"Astraaal! Astral, where are you?! Astraaal!"
Zooming into the inside hall of the warehouse's third sector, we find Athena and her five friends starting the climax of their search for the celestial being they also call their friend, along with the girl's golden pendant.
"Astral?!" "Astraaal!"
"He's gotta be around here somewhere!"
"We better find him quick; I think I heard an alarm go off!"
"Psh, yeah, and what of it? What's Kite gonna do, send guards after us? I'm betting he don't have the guts!"
That last taunt made by Jamal would not go unheard by Orbital Seven, who was watching the sextet roaming around the halls in a quick pace from one of the camera monitors in the main lab.
"Hmph! Don't have the guts, do we?! I'll show him; time to call for back-up before this spirals out of control."
He extend his metal appendages forward to hit two certain command keys on the supercomputer keyboard, which was no longer sparking much from the recent hacking by Mister Kay's virus.
"Calling Orbitals Five and Six: Bash those brats!"
(...CLANG)
Back in the new corridor the teen group was traveling down, a large, teal blue metal contraption drops from the ceiling suddenly, forcing them to screech to a halt!
"Gah!...Guess we're not goin' this way."
(...CLANG)
Another metal block-like shape, shaded in muted purple and magenta, comes crashing down from above back the way they came, blocking the group of six on both sides, as noted by Caswell.
"Uh! Or that way!?"
They then transform into two distinct anthropomorphic robots, the first one an ape and the other a giant arachnid!
...Tiffany eyes Jamal with a slight glare mixed with a nerved smile:
"What was that about Kite not having the guts to send security out?"
"Uh, hey, y-you know me, I'm a conclusion-jumper! Besides, this could also be the work of that robot sidekick of his Addy mentioned!"
Little time would be wasted to argue further on the subject, when the robotic ape suddenly lunges one of its arms forward against the group, forcing them all to scramble away in a dodge, minus Athena, who bravely leaps forward to counterattack!
"Yaaaa-hah!"
(KICK)
She gets the robot right in the head, causing it to fall backwards...Meanwhile, Caden positions himself in a cat-like crouch before sliding under the spider robot's legs in his own dodge while Caswell merely tripped backwards in a lucky evade...
Just as the red-eyed teen hops back from another punch from the ape robot, the arachnid tries to jump her from behind...but was stopped by Jamal who side-lunged and shoved it down with his own body!
"Uh! Jamal...!" Straightening up, he then says,
"Addy, make a break for it!"
"What?!"
"We'll keep these robo-clowns busy while you run ahead to rescue Astral!"
"But, Jamal-"
Athena was interrupted when the ape-bot reaches its clamp hand out to try and snatch her up, when suddenly,
"Hey, blockhead!"
(...Bonk)
A uniform-regulated brown shoe came flying to bounce off the robot's noggin, courtesy of Caswell who took a leap with courage to fight back! Caden and Flip praise his efforts:
"Wayda give the robot a boot to the head, Cas!"
"Finally, the class representative shows some grit!"
Smiling at their compliments, the boy with the blue bowl-cut hair turns to say to Athena,
"Go on ahead, Addy! We'll handle 'em!"
She could only stare with awe at the determined smiles on her friend's faces...before nodding with a firm glint in her eyes and a small smirk curved onto her lips.
"Thank you, everyone. Give these nitwits your all, and be careful."
With that, she spins on her heel and began running ahead to slide under the ape-bot and continue her search for Astral and her key...leaving the rest of her crew to distraction duty. In which case, Flip takes one of his own shoes and throws it at the spider-bot:
(Bonk)
"Take that, ya eight-legged tin can!" Caswell adds in a jeer,
"When we run out of shoes, we'll sock you!"
Tiffany and Jamal in turn would make faces at the ape robot:
"Negh, negh, negh-negh negh!"
"Come and get it, ya monkey wanna-be! Ook-ook-ook!"
That would cause the tempers of the robots to rise to steamed levels, before the next leg of the fight would begin...Meanwhile, back within the key and above the mysterious golden airship, the duel between Astral and Kite continues, the latter mocking the former once again.
"Those Life Points of yours are running out quickly, my foolish friend. Your time is almost up. I place a card face-down, and end my turn."
...There's a pause as Astral slowly reaches his hand towards the card deck...
"Hesitating? Why bother? You'll lose no matter what you'll do!"
Remembering the new rise of his resolve, he retorts back to Kite as he swipes up a new card,
"We shall see! I Draw!"
None of my defensive moves have worked against Kite...
