Chapter 12: Growth from Combat

Ace Mach raced ahead of Blue Angel along the track.

"I'm going first!" Blue Angel declared.

"What!? I'm in front of you!" Ace Mach moaned.

"Like I care!" She rebutted as she checked her hand.

"Bitch..." Ace Mach whined.

"I Normal Summon Trickstar Candina." Her staple Main Deck monster appeared with a cheer and 1800 ATK. "When Candina is Normal Summoned, I can add a Trickstar card from my Deck to my hand. I choose Trickstar Lilybell, and since she was added to my hand instead of being drawn, I Special Summon her!" The bell wielding pop idol appeared.

"Two monsters already...getting right into it I see, Blue Angel! I like it!" He laughed.

"You're problem is you rush too much." She scowled. "I activate my Field Spell, Trickstar Light Arena." A vision of a giant rainbow stage filled with spotlights appeared behind her before fading away.

"Come out! The circuit of dreams and hope!" The Link Square appeared ahead of both her and Ace Mach. "The summoning conditions are 2 Trickstar monsters! I set Trickstar Candina and Lilybell in the Link Markers!" As the two Duelists sped past it, the two monsters shot into the Link Square.

"Link Summon! Appear, Link 2! Trickstar Holly Angel!" He staple Link Monster appeared on the field. "My Field Spell, Trickstar Light Arena's first effect activates! When I Link Summon a Trickstar, I can Special Summon a Trickstar used as material for its Summon from my Graveyard! Revive, Trickstar Candina!" The yellow fairy reappeared on Holly Angel's Link. "Holly Angel's effect! When a Trickstar is Summoned next to its Link, you take 200 damage!" The monster shone a light from its hands that damaged the opponent.

Ace Mach's LP: 3800

"And when you take damage from a Trickstar's effect, Holly Angel gains the same amount of attack! Holly Blessing!" The Link's ATK rose to 2200. "Now, by returning Candina to my hand, I Special Summon Trickstar Lycoris!" The yellow fairy was replaced by a red one in DEF Position. "I set a card and end my turn, so Holly Angel's attack returns to normal." She finished.

"That pricking of yours really ticks me off. How you became Number 2 with a bitchy way of Dueling like that is a mystery to me." Ace Mach shrugged.

"Don't insult my Dueling!" Blue Angel yelled.

"Oh? Did I strike a nerve?" He chuckled. "How cute."

'He's deliberately trying to rile me up.' Aoi thought. 'Challenging me like this, this supposed grudge he has...he must know how I Duel. Does he have a counter for it? I've never seen him Duel before.'

"My turn!" He drew.

"When you add a card to your hand, Lycoris' effect inflicts 200 damage!" The monster shot a golden needle from her sword that hit him in the back.

Ace Mach's LP: 3600

"Holly Blessing!" Her Link's power rose to 2200.

"Annoying and nothing more." He grumbled. "Time to start my victory plan! I activate my Skill! Summon Rush!" The green arrows on his suit glowed.

"Using your Skill already?" Blue Angel asked.

"If I control no monsters, I can Special Summon a monster with 2000 or less attack from my Deck!" He grinned. "The one I choose is...F.A. Turbo Charger!" A giant futuristic buggy with 0 ATK appeared.

"A Level 6 with 0 attack?" Blue Angel wondered aloud.

"My F.A. monsters gain 300 attack for each of their Levels!" Ace Mach declared. "Turbo Charger is Level 6! So it's attack is 1800!" The monsters power rose.

"Even so, that's not enough to defeat Holly Angel!" Blue Angel declared.

"Don't be confident. I Normal Summon F.A. Sonic Meister!" A smaller, silver racecar version of Turbo Charger appeared, its ATK becoming 1200 since it was Level 4. "From here on, I can finally go all out! I activate my Field Spell, F.A. Circuit Grand Prix!" A vision of an elaborate futuristic racing circuit appeared in front of him before it faded away. "During the Battle Phase, my F.A. monsters gain 2 Levels!"

"Increasing their attack..." Blue Angel figured out.

"And! Whenever I activate an F.A. Spell, Trap or effect of either type, the Levels of my F.A.'s all increase by 1!" Turbo Charger became Level 7, making its ATK 2100, whilst Sonic Meister became Level 5, making its ATK 1500.

"Their attack will keep increasing." She realised.

"Now I activate the Spell, F.A. Downforce, to increase the Level of Sonic Meister by 2 until the End Phase! And since I activated another F.A. Spell, both of their Levels will increase by 1!" The Levels of both monsters became 8, making their ATK's become 2400.

"I set 2 cards! Battle! F.A Sonic Meister will attack Trickstar Holly Angel! And since Turbo Charger is now Level 10, you can't activate monsters effects during the battle!" Sonic Meister drove and ran over the Link Monster. "And once per turn, when my F.A. monster destroys your monster by battle, due to F.A. Circuit Grand Prix's effect, I draw a card! And since my Field Spell's effect activated, my F.A.'s gain another Level!" Both monsters rose to Level 11 with 3300 ATK.

"But I can still activate my Field Spell's effect!" She countered. "Once per turn, when I would take damage from a battle involving a Trickstar monster, I gain Life Points instead!"

Blue Angel's LP: 4800

"But since Sonic Meister is Level 7 or higher, it can attack your monsters twice!" He declared. "Sonic Meister! Attack Trickstar Lycoris!" Once again, it ran over the fairy. "Now! F.A. Turbo Charger! Attack Blue Angel directly!" The giant monster thundered towards her.

"I activate my Trap! Trickstar Cascade!" She countered. "By returning Trickstar Light Arena to my hand, I negate your attack!" The giant truck halted in front of her.

"Tch, slowing down the pace..." He muttered. "I end my turn. F.A. Downforce's effect expires." Sonic Meister dropped to Level 7 with 2100 ATK.

'His monsters may be able to become more powerful...but that means nothing against my effect damage!" She thought. "My turn!"

"Hold it! I activate my two face down cards!" Ace Mach interrupted. "Vanity's Emptiness and Glass Barrier!" The two cards flipped up, the latter depicting a wall of shimmering glass bouncing off flames and lasers. "With Vanity's Emptiness, neither of us can Special Summon! And with Glass Barrier, I take no Effect Damage!"

