Ice Queen Cometh

by Nox Barian

Rio Kamishiro never expected her life would become so chaotic in such a short period of time. First her brother, Shark is set on fire and put in the hospital by a psychopath. Then, she is dragged into the War of the Number Cards alongside her friends. but when familiar faces from the past arrive on Earth, she will begin to question whether she is even human at all. (REMAKE)

13. Off the Rails

Welcome Back Everybody!

I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and Happy New Year!

And now with a New Year comes the first Ice Queen Cometh chapter of the New Year!

I hope you all Enjoy it!

---

Chapter 13: Off the Rails

Heartland City had developed a reputation as a modern-day utopia, with more people, duelist and non-duelist alike, flocking to the city to take in its breath-taking sights. Its brightly colored buildings and neon city lights created a nighttime rainbow after every sunset, dazzling all who set their eyes upon them.

Yet the brightest lights cast the darkest shadows, and like every metropolis, there was a dark underbelly hidden underneath the welcoming atmosphere and aesthetic beauty.

Crime thrived in Heartland, as hard as it was for a newcomer to the city to believe. Street gangs prowled the alleyways at night, claiming territory on the fringes of the city, often overlooked by the police. There was no shortage of shady dealings done on these fringes, from drug dealers selling their illicit goods to the wealthy elite hiring mercenaries to help them hide more skeletons in their closets, and tonight, one such mercenary had stumbled upon quite the lucrative deal.

She was relatively new to mercenary work, but she would be a fool to ignore a job that paid as much as her client offered, and tonight, in a seedy hotel just outside the city limits, she would finalize her deal and meet her client in person for the first time. She kept herself hidden, a brown baggy cloak to hide her face and conceal her weapons should things go wrong, and she confidently knocked on the door. She expected an intimidating bodyguard, or someone more thuggish to answer, but the three young men who greeted her at the entrance and beckoned her inside were the last people she'd expect to want to hire a mercenary for a dangerous job like this.

They were dressed in fancy doublets fit for a charity gala or a masquerade ball, the trio being all male. Of the three, she recognized one of them immediately. Staring at her with a cruel smirk was a face she saw several times on television, the cross-like scar over his left eye and his wild mane of double-layered red and blonde hair confirming his identity as the current reigning champion of East Asia.

As for the two individuals flanking him, given their clothing and facial similarities, the mercenary assumed they were his brothers.

On his left was an older gentleman in his twenties with a sharp piercing glare on his face and long silver hair that grew all the way down to his waist. On his right was a young teenage boy with an innocent complexion and short rose-colored hair that curled at the back.

"You're my client?" The mercenary addressed the middle sibling as she stepped into the dimly lit room, the youngest sibling closing the door behind her.

"I didn't realize the great Thomas Arclight was the type who was willing to get his hands dirty. What could you possibly need a mercenary for? Does the National Champion need a bodyguard or a fake girlfriend to keep the rabid fangirls away from him?"

"First of all, use my stage name." the middle sibling replied, sounding annoyed and dismissive as if he didn't want to attend the meeting at all. "It's IV. You'll refer to my brothers as III and V, got it?"

The mercenary shrugged her shoulders.

"I don't care what you call yourselves. I care about details and the promise of payment, so start talking! Tell me why you called me here. I don't have all night."

"Watch your tongue," The elder brother, V, scolded severely. "Firstly, I will not tolerate you speaking to any member of my family that way. If you cannot behave yourself, we will simply evict you and hire somebody else. Secondly, we are not the ones who arranged this meeting."

V turned towards a dark corner of the room and pointed. "This is the man who requested your assistance, and I expect you to show the appropriate level of respect to him as well."

Labored, scratched breathing alerted the mercenary to the presence of a fourth man in the room. Cautiously taking a step closer into the dark room, she could make out a single source of light, its fierce crimson shade pointed right at her. She expected to see a man sitting on the chair in the darkness. Instead, she saw a vaguely humanoid shape, completely wrapped head to toe in a black cloth, with only the red light peeking out of a hole in the blanket.

"Come…" a voice in the cloak spoke, broken and scratchy, almost as if obscured by static.

"Come… closer…" the voice whispered. "I wish…. To see… Your fa-ace…"

"Is…. is this a joke?" The mercenary scoffed, staring at the small shape on the chair, its form barely large enough to count as human. Was there a child under there? A dwarf? Did they simply cover a computer monitor with that blanket because their boss couldn't show up in person? That would explain the red light inside the cloak. "What is that supposed to be?"

"It's no joke at all. That's actually your client under there," The younger sibling, III, replied, his voice surprisingly polite and soft-spoken compared to the arrogant IV and the stern V.

"His… condition…means we need to make special accommodations for him." III explained carefully. "By the way, sir, are you feeling alright? How are you holding up? Can I get you anything?"

"That…. Will… be all…. III…." the voice in the cloak replied, before a loud coughing noise caused the shape within to shake violently. It was then the mercenary made eye contact with the light. She froze in place as the light stared into her soul. It finally hit her that there was no artificial light at all.

It was an actual eye.

"Now…. business…." The voice rasped. "Ahem… At the S-South Heartland Dockssss, there is…. A collection of–" he was forced to stop momentarily as he experienced another coughing fit, but he pressed on nevertheless.

"A collection of…. Warehouses…. Owned by Mr. Heartland himself….. It's… a dumping ground for certain….. Ssssssseeeeecrets… he doesn't want the public to see; stolen artifacts, illegal technology, toxic chemicals…. Weapons…"

"And you want me to hit those warehouses?" The mercenary inquired.

"Let him finish!" V snapped.

"It is alright… V….." the voice continued. "She is…. Correct…. Warehouse Number One….. crate… Number sixty-nine… an artifact…. Of great importance to me…."

"I…. I…. I need it…. For my….. Condition…. Get into the warehouse…. By any means necessary, and bring me….."

He coughed again, violently, as if ravaged by a terrible illness.

"Bring me….the artifact. The rest of the cargo in that warehouse…. Is yours…. To plunder as you see fit. Consider it…. A bonus….."

"Even the weapons?" The mercenary's eyes lit up with excitement.

"Ha Ha Ha Ha ... especially the weapons… they are yours…." the voice laughed.

"Well what exactly is the artifact? I need to know what I'm stealing."

The shape behind the cloak responded by turning its eye towards V and nodding. The elder sibling stoically walked forward, procuring a photograph for the mercenary to study. She raised an eyebrow in confusion, having not expected to see what the photograph portrayed.

"All those toys and you want…a mask?" she asked.

"Like I said…. It is for my…. Condition…" the voice repeated itself.

"To be honest, it's not my business why you want it, as long as you're willing to pay for it, but I'm assuming security is going to be tight. You got an idea of what I should expect?"

"Mr…. Heartland…. Does not trust… people to guard his…. Ssssseeecrets, so he uses robots instead….. They are…. Heavily armed, but I have…. Ways of ensuring they will not shoot you…. Which brings me to the second job I have…. For you…. And you shall be compensated handsomely for it…."

The mercenary perked up in surprise. "You want me to pull two jobs at once?"

"This one is…. Different…." the voice began to elaborate. "Consider it…. Both a job, and…. An advance on your payment…. III…. if you please?"

"Yes sir!" III nodded respectfully and produced a small box. He opened it, revealing a strange bracelet with a violet colored jeweled emblem inside.

"Uh…. I thought I explained that I prefer cash, not jewelry," The mercenary remarked, sneering at the arm band.

"This is no ordinary jewel," III explained. "Trust me, you need to wear it at all times."

"Why?"

"For your own…. Safety…." the voice explained. "You must wear it… otherwise, I am afraid…. I will have to terminate our contract…. And find someone more…. Cooperative."

"Alright, Alright! I'm wearing it!" The mercenary put her hands in the air, not wanting to risk a big score going down the drain over a simple piece of jewelry. She took the strange bracelet out of the box and strapped it onto her right wrist. To her surprise, it fit perfectly, but as she adjusted it on her arm, the jewel began to flicker with power, producing a large glowing symbol above her hand. Shaped like a shield, and resembling a medieval crest, its symbol depicted a jagged trident with three flame-like blades. The emblem engulfed the darkness of the room with beautiful violet light, mesmerizing the mercenary with its glow.

"What the hell?" The mercenary whispered, but her client wasn't finished surprising her. The cloak parted ever so slightly, revealing a larger source of red light, and a tiny rectangle of white light slipped through the crack of the cloak and floated into the air towards the mercenary.

"Take it…." the voice insisted. "It is yours…."

"What is it?"

"I told you… I have ways of ensuring…. The security robots…. Will not attack you… at least not…. with their weapons….. They are programmed to duel those who possess…. Certain special cards….."

Now the mercenary was even more confused.

"You want me to duel? I mean, sure! I can duel, and I'm damn good at it too, but won't I just be wasting time dueling the security robots? Why not just get in, take the mask, and get out?"

"Your second task…." the voice explained, before stopping to cough once again. "Is to ensure the device I have given you…. Works to its full potential….. These cards…. They are…. Quite special….. They have quite the… remarkable ability…. To shape their very identity to suit the needs…. Of the very first duelist who uses them….. However, there are….. Side effects…. To using them…. Side effects, which the crest can offer…. Protection…. Here! Take the card! Let it show you…. Its true potential…."

Reluctantly, the mercenary reached out her hand, snatching the glowing card out of the air, and as she clutched the card in her palm, the white light surrounding it faded away, allowing its image to come into view.

She stared at the card, shocked.

"How…. How did you do that? This card's effect is almost tailor made to fit my deck!"

"I did nothing." the voice replied, taking no small amount of amusement in the mercenary's reaction. "It is as I said…. These cards…. They have a way of…. Finding out what their owners truly desire, and they act accordingly ..."

"Well, uh…. Thanks, but no thanks!" The mercenary tried her best to cover up her initial surprise. "My deck is fine the way it is. I don't need an extra card to boost my chances of winning."

"Of that I have no doubt…." the voice replied. "However…. This mission is far too important to risk any chance…. Of failure…. I need… that artifact…. Immediately…." He broke into another coughing fit.

"Furthermore…. This card…. It is not the only one of its kind….. As part of your contract…. I ask that if you… stumble across anyone else… who possesses a card just like yours…. To duel them…. And take the cards…. You will know they have one….. If you see…. The mark of a Number… glowing on their bodies…. I will pay extra for each card you collect for me…"

"How many are we talking about?"

"There are…. One hundred of these Number cards… in total…. We have already begun the process…. Of collecting them…. But for my endeavors to come to fruition…. I will require them all."

"Get in, grab the mask, test out the crest, collect as many Number cards as I can find," the mercenary listed off each of her new client's demands. "That's a pretty long to do list, but then again, you did promise a lot of money, and with that kind of a bonus, how could I say no?"

She smirked confidently. "You got a deal. That artifact will be yours first thing tomorrow, er…. boss?"

The shape in the cloak shifted, and while the mercenary couldn't see the shape's face, she was almost certain the face behind the cloak was smiling at her, leering wickedly with the sinister red glow of the eye.

"Please…" the voice replied politely. "Call me Tron…."

---

The warm sun illuminated the waters surrounding the South Heartland Docks, yet all was quiet, devoid of ships and human workers, the main port of the city having been relocated many years ago. All that was left were the warehouses lining the docks, their doors sealed tight.

Kotori peered out from behind a collection of metal storage drums, pensively observing the warehouses.

While Yuma was off training at the Sanctuary, Rio had taken it upon herself to police the city, a mission the rest of Yuma's friends eagerly volunteered for, wanting to help in any way they could. As such, whenever they didn't have school, they would split up to find any trace of their enemies, be it a Number Holder, an agent from Barian World, or the most dangerous of them all, Kaito.

Rio was already reluctant to even allow Tetsuo, Cathy, and Kotori to participate in her patrols, let alone wander off alone to pursue potential leads, but she insisted that if any of them spotted danger, they would call her immediately. At the very least, them not having Number cards created the chance that Kaito would either ignore them at best or let them go upon winning a duel at worst.

Kotori was initially resentful of this, not wanting Rio to fight on the front lines while she hid behind her, but even she admitted she was no match for someone like Kaito. Although, she admitted she was at least tempted to eliminate the threat herself if she found a normal Number holder. Her victory against Cathy and Number 29 proved she could at least hold her own against them.

While she would appreciate another chance to help out, today, Kotori was more concerned of the larger threats of Kaito and Barian World, more specifically, where they were hiding, and an abandoned warehouse seemed like the perfect place for an unsavory character like Kaito to use as a secret hideout.

Unfortunately, when she finally arrived, she soon discovered that while the docks were devoid of people, they were crawling with guards. Security drones floated in the air, their eyeball-like spheres searching for any would-be intruders, while a single massive unit on the ground crawled on the docks with its tank-like wheels, its body resembling a blue metallic gorilla with broad shoulders and ruby red eyes.

She had barely escaped the robot's wrath earlier, with the gargantuan creature immediately pointing the cannon on its arm and warning her to leave the area immediately in a deep intimidating voice.

Now, here she lay, knelt down in her hiding spot, wondering what to do now.

She recognized the model of the floating drones, an ORBITAL-2 EYE-SPY BOT, having seen them perched atop the more high-profile buildings of the city, such as Heartland Tower, the mayor's headquarters. The blue larger robot she didn't recognize, but she assumed it was a more advanced orbital model. This could simply mean the warehouses contained important valuables the mayor wanted kept safe. Then again, this place was supposed to be abandoned, yet the abundance of security robots made it obvious that whoever was using these warehouses had something to hide.

She was just about to get her phone and call Rio to tell her what she found, when everything changed in an instant. Without warning, one of the floating drones exploded with a loud BANG, sending pieces of metal flying everywhere. The eyes on the others flared to life, blinking and chirping like a flock of birds, but they were shot down before they even noticed the intruder responsible for destroying the first.

Kotori ducked in cover, screaming as fire and metal rained down around her, transforming the docks into a warzone. When she felt it was safe to peek out again, she couldn't believe what she was seeing. The brazen aggression of the attack made it seem like an army was attacking the docks, but when Kotori spotted the source of the shooting, it was just one woman.

The shooter's face was completely obscured by a pink motorcycle helmet, the visor blacking out her face, and she was dressed in a skin-tight white sleeveless jumpsuit with rose colored stripes. She wore matching pink gloves and pink thigh-high boots, but the most striking feature was her weapon of choice.

