smiled and nodded, allowing Keegan a small smile.
*Meanwhile*
Chris had his D-Gazer activated, speaking to a man on the other line. "You are the only one I can think to help us with this."
"Hmm… All right. I will be in the hotel's lobby within five minutes. Meet me there." A male voice on the other line said.
"Very well." Chris said, hanging up. He walked to the door and exited their hotel area, missing the call that Tron issued them:
"III! IV! V! All three of you, report to me! NOW!"
*A Little Later*
Chris stood in the lobby, waiting. "You called me, Chris?" The silver-haired man turned to see a mid-30s man with a hat and sunglasses.
"Good to see you." Chris said, shaking his hand.
"I have what you are going to need, Chris." The man said, pulling out a Deck and handing it to him. Chris sifted through the cards, finding it to be full of a series known as the Lightrays. "You said the hate was compared to darkness, so a Deck based around light might be what is needed to dispel it. Hand me your Numbers, Chris." The silver-haired boy looked confused, but handed the man three cards. The man covered the cards with a dark aura, causing the images on them to change. When he was finished, he handed the cards back to Chris. "A Lightray Deck requires Lightray Numbers. Use them wisely, Chris."
Chris nodded with a smile. "Arigatou, my friend." All of a sudden, a small BOOM was heard from a higher level of the hotel.
"What was that?" The sunglasses man cried.
Chris's face cringed. "Oh no… Please don't let that be what I think it is!" The 20-year-old man quickly rushed up the stairs to get back to their room.
The man turned away, a gleam behind his glasses. "Fool…"
Author-Made Cards
OOPArts Antique Gear
Level 4 EARTH Machine
ATK:1400/DEF:1200
OCG/TCG: Once per turn: You can decrease the Level of all face-up "OOPArts" monsters you control by 1.
Anime: Once per turn: You can decrease this card's Level by 1 until the End Phase.
Training Bind
Normal Spell Card
Destroy 1 Continuous Spell Card or Continuous Trap Card you control to target 1 monster on the field: It gains 1000 ATK.
Reverse Nuke
Normal Trap Card
Destroy 1 monster you control with 3000 or more ATK: Destroy all cards your opponent controls, then take damage equal to your destroyed monster's ATK.
Vile: Chris has acquired the Lightrays, but now we have a problem. What is happening up there?
III: I actually like the name Keegan. Nii-sama's name fits him, too.
Vile: I'm glad you like 'em, 'cause you're stuck with 'em for the rest of my stories.
IV: You don't hear me complaining.
Vile: I'll be using your real names in these conversations starting next chapter. If you guys liked this chapter, leave a review for me! See ya next time!
Computer Voice: Vile, logging out.