Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS: Obscured Truth

by DivadX

Yuhiro Furutani, one of 8 children kidnapped 10 years ago by an unknown group, now works as Raguel, an agent in LINK VRAINS' Black Market. One day, he fights the Knights of Hanoi and encounters Playmaker, who becomes his newest assignment. Follow Yuhiro as he now must decide who he wants to become: as both a duelist and as an individual.

9. Chapter 9: Journey to the Center of SOL

Chapter 9: Journey to the Center of SOL

The next morning, at Café Matsuo...

Yuhiro yawned as he walked downstairs into the kitchen part of the second floor. Roxy was already there, cooking breakfast. She looked at Yuhiro as he grabbed a banana from the fruit bowl, two blueberry tarts, and a yogurt from the fridge before sitting down at one of the chairs near the table.

"Good morning," Roxy said, smiling at Yuhiro. "Got some good z's?"

"Ya. I guess you could say that," Yuhiro replied, as he started eating. "No nightmares this time, which is a good thing, I guess."

"If I were you, I wouldn't jinx it," Roxy said, as she put what she was cooking on her plate and sat down with Yuhiro. From what Yuhiro saw on her plate, it was evident to him that she cooked an omelette. "Last night, I got a chance to look at the backdoor program you got from Ghost Girl before going to bed. It's a blueprint of SOL Technologies' mother computer, with a route all the way to the center." Roxy scowled. "The fact that Ghost Girl got this far on her own not only surprises me, but pisses me off as well."

"You're not the only one who feels the same way." Yuhiro said as he took a bite into one of his blueberry tarts. "Ghost Girl's always been a skilled hacker. The only problem that she has is her attitude."

"As well as the fact that she'll willingly betray anyone should she see something precious." Roxy spat that last word out as she cut another piece of her omelette and bit into it.

Wanting to change the topic, Yuhiro asked, "When do you think Playmaker will infiltrate SOL's mother computer?"

Roxy thought for a few moments before answering him. "If I had to guess, it could be tonight. Usually, during the morning, SOL would keep their security updated to get through day to day business. However, I found this." She showed Yuhiro the latest newspaper article regarding SOL, which talked about Akira Zaizen's demotion and replacement as security manager. Upon seeing who's replacing him, Yuhiro couldn't help but be surprised.

"Seriously?" Yuhiro asked Roxy, who nodded. "They're replacing Zaizen with Kitamura? The same doofus that tried to sue you for-? What was it again?"

"Food poisoning, dum-dum." Roxy took off her glasses and cleaned them before putting them back on again. "Thank God we have a family lawyer. Or else I would have had to pay Kitamura lots of money. The revenge I got on that man was so sweet I will-."

Immediately, both Yuhiro and Roxy's phones vibrated. When they checked, they were shocked at the text that Herald sent them.

Both of you. Come to the backroom. Found something important, the text read.

"Wonder what Herald wants with us?" Yuhiro asked Roxy, as the two of them left the kitchen and headed downstairs.

"It honestly better be important." Roxy sighed. "Cause I need time to not only analyze the program, but also make a new gauntlet for you as a reward for your win against Ghost Girl."

By the time the two of them reached the backroom, Herald was waiting for them, his arms crossed.

"About time the both of you showed up," Herald said, as Yuhiro and Roxy sat in their respective seats. "You two were so slow that I was considering turning off the monitors."

"We just had breakfast." Yuhiro countered. "Anyway, what do you want to show us?"

Herald turned to face Yuhiro. "Yuhiro. As your Ignis, one of my abilities is having a very good photographic memory. It gives me the ability to recall an image from memory after seeing it only once, with high precision for a brief time after exposure."

"And? What is your point?" Yuhiro raised an eyebrow at Herald, who wanted him to continue.

"My point is this: After your little chat with Playmaker, I kept thinking: If I found an image of an individual who had the same face as him, then we would be able to find his real life identity. So I started searching in Den City for the whole morning. Until I found this individual." A window then popped up on the monitor, showing someone that Yuhiro recognized. Yusaku Fujiki.

"Wait. What?" both Yuhiro and Roxy said at the same time, surprised at what they were seeing. Yuhiro quickly recovered and told Herald, "This isn't enough, Herald. If you honestly believe Fujiki is Playmaker, then you'll need more evidence to back up your theory."

"That's what I thought," Herald replied. "But then I scoured the camera recordings across Den City to find any events this 'Fujiki' was a part of. This is what I found." Two more tabs opened up, showing different camera recordings. The tab on the left showed a camera recording of Den Academy, while the tab on the right showed a camera recording of the Den City Hospital. After looking at when the recordings took place, Yuhiro and Roxy's faces paled. They both occurred the day Aoi was taken to the Den City Hospital.

In the recording at Den Academy, an ambulance arrived at the school and loaded Aoi on a stretcher before wheeling her back onto said vehicle. The ambulance then left the school and, in the recording at the Den City Hospital, returned to the hospital. Aoi was immediately brought out of the ambulance and taken inside. The camera recording also showed that Yusaku had followed the ambulance.

After a period of time, a limo pulled out of the hospital and a man with blue and teal hair and in a suit ran out of it. Both Yuhiro and Roxy recognized him as Akira Zaizen. He found Aoi as the medical staff took her into the exam room. Akira attempted to go in with her, but the doctors prevented him from doing so. As the doctors wheeled Aoi away, Akira turned to Yusaku, who saw the events unfold. The audio began to play the moment their conversation began.

"You were the one who called me?"

"Yes. I found her unconscious on the roof. She's been like that since I called the paramedics. And the whole ride over."

"How could this have happened to her?" Akira wondered. "No. How could I have let this happen? Wait? What were you doing on the roof when this happened?"

"I just needed to get some air," Yusaku replied. "And I guess I was at the right place at the right time."

"I see." Akira smiled, doing his best to be brave. "How lucky of her. Good to know."

"Sure." Yusaku was about to walk away when Akira spoke up.

"Hey. Hold on a second. I didn't get a chance to thank you, uh-."

"Fujiki. Yusaku Fujiki." Yusaku said.

Yuhiro watched as Yusaku left the hospital. Of course. It all made sense now. That day, when Yusaku was in Duel Club and Aoi wanted to inspect his deck to see if he was Playmaker. Then a day later, prior to Playmaker's duel with Blue Angel, Yuhiro bumped into her, when she was crying. And Yusaku walked with him to school. Yuhiro's greatest theory was that Aoi talked with Yusaku about his reasons for joining the Duel Club that day, and she started crying because she couldn't trust him. In addition, if Yusaku knew that Aoi was Blue Angel, he would have first checked the roof. After all, where else would someone get privacy to log into LINK VRAINS?

Yusaku is Playmaker, Yusaku is Playmaker, were the thoughts that kept going through Yuhiro's head. Until someone shouted in his ear.

"Oi. YUHIRO!" And that someone was none other than Roxy. "You look like your head was in the clouds."

"I was deep in thought, Roxy!" Yuhiro countered, turning to Roxy with a furious expression. Those moments going through the information were now all scrambled up thanks to Roxy.

"And another thing," Herald said, interrupting the two and preventing a fight. "Now that we know who Playmaker is, you can format your plan on infiltrating the databank. Based on the information that we know; he'll probably infiltrate the databank by nightfall for three reasons. One: In real life, he's a high school student. High school students typically go through a school day during the morning and early afternoon, unless occupied otherwise. Since this 'Fujiki' has no other extracurricular activities, his chances of executing his plan at night go up by 100%. Two: Now that he has the backdoor program, just like us, he can begin mapping out a route to the databank. However..."

"He'll need an ally to work with." Yuhiro finished for Herald. "In other words, someone who's a hacker like Playmaker. Someone who has the same skills as Roxy."

"Exactly!" Herald pointed out. "Which brings me to my last point. Three: With the recent development in SOL Technologies regarding the appointment of the new security manager, and based on word about him on the web, security will be weaker than usual. Therefore, like you, 'Fujiki' will take advantage of the opportunity and infiltrate the databank."

"I see." Yuhiro said. If Playmaker intends to go for the data as well, Yuhiro thought, then it's very likely I'll encounter him. He then scowled. Ghost Girl mentioned that she made more than one copy of the backdoor program. So the chances of seeing her again, though I hate to admit it, are 100%.

Roxy noticed Yuhiro frowning, as she asked, "Hey. What's on your mind?"

Turning to her, Yuhiro replied, "After I defeated Emma and got the backdoor program, she mentioned that she made more than one copy. Which means that, tonight, I'll probably have to encounter again." Upon hearing this, Roxy was not pleased, and was about to say something when Yuhiro's watch beeped.

"I'm assuming this means it's time for school?" Herald asked, as Yuhiro picked up his Duel Disk.

"Guess so," Yuhiro replied. Before he left the backroom, he turned to Roxy and said, "Let me know once you finished analyzing the program."

"Don't worry," Roxy said, as she got out her phone and shaking it side to side, "You'll be the first to know." After Yuhiro left, Roxy seethed. Seriously, Emma, Roxy thought. Just when we thought we were rid of you for good, you show up once again. She then ran a hand through her dark, curly hair and sighed. This was going to be a long night, that's for sure.

At Den Academy...

"So I was thinking," Herald said in his eyeball form, as Yuhiro walked to the building, "that since the both of you know each other's identities in LINK VRAINS, you could introduce yourselves in real life. After all, if the both of you were to work together, then the chances of defeating the Hanoi will skyrocket by 100%."

"You're forgetting, Herald," Yuhiro said, as he raised his arm to look at Herald, "that I was assigned to acquire Playmaker's Ignis. And you know why I accepted the assignment in the first place."

"I'm aware, Yuhiro." Herald sighed before he continued. "You're doing this to not only repay a debt, but because you're fond of Roxy's niece Miyu as well, aren't you?"

This completely caught Yuhiro off guard, causing him to blush while he regained his senses. "Uh-what? What makes you think that?"

Herald chuckled before he responded. "Simple. When I went through the hospital recordings to find Playmaker, I found a recording of you visiting her. The most touching part of it was how you held her hand with yours, and promised that you wouldn't give up on her." His eyeball form curved upward, as though he were smiling.

"Hospital visits are supposed to be private, Herald!" Yuhiro furiously whispered. He then noticed Den Academy up ahead. "Don't you dare mention this to Roxy! Or who knows how long she'll tease me!"

"I'll think about it," Herald said, as he went silent. Based on how Herald answered him, Yuhiro wasn't sure if he meant it or if he was just straight up lying.

Once Yuhiro entered his Statistics class, he noticed that only half the seats were filled up. As he went to take his seat for class, he also caught the eye of someone else. Yusaku Fujiki. They narrowed their eyes at each other, but then the both of them turned to face the teacher, who was preparing for the lesson.

If Yuhiro had to be honest, he was surprised upon finding out who Playmaker was. The fact that Herald found out so quickly made him feel like a fool for not finding out sooner. Now that he knew Playmaker's identity, he felt that it was something that he should guard. As though it were precious. If Playmaker were in my shoes, Yuhiro thought, he wouldn't reveal my identity either. After all, who knows what would be after me if he posted my identity on the Internet? Ultimately, he decided that it would be better if Playmaker's identity remained a secret. That was Yusaku's secret to tell.

Statistics class passed by without an incident. But at the end of the class, Yuhiro got a text. From Herald.

Got this strange text, the message replied. It also contains a phone number. Apparently, the person wants you to call them. After Yuhiro scrolled down, the phone number read, (416) 907-7726. Yuhiro sighed. Just when his day couldn't get better, this had to happen.

A few minutes later...

"Watchman. Of all the times to call me, you had to call me now?" Yuhiro asked. He was on the rooftop, where he could get privacy for this call. In all honesty, Yuhiro was lucky to have a spare period before his next class. Otherwise, he would have been in a rough spot.

"I'm calling to make sure that you're following the instructions that I gave you." Watchman stated. "Were you able to get the backdoor program?"

"Yeah. I did." Yuhiro replied. "I'll be commencing the operation tonight." He then thought of something. "Is there anything else you want to tell me? Like, oh I don't know, your identity and-." Yuhiro was cut off immediately by Watchman.

"Raguel. All will be revealed in due time. The information in SOL's mother computer will be an enormous help. Not just to me, but to you as well. If all goes well, then I'll see you tonight."

"Wait!" But that was all Yuhiro could say, as Watchman hung up on him. "Why won't he just answer my questions, Herald?"

"I honestly wish I knew," Herald said, as he emerged from Yuhiro's Duel Disk. "I don't even know his identity, yet I trust him because he helped several Cyberse escape. I do hope you trust him overtime."

"Me too, Herald. Me too." Yuhiro soon headed back into the school. Why do I have this feeling that tonight's going to be eventful, Yuhiro thought, as he reached the hallways of Den Academy. While he couldn't explain it, he did know that something was about to happen tonight. And whatever happens tonight at SOL's mother computer will change him, but whether it was for the best or worse, he couldn't figure out.

At Café Matsuo...

Kusanagi had to walk five minutes from Café Nagi to find the place known as Café Matsuo. He hadn't been in this area of Den City in a long time. Lately, he'd spend most of his time at Café Nagi, either working the front or helping Yusaku.

If Yusaku wasn't at school today, he would have agreed to bring him along. After all, he theorized that him meeting Raguel in real life could be the first step in finding the other kids that were a part of the Lost Incident. That, and Yusaku pretty much needed friends.

Yes, there it was. A building with the sign 'Café Matsuo' on it. As a business owner, Kusanagi could tell the building had a welcoming atmosphere to it, even though it looked old. He soon saw a woman taking another person's order. The woman had black, wavy, waist-length hair tied in a ponytail. She wore a hairband with black-trimmed glasses, with blue denim jeans and a dark yellow shirt with an apron on it. Her eyes were black and had light-tan skin, making her an attractive figure. That must be Roxy, Kusanagi deduced.

Okay. Here we go. Don't screw this up, Kusanagi thought as he approached Roxy, who was typing something on her tablet.

"Um, hello there." Kusanagi said to her, getting her attention. When she looked up from her tablet, she was surprised to see Kusanagi there.

"Oi! You're the owner of Café Nagi in the flesh!" Roxy stated. She then raised an eyebrow. "What are you doing here?"

"Look," Kusanagi said, "I'm on lunch break. And if I'm being honest, I haven't been to this area of Den City in a long time. This was the only place that came to my head." He then added, "Since we're business rivals and all, I do hope there's no hard feelings."

Roxy relaxed after hearing him say that. "Of course there's no hard feelings between us. We're just people, doing our jobs after all." She then grabbed a paper and pen. "Anyways, what can I get you?"

Looking at the menu, Kusanagi said, "I'd like a Turkey Burger with a small side of fries. That, and I want to talk to you. About a friend of mine."

Roxy was confused about the last statement until Kusanagi pulled out a card and placed it on the counter. When Roxy picked up the card and looked at it, her eyes widened. "You're-."

