Author's Note: This was meant to be a mini chapter that focused on a more light-headed theme, but I eventually continued writing to get a full fledged chapter. Certainly not my initial aim, but I still welcome this development nonetheless.
Summary: Now with Yuma and Don Thousand's duel out of the way, we change POVs back to Aoi as she tries to get re-accustomed back to her beloved Den City. However it is not all fun and games as Revolver explains how humanity is in danger again, meanwhile a new group arises from the shadows to take revenge...
"You'll see that I'm not the same helpless duelist as before!"
Episode 7 - Meanwhile in VRAINS
...
"Well, we've made it, Jaden; This is my apartment", Aoi explained to her friend as all three individuals got off the black limousine.
"You live in a building that tall?", asked the ex-Duel Academy student, placing a hand on his forehead to block the sunlight. "That's so sweet!"
"Tell me Jaden, are you hungry?", asked Akira as he was the last one to step off the car.
"A little, why?", asked the brown-haired duelist.
"Well I wouldn't mind inviting you inside for lunch", smiled the CEO. "What do you say?"
Jaden's eyes widened in conjunction with his smile, "Well I say let's eat! I mean, uh, yes that would be awesome."
Both Zaizen siblings chuckled at his antics as they all entered the apartment.
...
Akira stated to the two individuals as he got out his keys to the apartment door, "Apologies if there's any messes inside, I was in a hurry to continue working before getting the chance to clean."
"I don't mind", Jaden stated. For him, his rooms of stay were usually always messy in some way, so he wouldn't mind seeing more mess.
However what they didn't expect upon opening the door was someone in the couch already waiting for them.
"You are...!", Akira trailed off.
The person turned their head towards the three individuals.
"Glad to see you both are together again; Akira, Aoi", spoke the voice to reveal a feminine one, the woman herself then adding with a wink, "And I'm glad to see you especially, Akira!"
...
"Emma!", the CEO chided upon entry of his apartment, both a shocked Aoi and confused Jaden following suit. "How did you get inside!"
"I lied to one of the workers here that I was your wife, and they believed it", Emma explained nonchalantly with a scratch of her forehead. "I explained that I forgot my keys inside and they let me in."
"You did WHAT!?", the CEO asked with a reddened expression on his face. There was no way he heard that correctly; His wife!?
"I said I lied to them by saying I was your wife; Are you not listening?", Emma asked a little annoyed with crossed arms. She had reddened cheeks too, she was just handling it better.
Aoi herself was internally conflicted between being horrified at how shit their security was, and laughing out loud at both Emma and Akira's interactions.
It was a good visual example of that one meme where Spongebob's reading a two-sided book, one which read "Holy shit that's horrible" and the other "Holy shit that's hilarious".
Regardless, this was so embarrassing for her!
Jaden was quick to notice his friend's unreadable expression. "Are you okay, Aoi?"
Both adults then turned to face her sister.
"Hoh? Is that the Jaden you were talking about, Aoi?", asked Emma with intrigue.
"...Uh, yeah", the brunette was quick to recompose her neutral expression. Somewhat. A hint of red and a smirk found their way onto the girl's forced expression.
Unfortunately, this did not get past Emma, who instead began laughing out loud at how embarrassed both Zaizen siblings were.
"Oh, I can't believe what I'm seeing right now!", stated Emma before getting out her phone. "I definitely need to take a picture of this, just stay still!"
"Oh no, you definitely aren't taking a picture!", shouted a still-embarrassed Akira as he approached the laughing woman, Aoi herself getting out of the phone camera's view while grabbing Jaden's arm.
"Whoa!", Jaden exclaimed as he was caught off guard, accidentally hitting a lamp on the way.
"Oh, sorry Jaden!", the brunette exclaimed as she let go do his arm, the red-jacket duelist instead laughing wholeheartedly as he rubbed his head. The girl herself also delved into a chuckle as they both laughed in slight embarrassment.
...
"I apologize profusely for any problems Emma has created", Akira explained to both Jaden and Aoi as he turned on the kitchen stove. Normally their robot assistant would cook for the siblings, but Akira ordered it to go clean the apartment instead, he wanted to cook this particular meal himself. "I promise we aren't always this... unprofessional."
"Oh no that's fine", responded Jaden with a smile, both him and Aoi sitting across from each other on the dining table. He was more focused on how futuristic the apartment was. They even had a robot assistant, and they sat there as it was commonplace!
That's because it is commonplace for them, Jaden, Yubel explained from inside the duelist's consciousness. Remember that this is technically the future we're in.
"Well I'd say that the future is neat if this is what it has in store!", Jaden responded out loud by accident.
"What was that, Jaden?", asked Akira from the kitchen.
"Oh, uh, I was just saying that your apartment is neat, Mr. Zaizen", Jaden corrected himself as he sat up. Remember Jaden, have some manners!
Wait, did people from the future have a different code when it came to manners? Was it still the same? Were they judging him for every move he made?
...Maybe it was better if he didn't overthink it. He didn't want to fry his brain before eating.
The duelist could swear he heard Yubel's annoying smirk.
"Why thank you, Jaden", stated Akira, the CEO himself focused on his cooking. "Normally we don't have many visitors, so moments like these are indeed special."
"Too bad Emma is not here with us anymore", Aoi stated with a fake sigh.
"Oi, I'm sitting right next to you", the older woman explained as she poked at Aoi's head. "I didn't even leave the apartment yet."
"Yeah, I'm sure she would have loved staying over for lunch", added Akira solemnly from inside the kitchen.
"Did you not hear what I just said, I'm literally still here!", Emma exclaimed, now turning to the kitchen. It didn't take too long for her to realize what was happening: They were ignoring her on purpose!
"Oh, I see what's going on", Emma crossed her arms before adding, "You two are trying to get me back for that lie earlier!"
"And for even getting into my apartment without my permission!", Akira responded before returning to the dining room, leaving the still-hot food on the table. "And why did you even tell them that you were my- my-!"
"Oh come on, it shouldn't be that big of a deal", Emma waved off. She was still reddened, mind you.
Jaden himself had to pull all the strength he had from even watering as he focused on the steaming plate. A giant red lobster with a serving of scrambled eggs, bread rolls and Caesar salad. Holy moly did the food look appetizing!
Akira looked flustered at Emma's careless response. Was she being serious!? "What do you mean it shouldn't be a big deal, this is a falsified marriage we're talking abou-!"
"Hey, uhh, wouldn't it be better if we began eating, instead?", spoke up Aoi, already noticing Jaden's hungry expression. To be honest, she was also eager to eat. "The food is going to get cold soon."
"Huh?", asked the older brother before recomposing himself, "Oh yes, I think that's an excellent idea. Just let me get the silverware and I'll be back in a few moments."
The CEO then took off his pink apron as he walked back into the kitchen, the man still looking at Emma with narrowed eyes before turning to leave.
Aoi then sighed in relief as she held a cup of water; At least that's was over for now.
