The crowd began shrieking as Eli fell into the coliseum, but thankfully, Zephyr and Zelda’s Braviary caught Eli’s Pidgeot and Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy caught Eli. Alex was relieved that both were alright, but it was the least of his problems now. Alex looked at his deck box, and saw that his Number had been taken. It was all to possible that Eli’s Numbers belonged to Mark and Ryan too. Ryan landed on the drawbridge to meet Mark, Diana, and Chase applauding him. Ryan deactivated his wing-pack and turned it back into his D-Pad tablet.
“Ryan, you magnificent son of a bitch!” said Chase, hugging Ryan.
Diana also went up and shook Ryan’s hand. “Just brilliant, Ryan.”
Mark then escorted Ryan back to the arena, where they stood in front of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna’s balcony.
“Princesses!” called Mark. “We have some unfinished business.”
Princess Celestia and Princess Luna swooped down. “You will not take our Numbers,” said Luna angrily.
Both Princesses then formed a duel field with an aura that came out of their horns, Luna’s being dark purple with light purple zones, and a silver one with gold zones for Princess Celestia.
“Bring it on,” she said.
Alex had Eli rushed to the doctor where Scott, Lucas, Pinkie Pie and Zelda were.
“Are you alright?” asked Scott.
Pinkie Pie immediately ran to Alex and hugged him to try and console him. It didn’t work. For as warm and fuzzy as Pinkie Pie’s hugs were, not even that could comfort him from the losses this world would have. Eli awoke holding his head almost immediately as Sammy walked into the room.
“Thank goodness you’re alright,” she said, hugging him.
“No,” said Eli. “I’m not alright. In fact none of us are.”
The words frightened anyone present in the room, but Eli was right. No one would be alright as of now.
In the arena. Mark and Ryan activated their duel disks and all four competitors drew five cards from their decks.
“DUEL!” they all yelled.
Ryan and Mark vs. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna
Ryan’s Turn: Ryan summons Wind-Up Magician (ATK: 600 DEF: 1800). When a Wind-Up monster is summoned, Ryan can special summon Wind-Up Shark from his hand (ATK: 1500 DEF: 1300). When the effect of a Wind-Up monster is activated, Ryan can special summon a Wind-Up monster from his deck with Wind-Up Magician’s effect, choosing Wind-Up Dog (ATK: 1200 DEF: 900). Once per turn, Ryan can increase the level of Wind-Up Dog by 2 and raise Wind-Up Shark’s level by 1 (Lvl.: 3 -> 5) (Lvl.: 4 -> 5). Ryan activates Star Changer, raising Wind-Up Magician’s level by 1 (Lvl.: 4 -> 5). Ryan overlays Wind-Up Dog, Wind-Up Shark, and Wind-Up Magician to xyz summon Number 160: Cannon Android – Rocket Rocky in defense position (ATK: 2000 DEF: 3500).
Ryan places 1 card face down and ends his turn.
Status: Hand-1 Life-8000 Monsters-1 Face Down Cards-1
Princess Celestia’s Turn: Princess Celestia summons Sacred Pollux (ATK: 1700 DEF: 600). When this card is normal summoned, Princess Celestia can normal summon again. Princess Celestia tributes Sacred Pollux to summon Sacred Rescha (ATK: 2200 DEF: 1200). When Sacred Rescha is normal summoned, Princess Celestia can special summon a Sacred monster from her hand in defense position, choosing Sacred Antares (ATK: 2400 DEF: 900). Princess Celestia overlays Sacred Rescha and Sacred Antares to xyz summon Number 124: Feral Chill – Freezing Ursa (ATK: 3300 DEF: 3000). Ryan activates his face down Forbidden Chalice, having Number 124: Feral Chill – Freezing Ursa gain 400 ATK and negating its effect until the end phase.
Princess Celestia places 1 card face down and ends her turn. Number 124: Feral Chill – Freezing Ursa’s ATK returns to normal.
Status: Hand-2 Life-8000 Monsters-1 Face Down Cards-1
Mark’s Turn: Mark activates Temple of the Kings, allowing him to activate trap cards from his hand. Mark activates Pyramid of Light. Mark pays 500 life points twice to special summon Andro Sphinx (ATK: 3000 DEF: 2500) and Sphinx Teleia (ATK: 2500 DEF: 3000) from his hand.
Ryan and Mark’s Life Points: 8000 -> 7000
Mark overlays Andro Sphinx and Sphinx Teleia to xyz summon Number 140: Armored Bullet Train Force Mach (ATK: 2000 DEF: 2000).