"Yeah. I am." Kusanagi confirmed. "When are you off? I just want to talk. Nothing else."

"Give me five minutes. I need to turn on the steward bot." Roxy replied.

"Very well. I will wait. Thank you." Kusanagi picked up Decode Talker from the counter and went over to an isolated picnic table, where he waited for his order. Since Yusaku left his deck at home, Kusanagi taken the card with him so Roxy would know who he was. After five minutes, Roxy turned on the steward bot and went over to where Kusanagi was, with his turkey burger and fries.

"If I can be honest," Roxy said, "I never expected Playmaker's ally to appear at my doorstep at all today."

"I didn't expect to come here either." Kusanagi replied. "But I volunteered to go anyway."

"The thing is, deep down, I knew it." Roxy stated. "I knew that there were others that went through the same ordeal that we went through. I honestly hoped we weren't the only ones, and it seems my faith is rewarded!" She laughed at herself as she said that. "So. You're Playmaker's ally, huh?"

"The one and only." Kusanagi sheepishly scratched the back of his head as he answered her. "But you can call him Yusaku. Before you say anything, we figured out Raguel's identity last night, so you don't have to be surprised."

Roxy smirked upon hearing this information. "In that case, you can call him Yuhiro. And yes, before you ask, I'm one of the only allies he has. But I need to know. What's your real purpose in talking to me?"

"It's simple." Kusanagi said before his face turned serious. "Aside from our friends, we have something in common. I know this because of something your ally said. 'I want to save Roxy's niece from what she's been going through ever since that day.'"

Roxy was speechless for a minute before responding. "Yeah. My niece, Miyu, was a part of the Lost Incident. Why are you telling me this?"

"Because my brother, Jin, was also part of the same Incident." Immediately upon hearing Kusanagi say that, Roxy's hostility popped and was replaced with sympathy.

"My God. I'm so sorry. Playmaker was talking about fighting for a friend's brother. He was talking about him?"

"He was," Kusanagi said, with a sad smile. "The Incident closed his heart off from the rest of the world. No matter what I or anyone could do, he wouldn't respond. Sometimes, I feel like I want to get revenge on whoever did this to Jin, and-."

"Kill them?" Roxy bluntly asked, surprising Kusanagi. "I've experienced those same feelings too. There are days that I want to punish the people who made Miyu suffer for what they did. But I wouldn't be a good Auntie if I did that. After all, with her parents gone, I'm the only family she has now."

"Well. Not exactly." Kusanagi said, getting Roxy's attention. "Once she's cured of the Incident, she'll live with you and Yuhiro. You might think you're the only family Miyu has left, but you're forgetting something. Yuhiro probably cares for her too."

Hearing this statement made Roxy realize something. She wasn't the only one fighting for Miyu. Yuhiro was as well. The fact that he cared for her meant he would become a part of the many precious people in her life. Once she woke up from her coma that is. She chuckled. "I totally forgot about that. Thanks. And I'm pretty sure that once you introduce Jin to Yusaku, he can help you ensure that your brother can move on in life."

Kusanagi smiled as he thought about this. "You might be on to something, Roxy. I'll take your advice into consideration."

Roxy then stood up. "You know what? Let me get you something to celebrate our friendship." She then ran back into Café Matsuo. A couple of minutes later, she brought back a USB and gave it to Kusanagi, along with her laptop.

"What information is on this USB?" Kusanagi asked.

"Yuhiro and I have a feeling that the both of you will try to infiltrate SOL's databank tonight. So I thought I'd make it easier for the both of you and give you guys some equipment for the job." Roxy replied. She then motioned for Kusanagi to put the USB in her laptop.

When Kusanagi did, he was shocked at what he was seeing. Firewall protectors. An emergency data rope. And a...

"A gauntlet?" Kusanagi asked, as he looked at the Cracker gauntlet. "You used the Hanoi's program for their Cracking Dragons to make these gauntlets?"

"Yup. These gauntlets are a work of art." Roxy said. "This gauntlet, in particular, has the power of a single Cracking Dragon. So use only in emergencies."

"Got it." Kusanagi then pulled out the USB from Roxy's laptop and stood up. "I, I don't know what to say. You honestly helped us a lot. But I have to know. Are you guys planning on infiltrating SOL's databank too? If so, how come?"

"We are." Roxy confirmed. "And it's a long story."

Kusanagi then extended out his hand. "I gotta go, but it's been a pleasure to officially meet you, Roxanne Matsuo."

"The pleasure is all mine," Roxy said, shaking his hand. "But please, call me Roxy. And if you do stop by, see if you can bring Yusaku. It would be nice to meet him."

"I'll see if I can. And Café Nagi is always open to you and Yuhiro if you're ever around in the public square." After saying this, Kusanagi left.

A few hours later...

Yuhiro turned the 'Closed' sign on. After he came back from school, he and Roxy worked the fast food restaurant for a while. But now, it was time for the job. He headed to the backroom where he found Roxy waiting.

"I've finished analyzing the program earlier," Roxy said, as she turned the main monitor on. "You can go in anytime you want."

"Not yet." Yuhiro replied. "I'll wait until Playmaker goes in. This way, Kitamura can focus on him and try to take his Ignis. In other words, Playmaker will act as the decoy while I can get to the databank first."

"If all goes well, that is." Herald said as he emerged from Yuhiro's Duel Disk. "Remember, Watchman is either expecting us there or will meet us there." Yuhiro frowned in hearing this information.

"Hang on. What happened, Yuhiro?" Roxy asked, turning to face him.

"It's simple," Herald said, answering for Yuhiro. "Watchman called Yuhiro earlier today to confirm if he was still following instructions. He also told us that he would appear at the databank, and before Yuhiro could get any information out of him, he hung up. Not that I blame him."

"Really, Herald?" Yuhiro raised an eyebrow at him. "I could have told her that on my own."

Changing the subject, Roxy got their attention by pointing to the different blipping colored dots on the monitor. "Hey dummies. Even if Playmaker is used as a decoy, you still have lots of other things to worry about on your trip. For instance, the blue dots represent data slicers, while the green dots represent data cleansers. These security traps, if you're caught in them, will result in a forced log-out." She turned to face Yuhiro. "There's also rumors that Kitamura is developing AI duelists. If that's true and you're discovered, he'll no doubt send them after you."

"An AI duelist won't stop me or Playmaker," Yuhiro stated, as he crossed his arms. "AI's only have their programming, while Playmaker and I have actual reasons to fight. Other than that, the trip should be okay..." Yuhiro fell silent.

"You're worried about the other humans that could be there, aren't you?" Roxy asked, concern in her voice.

Yuhiro turned to her, shocked that she was able to figure that out so quickly. "How did you-?"

"Dum-dum. I just know these things." Roxy replied.

"No you didn't," Herald suddenly said. "Earlier today, the both of you were talking about the probability of encountering Ghost Girl in the databank. Which means you didn't just know by instinct." Roxy, now furious with Herald, would have attacked him if it weren't for Yuhiro stopping her.

"Easy. Both of you." Looking at Roxy, he asked, "You mentioned you worked on a new gauntlet, right? Is it ready?" She nodded, and then led the way to the workshop.

As Yuhiro picked up Herald, he whispered to the shaky Ignis, "If I were you, I'd be careful around Roxy. Unless the situation is important, she doesn't really like it when someone corrects her."

At Café Matsuo's workshop...

"You made a gauntlet based off of Altergeist Primebanshee?" Yuhiro asked, who was weirded out by the gauntlet's design. The gauntlet on the table was colored violet red, with gold and black decal, as well as gold spikes. However, the gauntlet was in the shape of one of Primebanshee's heads. "How do I even use it?"

"While you can't use the gauntlet in duels, it is good for retrieving data. Lots of data." Roxy said, as she opened up a video. "The video demonstration will help you learn to use the gauntlet. Think of it like a carry-on, only for data."

As Yuhiro clicked the 'Play' button on the video, he saw an individual equip the gauntlet on their right hand. In front of them was a databank. The individual opened the hand portion of the gauntlet, so the palm was exposed. They then placed their palm on the databank, resulting in the gauntlet glowing red.

"When the gauntlet's glowing," Roxy explained, "it means it's downloading the data. After it's finished, the glow will go away." She then closed her laptop. "The gauntlet also has a 'quick' download option. But it will only download a small amount of data. Understood?"

"I must say, I do like these gauntlets." Herald said, as he observed them. "Yet the both of you do realize you have an Ignis, who can retain a massive load of data. Far more than that gauntlet, if I may add."

"I'll only use the gauntlet if needed," Yuhiro told Herald, thus assuring him. Suddenly, the monitors beeped, causing Yuhiro and Roxy, along with Herald, to head back to the backroom. When they looked at the monitors, their eyes widened.

"Playmaker's been detected!" Roxy said, as she immediately sat down. "I've downloaded the Scrambler gauntlet in your Duel Disk. If I were you, I'd head to the sealed room and head for LINK VRAINS."

"Got it!" Yuhiro started heading for the sealed room before stopping and turning to Roxy. "Wait. You called it the Scrambler? Why?"

"If you don't like the name," Roxy said, turning to face Yuhiro, "we'll figure one out later. Both of you. Go!"

"Okay, okay!" Yuhiro entered the sealed room and placed his deck in his Duel Disk. "Deck set! Into the VRAINS!"

At SOL Technologies...

Computers were constantly beeping, causing nothing but annoyance for Kitamura, who didn't like it.

"What's with the alarm?!" Kitamura demanded from the operators.

"Sir! Someone has infiltrated the mother computer!" an operator replied.

"What?" Kitamura said, surprised. Who would be that stupid to do that? "Pull it up on the screen!" he ordered. Upon seeing the screen, his eyes widened in shock. It was Playmaker, surrounded by a Data Storm and standing on his duel board.

"Playmaker?!" Kitamura said in shock. He quickly regained his focus. "What's he doing here? Have Prototypes A, B, and C intercept and exterminate him!"

Soon, three humanoid robots appeared on duel boards around Playmaker. One was blue and green, one was orange and purple, and one was blue and pink.

"Duelists?" Playmaker wondered, surprised at his opponents.

"Found Playmaker," Prototype AI-B said.

"They're AI duelists, Playmaker!" Ai told Playmaker.

"What? Are you saying SOL Technologies made these duelists?" Playmaker asked. Since when did SOL start creating AI duelists?

"Beginning Speed Duel," Prototype AI-A said.

"Come on, you guys!" Ai scolded the AI Duelists. "Duels are one-on-one, NOT three-on-one!"

Elsewhere, in the databank...

Raguel fell through the tunnel and saw a small propulsion device in front of him. He grabbed onto it as he headed for the databank. Roxy must have made the device so he could use it to easily navigate the databank.

"I'm in, Roxy." Raguel told her, as he sped ahead.

"I see you, Yuhiro. And don't worry, in the event that this doesn't work, I have an emergency log-out program for you that's ready to be used." Roxy said to him.

"Has anyone ever told you that-?"

"RAGUEL! LOOK OUT!" Herald shrieked, giving Raguel a heart attack. They soon saw a purple diamond, causing Raguel to dive downward to avoid it.

The next thing Raguel knew, he saw a data stream up ahead. SOL must use that to delete old data, Raguel thought. "Got anything to help me get through this data stream?"

"There's a firewall protector program installed in your Duel Disk," Roxy replied. "If you activate it, you should be able to bypass through."

Raguel pressed a few buttons on his Duel Disk, causing him to be surrounded by a honeycomb-like program around his body. Upon making contact with the data stream, he was able to enter it, letting him pass through. So this is what's it's like to be in a data stream, Raguel thought. While he didn't know what it was like to use Storm Access, he could at least get a temporary taste of what it was like to be inside of data.

"Got through the data stream." Raguel said. He soon chuckled. "It's like an obstacle course. Almost like New Super Mario Bros."

"If this were like New Super Mario Bros," Roxy said, "then there'd be power-ups. Huh? What's-?"

"Roxy! Is everything okay?"

"Something's not right," Roxy muttered. "Your Duel Disk's scanner is detecting something up ahead. But it isn't an AI or security trap, so be careful."

Something other than an AI or security trap was up ahead? Was it a person? Before Raguel could ask Roxy, he turned the corner and ran into none other than...

"Blue Angel!" Raguel said, surprised.

"Raguel!" she said at the same time.

"What are you doing here?" both of them asked each other.

"You first." Blue Angel said, getting right to the point. "You ran into me."

"Are you nuts, lady?" Herald said, popping out of Raguel's Duel Disk and pointing at her. "You. First." Upon seeing Herald, Blue Angel's eyes widened in surprise.

"Since when do you use an AI, Raguel?" Blue Angel asked him. Herald was about to utter out a furious retort when Raguel said, "Enough. Both of you!"

Raguel then turned his head so he could look into Blue Angel's eyes. "I'm here to access SOL's mother computer. What about you?"

Blue Angel was quiet for a minute before responding. "I'm here to pay Playmaker back for saving me."

Raguel couldn't help but smile. Of course you are, Raguel thought. "Hope you don't mind another question, but how did you-?" His eyes widened before he figured the answer out for himself. "Ghost Girl told you, didn't she?"

"Not exactly," Blue Angel admitted. "I spied on her and my brother talking about an incident ten years ago. I'm guessing you're trying to access the mother computer for information on the incident, aren't you?"

Raguel's face went pale upon hearing Blue Angel figure out his goal. Am I that easy to read, he thought. He couldn't focus on that. Right now, he had to focus on reaching the mother computer.

The next thing the both of them knew, they cleared Area A and were right in front of a shocking sight. "A Data Storm?" Raguel said, shocked at seeing one up close. He had experience getting swept up by one, but seeing it in SOL's databank. That was new entirely.

Nevertheless, he couldn't let that stop him. He was about to head forward when Blue Angel said, "Wait!", making him turn back to Blue Angel.

"Playmaker needs our help." Blue Angel said, seeing Playmaker struggle against an AI duelist. "If we work together, then-."

"Blue Angel, the last time I worked with someone, it didn't go well." Raguel stated, causing Blue Angel to widen her eyes in surprise. "Playmaker can handle the obstacles ahead of him. He doesn't need my help."

Blue Angel was silent for a few moments upon hearing Raguel say that. "Do you honestly believe that?" she asked him, catching him off guard. "You once told me that you dueled for someone you cared about. If they were here, right now, would you help them? Think about that." She then sped off to help Playmaker, leaving Raguel alone.

"You know, Blue Angel does make a good point," Herald said, turning to face Raguel and crossing his arms. "After all, if those AI duelists defeat Playmaker, then a member of my kind will be captured by SOL."

"I'm well aware of that, Herald. It's just-." Suddenly, he got a call from Roxy. He placed his hand on his earpiece. "What?"

"Both Herald and Blue Angel make excellent points." Roxy stated. "Honestly, Yuhiro. If Miyu was in a tough situation, I'm pretty sure you'd help her in a heartbeat. Why are you hesitating now to help Playmaker?"

