II
Two streams of data streaked side by side through the sky of LINK VRAINS, not unlike a pair of shooting stars. Below them, in the primary hub of the platform, the sight excited some newcomers for a few brief moments, but passed by unnoticed by everyone else—either because they were too quick to be noticed at all, or because the sight was so commonplace for them now that there was no reason to get distracted from their own Duels.
In any case, it wasn't long before the few people whose attention had been diverted now returned to matters at hand, completely oblivious to what was taking place far away.
Byte by byte—quicker than it took for her thought process to properly describe—Blue Angel felt the data stream that composed her digital self reforming into her normal avatar. Her feet came first, then her waist and torso, and finally her arms and head—blue pigtails and all. She felt herself expel a breath that she didn't know she'd been holding in the first place—it was one thing to travel from the real world to LINK VRAINS and back again, but to travel between two points in cyberspace was another.
Evidently, it was a feeling Rei was not used to in the slightest. The Charisma Duelist's imminent opponent had lost whatever sense of confidence she'd had when she'd challenged Blue Angel just a minute ago. The girl's blonde hair looked more tangled than ever as she stumbled out from the data stream that had been her own avatar; her green eyes were spinning like pinwheels, and her face was rapidly approaching a similar color.
"Are you okay?" Blue Angel knew that it was very rare to be sick in cyberspace—although even then, what few emoticons granted that characteristic never left a lasting mess—but she still felt concerned for her opponent, given that this had been her first real foray into LINK VRAINS, and therefore her first time being digitally transported within the realm itself.
Rei held up a hand, nodding weakly. "I've … felt worse," she said, taking a few grateful, gulping breaths of air. "Just … just give me a second."
"Okay. Take a minute to look around if you want." Blue Angel privately thought that Rei could take her time doing so—this place certainly had enough of a view that the journey ought to be worth the discomfort of the trip.
The island they were standing on was an architectural mishmash of concrete and steel, composed of dozens—hundreds—of different-styled buildings clumped together in defiance of conventional geometry and reason, right side up, upside down, and side-to-side alike. Some of the smaller structures clung to the more massive ones, like the barnacles lining some great aquatic beast, further underscoring how this new Dueling platform had surpassed the limits of its predecessor. So far removed was this city-cloud from the immense primary hub of that platform that Blue Angel could only make out a vague sliver of white light a hairsbreadth wide, while its surrounding servers, chat rooms, and other points of interest were nothing more than a pale blue pyramid the size of her thumbnail.
In the great gulf of sky that separated this island from all others in the distance, currents of data—their vivid colors ranging anywhere from dark purple to a vivid blue—drifted lazily in the air, twisting and turning every few hundreds of feet. Blue Angel knew these to be imitations of the far more powerful Data Storms, Gales, Cyclones, Tsunamis and more besides—anomalies that had plagued the old LINK VRAINS, with transmission speeds so blindingly fast that most Duelists were suspended from the network for a time if security caught them trying to ride one. It didn't matter whether they succeeded or not—the risk of having their accounts overloaded with data, thereby preventing them from logging out, was too great.
But Blue Angel also knew that over the last three months, SOL Technologies had studied these Data Storms enough to make them safer for any Duelists lured by the thrill of a Speed Duel—such like the one she was about to start. With the aid of their D-Boards, Duelists could "ride" these weaker data currents without the risk of being devoured by them, thanks to the pale yellow crystals that bordered them every so often: a combination of distance marker and quick-save point, it was these crystals that ensured the safety of any Duelist who rode the data currents of LINK VRAINS, in or out of a Duel.
The Charisma Duelist stood there for a few long moments, admiring the view, before turning back to Rei. "Feeling better now?" she asked.
" … Yeah." Rei nodded slowly, having walked up beside her to see the view as well. "It's beautiful from here … "
"What makes you say that?" Blue Angel wanted to know.
"I like being in places like this," replied Rei, gazing at the pink-hued sky. "They're quiet … empty. There's no noise or clutter in them at all. It helps me focus a lot better."
Blue Angel noted that Rei was indeed speaking less hesitantly than when they'd first met in that chat room. Just another hallmark, she suspected, of a lonely introvert who was on the cusp of wanting to come out of their shell—but was, for whatever reason, reluctant to follow through.
Perhaps that would change today, thought the Charisma Duelist—before a sudden rush of sound distracted her.
The blue currents of data that flowed past them had increased in volume slightly, like the waves at the bottom of a waterslide—the only sign that a swimmer was about to emerge at the bottom of the ride. Only it wasn't a swimmer that was coming, Blue Angel knew; she'd been Dueling in LINK VRAINS long enough to know when a pair of D-Boards was on its way. It was funny, though; she'd expected this flume of data to be bigger—
Then she saw the object streaking towards them from off to her left, and felt her face scrunch up in confusion: a sea-green shape, trimmed with white at the edges with vivid red fins at either side, had floated up to her. Moments later, as if by magic, it had stopped mere inches from where she stood, at the edge of the city-island, faithfully waiting for her to climb on.
