Hey all! I meant to put this message in my last chapter, but I forgot, so I'm doing it now. I'm back in University, so on top of my job, things are gonna get busy for me and will more than likely make my story updating slower here and there. In other words, don't panic if there's like, a ten day delay or something or other before the next piece.
...That's it. Read on :)
Light rain cascaded from the stormy skies as the thunder rolled, trickling water down the bodies that still lingered on the roof shortly after Kite made his retreat with Athena's pendant. She herself had moved to standing with a blank, yet sickened expression directed ahead to the edge where the Number Hunter had left from, her anxiety rising for the friend that was also inexplicably stolen away with her key.
...Astral...
Meanwhile, Jamal had shifted from becoming angry over Kite to trying to get the aged Shark to rouse awake and give any sort of sign to being in tune with the world.
"Shark? Shark! Come on, man, wake up!..."
Tiffany, who stood between Caswell and Caden, mumbles with a scared expression,
"This isn't good. Not at all..."
After shaking the second-year student's shoulders one more time, and receiving only a weak groan to couple the near-dead facial expression, the young teen with olive-coco skin and black dreadlocks stood with a sigh and disgruntled face, muttering bitterly,
"Rgh, it's no use: He's as dead to the world as the rest of those poor souls...That guy that took off...He must've been the Number Hunter."
The other three gasp and Caswell exclaims worriedly,
"Th-That would mean Shark's soul was-...Oh dear..."
Caden's brown irises shift to look over Athena's form, and he says with a sad frown,
"He also took off with Addy's key, and, if she's looking like that...Astral must have been taken with it."
...We move within the underground laboratory-like room with the giant supercomputer belonging to Kite, as he approaches Orbital Seven to find out their progress on analyzing the pendant.
"Are you finished yet?"
We see the robot typing away on the large keyboard, using some sort of laser on the pendant floating within a crystal-shaped containment.
"Almost. The analysis is still running. I-I-I just have to complete this Photon Stream Probe. I-I-If this works, then we can figure out if this pedant does come from another world, a-and just maybe, what it's real pur-purpose is."
"Find out everything you can."
As the electrical wiring of the walls began pulsing in preparation for this probe, Kite mutters to himself,
"Doctor Faker is keeping something from me, but I'm going to uncover the truth."
"I-If Doctor Faker hears about this investigation, he-he'll go ballistic!"
"So will I if you don't get results."
"Y-You can count on me!"
Small Time Skip, Athena's POV
It would've taken the combined efforts of Tiffany and Caswell's gentle coaxing to convince me to leave the school roof with them, while Jamal and Caden took it on themselves to gather...Shark, into their arms to cart to the hospital. We met Flip about halfway out the front door, and once he saw the latter's condition and got a quicky explanation from Tiff about what happened, he helped out by leading us down the fastest route through the city to get medical help.
...Oddly enough, Shark would end up in the exact same room that I was in when I blacked out during our duel, dressed in the patient garbs while hooked up to a IV and heart monitor, looking disturbingly like someone with a terminal illness.
I could only stare with worry on the outside over my friend's condition, while my insides were churning with a bubbling rage at the one responsible for this.
Curse you to hell, Kite. Shark didn't even have a Number, and you still took his soul anyway?!
How messed up is that?! I swear you're gonna pay for this!
This...and for kidnapping my friend inside the pendant you stole.
As much as a very small part of me had a strange pity growing for the older teen, for ever since his abrupt departure from our duel, I've begun to suspect that just maybe, Kite wasn't doing what he was doing on his own volition...his actions are still his own choice in a way. He could've fought back, and I'm sure he had...yet he's chosen to act in a rather despicable manner, which in my eyes, is completely inexcusable.
Anyway, taking a short break from my brooding thoughts, I listen as Jamal wonders aloud with his own small frown of concern,
"...Is Shark gonna be alright?" Caswell answers uncertainly,
"Doctor Moreno said that there's nothing wrong with him physically..."
Caden mutters,
"But that isn't the real problem, (glance) right, Addy?"
I nod grimly and reply,
"Right. The issue lies spiritually: Crazy as it may sound, the fact is that without his Soul, Shark can't interact with the world anymore than a comatose patient can."