Raguel scowled. "Roxy. I thought the goal was to reach the mother computer."

"That's still the goal, dum-dum," Roxy countered. "But the AI Duelists might be pains in the butt for both Playmaker and Blue Angel. Which is why you're going to help them."

Before Raguel could say anything, Roxy said, "Yuhiro, please. If you don't do this, then who will be there for Miyu when she-."

Raguel sighed. "I hate it when you guilt me into doing these things," he grumbled as he turned upwards and followed Blue Angel.

Elsewhere, in the databank...

Playmaker was in a rough spot. He was in a duel with an AI duelist known as Prototype AI-A. Right now, Prototype AI-A had a Link Monster called Tentacluster Nautilus and a monster called Tentacluster Drillworm. On top of that, AI-A also managed to remove all the cards from Playmaker's hand.

The next thing Playmaker knew, the orange and purple AI came out of nowhere and rammed Playmaker's duel board. Playmaker managed to regain control and swerve just in time to avoid another ramming attempt.

"Hey! Cut it out!" Ai shouted at both AI's. In response, the blue and pink AI appeared and rammed Playmaker itself. "This isn't good! We're practically sandwiched!" The two AI's aimed to charge Playmaker once more when...

A blue energy whip appeared and wrapped itself around the orange one's waist, flinging it away. A red cord soon appeared and attached itself to the blue and pink one's wrist and pulled it away from Playmaker. When Playmaker looked back, he was surprised to see Blue Angel and Raguel behind him.

"I leave LINK VRAINS for like, two and a half seconds, and now duelists are robots!" Blue Angel exclaimed, clearly angry at what she was seeing.

Behind her, Raguel said, "Guess the rumors were true after all."

"Blue Angel! Raguel!" Playmaker said, surprised.

"White Ignis, what brings you here?" Ai asked, surprised as well.

"The same thing as you, Dark Ignis," Herald replied. "And for the record, it's only polite to call me by my name."

"I'll call you by your name only if you stop making fun of my name!" Ai replied, and he would have said more had Playmaker not sternly looked at him, causing him to stop talking.

"The fact you tin cans are ganging up on Playmaker is clearly unfair," Blue Angel said. "So we're here to even the odds."

"If you intend to interfere with us..." Prototype AI-A said.

"We will eliminate you." Prototype AI-B, the orange AI, said as it reappeared on its duel board.

"Intruders must be eliminated!" Prototype AI-C, the pink AI, added.

"Why are you here?" Playmaker inquired of Blue Angel and Raguel.

"I'm here to repay a debt," Blue Angel stated. "So don't get any ideas."

"I don't recall you owing me," Playmaker said.

Blue Angel, in response, smiled. "That's fine, too." She turned to AI-B. "AI duelist, I'll take you on! Cause once I defeat you, all you'll be seeing is blue!"

Playmaker then turned to Raguel. "And you?"

"I'm here for the same thing you are." Raguel admitted. "Unfortunately, I was 'persuaded' into helping you. Otherwise, I'd be at the mother computer right now."

"I see." Playmaker smiled. "Then it's a race to see who gets there first."

Raguel smiled back. "Guess so." He turned to AI-C. "My Duel Anchor locks you in a duel against me. In other words, unless you want to be stuck here, you must defeat me."

"Challenge accepted." Raguel and AI-C turned a corner and took a different route, as did Blue Angel and AI-B.

At SOL Technologies...

"Blue Angel dares infiltrate the databank too? And Raguel as well?" Kitamura said in shock. "NOOOO!" He screamed and pounded his desk. "That is so Zaizen to use his sister like that!" He then turned to his operators. "Hey! Bring Zaizen over here! NOW!"

"He's already left for the day," one of the operators said.

"He did, huh?" Kitamura wondered. "That's nothing but ridiculousness!"

"What should we do about Blue Angel and Raguel?" another operator asked.

"Have AI-B and AI-C duel them!" Kitamura demanded. "Make sure they're deleted immediately! I'll have Zaizen responsible for Blue Angel, and Raguel will suffer the wrath of SOL Technologies! If the AI duelists fail, you're all fired!"

"Prototype B duel Blue Angel," one operator said.

"Prototype C, duel Raguel," another operator said.

"Roger," both AI's said.

"Speed Duel!" Raguel and AI-C shouted.

Raguel: 4000 LP

Prototype AI-C: 4000 LP

"Have Prototype C take the first turn," Kitamura said to the operators. "Raguel must be finished ASAP!"

"My turn!" AI-C said. "I activate my Skill: Triple Draw! This Skill lets me draw three cards from my deck!" AI-C drew three cards from his deck, resulting in it having seven cards in it's hand.

"From my hand, I summon Tentacluster Drillworm!" A drill with fins at the back of it appeared on the field.

Tentacluster Drillworm ATK: 600 DEF: 1200 LVL: 3

"I activate the Spell card, Tentacluster Shoal, from my hand!" The card showed a group of Tentacluster Drillworm swimming together. "This card lets me target 1 'Tentacluster' monster I control, and then Special Summon two copies of that monster from my deck to my field, as long as it has 1000 or less attack points!" Soon, two more copies of Drillworm appeared.

Tentacluster Drillworm ATK: 600 DEF: 1200 LVL: 3

Tentacluster Drillworm ATK: 600 DEF: 1200 LVL: 3

"Everything is set!" an operator said. "Commencing Link Summon!"

AI-C produced a red light with its hands. "Circuit open!" It then raised its left hand and formed the Link Portal above its head. "The summoning conditions are three 'Tentacluster' monsters. I set three Drillworms." The three Drillworms entered the bottom-left, bottom, and bottom-right arrows, turning each one red.

"Circuit Combine! Link Summon! Emerge! Link 3! Tentacluster Nautilus!" A giant grey mollusk with blue innards and tentacles was summoned to the right Extra Monster Zone.

Tentacluster Nautilus ATK: 0 LINK-3 ↙️⬇️↘️

"Excellent!" Kitamura exclaimed. "Have Prototype C continue his turn!"

"A Link 3 monster with no attack points," Raguel muttered. "I smell something fishy. Thoughts, Herald?"

"As they say, Raguel, looks can be deceiving." Herald agreed with him. "If I were you, I'd be prepared for its effect."

"Tentacluster Nautilus' effect!" AI-C said. "When this card is Link Summoned, I can Special Summon a 'Tentacluster' monster from my hand to a zone it points to! Therefore, I Special Summon Tentacluster Shellpod!" A hardened shell with its mouth open, revealing small tentacles in its mouth, was Special Summoned to the middle Main Monster Zone Nautilus was pointing to.

Tentacluster Shellpod ATK: 0 DEF: 1000 LVL: 4

"Nautilus' second effect! Once per turn, it targets all monsters it points to and destroys them!" Immediately, Shellpod exploded into particles.

"Shellpod's effect! As it was destroyed by a card effect, I can banish 1 'Tentacluster' monster from my Graveyard. By doing this, Shellpod's name becomes that monster's name, and it gains that monsters original effects until the end of my turn! I banish Drillworm, making Shellpod gain its effects and name until the End Phase!" AI-C said. "I activate Drillworm's effect! Since it was in attack position when it was destroyed by a card effect, I can send a random card from your hand to the Graveyard. If it was a monster, another random card is discarded from your hand to the Graveyard!"

The cards in Raguel's hand were randomly shown to AI-C. "I choose the third card on the right." The card then turned to face AI-C, revealing Cyreath Goblin. "As it was a monster-."

"Hey, dumbass!" Raguel interrupted. "That move cost you the duel! All because you forgot about Cyreath Goblin's effect! Since it was discarded by a card effect, you must send your entire hand to the Graveyard. Also, you take 300 points of damage for each card discarded by this effect! Go!" A silhouette of a green goblin with a toothy grin and carrying a sack of gold appeared on Raguel's field. Goblin ran towards AI-C and demanded the robot to discard it's hand. Upon doing so, Goblin smacked AI-C with his sack of gold five times, hitting it with a major loss in life points.

AI-C: 4000 – 1500 = 2500 LP

"Regardless, the effect of Drillworm continues!" AI-C responded. "You lose another random card from your hand!" Raguel's hand was randomly shown once again. "I choose the middle card!" The card revealed itself as Cyreath Launch before being sent to the Graveyard.

"You got no more moves to make!" Raguel taunted AI-C. "So end your turn already!"

"I... end my turn," AI-C concluded. "Chances of victory: 50%."

"Well, I'll make sure your chances at beating me is zero!" Raguel said. "My turn! I draw! First, I activate my Skill, Call of Olympus! I can Special Summon 1 random 'Cyreath' monster straight from my deck, and if I control a 'Cyreath' Link Monster, I can add 1 Spell or Trap card from my deck to my hand!" A random card popped out of Raguel's deck. When he looked at the card, he raised an eyebrow. Seriously, Raguel thought. "Through my Skill, I summon Cyreath Gargoyle!" A small, blue gargoyle with large horns, stubby wings, and large hands with vicious claws appeared on Raguel's field.

Cyreath Gargoyle ATK: 500 DEF: 500 LVL: 1

"Since I don't have a Link Monster, the second part of my Skill doesn't activate," Raguel added.

"Appear! The circuit showing the highest mountain!" A Link Portal appeared ahead of Raguel. "The summoning conditions are 1 'Cyreath' monster! I'll set Cyreath Gargoyle in the Link Marker!" Gargoyle immediately went into the bottom arrowhead, turning it red.

"Circuit combine! Link Summon! Come on out! Link 1! Cyreath Scorpius!" A huge scorpion, with large pincers and a long tail, joined Raguel's field in the right Extra Monster Zone.

Cyreath Scorpius ATK: 1000 LINK-1 ⬇️

"Scorpius' effect! Once per turn, if I control no monsters, I can Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower 'Cyreath' monster from my Graveyard to a zone this card points to. Return, Cyreath Gargoyle!"

Scorpius lowered its tail into a portal, with Gargoyle grabbing onto it before jumping out of the portal and back onto the field.

Cyreath Gargoyle ATK: 500 DEF: 500 LVL: 1

"Next, I summon Cyreath Icarus!" An angelic warrior with a white tunic and brown sandals, carrying a modified bow joined the field.

Cyreath Icarus ATK: 1200 DEF: 1100 LVL: 3

"Icarus' effect!" Raguel continued. "When this card is Normal Summoned, I can Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower 'Cyreath' monster from my Graveyard. Cyreath Goblin, you're up!" The green goblin from earlier returned to the field beside Icarus.

Cyreath Goblin ATK: 300 DEF: 0 LVL: 1

"Appear! The circuit showing the highest mountain!" A second Link Portal appeared ahead of Raguel. "The summoning conditions are 1 'Cyreath' monster! I'll set Cyreath Gargoyle once again in the Link Marker!" This time, Gargoyle went into the bottom-left arrowhead, turning it red.

"Circuit combine! Link Summon! Appear! Link 1! Cyreath Skull Wing!" A small skull with wings emerged from the Link Portal and onto the Main Monster Zone Scorpius was pointing to.

Cyreath Skull Wing ATK: 300 LINK-1 ↙️

"Appear, one more time!" Raguel declared. "The circuit showing the highest mountain!" A third Link Portal opened up ahead of him. "The summoning conditions are two or more 'Cyreath' monsters! I'll set Cyreath Scorpius and Cyreath Skull Wing, which are both Link 1 monsters, and Cyreath Goblin, in the Link Markers!" Scorpius went into the top-left arrowhead, Skull Wing went into the top-right arrowhead, and Goblin went into the bottom arrowhead.

"Circuit combine! Link Summon! The strongest warrior chosen by the gods! Link 3! Cyreath Hercules!" A tall, muscular warrior wearing a brown tunic around his waist emerged from the portal. He wore shoulder guards resembling lion paws and a helmet resembling a lion's head with a plume forming a mane. He also carried a massive gauntlet with a lion face on each arm.

Cyreath Hercules ATK: 2500 LINK-3 ↖️⬇️↗️

"Skull Wing's effect! As it was used to Link Summon, you take 300 points of damage!" The spirit of Skull Wing appeared and bashed AI-C, causing it to momentarily lose balance on its duel board.

AI-C: 2500 – 300 = 2200 LP

"Time to end this! Battle!" Raguel said. "Cyreath Hercules attacks Tentacluster Nautilus! Nemean Strike!" Hercules charged forward and punched Nautilus with his gauntlet so hard it caused the mollusk to explode, causing AI-C to fall off its duel board and into the data storm, where it disappeared, never to be seen again.

AI-C: 2200 – 2500 = 0

"Huh?" Kitamura said, who was in shock at what he saw. "Someone tell me what happened!"

"Sir, we aren't getting a response from Prototype C," one of the operators said. "We can only assume that he's lost in the Data Storm."

"WHAT?!" Kitamura shouted, messing up his hair. "Raguel won through pure luck! Pure luck I tell you! Dispatch Prototype D to his location! He'll pay for defeating my AI!"

Before the operators could perform the task, another operator said, "Sir, Prototype A has been terminated."

Kitamura messed his hair up once again. "Idiots! Monitor Prototype B's progress! If Prototype B and Prototype D fail, you're all fired!"

Meanwhile, in the databank...

"Nice job, Yuhiro!" Roxy said, after hearing about Raguel's duel against AI-C. "I knew a simple AI wouldn't be able to defeat you."

"Correction: It wasn't able to defeat us." Herald stated. "A simple AI is nothing compared to how an Ignis would duel."

Raguel couldn't help but roll his eyes. "I appreciate the support and praise, Roxy, but could you help me get back on track to the-." He couldn't finish his sentence, because another AI duelist suddenly teleported beside him. Unfortunately, it had the exact appearance as AI-C.

"Found Raguel," Prototype AI-D said. "Initiating Speed Duel."

"Scratch that, Roxy." Raguel said, who clearly was annoyed. "I got another tin can to dispose of."

"I can see that," Roxy grumbled. "Even though Kitamura's AI duelists lack imagination, he clearly makes a lot of them, don't you agree?"

Raguel couldn't help but nod as he turned to face the opponent he was about to duel. No matter what stands in my way, he thought, I can't lose. There's too much at stake.

"Speed Duel!" Raguel and AI-D shouted.

Raguel: 4000 LP

Prototype AI-D: 4000 LP

"Sorry, Kitamura," Raguel shouted, "but I'm going first! My turn! First, I Set two cards face down. Next, I summon Cyreath Witch from my hand!" A sorceress with short purple hair and glowing pink eyes, as well as wearing a raggedy cape and skirt, joined Raguel's field. Her staff had a skull on it.

Cyreath Witch ATK: 1200 DEF: 0 LVL: 4

"Cyreath Witch's effect!" Raguel declared. "When this card is Normal Summoned, I can Special Summon 'Cyreath Skeleton' tokens to my field equal to the number of cards in my hand! Since I have three cards in my hand, I can Special Summon up to three 'Cyreath Skeleton tokens to my field! However, I have only two Main Monster Zones available, so I therefore Special Summon two 'Cyreath Skeleton' tokens!" Two small skeletons carrying short swords were raised from the dead, appearing on Raguel's field.

