Update

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Chapter 5: Why We Fight

Yusaku Fujiki walked into the back of Café Nagi, Shoichi Kusanagi's hotdog truck, as Kusanagi closed the window. He turned and walked over to the monitors in the back of the truck, where they performed their operations against the Knights of Hanoi. Right now, however, they were looking at footage of Playmaker that had been uploaded to the net and deleting it. They couldn't have too much information about Yusaku's activities out in the open.

"Where's Ai?" Kusanagi asked Yusaku.

"He was being annoying, so I left him at home," Yusaku answered. "Because I need to think."

"About Revolver's speech regarding AI with free will?"

"Yeah," he said, thinking back to what they'd seen from Ai's data. "If those are Ai's memories, Revolver destroyed Ai's world. One: Ai's existence. Two: Data Storm. Three: Knights of Hanoi. These three must be related. If I can get to Revolver, will I learn everything? Including what happened to me and Kusanagi's brother in the past?"

Not just him, Yusaku thought, narrowing his eyes in memory. I'm certain Narahiko from class was involved in the incident as well. I will bring justice for him too.

He was brought out of his reverie by Kusanagi. "I thoroughly reanalyzed Ai's program, but I didn't learn anything. I don't know if he has free will or not."

"I'm more concerned about what'll happen next. If an AI gets free will, what will happen?"

"Hey, hey, you're overthinking it."

"I hope so."

Kusanagi smiled at him. "If Ai has free will, he's probably sad because he's home alone."

After a few minutes, Yusaku asked Kusanagi another question. "I almost forgot. Did you find anything on Morningstar?" When he'd first seen Morningstar duel Go, he hadn't been that interested in him. He was surprised to see Morningstar also had Cyberse monsters, and had been impressed by his dueling skills, but he saw no reason to pay attention to him.

Then he'd seen Morningstar attempt to challenge Revolver. He hadn't gotten to see Morningstar's duel with Specter, but he knew he won; he'd shown up after Yusaku had beaten Revolver. More importantly, Morningstar had said then that he'd been contracted by SOL to capture Ai, which only lead to more questions, namely: if Morningstar was hired by SOL, why did SOL bait Yusaku with Go? And why hadn't Morningstar tried something to get his attention? Questions aside, Yusaku was sorely tempted to talk to Morningstar about his Data Anchor. A tool like that could be a big help.

Kusanagi shook his head. "I'm afraid not. He pulls the same tricks you do to remain undetected; he deletes his activity logs and any footage of him placed online is deleted. It happens too quickly, too; I delete your records every night, but his are deleted seconds after being posted. He most likely has an automated process to delete information about him on the web."

"What about rumors?" Yusaku asked. "There have to be stories about him."

"Oh, there's plenty of those, but no evidence behind them," Kusanagi said. "The more outlandish ones call him the devil incarnate, a vengeful angel from heaven. Others simply call him the best bounty hunter LINK VRAINS has ever seen. Some think he's a hero, others think he's a villain. Some even think he's committed corporate espionage. Really, the list of things they say he isn't is shorter than the list of things they say he is."

Yusaku frowned and crossed his arms. "Morningstar said he was hired to defeat me and retrieve Ai. That means I'll have to face him eventually. Which would be a pity. If he's who I think he is…"

Kusanagi looked at Yusaku with surprise. "You think you know who Morningstar is!?"

"I'm about 40% certain," Yusaku said. "When I joined Duel Club, there was a student named Yasutake Narahiko. He participated in a VR duel against Naoki Shima, and won. That duel revealed three things about Narahiko.

"One: he is a highly skilled duelist. He started out with amateurish moves, but on the last turn, made moves better than most Charisma Duelists. Two: he has had a bad experience with VR. During the duel, he froze up and when he won, he threw the headset off and was sweating profusely, a look of horror on his face."

"A VR duel…" Kusanagi mused. "A look of horror…" His eyes widened in realization. "You think he-!?"

"Yes," Yusaku interrupted. "He was part of the Lost Incident like I was. And you didn't let me finish."

"Oh. sorry."

"Three: he won by summoning a Cyberse Link Monster."

"Cyberse?" Kusanagi repeated, confused now. "Morningstar is a very intelligent duelist and hacker. He wouldn't give himself away with something so obvious."

"Maybe, maybe not," Yusaku said. "But the number of people with Cyberse monsters is extremely limited. Thus, it seems possible, even likely, that Narahiko is Morningstar."

"I won't dispute that," Kusanagi said, thinking on Yusaku's wavelength now. "Also, what you said before about making amateurish moves before getting better. He could have been trying to conceal his real skills so no one realized he was a good duelist."

"In the end," Yusaku said. "I can't say for certain whether Narahiko is Morningstar, but I have no other suspects. And if he is a victim of the Lost Incident…"

"Then he's the last person you want as an enemy," Kusanagi said sadly. The Lost Incident was the reason Yusaku became Playmaker. To find out the truth behind who was responsible for what happened to him and the other five, and to find out why. And then punish the ones responsible. Then a thought occurred to Kusanagi. "If he is related to the incident, perhaps he could be an ally. If you tell him what you know, he may join forces with us."

"No," Yusaku said. "The fight with Hanoi is a fight to the death. I don't want to drag him into this, any more than I wanted to bring Go Onizuka into it. If I encounter him, I'll face him with my full power, but until then, there is no benefit to the two of us dueling each other."

Kusanagi thought back to when Blue Angel challenged Morningstar. He'd said something along those lines to her that time.

Yusaku, he thought as his friend turned back to the screens. From what you've told me, you and Morningstar are very similar. In another life, you likely would have been the best of friends.

Kusanagi himself turned back to the screens and continued deleting footage. He found himself wondering what Morningstar was doing right now. Was he coming up with a plan to flush out Yusaku? Or was he hunting after a different target for now?

Yasutake bit his lower lip, a look of fierce concentration on his face. He had to do this right, otherwise he would lose everything. He had three possible moves to make, none of them good. How had he gotten himself in this situation? Ugh, he needed to be more careful about what challenges he accepted.

"You stuck?" his opponent asked, their smirk evident in their voice. Yasutake didn't bother looking up at them. He didn't want them to have the satisfaction of the expression on his face. "If you want, I could give you some hints."

"No," Yasutake replied, his decision made. This would be his killer move! The one that would win him the match! "Knight to E5!" he said, taking the knight piece and moving it to the empty square.

"Not bad," his opponent said, before picking up their own piece. "Bishop to B6. Checkmate."

"EH?" Yasutake said, looking at the board in shock. Sure enough, there were no moves he could make to save his king. "Oh," he groaned, hanging his head. "I hate chess."

Cam laughed at him. "Don't feel bad, Yasu. For someone with your mind, you'll be an expert player in no time. You just need to stop thinking in dueling terms."

"I tried!" Yasutake protested. "And I can't! Every time I look at the pieces, I see my monsters, and I treat them as such! I can't help it!"

Cam laughed again. "Well then, you just need enough practice to change how you think. Or would you prefer a different game?" His smirk returned. "I could help you with that bishojo game I lent you."

Yasutake paled. "N-No, that isn't necessary," he said. "I, uh, deleted that game. Finally got tired of it."

"Really?" Cam said, grabbing Yasutake's tablet from its position at Yasutake's right hand.

"Hey! Give that back!"

Cam pressed some buttons and raised an eyebrow. He turned the screen to Yasutake, showing the game's start menu. "Deleted it, huh?"

Yasutake hung his head in shame again. "Why do you torture me like this? You know Duel Monsters is the only game I'm any good at. And I don't enjoy that game, either."

"For now, yes, but practice makes perfect," Cam said. "Besides, chess is a good way to make friends. You can meet people as smart as you are this way."

"Or people who think I'm an elitist snob for playing it in the first place," Yasutake grumbled. He held his hand out. "Give that back. I'm serious this time."

Cam raised an eyebrow, but handed the tablet back to Yasutake. He watched as his friend pressed some buttons, then looked around. The two of them were in the second floor living room, sitting opposite each other on blue couches with a table between them. The bakery was closed for today as both of them needed a break and Cam had no other workers. Their house wasn't the best in the city, but it wasn't the worst, either.

"What are you doing?" Cam asked.

"I'm checking to see when Aoi Zaizen gets released from the hospital."

Cam frowned, confused. "Why? She's awake now, that's what's important. Or do you think Hanoi will target her again?"

"No," Yasutake said. "I'm waiting for when she gets home so I can send her a message."

"A message?" Cam smirked. "Are you going to ask her out? I thought you said she wasn't your girlfriend?"

"I'm not sending her a message as Yasutake Narahiko," Yasutake said, ignoring Cam's teasing. "I'm sending her one as Morningstar."

Now Cam was even more confused. "Why? Didn't you tell her you weren't interested in dueling her?"

"I wasn't at the time, but I am now," Yasutake said. "After Playmaker defeated him, Revolver said their duel was only the start. That tells me Hanoi is planning something big. And I can't shake the feeling that whether her brother likes it or not, Blue Angel will be drawn into it."

Cam narrowed his eyes. "What does Playmaker's war with Hanoi have to do with you dueling Blue Angel?"

"I can prepare her for what she could face," Yasutake responded. "More than that, I have another reason. I… want to help her."

"With what?"

Yasutake was silent for a moment, then said, "When I tried to challenge Revolver, Specter stopped me. I couldn't help Playmaker duel Revolver, or save Blue Angel from her coma. But, there is something I can do. I can give her a reason to fight."

Cam frowned at that. Yasutake had told him what he thought of Blue Angel's reasons for dueling. She dueled for herself, to try and get her brother's attention, to show him she could take care of herself.

"Such a selfish reason," Yasutake said, "is beneath a duelist of her caliber. Besides, after this, she must know that her brother loves her. Every moment he isn't working is spent in that hospital by her side. Meaning she needs a new cause. I can help her find one."

"Or you can let her find it herself," Cam pointed out. "You said she was intelligent and perceptive. She might figure out an answer by herself."

"Maybe," Yasutake conceded. "But who knows how long that will take? We don't know how long Hanoi will wait before striking again. When they do, all of us will need to be ready."

Cam watched as Yasutake stared at the screen. "What's gotten into you? Why are you so bent on fighting Hanoi? I thought the contract was for Playmaker's AI, not Revolver."

Yasutake was silent again, then he put down the tablet and sighed. "Do you remember what I told you? After Zaizen woke up?"

Cam's face went from confused to serious. "You said that Playmaker was in the same place as you and Sachi. That he knew something about what happened to you."

"I've been thinking about that," Yasutake said. "Playmaker said he was searching for the truth of the incident. Before Go and Blue Angel, he only ever dueled Hanoi, and even those two had some connection to Hanoi; Go's disguise and Blue Angel's card. That tells me…"

"Playmaker believes the Knights of Hanoi were responsible," Cam finished, his face paling. "Do you think he's right?"

"I can't say," Yasutake said. "Hanoi didn't exist at the time of the incident, but that doesn't mean it has no connection. For all we know, the mastermind of the incident is a leader of Hanoi, like Revolver. And…" he narrowed his eyes, "Revolver recognized Playmaker's speech pattern. He knows something about the incident, but I can't say what."

"I thought you were trying to forget it," Cam said quietly. "I thought you wanted to move past that incident. If you go to war with Hanoi…"

"Cam, I've thought about looking into the incident for a long time. The only reason I didn't was because I convinced myself it wouldn't help my future. If I lost myself to the past, I wouldn't be able to move on. And more importantly," he lowered his head, "I'm not sure what I would do if I met the person responsible for the incident. Whether I'd turn them into the authorities, or exact my own punishment on them. That thought has always scared me away from investigating. That part of me that wants to exact judgment with my own hands… it scares me far more than anything I've faced in LINK VRAINS."

He paused before continuing. "But what if I've been looking at it all wrong? What if finding out the truth will give me closure? What if knowing why we were in that place helps me move past it? What if punishing those responsible… what if it gives Sachi peace?"

"Yasu," Cam whispered, his face wracked with sadness. "I know vengeance won't help Sachi. You never knew her before the incident, but I did. She was sweet, gentle, kind to everyone, even strangers. She was the kind of person who could go through life and never lose her smile. When I look at her now…"

He thought of the girl upstairs, sitting with her arms wrapped around her legs on her bed, her long green hair hanging around her head while her empty blue eyes stared outwards, not seeing or hearing any part of the outside world.

"…I want more than anything to get my hands on the person who did that to her," Cam muttered, his voice heavy with rage. "But… I know that the sister I grew up with, the little girl who could always make me smile no matter what… I know that revenge would be the last thing she'd want."

"I'm not talking about revenge," Yasutake said. "I'm talking about justice."

"The two aren't so dissimilar, Yasu," Cam said. "Even if you find out why, do you really think it will help you or Sachi? Do you really think the truth will make her smile again?"

Before Yasutake could answer, his tablet beeped. He picked it up and looked at it. His eyes widened. "Zaizen's left the hospital," he said, all business again. "I'm sending her the message."

Cam sighed. He could tell he wasn't going to get an answer to his question. "Do what you want, Yasu," he said. "But be careful. After what you said to her, Zaizen may not answer you. Or if she shows up, she might immediately leave just to spite you."

"I thought about that," Yasutake said. "Don't worry about it."

"I'm fine, brother. I don't need this."

"After what happened, I'm not taking chances, Aoi."

"That happened in LINK VRAINS, not the real world."

"I'm still being careful. It's best for you to stay here and recuperate."

Aoi Zaizen sighed. The hospital had finally discharged her, and her brother and Isomaki had taken her home. Now, she was watching as her brother reprogrammed the steward robot.

"I don't want to take chances with your safety," Akira said. "I'm reprogramming our friend to keep you from leaving the apartment for now. And no going into LINK VRAINS."

Aoi frowned. She understood why her brother was doing this. Physically, she was completely healthy, but after falling into a coma, then being used as a bargaining chip (which she was still mad about), she saw why her brother would be reluctant to let her out of his sight. At the same time, it was frustrating.