Jaden did the same as he could only think of the steaming food before him.
A few moments after not feeling Akira's gaze burning into her anymore, Emma leaned into Aoi and asked, "So when are you going to introduce me to your friend here, Aoi?"
Both her and Jaden did a spit take as they heard the older woman's words. Why did she say friend like that!?
Emma never saw the brunette this embarrassed before, the hazelnut-haired girl turning her burning head away from the woman as she coughed into her elbow.
"Emma, what the fuck!?", exclaimed a flustered Aoi as she turned to face Emma. The older woman couldn't bear to see such an uncharacteristic reaction anymore as she began laughing out loud once again.
"Is everything okay over there?", asked Akira, somehow not hearing the previous exchange.
"Yes, brother, we're all fine!", Aoi exclaimed, still trying to hide her blush. She then turned to face Emma with her resumed expression and whispered, "Why would do this to me?"
Emma simply smirked before leaning back on the chair and answering with closed eyes, "Just because."
"Just because!?", Aoi whispered incredulously before giving up, she couldn't afford having this conversation anymore.
Jaden decided to intervene after recovering to the best of his abilities, "I'm uhh, Jaden Yuki, semi-recent Duel Academy graduate."
"Hmm?", Emma turned to face the red-jacket duelist, before leaning forwards. "Oh, so you indeed are the Jaden that Aoi likes talking about so much."
"Don't say it like that, either!", Aoi whispered furiously to the woman. She didn't even know how to react anymore.
Jaden himself didn't know how to divert the conversation, but he had to keep trying. "Yes, uhh, that's because I'm her good friend. I feel honored that I'm regarded by Aoi that highly, though."
Emma then proceeded to study the brown-haired duelist silently with a squint, before turning to face Aoi.
The brunette was now speechless at the older woman's intimating expression.
"..."
"..."
"..."
Akira soon returned from the kitchen as he set the silverware on the table. He then looked up to see the three diners' faces.
"...Okay, what's going on?", asked the CEO. He knew something was up from the unsettling silence.
Emma herself didn't focus on Akira, instead occupied with her own thoughts. After a few seconds, the older woman leaned back on her chair and asked, "So what you're telling me is that you two are just friends?"
"Yes!", both Aoi and Jaden exclaimed.
Akira silently facepalmed himself as Emma sighed, "Well, if that's what you two say, then I have no right to barge any further. Oh, the silverware; Thanks Akira!"
The older woman then began getting a piece of the lobster as everyone else just stood there silently.
Jaden couldn't take it anymore as he soon bowed, "I'm sorry if this is not courteous, Mr. Zaizen, but I'm also starving!" before getting a piece of lobster himself.
A few seconds after and both Akira and Aoi looked at each other with unreadable faces. How should they even react to this?
They instead decided to not react at all as the older brother silently sat down, both siblings still having an unreadable expression they each silently took a piece afterwards and began eating.
...
"That was an excellent meal you cooked, Mr. Zaizen!", Jaden exclaimed as he leaned back. Aoi nodded in agreement as she wiped off some food from her mouth with a napkin.
"I'm glad you enjoyed it; I personally tried going all out on this one", explained Akira as he finished his plate.
"Well that just goes to show that you wouldn't make for a bad husband", Emma stated with a satisfied smirk as she also finished her plate.
Akira coughed before shouting, "Emma!", his phone suddenly beeping.
"Hmm?", asked the CEO as he picked it up.
"Yeah?", asked Akira. His eyes then narrowed, "I see."
He then look up to see the three people before him.
"I'll be back in a few moments; You guys can leave the plates here, I'll clean them when I'm done."
The three individuals nodded as the older Zaizen brother stood up and left towards the living room, most likely to continue with his call.
As soon as the young CEO left, Aoi turned towards Jaden, "Well if you don't mind I'll need some time for myself. I'll be in my room, but I wouldn't mind if you turned on the TV or something in the meantime."
"I'll pass on that", Jaden declined, the brunette nodding before turning towards her room. The red-jacket duelist then stood up as he took all the finished plates towards the kitchen. Emma only looked at the teen silently as he left the dining room.
...
What are your thoughts?, asked Yubel from inside Jaden's consciousness, the teen himself washing the dishes. He didn't know how to work out all the futuristic buttons and levers in the dishwasher, but fortunately there was still a cleaning sponge.
"If you really want to know you can just read my mind", the red-jacket duelist stated.
I'd rather hear from you directly, the spirit responded.
"Well, it's nice that I got to eat for free", Jaden admitted with a smile. It was nice being able to have a window in front of the dishwasher, he could sightsee all the skyscrapers and buildings from here. To think this was all from the distant future was crazy. "And Mr. Zaizen was nice, a little intimidating but then again which older brother isn't?"
Yubel took a moment to remember the insane nut-job Zane was in their last duel before continuing, and what about that Emma individual? Don't tell me you were unaffected by her teasing.
"Well fine, I was, but she was pretty funny, as well", Jaden stated as he finished rinsing the plates. "She did try to make things awkward on purpose, but I eventually got used to it."
No you didn't, Yubel retorted, Jaden himself simply chuckling in response.
Emma was in the kitchen counter looking at Aoi's new friend. She found it interesting that he was talking to seemingly no one but to himself, but that wasn't all she was curious about.
In fact, she wanted to know something else.
So, being the person she was she stood up from the seat she was in, walked over next to Jaden, and began speaking, "If you want I can do the silverware for you."
"It's okay, I got it covered", the red-jacket duelist responded.
"Well if you say so", Emma responded before looking away momentarily, Akira was still talking on the phone.
"..."
"..."
"...How did you do it?"
"Huh?", asked Jaden, now turning to look at the older woman. Emma looked at Jaden and reiterated her question, "How did you get Aoi back on her spirits?"
"Oh, uhh", the red-jacket duelist scratched his cheek, "Well I didn't know what to actually do, so I thought that maybe I could help by doing one of the only things I'm good at, which is dueling."
Emma simply kept looking at the duelist.
"Or well, fishing was also an option, but I doubt that would have worked as much", added Jaden, chuckling to mostly himself. He then looked out the window as he added, "But, I was fortunate in being able to actually help her. When I first met her she seemed closed and distant from everyone; From what I've assumed she didn't even spoke about what she felt with her older brother."
Emma raised her eyebrows at that remark. That sounded too much like a certain VRAINS vigilante.
"She didn't even want to duel anymore, but I eventually got one out of her, and told her that when you duel for keeps, its to also spread a message", Jaden stated. "She eventually found her message to help others with her new power."
New power?
There were things Aoi was keeping from her, Emma was now confident at this point.
...
"Hey, Aoi, I do have a question", stated Emma, delving into a slightly more serious tone.
"What is it?"
"...After some time those giant portals swallowed us, I remember being in some sort of space with all these unknown people, and I even saw some sort of blue figure in the center", explained the woman, fully aware that she sounded weird. "And that blue figure kinda looked like your avatar."
...