"What!?" Blue Angel gasped.

Ace Mach laughed. "With this, I've sealed away your most important plays. So? What will you do now, Blue Angel?"

"I...I..." She stammered.

'Oh no...What CAN I do?'

VRAINS

Go Onizuka rode around on his D-Board in VRAINS Den, looking around.

'It's quiet...' He thought. 'Have the Knights of Hanoi begun to retreat? They've lost 2 of their 4 commanders now, and we've been taking them out at a steady pace...but still-" Suddenly, a large explosion sounded off in the distance, and Go looked just in time to see an entire building collapse. "What is that!?"

He sped over and landed in the town square next to a fountain. Looking around, the area was completely devastated with craters in the ground and smashed buildings.

"What in the world happened here?" Go wondered aloud, when suddenly he heard groaning, and gasped. "Taleweaver! Sweetie!"

He ran over to the other two Charisma Duelists, who were lying on the ground covered in injuries.

"What happened to you both!?" He gasped. "Did you lose a Duel? Do you need the Another cure?"

"N-No..." Sweetie wheezed.

"W-We didn't lose a Duel..." Taleweaver coughed. "Something...something just crashed through the wall...and beat the shit out of us...!"

"What!?" Go gasped.

"G-Go! Behind you!" Sweetie pointed, making the Number 1 spin around.

Standing behind him was a large, bulky robotic figure with a steel body having orange lines run through it, with an orange screen for a face that had two yellow dots for eyes.

"What is that thing?" Go asked.

"I am All/Nothing." The figure spoke. "I am here...to dispose of you Charisma Duelists."

"This thing took you down?" Go asked.

"Go...be careful...that thing has superhuman strength..." Taleweaver breathed.

"You...how dare you injure my friends like this!?" Go yelled. "Have you no honour!?"

"My mission was to incapacitate the Charisma Duelists, so that they would not interfere." All/Nothing said. "You are next." He suddenly charged at Go!

"You want to!? Come on then!" Go stood his ground.

All/Nothing crashed into Go at full speed, but Go grit his teeth and stood his ground, digging his heels in deep as he pushed back against the robot. With a mighty battle cry, he pushed the robot away.

"Wow!" Sweetie marvelled.

"I grew up wandering the streets, protecting the innocent from bullies and bandits like you!" Go declared. "Don't think you can toss me down so easily!"

"Interesting..." All/Nothing said. "Very interesting...this data...this feeling...I cannot discern it..." He straightened himself. "You! Go Onizuka! Duel me!" It activated a Duel Disk embedded into its left arm.

"Now you want to Duel?" Go asked skeptically.

"That impulse I had in my circuits just now...I must discern it!" He declared. "Running the diagnostics, the best option to determine this data...is through a Duel."

Go snorted. "Cowards like you don't deserve to Duel. But if that's how you want to fight me, I won't back down!" Go activated his own Duel Disk.

"DUEL!"

Go vs. All/Nothing LP: 4000

"I take the first turn." All/Nothing stated. "I Normal Summon Sea Scales Mermaid." The monster that appeared had shimmering sea blue scales arranged in a fin for its lower half, whilst its upper half was covered in a white gown with milky white skin, arms formed into sharp dorsal fins, and a face covered by a white drama mask, one half beeing missing so a clear blue eye could peer through, with flowing lime green hair tied into a ponytail forming behind it.

Sea Scales Mermaid, Level 4, Aqua, WATER, ATK: 0 DEF: 1900

"I...honestly did not expect him to use a monster like that." Sweetie admitted.

"More importantly, I've never heard of an archetype called Sea Scales." Go said.

"Appear! The circuit that leads to Cyberse!" The Link Square appeared overhead. "The summoning condition is 1 Sea Scales monster. I set Sea Scales Mermaid in the Link Marker!" The monster became a spinning blue twister that shot into the bottom arrow.

"Link Summon! Emerge, Link 1! Sea Scales Dragon!" The monster that appeared had the body structure and appearance of a legless blue dragon with shimmering blue scales. Its tail ended with a razor sharp crescent dorsal fin, and its black talons on its large hands were long and thin, leading up to its head, where white coral acted as two long horns next to its emerald green eyes and maw filled with pointed teeth. It's wings looked like giant fins with spiked edges and scales running along the backs of them as it roared ferociously.

Sea Scales Dragon, Link 1, Aqua, WATER, ATK: 1000, Link Arrows: Down

"I'd say that is more fitting." Taleweaver said.

"When Sea Scales Dragon is Link Summoned, I can Special Summon its Link Material from the Graveyard, under the condition that it is banished when it leaves the field, and I cannot Link Summon Link 2 or higher monsters this turn." All/Nothing explained. "Rise again, Sea Scales Mermaid." The female monster reappeared.

"Appear again! The circuit that leads to Cyberse!" The Square appeared once again. "The summoning condition is 1 Sea Scales monster. I set Sea Scales Mermaid in the Link Marker!" The monster once again became a twister, but shot into the top arrow this time.

"Link Summon! Emerge, Link 1! Sea Scales Leviathan!" The second Link monster was long and serpentine, with the same scales covering its eel-like body. It had green slitted eyes and a long crocodile jaw filled with teeth as two spiked, curving fins extended out of the sides of its head.

Sea Scales Leviathan, Link 1, Aqua, WATER, ATK: 1000, Link Arrows: Up

"Sea Scales Mermaid's effect activates when it is banished." He continued. "I target a Sea Scales monster I control, and that monsters effects cannot be negated. I choose Sea Scales Dragon." An aquatic mirage of the monster circled around the dragon.

"Now I activate the effect of Sea Scales Leviathan. Once per turn, I can banish any number of cards I control or in my hand to have the Sea Scales monster it points to gain 300 attack for each card banshed by its effect. I banish all four cards in my hand, so that Sea Scales Dragon gains 1200 attack." As his hand bvanished the dragon roared as its power rose to 2200.

"He banished his entire hand!?" Taleweaver gasped.

"Relying completely on the only two monsters on your field...I see that name of your isn't just for show." Go stated.