"I'm sixteen, brother," Aoi said. "And there aren't any threatening people at school." She thought of Shima, who was loud and obnoxious, Fujiki, who she could tell was smarter than he acted, and Narahiko, who she genuinely liked even if he was a bit of an ass.

"It's not your fellow students I'm worried about," Akira said. "I'm grateful to them. If Yusaku Fujiki hadn't found you on the rooftop and called me, who knows how long it would have taken them to find you?"

"Eh?" Aoi said, surprised. Fujiki had found her and called her brother? She thought back to what she said to him earlier that day and felt ashamed. She'd dismissed him, somewhat rudely, and he'd helped her. But wait…

She frowned again. How had Fujiki known she was on the roof? Had he gone up there for privacy, or…

Her thoughts were interrupted by Akira. "I trust that the people at your school intend you no harm, but who knows what kind of people there are on the way to and from school? I'm sorry, Aoi, but I don't want you to leave the apartment, at least for a while." He stood up from his work, the reprogramming complete. "Please, listen to me on this."

She looked into her brother's eyes, but before she could say anything, his phone rang. He answered it. "Yes?" His eyes narrowing. "I see. Please pull the car around Isomaki. I'll be down in a few minutes."

"Is something wrong?" Aoi asked after he ended the call. He smiled at her.

"No, I just need to talk to my bosses," he said, which was the truth. Sadly, given recent events, chances where he was about to get demoted. On the bright side, a lower position would give him more time to spend with Aoi, something he'd been neglecting since he became SOL's security manager.

Of course, there was another reason he needed to talk to Bishop and the others. When Morningstar had appeared, and told Playmaker he'd been hired by SOL to retrieve the Ignis, Akira had been shocked. He hadn't hired Morningstar, which meant his bosses had, without informing him. Doing that had been a waste of resources. If they had told him, he could have worked with Morningstar instead of Go to lure Playmaker in, and given his skills, he likely would have won.

"I'll be back in a few hours," he said. "I'll bring back supper from that sushi restaurant downtown you like. Until I get back, please stay here."

Aoi watched him, then nodded. "Yes, brother." Akira returned the nod, then walked out the door. She attempted to follow him, but the steward robot turned on and stood in her way.

"Not permitted to leave!" it said in a feminine voice. "Not permitted to leave! Not permitted to leave! As ordered by your brother." Aoi stared at the robot, then went back to her room. Not being able to leave or log onto LINK VRAINS meant she had very little to do. Oh well, she could work on what homework she missed.

As she walked into her room, she saw her tablet from school. She opened it to see if she had any new messages and was surprised at what she saw. There was only one new message, and it was from the last person she expected: Morningstar.

Blue Angel, please meet me in LINK VRAINS when convenient. We need to talk. The attached program will let you gain access to your account in case your brother has restricted access. -Morningstar

There was indeed a program attached to the message, one designed to circumvent an account being shut down. Aoi thought about this message.

Her first instinct was to ignore it and do what her brother told her, but…

I don't accept challenges from those who duel only for self-satisfaction.

Aoi scowled and tightened her grip on the tablet. What did Morningstar know about her and her reasons for dueling? And who was he, a bounty hunter, to judge her, a professional Charisma Duelist?

She looked at the message angrily. She suspected Morningstar wanted to duel her, which was what most people wanted when they sent her messages. Fine, then. Her brother had said he would be gone for a few hours, so she needed something to pass the time.

So that was what she would do. She'd go to LINK VRAINS, meet Morningstar, and when he challenged her to a duel, she would say no and log out. See how he liked it.

Aoi sat down on her bed and placed her Duel Disk – a light blue model shaped like a flower with a dark blue gum at the back – on her wrist.

"Into the VRAINS."

Morningstar leaned against the wall of the skyscraper he was standing next to, looking across the street. He'd entered LINK VRAINS roughly half an hour ago, and had decided to wait here for Blue Angel.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Cam asked Morningstar through the earpiece as he walked into the kitchen, watching Morningstar on a tablet. "Didn't you say she should figure out her reason to duel herself?"

"Yes," Morningstar answered quietly. "But we might not have time for that. And until Playmaker shows himself, I have nothing better to do." Cam sighed at Morningstar's answer. He was always like this.

Cam muted the sound, then knocked on Sachi's door. Not receiving an answer, he opened it and walked in. Sachi was sitting on the bed, same as she always was, as Cam sat in the rocking chair next to her bed.

"Hey, sis," he said softly. "I'm sorry to intrude like this, but… I thought you might like to see Yasu duel. He's going to face Blue Angel, a famous Charisma Duelist. That should be exciting, shouldn't it?" She didn't respond or acknowledge his presence in any way, which he was sadly used to.

Of course, he could watch what was happening down in the monitor room, but Sachi had another nightmare earlier and he wanted to keep an eye on her. Besides, she never saw or heard Yasutake duel before, and she deserved to know the skills of the person fighting for her. Cam turned from watching his sister to the tablet, unmuting the sound.

"Are you sure she's coming, Yasu?" Cam asked him. "I mean, I doubt her brother wants her coming to LINK VRAINS, and she strikes me as the obedient type."

"There are three reasons I'm sure Blue Angel is coming," Morningstar answered softly. "One: her curiosity. A message out of the blue from someone with my reputation will naturally make her curious enough to investigate. Two: her pride as a duelist. I insulted her when I refused her challenge on live television, so she'll show up, if for no other reason than to pay me back for that. Three," he glanced up as a portal opened in the sky, "that."

Blue Angel flew out of the portal and landed in the middle of the street, across from Morningstar. She glared at him. Morningstar stared right back.

"Congratulations, you're alone with a famous idol," Cam said. "Because of the damage Revolver inflicted, LINK VRAINS is pretty empty right now. You'll have the whole place to yourselves."

"What do you want, Morningstar?" she asked him, walking a little closer to him. "Last time we talked, you refused my challenge. Before that, you said you had no interest in me. So what is this about?"

"Do you hate Hanoi for what they did to you?"

Blue Angel started at that question, then narrowed her eyes. "Of course I do. What kind of question is that?"

"I want to know whether or not you'll seek revenge," Morningstar answered. "After all, because of them, you were embarrassed on live television in front of all your fans. And your brother."

Blue Angel gasped. "Y-You know?"

"Yes, Aoi Zaizen," he said. "Please answer my question: Do you want revenge on Hanoi?"

She was silent for a while, then said, "What does it matter to you? I thought you hated me."

"I don't hate you," he said. "I'm indifferent to you. Or at least I was."

"Was?"

He stood up straight and opened a video. It was his recording of Blue Angel's duel with Playmaker. Her eyes widened with shock on seeing it.

"Why are you showing me this?" she asked angrily.

"Watch," he said. She watched as the video zoomed in on her face, highlighting her eyes.

"So what?" she said. "Did you ask me here to mock me?"

"I asked you here to help you," he said. "The eyes you had back then… they reminded me of a friend of mine. Of someone important to me." His eyes narrowed. "Her life was ruined because of an incident, and her brother spends all his time taking care of her. I don't want what happened to them to happen to you and your brother. I want the two of you to have happiness in your life."

Cam watched as the two talked, silent, then turned to glance at Sachi. He knew Yasutake was talking about the two of them. Every time Cam saw his sister, his heart broke over what happened to her. Aside from her screaming when waking up from her nightmares, he hadn't heard her speak in ten years. One of his greatest fears was waking up one day and realizing he couldn't remember what his sister's voice sounded like.

Blue Angel, meanwhile, was thinking about when her and Akira's parents died. They'd been left on the street, and Akira had done everything he could to keep the two of them alive. Not once did she think her brother would abandon her, and he never did. Because of him, she now lived in an expensive penthouse, all her needs taken care of. But…

She thought back to when she became Blue Angel. She wanted her brother to know that she wasn't helpless, that she could take care of herself. And what had happened? She'd become a hostage, a pawn in a plan. But after that, she'd woken up to her brother standing over her, crying and smiling with happiness that she was alright. She knew he loved her now. No, she'd always known he loved her, but she wanted him to show it in ways money could not. And now he had.

Blue Angel refocused on Morningstar. "Why did you call me?" she asked quietly, her anger dissipated somewhat. "If it's just to challenge me to a duel, get it over with."

"It's not," he said. "I know why you dueled. You dueled to prove to your brother that you can take care of yourself, to know that he loves and supports you. And now you do know that. So I have another question for you: what do you duel for now?"

She thought about that. Now that she knew Akira loved her, what reason was there for her to duel? The more she thought about it, the more confused she felt.

"I don't know," she answered. "But… why do my reasons to duel matter to you?"

"Because you are a worthy opponent," he answered. "I saw your duel with Playmaker, and I can honestly say your skills are exceptional. I refused your challenge back then not because I considered you a bad duelist, but because I saw no benefit in a duel – to either of us. Now, however, you don't know what you duel for, and…" he closed his eyes and opened them again.

"You were dragged into Playmaker's war with Hanoi. After Revolver lost to Playmaker, he said their duel was only the start. Hanoi will return, and you will inevitably be dragged back into it, whether your brother or Playmaker like it or not."

He adopted a fierce expression, startling her. "Against an enemy like Hanoi, you cannot have doubts, about yourself or your reasons. I asked you here to help you find a new reason for dueling, and settle your doubts."

Blue Angel narrowed her eyes. "So I was right. You did call me here to duel me."

"Yes. Do you accept?"

Blue Angel pretended to think about it, then smiled cheerfully and shook her head. "Nope! See you later, Morningstar!" She turned around and walked away, resisting the impulse to skip.

Then she heard Morningstar say, "I thought you would say that." She turned around fast enough to see a red cable latch itself to her wrist.

"What?" she said, looking at Morningstar. The cable was attached to his Duel Disk, and she saw he was smirking. "What is this?"

"The same tool I used to convince Go to duel me," he said. "It's called a Data Anchor, and it keeps both of us from logging out for 24 hours. Unless we have a duel, in which case the effect ends when the duel ends."

Blue Angel scowled. She tried to log out like she usually did, but found out she couldn't. Morningstar was telling the truth. Unless she wanted to remain in LINK VRAINS for 24 hours, she didn't have a choice.

"I hate you," she said. "You know that, right?"

"You are not the first person to tell me that," he answered, his face blank.

Blue Angel and Morningstar rode the data stream, with Blue Angel going first.

"Speed Duel!" they shouted.

Blue Angel: 4000 LP

Morningstar: 4000 LP

Nearby, Pigeon was flying around, carrying Frog with him. "Yamamoto, I know you're mad about the special being deleted, but do you think we'll find Playmaker here?"

"Don't call me by my real name!" Frog shouted at Pigeon. "As is it, we don't have a choice. I spent our bonuses on getting the interview with Ghost Girl, so we need an important scoop to keep our jobs!"

"But it isn't like Playmaker or Hanoi is just going to appear in front of us!" Pigeon protested as they flew near the data stream – and then Blue Angel and Morningstar shot past them on the stream.

Pigeon screamed. "What was that?"

"Blue Angel and Morningstar!" Frog responded, a giant smile on his face. "If we record this, our careers will be-!"

That was as far as he got before a gold net entangled the two of them and plastered them to the nearby skyscraper.

"Eh!?" the two shouted. "What is this? Why can't we get out!?"

"Sorry, fellas." The two of them turned and saw a small audio piece attached to the net. "But this is a private affair between me and Blue Angel. I can't have you interfering. Don't worry. The net will dissolve in an hour." The audio piece broke apart after that, so they couldn't yell at Morningstar.

"So we're stuck here for an hour, Yamamoto?" Pigeon asked.

"Don't use my real name!" Frog yelled back at him. The two of them continued to bicker while Blue Angel and Morningstar sped away, with Morningstar feeling slightly guilty about doing that to them.

"I'll take the first turn!" Blue Angel said, waving her hand in front of her and revealing her cards. "From my hand, I activate the Field Spell: Trickstar Light Stage!" Morningstar narrowed his eyes, recognizing that card from when she dueled Playmaker. "I add one 'Trickstar' monster in my Deck to my hand!"

She did so, then said, "Since I added this card to my hand without drawing it, I can Special Summon Trickstar Lilybell!" A girl with solid green eyes, long red pigtails, and wearing a red-and-white dress appeared on her field.

Trickstar Lilybell ATK 800 DEF 2000 LVL: 2

"Then I summon Trickstar Candina from my hand!" A girl with orange eyes, yellow hair held back by headphones, and wearing an orange dress while carrying a megaphone appeared alongside Lilybell.

Trickstar Candina ATK 1800 DEF 400 LVL: 4

"Due to Candina's effect, I add one 'Trickstar' card in my Deck to my hand!" She did so, then smiled. "Full speed ahead! Come out, the circuit of dreams and hope!" A heart appeared in her hand and shone with blue light as the link portal appeared in front of her.

"Arrowheads confirmed! The summoning conditions are two 'Trickstar' monsters! I set Lilybell and Candina in the Link Markers!" Her two monsters entered the bottom-left and bottom-right arrows as she sped past the portal.

"Circuit combine! Link Summon! Appear! Link 2! Trickstar Holly Angel!"

A woman with pale blonde hair and blue eyes exited the link portal. She wore an elaborate blue, white, and purple dress and carried a flail. Morningstar recognized her as the Link Monster Blue Angel had used against Playmaker.

Trickstar Holly Angel ATK 2000 LINK-2 ↙↘

A Link Summon on her first turn, Morningstar thought. She's not messing around.

"From my hand, I activate the Spell Card: Trickstar Vision! Once per turn, I can Special Summon a 'Trickstar' monster from my hand by negating its effects and halving its attack points! Come out, Trickstar Narkissus!" Her new monster was a little girl with blonde hair and green eyes in a green, orange, and white dress. Morningstar raised an eyebrow. This was a new one.