Blue Angel's surprise wasn't due to the fact that her old D-Board had showed up—indeed, in hindsight this should have been expected, since she'd gone to the trouble of using her old avatar for tonight. What did surprise her was that there should have been another D-Board to arrive along with hers, for Rei to use in their Duel.
So why didn't it come?
She turned around. "Where's your D-Board?"
Rei was far too late in averting her gaze from her; immediately, Blue Angel knew something was up. "You … do know about Speed Duels, right?" she asked, trying to keep the incredulity out of her voice.
"Of course I do," Rei muttered. "I read the bullet points: four cards instead of five for the opening hand; three zones for monsters, Spells, and Traps instead of five; only one Main Phase, too. But I thought they gave you a D-Board by default if you didn't—"
She clapped a hand to her mouth—again far too late; Blue Angel felt her mind screech to a halt as she put two and two together.
"You're telling me you wanted to challenge me to a Speed Duel—without a D-Board?" she asked in disbelief.
"I only had enough money for the passcode!" Rei blurted out, before her cheeks suddenly boiled crimson; almost immediately, her face had turned contrite.
"I-I'm sorry … " she whispered. "I didn't m-mean to shout. B-but cards can be expensive, and I d-didn't have a lot left over to make sure I was … ready for LINK VRAINS. Maybe … once I become a Charisma Duelist," she said, a tiny glimmer of hope working its way into her voice, "I can start … start streaming enough to afford one."
Blue Angel was already beginning to wonder if she'd bitten off more than she could chew. But they were already at the Duel course; the journey here alone was enough that if she logged out now, Blue Angel would be out like a light for the next few hours—enough for a nap, but not for a good night's sleep.
There was nothing for it but to see it through, the Charisma Duelist knew —and so she breathed in, trying to force a smile and suppress a resigned sigh at the same time.
"Okay—so, how do you plan on fighting a Speed Duel without a D-Board?" she asked.
"I … had to really experiment with the avatar creation menus to find out," Rei mumbled. "There's … not a lot of customization a one-time passcode can give you, I said before—but there are still some options."
She stepped forward. "I … hope they'll be enough."
So did Blue Angel—if whatever custom avatar Rei had made for herself didn't at least let her stay afloat in the data streams, then this was going to be a very monotonous Duel—monotonous in the sense that the path markers would have to fish her out of the digital æther every five seconds.
The Charisma Duelist stepped onto her D-Board, therefore, with no small amount of trepidation, feeling the craft wobble under her feet. At least the modifications to her own avatar allowed her to manifest cables from her hands; perhaps, if nothing else, Blue Angel could tow Rei from behind like a jet ski while they Dueled—though she did not relish having to put Rei through such a humiliating experience, with what was on the line.
"Last time I ask, then," she told the girl, breaking her façade to assume a more serious expression. "From here on out, Rei, there's no turning back. I may act all cutesy and charming—but I won't be handing out freebies all day. Like I said before—if you really want this, you're going to have to show me."
Rei took another deep breath, closing her eyes. "I understand," she said quietly.
Then, just as quickly, she opened her eyes again, and that glimmer of hope—or whatever substitute cyberspace could reproduce—was back in their aquamarine depths. "So let's go!" she called out. "SPEED DUEL!"
Several things happened at once just then: as Blue Angel was propelled away from the city-cloud, her Duel Disk had blipped to life. A tiny screen had been projected over its flower-shaped surface, displaying a Life Point counter of 4000, and the digital surfaces of the four cards that formed her opening hand. A teal ring of data briefly cycled along its length, with three ridges that separated the Graveyard from the Main Deck and Extra Deck, before winking out of existence.
But none of this mattered to Blue Angel; her eyes were entirely on Rei. For before the Charisma Duelist could stop her, Rei—her own Duel Disk glimmering with a scarlet ring and a similar display of cards—had leapt off the ledge … and physically dived into the data stream.
Yet even as Blue Angel felt her heart leap into her mouth, Rei broke the surface of the current mere seconds later—and somehow looking none the worse for wear. An instant later, she knew why: a sheen of blues and greens had enveloped Rei's body from top to bottom, concentrating around her feet before bearing her upward like a cork on whitewater. Nor did it stop there: some of those blues and greens were now spreading from her shoulders, extending outwards some four or five feet before streamlining into bladelike shapes of white—
Wings?!
Blue Angel had to close her eyes, then open them again, just to make sure she wasn't seeing things. But no: somehow, Rei had found out a way to alter her avatar so that it didn't need a D-Board to participate in a Speed Duel—rather, it could either skate on the data currents instead, or just hover above them completely!
That's … very inventive, she thought to herself, impressed beyond her will. She must have lucked out with the passcode she was able to get. It might do for me to have a look at its capabilities myself one day.
