Chapter 2: Go Onizuka
"Are you sure that was a good idea, Bishop?" The question was asked by a giant knight chess piece. It was on a massive virtual reality chessboard, talking to two other pieces in the shapes of a rook and a bishop. "He is an outsider to the company."
"It was a precaution, Knight," Bishop said. "There is a chance Security Chief Zaizen will fail in retrieving Ignis from Playmaker. Morningstar's success rate is above 95%. If Zaizen cannot succeed, then he will."
"Morningstar has no more loyalty to us than Ghost Girl," Rook said. "The only reason he does what we say is because we pay him more than our competitors."
"Isn't that why most of our employees work for us?" Bishop countered. "Morningstar is a wild card, but he is thorough and efficient. I have no doubt that right now, he is working on a plan to find and defeat Playmaker."
Yasutake groaned as he pressed the buttons on the screen. "Damn it," he muttered. "Why did Cam give me this? He knows I hate these kinds of games."
Yasutake was walking through the hallways of Den Academy glaring at his tablet. He didn't have class for a couple hours, so he'd decided to try out this game Cam had recommended. To his horror, he'd found out it was a bishojo, a dating sim game. Yasutake wasn't sure if Cam suggested the game as a joke, because it was good, or as a hint about Yasutake's social life.
Despite his distaste for it, he'd resolved to play through a little of it. He discovered to his annoyance that he was right to be dismayed. The game was an utter waste of time and ability. The characters were flat, the dialogue was cheesier than animated movies coming out of America, and the interactive options were far too limited. His hatred of the game had absolutely nothing to do with the fact he couldn't get past the first interactions and his score was stuck at zero. He was not that petty. He found himself wondering why exactly he listened to Cam on matters of entertainment. The man could make the best damn pastry Yasutake would ever taste, but his taste in movies, television, and video games was atrocious.
Yasutake closed the game in annoyance, vowing never to open it again. Instead, he opened a video about Playmaker. He narrowed his eyes as he watched Playmaker's Decode Talker destroy the Knight of Hanoi's Cracking Dragon. It was certainly an incredible display of power, but Yasutake wasn't impressed.
He'd been watching these videos since last night when he'd left LINK VRAINS and got hired by Bishop from SOL Technologies to hunt Playmaker. It was simple tactics to learn as much about one's target before engaging in the hunt. Normally Yasutake wanted to provide as even a playing field as possible – there was no honor in the hunt if the prey didn't put up a good fight. But while Yasutake wasn't impressed with Decode Talker, he could tell he'd need every advantage he could get against Playmaker.
Essentially, his recording of Playmaker's duel had taught him three things. One: Playmaker was an analytical and logical duelist, as well as a proficient hacker. He had proven his dueling skills when he summoned Stack Reviver, and Cracking Dragon's effect backfired similar to the other Knight's Cracking Dragon against Yasutake's Cyspirit Teleporter. He was also very calculating in his moves. He had Cyberse Wizard on his field at the beginning of his turn, so he could have used Effect Cowl to prevent damage, but instead he summoned Stack Reviver to take damage so he could use Cyberse Beacon. Yasutake couldn't have done better himself. The hacker part shown through in the fact that his activity logs were erased and no videos of him were on the web. Someone, likely Playmaker themselves or a possible ally, was deleting any videos of Playmaker they could find. The only reason Yasutake's video was safe was because he'd downloaded it personally.
Two: Playmaker definitely made use of Cyberse monsters, like Yasutake did. This was surprising to him. As he understood, almost all Cyberse cards had been destroyed, or their data deleted from LINK VRAINS. Yasutake had always believed he had the last Cyberse cards. The fact that Playmaker also possessed them was a surprise, but not an unwelcome one. Yasutake had always believed that Cyberse monsters were unique, so they deserved to exist. If what he understood about Playmaker's Skill, Storm Access, was accurate, then that meant there would soon be more Cyberse monsters out there. Whether they remained with only him and Playmaker, Yasutake couldn't guess.
Three: The AI that Playmaker was in possession of was no ordinary AI. Yasutake's theory was that the Data Storm had been called, or perhaps even created, by that AI. It was supported by the light emitted from Playmaker's Duel Disk, which housed the AI. It also seemed to have something to do with Playmaker's Skill. Yasutake had done research on Speed Duels and Skills, and Storm Access was not one of the known Skills. It was therefore highly likely a Skill that the AI had created special for Playmaker. With such a weapon in his arsenal, taking down Playmaker and retrieving the AI would be incredibly challenging.
It also told Yasutake something about why SOL wanted it; a specialized AI that could create Data Storms and new cards would definitely be valuable to a company like SOL. What he couldn't see was what Hanoi wanted with it. There were rumors that they were responsible for the destruction of the Cyberse cards; perhaps the AI had something to do with that?
All these thoughts went through Yasutake's mind when he heard someone shout at him, "Hey! Look out!" He looked to his left, out an open window in the hallway, and promptly got beaned by a soccer ball. He yelled out in pain as he was sent flying to the other side of the hallway, his tablet flying out of his hands and his bag breaking open and its contents scattering.
"Sorry!" someone from outside yelled. Yasutake, rubbing his face with one hand, sat up and started picking his things up while muttering to himself.
"Why is there an open window here? And who kicks a soccer ball through one? I didn't even know Den Academy had a soccer team…"
"Are you okay?"
He looked up at the voice. It was a girl with a light brown bob-cut and yellow eyes. She looked familiar. Oh wait, she was in his calculus class. What was her name? Raiden? No, Zaichen? Oh, right! Zaizen! Aoi Zaizen!
"Yes," Yasutake groaned, standing up. "Though I could do without the soccer ball." He picked the ball up and threw it out the window. He thought he heard someone say "OW!" but he was sure he imagined it. It wasn't like he would try to get revenge for being hit in the face.
"You dropped this," Aoi said, picking up his tablet. When she saw what was on the screen, her eyes widened. "This-."
Yasutake snatched it away from her. "Everyone's watching Playmaker," he said evenly. "I find his tactics inspiring."
Aoi watched him, then turned to his wrist. "Your Duel Disk," she said. "It's a card-insert type, right? Just like Playmaker's."
Yasutake raised an eyebrow. Was she accusing him of being Playmaker? He wondered what she would do if he told her he was.
"Narahiko! Zaizen!" Yasutake and Aoi turned to the voice. It was a chubby boy with small eyes, a large mouth, and green hair. He looked familiar too.
"Who are you again?" Yasutake asked him, certain he'd seen him somewhere before. Apparently, he had, because the boy looked downcast.
"What? We just talked yesterday! Shima! Naoki Shima!" he shouted at him.
"Oh right!" Yasutake said, remembering the boy now. "The bad duelist who's a good person."
"B-bad duelist?" Naoki stammered, glaring at Yasutake. "Have you been talking to Fujiki? What did he say about me this time?"
Fujiki? Yasutake wondered. Before he could ask who Fujiki was, the door to the nearby classroom opened.
"What's the ruckus, Shima?" the boy in the doorway asked. He had glasses and black hair swept to the right. "I can hear you from inside."
"President, I'm sorry," Naoki said, gesturing to Yasutake. "It's his fault-."
"It's fine," the President said. "New applicants are always welcome."
"Applicant?" Yasutake repeated. "To what?"
"Duel Club!" Naoki said. "Isn't that why you're here with that Duel Disk of yours?"
"What?" Yasutake said, surprised. He looked at the door of the classroom. It said, "Duel Club" on it. Damn it.
"Please, come on in," the President said, walking back into the room.
"N-No, wait," Yasutake stammered, only for Naoki to grab his arm. Yasutake gave him a panicked look as Naoki smirked and said, "Don't worry. Everyone here's very friendly."
Naoki Shima, I will bury you for this, Yasutake internally seethed as Naoki dragged him into the room. Aoi followed the two, keeping a suspicious eye on Yasutake.
Yasutake found himself standing at the front of the classroom with Naoki and the President on either side of him. The President had a friendly smile on his face while Naoki was smirking at Yasutake's obvious discomfort.
"I'm freshman Yasutake Narahiko," Yasutake said, grinding his teeth as he bowed. How the hell had he been roped into this?
"I'm Hosoda, Club President," the President said.
"I'm Tanaka, second-year," a short boy with red hair pulled back into a ponytail said.
"I'm also second year. Sato," a boy even fatter than Naoki with slicked back teal hair and spectacles said.
"I'm freshman Suzuki," a tall boy with brown hair in a bowl cut said.
"I'm freshman Zaizen," Aoi said. Yasutake wondered why she was introducing herself. Did she think he'd forgotten her name like he'd forgotten Naoki's? To be fair to her, he had.
"Do you want to see the new Duel Disk?" Sato asked Yasutake.
"Oh!" Yasutake said, feigning interest. "The version with an AI that supports you during a duel."
"He already knows about it," Aoi told Sato. "Shima told him about it during calculus yesterday."
"You could probably get one, too!" Naoki said. "Zaizen's brother is a big shot at SOL Technologies. So they gave it to our club first!"
Aoi glared at Naoki, who got a panicked look and glanced to the right.
"Thanks, but no thanks," Yasutake said. "I prefer this one."
"What?" Naoki said, losing his fear of Aoi in shock. "That Duel Disk is last-gen! A real duelist keeps up with the times! Why would you use that one?"
There are three reasons I prefer my Duel Disk, Yasutake thought, trying to order his thoughts to calm his anxiety. One: since it uses physical cards instead of data, they cannot be tracked through the cloud, nor can they be destroyed as easily as the videos of Playmaker that were deleted.