Trickstar Narkissus ATK 1000→500 DEF 1800 LVL: 4

"Then we both draw a card." Morningstar did so, then Blue Angel. "I draw! I'm not done! I set one card! I use Trickstar Lycoris's effect from my hand on Narkissus! She Special Summons herself, and Narkissus returns to my hand!" A new monster, a girl with long purple hair and purple eyes in a pink dress carrying a sword appeared on her field as Narkissus disappeared.

Trickstar Lycoris ATK 1600 DEF 1200 LVL: 3

"Now Holly Angel's effect! When a 'Trickstar' monster is summoned next to her Link Marker, you take 200 points of damage!" The field layout appeared briefly, showing Holly Angel in the Extra Monster Zone and Lycoris in the center Main Monster Zone, with one of Holly Angel's markers pointing at Lycoris. "And when a 'Trickstar' monster on my field deals you battle or effect damage, Trickstar Light Stage's effect deals you 200 points of damage!" A flail appeared in Holly Angel's hand, and she blasted Morningstar with a yellow light from it, after which Light Stage's card blasted him with green energy.

Morningstar: 4000→3600 LP

"And once per turn, when you take effect damage, Narkissus is Special Summoned from my hand! Come back, Trickstar Narkissus! In defense position."

Trickstar Narkissus ATK 1000 DEF 1800 LVL: 4

"I end my turn!" She turned and looked back at Morningstar. "Did you enjoy that, Morningstar? I hope that was entertaining for you!"

He was silent, then said, "How disappointing."

"Eh?"

"If you think that strategy will work on me like it did on Playmaker," he said, lifting his head and glaring at her, "you're sadly mistaken. If you wish to defeat me, you must learn to adapt!"

Blue Angel widened her eyes, surprised at that.

"My turn! Draw!" Morningstar drew, but then Blue Angel interrupted him.

"Due to Lycoris's effect, when a card is added to your hand, you take 200 points of damage!" A sword appeared in Lycoris's hand as she shot a beam of light at Morningstar, hitting him in the chest, but he ignored it.

Morningstar: 3600→3400 LP

"And when a 'Trickstar' monster on my field deals you battle or effect damage, Trickstar Light Stage's effect deals you 200 points of damage!" The card blasted him with green light again, but all it did was annoy him.

Morningstar: 3400→3200 LP

"And when a 'Trickstar' monster deals you effect damage, Holly Angel gains attack points equal to the effect damage she dealt. Holy Blessing!" Holly Angel glowed red as her attack points increased.

Trickstar Holly Angel ATK 2000→2200

"How do you like my Trickstar deck?" Blue Angel asked, trying to get him involved in her entertainment again. "But I can do much more. I'll keep stinging and stinging you!"

Morningstar ignored her and looked at his hand and the field, contemplating his options. Before he could do anything, Cam spoke over the earpiece. "Yasu, think you could go easy on her? I mean, she did just wake up from a coma."

"The point of this duel isn't to give her an easy win," he responded. "It's to push her to adapt to new circumstances." He took a card from his hand and played it. "Since you control monsters and I do not, I can Special Summon Cyspirit Swordsman!" The skeleton warrior with blue swords appeared on his field.

Cyspirit Swordsman ATK 1200 DEF 900 LVL: 3

"When you activate a monster effect from your hand or Graveyard," Blue Angel said, "Narkissus's effect deals you 200 points of damage! And then Light Stage deals you 200 points of damage, and Holly Angel's attack points increase by the damage dealt! Holy Blessing!"

Morningstar: 3200→3000→2800 LP

Trickstar Holly Angel ATK 2200→2400

"Swordsman's monster effect!" Morningstar said. "Since Swordsman was Special Summoned by its effect, I can add one 'Cyspirit' monster from my Deck to my hand. I add Cyspirit Saver to my hand!" He did so before Blue Angel spoke again.

"Since a card was added to your hand, Lycoris's effect deals you 200 points of damage!"

Morningstar: 2800→2600 LP

"And since you took effect damage, Trickstar Light Stage deals you 200 points of damage!"

"I wonder about that."

"Eh?" Blue Angel said, surprised.

"I activate the effect of Cyspirit Saver in my hand!" he declared. "When I take effect damage, I can Special Summon this card!" The dwarf skeleton in white armor carrying a small shield appeared on his field.

Cyspirit Saver ATK 0 DEF 1300 LVL: 2

"And for the rest of the turn, I take no effect damage!" Blue Angel was stunned. With one card, Morningstar had managed to seal her strategy off. But she still had one move to make.

"Holly Angel's monster effect! Holy Blessing!"

Trickstar Holly Angel ATK 2400→2600

"Appear!" Morningstar said, holding his hand out. "The circuit between light and darkness!" He sent a blue bolt of lightning at the sky, creating the link portal.

"Arrowheads confirmed! The summoning condition is one Level 2 or lower 'Cyspirit' monster! I set Cyspirit Saver in the Link Marker!" Saver entered the bottom-left arrow, turning it red.

"Circuit combine! Link Summon! Come forth! Link 1! Cyspirit Egregious Electrician!"

The skeleton in overalls carrying an electrical power box was summoned to the Extra Monster Zone.

Cyspirit Egregious Electrician ATK 600 LINK-1 ↙

Blue Angel recognized that monster from when Morningstar dueled Go Onizuka. And she remembered its effect.

"Egregious Electrician's monster effect! 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 Swordsman to the right Main Monster Zone, and summon Cyspirit Wanderer to my Electrician's Link Marker!" The skeleton in poncho and trousers appeared on his field.

Cyspirit Wanderer ATK 1900 DEF 200 LVL: 5

Blue Angel narrowed her eyes. She remembered this monster, too.

"Cyspirit Wanderer's monster effect! When this card is Special Summoned by the effect of a 'Cyspirit' card, one monster on my opponent's field loses 800 attack points! I lower Holly Angel's attack points! Digital Drain!"

Trickstar Holly Angel ATK 2600→1800

"Appear! The circuit between light and darkness!" Morningstar made the link portal to appear again.

"Arrowheads confirmed! The summoning conditions are two or more 'Cyspirit' monsters! I set Link 1 Egregious Electrician, Swordsman, and Wanderer in the Link Markers!" His monsters entered the bottom-left, top, and right arrows, turning them red.

"Circuit combine! Link Summon! Appear! Link 3! Cyspirit Pied Pikeman!"

His Link Monster was a skeleton warrior wearing a medieval guardsman's uniform, a tattered bearskin hat over its skull, carried a long spear with a serrated point, and had grey and silver metallic wings emerging from its back. Like its predecessor, it was summoned to the Extra Monster Zone.

Cyspirit Pied Pikeman ATK 2400 LINK-3 ↙↑→

"Since I control a 'Cyspirit' monster, I can Special Summon Cyspirit Linker!" The skeleton in black armor and gauntlets with red arrows on them appeared, summoned to Pied Pikeman's bottom-left Link Marker.

Cyspirit Linker ATK 1700 DEF 800 LVL: 4

Blue Angel was confused. She remembered from Morningstar's duel with Go that Pied Pikeman could change the battle position of one monster it pointed to and destroy one Spell or Trap Card. Thus, it made more sense to summon Linker in Defense Position, so why was it in Attack Position? She got her answer almost immediately.

"I activate the Quick-Play Spell: Cyspirit Forced Call! Since I control a 'Cyspirit' Link Monster, I can Special Summon one monster from your Graveyard to your field in Defense Position with its effects negated, but that monster is destroyed during the End Phase. I Special Summon Trickstar Lilybell from your Graveyard to Pied Pikeman's top Link Marker!"

Trickstar Lilybell ATK 800 DEF 2000 LVL: 2

"Pied Pikeman's monster effect! Once per turn, if it points to at least one monster, I can change the battle position of a monster it points to and destroy one Spell or Trap Card on the field! I change your Lilybell that it points at to Attack Position to destroy your face-down card!"

"What?" Blue Angel said, her eyes widening. Her face-down card shattered, leaving her defenseless.

I see, Morningstar thought, having a look at her destroyed card. Trickstar Cascade. That card would return a "Trickstar" to her hand and negate an attack I made. Unfortunately for her, I anticipated that.

"I set two cards," Morningstar said. "Battle! Pied Pikeman, attack Holly Angel! Spiritual Halberd!" Pikeman charged at Holly Angel, its spear glowing with white energy. It slashed through Holly Angel, destroying her in an explosion.

"Holly Angel!" Blue Angel cried out as she withstood the shockwaves from Pikeman's attack.

Blue Angel: 4000→3400 LP

It can't be, Blue Angel thought, shocked. The only other person who had ever destroyed Holly Angel was Playmaker, and he did so as his end move. Morningstar destroyed her easily.

Her attention was drawn by what Morningstar said next. "Pied Pikeman's monster effect! Since it points to at least two monsters, when it destroys an opponent's monster by battle, I gain Life Points equal to half the destroyed monster's attack points! Holly Angel had 1800 attack points, so I gain 900 Life Points!"

Morningstar: 2600→3500 LP

"Now it's Linker's turn!" he said. "Linker, attack Lilybell! Digital Strike!" Linker charged Lilybell and punched her in the gut, causing an explosion that made Blue Angel wobble again.

Blue Angel: 3400→2500 LP

"I end my turn," he said.

Blue Angel gritted her teeth. She had set her field perfectly, but Morningstar had blown it apart in one turn. He was definitely not like Playmaker. Still, the duel wasn't over yet. So long as she stayed focused, she could turn this around.

"My turn! Draw!" she said, doing so, but then Morningstar spoke up.

"Trap activate! Cyspirit License!" The card showed Lancer in front of a desk, sweatdropping as a skeleton worker shuffled papers. "Since I control a 'Cyspirit' monster, I take no effect damage for the rest of the turn!"

"What?" Blue Angel said, shocked again.

"My Trap Card has another effect," he told her. "During the End Phase, if I control a face-up 'Cyspirit' monster, I can shuffle one 'Cyspirit' monster in my Graveyard back into my Deck and set this card on my field. And I can activate this effect up to three times during the Duel."

Blue Angel grit her teeth again. That meant that so long as he had a monster on his field, she couldn't deal him effect damage for three turns after this. In essence, he was shutting down her strategy as thoroughly as possible. Of course, she could do the same to him.

"I activate Trickstar Light Stage's effect!" she declared. "Once per turn, I can target one face-down Spell or Trap Card on your field! That card cannot be activated until the End Phase of the turn, at which point you must activate it or send it to the Graveyard!" He only had one other face-down card, so she targeted that one. At the very least, she wouldn't get any nasty surprises this turn.

"I activate the Quick-Play Spell Card: Trickstar Shuffle!" The card showed Lycoris and Candina being pushed off a stage. "During my Main Phase, I can shuffle two 'Trickstar' monsters in my Graveyard back into my Deck and draw two cards. And if at least one of the shuffled monsters is a Link Monster, then I draw a third card! I shuffle Holly Angel and Lilybell in my Graveyard back into my Deck to draw three cards!"

She did so, and looked through her cards. With Lycoris and Narkissus on her field, she could resummon Holly Angel, but… with his Trap Card preventing her from inflicting effect damage, she couldn't raise Holly Angel's attack points higher than Pied Pikeman's.

If you wish to defeat me, you must learn to adapt! That was what Morningstar had told her at the end of her first turn. With her not being able to inflict effect damage, she would have to settle for battle damage. And if she couldn't damage him, then she could heal herself.

"Come out!" she declared. "The circuit of dreams and hope!" She sent another blast of blue lightning ahead of her, creating the link portal. "The summoning conditions are two 'Trickstar' monsters! I set Lycoris and Narkissus in the Link Markers!" Her two monsters entered the bottom-left and right Link Markers. Morningstar widened his eyes, seeing she wasn't summoning Holly Angel again. But what was she summoning?

"Circuit combine! Link Summon! Appear! Link 2! Trickstar Bloody Mary!"

The monster that exited the link portal was a woman in a long red gown with black leggings. She had blue eyes and long brown hair and carried a set of leg cuffs. Blue Angel summoned her to the Extra Monster Zone.

Trickstar Bloody Mary ATK 2000 LINK-2 ↙→

So she's changing her strategy, Morningstar thought. Let's see how effective it is.

"Bloody Mary's monster effect!" Blue Angel declared. "Once per turn, I can discard one 'Trickstar' card so both players draw one card! I discard Trickstar Scatter so we both draw one card!" They did so, with Blue Angel's eyes widening on realizing what she drew.

"I summon Trickstar Candina!" A second copy of Candina appeared on her field.

Trickstar Candina ATK 1800 DEF 400 LVL: 4

"When Candina is Normal Summoned," she explained. "I can add one 'Trickstar' card from my Deck to my hand. I add Trickstar Lilybell to my hand!" She returned the shuffled card to her hand, then said, "Since Lilybell was added to my hand outside of the Draw Phase, I can Special Summon her!"

Trickstar Lilybell ATK 800 DEF 2000 LVL: 2

"I set one card," Blue Angel said. "Lilybell's effect allows her to attack you directly!" Morningstar narrowed his eyes, remembering this move from when she dueled Playmaker.

"Here I go! Attack Morningstar directly!" Lilybell's bell sent out sonic blasts at Morningstar, who managed to stay on his board. He was just glad that since his Cyspirit License was active, Light Stage wouldn't deal him damage.

Morningstar: 3500→2700 LP

"Since Lilybell inflicted battle damage to you," Blue Angel explained, "I can add one 'Trickstar' monster in my Graveyard to my hand! I return Trickstar Lycoris to my hand!" She did so, then said, "Since a 'Trickstar' monster inflicted battle damage, I can activate the Quick-Play Spell: Trickstar Refuge!" The card showed Holly Angel shining in front of Lilybell and Narkissus. "Now, one monster you control loses attack points equal to the damage you took! I reduce your Pied Pikeman's attack points by 800!"

"That won't happen," Morningstar said calmly. "I activate the effect of Cyspirit Forced Call in my Graveyard! If you target a 'Cyspirit' monster with the effect of a Spell or Trap Card, I can banish Forced Call to negate that effect and shuffle that card back into your Deck!"