"...I prefer to talk to you about this later, Emma", finally decided the girl. "Preferably in your place, too."
"You sure?", asked Emma.
"Yeah."
...
There was a chance that the woman could get those answers today, however. That is, if Aoi felt like speaking at all.
But first, there was one more thing she wanted to ask Jaden.
"You said that one usually duels to spread a message", Emma stated to the red-jacket duelist, Jaden himself already finished cleaning the silverware a long time ago.
"Yeah."
"What would your message be?"
Jaden didn't seem to expect that question, as he turned to face Emma with slightly widened eyes. However, he immediately seemed to have an answer ready, as he then delved back to his usual confident expression.
"It's about using the darkness in your heart to help others, and helping each other to deal with your own."
Emma herself didn't expect that answer.
"Darkness?"
At that instant, she swore she saw something invisible besides the red-jacket duelist, almost like a demonic ghost of some sort.
What if he was never talking to himself this entire time?
This guy for sure is an interesting person.
The woman then smiled as she stated, "Well, I now see that Aoi has chosen quite an interesting friend to help her get back up on her spirits. Thank you so much for helping her, I really mean it."
Jaden didn't expect to receive a compliment, but he accepted with closed eyes and a smile, "No biggie, I'm glad I was able to open her eyes."
Emma then smiled at the red-jacket duelist one last time before heading to a specific brunette's room.
...
Not much.
That's basically what Aoi would describe the current Link VRAINS as she perched atop a rooftop, the girl herself currently using her Blue Girl avatar; Blue Angel was too popular as a dueling celebrity, and Blue Maiden was too popular as the omnipotent being who restarted the universe.
Being popular was complicated.
As she expected, there weren't many people inside the network, although she was quick to recognize characters like the Frog and Pigeon, probably looking for the next big scoop to put on the newspaper.
"I'm telling you there's not much going on, especially with people still getting used to the new situation!", the Pigeon stated as he carried his fellow amphibian friend.
"But there must be something we can make an article about; Keep searching!", Frog stated with crossed arms and a microphone in hand.
Blue Girl on her part simply ignored the two animals as she instead hopped off the building on the opposite side and began surfing.
Playmaker used to do the same, didn't he?, asked the girl to herself as she took the time to look at the network around her. Visually, not much changed, but something fundamental about it seemed different.
The virtual sunrise was something that added to this, but the blue-haired girl herself didn't know what.
Perhaps it was the rise of a new era.
Suddenly, a rusty chained locked around her D-Board, almost dropping the girl off her tracks as she held on to her board's edge.
"What the-!"
The chain then pulled as it brought the D-Board down, Blue Girl following the chain to see two cloaked individuals with black spheres as faces.
The other sphere who wasn't pulling the chain immediately pointed a gun at the avatar, shooting a glitch-bright bullet directed at her leg.
It was at that moment that Blue Girl felt the familiar blue electricity flow through her body, putting the new power to use as she dodged the bullet at impossible speeds.
"Impossible!", stated the black sphere, shooting two more rounds at the avatar. Blue Girl dodged those too as she jumped towards the two spheres, immediately knocking them both down with a quick punch to the face.
"..."
"..."
"..."
It was only after some quiet breathing that the girl looked at her still-energized hand, "Did I just punch two people? Did I seriously just do that!?"
So my powers work even on Link VRAINS!
The girl then heard slow clapping coming from a nearby alley as she turned to see who it was, this time revealing another tall, cloaked avatar.
However, this one in particular had a dark helmet with a snout as its face, armed silver shoulder, chest, and knee plates adorning its body.
"Normally, the two Pawn avatars would have made quick work of a normal target, considering the top quality and speed of the avatar-comatose bullets they recently gave us", explained the avatar as he revealed himself to the girl, now each individual standing in opposition to each other. "However, you managing to dodge those bullets at stop speed means that there's something else about you. Did you modify your avatar?"
"Or... did you modify yourself?"
"Who are you?", asked Blue Girl, her eyes glowing in blue energy once again.
"You can call me the Knight avatar; But don't worry about that, there's millions more like me", explained the cloaked individual before raising a rusty sword at the girl. "There's millions more devoted to the Queen."
At this the girl's eyes widened. "Did you just say the-"
She never got out her question as instead the Knight avatar lunged towards her, aiming its sword at her stomach. However the girl anticipated this, as she instead dodged to the side.
"You need to do better than that!", Blue Girl stated.
"No, it is you who needs to pay attention!", the Knight avatar stated. "Look at where you're now standing!"
The girl then looked down to see several digital mines with beeping red lights on the ground.
"Wha-!?"
BOOM!
...
A large cloud of explosion covered most of Link VRAINS as millions of mines exploded at once, damaging several buildings and avatars.
The Knight avatar dusted himself off as he stated, "In reality we're still a small group, but the numbers don't matter. What matters is that our target has now been neutralized and is now ready to be taken hostage."
However, the Knight avatar then turned to see where the girl was supposed to be surprised to see a blue force-field surround the unscathed girl.
"What; Impossible!", the Knight avatar shouted, raising his sword at the girl. But by then it was too late, a series of blue tentacles attached themselves to the forcefield as they began pulling the girl away between the buildings. Even Blue Girl herself didn't know what was going on.
"What?", asked the blue-haired avatar.
The Knight avatar clenched his fists as he declared, "Hrrgh take this as an impending threat, Aoi Zaizen; We haven't settled matters between us yet!"
"What!? How do you know my name!?", Blue Girl asked, the Knight already disappearing after taking the two Pawn avatars in its shoulders. She then turned to the blue tentacles carrying her, "And where is this taking me?"
Eventually the force-field disappeared as the tentacles dropped her off to a secluded part of VRAINS, letting the blue avatar stand freely.
"Okay can you tell me who are you?", asked the girl as she looked around her.
Can you not recognize me?
The girl widened her eyes as she recognized that voice.
"Is... is that you, Aqua?"
...
The Knight avatar soon woke up in the real world inside a dim-lit room, the person revealing to be a long, brown-haired man whose hair covered the left side of his face.
"Where is Aoi Zaizen?", the Knight heard a deep voice ask him.
"We couldn't get her, she made quick work of the Pawns", the Knight pointed at the still unconscious bodies of the Pawn avatars. "And even detonating all of the mines was for naught, she had a force-field of some sort protecting her."
"So now all of Link VRAINS knows we're here", the deep voice put his hands on his hips.
"Nah, they'll just know it was a terrorist attack, but they won't know from who", pointed out the Knight avatar. "Calm down, Bishop."
"The Queen will expect us to have Aoi Zaizen captive", Bishop stated as he pointed a finger down.
"Well she'll leave empty handed for now; Aoi Zaizen has something to her that doesn't make her an easy target", the Knight explained as he stood up. "I'm thinking she was experimented on or something; She has unnatural speed, even for a modified avatar."
"You say nothing but foolishness, I'm surprised the Queen even saw something in you", the Bishop turned to leave.
"Hey wait, where are you going!", asked the Knight.