"You have yet to see the true power of my Sea Scales Deck." All/Nothing boasted. "Behold!"

Suddenly, a giant watery mirage of a sea-themed temple filled with aurora lights materialised behind him, as inside the temple a mirage of a purple treasure chest with gold trimmings and curved feet emerged on a pedestal, as several shining violet urchns floated around them with a single scale acting as an 'eye' for each of them.

"What's that?" Sweetie wondered.

"The effects of my Sea Scales cards are in effect whilst in my Banished Zone." He stated. "Whilst the Field Spell, Sea Scales Sanctuary, is banished, my Sea Scales monsters cannot be destroyed by card effects!"

"It's effect only works in the banished zone!?" Go gasped.

"Just what kind of Deck is this?" Taleweaver wondered.

"I activate the effect of the Spell, Sea Scales Urchins in my banished zone." He went on. "Once per turn, I can inflict 100 damage to my opponent for every Sea Scales card in my banished zone. There are currently four. Take 400 damage!" The violet urchins shot their needles at Go, making him hold his muscled arms up for protection.

Go's LP: 3600

"I end my turn." All/Nothing finished.

'An effect that activates in the banished zone...I've never seen a Deck like this before.' Go thought. 'However, I cannot flinch, otherwise I can't protect Sweetie and Taleweaver!'

"My turn!" He drew. "I Normal Summon Gouki Suprex!" A blue wrestler monster appeared. "When Gouki Suprex is Normal Summoned, I can Special Summon a Gouki monster from my hand! I choose Gouki Hugbear!" A bulky brown wrestler wearing a bearskin appeared with 2400 ATK. "When Hugbear is Special Summoned by the effect of a Gouki card, I can target a monster you control and make its attack become half of its original attack! I choose Sea Scales Dragon!" The monster grabbed the dragon and hugged it tightly, making its ATK drop to 500.

"Now by discarding Gouki Twistcobra, I can Special Summon Gouki Headbatt from my hand n defence position, and increase Gouki Suprex's attack by 800 until the End Phase!" As a small purple wrestler leapt onto the field, Suprex's ATK rose to 2600. "And I activate the Spell, Gouki Face Turn! By destroying Gouki Headbatt, I Special Summon Gouki Twistcobra from my Graveyard! And since Headbatt was sent from the field to the Graveyard, I add a Gouki card from my Deck to my hand!" As a green wrestler took over from the smaller purple one, Go added Gouki Octostretch to his hand.

"If he attacks with all of his monsters, or uses Twistcobra's effect and then attacks, Go will win!" Sweetie said. "And All/Nothing hasn't got a backrow!"

"...Is it really that easy?" Taleweaver couldn't help but wonder aloud.

"Battle! Gouki Hugbear will attack Sea Scales Dragon!" The monster roared as it leapt forward, claws at the ready.

"I activate my Trap in my banished zone, Sea Scales Shine." The card slid out, depicting Sea Scales Dragon giving off a brilliant crystal blue light reflecting off of the ocean. "By shuffling this banished card into my Deck, I negate your attack." Sea Scales Dragon shined its scales, forcing Hugbear to cover its eyes. "Then I reduce the attack of that monster you control to 0." The brown wrestlers attack fell to nothing.

"A Trap that activates in the banished zone!?" Sweetie cried.

"But I still have Gouki Suprex! Suprex will attack Sea Scales Dragon!" The blue monster ran forward.

"I activate the Quick Effect of Sea Scales Dragon." All/Nothing interrupted. "Once per turn, if this card is co-linked with a Sea Scales monster, I can target a monster my opponent controls and banish it until the End Phase! I target Gouki Suprex!" Dragon roared as a watery portal opened up before it that Suprex fell into.

"It stopped two of Go's attacks!" Taleweaver gasped.

"But the third one will go through!" He declared. "Gouki Twistcobra attacks Sea Scales Dragon!"

"Sea Scales Leviathan's second effect activates when a Sea Scales monster battles whilst Leviathan is co-linked with a Sea Scales monster." All/Nothing explained. "The opposing monster loses 1000 ATK until the end of the Damage Step." Leviathan roared, reducing Twistcobra's ATK to 600 before it destroyed Sea Scales Dragon.

All/Nothing's LP: 3900

"I can't believe Go only managed to do 100 damage..." Sweetie mumbled.

"Tch. I end my turn." Go said, as the watery portal appeared again and Suprex fell out of it.

"My turn." He stated. "At this moment, I activate the other effect of Sea Scales Sanctuary. Instead of conducting my normal Draw, I can instead add a Sea Scales card from my Deck to my hand. I choose to add Sea Scales Shine."

"He got that card back instantly!" Sweetie gasped.

"During the Standby Phase, I activate the effect of my banished Spell, Sea Scales Treasure." The purple box opened up, revealing scales in the shape of coins glittering. "By banishing a Sea Scales card in my hand, I draw 1 card." Sea Scales Shine vanished as he drew.

"Now he can use Shine again, and has a new card as well..." Go mumbled.

"I activate the effect of Sea Scales Leviathan to banish the card in my hand." His only card vanished.

"But now you have no monster to boost with Sea Scales Leviathan's effect." Go pointed out.

"But the card I just banished was the Spell, Sea Scales Statue." Suddenly, a watery image of a stone statue of Sea Scales Dragon appeared in the temple. "And whilst it is banished, once per turn, I can banish a Sea Scales monster from my field or Graveyard to Special Summon a Sea Scales Token. I banish Sea Scales Dragon in my Graveyard." The card vanished as a statue version of Sea Scales Dragon appeared next to Sea Scales Leviathan.

Sea Scales Token, Level 1, Aqua, WATER, ATK: 0 DEF: 0

"And Sea Scales Dragon's third effect! When it is banished, I can shuffle it into the Extra Deck." All/Nothing stated. "Appear! The circuit that leads to Cyberse!" The Link Square appeared again. "The summoning condition is 1 Sea Scales monster! I set Sea Scales Token in the Link Marker! Link Summon! Re-emerge! Link 1! Sea Scales Dragon!" His ace quickly returned to the Extra Monster Zone. "And now Leviathan gives it its boost once again. Now 5 cards have been banished by its effect, Dragon gains 1500 attack!" The monsters power rose to 2500.