Gripping one of my hands into a fist, I add with a grind in my teeth,
"But my main concern is towards what Kite took along with Shark's soul...Astral...He was still inside the key when it was stolen."
Flip asks me with widening eyes behind his glasses,
"So then Astral's been kidnapped?"
"Mhm...I gotta track Kite down and get the pendant back, if not for my sake, then Astral's."
Jamal asks with a brow raised,
"Does Astral actually live inside your pendant?"
A short-lived wry smile appears on my face:
"Yeah, I know it sounds nuts, but there's suppose to be this whole other dimensional space inside my pendant, housing more secrets than he and I care for..."
I place my clenched fist over my heart as my lips form a frown again, and my eyes shut to stop the weak formation of tears as I mutter more to myself,
"It's that key, that keeps Astral and I together...To not have it with me right now, feels more wrong than it ever has in the past..."
Tiffany softly mutters my name in concern, before Caswell says more on topic,
"In the end, it won't be easy to recover your key, especially when you don't know where Kite has gone."
Flip berates his thought by exclaiming,
"Nothing in life's ever easy, but that doesn't mean we can't try something!"
Caden nods in agreement, saying to me with a soft smile,
"You won't have to search by yourself, Addy: We'll help too."
I blurt out a softer 'thanks' with a fragmented smile, before Jamal hms,
"Question is, where do we start lookin'?"
Feeling a bit more motivated, Caswell puts his brain to work:
"If the key truly is that special, Kite will wanna examine it. He'll likely want to run a computer analysis...Ah! Addy! I think I just figured out a way to track down your key!"
That made my heart flutter with anticipation:
"Really? How?"
"First, we need to return to the Academy and find Mister Kay. I'll explain on the way, c'mon!"
Though slightly confused, the rest of us let Caswell lead the way out of the hospital, I looking back at Shark one more time while promising,
Don't worry, Shark...I'll find a way to get your soul back.
...Just I exit the room to rush down and join everyone back in the entrance lobby, Doctor Moreno suddenly came by in the hallway looking rather, troubled about something, more so when his eyes catch my form.
"Ah, Athena. Are you and your friends leaving?"
"Uh, yeah, something important's come up and we can't stick around...Why? Is there something wrong?"
The older man sighs with a frown before walking closer to me with a serious expression.
"Unfortunately, there is. The technical division is working on trying to find out what happened, but...Athena. Someone hacked into our medical records and made copies of your files."
That wasn't something I expected:
"What? My files?"
"Yes, and so far we've only been able to conclude the perpetrator, is from this city."
But, who would want to...Unless...could, it have been Kite?
Is he trying to create some sort of profile on me?
Kite's POV
As soon as the Photon Stream Probe was finished scanning Athena's pendant, both Orbital and I would be surprised by the following discovery.
"W-Well, I'll be rebooted!"
"What is it?"
"The pendant has it's own g-gravitational field, i-inside!"
"It's own field? Is that possible?"
Orbital zooms in on the object for closer observation:
"Look: The field is generating an interdimensional link between this world, and somewhere else."
Somewhere else...
I quickly deduced,
"It must be Astral World. Open that link now, Orbital."
"Okey doke!"
As the robot began running tests to activate the link, I wonder to myself,
What is that girl Athena doing with a link to Astral World? Is she even aware of it?
...There's something more to her than she shows.
"Oh yes, I ju-just remembered something: Master Kite, there's something I found about tha-that Athena girl I feel I should make plain to you, si-since you asked me to gather as much info as possible about her."
"Hm? And what would that be?"
"I-It'd be easier to show you."
Next thing I knew, Orbital brought on what looked to be an old Amber Alert for the local news, a police case report, and various medical files.
Huh?
"A-Apparently, Athena Fujina had mysteriously disappeared without warning for several days one evening about two years ago, believed to have been k-ki-kidnapped, before Detective Quen and his daughter found her o-on the side of that old logging road outside the city. Stranger still, the doctor who e-examined the girl afterward, found she had been injected with a forbidden and very powerful drug r-r-rumored to have been created for a super-solider project. Human nonsense, i-if you ask me..."