"To report to the Queen of our misfortune."
"Alright but let me ask you a question first!", the Knight declared.
"...What is it?", asked the Bishop.
"...You want to go for some quesadillas?"
"...Eh sure, fuck it."
...
"Aqua... is that you?", asked Blue Girl as the tentacles around her suddenly joined into one individual, revealing to be a small, blue humanoid.
"I'm glad to see you again, Blue Girl", smiled Aqua as she floated in front of the girl. However, the girl's face was indescribable as she muttered out, "Can you do me one favor...?"
"Sure, Blue Girl; What is it?", asked Aqua.
"Can you make yourself bigger for me?"
"I mean, I can", the blue Ignis said as she grew into human size. "I just don't see what the point-"
She suddenly felt a pair of arms hug her neck as she heard Blue Girl cry into her shoulders.
"...I'm glad you're alive again", weeped the blue-haired girl before hiccuping. "You don't know how happy I am in seeing you."
Aqua was out of words as the girl kept crying. She'd expect their reunion to be something similar, but not like this.
For once, she didn't act on logic, and instead hugged the girl back silently, the girl still weeping into her shoulders.
"Yes... I'm glad to see you again, too; Aoi Zaizen."
...
The brunette suddenly woke up in the real world as she took off her headset, turning to see her body still flow with gentle electricity.
The chair below her was also charred and burnt; It was a miracle it still stood up.
"I'll definitely need to learn how to control my powers so that I don't overdo myself", stated the girl to herself as she closed her metallic right hand, her glowing-blue eyes now returning to her usual hazelnut.
A knock was then heard from the door as a voice rang out, "Aoi, this is me, Emma; Do you mind if we talk a little?"
The brown-haired girl rubbed her neck as she surveyed her room. Aside from the burnt chair, everything else seemed fine.
However, she still didn't want to risk it. She went to her desk and put a skin-colored thin wristband on her wrist, the device extending itself to cover her entire right arm and hand.
That Z-ONE individual's a real genius.
She gripped her right hand momentarily before opening the door, revealing a waiting Emma on the other side.
"Uhh, Emma, you wanted to talk?", asked Aoi, the other woman now turning to look at her.
"Yes; I wanted to ask if you wanted to continue that conversation we had on the phone just a few hours ago", Emma stated. Aoi's eyes widened slightly at this, she forgot about the phone call from the reunion with Aqua.
Well, she might as well get it over with and tell the truth.
"You see Emma, I-"
"Aoi."
Both girls turned their heads to an approaching Akira. He had a plain blue button-up sleeveless shirt and khaki shorts.
"Revolver called, he wants us to visit him."
"Wait what?", asked Aoi, continuing to rub her neck.
"Mostly about them needing you for a favor, but also to talk about some private matters with the Knights of Hanoi. I agreed to band with them temporarily to discuss some things. Just put on some clothes and meet me outside the apartment, alright?"
Looks like she'll have to put her conversation with Emma on hold again, "Alright, I'll get ready."
The CEO nodded before turning to Emma, "Well, we'll be leaving in a few moments, you can... I don't even know, you already lied to stay here; You can either stay or leave, just don't mess up my apartment too much, alright?"
The older woman nodded as the older brother walked towards the exit.
"Jaden, please come with us", Akira stated as he walked by, the red-jacket duelist nodding before following the CEO.
Kuri kuri!, appeared Winged Kuriboh in front of Jaden. Now there went a familiar face.
"I don't know where he's taking us, but staying around won't let us know!", Jaden smiled before fully exiting the apartment.
Both girls saw how Jaden was seemingly talking to himself again (Aoi could see Winged Kuriboh clearly, though), the brunette stating to Emma, "Jaden's a little... different, don't worry too much about it."
"Oh no, I don't mind", Emma stated as Aoi closed the door temporarily, returning with a light-blue spaghetti strap blouse and blue jean shorts.
"We'll have to continue with our talk later, sorry about that", Aoi apologized, Emma shaking her head.
"That doesn't matter, you go ahead and catch up with your brother, okay?", the older woman responded as Aoi nodded, before fully turning around and exiting the apartment.
What neither girl realized was how a blue eyeball placed itself below Aoi's neck.
...
Both Jaden and Akira were waiting outside the tall apartment, an unassuming worn car. The CEO planned to drive the car this time, in efforts to disguise himself.
"I'm here!", Aoi stated as she exited the building.
"Oh, finally", Akira stated as he opened the car, letting both teens sit first before finally getting on the driver's seat.
"Jaden you didn't change clothes?", asked Aoi.
"Huh?", asked Jaden. He then scratched his head, "Well I just didn't find it necessary."
"Well it is hot outside."
"I mean, I don't have a problem with heat, but if it makes you feel better I can take my jacket off", Jaden stated as he took off his jacket and placed it inside his backpack. Aoi was actually surprised to find Jaden's body well-built underneath the jacket alone.
And she felt embarrassed at that instant so she instead turned away.
"Alright, this car they gave me is known for being bumpy, so you guys will just have to hold on to your seats well", Akira said in advance as he turned on the engine, the car already beginning to sputter.
"Well if anything I'll just pretend this is an amusement park ride!", Jaden smiled with crossed arms.
Akira nodded before focusing back on the road, finally managing to start the car and begin driving.
A few seconds later and a black motorcycle trailed after them.
...
Oh boy, what a ride.
Turns out the drive there was horrible; The car stopped working twice and Jaden hit his head on the roof three times. They were even sure the car could explode at any minute.
Eventually, though, they reached the Den City pier as all three individuals left the miraculously-still-working vehicle.
"Next time I'll try to get a car that actually works", Akira stated with a frown as he checked the motor. "I really should have planned this better in advance."
Jaden was still rubbing his head as Aoi passed by him with a smirk, "Did you enjoy the ride?"
"I don't want to talk about it."
After a good while of making sure the car wouldn't explode, Akira led the two teens towards what appeared to be an unassuming yacht. Or, at least, as unassuming it could be; It was huge!
Unaware to the group, a black motorcycle continued followed them before the driver parked themselves, Akira knocking on the white yacht's side a few times before someone rang out in a scruffy, sailor-like voice, "Who is it!?"
"I, uhh, would like to make an order...", Akira stated, the two teens suddenly confused at the CEO.
"...What do you want?", asked the rough voice.
"Alright, what was it...", began remembering Akira. He then remembered as he spoke up, "I'll have two number 9s, a number 9 large, a number 6 with extra dip, a number 7, two number 45s, one with cheese, and a large soda."
Silence for a couple of seconds later.
Akira was about to facepalm himself before the yacht suddenly materialized a ramp before him. "Alright, you can pass!", stated the voice before revealing the three main Hanoi knights in casual clothing.
"Oh, thank goodness, the password worked", Akira stated before stepping to the side to let both Jaden and Aoi go first.
"Hey, uhh, who did the sailor voice, because it sounded pretty good", asked Aoi.
"The green-haired guy looks like he did it", Jaden stated.