"He brought it back instantly!" Taleweaver gasped.

"Now I activate the effect of Sea Scales Urchins again! There are now 5 banished Sea Scales cards. Take 500 damage!" The urhcins fired their needles again, hitting Go.

Go's LP: 3100

"Battle! Sea Scales Dragon will attack Gouki Hugbear!" The dragon began building up water in its jaws.

"I activate Twistcobra's Quick Effect to tribute Hugbear, and gain its attack!" Hugbear burst into sparkles as Twistcobra's ATK became 4000. "And Hugbear's second effect lets me add another Gouki card from my Deck to my hand!"

"That won't stop me. Sea Scales Dragon will attack Gouki Suprex, now Sea Scales Leviathan's Quick Effect activates! Once per turn, when a Sea Scales monster battles whilst Leviathan is co-linked with a Sea Scales monster, that monsters attack is reduced by 1000 until the end of the Damage Step!" Leviathan bound Suprex with its tail, reducing its ATK to 800. "Sea Scales Dragon! Torrent Stream!" The monster launched its of a twisting water blast that destroyed the wrestler.

"I activate Gouki Octostretch's effect in my hand! By discarding it, I halve the Battle Damage!" The monster appeared in front of Go and blocked the attack, reducing the damage.

Go's LP: 2250

"And Suprex's effect lets me add another Gouki card to my hand from my Deck." His hand count became 3.

"Now I activate Sea Scales Dragon's Quick Effect to target Twistcobra, and banish it!" Once again, the dragon created its rippling portal that Suprex was pulled into. "Sea Scales Leviathan will attack you directly!" The monster swung its serpentine body and smacked it into Go's body, making him fall to one knee.

Go's LP: 1250

"I end my turn." He finished as Twistcobra returned.

"What ferociousness!" Taleweaver commented.

"Go Onizuka...you cannot defeat me." All/Nothng stated.

"Are you being cocky?" Go enquired.

"It is fact." He stated. "I spent hours calculating the algorithms and formulas in Dueling in order to design this Deck. The field, the hand, the Graveyard, even the Deck, cards can always be affected in some way. However, the banished zone is untouchable. As long as my cards remain in the banished zone, they cannot be affected, and my strength continues to grow! That is the ultimatum of the Sea Scales, the perfect Deck that I designed."

"You designed that archetype yourself?" Go asked.

"Yes. But not in any standard way." He nodded. "The Sea Scales archetype...was born form the ultimate cradle of data and artificial intelligence...Cyberse!"

"Cyberse!?" Everyone gasped.

VRAINS

'What am I supposed to do?' Blue Angel thought desperately. 'He's sealed away both Special Summoning and Effect Damage! And if I can't Special Summon, his monsters will continue getting stronger, much stronger then mine! Is...is there nothing I can do?'

"Hey! Hurry up, 2!" Ace Mach yelled. "Unless you want to admit defeat now, so that I can take your title painlessly."

'There must be something I can do...something!' She thought. 'Think...!'

'Wait...I remember!' She thought. 'In Sholt's Duel against Naoki, he used his defensive cards for offensive tactics...Sholt's been growing a lot faster then I have, whilst I'm still worrying about doing the same thing over and over again...if he can do it, I can't let myself be afraid! If I can't Special Summon, and I can't inflict Effect Damage...then I'll be brave, and fight him head on!'

"I Normal Summon Trickstar Candina!" She cried, her staple appearing.

"Finally, you move! I was about to take a nap!" Ace Mach said. "Though I can't blame you. It's not like you can do anything at the minute anyway!"

"You're wrong! With Candina's effect, I add Trickstar Carobein to my hand!" She revealed the female white and lime fairy.

"No matter what monster you choose, it won't do you any good." He laughed.

"I activate the Spell, Trickstar Temptation!" She declared. "As I control a Trickstar monster, I target a monster you control with attack different to its original attack, and return it to the hand! I choose F.A. Turbo Charger!" The bulky car returned to his hand.

"My Turbo Charger!" He gasped.

"Battle! Trickstar Candina will attack F.A. Sonic Meister!" She declared.

"What!? But Sonic Meister has 2700 attack!" Ace Mach yelled.

"I activate the effect of Trickstar Carobein in my hand. By discarding her, Candina gains attack equal to her original attack until the end of the Damage Step!" Candina's attack doubled to 3600.

"Th-That's-!" Ace Mach cried.

"Go, Candina!" Candina shot golden soundwaves out of her speakerphone that destroyed Sonic Meister.

Ace Mach's LP: 2700

"Since a card was sent to your Graveyard, Vanity's Emptiness is destroyed!" Blue Angel declared as the card self-destructed. "I end my turn."

"Damn...to think you could do something like that...!" He hissed. "But I'm still out in front! My turn! I Normal Summon F.A. Whip Crosser!" A yellow and blue rider appeared as a Level 4 with 1200 ATK. "I activate F.A. Downforce's effect in the Graveyard! By banishing it, Whip Crosser gains 2 Levels until the End Phase! And since an F.A. Spells effect activated, my F.A.'s gain another Level!" Whip Crosser's Level rose to 7 and ATK to 2100.

"Battle! F.A. Whip Crosser will attack Trickstar Candina!" The monsters Level rose by another 2 to give it 2700 attack before it rammed into the fairy.

Blue Angel's LP: 3900

"Now F.A. Circuit Grand Prix's effect allows me to draw a card, and Whip Crosser's Level will rise." Whip Crosser's Level rose to 10 with 3000 ATK as he drew. "Now I activate the Quick Play Spell, F.A. Booster!" The card showed F.A. Hang On Mach shooting ahead of Sonic Meister and Whip Crosser with flames blazing behind it. "I increase Whip Crosser's Level by 1, and allow it to attack again!" Due to Whip Crosser's effect, its Level rose twice with 3600 ATK.

"Whip Crosser! Attack Blue Angel directly!" Flames burst out from behind the monster as it charged forward, and she gasped as it smashed directly into her D-Board, making her fall off and crash painfully into the ground.