Cyreath Skeleton Token ATK: 500 DEF: 500 LVL: 1

Cyreath Skeleton Token ATK: 500 DEF: 500 LVL: 1

"Appear! The circuit showing the highest mountain!" A Link Portal immediately opened up for Raguel. "The summoning conditions are two 'Cyreath' monsters! I'll set the two 'Cyreath Skeleton' tokens in the Link Markers!" One Skeleton token went into the top arrowhead, while the other Skeleton token went into the bottom arrowhead.

"Circuit combine! Link Summon! Appear! Link 2! Cyreath Chariot Commander!" A ghostly skeletal figure whose entire body was made up of blue flames rode onto the field, in the right Extra Monster Zone. It wore a helmet with jagged, uneven horns, and had an outfit consisting of gauntlets, a pauldron over its left shoulder, a tattered gladiator's skirt, and broken-down metallic boots.

Cyreath Chariot Commander ATK: 2000 LINK-2 ⬆️⬇️

"I end my turn." Raguel concluded. "Let's see what you can do, scrap-heap!"

"My turn!" AI-D said. "I draw! First, I pay 500 life points to Special Summon Tentacluster Darkwhip from my hand!" A blue mechanical crab appeared on AI-D's field.

AI-D: 4000 – 500 = 3500 LP

Tentacluster Darkwhip ATK: 100 DEF: 500 LVL: 2

"Next I activate the Spell card, Machine Duplication! This card lets me Special Summon two copies of a Machine monster from my deck to my field with 500 or less attack points!" Soon, two more copies of Darkwhip appeared on AI-D's field.

Tentacluster Darkwhip ATK: 100 DEF: 500 LVL: 2

Tentacluster Darkwhip ATK: 100 DEF: 500 LVL: 2

"It's summoning Tentacluster Nautilus, isn't it?" Raguel asked Herald.

"Unfortunately so." Herald confirmed. "But this AI is using different monsters to Link Summon it. Therefore, I would be wary of those Darkwhip's, Raguel."

"Circuit open!" AI-D said as it produced a red light in it's right hand. It then used that light to form a Link Portal above it's head. "The summoning conditions are three 'Tentacluster' monsters! I set three Darkwhips!" The three Darkwhips entered the bottom-left, bottom, and bottom-right arrowheads, turning each of them red.

"Circuit Combine! Link Summon! Emerge! Link 3! Tentacluster Nautilus!" A giant grey mollusk with blue innards and tentacles was summoned to the right Extra Monster Zone.

Tentacluster Nautilus ATK: 0 LINK-3 ↙️⬇️↘️

"Nautilus' effect! When this card is Link Summoned, I can Special Summon a 'Tentacluster' monster from my hand to a zone it points to! I Special Summon Tentacluster Blastsucker from my hand." A small blue and purple jellyfish monster was summoned to one of the two Main Monster Zones Nautilus was pointing to.

Tentacluster Blastsucker ATK: 400 DEF: 400 LVL: 2

"I activate the Continuous-Spell, Abyss Invitation!" AI-C said, activating a Continuous-Spell card from it's hand. "Then I summon a second Blastsucker from my hand." A second Blastsucker was summoned to the other Main Monster Zone Nautilus was pointing to.

Tentacluster Blastsucker ATK: 400 DEF: 400 LVL: 2

"I activate Nautilus' other effect! Once per turn, it targets all monsters it points to and destroys them. However, I activate the effect of Blastsucker. If it's targeted by a Link Monster's effect, I can destroy it, and inflict 400 points of damage to you!" One of the Blastsuckers behind Nautilus immediately exploded, making Raguel's arm fizzle in the process.

Raguel: 4000 – 400 = 3600 LP

"If you take 500 or less points of effect damage, I can activate the effect of Abyss Invitation!" AI-D continued. "You take an additional 200 points of damage!" This time, Raguel's shoulder fizzled.

Raguel: 3600 – 200 = 3400 LP

Kitamura, who was watching the duel, cheered. "Excellent work, Prototype D! Wipe out Raguel's life points piece by piece!" On the screen, it showed the second Blastsucker exploding, making Raguel's other shoulder fizzle.

Raguel: 3400 – 400 = 3000 LP

"Abyss Invitation's effect activates once again!" AI-D said.

Raguel: 3000 – 200 = 2800 LP

Raguel scowled. "Using Blue Angel's strategy like that? How despicable. It won't work on me, and it definitely won't defeat me now!"

"Oh really?" Kitamura replied. "Let's test that, shall we, Prototype D?"

"I activate the effect of Blastsucker from my Graveyard." AI-D said. "By banishing it from my Graveyard, you take 400 points of damage!"

Raguel: 2800 – 400 = 2400 LP

"Abyss Invitation's effect!"

Raguel: 2400 – 200 = 2200 LP

"I banish the second Blastsucker from my Graveyard to use its effect! You take another 400 points of damage!" Raguel rolled his eyes as his leg fizzled, causing him to lose balance on his duel board for a split-second before regaining it.

Raguel: 2200 – 400 = 1800 LP

"Abyss Invitation's effect!"

Raguel: 1800 – 200 = 1600 LP

"I activate the Spell card, Tentacluster Scramble!" The card showed several Tentacluster Darkwhip reaching a coral reef, with the goal of using it for nutrients. "This card lets me destroy 1 Spell or Trap card you control if I control a 'Tentacluster' monster. I will destroy your face-down card in the middle!" Tentacluster Scramble fired a swarm of pebbles at Raguel's face-down card, destroying it. However, Raguel smirked.

"Not smart, Kitamura!" Raguel said. "I activate the effect of Cyreath Salvation! If it's destroyed by a card effect, I can Special Summon a 'Cyreath' monster from my hand, deck, or Graveyard! Thus, I Special Summon Cyreath Cackling Juggler!" A small skeleton with small bombs in its knapsack appeared on Raguel's field.

Cyreath Cackling Juggler: ATK: 1000 DEF: 1000 LVL: 4

"Cackling Juggler's effect!" Raguel added. "When it's summoned, for each 'Cyreath' monster I control, it gains 1 'Bomb' counter! Since I control three 'Cyreath' monsters, I can place three bomb counters!" The small skeleton soon became nervous, as it started juggling three bombs at once.

Cyreath Cackling Juggler BC: 0 + 3 = 3

"I activate my Continuous-Spell card, Flexible Tentacluster!" AI-D suddenly said. "The first time I would take battle damage from an attack involving a 'Tentacluster' monster, I do not!"

"That's where you're wrong, tin-can!" Raguel countered. "I activate the effect of Cyreath Eunomia from my hand! By sending her from my hand to the Graveyard, I can negate the activation of a card effect and banish it!" A woman with silver hair, carrying a silver sword and a small court scale, briefly appeared on Raguel's field. The woman wore a black and white dress, with a diamond choker. Eunomia threw the silver sword at Flexible Tentacluster, causing the card to vanish into particles.

"I end my turn," AI-D concluded.

"Even with the minor set-back, AI-D will not lose!" Kitamura declared.

"But didn't Raguel defeat Prototype C?" one of the operators asked the operator beside them. Kitamura, unfortunately, heard them.

"Raguel GOT LUCKY!" he shouted at them. "This time, he'll lose!" And once Raguel loses, Kitamura thought, I'll make sure he's arrested and brought to the higher-ups. After all, is it me, or do I see him holding an AI like Playmaker's on the screens, he wondered. Nevertheless, with Raguel's loss, Kitamura will obtain good favor with his higher-ups. And with these AI-duelists, he'll eventually be promoted, which will lead to him being recognized all over Den City. Not as a washed-up scrub, but as one of the key-figures in SOL Technologies. Once this turn is over, my dreams will become reality, he thought as he watched Raguel begin his turn on the screen.

"My turn! I draw!" Raguel said. "Hey, Herald. I've had enough of these AI duelists, don't you agree?"

"You've said it," Herald agreed. "They're distracting us from our goal. Which is why we need to ensure they can't follow us from here."

"Wait. Are you suggesting-?" Raguel was about to ask when Herald nodded.

"I'm not sure what would happen if you Link Summoned Turboblaze Dragon in a Speed Duel," Herald wondered, "but we must make sure we get to the mother computer ASAP. After all, no guts, no glory, am I right?"

Raguel smiled as he nodded. "Alright then! Let's give it a shot! First, I activate the effect of Cackling Juggler! By removing all the 'Bomb' counters it had, I can inflict 300 points of damage for each 'Bomb' counter removed by this effect! Bomb Derby!" Cackling Juggler threw all three bombs at AI-D at once, causing AI-D to momentarily stagger before regaining it's balance.

AI-D: 3500 – 900 = 2400 LP

Raguel then thrust his right hand in front of him. "Appear! The circuit showing the highest mountain!" A Link Portal appeared ahead of him. "The summoning conditions are two or more effect monsters! I'll set Cyreath Chariot Commander, which is a Link 2 monster, Cyreath Witch, and Cyreath Cackling Juggler in the Link Markers!" Chariot Commander split into two and entered the top and bottom arrowheads, while Witch entered the left arrowhead and Cackling Juggler entered the right arrowhead.

"Circuit combine! Link Summon! The Embodiment of Truth is given to mankind! Link 4! Turboblaze Dragon!" A white-color bipedal dragon with blue irises and black pupils, as well as a long and slender neck emerged from the Link Portal to the right Extra Monster Zone as he roared upon appearing on Raguel's field. He had a long, voluminous wispy mane streaming out from the upper side of his snout and outwards from his head, with two protrusions resembling ears on the top of the mane. His arms were slender and arm-like with a wing-like appearance and four fingers on his claws. He had a feathered chest, with long feather-like protrusions jutting out of his thighs. On his feet were large grey claws, three at the front and one positioned at the back to resemble high heels. He also had a jet engine-like tail, with two large bands similar to the front and ribbon like extensions.

Turboblaze Dragon ATK: 3000 LINK-4 ⬆️⬇️⬅️➡️

Upon being summoned to Raguel's field, Turboblaze roared, causing fiery shockwaves all throughout the databank. Due to this, Raguel and AI-D had to maneuver their duel board's side to side to hang on.

"Sir!" one of the operators said. "The databank is experiencing some sort of anomaly!"

"What do you mean anomaly?" Kitamura demanded from the operator.

"For some reason, the system is treating the monster Raguel summoned like a virus, and is shutting down in order to try and purge it! The problem is, we don't know what it is!" the operator explained. All the screens at SOL Technologies were showing nothing but static.

This isn't good! Kitamura thought. If Raguel takes down the entire system, so much data will be lost. The blame will be put on me, and-. He soon regained focus. He can still remedy the situation. "Get the screens back online right now!"

At Raguel's duel...

In order to truly wield his power, you must be willing to bond with it, were the words going through Raguel's head. Those words were spoken by Watchman during their duel. More words soon flowed through his head. You must do the same for Turboblaze, or else you will continue to experience the pain you're experiencing now, were Herald's words.

If I don't get my act together, Raguel thought, the whole databank will be burned to a crisp!

He closed his eyes, turned around and thrust a hand towards Turboblaze, with the intention of reaching him with his mind. Turboblaze, please hear me, he thought. I Link Summoned you because I need you. Help me, and let's end this duel together! The dragon turned his head and saw Raguel in danger, leading him to calm down. As a result, both duelists were able to regain their balance.

"Raguel, I don't know what you did, but it worked!" Herald cheered. "We're still alive!"

"Indeed we are, Herald! Indeed we are!" Raguel replied, laughing. "Now let's finish this! I activate Turboblaze Dragon's first effect! When it's Link Summoned, the effects of all monsters you control are negated! Heat Veil!" The jet engine-like tail soon charged up before Turboblaze roared and unleashed waves of volcanic energy at Nautilus, covering the mollusk in burn marks.

"Battle!" Raguel declared. "Turboblaze Dragon attacks Tentacluster Nautilus! Desolation Flare!" The jet engine-like tail glowed orange with power as Turboblaze charged up an orb of orange fire. After gathering enough energy, Turboblaze fired it at Nautilus.

"You're finished Kitamura!" Raguel said, as the orb of fire hit Nautilus, causing the mollusk to be burned by it. Upon impact, AI-D was also incinerated by the explosion as it's life points dropped to zero.

AI-D: 2400 – 3000 = 0

Unfortunately, the explosion was more powerful than Raguel thought, as it caused him to lose balance and fall forward off his duel board.

"This isn't good!" Raguel shouted as he started to plummet towards his demise. Or would have, had Turboblaze not flew underneath him, causing Raguel to land on his back.

"Raguel, open your eyes!" Herald said. "WE'RE NOT DEAD!"

When Raguel opened his eyes, he found himself on Turboblaze's back. "Oh my God, we're alive!" he shouted. "Thank you so much, Turboblaze!"

"You're welcome," Turboblaze said, causing Raguel's jaw to drop. "After all, in saving you, I've saved Herald as well."

"Wait. YOU CAN TALK AS WELL?!" Raguel asked, receiving a snort in confirmation. Oh God, Raguel thought. If Turboblaze and Progleo can talk, does that mean all my other Cyreath monsters can talk as well, he wondered.

"Oi! You still there?" Roxy asked, snapping Raguel out of his thoughts.

"Yup. I'm still alive," Raguel confirmed. "All AI duelists eliminated. Now all I need is to get back on track, and everything should be okay."

"Got it." Roxy sent Raguel the route to SOL's mother computer.

"Thanks." Looking at Turboblaze, he asked the dragon, "Do you know where SOL's mother computer is?"

"It's just up ahead." Turboblaze stated. "The both of you better hold on tight!" Turboblaze's tail charged up before firing off a jet of fire, making the dragon speed up. This led to Raguel holding onto Turboblaze for dear life.

Meanwhile, at SOL Technologies...

"Sir!" an operator said. "We're able to get the screens back online!"

"Excellent!" Kitamura replied. However, this moment of good news was interrupted by another operator.

"Sir, we're unable to find Prototype D! Playing the file footage right now!"

As Kitamura watched the file footage, he saw Raguel incinerate both Tentacluster Nautilus and AI-D, securing him the victory.

"NOOOOO!" Kitamura screamed. He suddenly remembered the other two Prototype AI's. "What about Prototype B?"

"Blue Angel defeated Prototype B," one operator bluntly replied.

"YOU'RE FIRED!" Kitamura screamed at the operator. He took a deep breath and calmed down. "Easy does it now. I have to stay calm. Things can't get any worse."

The next thing Kitamura knew, another alert blared out. "Sir, just thought you'd like to know there are additional intruders in the databank."

"What?" Kitamura shouted. "Is it Raguel?" The screen switched to showing the core of the mother computer, and Kitamura was shocked at what he saw. "Zaizen! Of course!"

