Now Or Never I

(An aircraft is flying through a snowstorm)

Captain: Urgh! The weather's getting worse! Visibility's almost zero.

First officer: It's crazy to try to deliver cargo to a place like this...

Captain: We won't be delivering anything to anyone if we can't find the landing strip. Urgh...?

First officer: Hey! There it is.

(The plane gets ready to land)

(Intro)

(Sunset. At the top of an office building in Heartland City)

Mr. Heartland: I can't believe it. Erazor, Chironex, how could those two let themselves be defeated?!

Scritch: Everything will be fine, Heartland. Fortunately, you have the buzz-worthy abilities of Scritch at your service to turn things around.

Mr. Heartland: I'm glad you're so confident, because you'll need those skills to take down Yuma's pal Kite!

Scritch: Oh, I'll stick it to him, guaranteed. Don't worry about a thing...

(Scritch transforms into a mosquito)

Scritch: He won't be bugging us, ever again... he-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-hah!

Mr. Heartland: Kite won't know what bit him...!

(Yuma and Trey are on ground level at a public space)

Yuma: It's all good. I checked around and Heartland City looks totally safe. Isn't that great news? We ought to celebrate.

Trey: Hey, Yuma. Are you gonna search the city every single day?

Yuma: Of course I am, Trey. The Barians are gonna be back again, and I'll beat 'em again!

Trey: ...Yuma?

Yuma: Yeah?

Trey: Are you sure you're doing okay? Since Astral...?

Yuma: Huh?

(Flashback)

Astral: Goodbye, my friend...

(End flashback)

Trey: Yuma?

Yuma: (blink) I'm fine. And now that you're here, it's almost like having ten Astrals! So if the Barians make the mistake-

(Tori, Cathy, Caswell and Bronk, all in their school uniforms, are peeking behind at a gate)

Caswell: Well, it sure sounds like he's gotten over Astral to me!

Cathy: At least that's the way Yuma's acting...

Tori: Poor guy...

(Behind them, Flip, also in uniform, jumps sideways into view of Yuma)

Flip: Hey, there he is! Hahah! Yeah! Yuma! Yuma! It's-

Yuma: 😕 What's everybody doing here?

Flip: 😄 Hahaha. Hahahah! The whole thing is finished. I-

(Bronk stops Flip from jumping and covers his mouth)

Bronk: Zip it, will ya?!

Yuma: What's with Flip? Let him talk!

(Caswell, Cathy and Tori giggle heartily. Flip pushes Bronk's hand away)

Flip: The preparations are complete.

Yuma: For what?

(Flip leads the group to a shrine on the promenade)

Flip: This is it. I looked around, and I flipped some cards for a box of old-stained glass. So I put some of the pieces together, and I made this... for Astral.

Cathy: It's nice, but why did you build it here, Flip?

Flip: I thought it was a nice place to be able to come to and think about all the good times we had with Astral.

Bronk: We don't need that!

Caswell: These things are important, Bronk. They help people remember, and move on...

Bronk: 😞 Of all of the boneheaded... 😠 Cut Yuma some slack! The guy just lost his best friend in the whole world! Why would you ever think this was a good idea?! Well?! ...Urgh... You little

(Bronk turns Flip to face him, but Flip is crying)

Bronk: Hey, your eyes are leaking...

Flip: 😭 Why wouldn't they be? I didn't really know Astral... Not the way that Yuma did... And I couldn't always see your talk to Astral like Yuma could. But that doesn't mean he wasn't my friend! Astral is a friend to every single one of us!

(Flashback)

Flip: (voiceover) I remember the first time we saw 'im, like it was yesterday!

(End flashback)

Bronk: Me too. Couldn't believe my eyes.

Cathy: 😢 I miss him...!

Caswell: Oh, we all do...

Tori: (thinks) Astral...

Trey: If it wasn't for him, we wouldn't all be together.

Flip: That's why I built this, so we can think back to all the adventures we had. The good ones, the scary ones, and especially the funny ones...

(Later that night, Trey goes to Yuma's room)

Trey: Yuma? Your grandma says it's time for- Huh?

(Yuma isn't in his room...)

Trey: Yuma...?

(Yuma's out on the roof)

Yuma: Hey, Astral...

(The next day, Yuma and Tori walk together after school)

Yuma: Hah! That duel today was awesome!

Tori: 🙂 It sure was!

Yuma: And the best part was at the very end! Astral, remember the look on that kid's fa- 😮? ...it was cool. Heheheh!

(Tori looks on, confused. Back at Yuma's room...)