For now: "I've taken the lead—so I'll take the first turn!" Blue Angel cried, steering her D-Board into the first corner of the course. Rei followed behind—slowly but surely gaining on her.
A quick look at her opening hand provided Blue Angel a perfect place to start. "First—the Field Spell: Trickstar Light Stage!" She threw out a hand, brushing against one of the cards that hovered in front of her as she did so. Thus activated, it disappeared from her hand; moments later, multicolored lights began to bathe the sky from above, as if a dozen aurorae had suddenly emerged from the heavens to shine down upon the ensuing Duel.
"Light Stage's first effect!" continued Blue Angel. "When it's activated, I can add a Trickstar monster from my Deck to my hand!" She held her right hand flat against her Duel Disk, waiting for the green ring from before to eject the card she wanted. Within moments, that was exactly what happened. "I'll add Trickstar Candina—then Normal Summon it in Attack Position!"
She slid the digital card back along that ring, where it disappeared into cyber-fragments—but just as quickly, a vivid blue hexagon had erupted directly behind her, churning with untold amounts of data. From this portal emerged a blonde-haired young woman in an orange-yellow dress with enough frills to match Blue Angel's own outfit, brandishing a megaphone and striking a classic idol pose (Level 4: ATK 1800/DEF 800).
"Trickstar Candina's effect!" the Charisma Duelist went on. "When it's Normal Summoned, I can add a Trickstar card from my Deck to my hand!" Again she laid her fingers flush with the Duel Disk—again, a card was spat out from her Deck slot and into her waiting hand.
But not for long—because: "I add Trickstar Lilybell—and then, because I added this cutie to my hand instead of drawing it, I'll use its effect to Special Summon it—this time in Defense Position!"
"Cutie", indeed, was a good way to describe this second monster, she thought as a second six-sided shape bloomed behind and to her right; moments later, it faded to reveal a little girl wielding a gigantic bell as though it was a war hammer (Level 2: ATK 800/DEF 2000). Enormous pink pigtails—almost the size of the girl they belonged to—trailed behind Lilybell as she settled into a protective stance beside Candina.
"It only gets better from here!" The currents had taken them onto a straightaway by now, and Blue Angel took advantage of the moment to strike a pose for Rei, still hovering behind her on those intriguing wings of hers—though she was gradually picking up steam.
She winked at the girl. "Because now, I'll activate Trickstar Lycorissica's effect from my hand!" Blue Angel cried, triggering a third card above her Duel Disk. "I can Special Summon it by targeting another Trickstar I control, and returning that back to my hand! So I'll return my Candina to bring out Lycorissica!"
This time, the portal that rippled into being behind her was more to Blue Angel's left, as was the monster that flew out of it: tall and slender, with a black-and-red dress that clashed magnificently with her long burgundy hair. A razor-sharp blade, wholly at odds with the girl that wielded it, sliced through the air with the grace that only came with years of skill (Level 3: ATK 1600/DEF 1200).
At the same time, Candina had shimmered into a glowing ball of data, shrinking away to nothing; moments later, yet another card had appeared over Blue Angel's Duel Disk.
It was one of the Charisma Duelist's most popular combinations—not unlike the one, she recalled, used to open up her Duel against Playmaker. But Blue Angel had learned some tricks since then—some of which still had yet to be revealed to the general public.
She could wait for that day, though; this wasn't the time for her to show off, she thought, staring intently at Rei. But at the same time, she also needed to let this girl know she wasn't about to be a pushover and make this easy.
And so, as they began to enter another long, winding corner on the track, she acted:
"Come out—the circuit of dreams and hope! Arrowheads confirmed!"
Blue Angel threw her hand skywards at the last word; lightning erupted from her fingertips, creating a fountain of energy that surged into the air. A short distance above her, that lightning converged onto a single point—
"The summoning condition is one Level 2 or lower Trickstar monster," Blue Angel said, watching intently at Rei—she could see the girl's green eyes widen, knowing full well what was about to happen. "I set Trickstar Lilybell in the Link Markers!"
The lightning that had been festering above her now bloomed into an explosion of light, revealing yet another portal, though one different from the others thus far: circular rather than hexagonal, and lined with precisely eight triangles. The young Lilybell was presently soaring towards the bottom-most such triangle, lost to sight in the time it took to blink—the triangle suddenly began to glow a vivid red as she finally disappeared—
"Link Summon!" cried the Charisma Duelist. "Appear! Link-1: Trickstar Bloom!"
The portal above her now turned inside out, transforming itself into the petals of some gigantic flower. A new monster was emerging within: small and dressed in green, with brown hair tied back in pigtails as thick as sea ropes. Bloom took just enough time to tip a cutesy wink in Rei's direction, before perching itself in front and to the right of Blue Angel, on the same cutting of flower from which it had arrived (ATK 1500: LINK–1, BM).