Kotori had never seen anything like it. The sheer size of the cannon, combined with how the shooter was handling it, gave it the appearance of a strange military grade rocket launcher. Sleek in design and brick red in color, the shooter continued firing blast after blast from the cannon, unleashing a meteor shower of fireballs at the remaining security drones while the shooter laughed like a madwoman.

Finally, when she seemed to be out of ammo, she lowered her weapon, but that's when the Gorilla Robot caught up with her. The massive machine aimed its own weapon at the shooter, but she refused to back down.

"Intruder!" The robot thundered. "Trespasser, destroyer of Heartland City property, stay right where you are and await your…."

Suddenly, the robot stopped, its sensors picking up something as its eyes increased in size, having noticed something odd about the shooter.

"Number Detected!" The Machine announced. "Initiating Duel Protocol."

"Huh, boss did say these hunks of junk would want to duel," the shooter remarked, before throwing her cannon to the ground and brandishing her own duel disk. "Alright, then. Come on, Terminator. Give me a little performance before I send you to the scrapyard where you belong!"

The robot suddenly lowered its weapon, sheathing its cannon inside its right arm while extending its left arm. The metal panel on the arm opened up, revealing a strange contraption inside that crudely resembled a duel disk.

"Did that robot just mention Numbers?" Kotori whispered, her bewildered eyes fixated on the shooter's duel disk. In hindsight, she should have suspected it, given how the cannon wielder brazenly charged into the docks and fired her weapon in all directions like some demolition expert gone berserk. She dared not move from her spot now, lest the shooter turn her weapon on her. All she could do was watch as the shooter engaged with the final security guard standing in between her and her prize.

Duel Gazer Set

Augmented Reality Vision Online

Unknown: 4000 LP

Orbital-5 Guard Robot: 4000 LP

DUEL!

"I'll start this duel off with one face-down card loaded in the backrow, and then I'll summon my Lionhearted Locomotive!"

The mercenary's monster didn't appear on the field at first. Instead, a set of railroad tracks surrounded both duelist and robot before a transparent tunnel summoned forth the monster, which took the form of a massive green steam engine pulling a long rake of goods vans behind it. Cloud white smoke billowed out of the engine's funnel as it continued to gather speed, its deep-toned whistle sounding like the roar of an angry lion.

Lionhearted Locomotive: Level 4/EARTH/Machine/2400 ATK/2100 DEF

"Initiating Turn," the robot spoke in a mechanical monotone. "Draw Card."

"First move, activating the field spell card, Robocircus."

The spell transformed the scenery around them, a large circus tent replacing the warehouse behind the robot, while the pier they stood on changed into a circular arena full of bright clown-like colors.

"Next, summoning Monster, Super Defense Robot Lion, attack mode."

The Guard Robot responded with a lion-esque monster of its own, a futuristic humanoid robot with a crimson face and a golden body. On its shoulder pauldrons were twin metallic shields, each resembling the fanged face of a lion.

Super Defense Robot Lion: Level 4/EARTH/Machine/1200 ATK/1600 DEF

"Activating Effect! Super Defense Robot Lion Special Summons another of its kind from the hand. Summoning Monster, Super Defense Robot Elephant, defense mode. Activating Effect! The field spell, Robocircus. Once per turn, if a Super Defense Robot is special summoned, this unit is allowed to Special Summon a Super Defense Robot from the deck. Summoning Monster, a second Super Defense Robot Elephant."

Two more androids appeared in front of the guard to join the second, sporting massive shield-like appendages on their shoulders; only these, appropriate to their names, took on the appearance of an elephant's face and trunk.

Super Defense Robot Elephant: Level 8/EARTH/Machine/1400 ATK/2500 DEF

"Activating effect! Super Defense Robot Elephant targets Super Defense Robot Lion and changes its level from four to eight. Now this unit possesses 2 Level 8 Monsters. This unit shall build the overlay network and Xyz Summon! Appear, Googly-Eyes Drum Dragon."

With a roar from the lion and a bellowing trumpet from the elephant, the two robots vanished into the overlay network, conjuring forth a brand new mechanical beast. The Xyz Monster took the form of a mechanical black dragon, its rotund body possessing an almost toy-like appearance. The dragon beat its chest and gave a metallic screech from its bulldog-like mouth, the sound echoing like a drum beat.

Googly-Eyes Drum Dragon: Rank 8/EARTH/Machine/Xyz/3000 ATK/2500 DEF

"Activate Effect! The second effect of Robocircus allows this unit to Special Summon one Super Defense Robot from the deck, provided this unit controls a Machine Xyz Monster. Summoning Monster, Super Defense Robot Monkey!"

A third animal themed robot joined the fray, brown in color and possessing large shields on its shoulders just like the others, resembling the angry fang-bearing mouths of two brown baboons.

Super Defense Robot Monkey: Level 3/EARTH/Machine/800 ATK/1200 DEF

"Activating Effect! Super Defense Robot Elephant targets Super Defense Robot Monkey and changes its level from three to eight. Now, this unit has 2 Level 8 Monsters once again. The summoning conditions have been met to build the overlay network and Xyz Summon a second copy of Googly-Eyes Drum Dragon!"

The overlay network appeared again, absorbing the two robots and conjuring a second dragon to join the first in battle.

"Activate effects! The first and second drum dragons shall use one overlay unit each, and when they do, they shall both gain one thousand extra attack points."

Googly-Eyes Drum Dragon: 3000 + 1000 = 4000 ATK

"Two Xyz Monsters with four thousand each? Looks like the mayor programmed you guys pretty well," noted the mercenary "Good thing I got this trap! Threatening Roar! Now your dragons can't attack. In fact, you can't conduct your battle phase at all this turn!"

"Turn End…" The robot replied, unphased by the setback.

"Great. Now I can end this duel," the young woman grunted.

"Negative. Probability of an opponent's victory on the third turn of the duel when this unit possesses two Xyz monsters with four thousand attack points is less than five percent."

"You know what? I like those odds!" The woman replied with confidence, and she drew her card.

"Perfect! I'll summon this monster, Express Train Trolley Olley!"

A second circle of train tracks surrounded the two duelists, and a second train burst out of the transparent summoning portal and onto the tracks, racing in the opposite direction as the steam locomotive. The new engine was a scarlet EMD Diesel Electric Switcher hauling a train of coal trucks.

Express Train Trolley Olley: Level 4/EARTH/Machine/1800 ATK/1000 DEF

"I now overlay Trolley Olley and Lionhearted Locomotive! With these 2 Level 4 Monsters, I build the overlay network and Xyz Summon this, my Number Monster!"

Kotori gasped, watching from her hiding spot as the overlay network appeared, not on the field itself, but in the waters of the loading dock next to the warehouse. "She really does have a Number!" she whispered to herself, and sure enough, the Xyz Monster rising out of the depths bore a tell-tale numerical symbol on its body.

"XYZ SUMMON! APPEAR, NUMBER 27, DREADNOUGHT DREADNOID!"

Waves crashed down onto the docks as the Number's body came into view. It was a massive navy warship, sleek and silver with red accents on its bow and hull. The ship was armed to the teeth, its deck containing numerous retractable cannons and futuristic gun turrets, their black barrels glowing with a sinister orange energy, primed and ready to fire. The same orange glow burned inside the ship's bow, as a single orange lightsource seemed to serve as the mechanical monster's eye, while a red 27 glowed brilliantly on the hull.

Number 27 - Dreadnought Dreadnoid: Rank 4/WATER/Machine/Xyz/2200 ATK/1000 DEF

"That boat is her Number?" Kotori whispered, confused and perplexed by the Number's strange appearance, but that was all she needed to see. Kotori frantically pulled out her phone and called the one person who could help her.

"Come on, Rio!" She prayed in a frantic whisper. "Pick up! Pick up!"

"Hello?"

"Rio! We got a Number! South Heartland Docks! Warehouse #1!"

"Are you sure? Did you see the marking?"

"Shhhh!" Kotori desperately tried to make her call as quiet as possible. While she was far enough away from the shooter and well hidden, she dared not take the risk of either the mercenary or the robot noticing where she was.

"Quiet! She might hear me!"

"Alright, I'm sorry!" Rio apologized, softening her voice. "Did you see the marking?"

"See the Marking? I see the Number Monster itself. This crazy lady with a cannon is dueling one of Mr. Heartland's Guard Robots and just summoned her Number Monster."

"A cannon?" Rio repeated, sounding confused, but her next reply sounded deeply alarmed.

"Listen to me! Do not engage! Stay hidden! I'm on the other side of town! I'll hop on my motorcycle and get there as quickly as I can. I'll be there in twenty minutes."

"Twenty minutes?!" Kotori hissed. "We can't wait that long. She's robbing something from this warehouse. We can't let her get away. Who knows what she'll do with that cannon next?!"

"Kotori, just trust me! Promise me you'll stay put."

Kotori paused, conflict raging inside her before finally replying.

"Alright! I'll stay hidden and wait for you!"

"Good! Stay safe Kotori."

And with that, Rio hung up, leaving Kotori alone once again to watch the duel.

"Number Detected!" The Guard Robot exclaimed again.

"Analyzing Number Monster. Subject possesses insufficient attack points to defeat the two drum dragons. Probability of Success: Ninety percent."

"Hold on! Those attack points are about to change!" the duelist exclaimed. "First, I activate the effect of Express Train Trolley Olley. It gives the xyz monster that I just summoned a boost of eight hundred extra attack points."

Number 27: 2200 + 800 = 3000 ATK

"But why stop there? I'll activate the spell card, Limiter Removal to double its attack points!"

Number 27: 3000 x 2 = 6000 ATK

"Subject Now possesses sufficient attack points to destroy one drum dragon and inflict two thousand points of damage to this unit's lifepoints." The guard robot noted. "However, Limiter Removal destroys your monster during the End Phase of the turn. Therefore…."

"I'm not done!" the mercenary interrupted. "I have another spell card, Air Cracking Storm! This equips itself to my new monster and gives it the ability to make a second attack this turn!"

The robot tilted its head, displaying a brief moment of surprise on its otherwise emotionless face.

"Error… Probability of Opponent Victory…. One Hundred Percent…"

"BATTLE! Dreadnought Dreadnoid, attack both his dragons! FIRE YOUR DREADNOUGHT CANNON!"

The grid lines on the ship's weapons lit up in a threatening orange glow as the gun turrets rotated towards the two dragons and fired multiple missiles into the air. One group sailed towards the first dragon, destroying it instantly, while another group destroyed the second. The shockwave from the attack was so powerful enough that it sent the guard robot toppling backwards and down to the warehouse floor. The ground shook as the robot's body hit the ground, the fall having badly damaged it as electricity crackled around its body.

Orbital Guard Robot: 4000 - 2000 - 2000 = 0 (LOSE)

Winner: UNKNOWN

"Error… Error… Error… Error…" The robot repeated feebly as it tried and failed to get up.

"Number…. Retrieval…. Failure…."

"Awwww, you poor thing!" The mercenary taunted with false sympathy as she deactivated her duel disk and moved to pick up her cannon.

"Here, let me put you out of your misery!"

"Re…in…force….ments…" The robot attempted to say, as a red siren-like light sprouted from a hidden compartment on top of its head, an obvious alarm, but before the alarm could even have a chance to sound and potentially call more guards, the woman fired her cannon, blowing what was left of the robot to pieces.

Kotori was horrified at the gun wielding duelist's penchant for wanton destruction, knowing full well the smartest decision was to stay hidden and wait for Rio. Yet, she was still conflicted. If she stayed hidden, the mercenary would simply take whatever she was after and then flee the scene. They would lose her trail, and potentially a valuable lead. If Kotori defeated the mercenary herself, or at least kept her occupied until Rio finally arrived, she could stop whatever destruction she planned to unleash before it began.

Yet Kotori was no fool. She feared the mercenary's cannon. It seemed the Number Holder only dueled the guard robot to weaken it so she could take a free shot at the machine without fear of it attempting to defend itself. Against a human being, there was a dangerously high chance the mercenary would choose to simply shoot Kotori rather than duel her.

The mercenary walked past the wrecked robot, kicking bits of scrap metal aside, venturing deeper into the warehouse. She traced her gloved finger across multiple metal crates, counting out their identification labels until she found what she was looking for.

"There we are! Crate Number 69!"

With her target discovered, she knelt down, opening a compartment hidden in her cannon, and grabbed what appeared to be a cutting torch, perfect for bypassing the combination lock. With the torch turned on, its flame a razor sharp jet of blue, the robber got to work, tearing through the crate's solid steel walls within just a matter of minutes. Kotori snuck ever so closer to get a better look at what the mercenary was doing, taking advantage of the noise to muffle her movement.

With the crate opened, Kotori could finally see what the cannon wielder was so desperate to acquire. Raising her hands to inspect it, the shooter brought her prize into Kotori's line of sight, and the artifact in question was the last thing Kotori expected to see.

Instead of something of more material value, the prize in the crate was a metallic crowned mask, something straight from the days of medieval knights. A strange fusion of knight's helmet and king's crown, the right eye of the mask was empty, but the left contained a strange-looking rose colored crystal. Was that what the mercenary was after, the crystal?

"Come to mama!" the mercenary exclaimed in celebration. Inspecting the mask, she started to laugh.

"Ha Ha Ha! Must be one ugly mug on the boss's face if he's this desperate for a mask. If he wasn't paying me, I'd say it would look better on me!"

Then the mercenary did something that changed everything. She took her helmet off, revealing her face for Kotori to see. The young woman was strikingly beautiful, her hair a double layered style of rose red and bright orange with long bangs and a prominent bob cut with curved tips at the sides. Combined with her sharp, threatening yellow eyes, there was no mistaking her identity.

Shocked, Kotori realized that she knew the assailant.

"Anna!" Kotori accidentally spoke her name out loud before she could stop herself, immediately slapping her hand over her mouth, but it was too late. Hearing her name being called, Anna immediately dropped the mask and moved to her cannon, whipping her head around to face the stack of crates that served as the last line of defense between Kotori and a blast from Anna's weapon.

"Who's there?! Show yourself!" Anna hissed. "Come out, or I'll shoot!"