Near the entrance to the mother computer...

Thanks to Turboblaze, Raguel finally got back on route and approached the databank entrance. He got off of Turboblaze and raised his left arm, causing the dragon to turn into particles before returning to Raguel's Duel Disk.

"Let's never do that again," Raguel whispered to Herald, who treaded carefully just in case there were people again.

"Agreed." Herald replied. "There were several times when I thought I was going to go flying out of the Duel Disk."

When Raguel got near the entrance, he was surprised to see Blue Angel standing outside the door, looking inside.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, startling her.

"Hey! Don't do that!" Blue Angel whispered, before turning back. "My brother, Akira's here, along with Ghost Girl." Raguel scowled upon hearing that. He looked inside before going to the other side of the door.

Inside, Akira and Ghost Girl were standing in Playmaker's way, blocking access to the databank. Or, at the least, Akira was. Ghost Girl was annoyed with what Akira was doing because she had to put up with his idea.

"I see you've made it," Akira bluntly said.

"Zaizen," Playmaker said.

"Playmaker. I was waiting for you." Akira replied.

"Well, well. There's the grand prize: SOL Technologies' core." Ai said. "The whole world's information is in there, Playmaker, as well as the truth about your past."

"I'm afraid the information is off limits to you," Akira stated. "To the both of you."

"Zaizen. Ghost Girl. I see why the both of you are here. To stop me from getting access," Playmaker deduced.

"Well, I can't speak for Akira over here," Ghost Girl said, "but that's not why I'm here." She brought up a glowing diamond and put it in her Duel Disk. "I'm after the data here too."

"You know, I bet you lost against us on purpose!" Ai accused Ghost Girl.

"Not true." Ghost Girl clarified. "Had I won that duel, I would have won you, my little friend. Gaining access to this place was the consolation prize. But a pretty great one. So whatever the outcome of our duel, I was making out just fine."

"So I can't convince you to move aside?" Playmaker interrupted.

"Obviously not." Akira replied. "That's why I'm standing in your way."

"So you know of the data that's stored in here?" Playmaker asked him.

"I learned it just now." Akira admitted. "What happened at SOL Technologies ten years ago. And more importantly, what happened to you."

Raguel's eyes widened, surprised at what he heard. SOL Technologies had something to do with the Incident? If so, what exactly did they do?

"I have the right to know what's stored there," Playmaker stated. "So move aside!"

"Now that's rude," Ghost Girl said, interrupting Playmaker. "Akira's all heart. He even gave up his career to save his sister. So you should watch your words because Akira has nothing left to lose. And there's no one more dangerous than that."

"Actually, I'm more dangerous for three reasons." Playmaker replied. "One: My deck is constructed to defeat any and all challengers. Two: My skills are razor sharp. Three: I'm duelling with a purpose. And you're getting in the way of that purpose."

Akira closed his eyes and sighed. "If it's the only way to break our stalemate, then so be it! We'll let our cards decide the matter! If I win, you must hand over your AI and leave! I'll promise to bring light to the incident and uncover the truth!"

"Very well," Playmaker said, agreeing to Akira's demands. "But if I win, you must step aside and let me access the mother computer. Do you agree with my terms?" Akira nodded his head in agreement.

Playmaker's about to face a world of hurt, Ghost Girl thought, as their duel started. While Akira rarely duels, when he does, never does he lose.

Raguel turned to Blue Angel. "What deck does your brother use, Blue Angel?" he asked. She didn't answer and kept watching the duel. "Blue Angel? Are you there?"

Blue Angel gasped and turned to Raguel. "Sorry! I guess I didn't hear you! What was your question again?"

Raguel raised an eyebrow. "Is everything okay? You seem... off."

"Yeah. Yeah. I'm fine," Blue Angel said, turning back to the duel. "As for the deck my brother uses, you'll see soon enough."

Raguel narrowed his eyes when Akira summoned Tindangle Base Gardna. Although Raguel wasn't aware of the Tindangle archetype, he was intrigued by how much defense points it had.

Playmaker can get through that for sure, Raguel thought. And his thoughts were confirmed when Playmaker brought out Decode Talker and summoned two monsters to two of its Link Markers.

In response, Akira used Base Gardna's effect to Special Summon Tindangle Hound. When his turn came, Akira activated his Trap Card Lemoine Point to prevent Playmaker from attacking his face-down monsters. To counter that move, Playmaker Link Summoned Flame Administrator during his turn, boosting the attack points of all his monsters by 800.

Unfortunately for Playmaker, Akira Flip-Summoned Tindangle Angel, resurrected Tindangle Hound in face-down defense position, and ended the Battle Phase.

"You seeing this, Herald?" Raguel whispered to him.

"I am." Herald confirmed. "Akira Zaizen, the man Playmaker's dueling, has an interesting archetype. From what I'm seeing, it focuses on flip effects and locking down the opponent's moves."

"Flip decks are a pain in the ass, trust me," Raguel told Herald.

"Playmaker, I believe you're approximately the same age as my sister Aoi." Raguel refocused on Akira after hearing him say that.

"And what's your point?" Playmaker asked Akira.

"He trying to set you two up on a date?" Ai interjected.

"I mention it because you're not the only one who suffered a decade ago," Akira bluntly replied. He closed his eyes. "You see, Aoi and I didn't have a wonderful childhood either."

"What's he talking about?" Ai asked.

"Ten years ago, Aoi and I lost our parents." Raguel gasped and glanced at Blue Angel, who had a sad but curious expression on her face.

Akira reopened his eyes. "We had no family. No home, no money. Strangers stole our parents inheritance, making it Aoi and I against the entire world. I may have only been sixteen, but Aoi was six when our parents died in that traffic accident." He seethed before he continued. "I had to grow up fast in order to survive. And I had to do anything, even dirty work in order to ensure survival for myself and Aoi."

Roxy, who heard Akira's story because of Raguel, couldn't help but sympathize with Akira. She remembered that day, when Barbara arrived and told her about her sister and brother-in law's deaths by the hands of a murderer. If Miyu didn't faint in shock upon witnessing the act, she would have been dead too.

Akira continued his story. "It was a dark time. However, a glimmer of light kept me going. And that light was Aoi. Making her happy and safe meant the world to me." Akira refocused on Playmaker. "I would've broken down if someone kidnapped her from me."

Blue Angel gasped at that last part. "Kidnapped?" she repeated. "What does he mean?"

Roxy's sympathy for Akira disappeared instantly. She clenched his fists. "How dare you..." she muttered angrily. Roxy thought of the girl in the hospital, how she was in a coma because of what happened. How, because of what she had been through, she couldn't have the same life that everyone her age can enjoy. Did Akira just compare what happened to him and Aoi to what happened to Yuhiro and Miyu?

"You dare..." Blue Angel turned to Raguel on hearing him say that. His expression was filled with pure anger, and his fists were clenched. "You dare compare your tragedy to mine? As if it were nothing?"

"Raguel?" Blue Angel asked, now concerned for him. However, her attention was quickly drawn back to her brother.

"You've suffered enough." Akira said. "Let me handle this so you don't have to."

Unfortunately, those words couldn't have been anymore wrong, as Playmaker growled. "You know nothing... YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT ME!" he shouted, causing Akira to gasp at Playmaker's statement.

"Playmaker's right, Zaizen!" Raguel said, entering into the databank and walking so he could be beside Playmaker. "You know nothing about us! Nothing at all!"

"So unless you understand what is really going on," Herald said, emerging from Raguel's Duel Disk, "I suggest you back off now!"

"Raguel?" Playmaker asked, turning to face him. The fact that he emerged and was willing to stand with him on this matter surprised him.

Akira was shocked at what he was seeing. "You have an Ignis too, Raguel?"

"Yeah, I do." Raguel replied. "But I bet that means nothing to you right now, doesn't it Akira? No. The fact that you would compare your tragedy to ours, it takes a lot of guts, don't you agree?" he seethed in fury. He calmed down before continuing. "Based on what I heard, I know you have a good heart, but there are things out there you just couldn't understand unless you experience it!"

"Zaizen. I know you have pure intentions as well," Playmaker added, "but you truly don't understand our plight. You may have had your own struggles, but you didn't live through mine, nor did you live through Raguel's. Therefore, I must end this." Upon hearing Playmaker say that, Raguel raised an eyebrow. He seriously thinks he's on his own, Raguel wondered. When this duel is over, I seriously need to talk and convince him to form an alliance. At least until the time comes for me to duel him and complete my assignment.

"You're wrong. Both of you," Akira countered. "There is always another solution."

"He has two ears and doesn't know how to use them," Ai told Playmaker. "This is our fight. Hello!"

"For once, I agree with Ai on this matter," Herald added. "You really don't understand what happened ten years ago!" Upon hearing Herald call Ai by his name, he was filled with joy.

"I knew you would call me by my name and not make fun of it!" Ai cheered.

"Don't jinx it." Herald replied in response.

"Playmaker." Playmaker's attention refocused onto Akira. "Do you still intend on continuing the duel?"

"I do." Playmaker responded.

"Very well! Resume the duel!"

Meanwhile, Blue Angel, who was watching the duel, was shocked with hearing everything that she heard. Both Raguel and Playmaker were involved in the incident that occurred ten years ago, she thought. The only question she had was: What happened?

Raguel watched as Akira Flip Summoned Tindangle Hound and flipped Tindangle Angel face-down. He could tell that both monsters were annoying Playmaker, especially when Tindangle Hound destroyed Flame Administrator and Decode Talker lost attack points faster than when it gained attack points.

What an interesting combo, Raguel thought. Tindangle Hound and Tindangle Angel represent the Zaizen siblings. The brother protects the sister, and should the brother lose, the sister will resurrect the brother. That is the power of bonds, he realized.

When Playmaker began his turn, he summoned Balancer Lord and then Encode Talker. Why would he do that? Tindangle Hound limited the power of Link Monsters. So what was Playmaker-?

Raguel's eyes widened with surprise upon seeing Playmaker use Encode Talker and Balance Lord to Link Summon the Link 4 Firewall Dragon. He has a Link 4 too, Raguel thought. He smirked. Now this was about to get really good.

"No way." Akira gasped. "That's Firewall Dragon. That's the monster you used to defeat Revolver." He then regained his focus. "But I'll have you know, Playmaker. I'm no Revolver."

Right after Playmaker Link Summoned Firewall Dragon, he immediately activated Linkage Hole, letting him destroy a monster for each Link 3 or higher monster he had. As Playmaker had two of those monsters, he therefore destroyed Tindangle Hound and Tindangle Angel.

"Akira!" Blue Angel worryingly said when Akira was sent flying back by Decode Talker's direct attack. Luckily, he landed on his feet.

Akira responded by activating Tindangle Delaunay, which destroyed Decode Talker and allowed him to summon his ace monster: Tindangle Acute Cerberus. In addition, it gained 3000 attack points because Tindangle Hound and Tindangle Angel were in the Graveyard.

A Cerberus as an ace monster, Raguel thought. Not too shabby. Hopefully, I won't have to fight one of those in the future.

When Akira declared an attack with Acute Cerberus, Playmaker immediately activated his Doppler Phase Coating to protect Firewall Dragon, even though he still took damage. Even after Firewall Dragon survived, Akira wasn't done. He activated his Gergonne's End Trap card, which not only protected Acute Cerberus from Playmaker's cards, it also had an effect that would inflict up to 4500 points of damage to Playmaker.

Playmaker tried to make a comeback by using Alert Lancer to destroy Akira's Tindangle token, but Akira activated Morley's shield to prevent him from taking further battle damage. He also activated Nagel's Protection, which prevented Playmaker from destroying Tindangle monsters in the Main Monster Zones. The worse part of Nagel's Protection was that all damage from Acute Cerberus was doubled.

Akira has made the ultimate immovable object, Raguel thought. While Playmaker is trying to unleash an unstoppable force that will help him win the duel. The question in Raguel's head was: What happens once the unstoppable force met an immovable object?

"I Set a card and end my turn," Playmaker concluded.

"Against my deck, you can't do anything," Akira stated. "But you still have a chance to walk away from your quest for revenge once and for all. Trust me to handle this, and return to your normal life. Go to school and enjoy the days of your youth with your friends. Otherwise, by being obsessed with the past, you'll watch the chance for happiness slip by you. Just like it did to me..."

Raguel frowned. Never had he once considered stopping in repaying his debt to Roxy. If he one day decided to stop helping Roxy and Miyu, he would be dishonoring everything she did for him. And in the process, he'd deny any possible chance of Miyu waking up.

"Akira!"

Raguel turned around, as well as Playmaker, to see Blue Angel run into the databank.

"Aoi?" Akira said, who was surprised to see her here.

"Blue Angel..." Playmaker said, who was still not sure why she was here. While she claimed to owe him a debt, her being here in the databank proved that she was here for something else.

"I heard a lot of stuff about the past this and the past that," Blue Angel said as she kept walking. She turned to Playmaker. "Therefore, before this duel ends, I want to know what happened ten years ago. To both Playmaker and Raguel." She then turned to her brother. "Please, Akira!"

"Aoi," Akira said, with a worried look on his face. While he understood why she wanted to hear the story, it was certainly not a pleasant one. He sighed with resignation. "Very well. I will tell you what happened."

"Story time!" Ai interjected.

"There was an incident," Akira began, "known among inner circles as the Lost Incident. Eight children went missing, mysteriously vanishing one by one. Because a secret organization took them!"

"Took them?!" Blue Angel repeated.

"And two of the children were Playmaker and Raguel," Ghost Girl stated.

"You were?" Blue Angel asked, turning to the boys. "No way! I'm so sorry." Raguel gritted his teeth in response to that.

"Yuhiro..." Roxy muttered. She didn't want Raguel to relieve those awful days. They were filled with nothing but dread and pain.

"That's enough, Zaizen," Playmaker said. "You will not continue the story. I will continue it from here."

"Playmaker..." Blue Angel said, facing him. Unlike Raguel, Playmaker was willing to talk about it.

"After we were kidnapped, we were imprisoned separately." Raguel's eyes widened upon being forced to relieve those days.

A young Yuhiro opened his eyes and looked around. It was a white room, with a screen on one end with several strange symbols underneath it. And on the ground in front of him...

"The room contained nothing but VR equipment."

Yuhiro picked up the white headset and put it on. Perhaps it would help him figure out where he was.

"The headset showed a duel field, where we were forced to duel. We had to win, because if we didn't-."

The screen turned red and a voice said, "You lose!" Yuhiro screamed with pain and surprise as he was electrocuted. He was sent flying back and landed on his stomach, with the VR headset falling off. While he was gasping with pain, he looked at the screen, where there were white blobs. The white blobs then zoomed out to show a white pupil with an orange eye and a creamy-pearl iris.

A small drone descended from an opening in the ceiling, carrying a juice box, a spoon, gelatin, a chocolate bar, and some vitamins. Yuhiro just grabbed the gelatin and wolfed it down.