I wonder what Athena would do now?
At the same time the being thought about the girl, she had reached the locked-down metal doors that lead to the main chamber of Kite's hideout. Cursing at the fact that entry was still eluding her, Athena then spots a small computer control pad set up at the right corner, and proceeded to try her own way of hacking into the mainframe.
Man, what I wouldn't give to have Terry and Yoko's expertise right now...
I hope everyone else is okay...
By this minute, the rest of the teen group had split off into two groups to lure the two security robots away, Caden leading Caswell and Flip one direction with the spider robot on their tail, while Jamal and Tiffany took to keeping the ape robot occupied.
...Observing these scenes from the camera monitors was Orbital Seven, who was not pleased that his fellow bots weren't doing a substantial job at getting rid of the interlopers.
"They're still loose?!...O-O-Okay, no more Mister Nice-bot!"
He chuckle a bit menacingly, his eyes glowing red...We turn back to the duel within the pendant's temporal space, as Kite tries to get Astral to move the battle along.
"I'm waiting. Are you going to make your move or not?"
The addressed being would shut his eyes closed and drew in a silent breath, finding the answer to his earlier question.
I know exactly what Athena would do in this duel...I must stare Fear in the eyes, and move forward against all odds!
"I summon Zubaba Knight!"
The Level Three warrior would cry out their name as they're summoned to the field...
"Next I send this card to the Graveyard, to summon Acorno!"
That was the Level One monster's cue to hop to the field ready for action...
"And then I'll activate the Spell Card, Drop Exchange! Now if I send two or more monsters to my Graveyard, I can summon a monster from my hand, that's equal to their total level! So by sending Level Three Zubaba Knight and Level One Acorno to my Graveyard, I can bring out, Kagetokage!"
Now instead of the two former, we had the latter shadow lizard standing on Astral's side of the field next to Gogogo Golem.
"As you see, I now have two Level Four monsters on my field..."
"I hope you're about to do what I think you are."
"I now overlay Level Four Gogogo Golem and Kagetokage, in order to build the Overlay Network, and XYZ Summon Number 39: Utopia!"
And just like that, Astral and Athena's signature Number Card is summoned to the field, making the blood in both opposing duelists rush a bit in excitement, if for unrelated motives...
"Your Utopia, will soon be mine...!"
"You are greatly mistaken! Utopia: Attack Photon Leo with Rising Sun Slash!"
Utopia heeds Astral's command, and cuts down on the opposing monster, the waving winds of the after-impact crashing against Kite who shields himself as his Life Points drop to 3600...Yet his expression shifts back from a glared frown to a sardonic smirk as he then calls,
"Nice try, but your attack won't work, because I have the Trap, Armoured Back!"
His face-down flips up, showcasing a four-legged creature with a dark energy ring rising from the Graveyard...
"Know what it does? It brings back the monster you just destroyed, so welcome back to the field, Photon Leo!"
The Level Six photon monster returns for battle, also keeping the Photon Spears, much to Astral's disguised dismay.
He needs two monsters with at least 2000 Attack Points, so that he can tribute them to summon Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon.
I must be ready.
Huffing, he finishes his latest move:
"I place a card face-down and end my turn!"
At the Same Time, Athena's POV
"Come on, come on...Damn, another Firewall!...Rgh, I can't hack this thing!"
I beat both my fists onto the keyboard I was trying to use in order to get this new doorway to open up...and wound up accidentally opening a photo file.
"Huh? Hey, that's...Kite...Never thought I'd see genuine proof of a gentle smile on his face...Hm, that boy with him, on the swing..."
I've, seen him before...That projection...and-
(Flash)
I'm looking out from that glass containment unit...straight into the dull gold irises of him!
(Flash)
I let out a choked gasp, realizing,
He...Hart...He came to the laboratory once, during my captivity!
...But, why was he there? And who were those other figures with him?
I wouldn't have time to do a full wonder of this newly-unclouded detail, when suddenly, my deck releases an overwhelming flash of gold light, making me shield my eyes...before I would find myself in front of that demonic door!
Aw crap, what now?
"Athena Fujina, have you the courage?"
"For what, and you better have a more straight-forward answer this time!"
"Unlock the door and you shall gain power beyond anything you could imagine...but to do that, you must sacrifice that which is most important to you."
...Something about the way that message was worded did not sit well with me, since I've kind-of been 'granted' (note my sarcasm) a forced-upon power once already.
And that time, it was my sanity that was sacrificed...and still is, really.