That, was not the kind of information I would expect to be related to some young girl.
She...was a human test subject?...Not the voluntary kind by the sounds of it...
"After some more blood tests and physical therapy, it was revealed that the dr-dr-drug had made quite a number of changes to Athena's body chemistry. She is now virtually immune t-to all forms of physical pain, her metabolic breakdown of energy is now about as stable as a dor-dormant volcano, and even her own blood type had mysteriously changed from A+ to O-, making her a universal blood donor!...And the biggest mystery of all, is that the girl ha-had retained no memory of what happened to her, or so the police report says. The hospital file dismisses it as a PTSD-induced amnesia...but still..."
My mind began spinning the gears over this new perspective Orbital provided into Athena's past.
Interesting...So it would seem she's been suffering for quite some time.
...Much like, Hart...
(Shakes head) No, what am I thinking? My little brother and that girl are nothing alike!
Despite my denial, I found myself staring up at one of the hospital's file photos of a younger and much more...dead-looking Athena, my mind comparing the hollowed expression to that of the mystery girl in that drawing Hart made...who didn't seem all that mysterious anymore.
...Doctor Faker...He's hiding more than just some details of mine and Hart's duties.
He knows something else. Something that, somehow, connects this girl to us, even so faintly.
Heartland Dueling Academy, No POV
Inside the classroom used by a certain math teacher during his classes, we find Athena and company speaking with said man about him lending his computer skills to aid in their search for her pendant and the being inside...
"You want me to track down a crook?" Caswell replies,
"We're counting on you, Mister Kay. All you have to do is upload a virus into the data net, and find the computer he's using."
Though the plan sounded simple enough on the surface, the brunette was still a bit concerned about the underlying consequences.
"I don't know. After all, I'm a teacher, not a detective..."
"There's no way we can fail, not with your computing skills."
"Yes, but, still..."
"If you're worried about the law enforcement, don't be."
Mister Kay turns to look at Tiffany, who shrugs with a wry smile,
"Worse case scenario, I can always beg dad to bail us out of trouble."
"Uh! Tiffany..."
Athena cuts in with a serious front:
"Any concern we should have is towards our two friends that are caught in the dire part of this mess. Without your tech savvy, Mister Kay, we won't be able to find the solution quick enough. I know you're worried about the law, but sometimes you gotta break a few rules to get the job done."
The teacher could only stare at his student with widened eyes, until Caswell's wrist tugging on his away from the main group snaps him out of it.
"May I have a word with you in private?"
Once they were standing near the front of the classroom, the young teen with bowl-cut blue hair shifted tactics to that of the blackmail variety.
"Listen: I know you wanna help...especially after all the trouble you caused with your Crashbug Virus."
"Gyh! C-Crashbug?!"
"I bet you feel pretty bad~ about all the chaos around the city..."
Mister Kay chides with a nervous smile,
"Eh-Not so loud!"
"Now here's your chance to make up for it!"
That would be the final push, and the brunette wearing the half-lensed glasses lets out a big sigh while muttering,
"Alright," prompting Caswell to call to the others with a smile,
"He's going to help!"
Their smiles would follow his as Athena replies,
"Awesome!"
The group of students then follow their teacher into his personal office to watch as he got to work on hacking the viral world to find the data trail that would lead to Kite's whereabouts...
"Um, question: Is using a virus really the best way to barge are way into the data-verse?"
Caswell chides to the other skeptic teen,
"Relax, Jamal. I promise this virus is totally harmless. It will simply track all data net searches related to Addy's key, and then pinpoint where they came from, which should lead directly to Kite's hideout, and Addy's key."
Flip grins slightly and chimes,
"Nice! Like the Trojan horse sneakin' Greek soldiers into Troy, we're usin' a virus to creep our way into Kite's place!"
"Ah-heh, I suppose that's another way to put it...and it's all thanks to Mister Kay's expertise."
...But when the Crashbug Avatar appears from the mass of ones and zeros, questions arise regarding the math teacher's particular signature, mostly from Caden.
"Huh? That's odd: This pattern looks quite similar to the Crashbug Virus that caused alot of unnecessary problems around the city a while back..."
