Chapter 145: Over-Hundred Number
"A reason?" Sugihara Yo clenched his fists tightly. "I want to protect my home, and bring back the people important to me from the enemy."
"What happened to your home?" Nash asked, frowning.
"My hometown, Heartland City, is being ravaged by invaders. But because I'm so weak, my companions keep getting hurt, and I'm powerless to do anything," Sugihara Yo said, his head lowered.
"Heartland City?" Hearing this name, Nash was startled for a moment before he understood. The Heartland City Sugihara Yo spoke of couldn't be the one he had fought for. Although they were in the Astral World, their Heartland City was still being watched.
*A Heartland City in another world with the same name?* Nash thought to himself, then nodded. "I understand. I accept that reason."
As he spoke, Nash raised his left hand, and a uniquely designed Duel Disk materialized on his arm.
"Then, let me see your resolve!" Nash declared. The red cape on his back fluttered as if in a strong wind, and a king's aura burst forth from his body. His red and blue eyes stared at Sugihara Yo as he spoke, enunciating every word.
Seeing this, Sugihara Yo activated his own Duel Disk.
"Duel!" ×2
"My turn! I draw!" Sugihara Yo took the first turn.
"I summon Right-Hand Shark in Attack Position!"
"I activate Right-Hand Shark's effect! When it's successfully summoned, I can add one 'Left-Hand Shark' from my Deck to my Hand."
"Next, since I control a WATER monster, I can Special Summon this card from my hand."
"Appear! Silent Angler!"
"I overlay my two Level 4 monsters!"
"Roar, unknown thunder! Manifest your form from the darkness of the abyss! Xyz Summon! Rank 4! Bahamut Shark!"
A blue vortex slowly materialized in the Astral World. From within, a shark-headed dragon roared as it leaped out, landing in front of Sugihara Yo.
Bahamut Shark ATK: 2600
"So it's this monster," Nash looked up at the creature, a nostalgic expression on his face. He whispered, "It seems our Decks are quite similar."
Sugihara Yo didn't quite hear what Nash said, so he continued with his combo.
"I activate Bahamut Shark's effect! Once per turn, I can detach one Xyz Material from this card to Special Summon one Rank 3 or lower WATER Xyz Monster from my Extra Deck."
An azure orb of light beside Bahamut Shark fell to the ground, transforming into a blue puddle from which a small, milky-white frog leaped out.
"Appear! Rank 2! Toadally Awesome!"
Toadally Awesome ATK: 2200
"I Set two cards and end my turn."
"My turn! I draw!" Nash drew a card.
"I summon Cutter Shark in Attack Position!"
"I activate my Trap Card, Floodgate Trap Hole! When an opponent summons a monster, that monster is changed to face-down Defense Position and cannot change its battle position." Seeing that his opponent used a similar Deck, Sugihara Yo knew exactly where to interrupt to cause the most trouble.
"I activate the Quick-Play Spell, Shark Lightning! It negates the activation of your Trap Card and destroys it! (Anime Card)" Nash certainly wasn't going to let his Normal Summon be stopped, so he immediately activated the Quick-Play Spell from his hand.
"At this moment, I activate Toadally Awesome's effect! Once per turn, when my opponent activates a monster effect, Spell, or Trap Card, I can send one Aqua-Type monster from my hand or field to the Graveyard to negate the activation and destroy it. Then, I can Set the destroyed card on my field."
"I'll send Toadally Awesome itself to the Graveyard to negate your Quick-Play Spell!"
The milky-white frog shot its tongue at the Quick-Play Spell on Nash's field. It wrapped around the card, reeled it in, and then leaped with it into a puddle that appeared at its feet.
Once the chain resolved, Nash's Cutter Shark was flipped face-down, and the Quick-Play Spell he had activated to protect it was stolen and Set on Sugihara Yo's field.
"Next, when Toadally Awesome is sent to the Graveyard, I can add one WATER monster from my Graveyard to my hand. I am returning Toadally Awesome from the Graveyard to the Extra Deck."
"Not bad at all." His important Normal Summon had been neutralized by Sugihara Yo's trap, but Nash's face showed no panic. Instead, he praised him aloud.
"Well then, I suppose I should get a little more serious," Nash said with a smile, revealing a card. "I activate the Spell Card, Monster Reborn!"
"It lets me target one monster in either of our Graveyards and Special Summon it to my field."
"What?!" Sugihara Yo exclaimed. He truly hadn't expected such a move.
"I Special Summon the Silent Angler you just sent to the Graveyard as an Xyz Material."
Sugihara Yo could only watch helplessly as the green ankh symbol in front of Nash flashed with light, reviving the monster from his Graveyard onto Nash's field.
"Next, I activate the effect of Crystal Shark from my hand! If this card is in my hand or Graveyard, I can target one WATER monster on the field to Special Summon this card, and the targeted monster's ATK is halved."
"Appear! Crystal Shark!"
"When Crystal Shark is used for the Xyz Summon of a Number monster, it can be treated as a Level 3 or Level 4 monster."
"I overlay the two monsters on the field!"
Nash raised his hand and summoned a dazzling galactic vortex. After the two monsters leaped into it, one after the other, the azure number '101' slowly appeared in the center.
"O ark that carries unsatisfied souls, rise from the abyss where even light cannot reach! Number 101: Silent Honor ARK!"
Dazzling light shone from the vortex, so bright that Sugihara Yo had to shield his eyes. An enormous spaceship slowly emerged, its massive shadow enveloping the field where the two stood.
Number 101: Silent Honor ARK ATK: 2100
"Number 101?" Sugihara Yo's eyes went wide as he stared at the sky-obscuring spaceship. "There are three-digit Number monsters?"
After all, even though Yūga Hōzumi pulled out Number monsters every now and then, he had never once produced a three-digit one!
"This is the power unique to the former Barians—the Over-Hundred Numbers," Nash explained, seeing Sugihara Yo's shocked expression.
"I activate the effect of Number 101: Silent Honor ARK!"
"Once per turn, by detaching one Xyz Material from this card, I can target one of my opponent's monsters and attach it to this card as an Xyz Material. (Anime Effect)"
"What?! It has such a powerful removal effect?!" Sugihara Yo stared in disbelief. On the massive spaceship in the air, a blue orb of light lit up and loaded itself into the ship's weapon. A massive iron chain shot out, pierced and locked onto Bahamut Shark, and then began to glow as it dragged the monster into the spaceship's interior.
…
(end of chapter)