"Wait! Wait! Anna! It's me, Kotori!" the green haired teen screamed in desperation as she poked her hands out of her hiding space in a gesture of surrender.

"Ghost Story, who?" Anna repeated. "Doesn't ring a bell. Now, come on out nice and slow."

Now standing up and side-stepping into view, the barrel of Anna's cannon following her every step of the way, sweat trickled down Kotori's face as Anna glared at her.

"You know?! Kotori Mizuki? We went to school together!" Kotori pleaded again, praying Anna would at least lower her weapon should she recognize her.

At last, she did. A flicker of recognition appeared in Anna's yellow eyes, followed by a howl of laughter.

"Ha Ha Ha! No way! You're the little green haired goblin who followed Yuma Tsukumo around like a lost puppy! Hey, where is Yuma, by the way? Is he with you? I hope so, and I certainly hope he remembers all the fun I used to have with him."

Kotori's face twisted into a glare, while Anna's twisted into a grin.

Kotori, now more annoyed than scared, almost forgot that Anna's cannon was even there, her mind now focusing on the past instead of the present. She remembered the last time she and Anna crossed paths with each other, along with her tendency to make Yuma her favorite target of her nasty pranks, from cutting holes in his clothes to putting rocks in his lunch. She was relentless in her covert torment of him to the point where Yuma lived in fear of her.

It took Kotori aback when she finally figured out the real reason why Anna was targeting Yuma, and she found it hard to sympathize with her the last day she saw Anna at school. She remembered how heartbroken Anna looked, her eyes bloodshot with tears as she saw Yuma cowering in fear of her, even after she tried to confess how she really felt about him.

"Yuma's not here! It's just me, Anna! Stay away from him!" Kotori growled defensively.

"Take a chill pill, greenie. I'm so over him!" Anna scoffed, waving a dismissive hand in her direction. "If he's too oblivious to notice perfection like this!" She gestured to her well-endowed chest and her prominent hourglass waist. "Then that's his problem. You can have him, provided of course he sees you as more than just a friend, and if that ever happens, I'll check the sky for flying pigs."

"Alright, enough about Yuma!" Kotori snapped, her face turning red from embarrassment. "What are you doing here, Anna?"

"None of your business!" Anna rebuffed. "But if you must know, I'm on the clock. Mercenary work suits me, especially when I'm getting paid to blow things up. Now, if you're done bothering me, I'm giving you one chance to walk away. My new client is paying big money for this mask, not that I care what he wants with it, and I'm not about to let someone like you get in the way of my paycheck, so if you know what's good for you."

She slapped a firm hand on the hull of her cannon. "Walk! Away!"

"Not happening!" Kotori argued, mustering as much courage as possible in spite of the threat.

Anna rolled her eyes. "Oh, don't tell me you're going to give some bullshit speech about peace, love, and the power of friendship to convince me to see the error of my ways," she elevated her voice into a flamboyant tone of mockery. "We're not friends, Kotori, and you don't know half of what I've been through, so you have no right to judge me for trying to make a living."

"Stealing that weapon and using it to blow up the docks is not making a living!" Kotori scolded. "It's wrong! It's criminal, and it's all because of that Number card you have! That's what I'm here for, Anna, to take that Number from you before it makes you do something worse!"

"Watch your mouth!" Anna snarled. "Don't you dare insult my baby! I didn't steal it! I built it myself!"

She picked up her cannon and cradled it with pride, stroking it like a kitten.

"It's okay, sweetie. Kotori didn't mean it!"

Kotori, stunned, realized Anna was telling the truth. During the brief time she knew her, she had witnessed Anna's talent for jury-rigging and tinkering around with machines, but she never imagined Anna could construct something of this magnitude. It was honestly sad. Had Anna stayed in school, dozens of universities would have thrown engineering scholarships at her feet, but instead, here she was, using her talent for a life of crime.

"Wait, what's that you said about that Number card?" Anna took a break from fondling her cannon to address Kotori again. "You came all this way and risked getting shot just so you could get your hands on one lousy Duel Monsters card? Why?"

"Well…" Kotori began, but Anna rudely interrupted her.

"Oh, wait! Don't tell me! You want to sell it, don't you? I mean, I was told these Numbers are one-of-a-kind cards, so it makes sense they'd sell for a high price. So, what are you going to do with the cash? Buy an Easy Bake Oven so you can pretend you can actually cook? Or have you finally given up on that stupid restaurant dream and decided to try your luck at being a duelist?"

"Anna! I'm being serious!" Kotori shouted, feeling the sting of Anna's insults dig under her skin. "You don't understand! Number cards are dangerous!"

"If they're so dangerous, why do you want them for yourself?" Anna countered. "What makes you so sure you can handle them, while I can't?"

Anna's eyes drifted to the duel disk on Kotori's arm, and a theory formed in her mind, her eyes flickering with greed.

"Oh! Do you have a Number card? Is that why you're so sure you can handle them?" she inquired. "You know, I was given this Number by my client, and he said he'd pay me extra for every Number I can find and bring back to him, so if you have one, then this changes things."

Kotori, fearing what Anna would do if she realized she had no reason to duel Kotori, no Number to take as a prize, decided to take advantage of Anna's assumption, seizing the opportunity to stop her once and for all.

"Y-Yes!" She lied. "I have one, and I'm assuming you know there's only one way to properly take somebody else's Number card."

She awaited Anna's response, watching the older girl size her up head to toe, hoping she would fail to notice her act of deception, but then Anna lost her composure completely. She burst out laughing.

"AH HA HA HA HA! Oh, that's a good one! You?! You honestly think you can beat me in a duel?! The last time we met, little goblin, you didn't even know how to duel! Hell, even Yuma was a better duelist than you and half the time, he forgets what his own cards even do!"

"Yuma has gotten a lot stronger!" Kotori thundered, quick to defend Yuma from his former tormentor. "And so have I! I even beat Cathy, and she was eligible to compete in the National League!"

Anna laughed even harder.

"OH WOW! You beat the crazy old cat lady who's scared of her own shadow and can't even talk above a whisper! Whoop de doo! Gold Star for the goblin! Honestly, you should just hand over whatever Numbers you have and leave before you embarrass yourself. Maybe next time, stay at home and send somebody with actual skill to duel me."

Kotori, trying her best to ignore the sting of Anna's barbed comments, thought back to Rio.

She could do just that, wait for Rio to get here, but Anna was in no mood to simply wait. She would make her get away long before Rio would arrive, and they would lose her trail and miss their chance to neutralize the threat of Anna's Number.

Besides, Anna had pushed Kotori too far. Now it was personal.

"I'm not leaving!" Kotori insisted. "If you want my Number, Anna, you're going to have to take it."

"Suit yourself," Anna shrugged before brandishing her duel disk like a warrior unsheathing a sword.

"This should be good for a laugh. Come on! We'll take it outside!"

They left the tight confines of the warehouse and took their positions on opposite sides of the pier. Both girls activated their duel disks, prepared for battle.

Duel Gazer Set

Augmented Reality Vision Online

Kotori Mizuki: 4000 LP

Anna Kozuki: 4000 LP

DUEL!

"Now let's see," Anna mused in a taunting tone of voice. "Which of my well-oiled machines should I introduce you to first? Who shall pull the pain train today? Oh! I know! This is the only card I need to deal with you! Say hello to my Rocket Arrow Express!"

Just like her duel with the Guard Robot, Anna's summoning first conjured a set of railroad tracks to surround both duelists before calling forth her monster. Anna's machine emerged from the transparent portal and thundered onto the train tracks, circling Kotori like a vulture. The enormous locomotive took the form of a blue and yellow bullet train, its diesel horn blaring loud enough to be heard for miles. Quite strangely, a silver futuristic fighter jet was seemingly welded to the top of the train, its jet propulsion providing the engine with extra speed and power. However, Kotori paid no mind to the machine's bizarre appearance, as the most striking feature of the mechanical monster was its ridiculously high attack power.

Rocket Arrow Express: Level 10/EARTH/Machine/5000 ATK/0 DEF

"F-F-F-F-Five thousand attack points?!" Kotori stuttered in fear, taking a step backwards as she stared at the massive frame of the machine. "And…. and you summoned it just like that?!"

"Ha Ha Ha Ha! Watching people cower in fear of my Express never gets old!" laughed Anna. "Meet my Rocket Arrow, the fastest and best who pulls the express! It's a monster with five thousand attack points that I can special summon from my hand for no cost provided I control no other cards. The downside is, if I want to summon Rocket Arrow Express, then that's it. That's the only thing I can do this turn. I can't summon any other monsters or attack with it, so I'll end my turn right now. Furthermore, on my next turn, I have to discard my entire hand if I want to keep Rocket Arrow on the field, but I'll cross that bridge when I get there."

Kotori silently drew her card, her hand shaking, as there was no hiding how intimidated she was from Anna's opening move, but there was a bright side to such a brazenly straight forward move. Rocket Arrow was the only card Anna possessed on the field. All Kotori needed to do was get rid of it, and she could gain total control of the duel.

And as Kotori looked at her opening hand, her eyes lit up with excitement, realizing she had the tools to do exactly that.

"Well?" Anna goaded. "Are you going to forfeit already because my Rocket Arrow is too scary for you, or are you going to back up the big game you talked about and duel?"

"I activate the continuous spell card, Madolche Salon! Now I can normal summon twice in one turn, as long as I only summon Madolche Monsters, so I'll summon Madolche Baaple for my first Normal Summon, and then I'll use my second Normal Summon to bring out Madolche Mewfeuille, but I'm not done. Meweuille can special summon a third Madolche to my field with its effect, so I'll bring out Madolche Messengelato!"

Three puzzle piece platforms appeared in front of Kotori, and on top of them rested her three monsters, a large cream colored sheep, a young man dressed as a postal worker, and finally a small rose pink kitten asleep on its platform without a care in the world.

Madolche Baaple: Level 3/EARTH/Beast/0 ATK/1800 DEF

Madolche Mewfeuille: Level 3/EARTH/Beast/500 ATK/300 DEF

Madolche Messengelato: Level 4/EARTH/Warrior/1600 ATK/1000 DEF

"Messengelato lets me add a Madolche Spell or Trap card when I special summon him! I'll add the trap, Madolche Promenade to my hand, and after that, I'll activate Baaple's effect. By switching him to defense mode, I can switch your Rocket Arrow Express to defense mode as well. Your little toy train isn't so scary with zero defense points, now is it?"

Instead of receiving the satisfaction of watching Anna panic, the machine duelist merely smirked.

"Clever, but do you really think you've won just by crippling one monster?"

"It certainly looks like I've won when that broken down train is the only card you have." retorted Kotori. "Battle! Mewfuille, attack her Rocket Arrow Express with Sweet Scratch!"

Waking up with a start from Kotori's command, the kitten lethargically looked upward at its target before its fur stood on end, frightened by the machine's size and baffled that it was going to attack something like that. Nevertheless, the kitten obeyed, racing along the railroad tracks before catching up with the train and slashing its claws across its rear wheel. At first, the machine seemed completely unfazed, but then an ugly grinding noise alerted Anna to the damage. The rear wheel suddenly came clean off, and with the bullet train out of balance, it came off the rails before turning over on one side and exploding in a fireball of wreckage.

"Ha! Well look at that!" Kotori smirked, as she couldn't help but feel proud of herself. "I just took down a giant five thousand attack train with a tiny little kitten. I only wish Cathy was here to see this. Now, it's your turn, Messengelato! Attack her directly with Special Delivery!"

The postal worker pulled out a large explosive package from his bag, but before he could throw it, a loud siren filled the air with cacophonous noise, while Kotori's eyes were blinded by a bright flash of red as a new monster appeared on the field, an orange maintenance trolley with extended robotic claws at its sides and glowing red lights on its front.

"Red Light! Red Light! Hold it right there!" Anna yelled. "Don't you know anything about basic railway safety? You can't just waltz down the tracks when there's a red signal!"

"Just explain what your card does!" Kotori shouted impatiently.

"Fine! You're no fun!" Anna groaned. "If you were to attack me directly, I can special summon this monster from my hand to protect my life points, Construction Train Signal Red, and the best part is that this monster can't be destroyed by battle, so your Messengelato's attack is going to go to waste! You were so focused on the big machine in front of you that you didn't notice the little guy in my hand ready to sneak up on you!"

Construction Train Signal Red: Level 3/EARTH/Machine/1000 ATK/1000 DEF

"Blocking one attack doesn't mean you've won the duel, Anna!" Kotori growled, unable to hide her frustration, which only made Anna's taunting grin grow wider.

"Besides, I'm not done! I now activate the spell card, Plus Star, 123. This changes any level three or lower monsters on the field, like my Mewfeuille, to level four! This means I can now overlay Mewfeuille and Messengelato together! With these 2 Level 4 Monsters, I build the overlay network! XYZ SUMMON! Appear, Madolche Teacher Glassouffle!"

The cat and the postal worker disappeared into the conjured portal in the middle of the field before summoning forth Kotori's Xyz Monster, a middle-aged woman with moss green hair wearing a matching green dress. Golden spectacles adorned her face and a golden teacher's baton rested in her hands.

Madolche Teacher Glassouffle: Rank 4/EARTH/Fairy/Xyz/1800 ATK/2500 DEF

"Let's see you get past her defense!" Kotori challenged. "I set one card face-down and end my turn."

Anna rolled her eyes. "You call that a proper defense? I have a monster that can blast it to ashes in seconds. Ironic you summoned a teacher, Kotori, since you have a lot to learn about power."

"It's stronger than your Number Monster!" Kotori snapped, to which Anna laughed again.

"Oh, you naive little girl. I wasn't talking about my Number Monster, but why should I spoil the surprise by telling you when I can just show you? I draw, and I'll start my turn by bringing out another warrior of the railroad, my Night Express Knight!"

A straight set of train tracks appeared directly in front of Anna, and from a new transparent portal, a white and gold diesel train pulling a long rake of coaches emerged onto the field. Similar to Anna's Rocket Arrow Express, a strange figurine was welded on top of the engine, this one resembling a medieval knight holding a massive bronze lance and a broad silver shield.

Night Express Knight: Level 10/EARTH/Machine/3000 ATK/3000 DEF

"Another Level Ten Monster!?" Kotori exclaimed.