"I won't let you!" Blue Angel declared. "I activate the effect of Trickstar Shuffle in my Graveyard! Since you activated a card effect from the Graveyard, I can banish Trickstar Shuffle to negate the activation of that effect and banish it!"

Morningstar raised an eyebrow. She countered his move expertly. Like he had thought, even if she didn't know why she dueled, her skills were extraordinary.

"Trickstar Shuffle has two more effects," Blue Angel explained. "It then inflicts 500 points of damage to you and we both draw one card!"

"The effect of Cyspirit License is still in play," Morningstar reminded her. "That means your card's effect damage is negated." After he said that, the two of them each drew a card.

"Since your Forced Call was negated, the effect of Trickstar Refuge goes through!" Blue Angel said. "And Pied Pikeman loses 800 attack points!"

Cyspirit Pied Pikeman ATK 2400→1600

"Battle!" Blue Angel declared. "Bloody Mary, attack Pied Pikeman! Bleeding Force!" Bloody Mary swung her leg cuffs at Pied Pikeman, making it explode as Morningstar braced himself.

Morningstar: 2700→2300 LP

Cam whistled over the comm. Blue Angel had actually managed to destroy one of Yasutake's Link Monsters, and one of his most powerful ones, too. Even Specter hadn't been able to do that.

"I'm not done yet!" Blue Angel said. "Trickstar Candina, attack Cyspirit Linker!" Candina sent a blast from her megaphone at Linker, causing it to explode as well.

Morningstar: 2300→2200 LP

Yes! Blue Angel thought. If I use Lycoris's effect to summon her now, I can reduce Morningstar's Life Points to 600! Unfortunately, Morningstar had other plans.

"I activate my Skill!" he declared to Blue Angel's surprise. She had completely forgotten about his 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 with a lower Level than the destroyed monster's. I Special Summon Cyspirit Teleporter in Defense Position!" A skeleton warrior in grey armor carrying a baton appeared on his field.

Cyspirit Teleporter ATK 500 DEF 1500 LVL: 3

Blue Angel grit her teeth. Lycoris was strong enough to destroy Teleporter, but she was familiar with its effect from his duel with Go. If she destroyed it, it would only benefit Morningstar. At the same time, however, she remembered the effect of Cyspirit License. For Morningstar to set it again, he needed to have a monster on his field. If she destroyed Teleporter, that meant he couldn't reset his card and she could deal him effect damage during his turn again.

"I activate the effect of Lycoris in my hand!" she declared. "I Special Summon her and return Lilybell to my hand!" Lycoris reappeared, summoned to Bloody Mark's bottom-left Link Marker as Lilybell disappeared.

Trickstar Lycoris ATK 1600 DEF 1200 LVL: 3

"Bloody Mary's monster effect!" she said. "When a 'Trickstar' monster is Summoned to a zone Bloody Mary points to, I gain 200 Life Points! Blood Regeneration!"

Blue Angel: 2500→2700 LP

So that's why she summoned Bloody Mary, Morningstar thought. Not just for a Link Monster, but also to replenish her Life Points. Smart.

"Battle!" Blue Angel said, interrupting his thoughts. "Lycoris, attack and destroy Cyspirit Teleporter!" Lycoris struck Teleporter with her sword, breaking it apart. Blue Angel sighed. Now that he had no monsters, he couldn't reset his Trap Card.

"Now that it's the End Phase," she said. "The effect of Light Stage activates! You must either activate your face-down card or send it to the Graveyard! So, which will it be, Morningstar?" she asked, smiling back at him. To her surprise, he smiled back.

"I'll activate it," he said. "Trap activate! Cyspirit Backup!" The card showed Rapid Revolutionary and Egregious Electrician looking behind them to see a dragon shrouded in darkness descend behind them. "With this card, I return one 'Cyspirit' Link Monster in my Graveyard to my Extra Deck, then Special Summon one 'Cyspirit' Link Monster whose Link Rating is lower than the returned monster's! I return Pied Pikeman to my Extra Deck to summon Cyspirit Cacophonic Caller to the Extra Monster Zone!"

Pied Pikeman briefly appeared on Morningstar's field before shattering as a new skeleton in a business suit carrying a cellphone and handheld radio took its place.

Cyspirit Cacophonic Caller ATK 500 LINK-1 ↓

Blue Angel gasped in surprise. He anticipated that she would clear his field, so he set a card that would restore it. And that meant…

"The second effect of Cyspirit Backup activates!" Morningstar said. "If the monster I returned was Link 3 or higher, I draw two cards!" He drew, then said, "I activate the effect of Cyspirit License in my Graveyard! Since I control a face-up 'Cyspirit' monster, I shuffle Egregious Electrician in my Graveyard back into my Extra Deck to set it on my field!"

Blue Angel grit her teeth. "I end my turn," she said reluctantly.

"My turn! But before I draw, I activate Cyspirit License! Since I control Cacophonic Caller, I take no effect damage this turn! Draw!" Morningstar looked at his cards, then at Blue Angel. "I have to admit, you have surprised me. The number of people who can counter my moves is very few, and you are among them now. But… this will be the last turn."

He gestured to Cacophonic Caller. "Cacophonic Caller's monster effect! Once per turn, I can Special Summon one Level 4 or lower 'Cyspirit' monster from my Deck to the zone it points to, but that monster cannot attack and is destroyed during the End Phase. I Special Summon Cyspirit Kid!" A small skeleton in a t-shirt appeared on his field.

Cyspirit Kid ATK 300 DEF 200 LVL: 1

"Appear!" Morningstar declared. "The circuit between light and darkness!" He continued chanting as he created the link portal again.

"Arrowheads confirmed! The summoning conditions are two 'Cyspirit' monsters! I set Link 1 Cacophonic Caller and Kid in the Link Markers!" His monsters entered the top and bottom arrows, turning them red.

"Circuit combine! Link Summon! Come forth! Link 2! Cyspirit Mad Mongrel!"

The skeleton dog in grey and silver armor with metallic wings and a missile launcher and net launcher on its back appeared, summoned to the Extra Monster Zone.

Cyspirit Mad Mongrel ATK 2000 LINK-2 ↑↓

"Cyspirit Kid's monster effect!" Morningstar said. "When I use Kid to Link Summon a 'Cyspirit' Link Monster, I can destroy one face-up card on your field!"

"What?"

"I destroy Trickstar Light Stage!" Blue Angel gasped as her Field Spell was destroyed. Now she couldn't hinder his face-down cards. But that surprise was mired with confusion. Why her Field Spell? Why not one of her monsters?

"Next, I activate the Spell Card: Cyspirit Replay!" The card showed Cyspirit Lancer, with afterimages trailing behind it. "Since I control a 'Cyspirit' Link Monster, I can shuffle one banished 'Cyspirit' Spell or Trap Card back into my Deck and activate its effect!"

Blue Angel's eyes widened with surprise. There was only one banished "Cyspirit" Spell Card, and it was one she banished herself.

"I shuffle Cyspirit Forced Call back into my Deck!" he said. "Now, I summon Trickstar Narkissus from your Graveyard to your field in Defense Position!"

Blue Angel grit her teeth on seeing Narkissus on her field again, as she was summoned to Mad Mongrel's top Link Marker. She didn't know what his dog could do, but she suspected she wouldn't like it.

Trickstar Narkissus ATK 1000 DEF 1800 LVL: 4

"I summon Cyspirit Dancer!" The skeleton in a leotard appeared on his field, summoned to Mad Mongrel's bottom Link Marker.

Cyspirit Dancer ATK 1000 DEF 200 LVL: 2

"Since 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 told Blue Angel. "I summon Cyspirit Changer from my Deck!" A dwarf skeleton carrying a sign appeared on his field in the zone next to Dancer's.

Cyspirit Changer ATK 200 DEF 100 LVL: 1

"Mad Mongrel's monster effect!" Morningstar declared. "Since it points to two monsters, one of which is a 'Cyspirit' monster, I can target two monsters; one on your field that it points to and one 'Cyspirit' monster in my Graveyard. Then, the monster on your field is treated as having the same name and Type as my monster. I target Cyspirit Teleporter in my Graveyard and Trickstar Narkissus on your field! So now, Narkissus is treated as Cyspirit Teleporter and a Cyberse monster!"

Why would he do that? Blue Angel wondered. How does changing Narkissus's name benefit him? She got her answer almost immediately.

"Now, the second part of Mad Mongrel's effect activates!" Morningstar said. "After it changes your monster's name and Type, I can use it and Mad Mongrel to perform a Link Summon!"

Blue Angel's eyes widened in surprise. Link Summoning using the opponent's monster? She'd never heard of such a technique!

"Appear! The circuit between light and darkness!" The link portal appeared in the sky as Narkissus's appearance changed to Cyspirit Teleporter's.

"Arrowheads confirmed! The summoning conditions are two or more 'Cyspirit' monsters! I set the Trickstar Narkissus treated as Cyspirit Teleporter and the Link 2 Cyspirit Mad Mongrel in the Link Markers!" The monsters entered the bottom-left, top, and bottom-center arrows, turning them red.

"Circuit combine! Link Summon! Come forth! Link 3! Cyspirit Rapid Revolutionary!"

The skeleton warrior in a blue trench coat and black waistcoat with metallic wings emerging from its back wearing a silver tricorne hat and carrying two black pistols appeared on Morningstar's field, summoned to the Extra Monster Zone.

Cyspirit Rapid Revolutionary ATK 2200 LINK-3 ↙↑↓

Cam smiled on seeing that Morningstar's ace Link Monster was on his field. But he knew that Morningstar was far from done.

"Appear!" Morningstar declared, surprising Blue Angel again. "The circuit between light and darkness!"

"What?" she said. "A third Link Summon?" She remembered the monster that Morningstar had defeated Go with. Oh no.

"Arrowheads confirmed! The summoning conditions are two or more 'Cyspirit' Effect Monsters! I set Cyspirit Dancer and Link 3 Cyspirit Rapid Revolutionary in the Link Markers!" His monsters entered the bottom-left, top, bottom, and bottom-right arrows, turning them red.

"Circuit combine! Link Summon! Take flight! Link 4! Cyspirit Datastorm Dragon!"

A white skeleton dragon appeared on his field, but then skin grew over it. Its skin was metallic and grey, while its wings had bright red spines and its membranes were light silver. Its long grey tail ended in a red arrow, and there were black lines of code running across its arms and legs. Its head had four horns curving downwards, and it had a blue left eye and a red right eye. It roared in anticipation of combat as it was summoned to the Extra Monster Zone.

Cyspirit Datastorm Dragon ATK 2800 LINK-4 ↙↑↓↘

Blue Angel grit her teeth. That monster had defeated Go in one turn, and its effects were troublesome. For starters, since it pointed to Cyspirit Changer, only Link Monsters could declare an attack. And second…

"Since Cyspirit Dancer was used to Link Summon a 'Cyspirit' monster," Morningstar said, "Datastorm Dragon gains 600 attack points!"

Cyspirit Datastorm Dragon ATK 2800→3400

Morningstar was about to use Teleporter's effect to bring back Dancer, so he could Link Summon Thrilled Tunneler, but something caught his attention. A heartbeat.

He looked at his Duel Disk. Something in his Extra Deck was reacting. Was that… His eyes widened in recognition. It was a monster he hadn't used in a long time. But why was it reacting now?

He remembered during Playmaker's duel with Revolver that he heard the pulse of the Cyberse right before Firewall Dragon was summoned. Was this similar? Either way, he could see that this particular monster would be more beneficial to him than Thrilled Tunneler, especially if Blue Angel had a means to negate battle damage.

"I banish the Cyspirit Teleporter in my Graveyard to activate its effect!" Morningstar declared. "Now, I Special Summon one Level 3 or lower 'Cyspirit' monster from my Graveyard! I summon Cyspirit Swordsman!" The monster reappeared on his field, summoned to his dragon's bottom Link Marker, but also confusing Blue Angel.

Cyspirit Swordsman ATK 1200 DEF 900 LVL: 3

Why summon Swordsman instead of Dancer? she thought. Dancer would increase the attack points of a Link Monster he summons. Is he going for Datastorm Dragon's effect, or is he planning a different strategy?

"Appear! The circuit between light and darkness!" Morningstar sent another bolt of lightning at the sky, creating the link portal again. "The summoning conditions are two Level 4 or lower 'Cyspirit' monsters! I set Cyspirit Changer and Cyspirit Swordsman in the Link Markers!" His monsters entered the left and top Link Markers, turning them red. Cam widened his eyes on seeing that pattern, realizing what Morningstar was doing.

"Circuit combine! Link Summon! Appear! Link 2! Cyspirit Idealistic Idol!"

The monster that appeared was initially a white skeleton with a silver skull, but light surrounded it, and when it dissipated, the skeleton was wearing a sleeveless dress. The dress was indigo colored with a lighter blue line down the middle, and its knee-length skirt was white in color. Underneath the dress, the skeleton wore black tights and indigo high heels, and it wore several silver bangles on its metal skeleton arms. Midnight black hair pulled back into a long ponytail fell down its back as silver metallic wings sprouted from its back. It would have been pretty if it didn't have a skull for a face, with a glowing blue left eye and a red right eye. Morningstar summoned Idealistic Idol to Datastorm Dragon's bottom Link Marker.

Cyspirit Idealistic Idol ATK 1500 LINK-2 ←↑

"What?" Blue Angel said, her surprise the greatest it had ever been in this duel. That monster… it looked a lot like her Trickstars. Where did Morningstar get a card like that? And why would he have it in his Deck?

