Vile: *digs way out of the ground* *peeks head up, breathing heavily* What year is this?!

Astral: Still 2016, Vile. You look like you've been through hell.

Vile: Close enough, Astral. *Yuma helps me out* I got buried in life problems. School work... found a job... lost that job... got on anti-anxiety meds... S**t got real for me these last few months.

Kotori: Well, it's nice to know you're still alive, Vile. The fact that you didn't just give up on fanfiction altogether has to count for something.

Vile: Thanks, Kotori. I hope my fans are as understanding as you guys. Thank you all for putting up with me on my long absences. I know I've thanked you for this plenty of times already, but it's something that bears repeating with each of my vanishing acts. You're awesome, all of you. :) Let's get back into the Numbershots with my newest story!

Ekushiizu Shoukan! Arawareyo! Daburu Nanbāzushotto! Nanajū! Kyūjūni!

70! 92!

Double Numbershot 70 & 92: Terminal Clash

Chapter 1

"Ekushiizu Shoukan!"

"Adobansu Shoukan!"

Two voices rang out before a pair of explosions wracked the ground, sending Ariel and Megami flying, landing on the ground in heaps. Kyorei and Akun stood opposite them, Vylon Digamma and Steelswam Caucastag in play. Galen and Honto were watching off to the side.

Kyorei & Akun LP:1300

Ariel & Megami LP:0 – LOSER

Kyorei let out a breath, high-fiving Akun. "All right, everyone, that was a good training session! Nice going!" Ariel picked herself up, then helped Megami to her feet as well.

"Yo, Kyorei, I don't mean to undermine what you're doing, but I can't get this question out of my head." Honto spoke up as he and Galen approached them.

"What is it?" Kyorei asked.

"Call me out if it's stupid, but why are we practicing even more than usual? I mean, we're up to three practice sessions a day now."

"Honto actually has a point…" Megami moaned. "I'm getting pretty beat from being flung around so much."

Akun gave a smug smile. "Then try not to lose so much, Megami-chan." Megami gave him a look that was a combo of a playful smile and a sneer.

Kyorei laughed at her. "Gomen, Megami, but due to the more frequent Number events that have been happening, we need to be ready in case we're the ones who are targeted."

"Again." Galen groaned with a sweatdrop. "I can still hear that Number in my head sometimes."

"I'll be honest, though; do you really think the Numbers will target us again?" Honto asked. "I mean, I could see why we were used against Shark and company because of Ariel's relationship with him, but the rest of us aren't really all that important…. are we?"

"I wouldn't think so. I mean, what exactly have WE done to want the Numbers out for our blood?" Megami wondered.

"I can think of one good reason why he'd want ME dead." Ariel said, making Honto and Megami "Eh?" in response. "The Number Distributor once tried to take control of Shark's body... using a creature that Shark told me wasn't human. An energy being known that Yuma-kun once told me was named "Vector", who nearly used him as a puppet and erased his soul."

The rest of the Terminal Gang paled. "H... How did he survive such a terror?" Kyorei asked.

"Vector tried to use Shark Drake to complete the process... but Shark Drake somehow turned against him. ...And he claimed… I had the power to pacify it." Ariel looked at her hand. "I don't know what he means..."

"That's why we need to step up our games." Akun said.

"Right. If anything on that level happens again, even if it isn't to us, we need to be strong enough to do our part." Kyorei added.

Honto nodded. "Ariel might be able to handle herself, but it doesn't hurt to have her covered on all sides.

"And that's something I can get behind any day." Galen said with a smile.

Ariel smiled at her friends. "Eh heh heh... Arigatou."

Megami stretched. "Well, that little speech got me fired up. Who's up for another round?"

"How about us?" An unknown male voice asked, but it was familiar to the gang, as all of their eyes widened from it.

"Not you guys again." Kyorei groaned in response.

"Aw, is that any way to greet your old friends?" Another voice, female this time, asked them. The Terminal Gang turn to see two teens approaching them. Both of them were roughly 19 years old, with the boy having orange eyes and wild yellow hair with a spiky half-ring of silver hair around his head, and the girl having hazel eyes and a spiky bun of dark burgundy hair. The two of them were each wearing a school uniforms, but they were both in purposeful disarray, matching their cocky smirks.

"You lot are lookin' rather sharp lately." The boy asked them. "Something cause a spark of skill?"

"Can it, Shingo. I don't need your snarls." Akun shot back with a slight glare.

"Easy, Akun. I wasn't trying to start anything." Shingo replied. "…this time."