"Eat. Sleep. Duel. Repeat. Eat. Sleep. Duel. Repeat. That's all we were permitted to do. If we lost, the eat portion went away."

"Duel after duel. Hour after hour. Day after day. Wondering why we're here, and why life decided to deal us this hand," Playmaker said, pain not being shown on his face. "We wondered if it would even end at all!"

"How horrible..." Blue Angel said, her eyes watering. "Who would do this to children?" Then she turned to Raguel and gasped. He had a look of despair on his face as he shut down, one that contained a complete loss of hope, as well as worry for the future. His fists were clenched, and his entire body shook as he grit his teeth. Seeing him like this... made Blue Angel realize something.

That day when they were partners for a cooking project, Yuhiro Furutani had that same look of despair as he talked about why he wasn't going to bother using her for his own gain.

Then there was the time when Raguel met a gentleman in a private server, who went by the name of Watchman. She heard him call Raguel by his real life identity: Yuhiro Furutani. And combined with how Raguel was handling all this information confirmed one thing.

Raguel was Yuhiro Furutani this whole time.

Playmaker continued talking. "No one told us where we were or how long we've been captive."

Akira spoke up. "But half a year later, the incident suddenly ended." This brought another memory back to Raguel, the day he was rescued.

Yuhiro just lost another duel, causing him to be overcome with shocks as he hit the wall. The headset fell of his head. As Yuhiro, who was consumed by pain, struggled to get up, he was surprised by what a voice told him.

"You may go home now," the voice told him. Yuhiro gasped, unsure if this was true. He tried to stand up, but the screen suddenly turned blank, causing the eye to disappear. Suddenly, the door opened, and light from the sun flooded the room. Rescue workers stormed into the room and rushed towards him. One rescue worker, who Yuhiro would get to know for years to come, carried him out of the woods and to the police station.

"You were rescued."

Raguel snapped back to reality and focused on what Akira just said.

"The culprit was never found though. In fact, the whole Lost Incident was covered up so the public would never know that it occurred."

"Akira, what about Playmaker's-?" Blue Angel was about to ask when Ghost Girl quickly answered her.

"His identity isn't in here Blue Angel," she said. "The country's S Rank Protection program protects the identities of the eight children. Thus, his identity nor the others are in here."

"Zaizen, do you honestly think we were saved?" Playmaker saved. Akira looked surprised at Playmaker's question. "We weren't saved at all!" Raguel glared at Blue Angel as she looked at him worryingly, scaring her.

"There are three reasons why I must learn the motive behind the Lost Incident," Playmaker continued. "One: I can only move past my suffering when I know why I had to suffer in the first place. Two: To save those who were afflicted by the ramifications of what we had to endure. Three: When I was about to give up back there, one voice kept me going." In hearing those three reasons, it brought up a third memory for Raguel.

Yuhiro found himself lying on the ground, exhausted from the pain he had to endure. The six-year old didn't know how much he could take, nor did he know how long he could maintain his sanity. But then...

"You can make it through this," a voice told him. "You just have to remember these three things. One: If you give up now, there won't be a next time. Two: You can't win if you don't believe you can win. Three: Just because it's tough now doesn't mean it will always be."

"Who are you?" Yuhiro asked. "Where are you? Are you trapped here too?"

"Three," the voice continued. "That's all you need. Just three simple reasons can help you get through anything."

"Okay. Three things," Yuhiro said, understanding what the voice was telling him.

"That's right. Just don't give up hope."

"The reason I'm here today is because of that voice. Whoever that was wasn't among the rescued, so if he's still captured, I must rescue him."

Raguel pulled himself out of that memory and refocused on Playmaker.

"Zaizen. You speak of the Lost Incident as though it ended a decade ago. But it for me, it still hasn't ended."

Playmaker continued talking. "I received treatment for many years, trying to forget the Incident. But no matter how much I tried, I couldn't forget."

Raguel thought back to his own life a decade ago. After the Incident, he was taken in by the Den City Shelter. There, the other kids tried to bring him into their games and the adults tried to help him, as did the therapists. But nothing would work.

However, there was one man who wouldn't give up on him. The same man who rescued him, helped him get used to life in the shelter. In time, the man taught him about Duel Monsters, which led to him being able to spend time with the other kids.

Five years later, Roxy came and adopted him. Raguel had to admit, during the first few years of being with her, it was hard for him. This was because he was so used to life in the shelter that it was a huge change for him.

Eventually, Roxy took him with her to visit Miyu, to show him that he wasn't the only one who went through the same Incident. Upon seeing her for the first time, Raguel felt that he owed Roxy for everything she did for him. He also wanted to make sure that Miyu could smile and enjoy life again with her aunt as well, hopefully bringing happiness back for the both of them.

That desire led to him volunteering back at the shelter, where he could see the man once again. He was even able to make a friend there, which surprised him.

Sadly, even after doing all these things, the nightmares still kept coming.

"This pain would only grow as I grew older," Playmaker said, drawing Raguel back in. "The nightmares would come every night. It was as if I was falling into a bottomless chasm of despair. But I realized that if I didn't want to break, I had to climb out on my own." Raguel understood what Playmaker was saying. It was here where Yusaku Fujiki became Playmaker.

"That day, I decided to confront my own destiny, and confront the demons that haunt me. So I started to investigate every detail about the Lost Incident, looking for every bit of information that might prove useful, no matter how insignificant," Playmaker continued saying to Akira. "One day, I found a piece of information that was useful. The Lost Incident went by another name: The Hanoi Project."

"The Hanoi Project?" Blue Angel repeated. "So you're saying the Knights of Hanoi had something to do with the Lost Incident?"

"That's why I fight against the Knights of Hanoi," Playmaker answered her.

"Circumstantial, but logical," Ai concluded.

"I see," Akira said. "But if that's the extent of your knowledge, then you're missing one crucial detail."

"What do you mean?" Playmaker asked him.

Akira glanced to the core behind him. "Within the database, I found the name of the mastermind behind the Hanoi Project."

"The name?" Playmaker repeated. Ai, Blue Angel, and Raguel gasped.

"Did he just say mastermind?" Roxy repeated with shock. "Zaizen knows who's responsible?"

"Zaizen... WHO IS IT?!" Playmaker demanded from Akira. Yet Akira stood there and did not answer.

"Answer me, Zaizen!" Playmaker repeated. "Who is the mastermind?"

"I should have kept my big mouth shut," Akira finally said. "If I tell you, it will not only increase your hatred, it will turn you into someone you don't want to become!" He turned to Raguel and pleaded, "I don't want that to happen to you as well."

"That's enough," Raguel said to Akira, making him gasp. But this didn't stop Akira from continuing.

"Raguel, please let me-."

"I SAID THAT'S ENOUGH!" Raguel screamed, causing a pillar of light to erupt from his body. As a result, everyone had to shield their eyes.

When everyone lowered their arms, they were shocked upon looking at Raguel. His grey eyes now glowed burning red, and he also had a hazy, white aura pulsating throughout his body. A translucent shadow of an angel floated behind him as well. As he started walking towards Akira, each step he took shook the ground.

"AHHHH!" Ai screamed upon looking at the shadowy angel behind Raguel. "Something's wrong with him!"

"I can definitely see that, Ai!" Playmaker agreed with him. His Link Sense was definitely firing off upon seeing this. He could not only sense anger coming out of Raguel, but... sadness as well.

"I've had enough relieving this tale," Raguel told Akira, only in a deeper, echoing voice. "If I have to get through you and Ghost Girl to get access to the mother computer, then so be it!" Once Raguel stopped walking, the shadowy angel behind him screamed, causing shockwaves that pushed everyone around him back. It was so powerful that Acute Cerberus had to take a few steps back out of fear that it would be destroyed.

Just when the shockwaves were about to get worse, a voice spoke.

"That is enough."

Soon, a massive orange square resembling a gateway appeared. Watchman stepped out of the gateway and into the databank.

"Watchman?!" Raguel said as he turned to him, his voice filled with fear and fury. The shadowy angel tried to attack Watchman upon seeing him, but Watchman thrusted out his right hand, causing the angel to be encased in an orange cube.

"It seems you once again awaken your powers," Watchman said as he shrunk the cube, causing the angel pain. "I will help you control them at a different time. For now, it's time to bring you back to your senses." With two hands, Watchman crushed the angel, destroying it. Unfortunately, it caused Raguel to scream in pain before falling to the ground.

"Raguel!" Blue Angel shouted as she rushed over to him. The white aura surrounding him, as well as the red glow in his eyes, disappeared as she turned him over to his side. "Hey! Are you okay?" As for everyone who saw what Watchman did, they were in complete shock.

"I'm... fine," Raguel replied in his own voice, as he got up with Blue Angel's help. Whatever happened zapped him of his strength. "What... took you so long, Watchman?"

"My apologies," Watchman replied, "but SOL Technologies' defenses took some time to break through." He turned to Playmaker and Ai. "It is good to see you again, Dark Ignis. And it is indeed an honor to meet you at last Playmaker."

"Who are you?" Playmaker demanded. "And how do you know Ai?"

He chuckled. "Not a bad name for your Ignis. And as for your question, you may call me Watchman." He then noticed something. "We're being watched." His eyes turned bright orange, eliminating any feed that could be observing them.

Kitamura, who had been watching all the events occurring in the mother computer, was shocked to see his computer screen turn into static. "NO, NO, NO!" he shouted. He then pressed a button on his phone. "Get the feed on the mother computer back online right now! The information found can still be saved! HURRY UP!"

"Yes, sir," an operator responded.

Meanwhile, in the mother computer...

After making sure no one else was watching them, Watchman turned to Akira. "Akira Zaizen. The former security chief of SOL. I am glad that good men like you exist in this world. Which is why I request that you step aside. Let Playmaker, Raguel, and I access the mother computer. In exchange, perhaps we can work out a compromise."

"Never!" Akira responded. "Playmaker and Raguel already suffered enough as it is! I will be the one to bring light to the Incident, and bring everyone involved to justice."

"Do not make me ask again," Watchman warned, as his eyes turned bright orange. "Something bigger than yourself is coming. Regardless of what you think, there's a role for you in the Crisis to come."

Akira didn't budge. Instead, he turned to Ghost Girl. "Ghost Girl. If you defeat this 'Watchman', I'll pay you double for the help. I will take care of Playmaker."

Ghost Girl shrugged her shoulders. "Very well. And here I thought I wasn't going to get a slice of the action." As she walked forward to face Watchman, the orange cube in front of him turned into a Duel Disk.

"Emma Beesho. The Mercenary woman," Watchman stated. "You have so much potential. Yet you choose to waste it for your own personal gain. Despite this, I see a role for you in the Crisis as well."

"It doesn't matter how I use my talents," Ghost Girl replied, activating her Duel Disk. "Just as long as I get paid in the end."

"Duel!" the two duelists shouted.

Ghost Girl: 4000 LP

Watchman 4000 LP

The entire duel field was soon briefly covered by a spread of orange cubes from Watchman's side of the field to Ghost Girl's side of the field.

"What the-?" Ghost Girl said, who was confused as to what happened.

"Be assured. It's an unfortunate side-effect that occurs whenever I duel," Watchman replied.

Ghost Girl immediately regained focus. "I'll go first! My turn! I summon Altergeist Silquitous!" A light brown female monster with six wings on appeared on the field.

Altergeist Silquitous ATK: 800 DEF: 1500 LVL: 2

"Then I Set two cards face-down and end my turn," Ghost Girl concluded. With Silquitous' effect, Ghost Girl thought, I can bounce back anything this 'Watchman' throws at me. Combined with Altergeist Protocol and Altergeist Hack, I should be able to survive this turn.

"My turn!" Watchman declared. "I draw!" He looked at his hand before continuing. "I summon Vijam the Cubic Seed from my hand!" A blue sphere with a large eye in the middle soon appeared on Watchman's field. It had two small wings and an antennae-like organ with an eye placed on top of it extending from its top.

Vijam the Cubic Seed ATK: 0 DEF: 0 LVL: 1

"Hold it!" Ghost Girl interrupted him. "I activate Silquitous' effect! By returning 1 other 'Altergeist' card on my field to my hand, I can target 1 card you control and return it to your hand! I return Altergeist Hack to return Vijam to your hand!" Vijam exploded into orange, cubic particles before returning to Watchman's hand.

"In that case, I activate the Spell card, Double Summon," Watchman replied, continuing his turn. "This card lets me Normal Summon an additional time this turn. Reappear, Vijam the Cubic Seed!" At Watchman's command, Vijam reappeared.

Vijam the Cubic Seed ATK: 0 DEF: 0 LVL: 1

Ugh. Can't believe I fell for that move, Ghost Girl thought. If I waited a little longer, I could have used Altergeist Hack to negate and banish Double Summon. Regardless, I can't let this guy play any more mind games with me.

"Now I shall show you a portion of my power!" Watchman declared. Vijam briefly disappeared into orange cubic particles once again before transforming into a new monster. "By tributing Vijam, I can Special Summon Geira Guile the Cubic King from my hand!" A green-colored bird with two wings emerged from the orange cubic particles. It had two wings, with four tuning prongs on each wing. There was also a tuning prong on each side of its lower body, as well as behind it. In the middle was it's eye, encased in a mouth containing a total of eight teeth.

Geira Guile the Cubic King ATK: 0 DEF: 0 LVL: 2

"Geira Guile's effects simultaneously activate!" Watchman continued. "By tributing Vijam, it not only gains 800 attack points, but it also inflicts 800 points of damage to you!" The tuning forks turned as Geira Guile fired a seismic blast of energy from its mouth, hitting Ghost Girl and pushing her slightly back.

Geira Guile the Cubic King ATK: 0 + 800 = 800

Ghost Girl: 4000 – 800 = 3200 LP

"Next, I play the Spell card, Cubic Karma!" Watchman added. "I target 1 'Cubic' monster on my field and then send any number of Vijams from my hand and/or deck to the Graveyard. Then my targeted monster gains 800 attack points for each Vijam sent to the Graveyard by this effect. Therefore, I'll have Geira Guile absorb two more Vijams to have it gain more power!" As Watchman sent two more copies of Vijam the Cubic Seed to the Graveyard, the two copies briefly appeared on the field before turning into orange, cubic particles. After Geira Guile absorbed the particles, it gained two new sets of wings as its strength increased.

Geira Guile the Cubic King ATK: 800 + (800 X 2) = 2400

"Battle! Geira Guile attacks Altergeist Silquitous! Cubic Tornado!" Geira Guile's mouth briefly closed before reopening and firing an orange, cubic tornado at Altergeist Silquitous, going through the female monster and ripping it to shreds. While Ghost Girl was pushed back once again, she managed to land on her feet.