"Tch, been there, done that, and it hasn't done a lick of good for me these last few years. What's this round going to improve?"
The door either ignores my bitterness or tries to coax me away from it.
"There is one that stands in your way, however...Use this skill to defeat this threat, if you dare. Enter this door, and with it, gain the power of Zexal!"
...That was when the vision ended, and I found myself staring at the computer screen once again, muttering over what I had just been offered.
"Zexal...?"
What does that have to do with anything right now?...And what's a little more 'power' gonna do?
Nothing...It has nothing to do with anything, and...the only thing power's good for, is driving people mad.
Stepping back some from the computer that was there for the door, I found my hands gripping the skin of my exposed arms hard, close to the point it would break, as my mind filled with bitter emotions towards the idea, of a given power being a good thing.
Never...It's never a good thing to be thrust with a power you barely understand!
What the hell's that door thinkin' telling me something like this?
I don't want to imagine a power beyond me! I've already had to...to...!
(Flash)
My thrashing form on the examination table.
(Flash)
Outcries expelling in waves from my throat as I jerked around and around in my cell, sitting, laying, wailing my limbs, occasionally grasping my own hair, trying to metaphorically rip away, whatever was jostling my sanity.
(Flash)
My figure plastering hands on the glass from the inside of that room, staring with doe-like eyes into...Hart's, shaking like a wounded animal, and whispering some sort of warning to him, or, a last attempted call for help, I dunno.
(Flash)
"Aaaaaaaaaah!"
Letting out a much-needed yell, I shook myself loose from my patchy memories and dropped to my knees from their weight, my breath becoming wheezed and haggard as I slowly came back to reality.
"Hah...hah-hh...h-h...hah...hah..."
Come on, Addy...pull yourself together. Now's not the time to be goin' nuts over something you're still trying to understand.
...And you know what? Screw the door and this Zexal nonsense. The only threat I should be concerned with right now, is Kite.
Astral...keep givin' it all you got. I'm just a stone's throw away.
(Beep, beep, beep...)
"Hm!?"
I dart my head up to the sound of an alarm, followed by the call of a very familiar robot.
"Hold it right there, pipsqueak!"
...Orbital!
The metal door opens from both sides, and I move to stand up at the ready for a new fight, recalling what that mini-mech is capable of.
"Surrender now, or-or feel my fury!"
As the robot rolled to stop in front of me, I mutter irritably,
"Great, you again...Look, I'm kind-a not in the mood to deal with your temper, so let's get this over with quick, okay?"
"Grh, you think I'm not worth your time, do-do you?!"
Orbital then transforms into their battle form, and lunges one of its drill-bit arms towards me while exclaiming,
"I'll show you, you brat!"
Gritting my teeth, I quickly somersaulted away from the line of fire, leaving the drill to go penetrating the metallic ground...But I soon found myself with my back against the left wall, as Orbital comes at me with two drills!
"This is what we do with tre-trespassers!"
Knowing I wasn't gonna be able to get out of the way in time, I opted to making myself as small and thin as possible towards the middle and away from the sides the weapons would impale.
Please let his overconfidence bite 'im in the ass, please...
(Crash...)
...Thankfully, my prayers are answered, and the robot stupidly slammed his drilled arms into the wall, so deep that he couldn't pull them out!
"I got ca-carried away! I ca-can't get unstuck! He-Help me out here, pal! We'll call a truce!"
Giving Orbital a snide smirk, I retort,
"Tch, yeah, no thanks, I'll pass, but good luck."
With that, I dash away under the left metal appendage for the door into the next room, ignoring the robot's cries for me to stop, more determined than ever to get to Astral and help him...
Astral's POV
With my turn at its end, Kite would begin his next:
"My Draw!...I play Photon Circle!"
A flurry of summoning circles comes in to form into one on Kite's side of the field, before a Level Four monster with 1000 Attack Points appears.
"That monster only has 1000 Attack Points. They're not enough to summon Galaxy-Eyes."
"That's what you think."
"Uh!"
"I activate the effect of my Equip Spell, Photon Spear!"
Photon Leo is enveloped in a golden glow...before it suddenly splits into two twin copies of that monster!
But, how?!
"Now when a monster equipped with Photon Spear is tributed to summon another monster, it counts as two."
"As two?!"
This is not good...!
"You know what that means: It means trouble, hehahahahahaha!"
Kite would then toss that summoning symbol into the air, calling forth that dragon...
"I summon Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon!"