"Who, me? No I didn't do the voice", Dr. Genome denied.
"Was it Revolver?", asked Akira.
"No, and it wasn't me either", Faust stated as he put a mug of coffee to his lips.
"Actually, I'm the one who did the voice", Baira smiled as she raised her hand.
"..."
"..."
"..."
A couple of more seconds of silence.
"Well I gotta' say you're pretty talented!", Jaden broke the silence with a compliment. "You could be a great voice actor with those skills!"
"Why thank you, young man!", Baira bowed as Akira was the last to get on the yacht, the ramp now retracting as Faust spoke up, "Revolver is inside waiting for you guys, just follow me."
As they all began walking Jaden whispered to Akira, "I feel like there was a reference of some sort that I missed."
The CEO himself shrugged as Jaden decided to let that topic drop as well. At least it was humorous.
...
"You've made it", Ryoken stated at the CEO with crossed arms. All individuals were now inside the yacht.
"What did you want to talk about?", asked Akira.
"A lot of matters, but we need to get to one right off the bat", the white-haired teen stated seriously.
"What is it?", asked the CEO, now equally as serious. Tension suddenly rose in the room.
"...It's about James", Ryoken lowered his face to pinch the bridge of his nose.
"...What?", asked Akira.
"James?", asked both Jaden and Aoi at once.
"Faust, Spectre; Bring the...", Ryoken has enough difficulty to even declare the order. He's never been so embarrassed. "Bring the horse, please."
"Yes sir", both Faust and Spectre moved towards the back of the yacht, holding back their giggles as they made their way through.
After the two men left, Akira turned to the white-haired teen, "Look, I didn't come here for jokes."
"This isn't a joke; I've been taking care of that stupid horse for I don't even know how long now and at this point I won't even bother trying to guess!", Ryoken explained with a raised voice, intimidating everyone in the room. "At this point I've become an expert on how to take of horses and the yacht smelled like horse poop for several days, it was a miracle the Febreze worked before you came here!" Even during a breakdown was the great Revolver intimidating.
The white-haired teen then took a deep breath to calm himself down before he continued speaking calmly.
"...The horse is in top shape now and we need to return it to its owner; Aoi should know where they are which is why I asked you to bring her", added the Hanoi leader as he pointed to the brunette.
"I see...", Akira stated before turning to his younger sister, Aoi looking at him with curiosity.
"Is he talking about the horse you used for that 'horse race' of yours?", asked the CEO
The brown-haired girl nodded silently in embarrassment.
"I see", Akira stated once again before turning to a serious Ryoken, "I apologize on behalf of any problems the horse has caused."
The white-haired teen didn't say anything as both Faust and Spectre returned with James.
"James!", Aoi and Jaden approached it, the horse now fully used to both teens as the brunette brushed his mane.
The girl then noticed how James had a prosthetic leg, Jaden not taking too long to notice it, as well.
"So you too, huh?", asked Aoi.
"Aoi", spoke up Ryoken, the girl turning to look at him. "How is your arm?"
The girl then double-tapped her right wrist as the skin-colored wristband retracted, revealing the metallic under-skin.
Everyone with the exception of Akira and Ryoken visibly awed at the arm.
"I see... so that's what they did", the Hanoi leader said as the girl re-attached the wristband to her arm, once again disguising itself as normal skin. He then fell silent for a few moments before continuing, "Now, if you were to tell us who James' owner is we'd greatly appreciate it."
"Well, we don't exactly remember what his name was, but we do know he lives in a farm outside Marana, Arizona, a bear the Marana stadium, I think", described Aoi before turning to Jaden. "Is that right, Jaden?"
The red-jacket duelist nodded before continuing, "It's in my dimension's United States."
"I see; Genome, prepare the portal", Ryoken ordered, the green-haired man nodding before typing away at a computer with a indigo-colored cable, generating a blue void in front of the group.
"What!", Jaden asked. "How did you do that?"
"We generated a computer chip that allows us to travel anywhere", the white-haired man explained as he pointed to a USB. "However, ever since the dimensional collapse, we've been closed off from other realities other than our own, meaning that we can only travel to universes near us."
"But fortunately, both our universes have connected, meaning that they are close enough for stable travel", Ryoken added.
"So we can travel to my dimension in an instant!", Jaden realized, Ryoken nodding in response before pointing at the portal behind him, transforming into his Revolver avatar. "Now, let's move!"
...
The straw-hat farmer lit up another cigarette as he sat outside his house porch, the TV next to him blaring out about the mass destruction of Marana stadium and the indefinite hiatus of the Marana Horse Race. He then changed the channel to see a news broadcast trying to make sense of Declan Akaba's Paradise stadium message. He then changed the channel again to see another news media reporting the apparent teleportation of people into "similar but different dimensions".
The man then sighed as he turned off the TV, "These kids nowadays don't make trouble like they used to."
Suddenly, a portal appeared in front of him, revealing an astronaut of some sort alongside two familiar faces.
"Oh, it's you two", sighed the farmer as he leaned into his wooden recliner. "And you even brought company, too. Is he your father or something?"
Aoi nodded before stating, "We'd like to return James, but we need to explain something to you first."
The farmer raised his eyebrows before leaning back, "Shoot it out, lady."
Both Jaden and Revolver looked at Aoi as she took a small sigh before continuing, "As you can tell, we were involved in the horse race's destructive incident, and we ended up terribly injured because of it". She then double-tapped her wristband to reveal her metallic arm, the farmer himself still attentive at the girl. "James ended up the same way, but with the help of my friends we managed to save him."
Dr. Genome then walked through the portal with James in tow, the farmer's eyes silently widening in curiosity.
He saw his horse have a prosthetic arm in its front leg.
"Unfortunately, he won't be the same again. I don't think it'll be a good idea to let him be used for racing anymore", the brunette finished as she double-tapped her wristband to revert it to fake skin.
When the girl finished with the explanation, the farmer silently stood up as he walked towards the group. He then stopped a good distance from them, turning to see James acting as if nothing ever changed.
"You...", the farmer began as Aoi looked at him. His expression seemed serious. "You and your friend have gone and let my horse be injured despite the warnings I gave you, and he lost a leg as a result, correct?"
"Yeah...", Aoi admitted.
The farmer stood silent for a moment before he gave in and sigh, "And yet, you through the trouble of saving it, returning it to me, and even facing your problems head-on. I've never seen anyone do that for me before."
The girl looked up to face him as he continued, "Back when you and your friend there asked for a horse before the race, I could tell you were missing something. I now see what it is; What you have now is spirit, lady, and like no other."
Aoi wanted to smile as the farmer added, "And don't worry about James, I planned to retire him to spend of his life peacefully in the fields after the race, him having a prosthetic won't change anything."
"But still, it takes real guts for someone to do what you just did; Most people would have just let my horse die in that situation", the farmer stated before smiling, "You've got quite the spirit, girl."
Aoi felt like crying as she bowed, "Thank you for that, mister."