Blue Angel's LP: 300

"Sh-Shit...!" She hissed with tears in her eyes as her avatar body was covered in red, glitching damages from the high velocity fall.

"At the end of the Battle Phase, the monster targeted by F.A. Booster loses 5 Levels. I end my turn." Ace Mach stated as a screen appeared in front of Blue Angel, showing his face. "Awww, what's the matter, 2? Crash? Welp, if anything is broken, feel free to concede."

"Shut up..." She slowly stood up, wiping away her tears as her avatar body healed itself. "I won't give up! No matter what!" As Ace Mach circled back around, she jumped on her D-Board so that they were neck and neck.

"There's no way you can beat me now. I have the Level 8 Whip Crosser whilst you only have Trickstar Light Arena in your hand." He boasted. "I win!"

"Not yet! Not whilst I can still Duel! My turn!" She drew. "I Normal Summon Trickstar Nightshade!" A cute little pinkette fairy appeared with 100 ATK.

"Come out! The circuit of dreams and hope!" The Link Square appeared above them. "The summoning condition is 1 Level 2 or lower Trickstar! I set Trickstar Nightshade in the Link Marker!" The fairy became a pink twister that shot into the arrow. "Link Summon! Appear, Link 1! Trickstar Bloom!" A fairy riding a blooming broomstick appeared with 100 ATK. "And when Nightshade is used for the Link Summon of a Trickstar, I Special Summon her back!" The fairy reappeared.

"Shine again! The circuit of dreams and hope!" The Link Square appeared again. "The summoning conditions are 2 Trickstar monsters! I set Trickstar Bloom and Trickstar Nightshade in the Link Markers!" The two monsters held hands and flew up into the light.

"Link Summon! Appear, Link 2! Trickstar Crimson Heart!" A buxom red fairy appeared wielding golden handcuffs with a flirtatious wink and 2000 ATK.

"A new Trickstar?" Ace Mach noted.

"I activate Trickstar Crimson Heart's effect!" Blue Angel declared. "By discarding Trickstar Light Arena, we both draw a card!"

"You're really grasping at straws now!" Ace Mach laughed as he drew. "Go then."

'This is my last chance.' She thought as she held the card. 'I can't be afraid...don't be afraid...I believe...I believe!'

"Draw!" She yelled as she drew the card, then peeked at it. "It came! I activate the Equip Spell, Trickstar Magicorolla! I Special Summon Trickstar Lilybell from my Graveyard and equip it with this card!" The pink pigtailed fairy reappeared wielding her bell.

"Battle! Due to Lilybell's effect, it can attack you directly!" The monster flew forward and hit him with her bell.

Ace Mach's LP: 1900

"Even so! I still have Whip Crosser with 2100 attack! Crimson Heart can't beat it!" Ace Mach yelled.

"When Trickstar Lilybell deals damage to my opponent, I can add a Trickstar monster in my Graveyard to my hand!" Blue Angel stated. "I choose Trickstar Carobein!"

"C-Carobein!?" Ace Mach cried.

"Trickstar Crimson Heart will attack F.A. Whip Crosser!" Blue Angel declared. "And by discarding Trickstar Carobein, she gains her original attack, 2000!" Crimson Heart's power doubled to 4000 as t smashed Whip Crosser to pieces with its golden handcuffs.

"N-No! This can't...I can't...aaaaaahhhhhh!" He screamed as he crashed into the wall.

Ace Mach's LP: 0

Blue Angel: WIN!

Blue Angel stopped and jumped off her D-Board, running over to the injured opponent. "Ace Mach!"

"Damnit...I lost...I LOST...!" He hissed.

"Tell me! Why are you doing this!?" She yelled forcefully.

"Shut up!" He shouted. "I don't care what it takes...I have to win...I have to be number 1...no matter what!"

Suddenly, the entire server glitched, and Blue Angel cried out as she was thrown back out into VRAINS Den.

"D-Did he kick me?" She hissed as she stood up and looked around, not seeing him. "Ace Mach...something is wrong with you."

VRAINS

"Your deck...was made in Cyberse? The place where the Ignis originated?" Sweetie asked.

"So...does that mean you're...?" Taleweaver asked.

"You can never understand Cyberse, or my goal." All/Nothing stated. "For now, I shall show you my power, and defeat you, Go Onizuka!"

"I have yet to show all of my power too!" Go declared. "My turn! I Normal Summon Gouki Suprex, and with its effect, I Special Summon Gouki Riscorpio from my hand!" The two Gouki monsters appeared on the field.

"Appear! My circuit!" The Link Square appeared in front of him. "The summoning conditions are 2 or more Gouki monster! I set Gouki Suprex, Twistcobra and Riscorpio in the Link Markers!" The three monsters became their respectively coloured twisters and shot into the arrows.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 3! Gouki Thunder Ogre!" A bulky red and gold wrestler wielding steel electric batons appeared with 2200 ATK. "Due to the effects of my Gouki monsters, I add three new Gouki cards from my Deck to my hand." His hand became 5.

"Due to Gouki Thunder Ogre's effect, I can Normal Summon again this turn, to a zone it points to. I Normal Summon another Gouki Suprex, and with its effect, I Special Summon Gouki Octostretch from my hand!" The two blue wrestlers appeared side-by-side. "Now, by discarding another Gouki Riscorpio from my hand, I Special Summon Gouki Headbatt from my hand, and increase Thunder Ogre's attack by 800 until the End Phase!" As Thunder Ogre's ATK became 3000, The smaller purple wrestler appeared.

"Appear again! My circuit!" The Square appeared again. "The summoning conditions are 2 or more Gouki monsters! I set Gouki Suprex, Octostretch and Headbatt in the Link Markers!" The three monsters shot into the arrows. "Link Summon! Appear, Link 3! Gouki the Great Ogre!" A swol grey ogre wielding an axe with 2600 ATK appeared. "Due to Octostretch and Headbatt's effects, I add two more Gouki cards to my hand."