With that Level Eight monster now on the field, Utopia would no longer be the strongest on the battlefield, just short of 500 Attack Points to match the former. Kite would immediately take advantage of that fact:
"Go, Galaxy-Eyes: Attack Utopia with Photon Stream of Destruction!"
...But just like what happened in our last duel, this would not be the deciding blow.
"I now activate my monster's special ability! Say so long, 'cause this means both monsters are banished!"
But not for long; they will return again...Yet that is not his current intention at present.
"And that leaves you totally vulnerable...Okay, Photon Circle, you're up: Attack him directly!"
I would be hit by that monster's spell circles hard, and my Life Points dropped further to sit at 900...
"Now that I'm done attacking, Galaxy-Eyes and Utopia return to the field...But your nightmare isn't over yet, because thanks to Galaxy-Eye's special ability, it absorbs your monster's Overlay Units, and gains 1000 Attack Points for each one!"
With that done, the dragon now had,
"4000 Attack Points...!"
Kite would then ready another card just to make my problems grow.
"And next I'm activating the Spell Card, Galaxy Storm! This card allows me to obliterate one XYZ Monster that has no Overlay Units, so Utopia's, gone!"
I wasn't about to let him get away from eliminating my ally with a tornado, however.
"I activate, XYZ Reflect! When an XYZ Monster is threatened by an effect, this Trap negates that effect, and strikes you with 800 points of damage!"
The whirlwind circles around Utopia, before it hits Kite in accordance to my trap's effect, forcing his Life Points to drop to 2800...
"Impressive...but not impressive enough! You forgot something: Your Utopia is powerless against my Galaxy-Eyes."
Not for long...
"Perhaps so, but you may be in for an unpleasant surprise. Once again, I Draw! Now you will see, Utopia's true form! When I have less than 1000 Life Points, I can draw on Utopia, and summon Chaos Number 39: Utopia Ray! Go, Chaos XYZ Evolution!"
On that note, my ally transforms back into its emblem to travel through the vortex, before returning in its other, stronger form, the one unlocked after my friendship with Athena was fully forged...Kite was certainly shocked to witness such a sight:
"No way...! A Chaos Number!...I had no idea that Numbers have this power!...Rgh, but it's too bad for you that it still has less Attack Points than my Galaxy-Eyes!"
If my mannerisms were anywhere close to Athena's, this would have been the moment to form a secretive smirk.
"That does not matter. It has yet another target! Utopia Ray: Wield your special ability! Watch as it gains 500 Attack Points from one Overlay Unit. Go, Overlay Charge!"
Utopia Ray's power rises to 3000 Attack Points...before his ability shifts to affect the other monster on Kite's side of the field.
"And now, your Photon Circle loses 1000 Attack Points!"
They lose all of their power, making them the perfect target...
"It is time. Utopia Ray: Destroy Photon Circle with Rising Sun Chaos Slash!"
The swords connect to the opposing body, destroying them, before their wielder is thrown back by the overwhelming after-impact...I felt ready to let out a huge sigh of relief:
"...It is over."
Unfortunately...my presumption was quickly proven wrong when the smoke dissipated, revealing Kite's upright form with one of Photon Circle's hexes underneath his feet, his Life Points being 1300!
"But I thought-!"
"That you had beaten me? When you attacked my Photon Circle, I only took half of the damage I was suppose to take thanks to its special ability."
He seems nearly indestructible...!
"I am placing one card face-down, and ending my turn."
"Looks like you're in trouble now...Watch out! I Draw! Prepare to suffer under the wrath of Galaxy-Eyes, and its Photon Stream of Destruction!"
Thankfully, I still had another Trap Card ready to help me out of being obliterated from play.
"I activate the Trap, Clean Barrier Clear Force! This card clears your monster of its power-ups, and restores its original Attack Points, reducing the damage I take!"
The electrical shot from the dragon's mouth loses a bit of power, but still comes crashing against Utopia Ray and myself. Struggling against the impact, I call out,
"This, is one duel you will never win, Number Hunter! No matter what attack you throw, I will block you-Agh!"
Even so, I would be thrown onto my back hard, as my Life Points fell even lower...
I could feel my body begin to fade from existence once again, as Kite jeers,
"You're still in this duel, but not for long with only 400 Life Points! One more attack and you're finished, and your Numbers will finally be mine!"
...I looked up to the skies of this realm with weakened irises...and whisper Athena's name...
A short moment passes, before I gather enough strength to lift myself up again, despite the inevitable end closing in.
I am almost out of Life Points...and out of time.