Cam frowned at the screen. He remembered when Yasutake first showed him that card. At the time, Cam had thought it somewhat ridiculous in appearance, and he still did to an extent. But its effects were powerful. And…

He turned to Sachi. When she was little, before the incident, she'd wanted to become an idol. Cam had supported her in that goal, and had even started to save money when she'd told him, so she could get singing lessons. She'd been six and he'd been fourteen, but they already had their dreams: Cam had wanted to become a wrestler, but the incident had taken that from him – the life of a wrestler wasn't stable enough to care for a traumatized sister. Sachi wanted to become an idol singer, and even as a child, she had the voice for it. All the other kids she played with were in awe of her voice. Now…

He turned back to the screen and stared at Idealistic Idol. While its appearance was similar to Blue Angel's monsters, Cam saw it more as what Sachi could have been if not for the incident. Except for the part about it being a skeleton. Cam figured Sachi would look a bit more alive in a dress like that.

"I activate the effect of Cyspirit Wanderer in my Graveyard!" Morningstar declared. "By shuffling it back into my Deck, I Special Summon Rapid Revolutionary from my Graveyard to Datastorm Dragon's bottom-left Link Marker, but Rapid Revolutionary cannot declare an attack this turn!"

Cyspirit Rapid Revolutionary ATK 2200 LINK-3 ↙↑↓

"Idealistic Idol's monster effect!" Morningstar continued. "I target one 'Cyspirit' Link Monster, besides itself. That monster can then make three attacks on opponent's monsters this turn, but other monsters I control cannot declare an attack."

Blue Angel widened her eyes. She had exactly three monsters, and since Rapid Revolutionary couldn't attack because of Wanderer's effect, there was only…

"I target Datastorm Dragon with Idealistic Idol's effect!" Morningstar said. "Now, only Datastorm Dragon can declare an attack, but it can attack all three of your monsters! And if you recall my duel with Go, you understand what happens when Datastorm Dragon points to at least two monsters."

She did. At the end of the Battle Phase, she would take 500 points of damage for each monster Datastorm Dragon destroyed. Since it could attack three times, it would inflict 1500 points of damage. Even if the battle damage was halved because of the second half of Datastorm Dragon's effect, she would lose. In theory, anyway. In reality…

"I set two cards," Morningstar said. "Battle! Datastorm Dragon, attack Trickstar Lycoris! Data Flare!" Datastorm Dragon gathered blue energy in its mouth, which it shot at Lycoris. Before it hit…

"Trap activate!" Blue Angel declared. "Trickstar Biennial!" The card showed Bloody Mary and Holly Angel on the edges of a blue circle made of vines. "This turn, I take no battle damage from attacks involving 'Trickstar' monsters I control! And at the end of the Battle Phase, I draw one card!" The blast of energy hit Lycoris, destroying her, but a barrier appeared around Blue Angel, protecting her from damage.

Morningstar smirked. "Impressive, Blue Angel. My prediction of this being the last turn was wrong. You will survive. But, you will do so at a massive disadvantage. And even your attempts to protect yourself will hurt you."

"What?"

"There is a second part to Idealistic Idol's multiple attack effect," he told her. "When the targeted monster destroys an opponent's monster by battle, my opponent takes 300 points of damage!" Blue Angel's eyes widened in surprise. "Go! Ideal Light!" Idealistic Idol's wings lit up and blasted white light at Blue Angel, making her cringe.

Blue Angel: 2700→2400 LP

"The second attack! Datastorm Dragon, attack Trickstar Candina! Data Flare!" The blue blast hit Candina, pushing her back.

"Trickstar Biennial's effect remains in play! I take no battle damage!"

"But your monster is still destroyed!" Morningstar reminded her as Candina exploded. "And since Datastorm Dragon destroyed a monster by battle, Idealistic Idol deals you 300 points of damage! Ideal Light!" His monster's wings shone again and blasted Blue Angel, making her cry out.

Blue Angel: 2400→2100 LP

"If Akira Zaizen finds out about this, you're dead, you know that?" Cam asked Morningstar over the comm. "Maybe you could ease up on her?"

"If I do that now, she'll just think I'm not taking her seriously and get angry," Morningstar told him. "And I doubt Blue Angel will tell her brother. She's too proud. And if she does, I'll accept whatever Zaizen does to me. You and I would feel the same way if someone did this to Sachi." Cam nodded, understanding Morningstar's point.

"The third attack! Datastorm Dragon, attack Trickstar Bloody Mary! Data Flare!" The blue energy hit Bloody Mary, who cried out in pain.

"Due to Trickstar Biennial, I take no damage!"

"But Bloody Mary is destroyed!" As he said that, Bloody Mary exploded. "And Idealistic Idol's effect activates again! Ideal Light!" Blue Angel cried out, louder this time, from Idealistic Idol's blast.

Blue Angel: 2100→1800 LP

"Datastorm Dragon's monster effect!" Morningstar declared, gesturing to his dragon. "At the end of the Battle Phase, it inflicts 500 points of damage to you for each monster it destroyed this turn! It destroyed three, so you take 1500 points of damage! Digital Deletion!" Datastorm Dragon gathered energy in its mouth again, red this time, and blasted Blue Angel. She screamed as she fell off her D-Board.

Blue Angel: 1800→300 LP

"Yasu, help her!" Cam cried, shocked at the force of the attack. Sachi, sitting next to him on the bed, didn't react.

"No need," Morningstar said, ignoring the guilt and concern in his heart. "She doesn't need help."

Sure enough, Blue Angel summoned her energy whip and wrapped it around her D-Board. She managed to swing herself back onto it, but it cost her the lead as she fell behind Morningstar.

"Since the Battle Phase ended," she said, "Trickstar Biennial's second effect allows me to draw a card." She drew, and seeing what it was, gasped. With this…

Morningstar looked at the last card in his hand. Cyspirit Gardna. With this, if she attacked his monsters, he could summon it and protect them. "I end my-."

"I activate my Skill!" Blue Angel declared, shocking Morningstar as her earrings glowed pink. "Trickstar Fraud! By discarding Trickstar Mandrake from my hand, you draw until you hold three cards! You have one card in your hand, so you draw two cards!"

Morningstar raised an eyebrow as he drew his cards. Why was she doing this now? Without Lycoris, she couldn't inflict damage to him for drawing cards. Unless…

His eyes widened. She wasn't aiming for him to draw! She was aiming to discard her card!

"I activate the effect of Trickstar Mandrake, the card I discarded!" Blue Angel said, confirming Morningstar's suspicions. "When she is sent from the hand to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon her in Defense Position! Come back, Trickstar Mandrake!" A girl with blue eyes and long green pigtails in a green and purple dress carrying a heart-shaped tambourine appeared on her field.

Trickstar Mandrake ATK 0 DEF 1000 LVL: 2

Morningstar smiled. "Not bad, Blue Angel," he muttered. "I activate the effect of Cyspirit License in my Graveyard! I shuffle Mad Mongrel back into my Extra Deck and set it on my field!" He set it alongside his other two face-downs. "I end my turn."

"And now that it's the End Phase, you must banish a card from your hand for each 'Trickstar' monster in my Graveyard!" Blue Angel told him. "I have five 'Trickstar' monsters, so all the cards in your hand are banished!"

Morningstar's smile grew. Despite his advantage, she wasn't giving up. Good. That determination would be needed in the months to come.

Before she could speak, Morningstar did. "There's something you should know about my Idealistic Idol," he said. "So long as it points to at least one monster, it inflicts 200 points of damage to you every time a monster is Link Summoned."

Blue Angel widened her eyes. Her Life Points were 300. If she Link Summoned twice, she would lose. Alternatively, she could lose to Idealistic Idol's or Datastorm Dragon's effect next turn. And Morningstar had only used his License's reset effect twice, meaning he could do so one more time.

This is going to be my last turn, she thought. She remembered what Morningstar said to her before they dueled. I asked you here to help you find a new reason for dueling, and settle your doubts. And when they started, he said, If you wish to defeat me, you must learn to adapt!

She didn't remember everything about her duel with Playmaker, but she remembered the feeling she had when Playmaker activated his Skill. She'd been shaken to the core, feeling as though her entire lead had been false, like he'd been letting her win. Morningstar wasn't doing that. In fact, he was doing his best to push her in a corner instead.

This time, she thought. I'll be the one to surprise you, Morningstar! You might not be Playmaker, but you have pushed me farther than anyone else! And I will push right back!

"My turn! Draw!"

"Trap activate!" Morningstar declared. "Cyspirit License! Now, until the end of the turn, I take no effect damage."

Blue Angel smirked. "Are you sure about that?"

"Mm?" Morningstar said, raising an eyebrow.

"I activate the effect of Trickstar Biennial in my Graveyard!" she declared. "If you activate a Trap Card while I control a 'Trickstar' monster, I can banish Biennial to negate the activation of your Trap Card and destroy it!" His License Trap shattered.

A perfect counter, Morningstar thought. With his Trap Card negated, he could take effect damage now.

"I activate the Spell Card: Monster Reborn!" Blue Angel said. "And bring back Trickstar Candina!"

Trickstar Candina ATK 1800 DEF 400 LVL: 4

"And now I summon Trickstar Lilybell!"

Trickstar Lilybell ATK 800 DEF 2000 LVL: 2

"Three 'Trickstar' monsters," Morningstar muttered. "Is she…?"

"Come out! The circuit of dreams and hope!" Blue Angel sent a dream of blue light from her hand, creating the Link portal in front of her.

"Arrowheads confirmed! The summoning conditions are three 'Trickstar' monsters! I set Candina, Lilybell, and Mandrake in the Link Markers!" Her monsters entered the portal, turning the bottom-left, top, and right arrows red.

"Circuit combine! Link Summon! Appear! Link 3! Trickstar Lavender Widow!"

This monster was taller than Holly Angel and Bloody Mary. She had solid green eyes and long purple hair that extended past her legs tied back in a braid and a flower-shaped gold crown on her head. On her cheek was a green heart, and on her back were six white wings with gold edges. Her dress was purple on the outside part and white on the inside, while her skirt resembled lavender plants flaring outwards. In her hands, she spun two chakras around as she was summoned to the Extra Monster zone.

Trickstar Lavender Widow ATK 2400 LINK-3 ↙↑→

"A Link 3?" Morningstar said, narrowing his eyes.

"There's no record of her using a Link 3 monster…" Cam mused. "This won't be good."

"Idealistic Idol's monster effect!" Morningstar declared. "Since a monster was Link Summoned, you take 200 points of damage! Ideal Light!" His monster's wings glowed again and hit Blue Angel with white light, but she grit her teeth and rode it out.

Blue Angel: 300→100 LP

"Lavender Widow's monster effect" she declared. "If she is Link Summoned, and I control no other cards, I can inflict 300 points of damage to you for each 'Trickstar' monster in my Graveyard! However, you take no effect damage for the rest of the turn."

"300?" Morningstar said, surprised. He'd been expecting intervals of 200, not 300.

"I have seven 'Trickstar' monsters in my Graveyard!" she said. "That means you take 2100 points of damage! Go, Lavender Widow!"

Widow's chakras glowed with light as she threw them at Morningstar. He yelled out as they cut him, but he managed to stay on his board.

Morningstar: 2200→100 LP

"Their Life Points are equal now," Cam said softly. "Yasu…" Next to him, Sachi didn't react.

"When Trickstar Mandrake is used to Link Summon a 'Trickstar' Link Monster," Blue Angel's AI said, "one monster linked to an opponent's monster is destroyed." Morningstar's eyes widened in surprise at hearing that.

"I target your Datastorm Dragon that Idealistic Idol points to!" Blue Angel declared, pointing to his dragon. "Say bye-bye!" Mandrake reappeared and blasted purple energy from its tambourine.

"Continuous Trap activate!" Morningstar declared. "Cyspirit Zone!" The card showed Pied Pikeman with a square of light rising around it. "If I control a 'Cyspirit' Link Monster, 'Cyspirit' monsters I control cannot be destroyed by card effects!" The blast hit Datastorm Dragon, but a barrier appeared and repelled it.

Blue Angel looked at the text of Cyspirit Zone and smirked. "Not one of your better cards, Morningstar!" she teased. "I activate the Quick-Play Spell: Trickstar Temptation! Since I control a 'Trickstar' monster, I can return one monster on the field whose current attack points are different from its original attack points to the hand!"

Morningstar's eyes widened again. There was only one monster whose attack points were different, and that was…

"I return Datastorm Dragon to your Extra Deck!" He watched as his powerful dragon disappeared.

"If a 'Cyspirit' Link Monster leaves my field," he said, "Cyspirit Zone's effect destroys itself." The card on his field shattered as he said that.

Blue Angel winked at him. "Time for the finale! I activate Trickstar Lavender Widow's monster effect! Once per Duel, if there are no monsters next to her Link Markers, I can banish up to three 'Trickstar' monsters from my Graveyard, then destroy an equal number of monsters on the field!"

"Uh oh," Cam said. Morningstar didn't react to either of them.

"I banish Trickstar Bloody Mary and Trickstar Lycoris from my Graveyard!" Blue Angel said, "and destroy your Idealistic Idol and Rapid Revolutionary! Shining Vines!" Purple vines appeared on the field and wrapped around Morningstar's monsters, destroying them. He winced as that happened.

"Yes!" Blue Angel cheered. "This ends now! Trickstar Lavender Widow, attack Morningstar directly! Shining Grace!" Lavender Widow brought her two chakras together as they glowed purple. She blasted purple light at Morningstar.

Blue Angel, he thought. You're almost there. I can see your strength, your determination to keep fighting. But… it is not enough.

"Counter Trap activate!" he declared, surprising Blue Angel. "Cyspirit Barricade!" The card showed a black and silver dragon standing in front of a much smaller figure, blocking a blast of energy. "If you attack me directly with a monster whose attack points are greater than or equal to my Life Points, the attack is negated!" A barrier appeared around him, blocking Lavender Widow's attack.

"What?" Blue Angel said, surprised at his Trap Card.

"And then," Morningstar continued, "I can Special Summon one 'Cyspirit' Link Monster from my Graveyard whose attack points are equal to or less than the damage I would have taken. I bring back Cyspirit Idealistic Idol!" The skeleton in dress and tights reappeared on his field.