"Now I activate the Spell, Gouki Re-Match, to Special Summon Gouki Hugbear and Gouki Twistcobra from my Graveyard in defence position, and due to Hugbear's effect, I make Sea Scales Dragon's attack become half of its original attack!" As the two monsters appeared Hugbear squeezed the dragon again, dropping its power to 500.

"Appear once more! My circuit!" The Link Square appeared a third time. "The summoning conditions are 2 Gouki monsters! I set Gouki Hugbear and Gouki Twistcobra in the Link Markers!" The monsters became brown and green twisters that spun into the arrows. "Link Summon! Appear, Link 2! Gouki Jet Ogre!" A purple and blue wrestler blasted into the sky before landing down with a rapier and 2000 ATK. "With Hugbear's effect, I add one more Gouki card to my hand."

"Incredible...three Link Summons in one turn whilst adding six cards this turn to his hand." Taleweaver marvelled.

"That's why he's Number 1." Sweetie chuckled.

"Battle! Gouki Jet Ogre will attack Sea Scales Dragon!" The oni swung its rapier and flew at the dragon.

"I activate the effect of my banished Sea Scales Shine, shuffling it into the Deck to negate Jet Ogre's attack and reduce its attack to 0!" Dragon's scales shone, negating the attack of the Link 2 and dropping its power to nothing.

"But now Gouki Thunder Ogre will attack Sea Scales Leviathan!" Go pointed as the monster electrified itself and charged.

"I activate Sea Scales Dragon's Quick Effect to target Gouki Thunder Ogre and banish it!" The dragon opened its rippling portal for Thunder Ogre to fall into.

"This is where my comeback begins!" Go announced. "I activate the Quick-Play Spell, Arrivalrivals, allowing me to Normal Summon during this Battle Phase! I tribute Gouki Jet Ogre to summon another Gouki Hugbear!" The Link Monster became sparkles as the bulky beast took its place. "Now Jet Ogre's effect activates! When it leaves the field, all Gouki monsters I currently control gain 500 attack until the End Phase!" Hugbear's attack rose to 2900 whilst Great Ogre's attack became 3100.

"Gouki Hugbear will attack Sea Scales Leviathan!" Go announced as the monster ran forward.

"I activate Sea Scales Leviathan's Quick Effect to reduce Hugbear's attack by 1000!" Hugbear's ATK dropped to 1900 before it crushed the Leviathan.

All/Nothing's LP: 3000

"Now Gouki the Great Ogre will attack Sea Scales Dragon! Ogre Axe!" The monster charged forward and bisected the monster with its axe.

All/Nothing's LP: 400

"He completely turned the tables! That's Go's Charisma Dueling!" Taleweaver cheered.

"I set a card and end my turn." Go finished, his monsters ATK returning to normal.

"Impressive, Go Onizuka. Even against my powerful defence, you kept to your beatdown style of Dueling, and have managed to pressure me." All/Nothing stated. "You have my respect."

"Can an A.I. feel respect?" Go asked it.

"Can I, indeed?" He replied. "With Sea Scales Sanctuary's effect, I skip my Draw Phase to add Sea Scales Diver to my hand, and I will banish it with Sea Scales Treasure's effect to draw a card. I activate the effect of the banished Sea Scales Statue to banish my destroyed Sea Scales Dragon and Special Summon a Sea Scales Token, then activate Sea Scales Dragon's effect to return it to my Extra Deck." The statue of the dragon rose up.

"Now I activate the effect of my banished Sea Scales Diver. As I control only Sea Scales monsters, I can Special Summon this card from my banished zone once per turn." The monster that appeared looked like it was wearing a black wetsuit, only it had webbed hands and actual flippers for feet. Its face was covered by a pair of sharp goggles and a breathing mask attached to an orange oxygen tank on its back. Shining behind its goggles were two shining scales acting as both spotlights and its eyes.

Sea Scales Diver, Level 1, Aqua, WATER, ATK: 0 DEF: 100

"Appear! The circuit that leads to Cyberse!" The Link Square appeared. "The summoning condition is 1 Sea Scales monster. I set Sea Scales Diver in the Link Marker!" The monster became a dark blue twister that shot into the top arrow. "Link Summon! Appear! Link 1! Sea Scales Dragon!" The dragon reappeared in the Extra Monster Zone.

"Appear again! The circuit that leads to Cyberse! The summoning condition is 1 Sea Scales monster. I set the Sea Scales Token in the Link Marker! Link Summon! Appear, Link 1, Sea Scales Leviathan!" A second copy of the monster appeared, snaking around Dragon.

"I activate Sea Scales Leviathan's effect to banish the card in my hand, and give Sea Scales Dragon 300 attack." His only card vanished as the dragon's power rose to 1300. "Now I will activate the effect of the Trap, Sea Scales Summon I just banished." The card showed blue robed people in prayer as a shadow of Sea Scales Leviathan rose out of a pillar of light. "By shuffling this card back into the Deck, I can Special Summon a Sea Scales monster from my Graveyard or banished zone. I choose my banished Sea Scales Mermaid!" The female monster reappeared next to Leviathan.

"I too will show more of my strength!" All/Nothing declared. "Appear once again! The circuit that leads to Cyberse! The summoning conditions are 2 Sea Scales monsters! I set the Link Markers with Sea Scales Dragon and Sea Scales Mermaid!" The two monsters shot into the arrows.

"Link Summon! Arise, Link 2! Sea Scales Dew Dragon!" The monster that appeared looked like an upgraded form of Sea Scales Dragon, with coral blades sticking out of its arms and sides, with its tail now being longer with a sharper, spiked fin. The most noticeable difference was that it now had two heads that roared together.

Sea Scales Dew Dragon, Link 2, Aqua, WATER, ATK: 2000, Link Arrows: Down, Bottom-Left

"His dragon evolved!?" Sweetie gasped.

"I activate the effect of Sea Scales Dew Dragon!" He continued. "Once per turn, I can Special Summon a Sea Scales monster from my Graveyard, however, it is banished when it next leaves the field, and I cannot Link Summon Link 3 or higher monsters this turn! Revive, Sea Scales Mermaid!" The mythical monster reappeared again.