...My heart became overwhelmed with the thoughts of vanishing from this world...and leaving her.
Farewell, Athena...I am, glad to have known you.
Apparently, the emotion was so consuming, that, I was tearing up, as evident by the drop of water that fell from my left eye...!
"Uh...! What is, happening...?!"
Athena's POV
Once I was inside this high-tech lab with a giant supercomputer in the middle, I quickly narrowed down where my pendant was being held, that being this large crystallized containment in the dead-center.
"The key...Astral..."
I wasted no more time and began rushing over to the supercomputer, thinking to myself a bit frantically,
Please be alright, please be alright...!
Once I was up in front of it, I called out for my friend again...just as my pendant suddenly released a strong golden glow, which read to me as a cry for assistance.
The duel must still be going on...
"Astral, can you hear me? I'm here! Astraaal!"
The key responded to my shouts by glowing brighter, and broke through the glass container to fly right into my awaiting hand!
"Got it!"
Looking down at the object, I whisper,
"...Are you there, Astral? Please, give me a sign."
(Gleam...Pow)
"Agh!"
I'm blinded by that same glow my deck gave off a little bit ago...before it settles to reveal my presence once again in front of that damned door. Just seeing that demonic image was enough to piss me off:
"Ugh, this is hardly the time! What now?!"
"It has come. The time for you to decide!"
(Cla-CRLANG)
The chains break, and the door began to slowly rumble open...
"Enter the door and gain the power that is your destiny..."
A harsh wind blows from the inside, forcing me to shield my face as the voice added,
"But remember: It will only be granted if you sacrifice that which you hold most dear. Are you ready for the challenge?"
...Once again, that churning of bitterness from being thrown headfirst into something some other force is trying to carve into stone for you rose within me. I defiantly glared up at the open archway and shouted in a no-longer-contained fury,
"No, because I refuse to become a pawn for another's designs! I don't care about power; I don't care about destiny!"
My fists shake as I struggled to steady my emotions...before muttering,
"...The only thing I care about right now, is my friend."
With that, I darted my head up and bellowed out his name:
"AAAASTRAAAAAALLLLL!"
...And by a stroke of luck, he hears me, and calls back in an echo within my mind.
Athena?...Athena, is that you?!
"Yeah, it's me. Thank god, you're still here, Astral...I could sense you were in trouble, and bolted here as fast as I could...Tell me: Are you dueling against Kite right now?"
Yes, Athena...but I fear it is too late for help. My Life Points are running out.
To hear his fighting spirit wavering, only gave me more motivation to find my way to his side.
"No. Nothing's ever too late; just hang in there! I'll be beside you in a heartbeat!"
But I was called to a halt before I could take even one step towards the other side of the door.
Stay there, Athena.
"Uh! Astral..."
This world is very different from yours. I am not sure if it is safe for you here...In any case, this fight is mine alone.
I didn't want him to believe that:
"No! That's bull and we both know it! Listen to me, Astral: You're not alone anymore! You haven't been since you came to me through the key, and still aren't! We stand together, as a pair, as friends, we have eachother's backs..."
Looking down, I add with a mix of a catch in my throat and a gruff undertone,
"...It's paralyzing to be stuck fighting a battle on your own. I know, from too many examples, that, feeling. It's crushing, and threatens to kill...I don't want that for you: I want you to know the feeling of having someone there who will be with you every step of the way! Don't you see? We...We need eachother, Astral!"
...I don't hear a response, and that's when I recall the name of that power I'm 'suppose' to obtain.
"Zexal."
Astral's breath catches, which has me wondering aloud with a curse,
"Damn it...That's the only way we're gonna get this done, isn't it? I gotta go and get this 'Zexal' power, don't I? Criminy, what a load of crap..."
What do you know about Zexal?
"No clue, other than what the door said and what my gut is telling me, which btw, is screaming bad from the latter thanks to...well, you know..."
I couldn't finish my sentence, but Astral caught onto what wasn't said.
Yes, I know: Your experience with power being forced on you does not shine a good light...but Zexal. Zexal is a miraculous power that will save my world.
...Save Astral's world?
...Okay, that changes the dynamic some...Even so. Can I, really do this?
I think on it for a minute...before the answer became clear:
Yes, I can, because this time...this time, it's my choice!
"I'll bring Zexal to you, Astral! I promise!"
My feet move forward, until I was sprinting to the end of this perilous stone walkway, adding,
"I will save you, Astral, 'cause you're my friend, and friends always have eachother's backs! We'll carve our place in this world, (jump) togetheeeeerrrrr!"
