Hey guys! Sorry the update's a little late! Chapter 12 away!

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Chapter 12

Kurai stood on Heartland Tower confidently as a storm began to brew in Heartland City. Lightning flashed through the sky as the weather engaged in a fury. Kurai could feel victory coming his way every time, no matter what the circumstances.

The boy king stood by his newly "wedded wife," Kotori. He gently caressed her shoulders, massaging them in the process. The girl queen responded by snaking her arm around her "husband's" waist. "Kurai, dear?"

"What is it, babe?"

She whispered her thoughts into the boy's ear. The girl took a photo out if her pocket and handed it to Kurai. After he looked at the photo, the boy nodded in approval. "Of course, my dear. Anything for you! I think Black Mist can do that for us!"

The said ghost approached the royal pair. He had a mischievous look on his face and had his arms and legs crossed. "Anything you want me to do, my lord?"

"My queen and I were looking for… companions," replied Kurai. The boy unrolled a picture from his pocket and held it up for Black Mist to see. The Number looked at the picture very carefully. "Your wish is my command, my king," replied Black Mist.

"Excellent," said Kotori. "Do not disappoint me or King Kurai."

Black Mist bowed. "Yes, Queen Kotori, I will not fail you. I swore allegiance to you and Kurai only," he said. "Before I depart, I think you will need these items." The spirit pulled out an all-familiar purple sleeveless jacket and a pair of sunglasses from behind his back. He placed them in Kurai's eager hands.

"I've been wondering where these have gone off to. Thanks for looking after them, Black Mist. You have no idea how important these are to me," said Kurai, showing some sign of gratitude. He put his jacket back on as he set the Diamond Heart on his throne.

Kotori groaned, lightly tapping her fingers on the arms of her throne. "What are you waiting for? Go get us Yuma's friends!"

The black ghost responded, "I think you should let the corrupted Number of Yuma's do the job… He is not the same when he was a pure Number, now is he?"

"Is that so?" replied Kurai, picking up the Diamond Heart. "Show us!"

Black Mist closed his eyes as a dark circle appeared below him. The spirit positioned his hands as he chanted in the Astral World language. His hands started to glow as he finished his chant, "Mao ga ki pre tyo ruki noka saki!"

TRANSLATION: "Rise, now, monster of the shadows!"

Slowly, a silhouette emerged from the black hole as the vortex became bigger and bigger. Once it's entire body passed through, the vortex closed. The silhouette's eyes gleaned a dark purple as lightning flashed in the rowdy sky. The monster growled as it stared at the boy king below him.

"This, my king and queen, was formerly Aspiring Emperor Hope, but thanks to my magic, he is now DEMON EMPEROR KAOS!" cackled Black Mist. "You know what else this Number can do, since he is a part of the darkness? He'll kill any target who stands in his way, like that miserable brat, Yuma Tsukumo."

The royal "couple" looked at the dark Number created by Black Mist in awe. The might monster stood tall and valiant, showing its toughness. The boy king was very pleased by his assistant's work. "Excellent, Black Mist. You did well."

Kotori monotonously replied, "Kaos better not be a failure."

"Hmph, it was nothing. Now, about those servants of yours…" mused Black Mist.

"Oh, yeah! Kaos, I want you to come to me!" commanded Kurai.

The Number grunted as it flew out the shadows. He hovered in front of Kurai as he bowed down.

"Now then, these are your targets, Kaos," said Kurai. He whipped out a picture of Kotori with her friends. She and the rest of the gang, including Shark, smiled happily in the photo. Kurai pointed towards a particular group of boys (minus Yuma) in the photo. "I need you to bring me these worms to me. It is important that you find me these specific boys! Do not fail me, Kaos," he said in a low voice, sliding his sunglasses over his blood-red eyes.

Kaos complied with his master's command. He transformed into a cone. He spun and spun until a mini tornado blew inside the throne. The storm went wild until Kaos was in sync with the wind. Once he was part of the tornado, he rose into the sky along with his funnel cloud and disappeared in the blink of an eye.


Approximately one hour later, Kaos dragged in a screaming and retaliating group of ropebound boys down the aisle of Kurai's throne. Their mouths were muffled, and rope was tied around their bodies tightly. They tried to scream, but no one could hear them.

