The hospital room was drenched in a deep quiet, the faint sound of the machinery and the steady beep of Anna's monitors the only sound to break it. She lay pale and still, her chest rising and falling in rhythm with the wires that the hospital placed on her. Naruto stood over her bed, his shadow draped across the pristine sheets, his face heavy with the weight of memories he wished he could unmake.

Not again. The thought rippled through his mind like a stone sinking into water. He could see Rio's face so clearly now—her smile that had once lit up his world, and the void it left behind when it faded. He clenched his fists, his nails digging into his palms as if to anchor himself to the present, but the past, relentless as the tide, came rushing back. Once again, someone close to him was slipping away, and he was powerless to stop it.

The room grew heavier with each passing second. Yuma and his friends lingered nearby, whispering amongst themselves with concern. The doctor, a gaunt figure with weary eyes, spoke words that fell like stones into the void.

"There's nothing wrong with her physically," he said, his tone apologetic, "but we can't determine why she isn't waking up."

Yuma stepped forward, his usual energy very evidently missing. "It's because her soul's been stolen," he said. The words made Naruto's breath hitch.

Naruto turned sharply, his eyes wide, searching Yuma's face for some hint of jest. But Yuma's expression still remained uncharacteristically serious.

Stealing souls. The words twisted in Naruto's mind. He had heard something like this before, during that duel with Kaito. A chill crept down his spine as he glanced at Luna, his silent question hanging between them like smoke.

They moved outside the room to have some secrecy in their conversation. Luna's voice was steady, though her words carried a hefty weight.

"It wouldn't be possible with Earth's technology," she said, her tone contemplative. "But Kaito... he's different. He handles the Numbers without losing his ego. That kind of control suggests access to technology—or knowledge—that's not of this world."

Naruto's mind raced, his thoughts latching onto one desperate possibility. "What about the Numeron Code? Can we use it to bring Anna back?"

Luna shook her head, her expression clouding. "Normally, yes. But Kaito took Yuma's pendant—and with it, Astral and his Numbers. Without that, there's no way to find the Numeron Code. We'll need to get the pendant back first!"

The hall seemed to darken as the weight of her words settled over them. Naruto stepped back inside the hospital room and looked back at Anna, her fragile breaths the only sign she was still with them at all. His hands itched with the need to do something.

Anything.

"What's the plan?" he asked.

"I'm going after Astral," Yuma said, firmly. Naruto turned to him, studying the boy's face, searching for cracks in his resolve. But Yuma didn't falter.

"You have a plan?" Naruto asked.

"Well..." Yuma hesitated, scratching the back of his head. Before he could flounder further, Takashi, the class rep with the bowl cut, stepped forward.

"From what I heard from Yuma, Kaito's not a thief. He's an analyst," Takashi said. "If he took the pendant, he's studying it. Which means he's vulnerable. If we plant a computer virus, we can trace him."

Yuma's face lit up, the first flicker of his usual enthusiasm breaking through. "That's genius! But where do we even get a virus like that?"

Takashi smirked, the kind of smirk that made Naruto feel like they were all about to get in way over their heads. "Remember the Heartland hack? The one that nearly shut down the entire city? I think we can convince the culprit to help us. If they'd rather not have their identity exposed, that is."

He didn't wait for a response, striding out of the room with a chuckle that sounded almost evil.

Yuma scratched his head, sweat beading on his brow. "Well, we have a plan now, I guess…" he muttered before turning back to Naruto. "So? Are you coming with us?"

Naruto nodded without hesitation. "Yeah. I owe Kaito for what he did to Anna."

Yuma gave a wide grin. . "Awesome! Once the Class Rep gets back to us, we'll head out. It's going to be great fighting alongside you, Naruto!"

He extended his fist, a simple gesture filled with unspoken camaraderie. Naruto stared at it for a moment, but then he raised his hand, tapped his fist against Yuma's.

The lab had an unnatural tension to it, the kind that came when something bigger than the room itself was about to happen. Machines surrounded them —blinking, flashing, thrumming softly—as if they, too, were waiting for an answer. Kaito stood at the center, arms crossed, his sharp, hawk-like eyes fixed on the glowing key suspended within a crystalline containment field. Its soft light flickered like a heartbeat, faint and uneven, but it refused to respond to any of the equipment that had been meticulously calibrated around it.

Behind him, Orbital 7 clanked nervously, his mechanical limbs fidgeting as he shuffled from console to console. His single red optic darted from the machines to the key, then back to Kaito. "Kaito-sama," he began, his voice high-pitched and jittery, the sound of someone who knew he was about to deliver bad news to a man who didn't take it well.