I dove down into the smoky vortex...where waiting for me was this huge bolt of red energy!
"Aah!"
(POW)
...It all went kind-of too fast to really describe properly, right until I could make out Astral shouting,
"It is my turn! I will now build the Overlay Network with my friend Athena!"
I was then shooting through the air of this...other place, and met with my friend halfway, who was streaming his own blue energy contrasting the red surrounding my own body!
Astral?!
"Two mighty forces will form into one, revealing the power of Zexal! Now, Athena!"
Though some of me was a bit scared, I followed his instruction and called back,
"Let's do it!"
"Go, Zexal Morph!"
(...POW)
No POV
Astral and Athena's energies twirled together, creating an intertwine of red and blue...before it would shoot back down to the surface of the airship in a golden burst of light! Kite exclaims with widened grey irises,
"What's going on?! What is that?!"
...Once the energies settled, we would find ourselves staring at a whole new being:
While Athena became the dominant body, her, and essentially Astral's appearance, had transformed to reflect a female with long, golden hair tipped a true red while also reflecting some of the blue being's hairstyle, her left eye now holding a gold iris like Astral while the other was still red, and she wore a white spandex-like suit plated with red armor on her arms, chest and boots, the left shoulder having some sort of fin design, a similar-material white skirt that reached to just above her knees with armor bordering, and even her dueling equipment went through a change, now a bit bulkier and more warrior-like! She was also wrapped in a flame-like golden aura...
The Number Hunter was struck speechless, while Athena shook off enough of her shock to broadcast a more verbal reaction.
"Huah?! Aa-aaah! Wha-What happened to me; what is this?!"
Astral would explain in an echo from within her body,
"When two distant souls become one, the power of Zexal is revealed!"
"Th-This...This is Zexal...?"
As the girl tried to wrap her head around this new ability she and her friend unlocked, Kite finally snapped out of it and stuttered,
"W-Wait a minute...that's Athena! Somehow, she got jumbled up with the other one!...Grh, (points forward) but, even combined, you only have 400 Life Points!"
That wasn't Athena's main concern at the moment, as she stared down at herself, feeling her heart rate quicken and vision pulse in and out of blurriness due to the skipping beats of her anxiety.
"Uh...u-uh-uah! H-Hh...!"
This energy...w-why does it feel, so familiar, but so, sc-sc-scary?
(Flash)
We see Athena's younger form on top a medical examiner's table, her body jerking in spasmodically amongst the glow of a bright golden light, while her voice melded in and out in pain-mixed raging tones.
(Flash)
"Hn!"
Her currently mismatched red and gold irises dilate with a bit of moisture in regards to a new wave of confusion and paranoia crashing against her mind.
I-I don't like this; what's wrong with me?! Why am I so scared?!
Astral...! Astral, I'm freaking out; help...!
...The ring of inflamed light around her body brightens a little, and Athena felt a sensation similar to a comforting hug wrap around her, physically and mentally.
"Athena...Athena, it is alright. Deep breath..."
"H-hhhh...haaah..."
A-Astral...
"Do not worry about what was seen just now. Remain focused on the present, and let us win this duel, together."
Swallowing a lump in her throat, Athena quietly mutters back,
"R-Right...Okay."
(Glow...)
"Hm?"
Her right hand is suddenly wrapped in a golden sphere of translucent light...
"It all depends on this next card. You must tap into your heart during this draw. Believe in your cards. It is the only way you can pick the one we need right now. Focus, Athena."
"(Nod) Alright, sounds good...W-Will you be with me?"
She could feel Astral smile a little at the meek question before he gently chides,
"Yes, of course. You have nothing to fear, Athena, and neither to I...because we're with one another."
That statement made her smile in return, and with a better confidence rising in her heart, Athena prepares to make their final gamble.
"Alright...here we go! I call upon the power, of Zexal! Please lend me your wisdom and skill, so I may draw the deciding card that will defeat my opponent!...Go, Shining Draw!"
(Swipe)
"Appear, Zexal Weapon, Unicorn Spear!"
A flashing beam mimicking sunlight shoots from the card she drew, before it opens within the skies to reveal a winged, horned horse of white to come galloping downward to the battlefield!
"With Utopia Ray now equipped with Unicorn Spear, we'll be taking the chariot ride down the road to victory!"
Said number tosses up one of his swords to meld with the anthropomorphic weapon, before it's seen held overtop his head with both hands.