"Yes, and just like with Rocket Arrow Express, there's a small penalty to summoning him without a tribute. I have to reduce the attack points of my Night Express Knight to zero, but that doesn't mean he's useless, especially since I'm activating the spell card, Southern Stars, to change my Construction Train Signal Red into a level ten monster just like my knight!"

Night Express Knight: 0 ATK/3000 DEF

"Now I overlay Construction Train Signal Red and Night Express Knight! With these 2 Level 10 Monsters, I build the overlay network! XYZ SUMMON!"

"W-W-W-What?!" Kotori's voice quivered as she saw Anna do the unthinkable. In all her time both watching and participating in duels, she had never seen anybody attempt to Xyz Summon a monster using monsters with levels so high. Given Anna's penchant for playing aggressively, whatever monster she was planning to summon could likely end the duel entirely on its own.

"Make way for the train of pain, the mean green explosive machine, my really useful engine, the one and only SUPER DREADNOUGHT RAIL CANNON, GUSTAV MAX!"

The portal appeared again, absorbing both railroad machines into the crimson spiral, shrinking them down from giant engines to tiny glowing orbs. Three separate railroad tracks appeared on the ground in front of Anna, followed by the awful screeching sound of metallic brakes as Anna's new monster manifested into view, its wheels screeching its towering body to a stop. Two locomotives formed the base of the towering mechanical structure, resembling a dark green rubik's cube. Suddenly, the cube began to open, its individual pieces parting ways to reveal the machine's hidden weapon, which extended outwards, layer by layer, until it revealed itself, a silver long barrel cannon aimed directly at Kotori's face.

Superdreadnought Rail Cannon Gustav Max: Rank 10/EARTH/Machine/Xyz/3000 ATK/3000 DEF

Kotori's knees began to quake, her breath quickening from the frightening sight of the superweapon. "What…. What is that thing?!"

"Weren't you paying attention when I made my little announcement?!" Anna asked sarcastically, her eyebrow raised and her smirk widening. "Or are you just blown away by my monster's power?"

Kotori gritted her teeth and didn't answer, so Anna only continued to taunt her.

"Oh, wait! Nevermind! You're not blown away just yet! That comes after I activate Gustav Max's effect! By using one overlay unit, Gustav Max can automatically take away not one, but two thousand of your life points! Do your thing, Gustav Max! Ready your Cataclysm Cannon, aaaaaaaaaaand FIRE!"

One of the orange overlay units orbiting Gustav Max loaded itself inside the barrel of the cannon, creating a humming sound of charging energy as a blinding white light grew inside the cannon, burning and expanding until finally the machine released the energy all at once, firing it from the cannon with the force of an atomic bomb and the speed of a bolt of lightning.

Kotori only had one chance to stop the devastating effect, her one and only face-down card.

"I activate my trap card, Madolche Promenade! This lets me return Madolche Baaple to my hand, and when I do, I can negate your monster's effects and protect my life points!"

As Kotori's sheep vanished from the field, she silently prayed her trap would be enough to stop the devastating effect, but the growth of Anna's cruel smirk confirmed to Kotori that her efforts were in vain.

"Pathetic! I activate the spell, Forbidden Lance! This lowers Gustav Max's attack points by eight hundred, but now for the rest of the turn, my machine is protected from all your spell and trap cards. That means its effect goes through!"

With nothing left to protect her, the blast surged forward, enveloping Kotori's entire body in its iridescent radiance. The force of the attack sent the teenage girl flying backwards, where she landed hard on her back, dangerously close to the pier's edge.

Kotori: 4000 - 2000 = 2000

"If you know what's good for you, I suggest you stay down!" Anna hissed sadistically, but Kotori wasn't about to give her tormentor the satisfaction. She staggered back to her feet, struggling to speak as the attack knocked the wind out of her.

"But now…. But now Gustav Max is too weak to destroy my teacher."

"True, but hurting your lifepoints is way better than destroying one single monster!" Anna replied. "I'll set this card face-down and give you one more chance to try and beat me. I end my turn, and now Forbidden Lance expires, so Gustav Max's attack points go back to three thousand."

Kotori drew her next card, her mind racing as she questioned how she could make any kind of progress against such overwhelming odds. She needed to destroy Gustav Max immediately. Otherwise, Anna could simply activate its effect on her next turn and win the duel just like that. However, another question entered her mind, one far more worrying to her, as Anna could still have another trick up her sleeve even if Kotori managed to get rid of Gustav Max.

"Hold on, Anna. Can you answer this one question real quick? Why did you summon that monster?"

"Uh… because it's awesome?!" Anna replied, shrugging her shoulders as if it was the most obvious question in the world. "Because it's my baby? My pride and joy? The one monster that never lets me down? I can keep going if you still don't get it!"

"No, that's not what I meant!" Kotori corrected herself. "I mean why didn't you summon your Number Monster instead?"

"My Number Monster?" Anna repeated. "Oh, that dumb old thing. Why would I need that card when my Gustav Max is perfectly capable of winning this duel single handedly? If you ask me, that Number card is kinda weak, and I'm starting to think the guy who gave it to me was trying to rip me off, but he did say that using it was part of the job, so if it means I get paid, then I guess I'll use it, even if I don't need it."

Anna's behavior baffled Kotori. Initially, she chalked up Anna's violent behavior and the entire stunt she pulled to blow up the warehouse as the Number influencing her to do it, but given Anna's dismissive behavior towards her own Number Monster, there was only one explanation, leaving Kotori incensed and incredulous.

"Are you telling me you're not possessed?!" Kotori shrieked. She couldn't understand it. Out of all the duelists she encountered while helping Yuma and Rio look for more Numbers, none of them seemed capable of resisting their corruptive influence, barring Rio and Yuma themselves. Given the lack of explanation for Rio's ability to resist possession, Kotori always suspected there was a chance others, mainly herself, could possess the same resistance, but the last person she ever expected to resist getting possessed by a Number was a thug like Anna.

It wasn't fair.

Rio had spent all this time trying to dissuade Kotori from taking any Numbers for herself, and yet here was Anna unintentionally flaunting her supposed immunity by flat out rejecting her Number and denying herself whatever power it possessed.

"Possessed?" Anna stared at Kotori in both confusion and amusement, trying not to laugh.

"What the hell are you talking about? Is that why you tried to convince me that Number cards are dangerous?"

"Yes! That's exactly it!" Kotori insisted. "Most people go crazy when they acquire a Number card. Don't ask me why. I don't know exactly how they work, but that's why Yuma and I are looking for them, not to take them for ourselves, but to stop them from hurting other people!"

Anna glanced down to the bracelet on her arm. She fiddled with it briefly and it began to glow, manifesting the violet medieval crest.

"Huh, so let's say I believe you, that these cards mess with your head or something. I guess that explains why my client wanted me to wear this at all times."

Kotori couldn't believe what she was hearing. Not only was there yet another faction out there collecting Numbers, but whoever Anna's client was, they had managed to construct an actual device capable of harnessing the powers of the Numbers without fear of possession. She stared at the device with disbelief….

…. And desire.

Her mind began to race. If she could just defeat Anna, she could take this device for herself. Then she could finally pull her weight alongside her friends. She could finally take whatever Numbers she wanted without any fear of possession. She could finally be useful. She could finally protect Yuma instead of sitting on the sidelines watching him struggle alone.

She thought back to that awful night, the rainstorm pelting her body as she saw Yuma on the ground, crying from his defeat at the hands of the Number Hunter, but this time, the scene was different. This time, Kotori was wearing the crest, several Numbers at her command as she and Yuma battled side by side, defeating Kaito and making him pay for all the souls he took.

Wishful thinking? Perhaps, but it was a fantasy that gnawed at Kotori every day, a dream brought on by her desire to prevent a waking nightmare. However, now she had the means to make her little fantasy come true.

Her mind was made up. She needed that crest, and the only thing standing in her way was Anna.

"My turn! Draw!"

"I summon Madolche Magileine! When this monster is summoned, I can add Madolche Butlerusk from my deck to my hand, and thanks to Madolche Salon, I can summon Butlerusk to the field."

Another puzzle piece appeared in front of Kotori, and the monster resting on top of it was a young red-haired woman dressed like a halloween witch, wearing a gothic black dress with white ribbons and a matching pointed hat. Instead of a broomstick for her to fly on, the young witch carried a white pastry attached to the end of an oversized metal fork.

A second puzzle piece then appeared, joining together with the first, and on the second piece rested a polite, well-dressed young man in a butler's outfit, calmly pouring himself a cup of tea.

Madolche Magileine: Level 4/EARTH/Spellcaster/1400 ATK/1200 DEF

Madolche Butlerusk: Level 4/EARTH/Spellcaster/1500 ATK/800 DEF

"Madolche Butlerusk lets me add the field spell, Madolche Chateau from my deck to my hand, and I think I'll activate it right now and give all of my Madolche Monsters a boost of five hundred attack and defense points!"

Anna sneered at the palace of sweets as it appeared behind Kotori, covering the entire arena in a courtyard of pastry puzzle pieces. "That's your big move, taking me on a one way trip to Candyland? Come on, little goblin! That boost isn't enough to get over Gustav Max!"

She then eyed the teacher, whose defense points climbed all the way to three thousand, matching Gustav Max's attack power. "Or are you going to hide behind that teacher of yours, hoping her defense will be enough? Hate to break it to you, Kotori, but in case you weren't paying attention, Gustav Max doesn't need to attack in order to win the duel."

Madolche Magileine: 1900 ATK/1700 DEF

Madolche Butlerusk: 2000 ATK/1300 DEF

Madolche Teacher Glassouffle: 2300 ATK/3000 DEF

"How about you pay attention and let me finish my turn!" Kotori snapped. "Then maybe you'll learn how much of a mistake it was to underestimate me! I now overlay Magileine and Butlerusk! With these 2 Level 4 Monsters, I build the overlay network!"

"XYZ SUMMON! APPEAR, MADOLCHE QUEEN TIARAMISU!"

Both butler and witch allowed themselves to be absorbed into the overlay network to make way for the arrival of their queen, who rose from the portal sitting on her throne with a haughty smile on her face.

Madolche Queen Tiaramisu: Rank 4/EARTH/Fairy/Xyz/2200 ATK/2100 DEF

"This duel is over, Anna!" Kotori announced triumphantly.

"Oh, please! Like I didn't see that coming from a Madolche duelist!" Anna scoffed. "I'm assuming you think this is the part where I laugh, underestimating your queen for being weaker than Gustav Max, only for you to reveal that you plan to use her effect to clear my field and then attack directly for game, right? Wrong! This is the part where I laugh because you walked right into my trap!"

"WHAT?!"

"I activate the continuous trap, Barrage Blast! This lets me use Gustav Max's overlay units for a slightly different purpose. Instead of inflicting damage, I can use Gustav Max's last overlay unit to destroy your monster before she even has a chance to activate her effect!"

"NO!"

"Ready, Gustav? Aim your Cataclysm Cannon at Madolche Queen Tiaramisu, aaaaaaaaand FIRE!"

Empowered by the trap, the gargantuan machine roared to life once again, absorbing its final overlay unit into the barrel of the cannon. It suddenly turned the barrel away from Kotori and towards the newly summoned monster, and instead of a charged up beam of energy, the cannon fired multiple bursts of fireballs from the barrel, which soared into the air and rained down on top of the queen. Tiramisu was smothered by an explosive blast as every missile was a direct hit, and when the smoke cleared, there was only a smoldering crater where the queen once stood.

"My… My queen…." Kotori whispered in disbelief. She shook her head rapidly, desperate to steel herself and maintain her resolve. Her plan to win the duel had quite literally gone up in flames, and now she was completely at Anna's mercy. All she could do was pray the defense of her remaining Xyz Monster was enough to hold Anna's wrath at bay. "I end my turn."

"Finally!" Anna scoffed as she drew her next card. "Now I can get this duel over and done with. I'll admit you piqued my interest when you had the guts to challenge me, but all you've done so far is bore me to death with your amateur dueling skills. Well, I'm done playing around. Now you'll see just what happens to people who get in the way of a big score of mine. They get blown to bits by my Gustav Max!"

"But you can't!" Kotori protested. "You just wasted your last overlay unit destroying Tiaramisu. Now you can't use Gustav Max's effect to burn my lifepoints, and you can't attack either. Glassouffle's defense points are the same as Gustav Max's attack points."

"Thank you, Captain Obvious!" Anna replied sarcastically. "But who said I need Gustav Max's overlay units? If you think that's the full extent of my beautiful pain train's power, think again! I activate the equip spell, Train Connection! All I have to do is banish two level ten machine monsters from my Graveyard, like my two Express Monsters, and this card will equip to Gustav Max and double its attack points!"

Gustav Max: 3000 X 2 = 6000 ATK

"But I didn't just play this card to beat over your pathetic little monster. Train Connection also gives Gustav Max the ability to inflict piercing damage if it attacks a monster in defense mode. In other words, your last line of defense is about as useless as you are!"

"I am not useless!" Kotori shrieked, her temper boiling over completely. Her body began to shudder violently, and she couldn't tell whether she was shaking with rage from Anna's insult or from the fear of her impending defeat.

"Oh, really? Then why did you lose to me? Think about that after I wipe out the rest of your life points! Battle! Gustav Max, attack her Madolche Teacher Glassouffle!"

"FIRE YOUR CATACLYSM CANNON!"

Immediately obeying, the engine hummed with power as the silver cannon charged its attack, the light inside increasing in radiance until finally unleashing the stockpiled power all at once. The teacher was vaporized instantly, but the blast continued past the point of impact towards Kotori. Like an actual freight train running her over, the energy from Gustav Max's cannon absolutely walloped the girl, hitting her so hard that she fell over the edge of the pier and into the water with a loud splash.

Kotori: 2000 - 3000 = 0 (LOSE)

Winner: ANNA

Kotori forced her way to the surface, taking a massive gulp of air as she breached the waves of the docks. After flailing around in the water, swimming blind due to her soaked hairdo covering her eyes, she finally found a metal ladder that allowed her to climb out of the water and back onto dry land. However, once she made it to the top, she was greeted with the barrel of Anna's cannon pointed right at her face.

Just like that, Anna Kozuki, somebody Kotori dismissed as just a crazy girl from school, was now putting the fear of death in her. She now understood exactly how Yuma felt against the Number Hunter.