Cyspirit Idealistic Idol ATK 1500 LINK-2 ←↑

"And now, the third part of Barricade's effect!" he declared. "You take damage equal to the difference between my Life Points and Idealistic Idol's attack points!"

Blue Angel's eyes widened. Idealistic Idol had 1500 attack points, and he had 100 Life Points. That meant…

"It ends now," he said. His Trap Card released a blast of light at Blue Angel. Morningstar expected it to hit her, but Lavender Widow got in the way.

"Lavender Widow's monster effect!" Blue Angel declared. "Once per turn, I can negate one instance of effect damage by banishing a 'Trickstar' card from my Graveyard! I banish Lilybell from my Graveyard!" The blast dissipated against Lavender Widow as Morningstar narrowed his eyes.

"Damn," Cam whispered. "This back and forth… I've never seen anyone give Yasu a run for his money like this. Even Specter couldn't do this much."

"As I said before, this is the finale!" Blue Angel said. "I activate the effect of Trickstar Refuge in the Graveyard! By banishing it, a 'Trickstar' monster I control that made an attack this turn can declare a second attack!" Morningstar's eyes widened again. "That means Lavender Widow can attack again! Go, Lavender Widow! Attack Idealistic Idol with Shining Grace!" Lavender Widow charged her chakras again and blasted purple light at Idealistic Idol.

For a brief moment, Morningstar considered letting the attack hit. He considered letting Blue Angel win. But winning was never the point of this duel. It was to make her adapt, and for her to find a new reason to duel. He could tell that she was on that path, and further along it than she had been before… but she wasn't there yet.

"I activate the effect of Cyspirit Barricade in my Graveyard!" he declared. "By banishing it, one 'Cyspirit' monster I control gains 1000 attack points!"

"What?" Blue Angel said, widening her eyes as Idealistic Idol glowed red.

Cyspirit Idealistic Idol ATK 1500→2500

"Go, Idealistic Idol!" Morningstar shouted. "Destroy Lavender Widow with Shining Force!" Idealistic Idol gathered white light in her hands and blasted it at Lavender Widow's purple light. The two beams struggled for a moment, but then the white one overpowered the purple one. It broke through and hit Lavender Widow, who screamed as she was destroyed. Blue Angel screamed alongside her as she fell off her D-Board again.

Blue Angel: 100→0 LP

Before Blue Angel hit the pavement, she felt something grab her. She looked up and saw a red cable around her wrist. At the other end was Morningstar, riding his D-Board.

"Morningstar?"

"There's only room for one fallen angel in LINK VRAINS," he told her before he whipped his Data Anchor and flung her onto the roof of a nearby skyscraper.

Cam sighed at Morningstar's line. "'There's only room for one fallen angel in LINK VRAINS?' Really, Yasu?"

"Shut up."

Morningstar landed next to Blue Angel as she rubbed her wrist.

"You used your Data Anchor to keep me from falling," she said. "Does that mean we have to duel again?"

He shook his head. "The Anchor's log-out prevention function stops working for ten minutes after a duel ends," he explained to her. "So, no, we don't have to duel again."

They stood in silence for a while, then Blue Angel said, "I'm sorry for saying I hate you. You didn't deserve that. I know you were just trying to help me."

"I did deserve it," he said. "What Hanoi did to you… I sensed their presence when you challenged me, but it disappeared quickly. I assumed it had left, so I left, but it only hid itself. Because of my negligence, you were infected with Hanoi's virus."

"…I don't blame you for it. Hanoi is tenacious. Even if they failed to infect me, they would have gone after someone eventually." She looked up at him. "Why did you do this? You said this duel was to help me find a new reason to duel, but I would have found one eventually. Why?"

Morningstar shrugged. "Who knows? Maybe I simply used that as an excuse to duel you. Maybe I have a greater plan that you cannot see right now. Or maybe… maybe I think a duelist like you shouldn't quit, that you should keep dueling. Opponents of your caliber are rare, after all."

She smiled at that. Before she could say anything, he asked, "Tell me something: what's your best memory?"

She was surprised at his subject change, but she thought about it. After a while, she crossed her arms and answered, "Me. And my brother. Sitting at a table outside a restaurant, back when I was a child. We had our favorite food in front of us. It wasn't a special occasion, it was just us. Having dinner together. As a family." She looked up at Morningstar. "Why? What's your favorite memory?"

"… I don't have one," he answered to her shock. "I haven't made any good memories in ten years. All it's been is…" he thought about the therapy, the nightmares, the hunts. No, she didn't need to know that. "… it hasn't been good. But, there is a memory that makes me smile. Not mine, though. A home video. A brother and sister, from when he was fourteen and she was six. It's just the two of them, playing and laughing on a playground."

Cam smiled as tears welled in his eyes. He remembered that video. It was for Sachi's sixth birthday. That was when she told him she wanted to be an idol when she grew up.

He remembered kneeling down to her eye level and messing up her hair. One day, he'd said, you'll be the most famous singer in Japan. And everyone will know what I already know: that my little sister is an angel.

He was so focused on the video that he didn't notice Sachi turn her head and glance at the screen as Morningstar spoke before turning away.

"Hold onto that memory," he was saying. "Let that happiness push you. Let it remind you what you fight for."

Blue Angel was silent as he looked at his Duel Disk, then back at her. "You should probably leave. No telling when your brother will get back. And those two will be free soon."

"Eh?" she said, not knowing what he was talking about. "What two?"

"The frog and pigeon," he answered. "They tried to follow us, so I trapped them in my security net. It should be dissolving right about now, and I don't want to answer their questions."

"You trapped reporters?"

"I assumed you wanted privacy," he said innocently. "Did you not?"

Blue Angel opened her mouth, then closed it. Right now, she wasn't sure what she wanted. Except to see her brother and give him a hug.

"Goodbye, Morningstar," she said, turning around and walking away as she logged out.

"Goodbye," he said after she left.

"That was nice of you, Yasu," Cam said over the com, his voice thick. "Uncharacteristically so. You sure you don't have a crush on her?"

"I'm trying to strengthen her resolve for when Hanoi attacks again," Morningstar answered evenly. "Being kind to her will be more effective than being rude to her. And have you been crying? Your voice sounds thick."

"N-No, I haven't been crying," Cam said, coughing into his fist as he walked out of Sachi's room. "I just have a bad cough right now."

"Uh huh."

As Cam left, he looked back at Sachi, still in the same position she was in earlier. He turned the lights off and walked out, closing the door.

As she sat alone in the dark, a small voice spoke out, only saying two words. "Cam… Yasu…"

"You should probably log out now," Cam said as he walked downstairs, heading to the monitor room. "If those reporters find you, they're going to have more than a few words for you."

Morningstar rolled his eyes. He wasn't afraid of Frog and Pigeon, but he had no desire to talk to them. "Under-."

Before he finished speaking, he felt something, turning his gaze to the left.

"What is it?"

"I'm not sure," Morningstar said. "But I need to check it out." He raced across the rooftops, and eventually saw what he sensed. Ghost Girl and Playmaker were standing across from each other on an isolated rooftop. Seeing there were no other buildings nearby to watch without getting spotted, he released his drone and set it to record. As it traveled to them, he started hearing what they said.

"You've accepted my challenge?" Ghost Girl was saying.

"Yeah. But you're not lying about the exchange, right?"

"Of course not. I have the data ready." Morningstar watched as she lifted a finger and revealed a gold card. "It's the backdoor to SOL Technologies' data bank."

What? A backdoor into SOL's data bank? Morningstar narrowed his eyes. He knew Ghost Girl wasn't lying. Despite his personal problems with her, he couldn't deny she was a highly capable hacker. One of the best he knew, in fact. He'd never say that to her face, of course.

While he was surprised by the first part of her statement, he was floored by what she said next. "It should have data about the incident ten years ago."

What!? There was information in the SOL data bank about what happened ten years ago? Morningstar suddenly understood why Playmaker was here.

"Why do you want to duel me?" Playmaker asked Ghost Girl. "Why don't you go there yourself?"

"If I acquire your AI, I can sell it to SOL Technologies at a high price," she answered. "And one-up Morningstar. That's always fun." Morningstar growled softly on hearing that.

"To be honest, I became interested in you after seeing your recent duel. Only as a cyber treasure hunter, of course. I want to know more about you."

Morningstar rolled his eyes. She, of all people, would describe herself as a "cyber treasure hunter." It sounded a lot better than "mercenary."

"Cyber treasure hunter?" Playmaker smirked and closed his eyes. To Morningstar's surprise, a small figure rose out of Playmaker's Duel Disk.

"She's definitely trying to trick us! Why don't humans learn from experience?"

Morningstar zoomed in on the figure. It was a small humanoid, black in color with purple lines crisscrossing its body, and had solid yellow eyes. He figured it was the AI he'd been hired to retrieve, but how it gained a body, he had no idea.

"Because," Playmaker answered it, "humans can feel things instead of learning them."

"You're really going to do this…"

Morningstar watched from the drone as Ghost Girl and Playmaker jumped onto the data stream and began a Speed Duel. Cam, sitting in the monitor room, scowled.

"She better not beat Playmaker, Yasu," he said over the earpiece. "That contrast's yours, not hers."

"I have no intention of losing another contract to her, Cam," Morningstar answered. "Knowing Playmaker, he'll win. It's just a question of how many turns."

Morningstar watched the duel silently, scowling when Ghost Girl summoned her Altergeist Primebanshee. He remembered that when the two of them first dueled, her Primebanshee caused him a great deal of trouble. He'd won in the end, but it had been close. Not as close as his duel with Blue Angel just now, but close.

He kept watching as Ghost Girl brought out Altergeist Meluseek and sent Playmaker's Cyberse Wizard to the Graveyard. After her direct attack with Marionetter, Playmaker blocked her Primebanshee's direct attack by summoning Lockout Gardna. She could have attacked Lockout Gardna and reduced Playmaker's Life Points to 800, but she didn't. Instead, she ended her turn.

Smart, Morningstar thought begrudgingly. She knows Playmaker needs less than 1000 Life Points to use his Skill, so she's trying to keep him above that amount until she can defeat him.

His thoughts were interrupted by a noise coming over the drone's speakers. What the…? He moved the camera slightly and saw Pigeon carrying Frog, following the duel. Morningstar rolled his eyes. He knew they were looking for a scoop, and he knew what would happen to their footage. Ghost Girl had done the same thing to him a couple times before he updated his security.

He refocused on the duel and watched as Playmaker attempted to remove Primebanshee and Ghost Girl countered him with her Trap Cards and monsters. No mistake, she was one of the best. If only she worked on her attitude. And her tendencies towards partners.

Morningstar raised an eyebrow on seeing Playmaker Link Summon Underclock Taker, a monster he'd never used before. Interesting. As was him using Balancer Lord's effect to reduce his Life Points to 900, then Ghost Girl using her Skill to increase his Life Points to 1400, and then him using Scan Doll's effect to reduce his Life Points to 400. Playmaker had no intention of letting her stop him from using his Skill.

He raised an eyebrow on seeing him use Scan Doll's effect to target Altergeist Silquitous with Altergeist Camouflage's effect. Why would he…? Of course! While Camouflage did prevent the monster from targeted for attacks, it didn't stop the opponent from attacking Ghost Girl directly. And with Camouflage active on both Silquitous and Primebanshee, Playmaker could attack directly. Of course, there was still one thing to do.

Morningstar watched as a data storm tornado appeared and Ghost Girl and Playmaker fell into it. He was so focused, he didn't notice something else.

"Go! Get a close-up!"

"If we get any closer, the wind will drag us in!"

"I don't care! Go!"

"Aye-aye sir!" Pigeon flapped his wings faster, but they barely moved.

"Hurry! You're too slow!"

"I'm trying my best!"

Frog growled. "Where did they go!? I can't see them anymore!" Then he noticed something. A drone was nearby, recording the duel. "What? A drone! It must be from a rival network! Pigeon!"

"Yes, Yamamato!?"

"Don't use my real name!" Frog yelled. "Do you see that drone?"

"Yes!"

"We can't let someone else get this scoop! Take me over there!"

Morningstar watched the tornado, his concern for Ghost Girl and Playmaker increasing. He figured Playmaker would make it out alright, but Ghost Girl…? If she died in the storm, who would he have to complain about?

"There! Throw me!"

Suddenly, Morningstar's drone dropped several feet. What the-? As he refocused the camera, he saw a giant mouth and a green face stare back at him.

"Get lost, rival network!" Frog yelled at him over the speaker. "This is my scoop! We need it for the Playmaker TV special!"

Morningstar scowled in response. "Cam, can you do something about him?"

"Of course," Cam said, smirking evilly. He glared at Frog over the monitor. "Get off my drone," he growled in his best Clint Eastwood impression. Morningstar rolled his eyes at Cam's silliness.

Cam spun the drone at increasing speeds, causing Frog to yell out and his legs to spin out behind him. Suddenly, Cam stopped the drone, making Frog let go and fly off. Thankfully, Pigeon managed to catch him.

"Oh, that was mean, Yamamato," Pigeon yelled over the wind, watching as the drone flew out of their reach.

Morningstar refocused the camera on the duel and watched as Ghost Girl and Playmaker burst out of the storm. Good. Now his irritation over her existence wouldn't go anywhere. He needed that to keep him focused sometimes.

His eyes widened on seeing Playmaker Link Summon Excode Talker, a giant green humanoid monster with shields on its arms. He had to admit, its effect of sealing Ghost Girl's Main Monster Zones was impressive. And his finishing move was even more so, tributing Scan Doll so Excode Talker could attack twice.

"Excode Close!"

Morningstar leaped over the buildings and finally found Ghost Girl and Playmaker leaning on the railing of a skyscraper, overlooking the city. He landed near the roof entrance and stood around the corner, watching them.