Blue Angel frowned at this, then rolled her eyes; it looked as though the interface on her Duel Disk was failing to display the visual cues of the Link Arrows again, having reverted them to simple abbreviated text instead. This had been a persistent, if minor, bug throughout her Dueling career in LINK VRAINS; it certainly had no bearing on how tonight's Duel would play out, but there wasn't a lot she could do to fix it, either—which just made it that much more annoying. She made a mental note to talk to Akira about it when she woke up tomorrow.
So—where was I? "Trickstar Bloom's effect activates when it's Link Summoned," the Charisma Duelist explained, "and lets you draw a card! But don't go thinking of that as one more freebie, Rei," she winked, smirking slightly as she watched the girl raise her hand to her Duel Disk, where it ejected a card from nowhere into her waiting fingers. "I already said I wouldn't be handing those out all day—not even to you.
"And that's because of Trickstar Lycorissica's second effect!" she cried. "Each time you add a card to your hand—no matter how many, when or why—you take 200 damage for each added card!"
Lycorissica spun its sword through the air, faster and faster until it sparked with golden energy. Then, all of a sudden, it flicked out with the tip of its blade, sending that energy right for Rei. The blast that followed was far from painful—the safety systems inside LINK VRAINS saw to that—but it was still enough to make the girl wobble in her flight path, sending her mere inches away from one of the crystal markers bordering the currents before she was able to recover—and sending her Life Points to 3800 as well.
"Trickstar Light Stage's second effect!" Blue Angel went on. "Each time a Trickstar monster inflicts damage—again, no matter how, when, or why—you take 200 more damage after that!"
The aurora of lights above them intensified, their brilliance focused for only a moment into a single burst of green light. The beam passed through Rei with all the blowback of a sudden gust of wind, causing her to wobble erratically in her flight again. This time, however, the girl recovered slightly more quickly; there was a whole foot to spare between her and the off-course markers.
She's getting the hang of it. Blue Angel nodded approvingly at this—and at Rei's LP gauge, now reading 3600—before she acted again. "Then, because you took effect damage," she called out, tapping another card in her digital hand, "my Trickstar Narkiss can Special Summon itself from my hand! Come on out!"
And yet another hexagon flared directly behind her. The monster that appeared had blonde hair similar to Candina, though in a different style, while her dress was green-and-black rather than bright citrus throughout. From somewhere behind this garment, Narkiss now produced a flower-like gun, aiming it squarely at Rei as she finally drifted onto the field (Level 4: ATK 1000/DEF 1800).
"Now for the star of the show!" Oh, this never gets old. "This time, the Summoning conditions are not one, but two Trickstar monsters! I set my Trickstar Bloom and my Trickstar Narkiss in the Link Markers!"
As Blue Angel rounded the curve, she saw the long straightaway of data ahead—and the new circular portal that had just opened up in front of them. Grinning, she lunged forward on her D-Board, accelerating to breakneck speed; then, with a sweep of her arms, Bloom and Narkiss soared ahead of her, flying heedlessly inside—
"Shine! The circuit of courage and determination!
"Arrowheads confirmed—Link Summon!" chanted Blue Angel. "Appear! Link-2: Trickstar Holly Angel!"
The data tunnel consumed Bloom and Narkiss, and herself soon after—but just as quickly, Blue Angel was through, and with company: a second Link Monster had materialized where Bloom had been floating just a second ago, just ahead of Lycorissica. A ponytail of long blonde hair whipped behind her, an equally long dress, shining with many shades of blue, trailed on either side—while a sinuous, thorny flail coiled round her arm, lashing at thin air as if it were alive (ATK 2000/LINK–2, BL-BR).
The sight of her iconic Link Monster always brought joy to Blue Angel, and everyone else who watched her Dueling streams. She turned back just long enough to glance at her opponent—still floating on those data-wings of hers—and knew instantly that Rei was no exception. Even from this distance, Blue Angel could see that the look on her face, as she watched Holly Angel perform a few lazy aerials in the air, was nothing short of sheer, giddy awe.
I love this job. There was no need to show off any further now that her ace monster was on the field, so: "I end my turn with that," she said, winking at Rei and showing off another majokko pose on her D-Board.
"Give it your all for me, Rei!" she called out encouragingly. "Show me what you can do!"
They flitted through a chicane—left, then right. As Rei had been doing her all to accelerate up to where she could keep in step with Blue Angel, she needed a moment to slow down and concentrate on not only the path ahead, but whatever strategy she'd cooked up to answer her own.
Then they were through, veering onto another straightaway. Finally, with a deep breath, Rei acted. " … Draw."
She flicked her hand, producing a card from nowhere. Blue Angel remembered her Bloom's effect—how this had now given Rei the same size of opening hand as a Master Duel.