Tiffany and Athena cringe slightly, while the teacher secretly responsible for said hacking crime breaks into a nervous sweat, before Caswell exclaims loudly,
"I'm sure Mister Kay had nothing to do with that! Didn't you?"
Said brunette laughs in an exaggerated and uncomfortable manner before muttering with a nerved tone,
"You kids and your wild imaginations..."
He regains his confidence as his virus finishes prepping itself for the launch.
"Yes! The virus has been uploaded successfully. Fingers crossed, everyone."
(Click)
The many mini avatars go surfing into the viral matrix, and Athena mutters to herself as she watches them go,
"Do your stuff, Crashbugs, and find my pendant."
And maybe...they'll find out if my suspicions regarding the hack on my medical files are right.
...Meanwhile, back at the unknown locale that was the Number Hunter's lair, Kite continued to have Orbital run tests to open the temporal link to Athena's key, which unknown to him, would lead to somewhere only related to Astral's homeworld...However, it seems they were having trouble getting the pendant to react.
"Carbonic Laser, n-negative. Hydrobonic Beam, thumbs d-down. Nothing is working, Master K-Kite! I've tried every energy source on this pla-planet, but it won't respond!"
"Then use a Baria Crystal."
That caused a metaphorical eyebrow raise for the orbital unit:
"Really?"
"Yes, you heard me. It comes from the Barian World, not from this planet. It's energy may activate the pendant."
"Gre-Great idea, but Baria Crystals are rare. Fi-Finding one won't be easy."
"Use your crystal."
...Orbital felt his mechanical heart skip a beat, and he gaped at Kite for such a calmly-worded suggestion.
"Whaaaaa?! B-But that's my energy source! I-I can't function without it!"
"Losing one small shard shouldn't be a problem."
"I-I guess not...Here goes nothing, except my power supply, that is..."
Orbital Seven opens his inner chambers to where his power core laid, aka, a glowing red crystal the size and shape of a small softball...
"This Baria Crystal lights up my life. I hate to give up a-any of it, but I guess one tiny bit won't hurt...much."
Picking out a sliver shard of the crystal, Orbital puts the piece into a small hatchway that would send the bit to float up near the pendant...
"O-Okay. Now I'll move the Baria Crystal so its e-energy field collides with the pendant."
...As soon as the Baria fragment was but a foot away from the golden pendant, both began to emit a ring of red light, hinting that the latter was being vibrated by the former!
"M-Master Kite, it's working! The pendant is reacting to the crystal's energy field! I can't be sure, but it appears that the pendant's internal energy field is warping. The readings are quite unusual...Sir, l-look!"
(Ping...Zwoooom)
As soon as both objects tapped one another, the key's reaction would be rather agitated to say the least, releasing a beam of golden light to shoot out of the containment...and open a swirling vortex right into the laboratory! Staring at it, Kite says to his robot subordinate,
"Do you realize what this is, Orbital? Athena's pendant has opened a portal, which I bet leads right to Astral World...!"
...The blond falls silent with a narrowed determination chiseled on his face, causing Orbital to ask for the former's name in confusion, before he watches as Kite suddenly ran forward to jump into the portal!
"...I wish he'd learn to look before he leaps."
The Number Hunter's body would soon re-materialize to float over the desert-like sands that made the grounds of the key's inner temporal space, he staring ahead at the geared airship...
"Could this be Astral World?...Mm? What is that?"
Curious, he slowly makes his way towards the golden apparatus...
By this time, the modified Crashbug Virus was getting closer to narrowing the search down, if still having alot to comb through.
"The virus is still searching for Kite's computer. Come on, find it..."
...A minute or so passes, before one of the mini avatars spots a single link portal that held collective data on both Athena and her key!
"The virus has detected something. We're in luck! The data stream leads to a warehouse owned by Mister Heartland."
That caused Tiffany to narrow her eyes in thought:
As in the mayor of the city? Hm...I remember: One of my Dad's old case files, included a profile about Mister Heartland.
Something to do with...questionable activities?
I'll make a mental note to check it out later.