"Sheesh," Ai said. "If it wasn't for me, who knows what would've happened. That was stressful."

"The moon is pretty tonight," Ghost Girl said.

"Really? It looks like data to me."

"A dumb AI can't understand this feeling."

"You promised," Playmaker interjected, ending Ghost Girl's and Ai's bantering. "Give us what you promised."

"Of course." Ghost Girl summoned a small yellow light and gave it to Playmaker. The light turned into a card before bursting. "You now have the backdoor to SOL Technologies' data bank." She turned towards Morningstar's position, causing him to retreat behind the wall. "Until next time." Morningstar watched as Ghost Girl logged out.

Playmaker stayed, though, and turned back to the moon.

"Hey, what's in SOL Technologies' data bank?" Ai asked him.

"I don't know," Playmaker answered. "However, there may be something about myself from ten years ago."

"What? It has that? Is that important data?"

"Yes, it is."

Playmaker turned around at the voice and saw a red cord shoot out at him. Instinctively, he raised his right arm, and the cord wrapped around his wrist. He raised his head and saw the source. It was Morningstar, the red cable extending out of his Duel Disk.

"It's time for us to duel," Morningstar said. "Yusaku Fujiki."

Blue Angel vs. Morningstar

This duel is conducted as a Speed Duel.

Turn 1: Blue Angel

Blue Angel activates the Field Spell Card Trickstar Light Stage. Upon activation, she can add a "Trickstar" monster from her Deck to her hand. Blue Angel adds Trickstar Lilybell. As Lilybell was added to Blue Angel's hand using a method other than drawing, Blue Angel activates its effect, Special Summoning it (800/2000/2). She Normal Summons Trickstar Candina (1800/400/4). As Candina was Normal Summoned, Blue Angel can add a "Trickstar" card from her Deck to her hand. Blue Angel adds Trickstar Vision to her hand.

Blue Angel uses Candina and Lilybell to Link Summon Trickstar Holly Angel (2000/2/↙↘) to the Extra Monster Zone. Blue Angel activates the Spell Card Trickstar Vision to Special Summon a "Trickstar" monster from her hand with its effects negated and ATK halved, then letting both players draw a card. Blue Angel Special Summons Trickstar Narkissus (1000→500/1800/4) and draws. Blue Angel Sets her drawn card. Blue Angel activates the effect of Trickstar Lycoris in her hand, revealing it to return a "Trickstar" monster on her field to her hand and Special Summon Lycoris. Blue Angel returns Narkissus to her hand and Special Summons Lycoris to the bottom-left Link Marker of Holly Angel (1600/1200/3) in Attack Position. As a "Trickstar" monster was Special Summoned to a zone Holy Angel points to, its effect activates, inflicting 200 damage to Morningstar (Morningstar: 4000→3800 LP). As a "Trickstar" monster inflicted effect damage to Morningstar, the effect of Light Stage activates, inflicting 200 more damage (Morningstar: 3800→3600 LP). As Morningstar took effect damage, Blue Angel activates the effect of Narkissus in her hand to Special Summon it (1000/1800/4) in Defense Position. She ends her turn.

Turn 2: Morningstar

Morningstar draws. As a card(s) was added to Morningstar's hand, the effect of Lycoris activates, inflicting 200 damage for each card added, with Light Stage inflicting 200 more (Morningstar: 3600→3400→3200 LP). As Morningstar took damage from the effect of a "Trickstar" monster, the effect of Holly Angel activates, increasing its ATK equal to the damage taken until the End Phase (Holly Angel: 2000→2200). Morningstar activates the effect of Cyspirit Swordsman in his hand, Special Summoning it since he controls no monsters and Blue Angel does (1200/900/3). As a monster in Morningstar's hand activated its effect, the effect of Narkissus activates, inflicting 200 damage after the effect resolves, with Light Stage inflicting 200 more (Morningstar: 3200→3000→2800 LP), and Holly Angel's effect activating (Holly Angel: 2200→2400). Since Swordsman was Special Summoned by its own effect, Morningstar adds Cyspirit Saver to his hand. As a card(s) was added to his hand, the effects of Lycoris activates (Morningstar: 2800→2600 LP). The effect of Light Stage would activate, but Morningstar activates the effect of Cyspirit Saver in his hand, Special Summoning it (0/1300/2) since he took effect damage. For the rest of the turn, he takes no effect damage. Holy Angel's effect activates as Lycoris inflicted damage (Holly Angel: 2400→2600).

Morningstar uses Cyspirit Saver to Link Summon Cyspirit Egregious Electrician (600/1/↙) to the Extra Monster Zone. He activates Egregious Electrician's effect, moving Swordsman from the zone it points at to another Main Monster Zone to Special Summon Cyspirit Wanderer (1900/200/5) from his hand to its linked zone. Since Wanderer was Special Summoned by the effect of a "Cyspirit" card, the ATK of 1 of Blue Angel's monsters is lowered by 800. Morningstar targets Holly Angel (Holly Angel: 2600→1800). Morningstar uses Swordsman, Wanderer, and Egregious Electrician to Link Summon Cyspirit Pied Pikeman (2400/3/↙↑→) to the Extra Monster Zone. Since he controls a "Cyspirit" monster, he Special Summons Cyspirit Linker (1700/800/4) from his hand to Pied Pikeman's bottom-left Link Marker in Attack Position. Morningstar activates the Quick-Play Spell Card Cyspirit Forced Call, Special Summoning Trickstar Lilybell from Blue Angel's GY to Pied Pikeman's top Link Marker in Defense Position with its effects negated (800/2000/2). Morningstar activates the effect of Pied Pikeman. Since it points to 1 monster, it changes Lilybell to Attack Position to destroy Blue Angel's face-down card (Trickstar Cascade).

Morningstar Sets 2 cards. He attacks Holly Angel with Pied Pikeman, destroying it (Blue Angel: 4000→3400 LP). Since Pied Pikeman points to 2 monsters and it destroyed a monster in battle, Morningstar gains LP equal to half of Holly Angel's ATK (Morningstar: 2600→3500 LP). Linker attacks Lilybell, destroying it (Blue Angel: 3400→2500 LP). Morningstar ends his turn.

Turn 3: Blue Angel

Blue Angel draws. Morningstar activates his face-down Trap Card Cyspirit License. Since he controls a face-up "Cyspirit" monster, he takes no effect damage for the rest of the turn. In addition, during the End Phase of the turn he activated this card, if he controls a face-up "Cyspirit" monster, he can shuffle 1 "Cyspirit" monster in his GY back into his Deck to Set it on his field. Blue Angel activates the effect of Trickstar Light Stage, targeting Morningstar's face-down card. Now, that card cannot be activated until the End Phase, and Morningstar must activate it during the End Phase or else send it to the GY. Blue Angel activates the Spell Card Trickstar Shuffle. She shuffles Holly Angel and Lilybell in her GY back into her Deck, then draws 2 cards. Since Holly Angel is a Link Monster, she draws a third card.

Blue Angel uses Trickstar Lycoris and Narkissus to Link Summon Trickstar Bloody Mary (2000/2/↙→) to the Extra Monster Zone. Blue Angel activates the effect of Bloody Mary, discarding Trickstar Scatter so both players draw 1 card. Blue Angel Normal Summons a second Trickstar Candina (1800/400/4). Since Candina was Normal Summoned, Blue Angel adds Trickstar Lilybell from her Deck to her hand. Since Lilybell was added to her hand by a means other than drawing, she Special Summons Lilybell (800/2000/2). Blue Angel Sets 1 card. The effect of Lilybell allows it to attack directly (Morningstar: 3500→2700 LP). Since Lilybell inflicted battle damage, Blue Angel adds Trickstar Lycoris from her GY to her hand. Since a "Trickstar" monster inflicted battle damage, Blue Angel activates the Quick-Play Spell Trickstar Refuge, which would reduce Pied Pikeman's ATK by the damage Morningstar took until the End Phase. Morningstar activates the effect of Cyspirit Forced Call in his GY, banishing it since his opponent activated a Spell/Trap Card that targeted a "Cyspirit" monster to negate that effect and shuffle the card back into her Deck. Blue Angel activates the effect of Trickstar Shuffle in her GY, banishing it since her opponent activated a Spell/Trap effect from the GY to negate the activation of that effect, inflict 500 damage to Morningstar, then let both players draw 1 card. The effect of Cyspirit License negates the damage, but the effect of Cyspirit Forced Call is negated, and the effect of Trickstar Refuge continues (Pied Pikeman: 2400→1600), and both players draw 1 card. Bloody Mary attacks Pied Pikeman, destroying it (Morningstar: 2700→2300 LP). Candina attacks Linker, destroying it (Morningstar: 2300→2200 LP). Morningstar activates his Skill, Cyberse Revolution. Since a Cyberse monster was destroyed, he Special Summons Cyspirit Teleporter from his Deck (500/1500/3) in Defense Position. Blue Angel activates the effect of Lycoris in her hand, returning Lilybell to her hand to Special Summon Lycoris to Bloody Mary's bottom-left Link Marker (1600/1200/3). Since a "Trickstar" monster was Summoned to a zone Bloody Mary points to, Blue Angel gains 200 LP (Blue Angel: 2500→2700). Lycoris attacks and destroys Teleporter.

During the End Phase, the effect of Light Stage activates, and Morningstar must activate his face-down card or send it to the GY. Morningstar activates the Trap Card Cyspirit Backup, targeting Pied Pikeman in the GY. He returns it to his Extra Deck, then Special Summons 1 "Cyspirit" Link Monster from his Extra Deck whose Link Rating is lower than Pied Pikeman's. He Special Summons Cyspirit Cacophonic Caller (500/1/↓) to the Extra Monster Zone. Since Pied Pikeman was Link-3, Morningstar draws 2 cards. Morningstar activates the effect of Cyspirit License in his GY, shuffling Cyspirit Egregious Electrician back into his Extra Deck to Set Cyspirit License on his field. Blue Angel ends her turn.

Turn 4: Morningstar

Before he draws, Morningstar activates his face-down Trap Card Cyspirit License. Since he controls Cacophonic Caller, he takes no effect damage for the rest of the turn. He draws. Morningstar activates the effect of Cacophonic Caller, Special Summoning Cyspirit Kid (300/200/1) from his Deck to its Link Marker, but Navigator cannot attack and is destroyed during the End Phase. Morningstar uses Cacophonic Caller and Kid to Link Summon Cyspirit Mad Mongrel (2000/2/↑↓) to the Extra Monster Zone. Since Cyspirit Kid was used to Link Summon a "Cyspirit" Link Monster, Morningstar can target 1 face-up card on his opponent's field and destroy that card. He destroys Trickstar Light Stage. He activates the Spell Card Cyspirit Replay. Since he controls a "Cyspirit" Link Monster, he can shuffle 1 banished "Cyspirit" Spell/Trap Card back into his Deck and activate its effect. Morningstar shuffles the banished Cyspirit Forced Call and Special Summons Trickstar Narkissus (1000/1800/4) in Defense Position to Mad Mongrel's top Link Marker. Morningstar Normal Summons Cyspirit Dancer (1000/200/2) to Mad Mongrel's bottom Link Marker. Since it was Normal Summoned, Morningstar Special Summons Cyspirit Changer (200/100/1) from his Deck. Morningstar activates the effect of Mad Mongrel. Since it points to 2 monsters, and 1 is a "Cyspirit" monster, it can target 2 monsters, one on the opponent's field it points to and one "Cyspirit" monster in Morningstar's GY, treat the monster on the field as having the same name and Type in the GY, then use it and Mad Mongrel to Link Summon a "Cyspirit" Link Monster. Morningstar targets Cyspirit Teleporter in his GY and Trickstar Narkissus on Blue Angel's field. Morningstar uses the Link 2 Mad Mongrel and Trickstar Narkissus treated as "Cyspirit Teleporter" to Link Summon Cyspirit Rapid Revolutionary (2200/3/↙↑↓) to the Extra Monster Zone. Morningstar uses Cyspirit Dancer and the Link 3 Rapid Revolutionary to Link Summon Cyspirit Datastorm Dragon (2800/4/↙↑↓↘) to the Extra Monster Zone. Since Dancer was used to Link Summon a "Cyspirit" Link Monster, Datastorm Dragon gains 600 ATK (Datastorm Dragon: 2800→3400).

Morningstar activates the effect of Cyspirit Teleporter in his GY, banishing it and Special Summoning Cyspirit Swordsman (1200/900/3) from his GY to Datastorm Dragon's bottom Link Marker. Morningstar uses Cyspirit Changer and Cyspirit Swordsman to Link Summon Cyspirit Idealistic Idol (1500/2/←↑) to Datastorm Dragon's bottom Link Marker. Morningstar activates the effect of Cyspirit Wanderer in his GY, shuffling it back into his Deck to Special Summon Rapid Revolutionary (2200/3/↙↑↓) to Datastorm Dragon's bottom-left Link Marker, but it cannot declare an attack. Morningstar activates the effect of Idealistic Idol, targeting Datastorm Dragon for its effect. Now, Datastorm Dragon can make up to 3 attacks on monsters during the Battle Phase, but his other monsters cannot declare an attack. Morningstar Sets 2 cards.

Datastorm Dragon attacks Trickstar Lycoris, but Blue Angel activates her face-down Trap Card Trickstar Biennial. This turn, she takes no battle damage from attacks involving "Trickstar" monsters she controls. Datastorm Dragon destroys Lycoris. Since Datastorm Dragon destroyed a monster by battle, the effect of Idealistic Idol inflicts 300 damage to Blue Angel (Blue Angel: 2700→2400 LP). Datastorm Dragon attacks and destroys Trickstar Candina, with the effect of Trickstar Biennial negating battle damage, but the effect of Cyspirit Idealistic Idol inflicts 300 damage (Blue Angel: 2400→2100 LP). Datastorm Dragon attacks Trickstar Bloody Mary, destroying her (Blue Angel: 2100→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 Blue Angel for each monster it destroyed (Blue Angel: 1800→300 LP). At the end of the Battle Phase, the second effect of Trickstar Biennial activates, and Blue Angel draws 1 card. Blue Angel activates her Skill, Trickstar Fraud, discarding Trickstar Mandrake to make Morningstar draw until he has 3 cards in his hand. Since Mandrake was sent from the hand to the GY, Blue Angel Special Summons Mandrake (0/1000/2) in Defense Position. During the End Phase, Morningstar activates the effect of Cyspirit License in his GY, shuffling Mad Mongrel in his GY back into his Extra Deck to Set Cyspirit License on his field. In addition, Morningstar banishes the 3 cards in his hand by the effect of Trickstar Fraud. Morningstar ends his turn.