"I've run every diagnostic, used every piece of Earth-based tech we've got. The key... it's not responding. Not even a flicker."

Kaito didn't move. His silence was more commanding than any outburst could have been. Orbital felt the weight of it bearing down on him, and he rattled forward, flailing his arms in a half-hearted attempt to gesture toward the containment field. "I mean, it's obviously alien technology! Earth materials can't—can't connect with it. We're working with the wrong tools here!"

Finally, Kaito turned, his gaze cutting into Orbital like the edge of a blade. His voice, calm and measured, carried an undercurrent that brooked no argument. "Then we use materials that can connect with it."

Orbital tilted his head, confused. "What materials, Kaito-sama? Do you have some secret stash of interdimensional alloys you've been hiding from me?"

Kaito didn't answer immediately. Instead, his eyes narrowed, and he stepped toward Orbital with a gaze that made the robot take an instinctive step back. "We use something from the Barian World."

The words hung in the air for a moment. Orbital froze, his entire frame locking up like he'd just short-circuited. "The Barian World?" he repeated, his voice rising into a squeak. "Kaito-sama, Barian materials are rare. Almost impossible to find! I—I don't think—"

"I don't need to hear what you think," Kaito snapped, his tone sharp enough to make Orbital recoil. "You have a Baria Crystal, don't you?"

For a second, Orbital didn't respond. His optic dimmed slightly, his head tilting downward in a mechanical approximation of incredulity. "My... Baria Crystal?" he stammered, his voice rising in pitch with each word. "Kaito-sama, you cannot be serious! My Baria Crystal is—well—it's mine! It's not just some spare part lying around. It's my power source! My lifeblood! Without it, I'd be reduced to a glorified paperweight!"

Kaito stepped closer, his expression unyielding. "I'm not asking for the whole thing," he said, his voice low and cold, "just a fragment. It won't kill you."

Orbital clutched at his chest plate with his spindly arms, his optic blinking wildly. "A fragment?"

Kaito didn't budge. "You said it yourself," he said. "Earth's materials won't work. If you want to keep standing here arguing while we waste time, go ahead. Or you can do what I ask and help me finish this."

Orbital sputtered, his limbs rattling with indignation. "Kaito-sama, you are unreasonable! Demanding! Even cruel, at times! But fine! Fine! I will do this, but only because I am your loyal servant!"

With a series of exaggerated clicks and whirs, Orbital extended a slender arm toward his chest. A faint glow emerged as a small fragment of his Baria Crystal detached from his core, trembling slightly as it hovered in the air. The shard was small, no larger than a thumbnail, but it pulsed with a quiet, alien energy that seemed to fill the room.

"There," Orbital said, his voice dripping with melodrama. "Take it, Kaito-sama. But if I start malfunctioning—if I lose even a single ounce of my brilliance—you'll regret this!"

Kaito ignored the outburst, taking the fragment and placing it carefully into the containment field with the key. As soon as the crystal touched the glowing artifact, the key flared to life, its carvings blazing with a brilliance that made the room feel hotter, heavier.

"It's working," Orbital said, his tone shifting from indignation to awe. "It's actually working. The key... it's responding!"

Kaito stepped closer to the portal, his cape brushing against the floor as he stared into the swirling void. Without hesitation, he turned back to Orbital. "Stay here," he ordered. "Monitor the system. Make sure nothing disrupts the signal."

Orbital's optic widened. "Stay here? Alone? While you dive headfirst into an alien portal? That's insane! I should be there to—"

"You'll stay here," Kaito interrupted, his tone final. "If something happens to the portal, I need you to fix it."

Orbital slumped dramatically, his shoulders sagging as his limbs drooped. "Fine, fine. I'll do it. But don't say I didn't warn you if something catastrophic happens on the other side!"

Kaito turned back to the portal, his expression hard as steel. Without another word, he stepped forward, the swirling energy swallowing him whole. The sensation was immediate—a rush of light and sound that seemed to pull him in every direction at once. Then, just as suddenly, it was over.

He stood in the Astral World now, its strange, shifting landscape shimmering with an ethereal glow. And then, as if summoned by his very thoughts, Astral appeared before him, his form emerging from the radiant light.

Kaito smirked. It appeared that this journey might be worth it after all.

It was now late at night and Yuma's group had gathered at the warehouse where Kaito was supposedly hiding in, courtesy of their hacker.

The warehouse crouched in the shadow of the city skyline, Yuma stood at the base of the towering steel doors, his Duel Disk on his arm. The soft, intermittent glow of his deck lit up his anxious face, casting faint shadows under his wide eyes. "Astral's in trouble," he muttered. He clutched at the glowing cards, his fingers trembling. "I know he is. He's still in there, dueling Kaito. I can feel it."