She also remembered her Lycorissica's effect—moments before the young woman began twirling her sword again. "Lycorissica's effect can apply itself even during your Draw Phase," she reminded Rei, watching more golden lightning flash along the blade, "and inflicts 200 damage for every card you add to your hand!"
The sword flicked out again. Rei winced as if stung; Lycorissica's effect had struck her right in the leg, sending her LP further down to 3400—"which then activates my Light Stage's effect," Blue Angel added, "and inflicts 200 more damage to you!"
Another beam of green energy raced from the lights in the sky above, washing over Rei and sending her LP to 3200—but Blue Angel knew that wasn't all. "And Lycorissica's effect also triggers my Holly Angel's effect!" she cried, gesturing to her ace monster. "Each time a Trickstar monster inflicts damage to you—doesn't matter how, doesn't matter why—it gains that much more ATK!"
Sure enough, those thorns lining the flail in Holly Angel's hand looked that much longer—and that much sharper; Rei's teal eyes were seen to flit between those and the monster's point gauge, now updated to 2200.
Now Rei's lips were moving; Blue Angel needed to fiddle with her volume settings briefly so she could make out what she might be saying.
" … Okay, Rei," the girl was saying to herself. "Remember what she said … charisma … presentation … give it your all … then show her what you can do!"
A smiling Blue Angel needed no change in volume for that last part. Here we go … she thought, quivering with anticipation—
"Declaring emergency code zero-zero-zero!" Rei yelled, swiping a card from her digital hand. "Mobilize! Sword Arts Spell: Flash Sword Startup – Engage!"
Blue Angel drew back, perplexed. "Sword Arts Spell?" she repeated, more to herself than anyone else. She consulted the Duel history function on her Duel Disk, which confounded her even more: this Sword Arts Spell was just a regular Spell Card. So why the distinction?!
Then she looked back at Rei—and gasped.
A heavy-looking katana had appeared in front of Rei: black glass, thrumming with red energy, and grasped in her hands with the steadiness of a practiced swordsman—steadiness that she wouldn't have thought possible from the nervous, awkward girl up until now.
But what was even more shocking was the fact that this sword was physically changing Rei's avatar—the obsidian material that composed it was spreading over her body as though it was molten, disintegrating her skirt, morphing it into a form-fitting black bodysuit. Dark red energy now became bright green, crisscrossing this new outfit with a dozen glowing lines. Plates of gleaming white armor knit themselves together from apparently thin air, covering Rei's legs, waist and arms in the time it took to draw breath—
"I can activate this card if there are no monsters in my Main Monster Zones," Rei told her, even as her unexpected transformation continued, enveloping her head, "and add another Flash Sword card from my Deck to my hand!"
Blue Angel had recovered from her confusion enough to register this card's effect. "That triggers my Lycorissica's effect!" she shot back, "and that triggers the effects of both my Light Stage and my Holly Angel!"
Yellow and green energy flashed from every direction; by the time the light had faded, Rei's LP now rested at 2800—with Holly Angel's ATK now at 2400—but Blue Angel saw how progressively less Rei was reacting to the visual and physiological effects of her strategy. Before long, they wouldn't even faze her.
"Engage tactical overlay!" cried Rei, activating a second card, then flipping a switch on a white headset that hadn't been there before. "Sword Arts Field Spell: Flash Sword Airspace – Area Zero!"
Her teal eyes now danced with multicolored lights: Blue Angel was just close enough to make out the futuristic-looking map of grids, arcs, and symbols that had materialized right in front of Rei's face: a heads-up display, and as seamlessly integrated a one as the Charisma Duelist had ever seen.
And Rei wasn't done. "Commence insertion procedure! Sword Arts Continuous Spell: Flash Sword Engine – Multirole!" She thrust her sword high at this last, drawing it through the air in a wide circle—and Blue Angel gawked at the massive, mechanical hexagon that began assembling behind Rei as if from nowhere, its surface glowing with an ice-blue light that reminded her uncannily of a monster portal.
By now, Blue Angel was beginning to recover from Rei's strategy so far; it looked as though she'd taken her advice on charisma and presentation more deeply to heart than she'd let on. Rei, for whatever reason, had elected to make every card she played sound like some sort of systems check—which Blue Angel had never heard any Duelist do, Charisma or otherwise. The thought of every single card this girl was going to play having its own mini-chant was interesting … if terribly long-winded; only the strangeness of this girl's cards was what kept Blue Angel attentive.
Meanwhile: "Now I'll Set one card," Rei was saying, watching a giant face-down card flicker and fade before her in the span of a single moment, "and then activate my Multirole's effect! By targeting another card I control, and sending it to the Graveyard, I can prevent you from responding to any Spell Cards I activate this turn!"
Blue Angel drew back. So I can't activate any cards or effects when she plays a Spell?! It was both good news and bad news; the damage-dealing effects of her Trickstars were continuous effects, which meant Lycorissica could still deal damage via its effect—and maybe that I should have left Candina on the field, she thought; its own damaging effect would have seen much greater use here.