Two: People like Naoki who look down on old tech tend to make assumptions about the skills of the person using them. Using this Duel Disk thus causes my opponents to underestimate me, which they usually wind up regretting.
Three: this Duel Disk is the only remainder of my past before the incident. Replacing it would be like ripping out my own heart and stomping on it repeatedly.
Out loud, he said, "I dislike the grammar censor in AIs. A friend of mine has one to clean his house, and all it does is say, '"damn" is a forbidden word.'"
"'Damn' is a forbidden word," the AIs in Aoi's, Naoki's, and Sato's Duel Disks said.
"This one doesn't have it," Yautake said, trying to suppress a smirk. "And it works perfectly, so I see no reason to replace it."
"May I have a look at your Deck?" Aoi suddenly asked.
"Eh?" Yasutake asked, caught off guard.
"That's rude, Zaizen," Hosoda said. "A Deck is a duelist's life!"
"It's fine," Yasutake said, taking his Deck out. "Take a look." He handed the cards over to Aoi, who fanned them and looked at them. She gave the cards back to Yasutake.
"Thank you," she said. Yasutake smirked internally. She'd asked about his Duel Disk earlier, mentioning it was just like Playmaker's. He assumed she'd asked to see his Deck because she suspected he was Playmaker. He wasn't, which was sad, since if he was, he could give the AI to SOL and fulfill his contract easily.
As it was, the Deck he'd shown her was a decoy Deck. He couldn't go around carrying a Deck full of Cyberse monsters. If anyone suspected his identity as Morningstar, him having Cyspirit monsters would prove it beyond a doubt.
"Let's start the meeting," Hosoda said. Everyone was sitting at desks, with Yasutake sitting in the corner, as far away from Aoi and Naoki as he could get.
"First, let's check the Speed Duel rules. The first difference between Master Duels and Speed Duels: there are only three Main Monster Zones and Spell & Trap Zones. What are the other differences? Narahiko, want to provide an answer?"
Yasutake sighed internally. It was bad enough he'd gotten roped into this. Now he had to answer obvious questions. "You start with four cards in your hand," he said, trying to keep the boredom out of his voice. "There is no Main Phase 2. And each player has access to a Skill they can use once during the duel." He'd reviewed all the rules about Speed Duels last night while watching the footage of Playmaker.
"Yes!" Hosoda said, looking impressed. "You know a great deal. Have you gone to LINK VRAINS before?"
"No," Yasutake lied. "There is no reason for me to go."
Yasutake walked down the street towards Cam's bakery. He was running over what happened in his head. Somehow, he'd ended up joining the school's Duel Club, which was something he'd never wanted. He wasn't sure if this would be a problem or not; if they asked him to hang out with them, there was a possibility they would interfere with his work, or even find out who he was.
Yasutake sighed. Still, Cam would insist he stay in Duel Club. He did want him to make friends, dangerous as that was to his work as Morningstar. He would say it would be worth the risk.
There was, however, the matter of Aoi Zaizen. He could tell she was suspicious of him, asking about his Duel Disk and asking to see his Deck. He was certain she was looking for Playmaker, but if she found out he was Morningstar, that would be very bad. Worse, avoiding her was the only thing he could do. When Naoki had mentioned her brother being a big shot, Yasutake remembered Akira Zaizen, SOL's security chief. He used to come to Cam's place and get muffins, but he didn't do so anymore. Yasutake was certain Akira was Aoi's big brother. If she shared her suspicions with Akira and he investigated, it would expose him to the world, and not in a fun way.
"Ah, Yasu!" Cam said as Yasutake entered Café Junpei. It wasn't too busy, only a few people sitting at tables and no line at the counter. "How was school?"
"Horrible," Yasutake answered, walking behind the counter. When he reached for his apron, Cam stopped him.
"I don't need your help today, Yasu," Cam said, smiling at him. "I don't expect things to get too busy. Please, head to the back and work on your schoolwork."
Yasutake understood what Cam meant. He was telling him he'd found something that he wanted to show him, but it would have to wait. Yasutake nodded and headed to the back room. While Cam was working, he could work on his homework.
After an hour or so, Cam walked into the back room. Yasutake was watching the videos of Playmaker they'd downloaded.
"It's just like last night," Yasutake said, not turning to Cam. "There's no videos of Playmaker on the cloud. I posted a copy of one of ours, and it was deleted. Someone's trying to keep as much information about Playmaker off the web as possible."
"Smart move for a hacker," Cam said, sitting in his own chair. "If enough information about him got out, even an idiot could deduce his identity."
"Speaking of which, do we have any suspects?" Yasutake asked. Bishop had asked exclusively for the AI, not Playmaker's identity, but he figured finding out who Playmaker was would make his job easier. Besides, he was curious.
"Nope," Cam said, sighing. "After he left, several people showed up with his avatar, but it was obvious none of them were Playmaker. One talked too much, one had too many muscles, and the last had connectivity issues."
Yasutake scoffed. "Seriously? How stupid can these people be? After his duel with Hanoi, they must be gunning for him, and we know SOL is. If either group mistakes those idiots for the real one…"
"Hopefully, that won't happen," Cam said. "But Playmaker isn't what I wanted to talk to you about." He opened a window on their screens. Yasutake looked at the images and raised an eyebrow.
"Go Onizuka and Blue Angel?" he said. "What about them?"
"The two of them confronted Playmaker before they met you," Cam said. "Go in particular seemed very intent on dueling Playmaker. I thought it best to learn as much about them as possible so if they get in the way, you'd be able to deal with them effectively."
"Playmaker has only ever dueled the Knights of Hanoi," Yasutake said. "And the drone recorded his interactions with these two. He won't duel them just because they want to duel him."
"Even so, better to be prepared," Cam said. "To start: Go Onizuka. Also known as the 'king of LINK VRAINS.' Unlike Blue Angel, Playmaker, or you, he uses his actual name and appearance when he goes into LINK VRAINS. What does that tell you?"
"That he has nothing to hide," Yasutake said simply. "He wants to be recognized. He wants fame. In other words, he's a glory hound."
"I thought that too," Cam said. "Then I found this." He opened another window that showed an orphanage. "This is where he grew up. He volunteers there every now and then. In fact, most of his winnings go to supporting this orphanage. The man himself lives in a gym near the waterfront."
"You're saying he's paying back a debt," Yasutake said, understanding. "He grew up there, so he gives money to it so the children can live good lives. I take back what I said. He's a good person."
"He's also an entertainer," Cam said. "He uses an old-fashioned style of dueling called Entertainment Style. He makes his enemies seem stronger, and then crushes them with overwhelming might. He duels in a way that's meant to bring excitement, to himself, the audience, and his opponent."
"Hmm," was all Yasutake said. While he did admit Go was a good person, he still had no interest in him. For that to happen, he'd have to have a price on his head.
"And Blue Angel?"
"She's also an entertainer, but unlike Go, she focuses on flashy moves and tricks. Her monsters, the Trickstars, exemplify this, focusing on effect damage. Her identity isn't public knowledge, but I was able to find this."
Cam opened another window, this one showing a girl with a light brown bob-cut and yellow eyes. Wait a minute…
"This is Blue Angel's identity," Cam said, sounding proud with himself. "Her name is-."
"Aoi Zaizen!" Yasutake said, his eyes wide with surprise. He hadn't seen that coming, but in hindsight it made sense. Given Blue Angel's interest in Playmaker, Aoi would be curious about a card-insert Duel Disk and the Deck of the person using it.
"You know her?" Cam said, surprised, either that Yasutake knew Blue Angel's real-world identity, or that Yasutake knew a girl.
"She's in my calculus class," Yasutake said. "And we're both in Duel Club."
"You joined a club?" Cam said, so shocked he momentarily forgot about Blue Angel. "I thought you hated interacting with people!"
"I do, but somehow I got roped into joining," Yasutake said, scowling at the memory. He was going to bury Naoki one day. "You're the one who said I should try and make friends."
"Yes, but, and no offense, you're terrible at social interactions," Cam said. "I've seen AIs more sociable than you."
"No, you haven't," Yasutake said, turning back to the screen. "One of the club members said Zaizen's big brother was a big shot at SOL Technologies. I was wondering if you remember Akira Zaizen?"
"The guy in the suit who always bought a box of blueberry muffins?" Cam said, raising an eyebrow. "Of course I remember him. Even if he doesn't stop by anymore, I still get pickup orders for a box of blueberry muffins from a woman named Hayami who works at SOL. Pretty sure she picks them up for him. Why?"
"Zaizen is SOL's security chief now, isn't he?" Yasutake said. When Cam nodded, he turned to the screen. "If he oversees security, that means he was also responsible for the scan SOL performed to find their AI. He likely saw Playmaker's duel against Hanoi and knows he has it. Meaning…"
"He is likely attempting to retrieve it as well," Cam finished, seeing Yasutake's train of thought. "But didn't Bishop hire you to retrieve it?"
"Bishop has a tendency not to put his eggs in one basket," Yasutake said. "He likely contracted me as a contingency in case Zaizen fails. He did it before when he hired me for the Mercury job." He scowled at the memory of Mercury. Damn that woman…
"We know why Go duels," Yasutake said, abruptly changing the subject. "Aoi Zaizen's identity is hidden. Is it attention that she duels for?" He scowled at that. Dueling for such a stupid reason… if that was why Blue Angel dueled, then she was worth even less of his attention than Go.
"Maybe," Cam said, musing. "What is Zaizen like at school?"
"Quiet, suspicious," Yasutake said. "She's almost as emotionless as Sachi." He looked at Cam when he said that. "I'm sorry, that was uncalled for."