Mark places 2 cards face down and ends his turn.
Status: Hand-0 Life-7000 Monsters-1 Face Down Cards-2
Princess Luna’s Turn: Princess Luna activates Graceful Charity, drawing 3 cards and discarding 2. Princess Luna activates Monster Reborn, special summoning Infernity Archer (ATK: 2000 DEF: 1000). Princess Luna normal summons Infernity Beetle (ATK: 1200 DEF: 0). Princess Luna tunes Infernity Archer with Infernity Beetle to synchro summon Hundred Eyes Dragon (ATK: 3000 DEF: 2500).
Princess Luna activates Battle Waltz, special summoning a Waltz token, which has the same type, attribute, level, ATK and DEF as a synchro monster that she controls. Princess Luna overlays Hundred Eyes Dragon and her Waltz token to xyz summon Number 15: Gimmick Puppet – Giant Killer (ATK: 1500 DEF: 2500). Princess Luna attempts to activate Number 15: Gimmick Puppet – Giant Killer’s effect, but Mark activates the trap card Shadow-Imprisoning Mirror, negating the effect of a DARK monster.
Luna places 2 cards down and ends her turn.
Status: Hand-1 Life-8000 Monsters-1 Face Down Cards-2
Ryan’s Turn: Mark activates Trap Stun, preventing the activation of trap cards until the end of the turn. Ryan activates Pot of Greed, drawing 2 cards. Ryan switches Number 160: Cannon Android – Rocket Rocky into attack position. Next, Ryan summons Wind-Up Soldier (ATK: 1800 DEF: 1200). Ryan activates Number 160: Cannon Android – Rocket Rocky’s effect. By detaching 2 xyz materials from it, Ryan can destroy one monster on the field and inflict damage equal to the monster’s original ATK, choosing Number 124: Feral Chill – Freezing Ursa.
Princess Celestia and Princess Luna’s Life Points: 8000 -> 4400
Ryan activates the effect of Wind-Up Soldier, increasing its ATK by 400 (ATK: 1800 -> 2200). Ryan then attacks Number 15: Gimmick Puppet – Giant Killer with Number 160: Cannon Android – Rocket Rocky.
Princess Celestia and Princess Luna’s Life Points: 4400 -> 3900
Ryan attacks Princess Celestia and Princess Luna directly with Wind-Up Soldier.
Princess Celestia and Princess Luna’s Life Points: 3900 -> 1700
Ryan places 2 cards face down and ends his turn.
Status: Hand-0 Life-7000 Monsters-2 Face Down Cards-2
____________________________________
Everyone, in the stands, in the arenas hospital wing, anywhere, were shocked at the speed of the duel and how swift and mercilessly Ryan deducted the princess’ life points. It was almost too much to bear. It would all be over in a couple of turns; everyone knew it.
____________________________________
Princess Celestia’s Turn: Princess Celestia activates her Monster Reborn, special summoning Number 124: Feral Chill – Freezing Ursa. Princess Celestia attacks Number 140: Armored Bullet Train Force Mach with Number 124: Feral Chill – Freezing Ursa, but Ryan activates Negate Attack. Princess Luna attempts to activate Trap Jammer, but Ryan activates Curse of Royal, negating the effect of a card that destroys a spell or trap card and destroys it. The attack is negated.
Princess Celestia ends her turn.
Status: Hand-2 Life-1700 Monsters-1 Face Down Cards-1
Mark’s Turn: Mark activates Dian Keto the Cure Master, increasing his life points by 1000.
Ryan and Mark’s Life Points: 7000 -> 8000.
Mark activates Number 140: Armored Bullet Train Force Mach’s effect. By detaching 1 xyz material from it, Mark can attack the opponent directly with it.
Princess Celestia and Princess Luna’s Life Points: 1700 -> 0
Ryan and Mark win.
Despite knowing the princess’ loss was inevitable, the last hit still came as a heavy blow to anyone that wasn’t a Vegas agent. The Vegas agents formed together where Ryan and Mark stood. Twilight and her friends wept at the sight of their defeated princesses.
“Fine,” spat Princess Celestia to the Vegas agents. “What is your wish?”
Mark stepped up to declare it. “My wish is for every Number card in this realm to be in the hands of me and my three agents.”