"So…" Anna began, her tone of voice devoid of emotion. "You lied to me."

"W-W-W-what?" Kotori stuttered. "I didn't…."

"You said you had Number cards for me to collect," Anna continued, her voice raising ever so slightly, and her finger moving towards the trigger of her cannon. "But you didn't summon a single Number during our duel. Could it be because you don't have any?"

"Anna…. Please…" Kotori begged in a frightened whisper, but the cannon wielding girl ignored her.

"Hmmmmmm, now what to do with you?" Anna mused, her cannon still primed and ready to fire.

"Honestly, I don't want to shoot you. I don't use my cannon on people. It's too much of a mess, and that will mean life in jail if I get caught, but then again, you are the only witness here, and I can't have you snitching on me. Maybe…. Oh! I know! " Anna's eyes suddenly light up.

"Maybe I'll knock you unconscious and leave you in the warehouse with a few of my explosives in your pockets. The cops will think you blew up the mayor's warehouse, not like they'll believe your story of a weaponized flying hovercraft. My baby is so unique it has to be seen to be believed."

"Anna, please! I won't tell a soul! I swear!" Kotori stammered in a panic, but Anna was undeterred. However, before either girl could say another word, the loud roar of a motorcycle engine alerted both of them to a new arrival. Screeching to a halt, the rider took off her helmet, revealing an angry Rio Kamishiro.

"Leave her alone, Anna!"

Anna lowered her cannon and turned around to face her new opponent. She took one look at Rio and smirked, a mocking sense of recognition flickering in her eyes.

"Oh, now isn't this just precious! Here comes the Popsicle Princess to protect the little green goblin!"

Rio's glare intensified. "Still running your mouth and resorting to name-calling, Anna? What are you, eight?"

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" Anna jeered with a false apology. "Did I offend her majesty, the Ice Queen?"

Kotori, taking advantage of no longer being at gunpoint, raced past Anna and took cover behind Rio.

"Are you alright, Kotori?" Rio asked.

"My pride's badly damaged, and I'm soaked to the bone, but I'll live," muttered Kotori, still bitter from the defeat. Rio took off her white and blue collared vest, exposing her pale pink long sleeve blouse underneath, and tossed it to her friend.

"Here, dry off. I'll take care of Anna." said Rio, bluntly, leaving no room for arguing.

Anna took in the scene, her smirk growing wider. "So, princess. How have you been?"

"Oh, I'm fine," Rio replied with an icy glare. "I'm more concerned about you, actually."

Anna's mocking smile disappeared instantly. "Concerned? Really? I find that hard to believe."

"The Pack never abandons one of their sisters," Rio replied, catching Kotori by surprise.

"Wait a minute, Anna ran with you and your brother in the Pack?! Are you serious?!" she exclaimed. Although, in hindsight, Kotori realized she shouldn't be too surprised that somebody with a penchant for violent behavior like Anna would join a street gang like the Pack.

"For a while," Anna confirmed. "Until they turned on me."

"You were out of control!" Rio argued. "You were picking fights with everybody! Remember that time you almost broke Ginji's arm just because he cat-called you? Something had to be done!"

"Yeah, I bet something did!" Anna snapped. "Something like kicking me out, even though I was the strongest duelist in the pack by a mile, and I was the one who repaired all your motorcycles, for free! Well, I didn't want to give you or any of those pricks the satisfaction, so I quit!"

"We weren't going to kick you out!"

"I overheard enough from your little meeting with Scorch and Chills that night!" Anna continued.

"Oh, she's crazy! She's dangerous! She's out of control! Something has to be done!" I've heard it all before, the tell tale warning signs before I'm abandoned and thrown out into the streets, just like every other family who took me in! Well, screw them! Screw all of you! I don't need anybody! I'm surviving just fine on my own, just me, my cards, and my cannon!"

"Wait! Hold on! Time out!" Rio interjected, her concern increasing tenfold. "What do you mean you're surviving out here?! Have you been living on the streets all this time?!"

"YES!" Anna growled, years of bitterness coming out all at once. "What of it?"

"What happened to your foster parents?! They must be worried sick about you!"

"No, they're not!" Anna denied. "I did them a favor by leaving! It was only a matter of time before they sent me back to that orphanage, and I wasn't going to stick around long enough for them to do it! I'd rather go to jail than risk even a chance of going back to that hellhole!"

"I find it hard to believe they would send you back there," Rio argued, her tone more soothing and gentle. "I met your foster parents a couple of times. They're good people, and out of all the children suffering in that run-down shack of an orphanage, they picked you. That has to count for something."

"Hmph! They picked me, not knowing what they were getting," Anna replied dismissively.

"I'm damaged goods, Rio," her voice quivered slightly. "I know I'm not right in the head. Even when I tried to play the part of an obedient little daughter, I couldn't help myself. Somebody or something would piss me off, and I'd deal with it the only way I know how. The moment those parent-teacher conferences started, I saw the regret in their eyes. They knew they made a mistake…they knew…"

She clenched her fists tightly, her anger returning to cover up the brief moment of vulnerability.

"Why are you still here, Rio?! You rescued your little friend, so piss off! I have a job to do, and I'm not leaving empty-handed!"

"I have a job to do, too!" Rio insisted. "You have a Number on you, and it's messing with your mind, so…"

"Rio, she's not possessed!" Kotori, having stayed quiet throughout the entire exchange, suddenly interjected with information that caught Rio off guard.

"What do you mean, she's not possessed?"

Anna answered her question by holding up her bracelet, which revealed the medieval crest.

"Boss gave this to me as a little form of advance payment, along with that Number card. He says I have to wear it as long as I'm using the Number card, and he also said that in addition to the mask he wants me to bring him that's in this warehouse, he'd also pay me extra for every additional Number card I happen to find."

She directed her full attention to the deck box strapped to Rio's waist.

"Kotori claimed to have some, but that was just a lie to get me to duel her. What about you, Rio? Do you have any Numbers?"

Rio silently took her Numbers out of her deck box, revealing the five in her collection.

Anna's lips curled upward. "So it's true! There are other Number cards out there, and I take it you're not going to leave me alone as long as I have this Number, right? Well, if you want it, you have to duel me for it, although I doubt you'll fare any better against me than the little wet dog behind you."

"Fine!" Rio exclaimed. "If you win, you get to take all my Numbers, but if I win, I take yours, and furthermore, I'm bringing you back home to your foster parents. Nobody deserves to be homeless, Anna, even if you're living this way by choice."

"NO DEAL!" Anna growled with fury. "You can have my Number if you want, but I'm never going back! I don't need them! I don't need anyone!"

"They love you, Anna!"

"They never loved me!" she hissed, her bitterness spewing from her mouth like a snake's venom.

"Let me tell you something I've learned, Rio. There is no such thing as unconditional love. People only care about you when they want something from you, whether it's to do something, or to be a certain type of person. My foster parents…. They wanted a daughter they could be proud of, that they could brag about to their friends and pat themselves on the back for being such good people. They chose me, so they learned real quick they should be careful what they wish for! Well, I'm done! I'm done trying to change for the sake of pleasing people who don't give a shit about me! I can't be normal, so I'll just be myself. From now on, I take what I want and do as I please, and I'll blow up anybody who gets in my way! Now, enough talking! Are we going to duel or not?!"

Roaring like a rabid beast, Anna activated her duel disk once again. Nobody else saw it, but Rio could have sworn she saw the tell tale marking of a 27 appear on Anna's hand for a brief second, disappearing quick enough to be dismissed as her eyes playing tricks on her. Rio knew Anna was always a violent and temperamental girl, but given her outburst, she was beginning to doubt whether this so-called crest actually provided any protection against the Numbers at all. However, possessed or not, Anna had to be stopped, and if she wanted to pick a fight, Rio was more than happy to oblige.

Rio silently activated her duel disk, ready for the challenge ahead.

"Rio, be careful!" a worried Kotori warned her friend, while wrapping herself in Rio's vest.

"I've never seen a deck like Anna's, and it's not her Number you should be worried about!"

"I know, Kotori. I've dueled her before. I know how her deck works."

"Oh, right! Like that automatically means you'll win," Anna mocked, her own duel disk activated and ready for battle. "I'm going to have fun watching you melt, Ice Queen. Let's Duel!"

Duel Gazer Set

Augmented Reality Vision Online

Rio Kamishiro: 4000 LP

Anna Kozuki: 4000 LP

DUEL!

"First move is mine!" Anna announced. "I draw!"

"I reduce the attack points of my Night Express Knight to zero so I can Normal Summon it without any tributes. Next, since I control a level ten machine monster, I can special summon this monster as well by cutting its attack points in half, my Heavy Freight Train Derricrane!"

The duel began with quite a familiar sight to Kotori as a circle of railroad tracks surrounded the two duelists, only this time it was double track, fit for two engines which emerged from transparent portals and thundered down the circled tracks. One was a familiar face, the white and gold diesel passenger engine with a medieval knight's armor welded to the top of the train. The second was new, an older orange diesel engine pulling a train of flat cars, one of which had an industrial crane mounted on top of it. The two diesels sounded their horns, baying like hounds as they continued to circle the duelists, their presence immediately frightening Kotori as she realized what Anna was trying to do.

"No way! She's going to summon Gustav Max on the first turn of the duel!"

Night Express Knight: Level 10/EARTH/Machine/3000 ATK/3000 DEF

Heavy Freight Train Derricrane: Level 10/EARTH/Machine/2800 ATK/2000 DEF

Night Express Knight: 0 ATK/3000 DEF

Heavy Freight Train Derricrane: 1400 ATK/2000 DEF

"Give a gold star to the little green goblin in the audience!" Anna mocked, clapping her hands slowly.

"I overlay Night Express Knight and Heavy Freight Train Derricrane With these 2 Level 10 Monsters, I build the overlay network! XYZ SUMMON! APPEAR! SUPERDREADNOUGHT RAIL CANNON, GUSTAV MAX!"

Sure enough, Kotori's fears came true. Both trains jumped track and fell into the portal, and in a burst of energy, an all too familiar machine of destruction took their place. The giant green rubik's cube mounted on top of the twin locomotives glittered with electrical power as its pieces parted ways and the barrel of the gleaming silver cannon extended outward, primed and ready to fire.

Superdreadnought Rail Cannon Gustav Max: Rank 10/EARTH/Machine/Xyz/3000 ATK/3000 DEF

"Now, get ready, Gustav Max!" Anna commanded. "I have a brand new target for you, and her name is Rio Kamishiro! I use one overlay unit so you can take away two thousand of her life points! FIRE YOUR CATACLYSM CANNON!"

The cannon absorbed an overlay unit and began charging with brilliant white light. The cannon fired, the beam soaring towards Rio, which struck its target dead on, violently knocking her to the ground.

"RIO!" Kotori cried in alarm.

Rio: 4000 - 2000 = 2000

"Guard Penguin! Come out!" Rio commanded, slamming her card onto her duel disk as she staggered to her feet, and as she did so, her penguin appeared above her, its metallic collared vest of mirror-like ribbons raining snow and frost down onto Rio, restoring the life points she lost.

Guard Penguin: Level 4/WATER/Winged-Beast/0 ATK/1200 DEF

Rio: 2000 + 2000 = 4000

"Oh, Come on!" Anna growled. "You always seem to have that penguin whenever we duel!"

"Yep, and there's no better time to have it than now!" Rio replied. "Now my life points go back up."

"Fine, but protecting yourself is only half your problem solved," Anna scoffed. "You still have to beat over my Gustav Max, and I'd like to see you try. I set a card face-down and end my turn."

"I draw!" Rio announced. "For my next move, I'll activate the field spell, Lemuria the Forgotten City! This card gives all water monsters a boost of two hundred attack and defense points"

With a loud rumble, Rio's spell card caused the sea levels of the pier to rise until both duelists were knee deep in water, while the modern buildings of the warehouses faded away, replaced with the ruined buildings of an Ancient Greek City.

"Next, I'll summon my Blizzard Falcon, and since it's a water monster, its attack points go up, and that means your life points are about to go down by fifteen hundred thanks to my falcon's effect!"

Rio's falcon descended from the sky and perched itself on the roof of the Ancient Acropolis, spreading its snowflake shaped wings and screeching aggressively. With a violent beating of its wings, the falcon sent a violent snowstorm towards Anna, who shielded herself with her arms and gritted her teeth as the biting wind slammed into her.

Blizzard Falcon: 1700 ATK/1700 DEF

Guard Penguin: 200 ATK/1400 DEF

Anna: 4000 - 1500 = 2500

"Yes!" Kotori cheered. "Not so funny when you're on the receiving end for once, is it Anna?"

Anna ignored Kotori's taunt, as she had more pressing concerns. Without warning, the bracelet on Anna's wrist began to glow, the violet crest flickering into view.

"What the hell? Is this thing broken?" Anna whispered to herself, only for the crest to give her a violent answer. The crest flickered more rapidly, until suddenly it released an electric shock, flooding Anna's body with pain. Anna screamed, the shock forcing her down onto one knee.

"Anna, what happened! Are you hurt?" asked Rio, immediately growing concerned.

"Worry about yourself!" Anna snapped as she staggered back to her feet, but then Rio saw it again. Just like that, a small flicker of light resembling the tell-tale shape of a Number appeared on Anna's hand before disappearing just as quickly. Rio eyed the crest with suspicion. If it truly was protecting Anna from the Number, she feared its power was starting to fail, and if it did, Anna's behavior would only grow more volatile.

"If this thing turns out to be broken, you're paying for it, Rio!" Anna threatened. "I might not get paid if I return this thing to my boss and it's broken."

"If I were you, I wouldn't return to this client of yours at all," Rio suggested, growing more concerned over the identity of the individual who hired Anna in the first place. "He's given you dangerous equipment, and a Number Card, which let me remind you, can take over your mind. I'm not making that part up. Whoever this guy is, he knows exactly what could happen to you if something goes wrong, and he doesn't care! He's using you!"

"Of course he's using me!" Anna shouted. "That's the whole point of hiring a mercenary! He needs me to risk my neck to test this little gadget and fetch his little mask because he's too much of a coward to do it himself. I don't care! I agreed to this job knowing exactly what I was getting myself into, so mind your own business and continue your turn, princess!"