Kurai smiled as he stood up from his throne. He smirked at the boys below him. They were mere worms, and nothing else!

"Yes, this is just what I wanted, Kaos! Before you go, bring the boys in front of me. I need to have a 'talk' with them," said Kurai, placing emphasis on 'talk.'

The dark Number grunted in response as if he was saying, "Yes, King Kurai." He pulled out two sharp blades from his sides. The boys below winced at the blades' sharpness. It was sharper than the sharpest sword known to man. Kaos pressed one blade's side against a blue-haired boy, nudging him to move forward. The boy gulped, but reluctantly marched forward. Once he and three other boys stood in front of Kurai and Kotori, they were shocked.

"Yuma? Kotori too?" shouted all of the boys.

"What are you doing here? What's going on, Yuma? Why is Kotori even here?" shouted a purple-haired boy.

Kurai rose from his throne, taking a leap towards his captives. He raised his sunglasses, revealing his dark eyes, which were completely different than Yuma's eyes. "If it isn't Ryoga "Shark" Kamishiro. You know, I've been told that you were quite the trouble maker. Why stop now? Cat got your tongue?"

Shark, the said boy, growled as his mind took in 'Yuma's words. Deep down, he knew his past was troubled, but Yuma came around to help him see the right thing. If it weren't for Yuma, Shark would still be with those creeps….*

"Shut up, you faker!" shouted Shark, glaring at Kurai. "Its obvious that you're NOT Yuma! Yuma would never cause any trouble to others, even me!"

The three other boys looked at Shark in surprise. Confused looks spread into their faces.

"Shark? Why would you say that Yuma is a faker? He's standing right in front of us!" said the hefty boy.

The blue-haired boy coughed, "Tetsuo, I think Shark has a point."

"I concur, ura! Even I don't think this IS Yuma! Where is he?" cried Tokunosuke.

"You really think Im going to tell where Yuma is? You maggots belong to me now! Forget me telling you where Yuma is!" cackled Kurai. He snapped his fingers, "Kotori, my dear, if you please?"

Kotori rose from her seat as she walked to Kurai's throne. She leaned down and placed her hands under it. After a couple minutes, she pulled out a steel briefcase. The case itself was heavy, but Kotori had no problem lifting it. All boys below started at their friend in shock. How could Kotori be doing this to them? She was their friend!

Kotori carried the case over to the eager king, holding his hands out for acceptance. "For you, my king," she said monotonously. "Do not use these as simple tools."

"Relax, babe. No one can stop us now," reassured Kurai, opening the case.

Shark and the others watched Kurai's actions intensely, preparing for the worst. He looked to the Tetsuo, Takashi, and Toku, who were nervous and shaking. The Fish duelist felt sympathy for them since they could possibly be put in worse danger.

Unfortunately for the boys, Kurai quickly flashed a chemical sprayer in his hands. He smirked at the boys as he raised the gun.

"Good night, bitches! Sleep tight!" shouted Kurai, pulling the trigger.

Black gas leaked in the air as it seeped all over the room. The gas spread quickly, but Kurai had prepared well ahead of time. He and Kotori slapped gas masks onto their faces to shield their faces from the smell.

"You fools! You fell for my trap! We'll see who the REAL master is, now will we?" jeered Kurai, as he pointed at the boys.

The group of boys coughed as the gas spread around their body. They tried not to breathe the substance, but as always, the gas always had a way inside it's target. It seeped inside the boys' nostrils as it spread even more. Suddenly, the room became black, no one could see. The boys were not taking the whole gas crisis well. They were all running around the room in a frantic, screaming like crazy.

"Somebody help me! I can't stand the smell, ura!" cried Tokunosuke. His eyes became temporarily blind because the gas came in constant with his eyes.

Tetsuo ran around the room screaming in disaster. "Make it stop! I can't take it anymore!"

Shark grabbed his throat, coughing loudly since the gas seeped into his body. He growled as he glanced at Kurai, looming over him and everyone else. "You bastard….. What did you do with Yuma? Tell me now!"