Meanwhile, Athena was more pressed with the current situation:
"...That's where my pendant is...Where Astral is...Thank you so much, Mister Kay!"
With that, the girl with red irises turns on her heel and starts bolting out of the room, while her friends called after her before joining in on the big run to find Astral and the golden key...
Hang on, Astral. I'm coming!
Astral's POV
...I sensed his presence the moment he materialized into the pendant, the young man I hoped would never reach here.
"So...we meet at last."
I turn to cast narrowed irises over his form, his arrogance made evident by the smug expression on his face.
"You must be the visitor from Astral World."
"I should've guessed it was you, Kite."
He would of course be a little confused over my prior knowledge of his identity, since this is technically the first time he is able to perceive my existence.
"How do you know my name?"
"We were opponents in a duel once."
"Oh really?"
...It would be Number 39 that acted as the giveaway.
"That Number Card...Ha. It's hard to imagine why you would want to team up with a troubled teen like Athena Fujina."
The way he negatively characterized my friend, made me clench my fist a little in accordance to a sudden surge of anger.
How dare he speak as if she is unapproachable...!
Swallowing the raging emotion, I coolly retort back,
"At least she is no thief. Are you not the one who stole the golden key?"
He says nothing that denied my accusation:
"So that's what the pendant is called..."
"You also hunt Numbers. Why?"
"Why do you?"
"Because, Numbers are fragments of my memories."
That seemed to surprise Kite the slightest bit:
"So, you need them to remember?"
"That is right. Now please, tell me why you want Numbers. I demand you answer me."
He had the decency to be honest in his desires:
"I wanna learn the Numbers secrets, and the secrets of Astral World and Barian World."
"Barian?"
...Odd...I feel as if I have heard that name before...Perhaps another Number holds an associated memory?
"The only way to make sure I get the answers I need, is to seize all the Numbers. (Gestures a curved hand) So I'm going to need you to hand over the Numbers you collected with Athena."
Obviously, I would deny such a demand:
"If I did that, I would never regain my memories."
Nor would I be able to solve the puzzle that surrounds this key...and Athena's own fragmented memories.
...Yes. It has become much more clear to me now: I must help her as well as myself in achieving clarity.
Kite's fingers would curl back into a fist as he then suggested,
"Then I'll have to get them another way. How about a duel?"
As much as a part of me was a little, nervous of going against him on my own, I nodded firmly in acceptance to his challenge. Once we moved away to just outside the roof of this strange airship, we would prepare ourselves for battle.
"Photon Transformation, go!...Hope you're good at subtraction, heheheh, 'cause you're about to lose your Numbers!"
If I lose this duel, I will lose more than just my Numbers...but I cannot avoid this challenge.
Using a little of the enhanced power I gain whenever I am inside the pendant, I materialize my own duel disk for my left arm...
"Ready?"
"(Both duelists) Let's Duel!"
Athena's POV
It would've been past dusk by the time my friends and I reach about a third of the way towards that warehouse Kite was suppose to be at, the sky already dark and bringing out the stars to sparkle down on the human race for another night...
Just as I ready to motor up some stairs to a new sidewalk, I felt this pulsing coming from my left hip where my deck holder rested.
"Hm?"
I stop and look down, only to bulge my eyes a little when I see my deck emitting a ring of gold light!
What, the, heck...?...Hang on: That glow looks similar to the one my key shines whenever Astral's about to come out.
...Could, this be his doing?
The others catch up to me shortly after that question came to mind, and would become just as mindboggled as I was by my glowing cards. Tiffany then asks a little nervously,
"Um, Addy, w-why are your cards glowing...?"
"...Because I think Astral might be using my deck right now."
A gasp passes through the air, before Flip exclaims,
"Then we better hurry before he gets stuck in a tight spot even he can't get out from!"
"Right!"
We all double up our speed in continuance with our shared goal, my heart hammering a little harder in worry, since if Astral was really using my deck right now,
He must be engaging in a duel with Kite...
Be strong and do your best, Astral, and I'll be there soon!
Astral's POV
"Since you challenged me, I will draw first! I then place a monster face-down in Defense Mode!...Then I'll place another card face-down, and end my turn!"