"Alright, fine!" Rio exclaimed, frustrated at Anna's stubbornness. "If you don't want to listen, then I'll take that Number even if you don't care that I'm trying to help you! I'll activate the second effect of my forgotten city! Since I control two water monsters, I can increase the levels of both of them by two, and now I'll overlay Guard Penguin and Blizzard Falcon together! With these 2 Level 6 Monsters, I build the overlay network! XYZ SUMMON! RISE ON UP, NUMBER 21: FROZEN LADY JUSTICE!"

Anna perked up at the mention of the word, Number, and she watched the summoning with keen interest as the two ice birds vanished into the overlay network, conjuring the gleaming scales of Justice. The scales broke apart, changing shape until they revealed the ace of Rio's deck, who brandished her sword and raised it into the air, letting out a triumphant bellowing battlecry.

Number 21 - Frozen Lady Justice: Rank 6/WATER/Aqua/Xyz/500 ATK/500 DEF

"So, that's your Number Monster?" Anna sized up the new face on the battlefield, unimpressed. "If that's all you've got, then I'm starting to think all Number cards are weak. Even my Number is stronger than your little snow angel."

"Appearances can be deceiving, Anna," Rio countered. "Unlike you, I don't need to summon a giant doom machine to convince people to take me seriously."

"Just go!" Anna snapped. "I'm not in the mood for a lecture, so finish your turn already!"

"Fine! For my next move, I'll equip Frozen Lady Justice with the equip spell, Wings of Silence. This can grant an ice bird or a water xyz monster three hundred extra attack points, as well as making it unaffected by the effects of my opponent's spell or trap cards. Furthermore, Justice gains two hundred attack points from my field spell as well as an extra one thousand attack points for each of her overlay units, giving her just enough attack points to take out Gustav Max!"

A pair of majestic wings sprouted from Number Monster's back, giving Justice the appearance of an angel, and as she took to the air and beat her new wings, snow and frost sprinkled down onto the field.

Frozen Lady Justice: 500 + 200 + 300 + (1000 X 2) = 3000 ATK

Anna raised an eyebrow, confused and suspicious by the sudden shift in power.

"You're going to crash your Number Monster into Gustav Max, after all that trouble you went to summon it? Why? They have the same attack points, so if you attack, then they're both destroyed!"

"You really don't know anything about Number Monsters, do you?" Rio replied.

"A Number Monster can only be destroyed in battle by another Number Monster, and that means the only one getting destroyed in this battle is Gustav Max!"

"WHAT?!"

"Battle! Frozen Lady Justice, attack and destroy Gustav Max! POLAR NIGHT SLASH!"

The two monsters clashed, Gustav Max defending itself by firing another blast from its cannon, but with her new wings, Justice effortlessly evaded the assault. Taking flight, she ascended to the sky before diving down and bringing her blade down on the emerald frame of the cannon. With a single stab, she dismantled the entire machine, the individual bricks of the rubik's cube crumbling and falling to the ground like a hailstorm. With a painful metallic groan, the cannon's barrel fell with it, reducing the entire machine to a burning pile of scrap metal.

"MAXIE, NO!" wailed Anna, an angry snarl forming immediately afterwards. "Oh, you're going to pay for that. Nobody wrecks my Gustav Max and gets away with it! I'll activate the quick-play spell, Urgent Schedule! Thanks to you, I control no monsters, so now I can Special Summon two more trains from my deck in defense mode, so long as one of them is level four, and the other is level ten. I'll Special Summon Lion-Hearted Locomotive and another Night Express Knight!"

With a roaring whistle and a blaring horn, two more trains appeared to replace and avenge the destroyed Gustav Max. The green steam engine and the white bullet train circled the field in opposite directions, their wheels pounding the rails as they passed each other.

Lion-Hearted Locomotive: Level 4/EARTH/Machine/2400 ATK/2100 DEF

Night Express Knight: Level 10/EARTH/Machine/3000 ATK/3000 DEF

"Two monsters again, just like that?!" Kotori exclaimed.

"Are you honestly that surprised?" Anna gloated. "That's the power of my railroad deck, efficient, relentless, and always capable of packing one hell of a punch. Try and knock me down and I'll get right back up ready to blast you again."

While Anna was busy boasting, Rio set two more cards in her back row to complete her turn, and she patiently waited for Anna to begin hers.

"Draw!" Anna yelled. "I activate the spell card, Advance Draw! To use this card, I have to send a monster that's level eight or higher to the Graveyard. Night Express Knight gets wrecked, but now I get to draw two more cards!"

The white passenger train disappeared, and once Anna drew her cards, her lips curled into a sly grin, a new plan formulating in her mind.

"So, only a Number can destroy a Number, huh? Well, it's a good thing I have one of my own. All I need to do is summon the final piece needed to bring it out, and I have it right here in my hand, my Express Train Trolley Olley!"

Replacing Night Express Knight on the second set of tracks, Anna's red diesel engine came into view, hauling its train of coal trucks around the circle.

"I overlay Lionhearted Locomotive and Express Train Trolley Olley! With these 2 Level 4 Monsters, I build the overlay network!"

"XYZ SUMMON! COME ON OUT, NUMBER 27: DREADNOUGHT DREADNOID!"

The water surrounding the sunken city started to bubble and boil as Anna's silver battleship rose from the depths. The machine hummed with energy, its mounted turrets and naval cannons rotating until all of them were pointed at Rio.

Number 27 - Dreadnought Dreadnoid: Rank 4/WATER/Machine/Xyz/2200 ATK/1000 DEF

"And now, Ice Queen, you're sunk!" Anna gloated, but her moment of triumph was short lived. The crest began short-circuiting again, electricity flickering from the bracelet.

"What the… No! Shit! Not again!" But there was nothing Anna could do. The crest was going completely haywire, and now Anna was paying for it with agonizing waves of pain. Anna screamed as the second shock was worse than the last.

"AAAH! Make it stop! Make it stop!" Anna grunted through gritted teeth as the electrocution grew worse.

"Anna!" cried Rio, unsure of what to do. She was uncertain if she could even attempt to help Anna remove the crest without getting electrocuted herself, and even if she succeeded in removing the strange device, she would have another problem on her hands. If what Anna said was true, and the crest really was protecting her from the Number, then she would get possessed the moment it came off.

Unfortunately for Rio, her fears were soon realized.

"Get it off! Get it off! Get it off!" Anna wailed, her hand moving to her wrist without even thinking, as she tore off the bracelet, the crest disappearing as she threw the bracelet across the pier, bouncing off the door of the warehouse with a loud clang, and disappearing into the darkness.

The torture finally over, Anna slumped to the ground, her body shivering and her nerves shattered from the ordeal.

"Anna!" Rio called again. "Anna, can you hear me?!"

Even Kotori, despite being humiliated and held at cannon point by Anna, feared for the older girl's life. Even she wouldn't wish an untimely demise on Anna. Cautiously, she motioned towards Anna's shivering body in an attempt to help her up.

"Anna? Anna, are you okay?"

She reached out her hand to help Anna to her feet, only for Anna to whip her own hand around, quick as lightning, and wrap it tightly around Kotori's throat. A fierce, almost feral snarl sprouted on her face as she rose to her feet, and just as Rio feared, the red 27 was now glowing prominently around her hand.

"I'm fine!" Anna bellowed as she threw Kotori across the pier, her back smashing against Rio's motorcycle, Anna smiling as she cried out in pain.

"In fact, I haven't felt this good in a long time!"

"Anna, stop!" thundered Rio. "I told you to leave her alone! Don't you dare touch her again!"

"Stop?" Anna sneered with a raised eyebrow and a manic grin. "No, princess. I'm just getting started. As for you, Kotori, you just sit tight and wait your turn. I'll have some more fun with you after I'm finished crushing the Ice Queen."

"Rio, this changes nothing!" Kotori called to her as she staggered to her feet, propping herself up against the motorcycle. "Don't worry about me! Just focus on winning the duel and get that Number out of her! I know you can do it!"

"Oh, Kotori! You're always good for a laugh!" Anna mocked. "Let me show you why Rio is in over her head, as my Number Monster grows even stronger. Since Number 27 is a water monster, it gains two hundred attack points thanks to Lemuria the Forgotten City, and thanks to the effect of my Express Train Trolley Olley, it gains another eight hundred attack points for a total of thirty-two hundred."

Dreadnought: 2200 + 200 + 800 = 3200 ATK

Rio narrowed her eyes, frustrated at the sight of the Dreadnought's sudden increase in strength, while Kotori gasped in alarm.

"She made it stronger than Justice without even trying!"

"Of course I did, but why should I settle for having only just enough power to beat over your monster?" Anna replied. "I'm never satisfied with small victories! I say go big or go home! I activate Limiter Removal to double the attack points of Dreadnought even further, all the way up to sixty-four hundred!"

Dreadnought: 3200 x 2 = 6400 ATK

"NO WAY!" Kotori shrieked. "Now that thing's powerful enough to win the duel all by itself."

"Now, battle! Number 27 attacks Number 21! Ready your Dreadnought Cannon and FIRE!"

"I activate my trap, Overlay Overload! This allows Justice to convert her overlay units into extra power, gaining attack points equal to the combined power of her overlay units. With Blizzard Falcon and Guard Penguin attached to her, she gains fifteen hundred extra attack points."

Justice: 3000 + 1500 = 4500 ATK

"But your monster is still destroyed!"

With another beat of her angelic wings, Justice took to the air, flying at a desperately quick pace to keep out of range of the ship's cannon, but the naval vessel was relentless, constantly firing blasts from its turrets until one of them finally struck Justice dead on. Rio's Number Monster fell out of the sky and into the water.

"And just like that, Justice has been served!" Anna gloated. "Served a cannonball upside the head!"

Rio: 4000 - 1900 = 2100

Rio grunted in pain as her life points took a bad hit, but Anna was denied the satisfaction of watching her opponent squirm. The Ice Queen merely smiled as her Number Monster rose out of the water and back onto the field, missing her wings but otherwise unharmed.

"OH, COME ON!" Anna shrieked. "You just said only a Number Monster can destroy a Number by battle. I attacked your Number Monster with mine, and she's still standing?! What the hell is going on?!"

"Wings of Silence activates its effect." Rio explained calmly. "If the monster equipped with it is destroyed, I can activate Wings of Silence's final effect to revive Justice, and then Wings of Silence attaches itself as an overlay unit for Justice. Of course, now that Justice only has one overlay unit, she loses a thousand attack points, but I can live with that."

Frozen Lady Justice: 1700 ATK/1700 DEF

"Lucky bitch!" Anna growled.

"I'm not lucky. I just plan ahead, unlike you!" Rio rebuffed. "Playing Limiter Removal was a huge mistake. Don't you remember that there's a heavy price to pay for using that spell card? Now your Number Monster will be destroyed the moment you end your turn."

"Rio, you can call me reckless if you want, but I'm not stupid." Anna countered. "You think I'd play a card that is risky without a backup plan? My Number Monster has quite the useful set of effects, and one of them lets me prevent it from being destroyed at the cost of one of its overlay units. So, all I need to do is end my turn, and when that happens…"

Rio's breath hitched, her eyes growing wide with fear.

"The attack bonus from Limiter Removal is permanent. If your monster survives, your Dreadnought will stay on the field with sixty-four hundred attack points!"

"And capable of protecting itself from anything you try to sink it with!" finished Anna. "You know, Rio, I should be thanking you. I didn't know it at the time, but my client was ripping me off by forcing me to wear that stupid crest, denying me access to the Number's power. No wonder I thought it was weak before. Now, I see things a lot more clearly!"

"Oh, really?" Rio questioned. "I thought you said you didn't need it?"

"That was before I realized what these cards were truly capable of!" Anna continued. "These Number cards are way more valuable than any amount of money my client could pay me, so I'm thinking I'll keep this one for myself, along with all of yours when I take them from you!"

Then she remembered what Kotori told her, her eyes lighting up with sadistic anticipation.

"Hey, Kotori. Didn't you say that Yuma was helping you and Rio look for these Number Cards? Does he have as big a collection as Rio does? Maybe after I'm done with the two of you, I'll pay Yuma a little visit and find out."

Kotori immediately flew into a defensive rage. "If you lay one finger on Yuma, I'll…."

"You'll what?" interrupted Anna. "You tried to stop me earlier, and it didn't quite work out for you, did it? You're weak, Kotori, and you always will be. You weren't even worth the precious seconds it took to squash you like the useless little bug you are. I have better things to do than waste my time with you!"

She gazed up at the sky, flexing her muscles as she felt the power of the Number course through her veins, her mind overcome with power hungry mania.

"With enough Numbers, I'll finally have the power to do as I please, the freedom to take whatever I want and destroy anyone who gets in my way. No more squalor, no more sleeping in junkyards, and no more of those wretched, stuck-up authority figures who take one look at me and see nothing more than a wild animal! From now on, I'll make them crawl on all fours and beg me for mercy! Then we'll see who the worthless street dogs really are!"

"So, you admit you do need help from somebody else after all," Rio jumped in, sensing an opportunity to bring Anna down to earth. Anna immediately stopped her raving, her eyes locking with Rio and hardening into a spiteful glare.

"The hell did you just say?" She hissed.

"What happened to the lone wolf who talked a big game about not needing anyone?" Rio continued. "You didn't find that Number on your own, Anna. Your client gave it to you, and now you seem perfectly fine with letting your Number provide you with extra help. A few minutes ago, you went on and on about how you didn't need your Number, but now you seem almost desperate to get more of them so you can feel big. You'll gladly surrender control of yourself to the Numbers if it means you don't have to feel weak anymore, is that it?"

"The Numbers aren't commanding me!" Anna shouted defiantly. "They're nothing more than tools for me to use, no different than my cannon!"

"No, Anna." Rio replied calmly. "The only tool I see around here is you!"

"SHUT UP!" Anna bellowed. "Or I'll blow you to bits with my cannon the moment I win this duel!"

Kotori took the chance to interject. "I thought you said you don't use your cannon to shoot people! Now you're threatening to kill! No wonder Yuma was so scared of you! How could anybody love you, or even like you, when you go around treating people like that!"

Kotori's speech was the final straw. Anna froze like a statue, staring at the Number marking on her hand, the mention of Yuma opening an old wound she tried so desperately to keep closed.