The farmer nodded before turning to the rest of the group, "And I'm assuming you three helped the girl with James, am I right?"
All three individuals nodded silently.
"I thank you three for that, as well", the farmer nodded before going back to his usual demeanor, "But Jesus, another incident passes and my horse isn't even returned completely healthy; Give me a break, what else is gonna happen next?"
Aoi and Jaden chuckled as Dr. Genome gave the rope to the farmer, "Here you go, sir."
"With this we should be done here", Revolver stated as he turned to face the blue portal. "Let's go, everyone."
Both he and Dr. Genome passed through as only Jaden and Aoi remained.
"Thank you for letting us borrow James", Aoi bowed one last time before she and Jaden turned to leave, both duelists waving before completely passing through, leaving the farmer with James.
"...Well, at least you're back again", the farmer stated as he scratched his forehead. "And by the looks of things they took good care of you. Those people sure are something; Come, let's get you back to the stall."
James neighed as the farmer led him to the house's back, the afternoon sky beginning to form a beautiful combination of lavender and orange as evening approached.
...
The portal closed as all four individuals were back on the yacht, Faust and Baira playing a match of poker before turning to see their boss and standing back up.
"With this we now have resolved one matter, and hopefully all of my previous insomnia", Revolver said as he transformed back into Ryoken, muttering the last part to himself in particular. He then turned his head to the yacht's open entrance and confirm a suspicion he had, before turning to the group and continuing, "And now to the next matter; The Ignises."
Aoi widened her eyes at that.
"But before we begin, I'd like to declare an order", the Hanoi leader stated. "Faust, Baira; Restrain the eavesdropper outside the room."
The intruder was clear to hear this as they tried escaping, however they were eventually caught by the two knights as they were carried to the room, revealing to be a motorcycle driver in a black suit.
"Wait, is that...?", the brunette asked as Ryoken approached the intruder and took off the their helmet, revealing a familiar bunch of purple and magenta hair.
"Emma!", Akira stated.
"It seems I've been caught snooping", the woman fake-sighed. She then asked Ryoken, "How did you even know I was there? I even made sure to hide my shadow."
"...No reason whatsoever, I just felt a presence outside the entrance and wanted to be sure", the white-haired teen answered with crossed arms, both Jaden and Aoi dumbfounded by such a dumb answer.
And yet it worked!
"In any case, you're free to listen as long you don't divulge the following information you're about to hear; This is humanity's safety we're talking about", the white-haired teen explained, both Knights letting go of Emma.
Aoi rubbed her neck as Ryoken continued, "Now, about the Ignis, I've confirmed with Akira that they have indeed come back, and apparently stronger than ever. We currently only have the whereabouts of the WIND-Attribute Ignis, who is in SOL's possession. I trust that you won't do anything stupid with it, Akira."
The CEO nodded as the teen continued, "We still have no idea where Playmaker is, and according to Akira's testimony, the Ignis are now able to manifest in the real world without the need of a host.
Both the Hanoi Knights and Aoi widened their eyes at the revelation. "So they can hide even here?", asked the brunette, Ryoken nodding in response.
"If they do that, it would only make our job of locating them even harder", Spectre mused, Faust nodding in agreement.
"Unfortunately, that's how it has to be, and that's what we'll have to deal with", Ryoken stated. "Because with this in mind, the Ignis have become humanity's enemy again."
Aoi grew worried at Ryoken's statement as she felt the sensation in her neck move.
"I will create a second meeting regarding the Ignis in a few days, in Link VRAINS specifically to gather several allies", Ryoken explained. "We'll reconvene in Link VRAINS' central octahedron; It'll be just like the time we planned our counterattack against Ai's assault. Once there we will fully begin planning on finding the Ignis and eliminating them!"
"Wait a moment!", Aoi spoke up, everyone turning to look at her. She then faltered as she spoke, "Do we have to kill all of the Ignis?"
Ryoken looked conflicted for a split second before answering, "Only that way we can maximize humanity's wellbeing, I cannot let even a single one remain!"
"But there still must be some Ignis who are willing to fight with us, right?", asked the brunette, the conflicted look on the white-haired teen retuning monetarily once again.
"Even if that was the case, we'd have no way of knowing for sure", the white-haired teen responded. "As of now we have found no Ignis willing to join our cause, and I won't expect there to ever be one after our precious attempts to eliminate them!"
It was at that instant that Aoi's neck sensation completely disappeared, a shadow now appearing above the girl as she looked up to see a blue, one-eyed monster with intricate patterns and slimy physique.
"Aqua!?", asked Aoi.
"The WATER-Attribute Ignis!", shouted Faust.
"So she's been eavesdropping on our conversation as well...!", Ryoken stated as his face devolved into a scowl, transforming back into his Revolver avatar as his Knights covered all exits.
"WATER-Attribute Ignis!", Revolver stated as he readied his virtual Duel Disk. "Prepared to be mercilessly crushed by the hands of Hanoi!"
"Wait a moment, she hasn't even said anything yet!", Aoi intervened as blue electricity coursed her body, the girl jumping back a few feet to distance Aqua from the Hanoi leader. "At least give a moment to speak first!"
Revolver hesitated for a moment before finally giving in and stating, "Fine, but after that only elimination will follow next!"
Aoi sighed before looking up at Aqua again, "There, you have a chance to speak now."
The blue Ignis then stood still for a few moments as she surveyed the wary faces looking at her, before finally deciding to speak, "Sorry for the sudden intrusion, but I couldn't help but listen in on the conversation you were just having. But, both Windy and Lightning are missing again? And what about Ai? What did he do after we were gone?"
"...He tried taking over SOL Technologies to take advantage of the SOLtiS AI they just designed", Revolver explained. He then looked at Akira, "A stupid idea, might I add."
The CEO sighed as he crossed his arms, "We gained money and we saw an opportunity back then."
"In any case, he tried launching an attack against humanity, probably from the grief he felt from the Ignis' death", added the Hanoi leader.
"That... that sounds sad", Aqua trailed off, now fully reverting to her small humanoid form.
"Yes... it is unfortunate the your group has revived to cause us trouble", Revolver stated before gripping his hand forcefully, his face twisting into hatred. "It took us Playmaker and a lot of other sacrifices to get rid of you six, and then you come back as if nothing had happened!"
"Wait, hold on!", Aoi intervened again with an open palm. "I'm the one who revived everyone; If there's someone you should blame, it should be me!"
"Be quiet, Aoi Zaizen! This isn't about you anymore!", Revolver shouted at the brunette. "Don't let the old farmer's words get to your head; Just because you got a compliment and feel good about it doesn't mean you get to be involved in whatever you please!"
"But this is Aqua we're talking about; Only Lightning and Windy truly want to get rid of humans!", Aoi responded, taking a step forward to protect the blue Ignis. She wasn't going to step down to Revolver's intimidation. "You shouldn't go blindly eliminating every Ignis just because they exist, didn't you already do that once without working?"