"Don't worry about it, Yasu," Cam said, despite the pain in his eyes. "In LINK VRAINS, Blue Angel is very energetic and talkative. I wonder what she duels for…"
"Does it matter?" Yasutake asked. "I have no intention of dueling her or Go. At least not without sufficient reason."
Yasutake sat in the back row of computer science class, trying to deal with his boredom. The teacher was talking about Edouard Lucas, the man who invented the Tower of Hanoi puzzle, and how it related to binary language. It could be worse, Yasutake thought. Naoki could be bothering him. Thankfully, the boy was currently talking to another kid in the back row with blue and pink hair. From the boy's expression, he clearly didn't want to be talking to Naoki either.
Suddenly, Naoki stood up and shouted, "It's Hanoi!" Yasutake started and stared.
"What about it?" the teacher asked, confused. "I was just explaining it…"
"Hanoi!" Naoki said. "The Knights of Hanoi!" He held up his tablet, showing a Knight of Hanoi riding a D-Board.
Yasutake immediately got up and left the room, not noticing that the boy Naoki was sitting next to had also left. He ran up to the roof, thinking to himself.
There are three reasons I am going to LINK VRAINS, he thought. One: if there is a Knight of Hanoi, Playmaker will inevitably show up. After dealing with the Knight, that will be my chance to challenge him and retrieve his AI. Two: I will be able to observe another duel with Playmaker, which will show off more of his skills and give me a better idea of what I am facing. Three: if Playmaker does not show up, Hanoi will rampage across LINK VRAINS. I cannot let that happen.
Once he reached the roof, he headed to an isolated corner. The probability of anyone finding him up here was incredibly remote. No one, not even the custodians, came up here. He took his Duel Disk out of his bag and placed it on his wrist. He pulled his Deck out and inserted it into his Duel Disk. "Deck set! Into the VRAINS!"
The blue sphere appeared around him as Yasutake's appearance changed to that of Morningstar. He emerged from a portal into LINK VRAINS, landing on a rooftop. He looked around. The Knight of Hanoi was standing on a nearby rooftop, waiting for someone.
"Mm," Morningstar gasped. Something was wrong. The Knight… something was different about this one.
A portal suddenly opened in the sky. Playmaker shot out of it and landed in front of the Knight. Morningstar jumped to a nearby rooftop, close enough to hear what they were saying, but out of their eyesight.
"You're finally here, Playmaker," the Knight said. That voice… something about it was familiar.
Playmaker didn't answer. Instead, another voice said, "Did you sense that something is off, Playmaker?" Morningstar recognized it as the voice that came from Playmaker's Duel Disk. In other words, it was the AI SOL wanted.
"He's not a Knight of Hanoi," Playmaker said, surprising Morningstar. What? Was that what that feeling was? Morningstar leaned out of his hiding spot, getting a better look at the Knight.
The Knight laughed as his avatar peeled away to reveal a certain Charisma Duelist. "I used the Knight of Hanoi disguise to lure you out! I am Go Onizuka! I'm a real hero, and I'm gonna expose you for the wannabe hero that you are!"
Morningstar raised an eyebrow. A real hero? What was that about? Unlike him, Playmaker evidently didn't care, as he turned to leave. Before he could though, a giant cage appeared, closing off a portion of the city.
What is this? Morningstar wondered. This program is designed to keep people from logging out? In other words, it was like his Data Anchor, only it was indiscriminate. He listened as Go said the program would only deactivate if Playmaker defeated him. Apparently, Playmaker considered that sufficient reason to duel him, because the two of them started a Speed Duel.
Damn it, Morningstar thought as he launched his drone again. He couldn't run after them at their speed, and if he used the D-Board program he'd made, they'd notice him. He didn't want Playmaker to notice him. Not yet, anyway.
Who's doing this? Morningstar wondered while he watched the duel from the drone's recorder. There are only two groups that could make a program like this, and Go would never willingly work with Hanoi, meaning this must be SOL Technologies' doing. That means… he narrowed his eyes… Go's fighting for them. Damn it, Bishop! I hate it when you pull stuff like this!
He calmed himself down. He didn't know that Bishop was behind Go. Bishop was more the behind-the-scenes type. Akira Zaizen was a more likely suspect. Still, Morningstar resolved to have a talk with Go once his duel with Playmaker was over. He needed to know exactly who at SOL was hunting the same contract.
Watching the duel, he couldn't deny Playmaker's skill. He summoned two Cyberse monsters, each with high attack points, and cut Go's Life Points in half. He was meticulous, that was certain.
He was even more impressed with Go's turn, where he turned the situation around and summoned Gouki the Great Ogre and set himself up to win in one hit.
He makes his enemies seem stronger, and then crushes them with overwhelming might. That was what Cam had said about Go. He understood what Cam meant now. By putting himself in a pinch, Go made his victories seem more impressive. Such a strategy left the audience, himself, and the opponent enjoying the duel. Morningstar found himself smiling. He had been wrong. His strategy, in addition to his reason for dueling, made Go an interesting person. If he won against Playmaker, Morningstar couldn't begrudge him his victory.
Of course, he didn't win. Playmaker activated a Trap Card that reduced Gouki the Great Ogre's attack points, which confused Morningstar. Go had increased his monster's attack twice, but Playmaker had negated the lower increase. Why? Playmaker was too intelligent to make a misplay like that.
What happened next surprised Morningstar even more. Someone opened a backdoor program through which Playmaker could escape, but he ignored it. Why would he do that? Morningstar smiled again, realizing why. It was because Playmaker had honor. Once he started a duel, he would see it through to the end. Apparently Go realized it as well, because he smiled as well.
Morningstar soon got an answer to his other question. A Data Storm tornado appeared suddenly, which Playmaker went into. Morningstar remembered the Skill Playmaker had, which could only be used when he had 1000 or less Life Points. So it wasn't a misplay, but to make his Skill possible. Indeed, Playmaker was a very capable duelist.
His impression of Playmaker improved even more when he performed four Link Summons during his turn. Not an easy thing to do. Neither was his finishing move. By using three Link Monsters and an Equip Spell Card, he destroyed Gouki the Great Ogre and then inflicted its attack to Go as damage. Go was sent flying from his board, but laughed as he stood up. Apparently, he had enjoyed his duel with Playmaker after all.
Morningstar scowled a bit as Playmaker logged out. That meant he couldn't duel him. Oh well. He had other concerns right now.
Yasutake ran into the bakery, which was closed for the day. He went into the back room and found Cam sitting at the computers.
"Not bad," Cam said, looking at the screens with a smile. "Playmaker defeated Go Onizuka. Not an easy task."
"Do you know who created that program?"
"The cage program, or the backdoor program?"
"Both," Yasutake said. "I need to know which SOL executive allied with Go and who Playmaker's ally was."
Cam sighed. "I'm afraid not. I did manage to get a sample of the code from the backdoor, though, so if you want, we could probably contact Playmaker."
"Not yet," Yasutake said. "I want to send a message to Go Onizuka."
"Why?"
"I want to duel him."
"What?" Cam said, surprised. "Didn't you say he was of no interest to you?"
"I learned three things watching the duel between Go and Playmaker," Yasutake said. "One: Playmaker's dueling style makes use of multiple Link Summons to bring his more powerful monsters out. Two: just like Go, he places himself at a disadvantage intentionally so that he can use his Skill, Storm Access. Three," Yasutake narrowed his eyes at this one, "someone from SOL Technologies aided Go in this fight. I need to know who, because if Bishop hired someone else…"
"He would have hired her," Cam said, scowling at the memory of that woman. He disliked her even more than Yasutake did. "You know Bishop wouldn't do something this overt."
"Maybe," Yasutake said, "but there are also three reasons I want to duel Go. One: I want to know who from SOL provided him the cage program. Two: I want to get Playmaker's attention, so that he knows I'm out here and that I also have Cyberse cards. Three," this time he smiled, "Go's dueling style is very interesting to me. I want to experience it first-hand."
"Are you… happy about the idea of dueling?" Cam said, smiling a little. "I didn't think I'd ever see the day."
"His dueling style is interesting," Yasutake said. "That's the only reason. Please, send Go a message that I want to meet him tonight."
After logging out, Go was surprised by the kids from the orphanage coming by to cheer him up. He played with them a while and promised he'd go to see them tomorrow. After they left, his manager approached him.
"I'm glad to see you're doing better, Go," he said. "But I'm afraid there's something else that has to be done." He handed a tablet to Go. Go looked at it and started in surprise.
"Morningstar wants to meet me?" Go said. He remembered Morningstar. He'd pinned a Knight of Hanoi to a wall and dismissed Go just like Playmaker had. "What does he want with me?"
"It doesn't say," his manager said. "But I imagine it has something to do with your duel against Playmaker. Are you going?"
Go thought about it, then smiled. "The champion cannot deny a challenge. Tell Morningstar I'll meet him in LINK VRAINS!"
Go met Morningstar on a rooftop. "So, what does a bounty hunter want with me?" Go asked. He didn't bother to hide his contempt for Morningstar.
"The SOL executive who provided you the cage program," Morningstar said. "I want to know who it was."
"What business is that of yours?"
"Not your business," Morningstar said, keeping a straight face.
"I thought I was of no interest to you."
"You were, and now you are of interest to me. Please, tell me who aided you in your duel with Playmaker."
Go growled. "I don't see why I should help someone who duels only for profit!"