By placing Gogogo Golem in Defense Mode, it can avoid being destroyed by an attack once per turn...
And then, by placing my Battle Break Trap Card, I have further fortified my defenses. Now, when Kite attacks, this Trap will activate, destroying his monster and ending the battle immediately.
My teeth clench slightly as I remained firm in my confidence for my strategy.
Go ahead, and make your move, Kite. I am ready for you.
"Brace yourself. Here I go, (swipe)! I'll start by pinning your face-down card in place!"
"Uh!"
"Lock it down, Reverse Buster!"
The monster that would appear on his side of the field had a likeness to that of a cloaked goblin with very large horns, wielding a a scythe-like axe, and was Level Four with 1500 Attack Points.
"When Reverse Buster attacks, you can't activate your Spell or Trap Cards!"
A twin set of chains wrap in a criss-cross pattern around my hidden Battle Break Trap...
"Now, Reverse Buster: Attack his face-down monster!"
My golem flips face-up in Defense Mode, but I was still hopeful that his strength would hold out...that is until,
"Your Gogogo Golem is a goner, because I'm activating Reverse Buster's special ability!"
"What?!"
"When Reverse Buster attacks a monster face-down in Defense Mode, your monster is automatically destroyed."
"Rgh...!"
Oh no...
"And since Reverse Buster's special ability destroyed your monster, you might wanna say your last goodbyes, 'cause your Gogogo Golem can't be saved."
The weapon slashes hard against my monster, and they disappear in a cloud of pixels...
"And it gets better, because when Reverse Buster destroys a monster that way, it gets stronger!"
By that, Kite's monster's power grows to meet,
2000 Attack Points...! If Kite uses another monster with at least 2000 Attack Points...
Images of that dreadful dragon flash before my vision...
He can tribute them to summon Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon!
Is that his strategy, or does he have another plan for his monster?
Kite is a clever duelist. I must be careful, or I will lose everything.
"I end my turn, with a face-down!"
Though I could feel my anxiety levels rising, I found myself complimenting my opponent's skills.
"I must commend you. It seems your dueling skills are more masterful then I remember, Kite."
"How flattering...but if you're trying to trick me into lowering my guard, forget it."
"I meant what I said. It is clear you are the best duelist I have ever met, yet I cannot shake this feeling that you are not doing this for yourself. Why is that, Kite?"
Though his tone was of the mocking variety, I could sense that underneath he was covering up a sensitivity to my prying.
"Wait. Is this a duel or are we playing Twenty Questions now? I understand why you're trying to stall for as long as possible, though, since you're losing."
"I sense you are hiding something, something that troubles you deeply."
Much like Athena, and her battle to keep her depression from the world view...
That brought out a more visible reaction, and he tenses a little before exclaiming,
"Enough talking! Let's get this duel over with."
"Of course. I do wish we weren't meeting as opponents, however. I find you fascinating. I think you are very much like Athena."
"Like Athena?"
"Although I was unable to become one with her, my time with Athena has made me come to appreciate her spirit...She misses her parents very much, and to lose them before the time she would need them the most, was truly heartbreaking for her. Though her very livelihood has been put under immense pressures...she continues to try and fight for her place in this world, and vows to never give up so long as she can still draw breath."
"And you, think that I'm like her?"
"Correct."
...Kite's face contorts into an expression of raging denial:
"You're wrong! Just one person matters to me! I only care about Hart!"
Hart?...Wait...Could he be referring, to that young boy from that projection just seconds before he left from our first duel?
I knew that he would not explain himself, but it was worth asking anyway.
"Who is Hart?"
"Nevermind! Let's get back to what's important: Dueling! Get on with your turn!"
"Alright. I Draw! I now play Gogogo Giant!"
Their appearance is much similar to my golem, but was taller and leaner, Level Four with 2000 Attack Points.
"This monster can bring back Gogogo Golem from my Graveyard in Defense Mode!"
They return through the purple vortex in the said defensive measure as I added,
"And since it used its special ability, Gogogo Giant must switch to Defense Mode as well."
While this may have looked like the perfect opportunity to summon out one of my Numbers...I was hesitant.
