Chapter 47: We Always Treat Our Captives Well
"O dragon born from the thunderous vault of the heavens! Descend now, and purge the world's evils with your surging lightning!"
"Xyz Summon! Rank 4! Number 91: Thunder Spark Dragon!"
Violent lightning surged forth from the Stardust Vortex. Amidst the swirling electricity, a blue thunder dragon faintly appeared.
Number 91: Thunder Spark Dragon ATK: 2400
"I activate Number 91: Thunder Spark Dragon's effect! By detaching this card's three Overlay Units, all other face-up monsters on the field are destroyed."
As Thunder Spark Dragon let out a sharp roar, the might of the lightning instantly swept across the entire field.
A moment later, beneath the lightning's glow, only the thunder dragon stood proudly on the field.
"I activate the Rank-Up-Magic Soul Shave Force!"
"By paying half my Life Points, I target one 'Raidraptor' Xyz Monster in my Graveyard! I Special Summon that monster, then use it as material to Rank-Up Xyz Summon an Xyz Monster from my Extra Deck that is two Ranks higher!"
Yūga Hōzumi LP: 3600 → 1800
"Revive! Raidraptor - Force Strix!"
"Rank-Up Xyz Change! Descend! Rank 6! Photon Bounzer!"
Photon Bounzer ATK: 2700
"Battle! Photon Bounzer, direct attack!"
The Rank-Up-powered Bounzer smashed its fist into the One-eyed Strong Man's forehead.
The One-eyed Strong Man was instantly knocked to the ground.
One-eyed Strong Man LP: 4000 → 1300
"And now for the final blow! Number 91: Thunder Spark Dragon, direct attack!"
At Yūga Hōzumi's command, Thunder Spark Dragon roared forth, accompanied by surging lightning, as countless electric discharges struck the One-eyed Strong Man.
One-eyed Strong Man LP: 1300 → 0
"That takes care of the nuisance. Job done." Yūga Hōzumi put away his Duel Disk, clapped his hands, then scooped up Serena—who looked completely devoid of hope—from by his feet and hoisted her onto his shoulder. Then, with practiced ease, he turned the One-eyed Strong Man, who had been thoroughly zapped by Thunder Spark Dragon, into a card.
"He... he was turned into a card?" Nearby, Hokuto Shijima was so frightened by the sight he couldn't speak.
"Huh? You haven't left yet?" Yūga Hōzumi finally noticed Hokuto Shijima, who had been watching from the sidelines. He slowly walked over, causing the other man to tremble in fear.
"Remember this: you didn't see us tonight, understand?" Yūga Hōzumi said with a grim expression, feigning ferocity.
"I remember, I remember." Hokuto Shijima, so scared he'd nearly lost his wits, nodded his head like a chick pecking at grain. Naturally, he agreed to whatever Yūga Hōzumi said.
"Alright, you can scram now." After Yūga Hōzumi waved Hokuto Shijima away, Yuto, standing nearby, asked uneasily:
"Is that really okay?"
"What's the problem? I'll just have Reiji Akaba modify his memory tomorrow. It's not the first time," Yūga Hōzumi waved his hand carelessly.
But just as Yūga Hōzumi finished speaking, a sudden beam of light illuminated the alley.
Yūga Hōzumi squinted toward the alley's entrance, where Reiji Akaba stood with his bodyguards.
"What a coincidence. Out for a late-night snack?" Yūga Hōzumi greeted with a smile.
"Could you do me a favor and hand her over to me?" Reiji Akaba ignored Yūga Hōzumi's quip, pointing at Serena, who was still slung over Yūga Hōzumi's shoulder.
"If it were any other request, I might consider it. But not this one," Yūga Hōzumi shook his head.
"We need her to trade for our kidnapped companions. Besides, this one said she wants to go to the frontline. How can we trouble our companions still defending our base in Heartland City?" Yūga Hōzumi said.
"She is not on Akaba Leo's side. Furthermore, she can be a great asset in our fight against the Academy," Reiji Akaba said expressionlessly.
"Sorry, but I trust my original companions more than a turncoat captive."
"If you insist, then I won't say any more. After all, she is your captive now." Reiji Akaba pushed up his glasses. "However, since she has drawn pursuers from the Fusion Dimension here, shouldn't you lend a hand?"
"Fine, we'll provide support on that front. Just don't let those Lancers you have such high hopes for fall flat, alright?" Yūga Hōzumi said, preparing to leave.
"Oh, one more question," Reiji Akaba called out to Yūga Hōzumi.
"What exactly are your Number monsters?" Reiji Akaba asked.
"You tried to create Number monsters?" Yūga Hōzumi understood instantly. After all, this guy was a repeat offender; the moment Tomato printed the overworked duo of Timegazer and Stargazer Magician, this guy's card-printing machine was already running.
But could Number monsters be printed so easily?
Although the card factory in Heartland City had been bombed, there were still a few card creators among the survivors. Yūga Hōzumi had even tried to create powerful Rank 4s like Number 16, 41, and 101 himself, but the attempt nearly cost him dearly.
And that was with Yūga Hōzumi knowing exactly which Number cards he was trying to make, to say nothing of Reiji Akaba's reckless printing attempts.
"That is a power hidden within our dimension. The existence of each Number monster is absolute, and their quantity is fixed. If you want to try it yourself, I suggest you save your energy," Yūga Hōzumi said indifferently.
"I see." Reiji Akaba nodded. No wonder he had nearly blown up the Leo Duel School's card factory when he tried creating Number monsters himself yesterday.
"Well then, you all should return to your hotel soon. After all, if you lot keep loitering outside, the LDS security forces will be quite troubled."
"Then we won't cause you any more trouble. Let's go, Yuto, Shun. We're heading back," Yūga Hōzumi said, then left with Yuto and Shun.
Back at the hotel, Yūga Hōzumi tossed the tightly bound Serena onto the sofa, helped himself to a drink from the fridge, and picked up the hotel's room service phone.
"Are you hungry? What do you want to eat? We of the XYZ Dimension always treat our captives well, although you are our first," Yūga Hōzumi said, looking at Serena.
"Hmph!" Serena snorted coldly, glaring at Yūga Hōzumi. "You bastard, do you think this will make me submit? A warrior of the Academy will never be a slave!"
"Oh," Yūga Hōzumi nodded, then ignored her and dialed the phone. "One pineapple pizza, double pineapple and cheese, extra ice in the coke. What? Your Italian head chef refuses to make pineapple pizza? And he wants to duel me? Can't you just get a different chef...?"
After ordering his food, Yūga Hōzumi walked over to Serena. She immediately tensed up, struggling and scrambling to the corner of the sofa.
"What do you want? HA☆NA☆SE!"
...
...
...
Okay, in reality, Yūga Hōzumi only wanted to untie her ropes to restrain her in a different way. After all, they still needed her for a hostage exchange. She wouldn't be worth much if she was damaged goods.
The moment she was free, Serena kicked out, but Yūga Hōzumi dodged with lightning speed and quickly subdued her again. After tying her hands, he used a somewhat questionable iron chain he found in the hotel to lock Serena to the railing beside the sofa, giving her a little room to move.
Having done all this, Yūga Hōzumi stretched and went back to the nearby bed to wait for his food delivery.
"You bastard! If you've got the guts, give me back my deck! We'll duel again!" Serena gritted her teeth in anger.
"Nope. I'm not done playing with your deck yet," Yūga Hōzumi said with an indifferent purse of his lips.
(end of chapter)