"I target and destroy my Area Zero!" cried Rei, whipping a hand across her face to dispel the telemetry in front of it, "and then activate my Area Zero's effect! If a card effect sends it from the Field Zone to my Graveyard, I can Special Summon a Flash Sword Princess monster from my Deck!"
The glint in her aquamarine eyes was beginning to reach the level of freshly sharpened steel. "So I'll Summon Flash Sword Princess – Raye in Attack Position!"
Behind her, the giant six-sided machine flashed from within, projecting a number of beams onto her avatar. Data was shimmering along her limbs, traveling across her torso, then up to her brain—but there was no sign of whatever this Flash Sword Princess monster was.
Mystified, Blue Angel checked her Duel Disk, wondering if perhaps the Summon had been illegal for whatever reason, and was therefore canceled. But a quick look at the Duel history showed no illicit moves—indeed, there was even an orange graphic for a monster card in Rei's middle Monster Zone, directly in front of her.
Yet a second look back at Rei revealed nothing at all, even though a point gauge (Level 4: ATK 1500/DEF 1500) was fading away from right above her. The Charisma Duelist turned round in a full circle on her D-Board, scanning the course and the digital skies beyond, searching for any sign of a Duel Monster—
—before promptly whirling back around as it hit her: that gauge she'd seen had appeared right above Rei for a very good reason. The girl hadn't simply Summoned a Duel Monster—she'd turned into a Duel Monster!
At once amazed and bewildered, the Charisma Duelist could do nothing but feel her jaw flap in the wind, slack as could be. "Rei—how in the world did you do that?!" she demanded, completely out of character—and with good reason: she had never, not in all the time she'd been streaming as Blue Angel, seen any Duelist literally become their Duel Monster before!
"Raye's a very special monster in my Deck," Rei answered her back. "I made her when I was six. I'd draw her all the time after that, saving the world from evil aliens, computer viruses … pretending it was me the whole time … "
She sighed, her teal eyes wistful. "My babysitter was part-time with SOLTech back then. One day, she saw my drawings, and she loved them so much that she took one to work with her. She was able to turn it into an actual Duel Monster … based on the girl she loved to play with more than anyone else."
"Aw—that's so sweet!" Blue Angel crooned; the heartwarming story had almost made her forget her surprise at what Rei's Deck could do—almost. "I wish I could see your drawings!"
Rei's face fell—or was it Raye's? Blue Angel thought; the similarity in their names was enough that she was starting to wonder if she'd been misspelling it in her brain this whole time. "I … don't have them anymore," she said sadly. "They got misplaced when we moved recently. I don't think I'll ever see them again."
Then she smiled. "But that's okay. My babysitter made me realize something more important: that Duel Monsters could help me to be whoever I wanted. I learned how to play the game because of her—and even if I didn't have the Deck or the courage to be any good at it, I knew that as long as I had Raye with me, I could still make my dreams come to life like she did, no matter how sad I felt, or how big the odds I faced!
"Which is why," she continued, "I'm going to show you just what this one monster can do!"
Blue Angel, who had been feeling a bigger and bigger swell of pride in this girl with every word she spoke, felt that upwelling of emotion suddenly freeze in its tracks as her eyes widened. She's going to—?!
"Link Flight Control: Code Green!" Rei started chanting. "Clear for insertion, go for launch! Arrowheads confirmed!"
The immense machine of Multirole, still floating behind her, now appeared to be gaining on Rei—or was it that she was simply slowing down—?
"The Summoning conditions are one non-WIND Flash Sword Princess monster!" Rei called out, fists clenched and data-wings stretched to their fullest as Multirole filled the sky behind her. "So I set my DARK-Attribute Raye in the Link Markers!"
Data was beginning to stream from Multirole again, more than ever before—limbs, waist, torso, and finally her head were engulfed in the miniature sea of digital information, compressing itself along her body—
"Link Summon! Deploy Sword Arts, Tactical Mode: X-ray-zero-zero-four! Callsign: Flash Sword Princess – Hayate!"
The data that had clumped around Rei suddenly dispelled, revealing a sight more unbelievable than any Blue Angel had seen in this Duel so far—and that was saying something.
Rei was still there in front of her—but the digital outfit her avatar had been encased in was wholly different from the white-and-black bodysuit from before, and much bigger to boot. Dark green armor, lined with more black, white, and gold, covered her body from the neck down. The wings she'd been using to fly through the Duel course were nowhere to be seen, replaced by gigantic jets on her back, and smaller thrusters on her streamlined boots. One armored gauntlet carried a heavy green shield; the other, an immense, bright green claymore that pulsed with lightning (ATK 1500/LINK–1, BL).