"Then say your peace and move on." Kyorei deadpanned.

"Aw, come on, Kyorei. You're not gonna show your old friends a little... common courtesy?" The girl asked with half-lidded eyes.

"What do a pair of classic banchos know about common courtesy?" Galen asked rhetorically. "You're both just strutting about like you own this city." He imitated exaggerated strutting motions as he said this.

"Nothing wrong with showing the world how tough you are." Shingo said.

Megami snorted. "All you and Tokiko do is blow smoke."

"Blow smoke? Is that what you call getting trashed by us two weeks ago?" Tokiko countered. Megami nearly jumped toward her, ready to fight, but Ariel held her back.

Kyorei sighed. "Like I said, what do you want?"

"I guess you could say..." Shingo began, before he and Tokiko held up their hands and said at the same time: "Truce?"

Every member of the Terminal Gang were dumbfounded, just looking at each other in pure confusion. Ariel finally managed to speak. "What brought this on?"

"Well, Shingo-kun and I recently got accepted into college... so we won't be around here for much longer." Tokiko revealed.

"Because of that, we figured we'd try and go out on good terms with the people we know." Shingo added with a smile.

Ariel immediately glared at them. "You expect us to make peace with you after the stunt Yugra tried to pull on me? I bet you sicced him after me that day!"

Shingo and Tokiko, however, looked genuinely confused. "Yugra?"

"We haven't seen that little cretin since I kicked him out of our group!" Shingo told them.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold up!" Honto immediately spoke up. "You kicked out your best enforcer?"

"That little twerp was a nutjob!" Tokiko cried. "One day he shows up waving some stupid ice gun everywhere! He nearly froze my hair off!"

"We may talk big and act tough, but we still have limits, and he crossed the line." Shingo said, crossing his arms. "I'm sorry for what he did, but I can assure you it wasn't our call."

The Terminal Gang was silent for a moment, contemplating what they just heard. The tense mood was picked up by the two delinquents. "...You don't believe us, do you?" Tokiko asked.

"...It's that weird place between believing and not believe, truth be told." Akun told them.

"Well... I honestly can't say I blame ya." Shingo admitted. "We did do some crazy, stupid stuff in the past."

"Releasing a ton of rats into our base..." Galen said, clearly starting a chain of these events.

"Messing with the punch bowl at Akun's Halloween party..." Ariel added to the chain.

"Stealing all the cards from the fundraiser..." Kyorei followed up.

Shingo and Tokiko both sweatdropped. "WE GET IT." The three Terminal Gang members smirked.

"Still, aside from some major hangovers and a couple of bites, no one got hurt." Shingo said after regaining his composure. "We wouldn't do anything to risk serious jail time, so we're not good with whatever Yugra did."

"Well, that's an undeniable truth. Neither of you have been particularly heinous." Kyorei mentioned.

Tokiko gave a hopeful smile. "So, would you mind humoring us and facing us in one last Duel, for old time's sake?"

After a moment of silence, Kyorei looked to his own gang. "Huddle." The Terminal Gang gathered together, whispering to each other for a couple minutes. Shingo and Tokiko waited patiently, Shingo's face being neutral while Tokiko looked a bit worried. After a minute or two, the huddle broke apart, and the Terminal Gang look at the two of them. The air was slightly tense, but that was broken when Kyorei smiled at them, as did the others. "You got yourself a duel."

Shingo and Tokiko let out a wide grin. "YEAAAAAAAAHHHHH!" Shingo shouted, almost like a roar. "I feel so alive right now!"

For all their earlier personality, Kyorei admitted that Shingo's energy was admirable. "So, are we doing this with the usual set up?" He asked, pulling out his Duel Disk.

Tokiko smirked. "Not this time, Kyorei. We've got a different idea in mind for this Duel." This confused the Terminal Gang, but their questions were answered… when Shingo and Tokiko both gave a whistle.

Vile: We have a setup for a Duel to settle an old rivalry for the better. *deep breath* Man, it feels good to finally get back to the Numbershots.

Yuma: Hopefully you can keep this up in some way, Vile. People can get... impatient.

Vile: Don't remind me. My brain has so many ideas, but not enough time to get to them all. Almost makes me wish I was a superhero at times.

Kotori: Don't we all?

Vile: The rest of this Numbershot's already been written, so you guys can expect Chapter 2 tomorrow (or later today if I feel like it; it's still early where I live). If you guys liked this chapter, leave a review for me, and I'll see you loyal Mavericks next time. Ja ne for now!

Computer Voice: Vile, logging out.