"I duel for more than profit," Morningstar. "Like you, I have people I need to support. A debt that must be paid." Go's eyes widened at that. "But if you need convincing…" Morningstar shot a red energy whip out of his Duel Disk, ensnaring Go's wrist.
"What the-?" Go said. "What is this!?"
"A Data Anchor," Morningstar said. "It's like that cage program you used, but it affects only us. Essentially, neither one of us can log out unless we have a duel."
"So you did call me here to duel me," Go said, glaring at him.
"I was always planning to duel you," Morningstar said. "Your duel against Playmaker was very impressive. But if you need additional stimuli, how about this? If I win, you tell me which SOL executive provided you with the cage program. If you win, I make a sizable donation in your name to Den City's orphanage."
Go's eyes widened with surprise at that. "You'd do that?"
"If you win," Morningstar said. "Shall we?"
Go smiled at that. He still didn't like Morningstar, but he had to admire his attitude.
The two of them rode the data stream, with Go riding up front with his board, and Morningstar riding his, a black model with silver fins on the back sides.
"Speed Duel!" they shouted.
Go Onizuka: 4000 LP
Morningstar: 4000 LP
"I shall take the first turn!" Go declared, waving his hand in front of him to see his cards. "I summon Gouki Suprex!" A blue ogre with claws on his hands and a long blue tail appeared on his field.
Gouki Suprex ATK 1800 DEF 0 LVL: 4
"When Suprex is Normal Summoned, I can Special Summon one 'Gouki' monster from my hand!" Go said. "I summon Gouki Riscorpio!" This ogre was red with a scorpion claws for hands and a scorpion tail.
Gouki Riscorpio ATK 2300 DEF 0 LVL: 5
"I end my turn," Go said, smiling at Morningstar. "Go ahead! Show me how a bounty hunter duels!"
"Oh, what is this?" the MC said. "Go Onizuka has started another duel! This time with someone who identifies themselves as the famous Morningstar!"
At a hotdog cart near Den City's main square, a boy with dark blue hair and light blue bangs with pink accents, looked up at the television screen. It showed Go and his opponent, a duelist in a dark blue and maroon jumpsuit with parted blue and black hair with silver bangs and red eyes.
"Who is Go dueling?" the boy, Yusaku Fujiki asked. The person working in the hotdog cart, an older man with purple hair, a small goatee, and grey eyes, answered him.
"Morningstar," he said. "He's supposedly a famous bounty hunter. He usually works for SOL, hunting criminals and hackers down."
"Then why is he dueling Go, Kusanagi?" Yusaku asked him.
Back at the duel, Morningstar said, "My turn! Draw!" He looked at his cards and thought, You better be watching, Playmaker.
"I Set one card," he said. "Since I control no monsters and you do, I can Special Summon Cyspirit Swordsman!" His monster was a white skeleton warrior in blue armor carrying futuristic swords. Its left eye was blue in its metal skull.
Cyspirit Swordsman ATK 1200 DEF 900 LVL: 3
"What?" Go said, surprised. "Cyspirit? That monster is a Cyberse! Where did you get that? Are you allied with Playmaker?"
"As I told you last time, Playmaker is no ally of mine," Morningstar said. Back at the hotdog stand, Yusaku, who was really Playmaker, narrowed his eyes.
"He is in possession of Cyberse monsters? How is that possible?"
"Since Swordsman was Special Summoned by its effect, I can add one 'Cyspirit' monster from my Deck to my hand," Morningstar said. "I add Cyspirit Navigator to my hand. And then I activate Navigator's effect! If I control a 'Cyspirit' monster, I can Special Summon Cyspirit Navigator!" This monster was a grey skeleton in a pirate's outfit, with a black metal skull and right red eye topped by a black tricorne hat.
Cyspirit Navigator ATK 1300 DEF 1100 LVL: 3
"Next, I Normal Summon Cyspirit Lancer!" The monster he first used against Hanoi appeared and grinned at Go. Or maybe it didn't. It was hard to tell with a skull.
Cyspirit Lancer ATK 1800 DEF 0 LVL: 4
Go laughed. "You summoned three monsters at once? Not bad. But you will have to do better than that!"
"I will," Morningstar said. "Since Lancer is in Attack Position, all 'Cyspirit' monsters I control gain 300 attack points! Digital Charge!" His three monsters glowed white as their attack points increased.
Cyspirit Lancer ATK 1800→2100
Cyspirit Navigator ATK 1300→1600
Cyspirit Swordsman ATK 1200→1500
"Next, I activate the Spell Card: Cyspirit Gathering!" This card had Swordsman and Lancer together, crossing their weapons. "Battle! Cyspirit Swordsman, attack Gouki Riscorpio! Cyberse Strike!"
"What?" Go said, surprised. "But Riscorpio has more attack points!"
Swordsman's swords glowed blue as he charged at Riscorpio. Riscorpio struck Swordsman with its tail, driving it back, but not destroying it.
"What?" Go said again. "Why wasn't your Swordsman destroyed? And why didn't you take damage?"
"Because of Cyspirit Gathering," Morningstar said. "The turn this card is activated, if a 'Cyspirit' monster attacks a monster with greater attack, it is not destroyed and I take no damage from that battle. Then, the monster I attacked loses attack points equal to my monster's attack!" Riscorpio glowed white as its attack points decreased by Swordsman's attack points.
Gouki Riscorpio ATK 2300→800
"What?" Go said for a third time. "Such an effect…"
"Battle!" Morningstar declared. "Cyspirit Lancer attacks Gouki Suprex! Digital Lance!" Lancer charged Suprex, its lance piercing it and destroying it. Go winced from the damage.
Go: 4000→3700 LP
"Since Suprex was sent from the field to the Graveyard," Go said through clenched teeth, "I can add a 'Gouki' card besides itself from my Deck to my hand. I add Gouki Twistcobra!"
"For a third time, battle!" Morningstar declared. "Cyspirit Navigator, attack Gouki Riscorpio! Digital Shot!" Navigator pulled a pistol out of its holster and shot a blast of red energy at Riscorpio, destroying it. Go yelled as he fell to his knees on his D-Board.
Go: 4000→2900 LP
"Oh, looks like Go Onizuka is in a pinch!" the MC commented. "His opponent attacked him three times and dealt over 1000 points of damage to him! This Morningstar is definitely worth watching." Yusaku just watched, his face blank.
Morningstar watched Go. He knew what he was doing. It was the same show he'd done against Playmaker. He idly wondered how long he would milk this moment.
"Go Onizuka is down for the count!" the MC said. "Let's give him a three count! One! Two! Thr-!" On the three, Go stood up again shakily and laughed. "H-He's up! Go's still in this!"
Of course he is, Morningstar thought, smiling to himself. Let's see how your counterattack goes.
"The effect of Riscorpio activates!" Go declared. "Since it was sent to the Graveyard, I can add a 'Gouki' card besides itself from my Deck to my hand. I add Gouki Headbatt!"
Go raised his right hand and said, "Power… I can feel power surging through my hand! All right! I'm all fired up!" He raised his fist in the air as the gold outlines on his coat glowed and said, "I activate my Skill! Fighting Spirit! Fighting Spirit Special Summons all 'Gouki' monsters that were destroyed in battle this turn!" Riscorpio and Suprex reappeared on his field.
Gouki Riscorpio ATK 2300 DEF 0 LVL: 5
Gouki Suprex ATK 1800 DEF 0 LVL: 4
He's making the same moves he made against Playmaker, Morningstar thought. Is this his only strategy, or merely his default one? Either way…
"My turn isn't over yet!" Morningstar said, taking a card from his hand. "I activate the Quick-Play Spell Card: Cyspirit Sacrifice!" This card showed a dark circle which Rapid Revolutionary fell into. "I Tribute one or more 'Cyspirit' monsters, and then I draw one card for each Tributed monster. I Tribute all three of my monsters!" His three monsters disappeared as he drew three cards.
"What?" Go said again. "Why would you leave your field empty?"
"It was going to be empty anyway," Morningstar told him. "The last effect of Cyspirit Gathering destroys every 'Cyspirit' monster that battled this turn. This way, I get to refill my hand. I end my turn."
"Oh, what a turnaround!" the MC said. "It looked like Go was losing, but now the situation is reversed, with Morningstar having no monsters on his field! All Go has to do is attack directly and he'll win!"
"Ha!" Go said. "Like I would end it this quickly. Or fall for such an obvious setup! My turn! Draw! I summon Gouki Twistcobra!" This monster was a green ogre with four limbs, two ending with hands and the other two ending in sharp points, with two snake tails trailing from its head.
Gouki Twistcobra ATK 1600 DEF 0 LVL: 3
Three Gouki monsters, Morningstar thought, narrowing his eyes. Here it comes…
"Come forth! My circuit!" Go said. He shot a burst of energy from his hand into the sky, which formed a portal that he traveled through. Morningstar raised an eyebrow at that. Was Link Summoning during a Speed Duel that different?
"Arrowheads confirmed!" Go said. "The summoning condition is two or more 'Gouki' monsters! I'm setting Suprex, Twistcobra, and Riscorpio into three Link Markers!" His monsters traveled to the circuit he was facing and entered the top center, bottom left, and bottom right Link Markers.
"Circuit combine! Link Summon! Show yourself! Link 3! Gouki Thunder Ogre!"
His newest Link Monster was a giant red and grey ogre with a black cape. It had two electrical blasters on its arms.
Gouki Thunder Ogre ATK 2200 LINK-3 ↙↑↘
"What?" Morningstar said, surprised. "Thunder Ogre? Not the Great Ogre?"