"Oh please, you and Yuma are mere goldfish! Mark my words, Ryoga Kamishiro! You cannot stop me, your friends can't help either! I'll always win, no matter what! HAHAHA!" mocked Kurai.

The gas rapidly dissapeared after all of it seeped into the boys' bodies. Then, they fell onto the floor one by one, in pain. It was like as if an event was going to happen.

Shark was the first to experience strange things happening to his body. "What the-?" His body was quickly covered in dark fur, the ears became smaller and more rounded, and his hands and feet grew larger as they morphed into paws. "RARGH!" moaned Shark. So much pain was happening to his body, he was starting to feel slightly insane. Shark's transformation was not over yet, much to his dismay. He could feel whiskers growing out of the side of his face; His head became more feline-like, and his solid blue eyes turned into an oval shape. Some of Shark's clothes ripped as his body changed shape and size. His shark tokth necklace didn't snap at all, ot stayed intact. Finally, he fell onto the ground in a concussion as a tail sprouted from his behind.

Kurai, Kotori, and Dark Mist smiled in success, while Tetsuo, Takashi, and Toku were dumbfounded.

"I-I can't believe it… Shark is a panther.. When will this nightmare end?" shouted Takashi.

An abrupt voice shattered the Class Rep's thoughts. It sounded very chilling, much to Takashi's dismay.

"Oh, this is no simple nightmare."

The boys watched in horror as Black Mist slowly made a path towards him. He looked very threatening and more menacing than before…

"BLACK MIST? I thought you were gone! I saw you dissapeared with my own eyes!" cried Tetsuo.

"You thought I was dead. You were wrong! Consider this…. payback for humiliating me!** You and that miserable stain, Yuma, ruined my plan! I will never forget what you did to me! Now, you and your friends will suffer the consequences!"

Black Mist clenched his fist tightly, which confused the boys. In a flash, Tetsuo, Takashi, and Tokunosuke could feel Black Mist's magic effects spreading throughout their bodies. They all felt their bodies change shape, size, and form.

"What's happening, ura?" cried Tokunosuke, as his body started to grow fur. Pain jolted throughout his body as he screeched so loudly, everyone had to cover their ears. Soon enough, Tetsuo and Takashi found a small Spider Monkey wearing a hat and glasses in their friend's place.

Takashi felt feathers popping up all over him. It felt like needles pushing through your skin, only worse. "No! No! No! This can't be happening!" cried the Class Rep. He crouched down, holding his head, as his head changed shape and size. Quickly, a yellow beak popped out and positioned itself into Takashi's new face. Takashi then shrunk down to the size of a tall nutcracker.

Instead of Takashi, all Tetsuo saw was a blue and yellow parrot wearing a school uniform.

"Squawk! Takashi wants a cracker, stupid!" chirped the once-human Class Rep.

Tetsuo angrily turned towards Black Mist. He felt his anger boil even faster inside. "You've gone too far, Black Mist! If you think you can get away with this, well, forget it! I'm not gonna stand here and let you-"

Black Mist yawned as he clenched his fist. "You talk too much. Let's see how you like being a wild animal! Maybe then, you'll learn to shut up!"

Horns sprouted out of both sides of Tetsuo's head. His face changed shape as his body was forced to shrink. He was forced to be on all fours as his hands and feet changed into hooves. Some of Tetsuo's teeth were replaced with buck teeth due to his new form. White fur spread all over his body, causing some of his clothes to rip. A tail sprouted last, changing Tetsuo forever. All the royal pair and Black Mist saw was a hat-wearing Mountain Goat.

"Baaahhh," bleated Tetsuo.

Kurai grinned in success. He smiled to Kotori. "What do you think, my dear?"

"They are exactly what I wanted: Pets," replies Kotori.

"Excellent! Black Mist! Dispose of these animals in a room specifically for them!" barked Kurai. He pointed towards a green door by the end of the hallway.

"With pleasure," responded Black Mist.

A black hole appeared over the animals, causing them to go crazy. One by one, they fell in, one animal after another. Once all animals fell inside the hole, the portal closed in a flash.

Kurai could smell victory coming closer and closer. Soon, Heartland City would be his to control!

It felt good being the king.


*See Episodes 10-12 of Zexal.
** See Episode 20 of Zexal.