"No… I…. never meant to hurt him…." she whispered frantically. "I was only teasing him! I was just trying to get his attention! He… he was so oblivious! He… he had so many friends, but never even looked at me…. I…."

Her mind began racing as she reflected on the threats she made while the memory of a younger Yuma Tsukumo cowering in fear of her, begging her to go away, played over and over again like a broken record.

"I said I wouldn't use my cannon on people…" she whispered. "I said I wouldn't cross that line. I promised myself I wouldn't hurt people… Wouldn't hurt… Yuma… Why did I change my mind?!"

"You didn't change your mind!" pleaded Rio, sensing Anna's doubt, a sign of the Number's weakening influence. "The Number is changing you! This is what the worst Numbers can do to people! It started influencing you the moment you took that crest off, maybe even before that, but you're fighting it off! Regain control, Anna! You're the master of your own fate, remember? Nobody controls Anna Kozuki!"

"Nobody…" Anna's whisper transitioned into a defiant growl. "NOBODY!"

Without warning, she pointed at Rio, announcing her next move.

"Dreadnought Dreadnoid's effect activates. After it destroys an opponent's monster by battle, I can Xyz Summon a Rank 10 Xyz Monster using Dreadnoid and any overlay units attached to it as the entire requirement for the summon! So, get lost Dreadnoid! Instead of whispering in my ear, perhaps you can serve a better purpose by helping me bring out the real ace of my deck! Welcome Back, GUSTAV MAX!"

A metallic groaning noise emanated from the battleship, a cry of panicked fury, as its body compressed in on itself, transforming into a blue overlay unit. The overlay network reappeared, and the true ace of Anna's deck reappeared, slamming its wheels onto the train tracks and extending its silver cannon into the air.

Superdreadnought Rail Cannon Gustav Max: Rank 10/EARTH/Machine/Xyz/3000 ATK/3000 DEF

"Gustav Max!?" Kotori exclaimed. "She has another copy!"

"Damn right I do!" Anna confirmed. "And now this one is primed and ready to blast the Ice Queen back to Arendelle! I activate Gustav Max's effect! I detach one overlay unit to inflict two thousand points of damage to Rio! FIRE YOUR CATACLYSM CANNON!"

Absorbing the blue overlay unit, Gustav began charging until it built up enough energy to fire the enormous beam at the Ice Queen. Rio was sent flying off her feet, her back slamming into the dockyard floor.

Rio: 2100 - 2000 = 100

"I'll set one final card face-down and end my turn," Anna grunted, her hands covering her head as she felt the Number try to burrow its way into her head yet again.

"I can't believe it! Boss was right! I'm such an idiot! I never should have taken that crest off!"

"That thing was electrocuting you, Anna," Rio replied as she got back to her feet. "I don't blame you."

"Well…. Don't just stand there!" Anna demanded through strained breaths. "Finish the duel already before this thing starts whispering in my ear again! Get this thing out of me!"

"Alright, Anna! Just hang in there! My move! Draw!"

"Yes!" she quietly cheered. If everything went according to plan, she could win the duel right now.

"Since I control a water xyz monster, I can special summon Zereort Migrator from my hand!"

A brand-new ice bird appeared next to justice, its body and face completely covered in metallic blue scales, while an icy crest rested atop its head like a crown, and held inside its beak rested a familiar looking golden ice pick.

Zereort Migrator: Level 5/WATER/Winged-Beast/1000 ATK/2200 DEF

"Next, I'll activate its effect. By detaching an overlay unit from Justice, I can Special Summon one of my ice birds from my Graveyard, so I'll revive my Blizzard Falcon, but more importantly, I can revive my falcon as a level five monster just like my migrator!"

Rio's falcon soared out of the water and landed next to the armored bird, screeching aggressively.

Blizzard Falcon: Level 5/WATER/Winged-Beast/1700 ATK/1700 DEF

Frozen Lady Justice: 1700 - 1000 = 700 ATK

"I overlay Blizzard Falcon and Zereort Migrator! With these 2 Level 5 Monsters, I build the overlay network and Xyz Summon this, ICE PRINCESS ZEREORT!"

The overlay network swallowed the two ice birds, and from the depths of the sunken city, Rio's Ice Fairy burst through the waves like a breaching whale, extending her fins and taking flight, landing just beside Justice, her ice pick nestled tightly in her hands.

Ice Princess Zereort: Rank 5/WATER/Winged-Beast/2500 ATK/2100 DEF

"I knew it!" Anna shouted. "I knew that's what you were planning, but it won't work this time! I activate my continuous trap, Barrage Blast! Now I can use both of Gustav Max's remaining overlay units to destroy Frozen Lady Justice AND Ice Princess Zereort! GUSTAV! BLAST 'EM!"

"RIO, NO!" Kotori shrieked. If Rio lost Zereort now, then she was done for. Not only would she lose the duel, and all her Numbers with it, but Number 27 would likely possess Anna completely. Given the threats Anna made while under the Number's influence, Kotori shuddered to think what would happen if she followed through with them.

Gustav Max raised its cannon into the air and fired two shots, the first missile sailing towards Justice and obliterating her, while the second struck Zereort, shattering her icy body into pieces.

"Did you really think I would just sit back and let you win the duel?" Anna gloated, her body coated in the Number's crimson aura. "You got cocky, thinking me a pathetic little victim of the Number, and now you've paid for it by losing everything! It's over, princess!

"You're right…." wheezed Rio as she got back up. "It is over! I still have one more card to play, my own trap, Xyz Reborn! This lets me revive Ice Princess Zereort from the Graveyard, and then I'll take a page out of your book and use my Number Monster to power up a Normal Xyz Monster. Xyz Reborn lets me attach Frozen Lady Justice to her as an overlay unit, which lets me activate Ice Princess Zereort's effect! By using one overlay unit, I can reduce the attack power of Gustav Max to Zero! GO, SUB-ZERO SUBTRACTION!"

Having risen from the ocean once again, the now fully resurrected Zereort absorbed her overlay unit into her ice-pick, and with a single wave of her weapon, conjured a raging tornado of ice crystals around the gigantic machine. One by one, each green crystal of the rubik's cube turned an icy blue, until the entire machine, cannon and all, was frozen solid.

Gustav Max: 3000 - 3000 = 0 ATK

"GAH! That's cold!" Anna gasped, grabbing her temples as she appeared to regain control once again. Realizing Rio had the duel won, she relaxed, having never imagined she would be glad to lose a duel.

"Finally, now hurry up and finish me off! Get this Number out of my head!"

Rio immediately obliged. "Battle! Ice Princess Zereort, attack Gustav Max and end this duel!"

The armored snow fairy charged forward, beating its icy fins as she slammed her ice pick into the frozen machine. Gustav Max shattered into hundreds of ice blocks, which rained down on top of Anna, forcing her to the ground, defeated at last.

Anna: 2500 - 2500 = 0 (LOSE)

Winner: RIO

Wasting no time, Rio extended her hand forward, the red tendril of energy launching forward and latching onto Anna, snatching the Number card away and shattering the mark on her hand.

"Finally!" Kotori sighed as she watched Rio clutch the Number card in her hand. "It's over!"

Meanwhile, Rio moved to tend to the downed mercenary. Groaning, Anna came to, and the first thing she saw was Rio's offered hand of help, which she glared at with disdain.

"I can get up myself!" Anna snapped, but her stubborn attitude quickly turned shameful as she saw the disappointed look on Rio's face. Reflecting on the dark turn the duel took, she finally took Rio's hand and allowed her former Pack sister to pull her up.

"Mmmm sor…." Anna mumbled, her voice barely audible as she turned her head away from Rio.

"Hmmm? What was that?" Rio asked, her lips curling into a small smile as she thought she heard two words she never expected to hear from Anna of all people.

"Mmm Sor…" Anna repeated, more forceful but still a mumble.

"I can't hear you!" Rio answered.

"I said I'm sorry! Okay?!" Anna exploded. "I screwed up, big time! I didn't believe you or Kotori when you said the Numbers were dangerous. When the crest started shocking me, I thought I could handle whatever danger the Number might have, so I took it off, but I was wrong! Are you happy now?"

"I'm happy you're okay," Rio replied. "That's all that matters."

"Tch, right! I'm sure you were so worried about someone like me!" Anna scoffed, her disdain directed at both Rio and herself. "How come you're not crazy? You have like six or seven Numbers, don't you? And you don't even have one of those crest things, so you should be howling at the moon right now."

"I… I don't know." Rio stuttered, her smile disappearing. "They just…. Don't have an effect on me."

"Why?"

"They just don't!" Rio repeated, more forcefully, wanting to change the subject. "Look, when it comes to handling these Numbers, I'll be fine. It's you I'm worried about."

"Not this again…" Anna grumbled under her breath. "I thought I told you to mind your own business!"

"I'm poking my nose in your business because I care about you, Anna!" Rio exclaimed. "Are you sure you don't want to come back with me? I don't know what exactly happened with your foster parents, but I still don't understand how you think living out here on your own, sleeping in a junkyard and stealing things to survive, is better than having a home and a family."

"Thanks, but no thanks!" Anna grunted. "I made my choice, and if it turns out to be the wrong one, then I'll deal with the consequences, but I'm not going back. You think you can help me, Rio, but you can't! Nobody can help me, not that I need it anyway."

Rio sighed, shaking her head in disappointment, while Kotori gave a disgusted scoff.

"You needed Rio's help today!" she spoke up, her growing disdain for Anna made clear.

"Yeah, with the Number!" Anna corrected her, continuing her dismissive rant as she turned around and walked back inside the warehouse. "And I appreciate it. I really do, but when it comes to my personal life, I'd ask both of you to back off and stay in your own lanes. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm grabbing what I came here for. I might have lost that Number card, but at least I might be able to smooth things over with my client if I bring him the…. the…"

Anna's voice trailed off as she reached the crate where the mask used to be, but the artifact was completely gone, nothing left but an empty metal box.

"Where's the mask?!" Anna shrieked, as she frantically searched all over the warehouse for her prize. "I put the mask back in the crate when I dueled Kotori! It can't just get up and walk away!"

"Oh, you mean this mask?"

All three women were alerted to a fourth presence, immediately putting them on edge, as they turned toward the source of the voice. While Kotori didn't immediately recognize the newcomer, Anna immediately took offense.

"What are you doing here?!" she snapped.

"Cleaning up the mess you made!" the newcomer replied, his voice condescending and haughty.

"Truth be told, Miss Kozuki, I thought Tron made a mistake hiring you, so I followed you to see if you would royally screw the mission. Looks like both my brothers owe me money, although I never would have expected you to run into such a familiar face right in the middle of the job."

"I had the whole thing under control until your crest started shocking me!" Anna argued. "You didn't tell me it would shock me every time I took damage!"

"In fairness, I had no idea it was going to do that," the newcomer defended himself with shrugged shoulders, revealing he was now wearing the crest bracelet, having picked it up after Anna threw it away.

"It was just a prototype after all. After I give it a few tweaks, it will be ready for the World Duel Carnival, and I hope a certain someone among the three of you will be there to witness it when it's ready."

The newcomer locked eyes with Rio, who stood frozen in place, her body shaking as the newcomer's all too familiar voice slithered into her ear and constricted around her heart. It was a voice that made her seethe with rage every time she heard it, having watched him countless times giving pretty little speeches on the news. It was a voice she would hear in her dreams, haunting her with ghostly laughter as her nightmares surrounded her in fire.

And yet, despite her training, despite rehearsing what she would say to him when she planned to meet him, she wasn't ready. She never expected to see him face to face so soon, to stand in the same room as the man who tried to kill her brother.

IV.

The National Champion stared at Rio with contemplation, not even bothering to hide the pleasure he felt at seeing her shake like a leaf. "Hmmmm, now where have I seen your face before? You look familiar, and I never forget a face. Are you perhaps an adoring fan of mine, or perhaps an opponent from one of my many tournament victories? Hmmmm, where have I seen that face before? AH! Now I remember! You remind me of my opponent from last year's National Championship. What was his name again? Ah, yes! Ryouga Kamishiro, better known by his name on the Duel Circuits, Shark! If I remember correctly, I think he mentioned he had a sister. That wouldn't happen to be you, would it?"

"You…" Rio whispered, shuddering violently, her emotions raw and out of control, racing furiously.

"Rio, is that really him?" Kotori whispered to the stunned Ice Queen, to which she nodded back.

"Oh, now don't be embarrassed… er…. Rio, wasn't it?" IV answered with false modesty. "Lots of people get so starstruck when they see me that they can't even speak. There's no shame in being such an adoring fan of mine. So, would you and your lovely friend like my autograph?"

"I am no fan of yours!" thundered Rio "Not after what you did to my brother! He's been in the hospital covered in burns because of you, and you have the nerve to act like I'm a fan of yours!? Do you really not understand what you did, or are you even more of a monster than I thought you were?"

"Wait, he did what?!" Anna shot IV an incredulous look, shocked at what she just heard.

"Oh, like you have any right to judge me," IV sneered at Anna. "The mercenary who blows up buildings and sells herself to the highest bidder has the nerve to act like I'm the bad guy."

"I don't set people on fire for shits and giggles!" Anna growled.

"Please!" IV shrugged. "I'm no different than you. I only did as I was told."

"What do you mean?" Rio whispered, her voice sharp enough to slit IV's throat. "Are you talking about the man who hired Anna in the first place? He told you to do this to my brother?"

"Look, I don't know what kind of interest Tron has taken in you and your brother, and for the record, I don't care, but what Tron wants, Tron gets. Although, I will admit it was fun watching him roll around on the ground like an overcooked sausage."

"You… You… What the hell is wrong with you?!" Rio shrieked, IV's mockery pushing her over the edge as a gale of ice and snow surrounded her body, and her eyes turned a furious shade of red. The voice of Justice echoed in her head, her Number spurring her into action, fueling the gale with its power.

"So, this is the man who caused you and your family so much suffering, the source of the injustice done to you! Unleash me against him, Rio! He must be punished!"

"This Tron guy wants the Numbers, doesn't he?! Well I have plenty of them! Let's duel right now!"

"Hmmmmmmm…" IV put a finger on his chin, contemplating the challenge before shrugging his shoulders.