Princess Celestia let out a reluctant sigh before she cast the spell to grant Mark his wish. Soon, anyone who still had a Number on them was surprised to watch as the cards flew out of their extra decks and form towards the center of the foursome like a cyclone. In about ten seconds, all of the cards that were in the cyclone landed in the hands of the Vegas agents in equivalent looking stacks. Each one counted to make sure they each had fifty, which would come out to 200, the whole amount of all Numbers in existence.
“I have fifty,” said Chase.
“Me too,” said Diana.
“So do I,” said Mark.
The last to confirm was Ryan, who gave his answer in a tired sigh. “Yeah, I have fifty too.”
Ryan was relieved. Now, he could see his son again, and they could live with each other in peace at last.
“Then we did it,” said Mark. “Our mission is almost complete.”
Ryan was suddenly confused. “Wait. Almost?”
Suddenly, the other three Vegas members did something that unsettled Ryan. Chase grabbed Ryan’s left arm with his right hand, and Diana grabbed his right arm with her left hand. Mark then grabbed Chase and Diana’s free hands. The sky began to turn dark. Ryan was shocked to see a shadow like darkness be cast over Mark. The shadow passed through Diana and Chase on both sides of Mark. Ryan, in his nervousness, broke free, albeit some attempted restraining by Chase and Diana.
“You fool!” shouted Mark. “Quick, grab each other’s hands.”
Chase and Diana locked their hands just as the darkness reached their fingers. Once all three members had been cast with this darkness, they began turning darker. Suddenly, Mark, Chase, and Diana started screaming in agony. The screams were loud enough to attract the attention of anyone in the hospital wing and they rushed out to see what was happening. Alex didn’t know exactly what happened, but all he saw was the three Vegas agents crying out as they were covered in a tar like substance as Ryan lied on the ground in fear and shock as to what he was seeing.
Then, the black fluid flowed off of their bodies and slithered to a space around ten feet away from the group. The pain they must have felt caused them to swoon, but they regained consciousness soon enough to see the black fluid take the form of a man. He had long, spikey black and red hair, blood red eyes, and a slender but pointy face. He was wearing pitch black shirt, pants and boots, and he was wearing what looked like an open, long black lieutenant’s jacket with silvery borders. His skin was a tan color, much like the people who seemingly performed the ritual to summon him. Everyone in the crowd looked on with wide eyed horror, for they knew who this was. The legends had spoken about him, much like Princess Celestia did 2 years ago for Alex and Orion. As prophesized, Inverz had risen once again.
Inverz looked upon the crowd that stared at him fearfully. “Ahh,” he said in a smooth, snake-like voice. “My loyal subjects.” He then looked Mark, Chase, and Diana, who looked strangely stoic. “You must be the three who helped bring me back,” he said.
“We are, Lord Inverz,” said Mark, bowing.
His two other comrades did the same. Ryan still had trouble grasping his surroundings.
“I’ve never seen your kind before, but I like the form that you, and now me for that matter, possess. I humbly thank you for waking me. It’s been far too long. Have you come to join me?”
“We have.” The three walked over and walked by his side.
“Mark?” asked Ryan getting up, confused.
Ryan’s questioning finally brought himself to Inverz’s attention.
“And who are you?”
“Forgive him,” said Mark. “He got a little spooked and broke free of the ritual. You might notice you don’t have as many Numbers as you would have wished.”
So their plan was to give these Numbers to this entity? thought Ryan.
“I see,” said Inverz. “150 Numbers.”
He then outstretched his hand to Ryan. “Would you be so kind?”
Ryan knew exactly what he wanted. “I want an explanation first.”
Inverz began to look angry, but was stopped by Mark. “Please. We never told him; he deserves to know.”
Inverz waved his hand, allowing Mark’s request.
“You see Ryan, we told you that the reason for finding the Numbers was to gain the power to fix things we thought unfixable, like bringing back your comatose son. Unfortunately, that was never the case. You see, our previous Mr. Ace and the founder of the Vegas Bureau had a few… grievances with this land, at least a copy of one.”
“You mean,” interrupted Ryan, “the Equestria that we accidentally intercepted?”
“Correct. We knew of the different legends of both versions of Equestria: Inverz in this one, the portal to darkness in the Everfree Forest in the other one. Anyways, the original plan was to get as many Numbers as we could in this world and get the rest in the other Equestria. But when the two Equestrias melded, we saw it as a blessing to be able to do our huntings in just one.”
“And where, pray tell, do I fit in this?” asked Inverz.
“We figured that when we finished hunting all of the Numbers in this world and revived you, you could help us complete our mission to take down Equestria with us in return for our Numbers and undying support.”