"Even so, I will make sure to eliminate every Ignis to ensure humanity safety by a 100% percent!", responded Revolver. "I will make sure to destroy what my father has wrongfully created!"
The girl herself was confused at his words; Why did he become so anxious of the AI all of a sudden, he was never like this before! In fact, he's only been like this ever since the meeting started!
"...You're hiding something from us, aren't you, Revolver?", asked Aoi as she pointed at him, the Hanoi leader's eyes widening. "Go on, tell us what is! Why are you so paranoid of the Ignis all of a sudden??"
Everyone then turned to look at Revolver, the Hanoi leader's himself claiming down as he stood still, before silently crossing his arms and answering, "...I already told Lightning this during my duel against him, but I've done several simulations that predicted every individual Ignis' fate with humanity, to which I've used to find out he's the reason behind the Ignis and humanity's inability to coexist."
"However, I've done those same simulations again after the dimensional collapse, and this time they show different answers!", the Hanoi leader declared, shock everyone in the room this time.
"It shows... a different future...?", asked Aoi in shock. "Then, then what is it? What does it show this time??"
"This time it shows...", Revolver declared as he put a hand to his cheek. "Nothing."
A few seconds of silence.
"...What did you just say?", asked Aoi.
"I've said what I said, the simulations end up inconclusive regardless of how many tries I make", explained Revolver. "The scariest type of future out there is one in which we can't predict, which is why I can't risk humanity and let even a single Ignis live!"
"But, our technology should be advanced, shouldn't it?", asked Aoi as she tried explaining. "Surely there has to be a way!"
"There isn't; It appears that the present is more than enough for this reality to handle at once", the Hanoi leader explained before adding, "Now, step away from the WATER-Attribute Ignis and let me handle her."
"...No, I won't do that", Aoi stated, her blue-electrical energy returning to her. "Eliminating every Ignis isn't necessary, not when we can simply coexist peacefully with them. Isn't that what Playmaker fought for too? And he wasn't the only one, there were more out there who wanted the same thing; Soulburner, Flame, even Ai himself wanted that at some point! And we've seen it be possible before, after Bohman's attack everything was peaceful for a good amount of time!"
"Why would want to throw that type of future away when it's in our reach, we don't have to eliminate every Ignis!", Aoi finished. Revolver himself didn't say anything at all.
"There are good Ignis out there, Revolver; Why do you not want to accept that?"
"...What good can the Ignis bring that we don't already have?", asked the Hanoi leader asked. "Tell me what good it is to have them around!"
"Well, Aqua can give us hints to find Lightning and Ai and-!"
"I'm not talking about that; I'm referring to what they can do once we erase the 'troublesome' Ignis, then what are the 'good' ones going to do!?", asked Revolver resolutely, almost as if testing the girl.
No, he was testing her. He wanted to see the extent of her resolution in defending the Ignis.
To this Aoi was unresponsive as the blue energy left her body.
"I... I don't know...", admitted the girl. She then placed her hand in front of Aqua as she continued, "But it doesn't matter what they do, at the end of the day they have free will and consciousness, they get the same right to enjoy life as we do!"
Revolver stayed silent as once again, although this time he was conflicted. Yes, back in his duel against Lightning he stated that humans celebrate their limited time on this earth by making the most out of the present. However, does a 'good' Ignis deserve that same chance?
"And, even if we can't predict the future, that doesn't mean we should resort to immediate violence!", Aoi explained. "Yes, your father's actions may have left you with darkness in your heart, but that's why we have friends and family who can help us deal with that! The Ignis themselves can also be of assistance, and build a future that benefits everyone! Haven't you considered that?"
Jaden's eyes widened as he heard her friends' words. Something about them reminded him of Yusei.
Emma, meanwhile, smiled as she leaned into the chair, recalling what Jaden told her back at Akira's apartment:
...
"You said that one usually duels to spread a message", Emma stated to the red-jacket duelist, Jaden himself already finished cleaning the silverware a long time ago.
"Yeah."
"What would your message be?"
Jaden didn't seem to expect that question, as he turned to face Emma with slightly widened eyes. However, he immediately seemed to have an answer ready, as he then delved back to his usual confident expression.
"It's about using the darkness in your heart to help others, and helping each other to deal with your own."
...
Emma then saw Aoi's confident expression, before turning to see the smiling red-jacket duelist as she thought, you've definitely learned a few things from yourfriends, Aoi.
Revolver himself didn't know what to do, and he hated it. He hated being lost in decisions.
However he soon came to a conclusion. "I won't do anything to the WATER-Attribute Ignis for now", gave up Revolver as he reverted back to his real form, shocking the Hanoi knights and Akira. "However, I will have her under constant supervision, and she will be forced to help us exterminate both the DARK and LIGHT-Attribute Ignis whether she likes it or not!"
"I... I accept those conditions", Aqua stated despondently as she lowered her head. She didn't want to watch her friends die, but... "But I don't want our future to be in ruin and let evil win. I will do my best to help!"
Everyone stayed silent in the room as Aoi spoke up, "Thank you, Aqua."
The blue Ignis nodded as Ryoken spoke up, "So it seems we have recruited an unlikely ally against the Ignis, fine by me. However I can't guarantee you won't die by my hands, so don't step out of line against us!"
He then calmed down as he changed topic, "Now, onto other matters; There's been a wide-scale attack affecting Link VRAINS."
Everyone had widened eyes again, except Jaden who simply didn't know what was going on.
Just try to catch up with whatever information you're being given, stated Yubel.
"You say that as if I wasn't already doing that", Jaden crossed his arms with a smirk, everyone suddenly turning to look at him. "...Oh, don't worry about me, just continue with your conversation", the red-jacket duelist apologized.
"...Who invited him?", asked Ryoken, Akira stepping forward.
"I figured he would help us", stated the CEO.
"What has he done?", asked the Hanoi leader.
"He won against Windy."
The Knights of Hanoi gasped at the revelation, Revolver himself raising his eyebrows momentarily before stating, "If I recall, he comes from a different point in space-time. If he doesn't have a VRAINS account, he'll need to create one to assist us."
"A VRAINS account?", asked the ex-Duel Academy student.
"I'll make sure to take care of that", Akira bowed.
"Very well", Ryoken stated before turning to face Jaden. "You better not disappoint me."
The Hanoi leader then stated, "Now, back to the task at hand-"
"About that, a cyber terrorist attacked me a few minutes ago, back in my apartment", Aoi raised her hand as she spoke, this time everyone silently shocked as they turned to look at her. "He was the one behind the explosions, and he isn't alone. He knows my real name, and he said there's millions more like him that serve the Queen?"
"The Queen...?", asked Revolver. Akira's eye pupils dilated as he came to a sudden realization.
"Wait, Aoi", the CEO spoke up, her sister turning to look at him. "What did they plan doing to you?"
"They wanted me as a hostage", answered the girl. "He has two more henchmen that tried capturing me". She then pointed at the blue Ignis as she continued, "However, thanks to Aqua I was pulled out of harm's way. Thanks for that, Aqua."