Turn 5: Blue Angel

Blue Angel draws. Morningstar activates his face-down Cyspirit License, but Blue Angel activates the effect of Trickstar Biennial in her GY, banishing it to negate the activation of Cyspirit License and destroy it. Blue Angel activates the Spell Card Monster Reborn, Special Summoning Trickstar Candina from her GY (1800/400/4). Blue Angel Normal Summons Trickstar Lilybell (800/2000/2). She uses Candina, Lilybell, and Mandrake to Link Summon Trickstar Lavender Widow (2400/3/↙↑→) to the Extra Monster Zone. Since a Link Monster was Link Summoned, Idealistic Idol deals 200 damage to Blue Angel (Blue Angel: 300→100 LP). Since Lavender Widow was Link Summoned, and Blue Angel controls no other cards, its effect activates, inflicting 300 damage for each "Trickstar" monster in her Graveyard, meaning 2100 (Morningstar: 2200100 LP). Since Mandrake was used to Link Summon a "Trickstar" monster, Blue Angel can destroy 1 monster an opponent's Link Monster points to. She targets the Datastorm Dragon that Idealistic Idol points to, but Morningstar activates his face-down Continuous Trap Card Cyspirit Zone. So long as he controls a "Cyspirit" Link Monster, "Cyspirit" monsters he controls cannot be destroyed by card effects. Blue Angel activates the Quick-Play Spell Trickstar Temptation. Since she controls a "Trickstar" monster, she can return 1 monster on the field whose current ATK is different from its original ATK to the hand. She targets Datastorm Dragon and returns it to Morningstar's Extra Deck. Since a "Cyspirit" Link Monster left the field, Cyspirit Zone is destroyed.

Blue Angel activates the effect of Trickstar Lavender Widow, banishing Bloody Mary and Lycoris from her GY to destroy Idealistic Idol and Rapid Revolutionary. Blue Angel attacks Morningstar directly with Lavender Widow, but Morningstar attacks his face-down Counter Trap Cyspirit Barricade. Since he is being attacked directly by a monster whose ATK is greater than his LP, he can negate the attack, then Special Summon a "Cyspirit" Link Monster from his GY whose ATK is equal to or less than the damage he would have taken. He Special Summons Idealistic Idol (1500/2/←↑). The effect of Cyspirit Barricade now deals damage to Blue Angel equal to the difference between Idealistic Idol's ATK and Morningstar's LP, but Blue Angel activates the effect of Lavender Widow, banishing Lilybell from her GY to make 1 instance of effect damage 0. Blue Angel activates the effect of Trickstar Refuge in her GY, banishing it to allow a "Trickstar" monster that attacked this turn to make a second attack. Lavender Widow attacks Cyspirit Idealistic Idol, but Morningstar activates the effect of Cyspirit Barricade in his GY, banishing it to increase the ATK of 1 "Cyspirit" monster he controls by 1000 (Idealistic Idol: 1500→2500). The attack continues and Lavender Widow is destroyed (Blue Angel: 100→0 LP). Morningstar wins.

Cyspirit Idealistic Idol
Attribute: LIGHT Type: [Cyberse/Link/Effect] ATK 1500 LINK-2 ←↑
2 Level 4 or lower "Cyspirit" monsters
This Link Summoned card gains these effects depending on the number of monsters it points to.
-1 or more: Each time a monster is Link Summoned, inflict 200 damage to your opponent.
-2: Once per turn: you can target 1 "Cyspirit" Link Monster you control, except this card; this turn, it can make up to 3 attacks on monsters during each Battle Phase, also your other monsters cannot attack (even if this monster leaves the field). If the targeted monster destroys an opponent's monster by battle, inflict 300 damage to your opponent.

Trickstar Lavender Widow
Attribute: LIGHT Type: [Fairy/Link/Effect] ATK 2400 LINK-3 ↙↑→
3 "Trickstar" monsters
If you control no other cards when this monster is Link Summoned: inflict damage to your opponent equal to the number of "Trickstar" monsters in your GY x 300. The turn this effect is activated: your opponent takes no effect damage except from this card's effect. Once per Duel, if this card does not point to a monster: You can banish up to 3 "Trickstar" monsters from your GY; destroy monsters on the field equal to the number of cards banished by this effect. Once per turn, if you would take effect damage: you can banish 1 "Trickstar" card in your GY; make that effect damage to you 0.

Cyspirit License Normal Trap Card
If you control a face-up "Cyspirit" monster: you take no effect damage for the rest of the turn. If this card is in your GY during the End Phase and you control a face-up "Cyspirit" monster: you can shuffle 1 "Cyspirit" monster in your GY back into your Deck; Set this card on your field. You can only activate this effect up to three times per Duel.

Trickstar Shuffle Quick-Play Spell Card
During your Main Phase: Target 2 "Trickstar" monsters in your GY: Shuffle them into your Deck and draw 2 cards. If 1 of the targeted monsters is a Link Monster, draw an extra card. If your opponent activates a card effect from the GY: you can banish this card in your GY; negate the activation of that effect and banish it, inflict 500 damage to your opponent, then both players draw 1 card.

Trickstar Refuge Quick-Play Spell Card
If your opponent takes battle damage by a "Trickstar" monster's attack: target 1 face-up monster your opponent controls; that monster loses ATK equal to the battle damage your opponent took. You can banish this card from your GY and target 1 "Trickstar" monster you control that already attacked this turn: that monster can declare a second attack. You cannot activate this effect the turn this card is sent to the GY.

Cyspirit Backup Normal Trap Card
Target 1 "Cyspirit" Link Monster in your GY: return that monster to the Extra Deck, then Special Summon 1 "Cyspirit" Link Monster from your Extra Deck whose Link Rating is lower than the returned monster. (This Special Summon is treated as a Link Summon.) If the returned monster is Link-3 or higher, draw 2 cards.

Cyspirit Replay Normal Spell Card
If you control a "Cyspirit" Link Monster: target 1 banished "Cyspirit" Spell/Trap Card, and shuffle that card back into your Deck; activate that card's effect as this card's.

Trickstar Biennial Normal Trap Card
The turn you activate this card, you take no battle damage from attacks involving "Trickstar" monsters you control. At the end of the Battle Phase, draw 1 card. If your opponent activates a Trap Card while you control a face-up "Trickstar" monster, you can banish this card from your GY: negate the activation of that card and destroy it. You can only use 1 "Trickstar Biennial" effect per turn, and only once that turn.

Cyspirit Zone Continuous Trap Card
If you control a "Cyspirit" Link Monster: "Cyspirit" monsters you control cannot be destroyed by card effects. If a "Cyspirit" Link Monster leaves your field: destroy this card.

Cyspirit Barricade Counter Trap Card
When your opponent's monster attacks you directly, if its ATK is greater than or equal to your LP: Negate the attack, and if you do, Special Summon 1 "Cyspirit" Link Monster (from your GY) whose ATK is less than or equal to the damage you would have taken. Immediately after this effect resolves, inflict damage to your opponent equal to the difference between the ATK of the monster Special Summoned by this card's effect and your current LP. You can banish this card from your GY (Quick Effect): Target 1 "Cyspirit" monster you control; it gains 1000 ATK.

Chapter Preview

Next time on Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS: Hidden Memories. Chapter 6 - Hero vs Hunter

Suggested names for Link-3 Trickstar Monster:

Ezilo: Trickstar Rose Blanc

HunterHQ: Crown-Daisy, Gloriosa Daisy, Sunshine Daisy, Floribunda Rose, Amaryllis Angel, Sweetheart Tulip, Zurel Tulip, Negrita Tulip, Black Parrot Tulip, Big Smile, Angelique, Burning Heart, Princess Irene

Swift4Sweeper: Trickstar Lavender Willow

sanedimentio: Trickstar Violet Wisteria

Fenghuang0296: Trickstar Thorn Princess

Guest: Trickstar Queen Sunflower

Guest: Trickstar Golden Siren

D3lph0xL0v3r: Trickstar Hydrangea, Trickstar Hyacinth, Trickstar Foxgloves, Trickstar Daffodil, Trickstar Morning Glory

secret: Trickstar Rosa Bella

SilverByte: Trickstar Gladiolusa Flower, Trickstar Heather Lavendera

Unknown entity328: Trickstar Rosa Bella

Final choice: Trickstar Lavender Widow

Response to Reviews & Author's Notes

Thank you to Ezilo, HunterHQ, Swift4Sweeper, sanedimentio, Fenghuang0296, Guest, Guest, D3lph0xL0v3r, secret, SilverByte, and Unknown entity328 for providing the names of Trickstar monsters, and thanks to Unknowedz for commenting. Since I'm deleting the poll, I left all the suggested names above. The final name was Trickstar Lavender Widow, a slight change to Swift4Sweeper's Trickstar Lavender Willow. Credit to Swift4Sweeper for the name of Trickstar Lavender Widow. Also, I wish to take this opportunity to reply to Fenghuang0296 that Trickstar Black Catbat or Sweet Devil is, according to the wikia, named after the tacca chantrieri, or the black bat flower. Also, if any of the names on that list get used in the actual show, I don't care what they say about who chose the name, one of you guys did!

As for Chapter 4, thank you to HunterHQ, ClearwingYuta, Swift4Sweeper, sanedimentio, D3lph0xL0v3r, and Fenghuang0296 for reviewing Chapter 4. Credit to Swift4Sweeper for the creation of Cyspirit Barricade, which Morningstar used in this chapter.

In response to HunterHQ's review, thank you for the suggestion of future OCs joining Yasutake. I honestly hadn't thought this fanfic too far past Episode 20, so future OCs will be needed, and I now have a few ideas, which I'll get into below. As for how I find the anime, I like it. The storytelling is concise, the character work is amazing - especially Ai who is hilarious - and the dueling is top-notch. I wish there were fewer recap episodes, but other than that, I like it a lot.

In response to sanedimentio, I'm glad you like the changes I made to Neo Nova. As for Ghost Girl's interactions with Morningstar, I don't see them as romantic in any sense. I see them as friends who will never admit they are friends. He dislikes her on the surface, but he does care about her. Cam, on the other hand, does heartily dislike her and doesn't trust her, not without reason. I'll explain why in future chapters.

Finally, in response to Fenghuang0296's review, if you wish to suggest fan-made cards, go right ahead. Either PM me or post them in a review. I already have archetypes in mind for future OCs, and I'll talk about them in a little bit, so if you have fan-made cards for them, like I said, go right ahead.

Okay, the primary focus of this chapter was the duel between Blue Angel and Morningstar. I have mixed feelings on the Trickstar archetype: they're good to use, but horrible to go against. That said, I like Aoi as a character, which was why this chapter's surface focus was on her and her reasons to duel, and why she gave Morningstar his toughest duel in this fanfic yet. Beneath that surface, though, this chapter was about fleshing out Cam Junpei and his sister Sachi as characters.

When I started this fanfic, I originally saw Cam as a replacement for Kusanagi and Sachi as one for his brother. Over time, though, I started to develop backgrounds for them. One of the focuses of this chapter was exploring those backgrounds and how their lives were affected by the Lost Incident. The next chapter will go even further and explain how they got to the Lost Incident.

Finally, there's Yasutake's new Link Monster: Cyspirit Idealistic Idol. When I first thought of this card, I saw it as a symbol of the bond between Blue Angel and Morningstar, and I thought up ones for Go and Playmaker, too. That original meaning is present in Idealistic Idol's effects, as they mirror the Trickstar's effect damage strategy, somewhat. While I was writing this chapter, though, I decided to change it so that it reflects his bond with Sachi, who wanted to become an idol, but had her dreams stolen from her. That's also why Cam's original dream was to be a wrestler, what Go's act as a duelist is. The reason for this is Yasutake's bonds with Cam and Sachi are far stronger than with the main trio, so I thought him having cards based on what they could have been if not for the Hanoi Project would show just how much he cares for them.

One more thing: I do have ideas for OCs, but I want input from the readers. I currently have two OCs in mind: a Charisma Duelist and a Knight of Hanoi. The Charisma Duelist will be a girl, between 15-18, and among the top 10 duelists in LINK VRAINS, and use the Magical Musket archetype, and the Knight of Hanoi will be male, an adult, and belong to the same group as Genome, Baira, and Faust and use the Subterror archetype. What I am asking for are opinions on their names and appearances, as I am not the best at these things.

And finally, truly finally, there's something I want to try. I was reading OPFan37's story Yu-Gi-Oh Cross-VRAINS, which I recommend for good character work, design, and humor, and something OPFan37 does at the end of each chapter is a Question of the Chapter, or QOTC. I love the concept behind this, so I thought I'd give it a try. If OPFan37 objects to this, I will not do it again, but until then, I want to try it.

So, my very first QOTC is: of the OC characters of Hidden Memories (Yasutake, Cam, Sachi, Watcher), who is your favorite?

Mine was originally Yasutake, but after writing this chapter, I think I like Cam more. Of course, I am completely biased in this.

Every time I write a long chapter, I think I'll never write a chapter longer than that, and then I do. Thank you for reading and reviewing the last 4 chapters and hopefully this one, too. It means a great deal to me that people take the time to read, enjoy, and provide feedback to my writing. Please continue to do so, and I'll see you when I update again.