Go laughed. "Did you think I'd try the same strategy I used on Playmaker against you? No, I'm going even further against you!" He smiled as he said, "But what did you think? Are you as hyped up as I am?"
"Not yet," Morningstar answered. "But I'm curious to see what you'll do next."
"I activate the effects of the 'Gouki' cards that were sent from the field to the Graveyard!" Go said. "I can add 'Gouki' cards besides themselves from the Deck to my hand." He added a second Suprex, a second Riscorpio, and Gouki Re-Match. "I'm not even done yet. I activate the effect of Thunder Ogre! Once per turn, the turn player can perform a second Normal Summon to a zone Thunder Ogre points to! I summon another Gouki Suprex to Thunder Ogre's Link Marker, and its effect lets me Special Summon my second Riscorpio!"
Gouki Suprex ATK 1800 DEF 0 LVL: 4
Gouki Riscorpio ATK 2300 DEF 0 LVL: 5
"Then, I activate Monster Reborn!" Go said. "With this, I Special Summon the Twistcobra in my Graveyard!"
Gouki Twistcobra ATK 1600 DEF 0 LVL: 3
Is he going to summon the Great Ogre now? Morningstar wondered. Or is he going for something else?
"Now, I activate the Equip Spell Card: Link Unit!" Go declared. The card showed Gouki Suprex glowing with light. "I equip this card to Riscorpio! Now, if I use Riscorpio to Link Summon, it counts as two materials!"
"What?" Morningstar said, surprised at such an effect. He wasn't the only one. Yusaku's eyes widened on seeing that card. He wondered why Go hadn't used it against him.
"Come forth once again! My circuit!" Go said, sending another burst of energy at the sky, creating the portal that he flew through.
"Arrowheads confirmed!" Go said. "The summoning condition is two or more 'Gouki' monsters! I'm setting Twistcobra, Suprex, and the Riscorpio treated as 2 materials into four Link Markers!" His monsters, with Riscorpio splitting in half, entered the arrowheads around the portal. They entered the center left, bottom left, center right, and bottom right Link Markers.
"Circuit combine! Link Summon! Show yourself! Link 4! Gouki Destroy Ogre!"
His next Link Monster was even larger than Thunder Ogre. It was blue and grey in coloring with shields on its wrists and a white cape. It had spikes on its shoulders, thighs, and knees and wore a red and white mask over its face. It was summoned to Thunder Ogre's Link Marker.
Gouki Destroy Ogre ATK 2800 LINK-4 ←↙→↘
"2800 attack points?" Morningstar said. "Is this your strongest monster?"
Go laughed. "Yes, it is, and you'll enjoy it! From my hand, I activate the Spell Card: Gouki Re-Match! I can Special Summon two 'Gouki' monsters with different Levels from my Graveyard in Defense Position!" Riscorpio and Twistcobra reappeared on his field, with Destroy Ogre pointing to both.
Gouki Riscorpio ATK 2300 DEF 0 LVL: 5
Gouki Twistcobra ATK 1600 DEF 0 LVL: 3
"I activate Twistcobra's effect!" Go declared. "I release Riscorpio, allowing Destroy Ogre to gain its attack points until the end of the turn!" Riscorpio disintegrated as Destroy Ogre glowed red.
Gouki Destroy Ogre ATK 2800→5100
"Oh my!" the MC commented. "Go's Destroy Ogre has 5100 attack points! Talk about overkill!"
"Not overkill," Yusaku commented. "Morningstar has shown himself to be clever in how he uses his monsters. He likely has a way to lower the damage, so Go is taking precautions."
"Then," Go said, "by sending Twistcobra from my hand to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon Gouki Headbatt from my hand in Defense Position!" This ogre was shorter than the others, with a purple, blue, and red jumpsuit.
Gouki Headbatt ATK 800 DEF 0 LVL: 2
"Due to Headbatt's effect, Destroy Ogre will gain 800 attack points until the end of the turn!" Destroy Ogre glowed red again.
Gouki Destroy Ogre 5100→5900
Go laughed as he turned to face Morningstar. "This is my Finishing Hold! Unlike Playmaker, this will end you! Battle! Gouki Destroy Ogre, attack Morningstar directly!" Destroy Ogre moved to attack Morningstar, but like Go and Yusaku had predicted, Morningstar was prepared.
"Trap activate!" he declared. "Cyspirit Lineage!" The card showed a skeleton warrior in a leotard bowing low as it dissolved. "This card Special Summons one 'Cyspirit' monster from my Graveyard in Attack Position! I summon Cyspirit Lancer!" His Lancer reappeared on the field.
Cyspirit Lancer ATK 1800 DEF 0 LVL: 4
"And due to Lancer's effect, it gains 300 attack points from being in Attack Position! Digital Charge!"
Cyspirit Lancer ATK 1800→2100
"Due to his Trap Card," the AI in Go's Duel Disk said, "even if you attack, he'll have 200 Life Points left."
"Silence!" Go said. "200 Life Points is like a candle in the wind! And even so, I can still attack with Thunder Ogre! Destroy Ogre, annihilate Cyspirit Lancer! Take this! Ogre Slam!" Destroy Ogre tackled Lancer, and made it explode. Morningstar fought back against the wind and steadied his D-Board.
Morningstar: 4000→200 LP
"Since the monster Summoned by Cyspirit Lineage was destroyed," Morningstar said. "Lineage destroys itself, then lets me add one 'Cyspirit' monster from my Deck to my hand. I add Cyspirit Linker to my hand."
"It doesn't matter what you add," Go said. "Once Thunder Ogre attacks-."
"It won't get the chance," Morningstar said, narrowing his eyes.
"What?" Go said.
"You are not the only one with a Skill," Morningstar said, the silver stripe on his jumpsuit and his silver bangs glowing. "I activate my Skill! Cyberse Revolution! Since a Cyberse monster on my field was destroyed by battle or card effect, I can Special Summon one Cyberse monster from my Deck whose Level is less than the Level of the destroyed monster! I summon Cyspirit Teleporter in Defense Position!" The black skeleton with a red right eye holding a baton appeared on his field.
Cyspirit Teleporter ATK 500 DEF 1500 LVL: 3
Go smiled. He expected the Trap Card, but not this. "Very well, then. Gouki Thunder Ogre, attack Cyspirit Teleporter! Ogre Blast!" Thunder Ogre charged its blasters then fired a blue blast at Teleporter, destroying it.
"I end my turn," Go said. And since it was the end of his turn, Destroy Ogre's attack returned to normal.
Gouki Destroy Ogre ATK 5900→2800
"You only have 200 Life Points left, Yasu," Cam said, speaking into an earpiece Morningstar had. "Are you sure you can win this?"
Morningstar looked at the cards in his hand and smiled. "Yes," he said. "After all, I have 100% more Life Points than Playmaker did." Cam laughed at that. It wasn't often that Yasutake made jokes, but when he did, it usually meant he was happy.
"Whoa!" the MC commentated. "Go Onizuka summoned two powerful Gouki Link Monsters and used his mighty Ogre Slam and Ogre Blast! Morningstar, LINK VRAINS' renowned hunter, is hanging on by the skin of his teeth!"
"That MC makes a lot of the same comments," Kusanagi noted. "Do you think Morningstar can win, Yusaku?"
"It depends on his cards," Yusaku said. "And on Destroy Ogre and Thunder Ogre. Go hasn't used any of Destroy Ogre's effects, and I suspect Thunder Ogre still hasn't shown everything it can do."
"My turn!" Morningstar said. "Draw!" He looked at his cards and smiled. "Your dueling is first-rate, Go Onizuka. It makes me want to go all out. So that is what I'll do! I activate the effect of Cyspirit Teleporter in my Graveyard! By banishing it, I can Special Summon one Level 3 or lower 'Cyspirit' monster from my Graveyard! I summon Cyspirit Swordsman!"
Cyspirit Swordsman ATK 1200 DEF 900 LVL: 3
"Next, I activate the Spell Card Cyberse Call! This card adds one Level 4 or lower Cyberse monster from my Deck to my hand. I add Cyspirit Dancer to my hand. Then, I'll summon Cyspirit Dancer!" His newest monster was a white skeleton in a pink leotard with pink dancing shoes. It would have been cute if its ribs weren't showing and if it didn't have a grey metal skull with its left eye glowing blue.
Cyspirit Dancer ATK 1000 DEF 200 LVL: 2
"Since Cyspirit Dancer was Normal Summoned while I control a 'Cyspirit' monster, I can Special Summon one Level 2 or lower 'Cyspirit' monster from my hand or Deck with its effects negated." Morningstar took another card from his hand. "I summon Cyspirit Changer from my hand!" A dwarf skeleton with a red right eye and a digital sign appeared on his field.
Cyspirit Changer ATK 200 DEF 100 LVL: 1
"Three monsters?" Yusaku said, narrowing his eyes. "Is he-?"
"Appear!" Morningstar declared, pointing to the sky. "The circuit between light and darkness!" He sent a burst of energy at the sky, which created the Link portal that he flew through. He hovered above it with Cyspirit Changer.
"Arrowheads confirmed! The summoning condition is one Level 2 or lower 'Cyspirit' monster. I set Cyspirit Changer in the Link Marker!" Changer went into the bottom left marker, turning it red.
"Circuit combine! Link Summon! Come forth! Link 1! Cyspirit Egregious Electrician!"
His Link 1 monster was a skeleton that wore a pair of overalls and a plaid shirt with metallic boots. It wore a yellow safety hat over its black skull with a red right eye and a blue left eye and had small grey and silver metal wings. It carried an electrical power box and was summoned to the Extra Monster Zone.