Ghost Girl: 3200 – 1600 = 1600 LP

"Geira Guile's third effect!" Watchman continued. "After it battles, I can send it to the Graveyard, and then Special Summon up to two copies of Vijam the Cubic Seed from my Graveyard!" Geira Guile disappeared into orange particles before splitting into two and reforming into two copies of Vijam.

Vijam the Cubic Seed ATK: 0 DEF: 0 LVL: 1

Vijam the Cubic Seed ATK: 0 DEF: 0 LVL: 1

"Also, I can add its evolution Vulcan Dragni the Cubic King from my deck to my hand." As Watchman said this, he added Vulcan Dragni the Cubic King from his deck to his hand.

"If you think my turn is over," Watchman said, "it's just the beginning. I'll use a little more of my power! By tributing two copies of Vijam, I can Special Summon Vulcan Dragni the Cubic King from my hand!" Both Vijams briefly turned into orange cubic particles before combining to form a new monster on Watchman's field. This monster took the form of a demonic squid with six tentacles. Each tentacle had vice-grip blades, as well as blades on its feet. It had two eyes, one at the top, and one at the bottom.

Vulcan Dragni the Cubic King ATK: 0 DEF: 0 LVL: 3

"Vulcan Dragni's effects activate at the same time! By tributing two Vijams, not only does it gain 1600 attack points, but you get hit with an additional 800 points of damage!" Vulcan Dragni fired a cubic blast at Ghost Girl, causing her to shield her eyes from the explosion.

Vulcan Dragni the Cubic King ATK: 0 + 1600 = 1600

Ghost Girl: 1600 – 800 = 800 LP

"The battle still continues! Vulcan Dragni the Cubic King attacks you directly! Cubic Slicer Blast!" Vulcan Dragni fired a blast in the form of an X, which was headed directly for Ghost Girl!

I can't lose like this, Ghost Girl thought. "I activate the effect of Altergeist Kunquery from my hand!" Ghost Girl suddenly said. "If you declare an attack and I control an 'Altergeist' card, I can Special Summon this card from my hand and negate the attack!" A white female centaur-like monster soon appeared on Ghost Girl's field and blocked the X. She had a long red tail, with a golden spiked saddle, golden cuffs, a golden horn, and several wired strands with gold tips at the back of her head.

Altergeist Kunquery ATK: 0 DEF: 2400 LVL: 5

"And when Altergeist Kunquery is Special Summoned," Ghost Girl added, "I can target 1 face up card you control and negate its effects while it and this monster is on the field. I choose Vulcan Dragni the Cubic King!" Kunquery fired a blast from her golden horn at Vulcan Dragni, but...

"I activate the effect of Aum the Cubic Lotus from my hand!" Watchman interrupted her. "By banishing a 'Cubic' card from my Graveyard and sending this card from my hand to the Graveyard, I can place a 'Cubic' Counter on a face-up monster that doesn't have a counter. Also, I can return a 'Cubic' card from my hand to the Graveyard, except a Level 1 monster. I banish Vijam the Cubic Seed from my Graveyard to place a 'Cubic' Counter on Altergeist Kunquery!" A silhouette of a creature appeared on Watchman's field. The creature's face was a blue, flowery disk with one eye. It's slim body, arms, and small feet were covered with eyes as well.

Aum fired a sickly gray and orange blast of cubic particles from it's eyes at Kunquery, when...

"Continuous-Trap card, activate! Altergeist Protocol!" Ghost Girl countered. "Now the activation and effect of my Altergeist cards cannot be-!"

"Quick-Play Spell card, activate! Mystical Space Typhoon!" Watchman said, surprising Ghost Girl. "This card lets me target 1 Spell or Trap card on the field and destroy it! I choose Altergeist Protocol!" Immediately, a typhoon emerged from that card, destroying Altergeist Protocol. At the same time, the blast from Aum hit Kunquery, turning her into a rusty, old version of herself. As a result, Vulcan Dragni was saved.

"What did you do?!" Ghost Girl demanded from Watchman, startled to see Kunquery reduced to a weaker version of herself.

"Aum put a 'Cubic' counter on Kunquery," Watchman replied. "And as long as your monster has that counter, it cannot attack, nor activate its abilities!"

Altergeist Kunquery CC: 0 + 1 = 1

"Vulcan Dragni's third effect!" Watchman continued. "As it battled, I can send it to the Graveyard, and Special Summon up to three copies of Vijam the Cubic Seed from the Graveyard. However, there's currently two in my Graveyard, so I'll therefore send Vulcan Dragni to the Graveyard and bring both of them back!" Vulcan Dragni disappeared into orange particles before splitting into two and reforming into two copies of Vijam.

Vijam the Cubic Seed ATK: 0 DEF: 0 LVL: 1

Vijam the Cubic Seed ATK: 0 DEF: 0 LVL: 1

"In addition, I can add the final evolution of the Cubic Kings, Indiora Doom Volt the Cubic Emperor, from my deck to my hand!" With Vulcan Dragni's effect, Watchman added Indiora Doom Volt the Cubic Emperor from his deck to his hand.

"Aum's second effect!" Watchman declared. "I can target 1 monster on the field with a 'Cubic' counter and destroy it, and by doing so, not only can I Special Summon this card from my Graveyard, it's name becomes Vijam the Cubic Seed as well! I target and destroy Altergeist Kunquery, which lets me bring back Aum from the Graveyard." Ghost Girl could do nothing but watch as Kunquery exploded into particles. Aum then was summoned to Watchman's field.

Aum the Cubic Lotus ATK: 0 DEF: 0 LVL: 1

"Now I'll use even more of my power! By tributing two copies of Vijam the Cubic Seed and Aum the Cubic Lotus, whose name is treated as Vijam the Cubic Seed, I can Special Summon the Cubic Emperor itself! Behold, Indiora Doom Volt the Cubic Emperor!" The two Vijams and Aum turned into orange particles before merging together to form a white-colored beast with blue markings on its chest and arms. It's gigantic face resembled a demon, and it had massive claws on each of its hands. There was also an eyeball at the lower half of its body, with a clawed tripod for legs as well.

Indiora Doom Volt the Cubic Emperor ATK: 0 DEF: 0 LVL: 4

Upon seeing this monster, Raguel felt the same fear he felt when he was up against Buster Gundil the Cubic Behemoth. Apparently, Blue Angel noticed, as she was filled with concern for Raguel upon looking at him.

"You dueled him, didn't you?" Blue Angel guessed, who was also in fear upon seeing the behemoth.

"I did. And I lost," Raguel replied. "Only he used different monsters against me. This monster, though..." If the Cubic Kings were anything like the Cubic Beasts he fought, then Ghost Girl was in for a world of hurt.

"The Cubic Kings and the Cubic Beasts," Herald muttered. "If Watchman is this powerful enough to wield both of them, who knows what other powers he has?" Raguel nodded in agreement with him.

"Indiora Doom Volt's effects activate at the same time!" Watchman said. "By tributing three Vijams, it gains 2400 attack points, as well as inflicts 800 points of damage to you!" A lightning bolt out of nowhere came down and attempted to hit Ghost Girl. However...

"I activate the effect of Altergeist Algorgon from my hand!" Ghost Girl said. "If I would take effect damage, I can Special Summon this card from my hand to field, and reduce it to zero!" A grey female monster with a grey tail and small snakes on her head appeared on Ghost Girl's field. Her body was also covered with pale lines. Algorgon raised her hands above her head, protecting Ghost Girl from the lightning bolt.

Altergeist Algorgon ATK: 1400 DEF: 1500 LVL: 4

Indiora Doom Volt the Cubic Emperor ATK: 0 + 2400 = 2400

"Farewell, Ghost Girl!" Watchman said. He thrust out his right hand. "Battle! Indiora Doom Volt the Cubic Emperor attacks Altergeist Algorgon! Cubic Annihilation!" Indiora's face turned into a mechanical version of itself before firing a massive, orange beam at Algorgon, destroying the female monster. The force of the attack sent Ghost Girl flying backwards as well.

Ghost Girl: 800 – 2400 = 0

"What are you?" Ghost Girl muttered as she slowly got up.

"Someone who you cannot stop," Watchman replied. He then looked at the duel between Playmaker and Akira. "And it looks like the duel between those two is almost done."

Everyone present turned their heads to see Playmaker make his turn after surviving Gergonne's End. He used Firewall Dragon's effect to return Tindangle Angel and Tindangle Hound back to Akira's hand from the Graveyard. When Ai questioned that move, Playmaker said to him, "There's more to this move than you think, Ai." Raguel widened his eyes upon realizing what Playmaker was up to, while Watchman smiled.

As a result of Playmaker's move, Acute Cerberus' attack points went down to zero.

"Battle!" Playmaker continued. "Firewall Dragon attacks Tindangle Acute Cerberus! Tempest Terahertz!" As the blast of red energy went towards Akira, Blue Angel ran forward to try and shield her brother. When the smoke cleared though, Akira was shielding her from Firewall's attack instead, reducing his life points to zero.

"Akira!" Blue Angel cried as her brother fell. "Are you okay?"

"I'll be fine," Akira reassured her.

Raguel watched as Playmaker's monsters disappeared and he headed towards the databank. "As promised, I'm taking the data." While Playmaker was busy with the data, Raguel walked towards Watchman.

"Mission success, wouldn't you agree?" Raguel asked him.

"Something like that," Watchman agreed with him. "I didn't expect to duel at all today, but it worked out in the end."

"If you mean me losing, then I guess it did." Raguel and Watchman turned to see Ghost Girl walking towards them. "What exactly are you?" Ghost Girl emphasized. "Those monsters..."

"They aren't like any other monster you faced," Raguel told her. "I suppose not even you know everything that's going on in LINK VRAINS, correct?"

"You're right on that," Ghost Girl replied. "And I'm guessing you're here for the data as well, Watchman?" Watchman nodded in response to her question.

The three of them watched as Playmaker walked from the mother computer. "Zaizen, stay away from the Incident and from me," he warned him. He was about to leave when Akira started talking.

"Playmaker," Akira said. "You could have attacked with Firewall Dragon much earlier to win the duel. So why didn't you? To extend my torment?"

To Akira's surprise, Playmaker shook his head. "If I attacked earlier, I wouldn't be able to revive your Tindangle Hound and your Tindangle Angel. They protected each other, like you two did. Cards like that don't deserve to be in the Graveyard, among the cold and dark. But I promise you they will if you interfere with me again."

Before Playmaker could try to leave again, Raguel spoke up. "Playmaker," he said, getting everyone's attention. "You say that good people shouldn't be in darkness. Unfortunately for me, everything I've done has led me to walk a dark path. I understand why you don't want help." He turned his head to Watchman and then to Herald. "But there are people that do care, to the point where they'll fight against the Hanoi if needed. You won't be able to stop anyone from making that choice. I promise you this, Playmaker: If they're responsible for what happened all those years ago..." He narrowed his eyes fiercely. "Then I'll fight with everything I got."

Playmaker didn't answer. Instead, he ran for the data stream and logged out.

Ghost Girl turned to Akira and Blue Angel and winked. "Be nice to each other," she said as she logged out.

"Well, that was anticlimactic at the end," Herald said, turning to Raguel. "But you completely scared me! What the heck man?"

"I'm sorry, Herald." Raguel apologized to Herald. "I guess I wasn't myself back there." He scratched the back of his head.

"Raguel. Watchman." Raguel and Watchman turned to see Akira speaking to them. "Based on what happened today, it seems unlikely for me to stop either of you from getting access as well." He then moved aside and gestured to the mother computer. "The data in the mother computer is yours. Take it."

"Thank you, Zaizen," Raguel said as he stepped forward, with Watchman following him.

Once they reached the mother computer, Raguel asked Herald, "Are you able to access it, Herald?"

Herald analyzed it before replying. "I'll be able to, but there's lots of data. It will take a few seconds."

"Do what you must," Raguel replied. After saying that, Herald transformed into a massive hydra and went into the databank, where he munched on several pieces of data from SOL Technologies. After returning back to the Duel Disk, he burped, satisfied with his meal.

"Now that was delicious!" Herald exclaimed, as the data was installed into Raguel's Duel Disk. Meanwhile, Watchman summoned the Spatial Cube and had it absorb the data from the mother computer as well.

"Our task is complete," Watchman stated. "We will talk once you return to the real world." An orange square resembling a gateway appeared, which he walked through to exit the databank.

"Raguel," Akira said, getting Raguel's attention as he walked away from the mother computer. "You are aware what having an Ignis means now, correct?"

"I do, Zaizen," Raguel admitted as he turned to face him. "From this point on, I'll be having a target on my back. But when you're fighting for someone important, it's ultimately worth it in the end. Just like your bond with Blue Angel." Akira smiled in response. He was about to log out when Blue Angel spoke up.

"Raguel, thank you for helping Playmaker and I earlier." She also smiled. "You're right when you say I don't understand what you went through, but I'm here should you need anything."

Raguel thought about it for a full minute before responding. "Perhaps," he said. "After all, anything can happen in the future. Farewell!" He logged out after saying that.

At Café Matsuo...

Yuhiro leaned against the wall, tired from the duels and relieving his memories, as well as what happened to him before Watchman arrived. He breathed heavily as he walked out of the sealed room and into the backroom. Roxy was there, waiting for him.

"Hey. Are you alright, Yuhiro?" Roxy asked, concerned for him. "Today wasn't easy for either of us, wasn't it?"

"It wasn't," Yuhiro replied as he fell into the chair next to Roxy. "But it was important. Now I finally know why Playmaker fights. And who knows, perhaps it'll reinforce why I fight too." He took his Duel Disk off and placed it on the desk. Herald emerged shortly after that.

"I guess you could say it was a victory for all of us." Herald said. "But are you sure you're okay, Yuhiro? For a moment there, you weren't yourself."

"What does Herald mean?" Roxy said. "Come on, you can tell me anything."

Yuhiro sighed. "Alright. But it will take a few minutes, so you might want to listen." After turning to Roxy, he told her of what happened during his duel against Infearno, how he gained the power needed to acquire Turboblaze Dragon. He also told her about how that same power consumed him after relieving his painful memories.

"If it weren't for Watchman," Yuhiro added, "I might have hurt someone. And the fact I wield this power now, it... scares me."

"I see." Roxy processed this information before continuing. "Then it's just something you need to conquer, Yuhiro. Just like how Playmaker decided to face his destiny instead of running from it. And," Roxy put a hand on Yuhiro's shoulder, "you're not alone. You have people who are with you as well."

Yuhiro smiled. "Thanks. I guess your pep talk worked." Roxy laughed in response to that.

"Glad that you feel better." She turned to the monitors. "Let's look at the data, shall we?"

Yuhiro plugged his Duel Disk and uploaded the information from the mother computer. After a lot of digging around, they found treasure. "Found something," Yuhiro said, as he clicked on a file. The file showed an old man with a grey beard and black and grey hair, as well as yellow eyes.

"Dr. Kiyoshi Kogami," Herald read. "Planned and executed the Hanoi Project."