"Appear for the final time! The circuit that leads to Cyberse! The summoning conditions are 2 Sea Scales monsters! I set the Link Markers with Sea Scales Leviathan and Sea Scales Mermaid!" the two twisters twirled into the arrows.

"Link Summon! Arise, Link 2! Sea Scales Kraken Leviathan!" Sea Scales Leviathan's serpent body had split up into multiple long dark blue tentacles as its snapping jaw remained in the middle, only now covered by a sharp metal mask as it roared loudly.

Sea Scales Kraken Leviathan, Link 2, Aqua, WATER, ATK: 2000, Link Arrows: Up, Top-Right

"Both of them evolved..." Taleweaver stated.

"Sea Scales Mermaid's effect. When it is banished, I target a Sea Scales monster I control, and its effects cannot be negated!" All/Nothing reminded them. "I choose Sea Scales Dew Dragon!" The mirage of the monster circled the new dragon.

"Now I activate Sea Scales Kraken Leviathan's effect!" He continued. "Once per turn, by banishing a card on my field, in my hand, or in my Graveyard, the Sea Scales monster it points to gains 300 attack for every Sea Scales card in my banished zone until my opponents next End Phase. I banish Sea Scales Diver, meaning there are now 6 Sea Scales cards in my banished zone, giving Sea Scales Dew Dragon 1800 attack!" The dragon's power rose to 3800.

"And I activate Sea Scales Urchin's effect, to inflict 600 damage to you!" The urchins fired their needles again, making Go stagger back.

Go's LP: 650

"Battle! Sea Scales Kraken Leviathan will attack Gouki Thunder Ogre! And at this moment, I activate its Quick Effect! As it is co-linked with a Sea Scales monster, I can reduce the opponents monsters attack and defence by 2000 until the end of the Damage Step!" The kraken's tentacles bound the Link Monster, reducing its ATK to 200. "This is the end!"

"I will not fall so easily!" Go declared. "I activate my Trap! Gouki Endurance!" The card showed a battered and bruised Gouki Octostretch guarding against an onslaught of punches. "If I have 1000 Life Points or less, I can tribute 1 Gouki monster I control, and my Gouki monsters cannot be destroyed by battle this turn, and I take no battle damage until the End Phase! I tribute Gouki the Great Ogre!" I take no battle or effect damage for the rest of this turn!" As Kraken Laviathan crunched down on Thunder Ogre with its jaws, the Link endured it and threw the monster off.

"So you survive this turn...but next turn, I will use Sea Scales Urchins to defeat you. I end my turn."

"This really looks bad..." Sweetie admitted.

"True, it is." Go nodded, before he smiled. "But its moments like this that I live for, where I become my strongest!"

"Illogical. How can you be at your strongest when you are backed against a wall?" All/Nothing asked.

"I didn't think you could understand it." Go hit his own chest. "When humans are cornered, that's when their true fighting spirit awakens! It's that heart-pounding, soul burning moment in deciding your own fate when you unleash your true strength!"

"Heart-pounding...? Soul burning...?" Information seemed to be flowing behind its eyes. "Illogical."

"I shall show it to you! My turn...DRAW!" He drew and looked at the card, smiling. "My fighting spirit has awakened! Appear, my circuit! The summoning conditions are 2 or more Gouki monsters! I set Gouki Hugbear and Gouki Thunder Ogre in the Link Markers!" The two monsters became three red and one brown twister that shot into the arrows. "Link Summon! Appear, Link 4! Gouki the Master Ogre!" A cape wearing Gouki with folded arms and a golden mask appeared with 2800 ATK.

"And since Hugbear was sent to the Graveyard, I can add Gouki Re-Match to my hand, and activate it! I Special Summon Gouki Hugbear and Gouki Twistcobra from my Graveyard!" The two monsters returned. "And due to Hugbear's effect, your Sea Scales Dew Dragon's attack becomes half its original attack!" Hugbear grabbed the new dragon and squeezed it down to 1000 ATK.

"I activate Gouki Twistcobra's effect to tribute itself and add its attack to Gouki the Master Ogre!" The monsters power rose to 4400. "And Twistcobra's effect activates! I add Gouki Face Turn to my hand, and activate it! I destroyy Gouki Hugbear to Special Summon Gouki the Great Ogre from my Graveyard!" The axe wielding strong oni revived.

"Finally, I activate the Spell, Link Spirit!" The card showed Linklebell shooting across a starlight sky and sprinkling golden sparkles on Gaia Saber, the Lightning Shadow. "I target a monster I control, then by returning a Link Monster with less attack then the targeted monster to my Extra Deck, the targeted monster gains the returned Link Monster's attack and effects until the End Phase! I target Gouki the Great Ogre, and return Gouki Thunder Ogre to my Extra Deck!" Gouki the Great Ogre's ATK rose to 4800.

"He has two Link Monsters with over 4000 attack!" Taleweaver cheered.

"Battle! Gouki the Great Ogre will attack Sea Scales Dew Dragon! Ogre Axe!" The Link Monster charged forward.

"...Even if I banish 1 of them with Sea Scales Dew Dragon's effect, the other will still be able to destroy either Dew Dragon or Kraken Leviathan even with the 2000 attack decrease, and deal me 400 damage." All/Nothing calculated, his arms falling to his sides in defeat. "You win. Go Onizuka." He didn't activate any effects as Dew Dragon was destroyed, and he crashed to the ground.

All/Nothing's LP: 0

Go Onizuka: WIN!

"Way to go, Go!" Sweetie cheered.

"You're feeling better then, I take it?" Go practically laughed.

"Indeed. Thank you, Go." Taleweaver nodded.

"This doesn't matter..." The defeated All/Nothing spoke. "I have bought them enough time..."

"Enough time for what?" Go questioned.

"You will never know." He stated, standing up, his robotic parts glitching from damage. "Though, I never determined that undefined impulse in my systems...Go Onizuka, we will meet again." He then Logged Out.

"What did he mean?" Sweetie wondered aloud.

"I don't know." Go admitted. "For now, let's get you two to a private server so you can rest up."

VRAINS

Spectre's LP: 0

Polaris Hierophant: 4000 LP WIN!

"Y-You..." An injured Spectre hissed as he laid on the ground. "To think...you would do something like that...!"