Cyspirit Egregious Electrician ATK 600 LINK-1 ↙
"Egregious?" Yusaku's Duel Disk said. "What does that mean?"
"It means bad," Yusaku answered him.
"Oh! So that monster is evil? Go better destroy it!"
"Not evil," Kusanagi said. "It means bad at your job, at what you do. Though why would he summon a horrible electrician?"
Go laughed. "You Link Summoned a weakling? It is no match for Destroy Ogre or Thunder Ogre!"
"Egregious Electrician's monster effect!" Morningstar said. "I can move one monster from a zone it points at to another zone, then Special Summon a 'Cyspirit' monster from my hand to that zone! I move Cyspirit Dancer to the left Main Monster Zone, and summon Cyspirit Wanderer to its Link Marker!" Wanderer was a black skeleton that wore a brown poncho and trousers. Its skull had one blue eye.
Cyspirit Wanderer ATK 1900 DEF 200 LVL: 5
"Cyspirit Wanderer's effect!" Morningstar said. "When this monster is Special Summoned by the effect of a 'Cyspirit' card, one monster on my opponent's field loses 800 attack points!"
"What?" Go said, surprised.
"I lower Destroy Ogre's attack points! Digital Drain!" Wanderer glowed white, as did Destroy Ogre.
Gouki Destroy Ogre 2800→2000 ATK
"Appear!" Morningstar said again. "The circuit between light and darkness!" He sent another burst of energy at the sky, creating the Link portal again and flying through it.
"Arrowheads confirmed!" he said. "The summoning conditions are two or more 'Cyspirit' monsters! I set Egregious Electrician, Swordsman, and Wanderer in the Link Markers!" His monsters entered the bottom left, top, and left arrows, turning them red.
"Circuit combine! Link Summon! Appear! Link 3! Cyspirit Pied Pikeman!"
His Link Monster was a grey skeleton warrior wearing a tattered medieval guardsman's uniform with a red and blue grid design. There were bits of binary code in some of its clothes. It wore a tattered bearskin hat over its metal skull, which had a blue left eye and a red right eye. It carried a long spear with a serrated point and a small dagger at the base of the shaft and had grey and silver metallic wings emerging from its back.
Cyspirit Pied Pikeman ATK 2400 LINK-3 ↙↑→
"Whoa!" the AI said. "He summoned a powerful Link Monster!"
"I activate the Continuous Spell Card: Cyspirit Link-Up!" The card showed Cyspirit Linker, with both arrowheads on its gauntlets glowing. "Now, all 'Cyspirit' monsters I control can attack twice this Battle Phase, but all damage you take is halved."
"That isn't enough to defeat me!" Go said.
"I know," Morningstar said. "I activate Pied Pikeman's monster effect! Since it points to at least one monster, I can change that monster's battle position to destroy one Spell or Trap Card on the field!"
"What?" Go said, surprised. "But the only Spell Card on the field is-."
"I switch your Twistcobra to Attack Position and destroy my Cyspirit Link-Up!"
"What was the point of that?" the AI asked Yusaku. "Why would he destroy his own card?"
"To win," Yusaku answered.
"Since I control a 'Cyspirit' monster, I can Special Summon Cyspirit Linker from my hand!" The white skeleton warrior with red arrow gauntlets appeared on Morningstar's field, to one of Pied Pikeman's Link Markers.
Cyspirit Linker ATK 1700 DEF 800 LVL: 4
"Then, I banish Cyberse Call in my Graveyard," Morningstar said. "And activate its effect! I Special Summon the Cyspirit Navigator in my Graveyard to my right Main Monster Zone!"
Cyspirit Navigator ATK 1300 DEF 1100 LVL: 3
Morningstar smiled at Go. "Go Onizuka, you did me the honor of summoning your strongest monster. It is only right that I respond in kind. Appear for the final time! The circuit between light and darkness!"
"What?" Go said. "A third Link Summon? This guy's dueling style reminds me of Playmaker's."
The portal appeared again, which Morningstar, Pied Pikeman, and Cyspirit Dancer broke through. He looked down on the portal as he spoke.
"Arrowheads confirmed! The summoning conditions are two or more 'Cyspirit' Effect Monsters! When I use a Link Monster to Link Summon, its Link Markers count as Link Materials! I set Link 3 Cyspirit Pied Pikeman and Cyspirit Dancer in the Link Markers!"
Pied Pikeman broke into three and entered the bottom left, bottom center, and bottom right Link Markers while Dancer entered the top center Link Marker.
"Circuit combine! Link Summon! Take flight! Link 4! Cyspirit Datastorm Dragon!"
His new monster was larger than every monster on the field. At first it appeared to be a white skeleton dragon, but skin grew over it. It had grey metallic skin, red and silver metal wings, a long tail that ended with a red arrow, and its legs and arms had black lines running over them. Just like all the Cyspirit Link Monsters, it had a blue left eye and a red right eye. It roared as it was summoned in the Extra Monster Zone.
Cyspirit Datastorm Dragon ATK 2800 LINK-4 ↙↑↓↘
"D-Datastorm Dragon?" Go said, his eyes wide with surprise at such a monster.
Yusaku narrowed his eyes at Morningstar's Dragon. He'd never heard of this monster, nor any of the Cyspirits. Where did Morningstar get them?
"Since I used Cyspirit Dancer to Link Summon a 'Cyspirit' monster, Datastorm Dragon gains 600 attack points!"
Cyspirit Datastorm Dragon ATK 2800→3400
"Like all Cyspirit Link Monsters, Datastorm Dragon's effects depend on how many monsters it points to," Morningstar told Go. "Datastorm Dragon points to your Twistcobra, my Cyspirit Linker, and my Cyspirit Navigator. Since it points to at least one monster, only Link Monsters can declare an attack. Since it points to at least two monsters, all battle damage Datastorm Dragon inflicts is halved."
"What?" Go said, shocked. "Why would you summon a monster with such a disadvantageous effect to yourself?"
"Because," Morningstar said, "when Datastorm Dragon points to at least three monsters, if it attacks a monster, and that monster is not destroyed by battle, I can destroy that monster!" Go grit his teeth at that. Morningstar had looked up Destroy Ogre's effect and conceived a counter for it.
"So that's their pattern," Yusaku said.
"Eh?" the AI asked. "What do you mean?"
"The Cyspirits," he said. "The monsters from the Deck focus on a combination of swarming and field manipulation, while the Extra Deck Link Monsters gain effects depending on how many monsters they point to. It's a highly dangerous archetype, and makes Morningstar a very strong duelist."
"I activate the effect of Cyspirit Link-Up in my Graveyard!" Morningstar declared. "By banishing it, I can target one 'Cyspirit' Link Monster I control. That monster can attack every monster my opponent controls once each, but if it battles a non-Link Monster, the damage is reduced to 0."
"So that's why you destroyed your own Spell Card?" Go asked. "To use its other effect?"
"Yes," Morningstar said. "You have shown me your dueling, so I will show you mine! Battle! Datastorm Dragon, attack Gouki Headbatt! Data Flare!" Datastorm Dragon sent a blast of blue energy at Headbatt, but Go was prepared.
"I activate Destroy Ogre's effect! The first time a monster it points to would be destroyed by battle, it is not destroyed! Ogre Protection!" Destroy Ogre jumped in front of Headbatt, preventing its destruction.
"Ha!" Go said. "You should have attacked Destroy Ogre first!"
"No," Morningstar said. "This is more fun. I activate Datastorm Dragon's effect! Since it failed to destroy a monster in battle, I can destroy that monster! Data Break!" Datastorm Dragon sent a blast of green energy at Headbatt, and this time Go couldn't prevent his monster's destruction.
"Headbatt's effect!" Go declared. "I can add one 'Gouki' card to my hand. I add Gouki Re-Match!"
"A-Amazing!" the MC said. "What a back and forth of blows! Go protects his monsters, but Morningstar destroys them regardless!"
"And now it's Twistcobra's turn!" Morningstar said. "Datastorm Dragon, attack Twistcobra! Data Flare!"
"Destroy Ogre prevents Twistcobra's destruction! Ogre Protection!" Go said.
"And then Datastorm Dragon's effect destroys Twistcobra! Data Break!" Morningstar reminded him. "Since it points to one less monster, Datastorm Dragon loses one of its effects, but that doesn't matter."
"Twistcobra's effect activates!" Go reminded him in turn. "Since it left the field, I add Gouki Suprex from my Deck to my hand."
"That doesn't matter either," Morningstar said, smiling. "It's time for the final act! Datastorm Dragon, attack Gouki Destroy Ogre! Data Flare!" Datastorm Dragon sent a blast of blue energy at Destroy Ogre, but Destroy Ogre could not negate its destruction as it exploded.
"Since Datastorm Dragon points to at least two monsters, all battle damage you take is halved."
Go: 2900→2200 LP
"Since a monster Thunder Ogre points to was destroyed by battle," Go said. "Thunder Ogre gains 400 attack points!" Thunder Ogre glowed red.
Gouki Thunder Ogre: 2200→2600
"That isn't enough," Morningstar said. "Battle! Datastorm Dragon, attack Gouki Thunder Ogre! Data Flare!" Datastorm Dragon sent a final blast of blue energy, this time vaporizing Thunder Ogre, leaving Go defenseless.
Go: 2200→1800 LP
"And now I activate Datastorm Dragon's final effect!" Morningstar said. "Since it points to at least two monsters, at the end of the Battle Phase, I can inflict 500 points of damage to my opponent for each monster that it destroyed, either by its effect or through battle!"