Yuma: I definitely need this card in my deck. Hmhm!

???: Wise choice, Yuma.

Yuma: Huh?

(Yuma turns and sees...)

Yuma: Oh! Astral!

(But "Astral" disappears. Yuma was just imagining things! Yuma smiles nervously)

Yuma: ...back to work.

(Meanwhile, Quattro is video-calling Trey, who's in bed)

Quattro: How's he doing, Trey?

Trey: Yuma's become an amazing duelist. Astral has really taught him a lot. But now, without Astral, I think Yuma sort of lost his confidence.

Quattro: Do you think he'll be able to, get it back?

Trey: I don't know yet... It's too soon to tell...

(Meanwhile, at the area with the huge snowstorm)

Kite: Well, it looks like we picked the right place! Even if we can barely see it.

Quinton: You deserve all the credit, Kite. You made the call.

Kite: Are you positive you want to go through with this, Quinton?

Quinton: I'm sure. I have to, even though it's dangerous. And there's no way Yuma can know about it.

(The next day, Yuma looks around at a busy street and then arrives on an empty road, with Trey)

Yuma: See? All quiet. Well, another safe day in Heartland.

(At sunset, Yuma and Trey walk on the promenade)

Yuma: Guess the Barians know better than to mess with Yuma Tsukumo!

Trey: At least for now.

Yuma: What's that supposed to mean?! You think-

(Yuma sees his friends up head!)

Yuma: What in the world?! Guys?! So you're following me again?! Uhhh!

Tori: Yuma, we just want to make sure you're okay.

Yuma: I'm totally okay. Why wouldn't I be okay?

Trey: The way you're acting, it doesn't seem like you've accepted the fact that Astral's gone.

Yuma: Huh? (turns around) Why would you think that? What have I done?!

Bronk: Yuma, it's obvious to everybody.

Yuma: What's obvious...?

Cathy: He really doesn't have a clue...!

Tori: Yuma, take a second and think about all of the places you've been visiting day after day.

(Flashback)

Tori: (voiceover) Don't you see? They're all places where you and Astral dueled and battled together.

(End flashback)

Yuma: 😮 Ahh! No way. That isn't true! You guys are just joking, right?!

Tori: You and Astral dueled, here.

Caswell: In the end...

Flip: This is the last place you stop every day.

(Yuma looks behind at the shrine Flip built)

Yuma: (thinks) Astral, I...

Trey: Yuma. I know you believe that you've accepted that Astral's gone, and that you're okay with it. But the truth is, you spend every day searching for Astral as if you can find him.

Yuma: Ahh...

(Flashback)

Trey: (voiceover) Astral's gone, Yuma. I know it's tough... But you need to face it.

(End flashback)

Yuma: I won't, Trey.

(Another flashback of Yuma and Astral)

Yuma: I can't.

(Another flashback of Yuma and Astral. Then suddenly, Yuma runs away. His friends gasp)

Tori: Yuma, wait! Come back!

(Yuma keeps running as the rain starts to fall)

Yuma: Never...!

(Another flashback of Yuma and Astral)

Yuma: I'll never believe it...! It can't be!

(Another flashback of Yuma and Astral)

Yuma: (thinks) I won't believe he's gone!

(Yuma arrives back at the square. Flashback to when they first met)

Astral: Rise up.

(End Flashback)

Yuma: 😭 Astral...!

(Tori and the other friends have caught up)

Tori: Yuma... 🙂 You're going to catch a cold out here. Let's go-

(Yuma's on his knees)

Yuma: Just leave me alone!

Tori: Huh?

Yuma: Astral's not gone... he's alive! I know it! ... 😭 And I don't care what anybody says or thinks! I'm gonna keep looking until I find my friend!

Kite: That's what I was waiting to hear.

(The friends all turn around)

Bronk: Huh?

Kite: Yuma. On your feet.

Yuma: Uh...? (turns around) Kite!

Kite: Time to go.

Yuma: Go...? Go where?

Kite: We're gonna find Astral.

(Everyone else gasps)

Yuma: If this is your idea of a joke, I don't think it's very funny. Huh?

(An aircraft is preparing to land from above)

Yuma: What's that?

Kite: It's your ticket to finding your friend, are you in or out?

Yuma: ...I'm all in.

(Yuma, Kite and Tori board the aircraft)

Yuma: So there's a chance Astral's still alive?

Kite: That's what we're about to find out.

Yuma: So why do you want to help me all of a sudden?

Kite: Because we need Astral now, more than ever.

Yuma: You need Astral? For what?