"I was superior to you." Polaris stated. "Nothing will stop my goal."

Spectre laughed in pain. "Please...forgive my uselessness...Revolver..." he then passed out.

The doors opened and Polaris walked in past the unconscious Spectre. The room was filled with lines of constantly flowing green data, and at the far ends were mutliple screens. One showing Go defeating All/Nothing, another showing Blue Angel looking around in confusion. One showed Fullcross electrocuting a group of Hanoi Knights. The giant main screen showed Playmaker defeating Faust.

And looking at the screens was Revolver.

"To think all this would happen now...tch, so many annoying problems." He seemed to be thinking aloud. "To think he would make his move at this moment...truly an enigma of a man."

Polaris Hierophant began walking towards him, her steps long and quick.

"I know you're there." Revolver stated, turning to face her. "Who are you supposed to be?"

"Your end." Polaris stated.

Glass Barrier: You take no effect damage. If you take 2000 or more battle damage, destroy this card.

Sea Scales Mermaid: If this card is banished, you can target 1 'Sea Scales' monster you control, it gains this effect:

This cards effects cannot be negated.

Sea Scales Dragon: 1 'Sea Scales' monster. When this card is Link Summoned, you can Special Summon the monster used as Link Material from your GY, but it is banished when it next leaves the field, and you cannot Special Summon Link-2 or higher monsters this turn. Once per turn, (Quick Effect) if this card is co-linked with a 'Sea Scales' monster, you can target 1 monster your opponent controls, banish it until the End Phase. If this card is banished, you can return it to the Extra Deck.

Sea Scales Leviathan: 1 'Sea Scales' monster. Once per turn, you can banish any number of cards on your field or in your hand, a 'Sea Scales' monster this card points to gains 300 attack for each card banished by this cards effect. Once per turn, if a 'Sea Scales' monster you control battles an opponents monster whilst this card is co-linked with a 'Sea Scales' monster, you can reduce that opponents monsters ATK by 1000 until the end of the Damage Step.

Sea Scales Sanctuary: Whilst this card is banished, 'Sea Scales' monsters you control cannot be destroyed by card effects. If this card is banished, you can add 1 'Sea Scales' card from your Deck to your hand instead of conducting your normal draw during your Draw Phase.

Sea Scales Treasure: Whilst this card is banished, during your Standby Phase, you can banish 1 'Sea Scales' card in your hand to draw 1 card. You can only use this effect of 'Sea Scales Treasure' once per turn.

Sea Scales Urchins: Whilst this card is banished, you can inflict 100 damage to your opponent for every 'Sea Scales' card in your banished zone. You can only use this effect of 'Sea Scales Urchins' once per turn.

Sea Scales Shine: When a 'Sea Scales' monster you control is targeted for an attack, you can shuffle this card from your banished zone into the Deck to negate that attack and reduce the attacking monsters ATK to 0. You can only use this effect of 'Sea Scales Shine' once per turn.

Sea Scales Statue: Whilst this card is banished, once per turn, you can banish 1 'Sea Scales' monster on your field or in your GY to Special Summon 1 'Sea Scales Token' (Aqua/WATER/ATK: 0/DEF: 0). You can only use this effect of 'Sea Scales Statue' once per turn.

F.A. Booster: Target 1 'F.A.' monster you control that has declared an attack this turn, increase its Level by 1, and it can attack again. At the end of the Battle Phase, reduce that monsters Level by 5.

Sea Scales Diver: If this card is banished, and you control no monsters OR all monsters you control are 'Sea Scales' monsters, you can Special Summon this card. You can only use this effect of 'Sea Scales Diver' once per turn.

Sea Scales Summon: (Quick Effect) You can shuffle this banished card into your Deck to Special Summon 1 'Sea Scales' monster from your GY or Banished Zone. You can only use this effect of 'Sea Scales Summon' once per turn.

Sea Scales Dew Dragon: 2 'Sea Scales' monsters. Once per turn, you can Special Summon 1 'Sea Scales' monster from your GY, but it is banished when it leaves the field. You cannot Special Summon Link-3 or higher monsters the turn you activate this effect. Once per turn, (Quick Effect) if this card is co-linked with a 'Sea Scales' monster, you can banish 1 monster your opponent controls until the End Phase. If this card is banished, you can return this card to the Extra Deck, and if you do, you can Special Summon 1 'Sea Scales Dragon' from your Extra Deck.

Sea Scales Kraken Leviathan: 2 'Sea Scales' monsters. Once per turn, you can banish 1 card from your hand, field or GY, 'Sea Scales' monsters this card points to gain 300 ATK for every 'Sea Scales' card in your banished zone until your opponents next End Phase. Once per turn, when a 'Sea Scales' monster you control battles an opponents monster whilst this card is co-linked with a 'Sea Scales' monster, you can reduce that opponents monsters ATK by 2000 until the end of the Damage Step.

Gouki Endurance: Activate only if you have 1000 or less LP. Tribute 1 'Gouki' monster you control, Gouki monsters you control cannot be destroyed by battle this turn, and you take no Battle Damage from battles involving 'Gouki' monsters.

Link Spirit: Target 1 monster you control, return 1 Link Monster in your GY with less ATK then the targeted monsters to the Extra Deck, and if you do, increase that targeted monsters ATK by the returned monsters ATK, and that targeted monster gains the returned monsters effects. These effects last until the End Phase.

Phew! That was a LOT. My fingers hurt from typing...seriously.

So this chapter gives a bit of love to Blue Angel and Go...and obviously introduces the orange Ignis! You guys could guess that, right? He used the 'Sea Scales' Deck, which focuses on mass banishing his own cards for beneficial effects. This archetype belongs to ThePLOTHand, which I modified, I hope you liked the changes. And I do have some ideas for more 'Sea Scales' cards to be shown later. If you guys are interested, PM me and I can tell you my ideas now.

With that, it's time for the question!

QOTC: Would you like to see more OA's (Original Archetypes) in Cross-VRIANS?

Just askin' to see.

With that...I'm gonna take a break and focus on something else...like play on my Switch...or draw...something. See ya!