"What?" Go said, his eyes widening. Now he understood why Morningstar attacked all his monsters.
"Datastorm Dragon destroyed four monsters this Battle Phase," Morningstar said. "That mean you take 2000 points of damage! Go, Datastorm Dragon! Digital Deletion!"
Datastorm Dragon gathered red energy in its mouth that it fired at Go. Go shouted as he fell off his D-Board.
Go: 1800→0 LP
"T-The match is over!" the MC commented. "A nigh impossible comeback in Charisma Duelist Go Onizuka vs. Morningstar's match! The rookie Morningstar defeated Go Onizuka! Just like Playmaker before him! What match is next? Morningstar vs. Playmaker?"
"No," Yusaku said. "He has skill, and I'm curious about his Cyberse monsters, but there is no reason for us to duel."
Go had landed on a nearby rooftop, relatively unharmed. He stood up and laughed. "I lost!" he said and smiled. This duel had been almost as fun as his duel with Playmaker.
Morningstar landed on the same rooftop and smiled. "I have to admit, I enjoyed that more than I expected," he said. "I liked your duel with Playmaker. The continuing back and forth, it was impressive."
"As are you, Morningstar," Go said, then narrowed his eyes. "Are you sure there is no relation between you and Playmaker? Both of you use Cyberse monsters, and your strategies are very similar to each other."
"I've never met Playmaker," Morningstar said. "Or at least, I've never met him in LINK VRAINS. For all I know, I might know his real self and not know it. As for our monsters and strategies, I think those go hand in hand: Cyberse monsters focus on Link Summoning. I can't say more than that."
Go nodded, thoughtful, then he remembered something. "Oh right! The ante! If you win, I tell you who provided me the cage program."
"Yes, please, tell me." Though Morningstar had his suspicions about who it was.
"Akira Zaizen, SOL's security chief," Go said. Morningstar had thought so, but this confirmed it. Oh well, at least he got a great duel out of it.
"Go," Morningstar said, raising his Duel Disk. He pressed a few buttons and said, "This is my end of the bargain."
"Eh?" Go asked. "What did you just do?"
"I made a donation to your orphanage," Morningstar said, surprising Go. "Even if I won, I enjoyed it a great deal. I consider that worth something more than thanks."
Go smiled. "You want to duel Playmaker as well, don't you?"
"Yes," Morningstar said. "I've been hired to retrieve his AI, and I intend to do so."
"Good luck," Go said. "You'll need it." He turned around and logged out, Morningstar doing the same thing.
Cam turned to Yasutake as he exited the sealed room. "The money you donated, where'd you get it?"
"It was the reward Bishop gave me for dealing with that Knight of Hanoi," Yasutake said. "They won't be able to trace the account back to me. SOL already tried and failed."
Cam smirked. "I overheard what Go said. Akira Zaizen. You already knew, didn't you?"
"He was my top suspect, yes," Yasutake said. "But I needed confirmation."
"Uh huh," Cam said, his smirk getting wider. "You wouldn't use that as an excuse just to get a duel out of Go, would you?"
"Me?" Yasutake said, his eyes wide and innocent. "Never. I am the image of a consummate professional."
"Uh huh," Cam said, then he reached into Cam's bag and pulled out his tablet. He unlocked it and opened the last thing looked at: a certain dating sim game.
"I thought you hated these things," Cam said, trying to hold in a laugh.
Yasutake growled and snatched the tablet away. "Give me that! I can't help it! This game is infuriating! I refuse to quit until I've managed to get at least one girl in this game!"
"And what's your score so far?"
Yasutake remained silent before admitting, "Zero."
Cam laughed at the humiliated look on Yasutake's face. He was going to enjoy teasing Yasu about this.
Go Onizuka vs. Morningstar
This Duel is conducted as a Speed Duel.
Turn 1: Go Onizuka
Go Normal Summons Gouki Suprex (1800/0/4). As Suprex was Normal Summoned, Go activates its effect, allowing him to Special Summon a "Gouki" monster from his hand. He Special Summons Gouki Riscorpio (2300/0/5) in Attack Position. He ends his turn.
Turn 2: Morningstar
Morningstar draws. He Sets one card. Since he controls no monsters and Go does, he Special Summons Cyspirit Swordsman (1200/900/3) from his hand. Since Swordsman was Special Summoned by its effect, Morningstar adds Cyspirit Navigator to his hand. Since he controls a "Cyspirit" monster, Morningstar Special Summons Cyspirit Navigator (1300/1100/3) from his hand. Morningstar Normal Summons Cyspirit Lancer (1800/0/4). Since Lancer is in Attack Position, all "Cyspirit" monsters gain 300 ATK (Cyspirit Swordsman: 1200→1500) (Cyspirit Navigator: 1300→1600) (Cyspirit Lancer: 1800→2100). Morningstar activates the Spell Card Cyspirit Gathering. This turn, when a "Cyspirit" monster battles a monster with more ATK than it, the attacking monster isn't destroyed, Morningstar takes no battle damage, and the attacked monster loses ATK equal to the attacking monster's ATK. He attacks Riscorpio with Cyspirit Swordsman, and due to the effect of Cyspirit Gathering, Swordsman isn't destroyed and Riscorpio loses 1500 ATK (Gouki Riscorpio: 2300→800). Morningstar attacks Gouki Suprex with Cyspirit Lancer, destroying it (Go: 4000→3700 LP). As Suprex was sent from the field to the Graveyard, Go activates its effect, letting him add a "Gouki" card from his Deck to his hand. He adds Gouki Twistcobra. Morningstar attacks Gouki Riscorpio with Cyspirit Navigator, destroying it (Go: 3700→2900 LP). As Riscorpio was sent from the field to the Graveyard, Go activates its effect, letting him add a "Gouki" card from his Deck to his hand. He adds Gouki Headbatt. Go activates his Skill, Fighting Spirit, letting him Special Summon all "Gouki" monsters that were destroyed by battle this turn to his field. He Special Summons Suprex (1800/0/4) and Riscorpio (2300/0/5). Morningstar activates the Quick-Play Spell Card Cypspirit Sacrifice, Tributing his 3 "Cyspirit" monsters to draw 3 cards. He ends his turn.
Turn 3: Go Onizuka
Go draws. He Normal Summons Gouki Twistcobra (1600/0/3). Go uses Riscorpio, Suprex, and Twistcobra to Link Summon Gouki Thunder Ogre (2200/3/↙↑↘) in the Extra Monster Zone. As Riscorpio, Suprex, and Twistcobra were sent to the Graveyard, their effects activate, which each allow Go to add a "Gouki" card from his Deck to his hand. He adds a second Suprex, Gouki Re-Match, and a second Riscorpio. He activates the effect of Gouki Thunder Ogre, which lets the turn player Normal Summon 1 monster to a zone it points to in addition to their Normal Summon/Set. Go Normal Summons his second Gouki Suprex (1800/0/4), whose effect lets Go Special Summon his second Gouki Riscorpio (2300/0/5).
Go activates Monster Reborn, Special Summoning Gouki Twistcobra from his Graveyard. He activates the Equip Spell Link Unit, and equips it to Gouki Riscorpio. If Riscorpio is used to Link Summon, it counts as 2 Link Materials. Go uses Gouki Twistcobra, Gouki Suprex, and the Gouki Riscorpio treated as 2 materials to Link Summon Gouki Destroy Ogre (2800/4/←↙→↘) to the zone Thunder Ogre points to.
Go activates Gouki Re-Match, allowing him to Special Summon two "Gouki" monsters from his Graveyard in Defense Position. Go Special Summons Riscorpio (2300/0/5) and Twistcobra (1600/0/3) in Defense Position. Go activates the effect of Twistcobra, allowing him to Tribute a "Gouki" monster to increase the ATK of another "Gouki" monster he controls by the Tributed monster's ATK. Go Tributes "Riscorpio" and targets Destroy Ogre (2800→5100). Go activates the effect of the Headbatt in his hand, letting him send another "Gouki" monster from his hand to the Graveyard, Special Summon Headbatt and target another Gouki monster he controls, increasing its ATK by 800. He sends a second Twistcobra to the Graveyard, Special Summons Headbatt (800/0/2) in Defense Position and targets Destroy Ogre (5100→5900).
Gouki Destroy Ogre attacks Morningstar directly, but Morningstar activates his face-down Continuous Trap Card Cyspirit Lineage, Special Summoning Cyspirit Lancer from his Graveyard in Attack Position (1800/0/4). Since Lancer is in Attack Position, all "Cyspirit" monsters gain 300 ATK (1800→2100). Destroy Ogre attacks and destroys Cyspirit Lancer (Morningstar: 4000→200 LP). Since the Summoned monster left the field, Cyspirit Lineage destroys itself and lets Morningstar add 1 "Cyspirit" monster from his Deck to his hand. He adds Cyspirit Linker. Morningstar activates his Skill, Cyberse Revolution, letting him Special Summon 1 Cyberse monster from his Deck whose Level is less than the Level of the destroyed monster. He Special Summons Cyspirit Teleporter (500/1500/3) in Defense Position. Thunder Ogre attacks and destroys Cyspirit Teleporter. Go ends his turn, and the ATK of Destroy Ogre returns to normal (Destroy Ogre: 5900→2800).
Turn 4: Morningstar
Morningstar draws. He activates the effect of Cyspirit Teleporter in his Graveyard, banishing it to Special Summon 1 Level 3 or lower "Cyspirit" monster from his Graveyard. He Special Summons Cyspirit Swordsman (1200/900/3). Morningstar activates the Spell Card Cyberse Call, adding Cyspirit Dancer to his hand. Morningstar Normal Summons Cyspirit Dancer (1000/200/2). Since it was Normal Summoned, Dancer lets Morningstar Special Summon 1 Level 2 or below "Cyspirit" monster from his hand or Deck. He Special Summons Cyspirit Changer from his hand (200/100/1).