Without knowing the identity of Kite's face-down card, I am not sure if I should risk summoning a Number, or strengthen my defenses.
After giving the matter some more thought...I chose the latter.
"Since I now have two monsters in Defense Mode, I can activate the Spell, Double Defender! Now, once per turn, I can negate an attack from your monster. Finally, I will end my turn by placing one card face-down."
Kite chuckles slightly before commenting,
"I must admit, I'm surprised: I thought you'd summon Utopia...but then you'd be taking a big risk, wouldn't you, because you'd lose the two monsters that are defending you, and doing that would leave you quite vulnerable. Those two face-down cards...they're there to protect you, aren't they?"
"Rrh!"
It is as if he can see right into me...
Has our last encounter truly robbed me of forming a neutral front?
"You seem very worried about something. Are you scared that I'll summon out Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon?"
Hearing the monster's very name made the blood in my veins quiver...which Kite would take advantage of.
"You are scared...as you should be, (draws a card)! I now play the Spell Card, Photon Hurricane! Brace yourself, because all your Spell and Trap Cards are about to be blown away! Hope you weren't counting on those face-down cards to save you."
And just like that, my face-downs are cleared off the field and forced back into my hand!
"It cannot be!"
"Yes, the face-down card that made you panic so much,"
"Was nothing I should have feared..."
Kite forms a snide grin and chides unkindly,
"If only you had the guts to be more aggressive on your last turn. I would've been in real trouble. You're going to pay a price for being so cautious! I'm now tributing Reverse Buster to summon, Photon Leo!"
This new Photon-type monster was quite ferocious, being in the guise of a futuristic lion with two clawed appendages protruding from the sides of its back, Level Six and with 2100 Attack Points.
"I activate its special ability, Howling Blow!"
Next thing I knew, I was hit hard by a tornado-spun wave of winds from the monster's mouth, pushing me backwards some ways while the whipping breeze rippled harshly against my skin...
"The end is near, because my Photon Leo's ability blows away all of the cards in your hand back into your deck, and forces you to draw the same amount of cards again."
I let out a startled cry as my drawn cards evaporate from my hand to be returned to my deck...
"Why don't you stop your stalling and get drawing?"
Gritting my teeth, I heed his word and draw forth a new set of five cards as he adds mockingly,
"I'm afraid you'll have to totally rethink your strategy now, heheh. Or you could just give up. It's clear that you don't have what it takes to win this duel. You're too scared of losing."
That taunt sent a jolt through my being...and I found myself recalling a similar set of words spoken to me, the difference being that the person who spoke that time was using their harsh tone in a more teachable manner.
(Flash)
"...How do you expect to restore your memory if you're just gonna run off scared from the duelists holding them hostage?"
(Flash)
...Athena...
No POV
By this time, Athena and the other five academy students had reached their destination, namely, a large metal warehouse fenced off from interlopers who weren't of authorized personnel...Of course, no mere gate was going to slow the red-eyed girl down:
"We're here, guys! Let's vault over!"
(Leap)
"Hah!"
They would each jump up and over or shimmy-climb over the barred fence before rushing to the front door of the warehouse, which Athena immediately began banging on.
"(Whap) Hey, (whap) Kite! (Whap) Open, (whap) the damn, (whap) door!..."
"Addy, your deck's glowin' again!"
She pauses her fisting to Jamal's exclaim, and looks down at her left hip where her deck holster was, seeing that gold ringing once again...
"Shit, Astral's still dueling. I've gotta get in there and help him!"
"What is it you're so worried about?"
She shifts her red irises to meet Tiffany's blue and alliterates,
"I'm freaking out 'cause he's facing Kite alone, and I don't want him to feel like he can't rely on anyone!"
Flip wonders aloud with a fidget of his glasses and a small frown on his face,
"So then he's still got Number Hunter-phobia? What a bummer..."
Caswell argues sadly,
"In the end, you can't really blame the poor guy for harboring some sort of fear against people like Kite..."
"True..."
Athena nods in agreement, adding seriously,
"All the more reason I need to get in and be by his side. I'm not saying I don't believe he can be brave, but...I know he'll feel more confident when he has at least one friend to count on nearby."