Blue Angel never would have dreamed she'd find herself in a Duel like this. All trace of her bubbly attitude had vanished, washed away as if by the very data current they were surfing right now—replaced by some insane desire to see more of … whatever it was this hitherto unknown, self-described "nobody" was doing.
"I mean this from the heart, Rei," she said, trying her best to keep a level tone—and epically failing. "That is the coolest thing I've ever seen—it's like you're not only cosplaying as your Duel Monsters, but acting the part as well! How are you doing all this with just a simple one-time passcode?!"
"It isn't the passcode that's doing it," Rei replied, sheathing the giant blade of Hayate so as to give herself a free hand. "Whoever designed my cards put an .obj file in each of them—so whenever I play one, it generates a code object that behaves like it, too. I found that out the first time I entered LINK VRAINS with one of my friends, and we tried to have a Duel. I … got so shocked by what happened that I, um … logged out before I could play another card," she added, blushing furiously. "I got teased for weeks after that."
"So—wait, you mean that you can turn every card in your Deck into a weapon?" Blue Angel asked. "Or a suit of armor that you can actually wear?"
"Just in LINK VRAINS," shrugged Rei. "I don't really know how to explain it; it's better if I just show you—like right now!"
As she flicked another card with her free hand, she replaced her shield on her back. Then—"Option Sierra-zero-two-eight, deploy!" she howled. "Sword Arts Quick-Play Spell: Flash Sword Mecha – Shark Cannon!"
She brought her armored hands together, generating a cluster of data that swirled outward from her hands, expanding into a giant pincer-like weapon, almost as long as Rei was tall, that pulsed with golden light.
"Like many of my Flash Sword cards, Shark Cannon can only be activated if I control no monsters in my Main Monster Zones," explained Rei. "And when I activate this one, I can target a monster in my opponent's Graveyard and banish it—like Trickstar Lilybell!"
Blue Angel swerved just in time; the twin bursts of energy that radiated from the claw-cannon Rei had created would have caught her in the chest—and probably sent her off course as well—if she hadn't avoided it otherwise. But the damage was done; the blast had nicked her Duel Disk to the point that when she inspected the device, she noticed a distinct lack of Lilybell in her Graveyard Zone.
Well, shoot. Besides Holly Angel, Lilybell was one of her favorite monsters to use because it was so versatile—it could be Special Summoned from just about anywhere she wanted as long as she used a card to add it to the hand first. She had ways to bring back banished cards, of course—but there was no guarantee that she'd be able to use them, either.
So I'm minus one of the best monsters in my Deck until then. No big deal, she thought wryly. At least Lycorissica was still on her field; the damage her effect had done to Rei at this point in the Duel had already ensured she'd paid for herself.
That was when Rei yelled, "X-ray-zero-zero-four—Special Option Activate! Sword Arts Spell: Flash Sword Maneuver – Vectored Blast!"
Blue Angel turned back just in time to see Rei activate yet another Spell from her hand—how many more of these are in her Deck?! she wondered—before unhooking Hayate's shield from where she'd placed it prior.
"When I activate this card," Rei told her, "we both send the top two cards of our Deck to the Graveyard!" She placed a free hand over her Deck Zone slot, sliding out a pair of cards, before placing them in the adjacent Graveyard Zone. Blue Angel mirrored her, feeling a slight thud in her stomach once she saw the cards Rei's card had milled—although one of them might be useful later on, she thought.
"My Flash Sword cards also have an additional effect that I can activate, if I have at least three Spells in my Graveyard!" Rei went on. "Vectored Blast's additional effect can shuffle every monster you control in an Extra Monster Zone right back into the Deck!"
What?! Blue Angel's jaw fell open once more. She can get rid of Holly Angel that easily?!
Rei, meanwhile, had unsheathed Hayate's sword as well as her shield, both of which were not only sparking with yet more green lightning, but changing shape as well. The enormous blade was splitting down the middle, and elongating to nearly half its length again—nearly half as long again as Rei was tall. Rei now placed the hilt in her shield, which was unfurling like a flower in bloom—
The Charisma Duelist failed to suppress a gulp. … Oh boy.
"Ready?" Rei called out. "Aim … FIRE!"
And oh, did it fire, thought a wild-eyed Blue Angel: Hayate's sword-turned-orbital bombardier let fly with a gigantic wave of lightning and sound that consumed the field in an instant. She instinctively shielded her eyes and ears so as to prevent herself from going blind or deaf, refusing to lower her elbow until she knew for sure that the stars in her vision were simply that, and not some aftereffect or onset of a seizure.
When she was finally convinced that wouldn't be the case any longer, she gazed at the field—and failed to keep her jaw from dropping. Holly Angel, her pride and joy, was simply gone. Even though Blue Angel knew full well that she could bring it back—and she intended to do just that next turn—the visual display that had caused its removal in the first place had been an aweing experience indeed.
"Whoa … " she could only say.
