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"Uuuuuggh, I am melting!"
Yuma was slowly walking through the streets on his way home, extremely exhausted by the sudden heatwave. Astral was floating next to him as always, seemingly unaffected by the weather.
“Melting, Yuma? And here I thought that was sweat dripping from you..."
“Come on man, don't you feel how hot it is,” Yuma snapped back at him. "No," Astral replied, matter-of-factly. "I do not have a body temperature to regulate." Yuma looked back at him, trying to find a good response.
He did not find one. "Well... lucky you, I guess." Astral could only chuckle as they continued onwards through the hot air.
Suddenly, something caught Yuma’s attention. "Look, Astral, an ice cream parlour! Perfect!" Yuma started to speed up, suddenly unfazed by the heat. "Ice cream, huh?" Astral muttered to himself as he followed his friend.
"Have you never tried ice cream before," Yuma asked, looking back at Astral. It took him a moment to realize the obvious problem. "Oh right, I forgot..." Astral's non-corporal form not only made him unaffected by the weather, it also meant that he could not taste or eat things.
Yuma couldn't help but feel a bit dejected, and even Astral seemed disappointed that he could not share this experience with Yuma. However, after a few seconds of this, Yuma’s face brightened, a new idea having formed.
"I know, let's use Zexal Morph! It allowed you to taste what I was tasting once, so why wouldn't it work again?"
"Yuma, the power of Zexal is too important to be used carelessly. It should not be used for frivolous reasons," Astral objected.
But Yuma disagreed. "What better reason is there than to experience the world? Isn't that what life is about? What could be more important than that?"
Astral hesitated, until, suddenly, a smile formed on his face. "Very well, Yuma. Let's do this."
Yuma returned that smile as the two of them got enveloped in red and blue light respectively.
"Ah yeah, I'm feeling the Flow!"
"When two distant souls become one, the power of Zexal will be revealed!"
"Go Zexal Morph!!!"
People on the streets looked in curiosity, as where once Yuma stood, separated from Astral, the two now stood as one. They looked awe inspiring, dressed in a body suit with a futuristic armor plate, dueling gear and protective boots. Their hair was golden in a bright glow, Yuma's red strands standing out like a crown.
Despite everyone's attention being on them, Yuma and Astral were focused on something completely different. The strange yet familiar feeling of their shared body, every muscle following their command. The smell of cut grass that Astral never experienced and yet, intimately knew. Their minds, at peace with one another, and...
"Oh dear, why didn't you tell me how warm it is?" The weight of the hot air felt crushing on their skin.
Yuma immediately shot back "I did!"
Realising the absurdity, they couldn't help but chuckle. As each of them could feel the amusement of the other, their laughter quickly escalated, both infecting each other.
"So, what ice cream flavour do you want?"
Astral had never been faced with sich a difficult question. He had never tasted ice cream before, so how would he know how to choose? And he might never get the opportunity to try again, so what if he chose wrong? How could he make the best choice with such limited knowledge?
"Let’s take chocolate! I’m sure you'll love it," Yuma suggested, realising Astral’s struggle.
"Very well. I trust your judgement, Yuma."
And so, the two of them got a cone of chocolate ice cream. Astral noted a weird sort of balance that he felt necessary to keep the scoop from falling off the waffle cone, but for Yuma, it was barely any effort.
Carefully, they gave the ice cream a lick to get a taste. A flood of sensations overcame Astral as he tried to process this experience.
The ice cream was, unsurprisingly, cold to the touch, and yet, it melted on their tongue. It had a creamy richness to it, and the chocolate was, despite its bitter profile, very sweet. Astral wanted this moment to last forever, and at the same time, already craved more. With Astral rushing, it didn't take long for them to eat the whole thing...
Which was not without consequence.
They suddenly felt a sharp pain in their forehead, alarming Astral. "What is this... are we being attacked?!"
"No," Yuma reassured him, groaning as he himself struggled. "It's... Brain freeze!"
"Our brain is frozen," Astral asked, rubbing their temples in pain. "Is it still functional like that?"
"Unfortunately, yes."