“And why would I help you?”
“You could have been ruler of two worlds, but it’s done now. The only one that’s left is this one. Once you gain all of the Numbers, you will be the supreme ruler of this world forever.”
“Come to think of it,” pondered Inverz, “I like the idea of multiversal conquest. You may prove to be valuable assets yet.”
“So…” said Ryan, choking up, “my son?”
“Your son would have and will never see you again. If I’m correct, he will be put off life support in a few days.”
Zelda was listening to this too, realizing that she wouldn’t have been able to save her family anyways.
“Now that that’s settled,” said Inverz, outstretching his hand yet again to Ryan. “The Numbers, if you will.”
Ryan looked at the stack of Numbers in his hand. He then looked out to the crowd. Friends huddled together in fear, foals crying into their mother’s bosoms, the princesses looking defeated and heartbroken, and then Rainbow Dash. He knew he couldn’t strand her in a world like this at this moment.
Ryan then looked Inverz straight in the eye. “No.”
There was murmuring amongst the crowd. Inverz was a bit surprised, but not the least bit amused.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t hear you.”
“Yes you did,” said Ryan, who didn’t betray a single emotion.
Inverz quietly looked at Ryan and then shouted at him, his face demonically contorting. “YOU GIVE ME YOUR NUMBERS AT ONCE! OR I WILL-”
Mark stopped him with a click of a gun. Scott shielded Zelda, in case Mark were to aim the gun at Zelda.
“You. What are you doing?” asked Inverz.
“Forgive me,” said Mark. “But treachery is one of my biggest pet peeves.” Mark then aimed the gun at Ryan, who stood still. “I’ll ask you one more time. Give Inverz your Numbers immediately.”
Ryan without a hint of fear said his last three words. “Go fuck yourself.”
“I’ll be sure to write that as your epitaph.”
Mark pulled the trigger, and the bullet went straight through Ryan’s heart. Alex and all of his friends ran to Ryan’s help, including Princess Luna herself. Princess Celestia was too shocked to even stand. Mark walked over to the group when six brightly colored ponies with gold necklaces (and a gold tiara for Twilight) stood in front of Mark, guarding him with the Elements of Harmony. Mark fired a few shots at the ponies, but the bullets reflected off of a protection spell.
“Allow me,” said Inverz to a frustrated Mark.
With Inverz having found new strength in his newly acquired Numbers, he placed his left hand around the sphere. With a pulse of his fingers, he shattered the barrier. Before the ponies could react, Inverz’s hand turned into six black, tarry tentacles, each one grabbing a pony by the neck. Twilight tried to use the Elements’ power, but saw on her other friends necklaces, that they were being depleted of their color, effectively rendering them useless. The ponies called the names of their friends for help, while they could do nothing but watch Inverz have his way with them.
“He’s distracted,” yelled Princess Luna. “Hold on to each other now!”
Seeing no better alternative, Alex and his friends did as they were told. Inverz saw them.
“NO!” His right hand turned into a bigger, black hand and tried to stop Luna from escaping with them. He then grabbed something.
He saw that instead of the princess, humans, and Pokémon with Ryan and his Numbers, he was holding onto Derpy Hooves and Little Strongheart, who were protecting their master and her new friends. Inverz lifted them up to see that his intended targets disappeared through Luna’s assistance, with the Numbers in tow. Inverz’s face turned horrifyingly monstrous with anger.
“My final services to my master,” said Derpy Hooves.
He then raised the two up with his hand and slammed them into the ground. The force caused the unfortunate pegasus and buffalo to explode on impact, leaving only a pulpy mess of flesh, blood and bone in its wake. The crowd was absolutely terrified as the blood splattered onto their coats. Inverz, with the elements of harmony and their bearers still in hand, walked slowly to a cowering Princess Celestia. Alex, his human and Pokémon friends, along with Ryan and Luna appeared in the town square.
“Somepony get this man a doctor, now!” called Princess Luna to a terrified group of onlookers.
Ryan, still clinging to life, lifted his arm and placed something in Alex’s hand: his 50 Numbers and his own deck.
“Give… them… hell,” he barely managed to get out.
Alex took Ryan’s now open hand and clenched it, hoping to instill some hope that he would survive. Ryan just laid back and looked at the blue sky.
If I’m going now, thought Ryan. I guess I’ll see my son soon.
Content with knowing he’ll at least get to spend eternity with his son, Ryan let out a long heavy sigh and closed his eyes, the world growing silent and dark.