Kite: You haven't forgotten about the Numeron Code, have you?

Yuma: No, I... remember.

(Flashback)

Astral: The card is so powerful, it can determine the fate of every world.

(End flashback)

Kite: We believe that Barian World and Astral World are after the Numeron Code.

(Flashback)

Kite: (voiceover) But if Barian World gets it first, they'll use its power to destroy Astral World.

(End flashback)

Kite: We need to get it before either of them. But we can't find it without Astral. So while you were busy feeling sorry for yourself, Quinton and I found a way to get to Astral World.

(A mosquito flies past)

Yuma: A way to Astral World? How do we get there?

Kite: The key... is here in this coin.

Yuma: Hey...! That's one of the coins I found in the ruins that belonged to my dad! But I have all seven! Look!

(Yuma takes out his seven coins from the ruins, but there are only six)

Yuma: There's one missing... You stole it from me!

Kite: "Stole" is so harsh... I just borrowed it...

(Kite flips the coin in the air, Yuma catches it)

Kite: For a reason. This coin held an incredibly valuable secret.

(Kite reaches to touch his neck. The mosquito flies away)

Yuma: What's wrong, Kite?

Kite: Nothing.

(Yuma, Kite and Tori soon arrive at their destination)

Yuma: Aaaa-choo!

(It's cold outside! Yuma sees a giant machine ahead of him)

Yuma: I've never seen anything like that before.

Kite: Quinton and I built it. It's an interdimensional teleporter.

Yuma: Oh. One of those.

(Orbital turns around and waves)

Orbital: Hello! Welcome back, Master K-K-K-Kite!

Kite: Astral's airship was somehow able to detect Numbers when it couldn't before. We had to find out how it did that.

(Yuma sneezes again)

Kite: I guess the ship wasn't detecting Numbers, it was detecting your father's coins. So I took one and studied it, and I was right.

Yuma: What did you find out?

Kite: It turns out the coins are made of a material from Astral World called Astralite.

Yuma: ...what is Astralite?

Kite: It's a substance made of tremendous energy that holds incredible power. We're going to use its power to force open the portal to another dimension, and send you to Astral World.

Yuma: Incredible... And you think it'll really work?

(Behind them)

Quinton: Kite!

(The others turn around)

Yuma: Quinton!

Quinton: 🤨 I thought I told you not to bring him here.

Kite: You did... but unlike you, I don't see any point in babying him.

Quinton: I thought we agreed, I would test out the device and if it was successful, then and only then would we inform Yuma of our plan.

Kite: Well, I guess I changed my mind.

Yuma: Quinton, why didn't you tell me that I could get to Astral World?!

Quinton: Because I knew you, and I knew that if I told you, you would insist on going.

Yuma: You have to let me use it, Quinton! You know I'll do anything it takes to find Astral!

Quinton: ...A million things could go wrong and we haven't tested any of it. Even if the transporter worked and you survived the trip to Astral World, it's a world we know absolutely nothing about. It could very well be... a one-way trip.

Tori: Ah...!

(Tori looks away, eyes closed. Definitely worried for Yuma)

Yuma: I don't care, it's a risk I'm totally willing to take!

Kite: Look, Quinton. You and I both know that Yuma's father left those coins in the ancient ruins on purpose. Those seven coins must be a message for Yuma to go to Astral World.

Yuma: 🙂 If that's true, it's gotta mean Astral's still alive! And if he's still alive, I'm the person who should go and find him! The only person!

Tori: You guys gotta let Yuma do this... Yuma and Astral share a special bond. 😀 I know that he can find Astral!

Yuma: Thanks, Tori. Please, Quinton, let me go find Astral.

Quinton: All right, Yuma. You win.

(Soon, Yuma is in place while Kite, Quinton, Tori and Orbital look on)

Quinton: All right, Yuma. The teleporter is going to open the portal to Astral World, and send you there. But we don't know how long we can keep the portal open. If it closes... you'll never come home again!

Yuma: Yeah... but guys, don't worry about a thing! I'll bring Astral back, guaranteed!

(Tori is still worried but nods with a smile)

Kite: Orbital, let's do this!

Orbital: Yes sir, Master Ki-Ki-Kite.

(Orbital is typing away inputs)

Quinton: Charge up the Astralite. When it reaches maximum strength, we'll release all the stored energy in a single burst, that'll create a wormhole to Astral World. At least, that's the plan. Yuma, for your own safety, stay in that exact spot until it's fully charged. The Astralite's only good for a single blast, so we only have one shot to open the portal.

Yuma: Let's do this!