"Another 1900 Attack Points for him, makes Utopia Ray more powerful than your Galaxy-Eyes!"
Kite's eyes widen as he watches his opponent's monster's strength rise to 4400...yet he refused to admit the turn of disadvantage.
"You still can't defeat me!" Astral would beg to differ:
"When Utopia Ray is equipped with Unicorn Spear, it negates your monster's ability to leave the field. There will be no escape for your Galaxy-Eyes!"
Athena made the final call:
"Goooo, Utopia Ray! Take Galaxy-Eyes out!...Unicorn Strike!"
On that note, the Number releases the power of his weapon, the spear's shot of ringed energies colliding hard with the opposing dragon, destroying it in a cluster of pixels...!
...Even so, their wielder had one last gamble of his own:
"I play Photon Shock! The power of this Trap activates when you destroy one of my Photon monsters...As a result, we both take the same amount of damage."
The card explodes, sending two waves of impact to hit the duelists hard enough to go flying to the ground in a slide...!
...And with no decidable Winner or Loser, this duel would be declared a Draw...
Rising to her feet a bit shaky-like, Athena huffs out,
"...A tie, huh? (Grim smile) Heh, I'll take it...This means you can't steal away my Numbers or my soul, Kite...Can't imagine how embarrassin' this must be: Whole lot'a madness for squat."
The Number Hunter remains silent as he too rose upright again...
Forming a more serious expression, the girl then asks,
"Kite...why are you doing this, man? I know it can't be for any good reasons if it's makin' you this cold...Does it, have to do with that boy...Hart?"
The older teen stiffens...before asking in a narrowed and hollowed tone,
"...How do you know my little brother?"
The fragmented memory of her brief encounter with the young boy's face flashes before her mind...before Athena replies while looking down,
"...That's something I'm still trying to piece together myself...but, your brother. He was, in there one day, about two years ago, during my captivity with those-mph, horrible excuses for human beings that dared call themselves scientists."
"So those medical records are accurate, then."
"Hmph, had a feeling it was you who hacked the city hospital database...but, yeah."
Looking up so her mismatched irises were locking onto his grey, Athena then asks Kite,
"Anyway, you're collecting the Numbers because you believe they're going to help your younger brother in some way, right? Who or what drove you to that conclusion, Kite? Are you acting alone, or, (narrows eyes) is some other figure forcing you to? If so, tell me who, and...(softens expression) maybe, I can help you."
The blond was momentarily stupefied by the other's willingness to offer, another possible way out of his current dilemma...But would quickly shake it off and turn to the side with an indifferent frown masking his true emotions...while also releasing a certain orb of light from his palm.
"Shark can have this back..."
The soul belonging to the boy with cerulean irises traveled upward and out of the realm of the pendant key...before eventually returning to their proper place within the boy's body, restoring the colours of his youth and stirring him awake.
"Mm-muh...uh."
"Finally awake, huh?"
Shark turns his head to find a gently-smiling Mister Kay sitting on a stool by his designated bed in the hospital, and slowly rose to a sitting position while asking in a somewhat groggy tone,
"What's going on?"
"You were asleep for a long time, Shark...but I think Athena just woke you up."
...The boy turns his eyes to the above view of Heartland's streets, mumbling the girl of subject's name under his breath...Returning to where she was currently, Kite suddenly added after relinquishing Shark's soul,
"And as for what you just proposed to me...I decline."
"What? But, Kite-"
"I'm already too far in, Athena! I can't...just turn away from this path, not without, putting Hart at risk..."
Athena could hear the desperation behind the male's angered tone, making her heart beat with empathy...She then grits out a sigh and says in a partially-hardened tone,
"...So that's it? We're just, gonna remain enemies?...Kite, I know what it's like to be manipulated by bad people, and...I also know it's never too late to walk away, even with the risks that come...I'm not askin' you to change your mind right now, but, just know...we don't have to be on opposite sides."
"Hm?"
"When you're ready to ditch whoever's yanking yours and Hart's chains...call me, and I'll work with you for however long it takes, to meet something that benefits both our goals. Our true goals."
Kite was both taken aback and slightly confused by the girl's secondary offer.
"What?"
"You can't lie to me, Kite. I can see it in your eyes: You don't, wanna really dole out hurt to Astral and his homeworld...That's someone else's agenda, whoever they are, and yours is only concerned with your little brother's health. Am I right or wrong?"
...The grounds fell silent to Athena's words, neither side having anything more to say...