With that, the girl with long shaggy black hair tipped copper red returns to whacking her fists against the warehouse entrance and shouting for the Number Hunter.
"Open up, Kite, you bastard! Let me in, and face me!..."
Meanwhile, back inside her very pendant, Kite continues his turn in his duel against Astral.
"Now I'll make Photon Leo stronger with an Equip Spell, Photon Spear!"
Two spears with sun-shaped tips appear in the monster's arms on its back...
"Now when Photon Leo attacks your monster in Defense Mode, if my monster is stronger than yours, the point difference is dealt to you as damage! Photon Leo, stick it to Gogogo Giant! Silver Spear Strike!"
The quadruped monster charges forward, before lashing the spears across Gogogo Giant's body several times, it succumbing to the attack's strength and disintegrating into pixels, leaving Astral vulnerable to be sent flying by the after-impact, his Life Points dropping to 1900!
"Aaaa-uuuh!"
Kite is correct: I have been so anxious about losing this duel, that I focused all my attention to not losing!
I had not given any second thoughts to how to win...
Back outside the Number Hunter's hideout, Athena continues to struggle in opening the front door, now switched to literally trying to force the door to open.
"Hrrgh, come on, open, dammit! Agh, this thing's more stubborn than the backdoor of my house during winter! Mrrrrh..."
After watching her friend for a moment longer, Tiffany forms a determined expression, before moving to tug at the other half of the entrance.
"Rrrrrrrh! Everyone, we need more arms!"
The other four teens quickly assemble two more to a side, before all six began pulling at once.
"Okay, one, two, threeeeee!"
...And after several strong tugs and grunts...the doors open! Athena was quite surprised:
"Huh...I don't remember any of us working out that much, but there ya are..."
But she and others would instantly learn of the real source behind this miracle.
(Brrriiiiing, brrriiiiing...)
"Hm?"
Hearing her duel gazer ringing, Athena pulls it out before answering the incoming call.
(Ping)
It would be Mister Kay's face that showed up on screen:
"I uploaded a new virus to crash the warehouse security system. You should be all clear now."
Curving her lips into an appreciative half-smile, the girl with red irises chides back,
"Thanks, Mister Kay. You're on fire tonight! Call you later. (Ends call, tucks gazer away) Okay, all, let's do this!"
With that, the small group began sneaking their way inside...which was around the same time Orbital Seven tries to call for a sign from his creator.
"Hello, Master Kite? Ca-Can you hear me?...I hope he's okay, ca-cause there's no way I'm leaping into tha-that thing to rescue him..."
"Crashbug!"
His attention would then be drawn back to the supercomputer monitors, as Mister Kay's virus avatars began their work on the inner systems, throwing 'bombs' into the mainframe.
"Crashbug! Crashbug! Crash-bugga-bugga-bug!"
"What's this?! Uh oh, we're being hacked! Better update my anti-virus software..."
(Bzzzzt)
"Gah!"
The robot is forced to flinch back from a sudden surge of electricity that spreads onto the keyboard while blowing a few gaping holes into the machine itself!
"I-It's too late! The whole system is cra-crashing! Master Kite will not be pleased...!"
Security Breach in Sector Three. Security Breach in Sector Three...
"Huh?"
Attention is then drawn to one of the security monitors, and Orbital quickly identifies the bodies on camera before the picture fuzzes out.
"It's Athena and her cohorts! How did they get in here?!...Oooh, I'm going to need a whole lot of new parts after Master Kite hears about this..."
Thankfully, he would have time before that event would come to pass, as said blond was still busy dueling against Astral, and it looked like victory would soon be his.
"You know you're going to lose...Why don't you accept the inevitable? Call it quits, and give me all your Numbers."
...But upon recalling Athena's willingness to life and fiery determination when things got rough, Astral felt his resolve rise back up within him.
"No! I will not quit! While you were sounding off, I remembered some very wise words from a friend of mine..."
Kite rose a brow, while the blue being alliterated with his own expression of determination,
"Prepare yourself, Number Hunter, for today, I will leave my mark on history!"