"I thought you'd like it." Rei laughed as she balanced Hayate's huge weapon across the jetpack on her shoulders—a breathless laugh one often lets out when they decide something they either didn't want to do, or were afraid to do, ended up being so darned fun that words could do no justice. "That Bloom you Link Summoned added Vectored Blast to my hand with its effect. The moment I saw it, I knew I had to prove myself to you with it."
"I won't say you did." Blue Angel smirked back at her. "Not yet, anyway," she added with a wink.
"Then I guess I'll just have to do better!" shouted Rei, tapping another holographic card with her free hand. "Option Sierra-zero-six-one: Deploy! Sword Arts Quick-Play Spell: Flash Sword Mecha – Widow Anchor!"
Another Quick-Play Spell?! Blue Angel was beginning to wonder if—besides that Raye she'd seen earlier—this Deck she was Dueling against was anything but Spells at this point.
"When I activate this card," Rei said to her, "I can target an opponent's monster and negate its effects for the rest of the turn! And since there's only one other monster on your field now that your Holly Angel's gone … "
Blue Angel realized it too, and had already whirled upon Lycorissica—but even then it was too late: a stream of data had spooled out from Rei's right wrist, its tip solidifying into a three-pointed mechanical claw. The black cable it was attached to now winched up into Rei's hand—before firing it right at the Trickstar.
Her aim was true, and the effect was immediate; Lycorissica could only manage a muffled squeal of shock owing to the claw that covered her mouth. Several smaller cables now slithered out from compartments within the claw, writhing like worms along each prong; Blue Angel couldn't repress a shudder.
"My Widow Anchor has an additional effect if I have three or more Spells in my Graveyard," Rei continued, "which lets me take control of the monster whose effects I negated, until the end of the turn!"
She made a fist—ignoring Blue Angel's look of total shock; more green lightning sliced along the length of the cable, into the claw that trapped Lycorissica. Unable to scream, the monster could only shudder violently where she floated—before going eerily still a few moments later, slowly turning towards Blue Angel with the jerkiness of a puppet controlled by an amateur—
Lightning continued to snake from the Widow Anchor—as well as Lycorissica's sword—and it was this latter sight that made Blue Angel feel that she was in very deep trouble right about now.
This is going to hurt.
"Now—Battle Phase!" cried Rei. "Trickstar Lycorissica—attack Blue Angel directly!"
Lycorissica swung its sparking sword right as Blue Angel veered towards the extreme edge of the Duel course. She narrowly avoided clipping a yellow pylon—but ensured that her monster's blade missed carving into her own neck by about a foot. There was no avoiding the energy that continued to snap and sizzle along said blade, however, and Blue Angel felt the shocks numbing her skin bit by bit as her Life Points tumbled to 2400.
Worse still, all her maneuver had done was put her in the path of Rei's other monster. Even though it was slightly weaker than her own Lycorissica, the immense gun-blade of Hayate that Rei was currently hefting in her arms made her look no less intimidating for it. Blue Angel didn't want to think about what a weapon like that could do to a digital avatar, let alone cyberspace itself—but she knew she was about to find out firsthand.
"Flash Sword Princess – Hayate—attack Blue Angel directly!" A targeting reticule unfolded along Rei's right eye as she gave the command. "Ready … aim … FIRE!"
For the second time in as many minutes, the immediate vicinity quaked with thunder and lightning; the blast that Hayate's gun had fired could have perforated a battleship with the ease of a needle through cloth. So gigantic was the oncoming wave of energy that Blue Angel knew she had no chance of avoiding even a glancing blow—all she could do was brace herself, hunkering down on her D-Board as she watched it roar towards her—
WHAM.
The Charisma Duelist wasn't too sure of what happened next. There were only vague memories of her feet leaving the D-Board, the D-Board itself vanishing out of existence as its rider was catapulted out of the Duel course, passing between a pair of golden crystals so quickly they appeared blurred in her eyes—
—and then a strange tingling sensation, like every cell of her body was vibrating so violently it would all shake to pieces. A second later, she realized that was exactly what was happening; data was seeping into every pore in her digital body, enveloping her, silencing her cries of pain and surprise as the sea of information closed upon her—
Then the tingling stopped, as quickly as it had come—but by then, Blue Angel had already become one with LINK VRAINS itself …
A/N: The more I write this Duel, the more I feel like I'm slowly turning this fanfic into a crossover with Immortal Grand Prix. And I'm not saying I'm patenting the idea of playing card games in powered armor while running on racetracks—but if the series after VRAINS involves powered armor and racetracks …
(ahem) Anyway. Bottom line, the Sky Striker archetype has been one of the most flat-out fun Decks I've put to paper ever since the Shaddolls rekindled my interest in the game way back during ARC-V. I honestly can't wait for the whole thing to release.
The next chapter should close things out. We'll see if an epilogue is needed after. Thanks for reading! – K