Orbital: Ast-Astralite charged to forty percent. Forty-five... fifty... fifty-five...

(Suddenly the lights cut out. Tori, Kite and Quinton look behind them)

Tori: What's wrong...?!

Kite: The power's down.

Quinton: So it can't charge! We need to find more power, now!

Kite: Orbital, jack this thing into *your* power core!

Orbital: Bu-Bu-Bu-Bu-But sir, I-I-I-

Kite: Just do as I tell you!

Tori: (desperate) Oh, please hurry, Orbital!

Orbital: Oh, right... I knew I should have packed some spare b-b-b-batteries...

(Orbital plugs the cable into itself. It falls and lets off steam)

Tori: Orbital...!

Kite: Settle down, it's nothing a quart of oil will be able to fix.

???: Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! So sorry to spoil your little science project, but I can't allow Yuma to go to Astral World.

(Scritch appears)

Kite: You Barians always show up at the worst possible times. Don't you know you're not welcome here?

(Scritch sniggers)

Yuma: Uh...! I'll make you stop laughing!

Kite: Stay where you are!

Yuma: Huh?

Kite: Remember that you can't leave that spot until the Astralite's fully charged. I'll be the one to pounce on this pathetic pest.

Quinton: He won't get near the teleporter till you're through the portal. We'll both make sure of that.

Yuma: Okay. Thanks, guys.

Scritch: (laughs) So be it. I'll take you two down first, then!

(Scritch throws a ball of energy at Kite and Quinton's feet. Tori gasps)

Scritch: In this field, my Life Points are doubled! And your Life Points are halved!

Kite: Like that's gonna help you.

Quinton: Let's do this.

Scritch: I'm going to love taking the two of you down...!

(Scritch shows his true Barian form. His voice distorts as a result)

Scritch: I can't wait to get under your skin! Ha ha ha ha ha ha hah...!

Kite: Somebody call pest control.

Yuma: Quinton, use this!

(Quinton catches a card thrown by Yuma)

Quinton: This was my number card...

Yuma: I figured it might come in handy!

Quinton: I appreciate the card, and I'm positive that it will. I have to admit, I never thought the day would come when we'd be dueling together like this, Kite.

Kite: Just do the best you can, to keep up with me, Quinton.

Quinton: Keep up with you? If it wasn't for me, you wouldn't know to duel.

Kite: This student frequently outshines the master...

Quinton: Then I think we should be able to squash this mosquito.

Kite: Go, Photon Transformation!

Quinton: We're going to swat you down. This I promise!

(Both Kite and Quinton ready their duel disks and AR gazers)

Scritch: You shouldn't make promises you know you can't keep.

Kite/Quinton/Scritch: Let's duel!

Computer: Augmented Reality Vision Link established.

Quinton: My turn... I draw! First, I summon Deep-Space Cruiser Nine! Then I activate the Spell, Hologram Projection! This lets me make a hologram of my Deep-Space Cruiser Nine, so now I have two!

Yuma: Yeah! Way to start the duel!

Quinton: I overlay my two Deep-Space Cruisers. With these two monsters, I build the Overlay Network. I Xyz Summon the number Yuma gave back to me, Number 9: Dyson Sphere!

Scritch: The bigger they are, the harder they fall!

Quinton: I can assure you to try as you might, my monster will not fall, but you, however, will not be as fortunate.

Kite: Time to take you down. My turn, I draw! First I summon, Photon Thrasher! Next I summon, Photon Chargeman! Then I think I'll charge it up right away by doubling its attack points! I tribute my Photon Thrasher and Chargeman to summon Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon! It's your move, bug boy.

Scritch: Dyson Sphere and Galaxy-Eyes! Just where I want them, heheheheh. My turn, I draw! I summon Mosquito Force! Buzz and I am born! I'm gonna add reinforcements. You see, Mosquito Force's special ability lets me add another Mosquito Force to my hand. Next, I activate the Spell, Ninjitsu Art of Mosquito Marching. I can now summon two Mosquito Forces to the frontline, to strengthen my skeeter squad!

Quinton: Three level two monsters...

Kite: I know what he's hatching.

Scritch: I overlay three Level 2 Mosquito Forces! With these three monsters, I build the Overlay Network and Xyz Summon Number 2: Ninja Shadow Mosquito!

Quinton: It just disappeared?

Kite: What's this bug-man up to?

Yuma: I don't see it. Do you?

Tori: No, it's gone!

Scritch: I can assure you, my mighty magnificent monster is here! Then you'll soon learn the hard way what the pest is all about!