"Nah."

"No?! What do you mean, No?!" Rio shrieked.

"Just what I said, sweetheart. No! I'm a busy man! I have errands to run, places to be, plans to finalize. I have to get myself ready for the World Duel Carnival. I need to bring this mask to Tron right away, and I have to pick my suit up from the dry cleaners. My schedule is booked. I don't have time to satisfy the grudge of Shark's pathetic twin sister."

He chuckled. "Actually, with that adorable little scowl on your face, I see the family resemblence."

"You think you can just run away and hide from me?!" Rio shouted, desperate to make him change his mind and accept her challenge. Her desire for revenge was irresistible. She couldn't wait a second longer, not after seeing his face. She wanted justice, and she wanted it now.

"I don't intend to stay hidden for long," IV replied. "In fact, now that you're here, I can offer you a little invitation. It will still require you to wait a while, but you'll get your little duel with me eventually. My brothers and I will be attending the World Duel Carnival, wowing the crowds with displays of incredible dueling and competing for the… "numerous" prizes. I look forward to seeing you there. Hopefully you'll prove more entertaining than your brother."

"I'm not content to wait that long!" Rio snarled. "Duel me, you coward!"

The snowstorm in the warehouse became more violent as Justice's power threatened to tear the whole building apart. Even the ground underneath their feet was turning into solid ice.

"Rio!" Kotori tried to snap her friend out of her rage induced trance. "Rio, stop!"

Rio suddenly freed herself from her own power, causing the red glow in her eyes to subside, and the storm to calm. She stared at her enemy with deep labored breaths, while he chuckled in amusement.

"Damn, that's a powerful Number you have there, and yet despite that little Duelist on Ice show you gave us, you don't seem possessed at all," IV mused, checking Rio over for a Number marking yet finding nothing. "Maybe dueling you actually will be worth my while, provided you last long enough in the World Duel Carnival to get to me."

"Why wait?" Rio growled. "Take my Number now, if you can!"

IV, however, continued to decline, his tone of voice growing even more condescending.

"I'm doing you a favor by sparing you the embarrassment of losing to me. As fun as that might be to have you share the same fate as your brother, I doubt you really pose much of a threat to me. I could take what little Numbers you have, but I'm more interested in seeing how strong you'll be later down the road. Try collecting a few more numbers for me, will you? That way, you might stand a chance."

He then turned to Anna and tossed her a small wad of cash, which the mercenary caught. She stared at the money with disgust. "What the hell is this?"

"Your payment, as we agreed," IV answered with a casual shrug. "You did fantastic early on, clearing the way for me to take the mask, and it was rather impressive watching you win two duels in a row without losing any life points. However, you lost the Number that Tron gave you, so I'm afraid that will come out of your pay. I'd say half of what we promised you is fair, given what happened, wouldn't you agree?"

Anna, however, threw the cash back in IV's face. "Keep your blood money, asshole! I'd rather walk away with nothing than accept payment from a psycho like you! I never should have taken this job in the first place!"

"Tch! Fine! I never liked the idea of hiring mercenaries anyway," And with that, IV turned away to leave, which sent Rio flying into a rage once again.

"Hey! Where do you think you're going?!" Rio shouted. "Get back here!"

Rio marched towards the arsonist, determined to stop him, only for the crest to appear on IV's left hand and blind Rio in a flash of blinding violet light.

"See you at the tournament, Ice Queen! Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha!"

When the glow diminished, and Rio opened her eyes again, IV was gone, vanished without a trace.

"Rio, are you okay?" Kotori did her best to comfort her friend.

"I had him…" Rio shuddered, clenching her shaking fists. "He was right there and he got away!"

"Do not despair, partner," the voice of justice did her best to soothe her raging host.

"Even if we cannot find him now, we will meet him again at the tournament. Mark my words. He will be punished."

Rio, however, was not content to wait. She approached Anna, desperate for information.

"Alright, Anna. You owe me a favor for helping you get rid of that Number, so talk! You met with IV, and this guy he's working for. Tron, right? Where are they hiding? Who is Tron, and what is he planning?"

"Hell if I know!" Anna answered with a scowl. "We met at a rundown hotel outside the city. I doubt they're even still there. As for this Tron guy? I have no idea who he is or what he wants. I didn't even see his face during the meeting when he assigned me this job. All I know is he wanted that mask and he wanted these Number cards. He seems to have something against the mayor, and some guy by the name of Faker, but that's all I got out of him."

"Great…" Rio groaned. "So I really will have to wait until the Carnival."

"I guess so…" Anna grunted as she moved to grab her cannon. Pressing a button, the cannon hummed as two twin turbine engines erected from the sides, lifting the cannon into the air, while a platform for Anna to stand on appeared at the top.

"She can fly on that thing?" Kotori gasped.

"Hey, Anna. Where are you going?" asked Rio.

Anna put her helmet back on. "Job's done, so I'm out of here."

"But Anna, you don't have to leave! You can stay here and help us!"

"Why?" Anna shot Rio a suspicious glare, while Kotori gave Rio an incredulous look of her own.

"You've seen what the Number cards can do, and Tron isn't the only one who's after them! There's a Number Hunter called Kaito who's running around and putting people in the hospital every time he takes a Number, and there's another group of guys brainwashing people into minions to take Numbers for them! Yuma and I are doing the best we can, but with this many threats to the whole city, we need all the help we can get!"

"For the last time, Rio! I operate alone!"

"Anna, come on! I'm asking you as a friend, or at least as a Pack sister!" Rio pleaded.

"Look, if it's money you want, I'll pay you to help us fight these guys, and you don't have to stay with your foster parents. I won't even tell them you're here! You can crash at my place until you can get yourself an apartment or something."

For a brief second, Anna appeared to consider it, but the moment passed in a flash as Anna shook her head aggressively. Hitting the accelerator with her foot, her hovercraft took flight, whirring like a jet and carrying her out of the warehouse and into the sky.

Rio continued to stare at the disappearing girl as her outline grew smaller and smaller until it disappeared into the clouds, before shaking her head in defeat. Even though she won the duel, rescuing Anna from possession, she couldn't rescue Anna from herself.

Kotori on the other hand, was livid. "What the hell was that?!" she yelled, catching Rio off guard.

"What do you mean?"

"What do you think I mean?! Why would you ask Anna to join up with us after everything she did? She's committing armed robberies! She threatened me at gunpoint! She was working for the guy who set your brother on fire, and you actually offered to give her money? She's dangerous!"

"She's strong!" Rio argued. "And I'd much rather have Anna on our side than having to deal with her again as an enemy. Besides, IV is involved now! He knows about the Numbers, and who knows why he and this Tron guy want them? This changes everything! Even if Yuma trains and grows stronger at the Sanctuary, we still might be in over our heads."

"I'm not in over my head!" Kotori shouted, sounding desperate and hurt. "I can train and grow stronger too! I may have lost that duel, but that doesn't mean we need Anna's help!"

"I didn't say you were in over your head, Kotori! I said we all might be!" Rio screamed, her face turning red from sheer frustration. "I missed my chance to avenge my brother. I failed to stop Anna from walking down a very dark path, and the entire city is in danger! In case you haven't noticed, I have a lot on my plate right now, and you're making it worse! You wouldn't have even lost that duel in the first place if you had just waited for me like I asked. I told you to stay put, and you blatantly went against me. You say you want to help me, but all you seem to care about is your irrational fear of fading into the background. Why are you trying to make this about you?! Why are you so insecure?!"

Kotori flinched from Rio's thunderous scolding, tears welling up in her eyes as her head lowered to the ground, causing the Ice Queen to soften up.

"Kotori, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell."

"No…" Kotori whimpered. "You're right. I should have waited for you, but…."

She tried her best to regain her composure, wiping her eyes with her hand.

"It was a heat of the moment decision. She'd already won her duel against that guard robot. She was about to steal the mask, and you still weren't there. At first, I was just trying to stall her until you arrived. I really was, but then she actually challenged me, thinking I had a Number of my own for her to take, and then…. well…"

"I get it, Kotori. I really do," Rio placed a reassuring hand on Kotori's shoulder. "She got under your skin. I think she called you the "U" word a few times, didn't she?"

"Yeah… She did."

"Look, I don't condone anything that Anna is doing, and I know you don't get along with her, but…" Rio paused, contemplating how to put things in perspective.

"But she needs help, a lot of help. I thought I could help her, but well… She's…"

"Stubborn?" Kotori finished, a small smile sprouting on her face. "I guess all of us are a little bit stubborn if you think about it. I mean, look at us. Look at Yuma. We're in over our heads, but we just don't know when to quit, do we? I mean, look at me. I should have realized I was no match for Anna, but I tried to take her on anyway."

Rio shook her head. "No, Kotori. Don't beat yourself up. You did what you thought was right, even if it didn't work out the way you wanted it to. You may not have defeated Anna and collected her Number card, but you held her here long enough for me to arrive. You didn't win the duel, but you pulled your weight today. You're an asset to the team, Kotori, and don't you forget it!"

"Rio, wait a minute!" Kotori signaled the ice queen again, causing her to perk up, as a look of alarm crossed Kotori's face, her eyes growing wider by the second.

"I just remembered! I found something, something huge!"

"You did?" Rio inquired.

"Yes! When Anna dueled that Guard Robot at the warehouse, the robot said 'Number Detected', and if these robots are protecting warehouses owned by the mayor, that means Mr. Heartland knows about the Number cards!"

"It said that? Like, word for word, it said that?" Rio asked to confirm it, and Kotori nodded. The implications were disturbing as Rio wrapped her head around the new revelation.

"So that means one of two things. Either the mayor is taking precautions to protect the city from the Number cards, or…"

"Or, he wants them for himself!" Kotori finished, horror creeping into the faces of both girls.

"Which could mean Mr. Heartland himself is possessed by a Number! If he is, he's doing a really good job hiding it from the public, but that could be the very reason why he's organizing the World Duel Carnival in the first place, to gather everybody who has a Number in one place and then swoop in to take them all at once!"

"Shuta was investigating the mayor for corruption with Akari," Kotori pondered, recalling the young photographer's mission, having spent the last few weeks working non-stop alongside Yuma's sister. "We have to tell them about this! More importantly, we have to warn Yuma too! If Mr. Heartland is after the Numbers, then the carnival is practically a trap!"

"A trap we have no choice but to spring…" Rio finished grimly. "After all, it's not just the Numbers themselves we have to worry about. IV is going to be there, along with his brothers, and definitely this new guy, Tron. There's also the Barian World to worry about. They'll probably brainwash some of the tournament contestants to collect Numbers for them."

"What about Kaito?"

"Oh, no question he's going to be there," Rio affirmed. "All the more reason we have to enter the tournament, even if it turns out to be one big trap. Yuma can't hide in the sanctuary forever, and I'd rather take that hunter down as soon as possible before he has the chance to take anymore souls."

Kotori visibly wilted before Rio's eyes, once again fearing for Yuma's safety. As proud as she was to see Yuma grow so much as a duelist over the past week, she still dreaded the idea of him facing Kaito again.

"Come on," Rio coaxed her friend to follow her back to her motorcycle, where she hopped on and started the engine, waiting for Kotori to join her. "We've both had a rough day today, and we have one crazy story to tell Yuma tomorrow."

Kotori wrapped her arms around Rio's waist, securing herself on the motorcycle.

"And don't worry," Rio gave Kotori one final word of encouragement. "Tell Yuma the truth. Even if you didn't win today, when Yuma finds out you stood up to Anna Kozuki of all people and held your own against her, there's no way he won't be proud of you."

Kotori nodded, finally feeling better, and with a loud roar of Rio's motorcycle, the two girls raced off into the sunset. As Kotori looked back at the wrecked warehouses, the corpses of the guard robots littering the docks, she wondered if she would see Anna again.

If she was willing to openly defy somebody as cruel as IV, then maybe there was hope for her yet.

---

Author Made Cards:

Wings of Silence: Equip Spell Card

Effect: Equip only to a Winged-Beast Monster or an Xyz Monster. The equipped monster gains 300 ATK and DEF and is unaffected by your opponent's Spell/Trap cards. If this card is sent to the GY while equipped to a monster, you can activate 1 of the following effects:

1. Special Summon 1 WATER Winged-Beast Monster from your deck, and if you do, it gains 300 ATK and DEF.

2. Special Summon 1 Xyz Monster from your GY, and if you do, you can attach this card from your GY to that monster as Xyz Material.

Robot Circus: Field Spell Card

Effect: During the Main Phase, if a "Super Defense Robot" Monster is Special Summoned from your hand to your field, you can Special Summon 1 "Super Defense Robot" Monster from your deck in face-up Defense Position. If you control a Rank 8 Machine Xyz Monster, you can Special Summon 1 "Super Defense Robot" Monster from your deck in face-up Defense Position. You can only use each effect of "Robot Circus" once per turn.

Overlay Overload: Normal Trap Card

Effect: During the Battle Phase, Target 1 Xyz Monster you control; it gains ATK equal to the combined ATK of all monsters attached to it as Xyz Material. Monsters you control cannot declare an attack this turn, except the targeted monster. During the End of the Battle Phase, detach all Xyz Materials from the targeted monster. You can only activate 1 "Overlay Overload" per turn.

---

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAND, DONE!

To address the locomotive in the room, mainly the very different take on Anna that I'm doing for this story, I'll elaborate.

While I'm keeping her personality mostly the same, I felt her background needed a massive overhaul based on how I wanted to use her, and believe me, it wasn't easy figuring out where to even put her, since despite being a very entertaining character, Anna was mostly restricted to filler content, while what little we got in terms of her backstory was played for comic relief, and then retconned in the next season.

Rather than have her pursuing Yuma's affections, as we already did that with Cathy, I decided to use Anna to assist in the development and introductions of other characters, namely Kotori, Rio, and the Tron Family.

Now, I'm sure the moment Anna appeared, you were expecting Number 81 to be her signature Number instead of Number 27.

Well, who knows? Maybe we will see Superior Dora sometime in the future, as I fully plan to have Anna show her face again soon enough.

So, what did you all think of the chapter? Did you like it? Did you not like it? Whatever your opinion may be, feel free to leave a review and let me know!

UNTIL NEXT TIME! THIS IS NOX! SIGNING OUT!