Morningstar uses Cyspirit Changer to Link Summon Cyspirit Egregious Electrician (600/1/↙) to the Extra Monster Zone. He activates the effect of Egregious Electrician, moving the Cyspirit Dancer it points at to another Monster Zone and Special Summoning Cyspirit Wanderer (1900/200/5) from his hand to the zone Egregious Electrician points to. Since Cyspirit Wanderer was Special Summoned by the effect of a "Cyspirit" card, it can lower the ATK of 1 of Go's monsters by 800. Morningstar targets Destroy Ogre (Destroy Ogre: 2800→2000). Morningstar uses the Link 1 Cyspirit Egregious Electrician, Cyspirit Swordsman, and Cyspirit Wanderer to Link Summon Cyspirit Pied Pikeman (2400/3/↙↑→) to the Extra Monster Zone. Morningstar activates the Continuous Spell Card Cyspirit Link-Up, which allows all "Cyspirit" Link Monsters to attack twice per turn, but all battle damage Go takes is halved. Morningstar activates Pied Pikeman's effect, changing the battle position of the Twistcobra it points to and destroying Cyspirit Link-Up. Since he controls a "Cyspirit" monster, Morningstar Special Summons Cyspirit Linker (1700/800/4) from his hand to the zone Pied Pikeman points to. Morningstar activates the effect of the Cyberse Call in his Graveyard, banishing it to Special Summon Cyspirit Navigator (1300/1100/3) from his Graveyard. Morningstar uses Cyspirit Dancer and the Link 3 Pied Pikeman to Link Summon Cyspirit Datastorm Dragon (2800/4/↙↑↓↘) to the Extra Monster Zone.
Since Cyspirit Dancer was used for the Link Summon of a "Cyspirit" Link Monster, Datastorm Dragon gains 600 ATK (Datastorm Dragon: 2800→3400). Since Datastorm Dragon points to at least 1 monster, only Link Monsters can declare an attack. Since it points to at least 3 monsters, if it attacks a non-Link Monster and that monster isn't destroyed by battle, that monster is destroyed, but since it points to at least 2 monsters, all battle damage it inflicts is halved. Morningstar activates the effect of the Cyspirit Link-Up in his Graveyard, banishing it and targeting his Datastorm Dragon for its effect. Datastorm Dragon can now attack every monster Go controls once each, but if it attacks a non-Link Monster, the battle damage will be negated. Datastorm Dragon attacks Headbatt, but the effect of Destroy Ogre prevents its destruction. Datastorm Dragon's effect activates, and Headbatt is destroyed. The effect of Headbatt activates as it was sent from the field to the GY, allowing Go to add a "Gouki" card from his Deck to his hand. Go adds Gouki Re-Match. Datastorm Dragon attacks Twistcobra, but the effect of Destroy Ogre prevents its destruction and Cyspirit Link-Up's effect prevents Go from taking battle damage. Datastorm Dragon's effect activates, and Datastorm Dragon destroys Twistcobra. The effect of Twistcobra activates as it was sent from the field to the GY, allowing Go to add a "Gouki" card from his Deck to his hand. Go adds Gouki Suprex. Datastorm Dragon attacks Gouki Destroy Ogre, destroying it, but inflicting half damage because of its effect (Go: 2900→2200 LP). Since a monster it points to was destroyed, Thunder Ogre gains 400 ATK (Thunder Ogre: 2200→2600). Datastorm Dragon attacks Gouki Thunder Ogre, destroying it (Go: 2200→1800 LP). Morningstar activates the effect of Datastorm Dragon. Since it points to at least 2 monsters, at the end of the Battle Phase, it inflicts 500 damage to Go for every monster it destroyed this turn. Datastorm Dragon destroyed 4 monsters, so Go takes 2000 damage (Go: 1800→0 LP). Morningstar wins.
Cyspirit Swordsman
Attribute: LIGHT Type: [Cyberse/Effect] ATK 1200 DEF 900 Level: 3
If you control no monsters and your opponent does, you can Special Summon this card (from your hand). If this monster is Special Summoned by its own effect: you can add 1 "Cyspirit" monster from your Deck to your hand. You can only activate this effect of "Cyspirit Swordsman" once per turn.
Cyspirit Navigator
Attribute: LIGHT Type: [Cyberse/Effect] ATK 1300 DEF 1100 Level: 3
If you control a "Cyspirit" monster, you can Special Summon this card (from your hand). You can only Special Summon "Cyspirit Navigator" once per turn this way.
Cyspirit Dancer
Attribute: LIGHT Type: [Cyberse/Effect] ATK 1000 DEF 200 Level: 2
When this card is Normal Summoned while you control a 'Cyspirit' monster: You can Special Summon 1 Level 2 or lower "Cyspirit" monster from your hand or Deck in Attack Position with its effects negated. If this card is used as material for the Link Summon of a "Cyspirit" Link Monster: The Summoned monster gains 600 ATK.
Cyspirit Egregious Electrician
Attribute: LIGHT Type: [Cyberse/Link/Effect] ATK 600 LINK-1 ↙
1 Level 2 or lower "Cyspirit" monster
Once per turn: You can target 1 "Cyspirit" monster this card points to; move that monster you control to another of your Main Monster Zones and Special Summon 1 "Cyspirit" monster from your hand to the zone this card points to.
Cyspirit Wanderer
Attribute: LIGHT Type: [Cyberse/Effect] ATK 1900 DEF 200 Level: 5
If this card is Special Summoned by the effect of a "Cyspirit" card: lower the ATK of 1 of your opponent's monsters by 800. You can shuffle this card in your GY back into your Deck: Special Summon 1 "Cyspirit" Link Monster from your GY, but it cannot declare an attack this turn. You can only activate each effect of "Cyspirit" Wanderer once per turn, and only 1 effect per turn.
Cyspirit Pied Pikeman
Attribute: LIGHT Type: [Cyberse/Link/Effect] ATK 2400 LINK-3 ↙↑→
2+ "Cyspirit" monsters
This Link Summoned card gains these effects depending on the number of monsters it points to.
-1 or more: Once per turn: you can change the battle position of a monster this card points to; destroy 1 Spell/Trap Card on the field.
-2 or more: If this card destroys a monster in battle; you gain LP equal to half the destroyed monster's ATK.
-3: Once per turn: You can Tribute 1 monster this card points to: increase this card's ATK by the Tributed monster's ATK.
Cyspirit Datastorm Dragon
Attribute: LIGHT Type: [Cyberse/Link/Effect] ATK 2800 LINK-4 ↙↑↓↘
2+ "Cyspirit" Effect Monsters
This Link Summoned card gains these effects depending on the number of monsters it points to.
-1 or more: Only Link Monsters can declare an attack.
-2 or more: At the end of the Battle Phase: you can inflict 500 damage to your opponent for each monster this card destroyed, either by battle or its own effect. All battle damage this card inflicts is halved.
-3 or more: If this card attacks a monster, and that monster is not destroyed by battle: you can destroy that monster.
-4: You can Tribute 1 monster this card points to: shuffle 1 card on the field back into the owner's Deck.
Cyspirit Gathering Normal Spell Card
During this turn, if a "Cyspirit" monster you control attacks an opponent's monster whose ATK is greater than your attacking monster, you take no battle damage, and the attacking monster is not destroyed. After damage calculation: reduce the ATK of the attacked monster by the ATK of the attacking monster. "Cyspirit" monsters must attack your opponent's monster with the highest ATK. Destroy all "Cyspirit" monsters you control that battled this turn during the End Phase.
Cyspirit Sacrifice Quick-Play Spell Card
Tribute 1 or more "Cyspirit" monster(s) you control. Draw 1 card for each Tributed monster.
Link Unit Equip Spell Card
Cannot be equipped to a Link Monster. If the equipped monster is used as Material for a Link Summon: it counts as 2 Link Materials.
Cyspirit Lineage Continuous Trap Card
Activate this card by targeting 1 "Cyspirit" monster in your GY; Special Summon that target in Attack Position. You cannot target a Link Monster with this effect. When this card leaves the field, destroy that target. When that target is destroyed, destroy this card, then add 1 "Cyspirit" monster from your Deck to your hand.
Cyspirit Link-Up Continuous Spell Card
All "Cyspirit" Link Monsters you control can declare two attacks per Battle Phase. All damage your opponent takes is halved. You can banish this card in your GY and target 1 "Cyspirit" Link Monster you control: that monster can attack every monster your opponent controls, once each, but if that monster attacks a non-Link Monster, your opponent takes no battle damage from that battle. You cannot attack your opponent directly this turn.
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Next Time on Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS: Hidden Memories. Chapter 3 - Unhealed Scars
Response to Reviews & Author's Notes
Thanks to sanedimentio, KettouRyuujin, and HunterHQ for reviewing the first chapter of Hidden Memories. Credit to sanedimentio for the creation of Cyspirit Pied Pikeman.
In response to KettouRyuujin's question about the Cyspirit's "shtick," the Main Monsters focus on swarming, attack manipulation, and other effects, while the Link 2 and above Link Monsters gain effects depending on how many monsters they point to. Might make them a bit overpowered, but really, what isn't in this game?
I hope you enjoyed Chapter 2 of Hidden Memories. Please post a review, as feedback is essential to the improvement of Hidden Memories.