"He must be the one responsible for what happened to Miyu, Fujiki, the others and I." Yuhiro realized.

"Looks like it," Roxy said, as she narrowed her eyes. "On his profile, it says that he was a researcher at SOL Technologies."

"So SOL was responsible for the Hanoi Project this time," Yuhiro said, gritting his teeth.

"I don't think so," Herald rebutted. "It says on his profile that Dr. Kogami worked on the project alone, but SOL was alerted by a whistleblower. I wonder what happened to him."

"And the file doesn't contain anyone else's names or information," Roxy added, frowning. "The file doesn't even contain the purpose of the Hanoi Project as well." Her face paled. "Guys, you might want to see this."

When Yuhiro and Herald looked at the part of the profile Roxy was looking at, they gasped. "Dr. Kogami..."

"Died seven years ago." Herald finished for him.

"Damn it!" Roxy said. "We were so close too!"

Suddenly, they received a call from the monitor. Yuhiro pressed the button and answered it. Like last time, there was only audio.

"Watchman. We got some good news and some bad news." Yuhiro explained. "Which one would you like to hear first?"

"The information from the mother computer will be enough, please," Watchman said.

"We found out who was responsible for the Hanoi Project," Roxy said.

"Unfortunately, he's dead." Herald stated.

"The man involved was Dr. Kogami." Yuhiro added. "Do you know him?"

There was silence on the audio for a few seconds. "I knew him," Watchman said. "He was a good friend. However, what he did, it was horrible."

"So you were there when the Hanoi Project began," Yuhiro figured out. "You were one of the researchers."

"I was," Watchman admitted. "And before you ask, no, I wasn't the whistleblower. After the Hanoi Project, I was so disgusted with myself that I exiled myself into LINK VRAINS for ten years."

Yuhiro, Roxy, and Herald were silent to what Watchman said for several moments. However, the silence was broken when Yuhiro spoke.

"Why do you wish to work with me?" Yuhiro asked. "You already know so much about me. At any point, you could have rattled me out to the Hanoi. Yet you didn't. Why?"

"Because I wish to repent for my sins," Watchman answered him. "I want to stop the Hanoi from doing something so grave and heinous that it will affect both the Cyberse and the human race. But more importantly, I want there to be coexistence between the Cyberse and Humans. By fighting for this chance of coexistence, it can lead to something spectacular for both worlds."

"I didn't know," was all Yuhiro said. Roxy put a hand on his shoulder while he was processing this information.

"We should take a few days to rest. After that, I will give you your next task," Watchman said. "In the meanwhile, you deserve a reward. What is it that you want?"

Yuhiro thought for a bit about Watchman's question. He thought about what he went through today, when he went through his painful memories. Then he turned to Herald. His Ignis never wanted his world to be attacked by the Hanoi. As a result, he was sent from one world to the next, a foreigner in a strange land.

A chance for coexistence between two worlds, Yuhiro thought. If that dream became reality, it could usher in something spectacular for both worlds. All it took was a single step.

Yuhiro then decided. "Watchman. I thought about it, and decided on an answer."

At SOL Technologies...

Kitamura was scared. Very scared as he walked onto the massive virtual reality chessboard. Not only was he responsible for letting several people run lose in the databank, he also lost several of his AI Duelists. And on top of that, he almost caused the entire databank to shut down.

"Kitamura," a giant knight chess piece said. "You are here today because we wish to talk about what recently happened in the databank, correct Bishop?"

"Correct," Bishop said. "Your charges include: Letting several people run amok in the databank, data regarding the Lost Incident being stolen from the mother computer, and almost causing a shutdown in the databank. Do you have anything to say in your defense?"

Kitamura gulped before speaking. "I used everything I could to prevent the intruders from going any further into the databank. From what I gathered, my best guess was that Zaizen somehow contacted Playmaker and Raguel, and had them distract me while he and another went into the mother computer. As for how Blue Angel and this 'Watchman' got in, I do not know."

"It is unwise to speak ill of other employees like that, Kitamura," another giant chess piece in the shape of a queen reprimanded him. "Regardless of what Akira Zaizen did, he still has a good record with SOL Technologies."

"I apologize, Queen!" Kitamura said, bowing. "Even with what happened, I was able to find something of value. Raguel has an AI similar to Playmaker's."

The chess pieces were processing what Kitamura said, when a giant rook chess piece spoke up. "Are you certain of this?"

"I am," Kitamura confirmed. "During the duel with Prototype D, I saw it emerge from Raguel's Duel Disk. While it looked different, scans showed it was similar to Playmaker's AI."

Bishop was silent before speaking. "If what you say is true, Kitamura, then perhaps today's events did not happen by mere circumstance. Rather, it could be a sign of what's to come."

"As well as a golden opportunity we should not let pass," Queen added. "Very well. Kitamura, you have new orders. You are to retrieve Playmaker and Raguel's AI's immediately. However, based on the events that happened today, the task might be difficult for you, even with the performance of your AI Duelists."

"Which is why I just contacted a reputable bounty hunter from Kyoto to assist you," Bishop said. "She will arrive in Den City in three days tops. All the paperwork has been completed, and will be stationed in Den Academy until you call her with an assignment."

Kitamura was astonished. He thought he was going to be fired, but instead, he was given a second chance from the higher ups to make up for his mistakes. "Thank you for this second chance," Kitamura said, bowing to the chess pieces. "I promise you; I won't fail."

"See to it that you don't," Knight warned him, before disappearing from the virtual reality chessboard.

"Also," Rook added, "if you somehow manage to keep the Hanoi away from SOL Technologies, we might be more merciful to you in the future." Rook then disappeared from the virtual reality chessboard as well.

"A fair warning," Queen said, "this bounty hunter has honor. If you should double-cross her, she will show no mercy to you." Queen then left the virtual reality chessboard.

"If you do succeed in acquiring Playmaker and Raguel's AI's, you will be promoted for your efforts," King promised Kitamura.

Kitamura nodded. "Very well. I will begin my assignment as soon as possible." He was about to walk away from Bishop when the entire chessboard shook, causing Kitamura to slowly turn his head to Bishop.

"Kitamura, you will be working with us much more closely from now on." Bishop ominously warned him, before leaving the virtual reality chessboard, leaving Kitamura alone.

Nighttime, at an apartment in Den City...

"AAAAAAHHH!" An eleven-year old girl screamed as she woke up from a nightmare, panting. The girl had short bright violet hair, with a ribbon on the top of her head, and wore pajamas.

A man soon lightly knocked on the girl's door. "Rachel, are you okay? You want me to come in?"

"I... yeah. Please come in, Greg." Rachel responded. Soon, the man known as Greg opened the door slowly and entered Rachel's room. Greg had brown hair, with blue eyes, a small moustache, and glasses. He also wore a suit jacket with a buttoned up white shirt.

"I just came home now when I heard you scream," Greg said as he sat beside Rachel on her bed. "You had another one of those dreams, didn't you?"

"They keep on coming, no matter what I do," Rachel cried, her hands on her face. "I know what we're doing is important, but-."

"It's okay that you cry," Greg said, placing his hands on Rachel's shoulders. "It shows that you're still human. What we're doing, it's going to bring justice and healing to so many lives." Rachel smiled but then frowned again.

"There's something different about this dream, though."

"What is it?"

"In the dream, I saw an older boy, and he used Cyberse cards against an opponent." Greg's eyes widened in hearing what Rachel said.

"Are you sure?"

"I am sure. The archetype the boy used was called 'Cyreath' I believe," Rachel recalled. "And if what my dreams are telling me is true..."

"Then there's other people out there who use Cyberse like you do," Greg realized. "Get some rest. I'll see if I can find anything on this 'Cyreath' archetype you're talking about."

"Alright." Rachel yawned as she went back into bed. "Goodnight, Greg."

"Goodnight, Rachel." Greg kissed her forehead before walking out of her bedroom and closing the door.

As Rachel began to sleep, she thought, Whoever this boy is, I need to find him. Because finding him might be the first step in stopping the Hanoi.

Card Gallery

Tentacluster Shellpod (LV: 4/Machine/Dark/ATK: 0/DEF: 1000)

If this card is destroyed by a card effect: You can banish 1 'Tentacluster' monster from your GY, and if you do, this card's name becomes that monster's original name; also, replace this effect with that monster's original effects until the End Phase.

Tentacluster Scramble (Normal Spell Card)

If you control a 'Tentacluster' monster: You can destroy 1 Spell or Trap card your opponent controls.

Tentacluster Shoal (Normal Spell Card)

Target 1 'Tentacluster' monster you control with 1000 or less ATK; Special Summon up to 2 'Tentacluster' monsters from your deck with the same name as that monster.

Cyreath Goblin (LV: 1/Cyberse/Wind/ATK: 300/DEF: 0)

If this card is discarded by a card effect: Your opponent must discard their hand to the GY, then they take 300 damage for each card sent to the GY by this effect. You can only use this effect of 'Cyreath Goblin' once per duel.

Altergeist Algorgon (LV: 4/Spellcaster/Earth/ATK: 1400/DEF: 1500)

If you would take damage from a card effect: You can Special Summon this card from your hand, and if you do, reduce it to zero. When this card is used for the Link Summon of an 'Altergeist' Link Monster: You can target 1 card your opponent controls; negate its effects. You can only use 1 'Altergeist Algorgon' effect per turn, and only once that turn.

Aum the Cubic Lotus (LV: 1/Plant/Dark/ATK: 0/DEF: 0)

You can banish 1 'Cubic' card from your GY and send this card from your hand or field to the GY; place 1 Cubic counter on a face-up monster on the field without a Cubic Counter, then you can return 1 'Cubic' card in your GY to your hand, except a Level 1 monster. (Monsters with a Cubic Counter cannot attack, also negate their effects). You can target 1 monster on the field with a Cubic Counter; Special Summon this card from your GY, and if you do, destroy that target, also this card's name becomes 'Vijam the Cubic Seed'. You can only use each of these Quick Effects of 'Aum the Cubic Lotus' once per turn.

QOTC

What are your thoughts on Yu-Gi-Oh! Sevens?

Chapter Preview

Next time on Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS: Obscured Truth. Chapter 10: The Angel's Enigma. In the three days since the events at the mother computer, Yuhiro has been trying to connect the dots on the Hanoi Project. However, his attention is diverted once he receives assignments from both Monty and Watchman, which both involve a Cyberse User...

Responses to Reviews and Author Notes

Thank you to Kyred, HunterHQ, Unknown, Unnamed, Noobmaster, Guest, and II for reviewing Chapter 8 of Obscured Truth.

Tada! I never thought I could do it, but I got another chapter done before the end of the year! And with this chapter comes the end of the first arc of Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS: Obscured Truth! I'll talk about what happened in this chapter, my thoughts on Yu-Gi-Oh! Sevens, an announcement, and then responses to reviews.

Before I begin, if you felt that this chapter was too similar to the anime, then I apologize. The goal in writing this chapter was to make it original the best I can. After all, Yuhiro had to access the data in the mother computer at some point. Anyways, onto the recap.

The first major thing that happened was Yuhiro, Roxy, and Herald learning about Playmaker's identity. I had Herald find out about Playmaker's identity first, just to give you a small taste of what he can do for the team.

The second major thing that happened in this chapter was Kusanagi meeting Roxy. Since both of them have something in common, they become friends pretty quick. In addition, Roxy gives him some goodies that can be used should Playmaker need them.

The third major thing was the events that occurred in the databank. This included three duels: Raguel against Prototype's C and D, and Watchman's duel against Ghost Girl. For those of you that felt disappointed with the third duel, the goal was to point something out that can occur in real-life duels. Sometimes, you can simply lose due to a bad hand. Don't worry, Ghost Girl will win a duel.

Finally, Watchman's reasons for working with Yuhiro are revealed. He wishes to repent for the sins he made during his time as a researcher during the Lost Incident by fighting against the Hanoi. Watchman also believes in coexistence between the Cyberse and humans as well.

Oh, and I almost forgot! In true MCU fashion, I put in two post-credit scenes, which I'll leave you guys to parse through. As for what they mean for the future of this story, I encourage you to come up with your own cool theories on what comes next.

Alright, here are my thoughts on Yu-Gi-Oh! Sevens. In all honesty, I can see pros and cons with it. The pro with this new show is that it led to the change in the Master Rules in the real world. This means that, while people are going to still be using Link Monsters, I can see people using old decks once again. Ex. D/D/D, Blue-Eyes, Blackwing's, Cyber Dragons, Elemental Heroes, etc. The con is the animation. For some reason, I cannot stand it, as it reminds me of other shows with similar animation (I won't specify which ones so that people do not me). Therefore, I probably won't watch it, unless they release more information. On the other hand, I do find Rush Duels intriguing, as it's almost similar to a Speed Duel, only with special cards with the words 'Rush Duel' on them (if you're confused, it's similar to Duel Links, where you can only use cards that have the words 'Speed Duel' on them). When answering the QOTC, keep in mind that I do not tolerate people tearing each other down. The goal of the QOTC is to build peaceful discussion with one another. If it gets out of hand, not only will I get rid of QOTC, but I will delete and/or report harmful comments as well.

Before I get to the reviews, I want to make a quick announcement. I want to let all of you know that I'm open to submission of cards for any character that appears in the story. You can submit them to me at any point, but there's a 50/50 chance that I'll use your idea. However, if I do use your idea, I'll give you full credit for the submission.

And now, onto the reviews:

Kyred: Thank you very much.

HunterHQ: I'm glad that you enjoyed the flashbacks. It is a shame, indeed, that Yuhiro and Roxy are bitter towards Emma though. As for your question regarding truths, it means something that is not clear. There are lots of references so far in the story as well regarding truth. Unfortunately, Herald doesn't know about Watchman's identity, and until now, knows a limited amount of information about the Lost Incident.

Unknown: Herald won't go back home with Ai by the end of Season 1. He'll stay behind to help find other Cyberse still in LINK VRAINS. And to answer your question, Ghost Girl killed Senor Marcos' avatar, not him in real life.

Unnamed: Yes. The Rock, Paper, Scissors thing was definitely from Dragon Ball. Plus, the scene was entertaining.

Noobmaster: I'll tell you this. The Hanoi was not responsible for killing Miyu's parents. As for whether we'll meet the killer or not, you have to read on and see.

Guest: I applaud you for your observations. And it is not a coincidence. As for why Yuhiro values Miyu a lot, I hope this chapter answered that question for you. If not, then I encourage you to keep on reading to get your answer.

II: The 8th Lost Incident child will not appear until Season 2 for the sake of spoilers.

Please let me know your thoughts on this chapter in your reviews, as well as any thoughts, opinions, or questions you may have. Also, let me know what you think of Yu-Gi-Oh! Sevens in general. I wanted to get this chapter done so I can say this:

HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYONE!

I wish you all the best in the new year to come. Chapter 10 will be out in early January! See you then!