"No problem, Aoi", the Ignis' eyes curved upwards in happiness.
"A hostage... that could mean only one person is behind it", stated Akira as everyone turned to look at him. "After Ai defeated SOL's previous CEO, she was sent to a coma as I replaced her, and she lost her job as a result. However, she never enjoyed any of SOL's directions done against her, and she never wanted to let go of the CEO position. Yes, she probably wanted to use Aoi as a hostage so that I gave her my position I exchange for her safety!"
"Is that so?", asked Ryoken. "What is her name?"
"...Queen."
"I see", stated the Hanoi leader as he sighed. "Is that's the case, then we may already have found a new enemy to fight against and their identity". He then turned to Aoi, "Did the cyber attacker tell you anything else?"
"Well... not really", stated the brown-haired girl. "But, he called himself the Knight, and his two henchmen were referred as Pawn avatars."
"Then the Queen's group is named after chess pieces", stated Spectre as he sipped some tea. "A rather mundane choice, but it helps us keep check of her group."
"She probably has both Bishop and Rook avatars assisting her", Ryoken added. "A King avatar is unlikely, but it is also a possibility."
"So with this, we now have the responsible group against VRAINS' damages, and with the resurgence of the Ignis, we now have our troubles settled", Ryoken finished. "I will produce a plan of action and explain it in our next meeting in a couple of days. Akira, you make sure to give this person a VRAINS account in the meantime, if you really believe he can help us. With this our meeting has ended, you are all free to leave!"
"Wait a moment!", Dr. Genome suddenly spoke up as the three turned to leave, Ryoken looking at him as he stated, "I have a proposition to make before they leave."
"...What is it?", asked the white-haired teen.
Tension was quick to fill the room as the green-haired knight suddenly spoke up raising a pack of familiar cards, "Who wants to play UNO with me??"
More silence.
"..."
"..."
"...That outdated game again?", asked Faust, both Baira and Spectre rolling their eyes. "Duel Monsters replaced all other card games a long time ago, why would you think we'd have any interest in playing that? We already said no to that countless times, you think anybody else wants to play that ga-?"
"Oh sweet, I wouldn't mind playing!", Jaden stated as he sat down a nearby table, shocking most of the individuals. Ryoken was momentarily surprised until he remembered this kid in particular technically came from the past, so his view of the game was probably different than the rest. "So, we playing with stack rules or not?"
"Yes, that way game moves faster", Dr. Genome answered. "Alright, cool!", Jaden said.
"If you wouldn't mind, I would also like to play", spoke up Aqua as she floated off Aoi's shoulder. "I would like to take this opportunity to study humans in efforts to coexist with them, whether it involves past history or not."
"Well I don't mind; What do you say?", stated Jaden before turning to face the green-haired Hanoi member.
"Well, she is one more player, so I guess I can't really say no", shrugged Dr. Genome as he shuffled the stack.
"I can't believe I'm seeing this", deadpanned Faust.
"Well if you two are playing then I guess I need to join", smiled Aoi as she sat at a nearby chair. Emma was quick to sit next to her as she smirked, "Then that means you can count me in, too."
"Well, SOL hasn't sent me any messages as of yet, so I guess I can stick around for a while and join in", Akira explained with a light smile before sitting down in a chair.
"You'd think they would after VRAINS' sudden damages", Ryoken pointed out.
"We have an automatic cleaning system set up for that", waved off the CEO, the white-haired teen's eyebrows raising in response.
Ryoken then sighed as he gave up and instead said, "Whatever, if you think that's a good idea then do it. I'll focus on other matters in the meantime."
...
Silence was all the group experienced as they were well ahead into the game, the players each turning to look at each other's face. Dr. Genome placed a card in the center stack as he stated, "A green 4". He then turned to face Aqua, who was currently in human size.
"Well, since I can place either a green-colored card or a card with the number 4, then that means my most logical course action is...", trailed off the Ignis before placing a card of her own, "A green 6. I then stack it with a red 6 and end my turn."
"Hey, it's just a game, you don't need to overthink it too much", Jaden explained with a smile before turning to see Ryoken. He sat in a far desk, seemingly studying his Deck. However, the white-haired teen also looked to be conflicted about something.
There was still some time before it was the red-jacket duelist's turn, so he stood up to walk over to Ryoken.
"Is there something wrong?", asked Jaden, Aoi looking at both teens. She just hoped they wouldn't fight.
"...Nothing in particular", answered Ryoken, still looking at his Deck. "I'm just missing a card. I've been missing it for several days as of now and I still haven't found it."
"What card is it?"
"Red Reboot."
Jaden's eyes then widened momentarily before getting out his Deck from his pocket. He then widened out all of the cards before getting out a specific Trap card from the stack. "I think this is yours, then", Jaden spoke up as he revealed the card to the teen. Ryoken turned around to see before widening his eyes.
"What? How do you have it?", asked Ryoken. "Red Reboot was a recent card, I seriously doubt it existed in your dimension's time period!"
"It didn't, a blue portal spit it out into my backpack", explained Jaden as he placed the card in the table. "Here's the card, in any case; You're the card's original owner, after all."
Jaden then placed his Deck back into his pocket as he walked back to the group, Ryoken turning to look at Red Reboot as he narrowed his eyes.
"..."
"...What is your name?", suddenly asked the white-haired teen, Jaden turning around to face him again.
"Jaden Yuki."
"Jaden", stated Ryoken before throwing him the card, the red-jacket student using his reflexes to catch it. "You can keep the card, I feel like you have the potential to use it more than me."
The ex-Duel Academy student was nonplussed for a moment before nodding with a smile, "Yeah, thanks."
Ryoken nodded with a small smile before reverting to his neutral face, focusing back on studying his Deck. It seemed as if he trusted him now, even if it was a little.
Jaden had to make sure not to disappoint, as he had a new resolution in mind. Satisfied, then turned back to focus on the game, as it was now his turn.
And meanwhile the outside pacific sky shined a beautiful dark-blue.
Author's Note: Chapter 7 finished! Oh boy, this was a looooong chapter; Possibly the longest one I've ever written; 11,500 words in total! During the time I wrote the Author's Note at the beginning of the story I thought I was going to stop at 4000k words (I initially planned for 2000k words or less for a mini-chapter), and yet I kept going! Regardless I hope you guys enjoyed the length and the story's change of pace; I did want to tackle on some more funny scenarios this time, so I hope that goes well!
Now, I do have a plan in regards to publishing chapters; I will try and upload a new chapter every Sunday; Whether I'll do the same for this Sunday in particular or not is still undecided, but next Sunday is a definite yes. Hopefully with thisI have an organized schedule and faster uploading rates!
Anyways, what do think of the story? Is there something you want to see in the future? Any criticisms, duel ideas, OST requests? Don't be afraid to shoot your shot, comment it all down below! Until the next entry, though, I'll see everyone later!