Meanwhile, back out in the real world, the warehouse acting as Kite's secret base was falling further under siege to another wave of Mister Kay's Crashbug Virus, which Orbital Seven would be unable to stop.
"Tha-That virus is melting down our systems, and now I'm having a meltdown too!"
The pressures get to him, and he faints in a sputtering spark of electricity...The rest of our teen group, on the other hand, were relatively more calm in comparison, meeting back in the main hall of Sector Three once the robot guards were forced into a shutdown by the main system overload.
"Hah, hah, everybody alright?"
The other four nod to Jamal, before Flip notes with a chagrin,
"Uh-heh, guess Mister Kay's virus did too good a job, huh?"
"No kidding. We better run for it now while we can."
Tiffany wasn't so quick to agree with Caden's suggestion, remembering two other people who haven't met up with them yet.
"But, wait: What about Addy, and Astral?"
Jamal exclaims firmly while grabbing her hand to lead along out of the building,
"Athena and Astral will make it outta here! I know they will, but we can't stand around waiting! Come on!"
Knowing the boy with dreadlocks was right, the girl with cornflower blue irises nodded reluctantly and stepped up her pace with everyone else to evacuate the premises...but not without calling for the other two.
"Athena...Astral...Ruuuuuuunnnn!"
Her outcry bounced off the walls in an echo that somehow reached the distant key, as well as the tremors of the building's eminent destruction, causing Athena to dart her head upward in worry.
"Guh! Tiff!...Oh god, what's goin' on out there?!"
(...BOOM, CRASH, rumble...)
The system mainframe collapses, and the warehouse explodes into pieces just as the five teens barely rush out the entrance door, turning to watch with disbelief as the entire structure fell apart into a ginormous, smoking pile of metal and concrete.
"Ah!" "Uh...!" "No!"
"Addy! Astral!"
"Athenaaaaaa!"
...No signs of the red-eyed teen's existence reveal themselves, leading the quintet to believe...she and the celestial being perished, possibly with the Number Hunter as well...Caden would be the first to drop to the ground from the weight of the probable tragedy, Flip falling after him to hold the other upright while fighting tears of his own. Caswell and Jamal remained upright with shell-shocked expressions...while Tiffany...she quickly followed the feline-fanatic's example, her hands shooting up to her face to contain the sobs beginning to expel from her throat at the thought of one of her best friends, gone.
"A...A-the-n-na..."
No...Please, don't let this be real. Athena...Astral...Please, god, don't let them be-!
(...Rattle)
"(Sniff) H-Huh?"
She lifts her tear-stained from her palms to the sound of shifting concrete...and shoving their way out of the rubble, was Athena!
"Haaah!"
"...Athena?"
A big smile of relief spreads onto the girl with bobbed black hair's face, followed by the others shortly afterward, as their eyes drank in the sight of their friend's body emerging from the warehouse destruction pile, battered and bruised with some tearing and scuffing in her modified school uniform, but was otherwise okay.
"Hah, hah...hey. You guys okay?"
"N-Never mind us!"
"Addy!" "Oh thank goodness!"
"Are you okay, Addy?!" "What about Astral? Is he safe?"
Holding up her hands briefly in a 'calm down' gesture, Athena moves to carefully climb down the pile of rubble, taking Jamal and Caswell's assisting hands a step before meeting the pavement again.
"Other than some cuts and bruises, I'm fine, and, Astral's okay too..."
Looking up slightly to the left of her person to meet the eyes of the blue-skinned being (they no longer bonded into one under the mysterious Zexal power), she adds a touch softly,
"We're just glad, it's all over for tonight. Right?"
He nods in agreement, just as the girl suddenly feels her legs give out and began falling downward.
"Sonovabitch!"
Jamal and Caswell quickly catch her while the other four persons of the group hover closer in worry for the girl...who lets out a small laugh and says with an embarrassed smile,
"Okay, scratch that, I'm a bit less than fine...I-eh, might need some human crutches to get me home."
That brought a collective sigh of light exasperation to emit from the other six, yet they still had their own form of a smile on their faces over the fact that everything worked out in the end of this latest escapade...
"This isn't over, Athena!"
"Rh!"
Eyes then turn to the very top of the destroyed warehouse, to where the silhouette of Kite stood, he too alive, looking downward at one specific girl with a glare that spoke of more than what was on the surface...
Athena would call back his name in a weary and wary tone, her own expression unreadable, before the Number Hunter would take to the skies with Orbital's glider form, leaving the group of seven to watch his form disappear into the starry night, uncertainty dominating the tense airs of the city pier...