The wind shifted, carrying the faint creak of a distant sign swaying on rusted chains, but Yuma wasn't listening. "I have to help him," he said, louder this time, almost to himself. Before anyone could stop him, he lunged at the door, his hands gripping the space in between with a desperation that made his knuckles pale. He pulled, threw his shoulder into it, gritted his teeth as he strained against the unyielding steel. "Come on!" he shouted, the sound ringing out in the stillness. "Open! I need to get in there!"

Behind him, Kotori stood frozen for a moment, her expression torn between worry and exasperation. Finally, she stepped forward. "Yuma, stop," she said firmly, but not unkindly. "You need to calm down."

Yuma whipped around, his frustration spilling over. "Calm down?" he snapped, his voice cracking. "Astral doesn't have time for me to calm down! Every second we waste out here—" He gestured wildly at the warehouse. "—is another second Kaito gets closer to beating him!"

Kotori raised her hands, her voice steady despite his outburst. "I get it, Yuma, I do," she said. "But we don't even know what's in there. Naruto's not here yet—maybe we should wait for him. He might have a plan."

"I don't have time to wait for Naruto!" Yuma barked, spinning back toward the door. "I don't care about a plan! I have to do something!" He said as he threw himself at the door again. The metal groaned faintly under his weight but didn't give. He slammed his fists against it, once, twice, the sound echoing like gunshots in the quiet. Finally, he sagged against the cold surface, his head bowed, his shoulders trembling. "It's no use," he whispered. "I can't even get the door open... I'm useless."

The slap came fast, sharp, and entirely unexpected. Yuma staggered back, his hand flying to his stinging cheek as he stared at Kotori in wide-eyed shock. Her hand was still raised, but her expression wasn't angry. It was fierce, determined, her voice trembling not with rage, but something deeper. "Stop it, Yuma!" she shouted. "Stop acting like this! This isn't who you are! You're Yuma Tsukumo! You're the one who never gives up, no matter how impossible things get! Isn't that what you're always saying? 'Kattobingu' or whatever it is? You're the one who keeps fighting! So don't you dare give up now!"

The silence that followed was heavy, broken only by the soft whistle of the wind through the nearby alley. Yuma stared at her, his cheek still red. Slowly, he straightened, brushing the dust from his pants as he turned back to the door. "You're right," he said quietly. "Astral's counting on me. I can't stop now."

Kotori smiled faintly, a flicker of relief crossing her face. "Good," she said, stepping up beside him. She pressed her palms against the cold steel, her breath fogging faintly in the night air. "Then let's figure this out. Together."

The others joined them, one by one, with varying degrees of enthusiasm. Cat crouched by the seam of the door, her nails scratching at the metal like a cat testing its claws. Takashi groaned as he braced himself against the frame, his muscles straining as he pushed. Even Tetsuo sighed heavily before rolling up his sleeves and throwing his weight into the effort.

"This is ridiculous," Takashi grunted, his breath fogging as he struggled against the steel. "This thing probably weighs a ton."

"Yeah, but it's kind of heroic, don't you think?" Cat said, her grin sharp despite her obvious effort.

For a long moment, it was pointless. They all knew it. The door didn't budge, the steel unmoving beneath their hands. But sometimes, one just got to try.

Then, with a low groan, the door slid open. The sound startled them into silence, their wide-eyed gazes snapping toward the gap that appeared in the steel. For a moment, they all froze, disbelief hanging thick in the air.

"Did we just... do that?" Cat whispered, her voice tinged with awe.

"I think we're stronger than we thought!" Takashi said, his grin breaking wide across his face.

But Yuma's Duel Gazer buzzed before anyone could celebrate. He glanced down, and their homeroom teacher, Ukyo's holographic face appeared, his smirk as sharp as ever. "Nice try, kids," he said dryly. "But you didn't open that door with brute strength. I used the virus to unlock it. You're welcome."

"Ukyo-sensei!" Yuma blurted, his jaw dropping. "You did that?"

"Who else?" Ukyo said with a shrug. "Did you really think brute force would work on a door like that? Honestly, Yuma, I thought you were supposed to be smarter than this."

Kotori raised an eyebrow, folding her arms as she glanced at Yuma. "You should probably thank him."

Yuma rubbed the back of his head, his grin sheepish. "Thanks, Ukyo-sensei. I guess we owe you one."

Ukyo's smirk softened, his voice growing more serious. "Just be careful in there. Keep your guard up."

The image flickered out, leaving the group staring into the warehouse. Yuma took a deep breath, gripping his Duel Disk tightly as he stepped forward. "Astral's waiting for me," he said, his voice firm. "Let's go."