Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS: Hidden Memories

by scififan599

10 years ago, 8 children were kidnapped. One of them was Yasutake Narahiko, who today works as Morningstar, a bounty hunter in LINK VRAINS hunting criminals and hackers for companies like SOL Technologies. One day, he fights the Knights of Hanoi and encounters Playmaker, who was involved in the same incident. Follow him as he must decide whether to be Playmaker's ally, or his enemy

6. Chapter 6: Hero vs Hunter

A little update: I've gone back to previous chapters and changed the effect of Cyspirit Changer so it works against non-'Cyspirit' monsters instead of non-Cyberse monsters. The reason why is in the chapter.

Another update: I forgot about Datastorm Dragon's effect halving battle damage, so I changed it so Cyspirit Deletion doubles it by being banished. That means Playmaker takes the same amount of damage.

---

Chapter 6: Hero vs Hunter

13 years ago…

Everyone knew the house on the corner of the street. It was the home of one of the most well-known families in Den City. They weren't wealthy, but they weren't poor, either. The husband was a doctor, a cardiologist at Den Hospital. His coworkers had nothing but praise for him, as did his patients. The wife was a well-known philanthropist, donating to the local orphanage and being a leader in the government's plan to feed and provide jobs for the homeless. It was almost impossible to find anyone who could say something bad about the family. Anyone who met them was touched by their empathy and compassion. It was difficult to think of a more well-liked family.

That was why it was such a shock to look at their house one day, and see it was on fire. The neighbors quickly called the fire brigade, who came as fast as they could. But by then it was too late. When they finally put the fire out, the firemen walked through the ruins of the house and were horrified by what they found. The husband and wife were laying in a corner, low to the ground, arms wrapped around each other. They had burned to death, their flesh scorched, and their bones exposed, black as coal. So passed one of the great families of Den City.

What they found next surprised them even more. In another corner of the house, underneath a wet blanket, were two children – an eleven-year-old boy and a three-year-old girl. Everyone recognized them as the children of the family; most of the women of the neighborhood had been to the girl's baby shower. By some miracle, they had survived what their parents had not.

While everyone felt for the children, their fortunes soon took a worse turn. Their parents' will had been burned along with their house, and as a result, the city distributed most of their inheritance. There was a further problem in terms of custody: they had no living relatives, meaning there was no one to take them in. Since the eldest was only eleven, they were sent to the Den City orphanage to live out their lives until the son turned sixteen.

Despite the trauma of their parents' death, the children were happy at the orphanage. The owner had been a close personal friend of their mother, and made sure they were treated well. The other children liked them too. While the brother was overprotective of his sister, he was easygoing, always making jokes and entertaining the younger kids. After he turned twelve, he started helping out in the kitchen, and even the owner couldn't make pastries like he could. But everyone loved his sister. She was always smiling, always seeing the good in people, and while young, the owner could tell that when she grew up, she would be beautiful. At the same time, she showed an intelligence rare in kids her age. When she started learning Duel Monsters at age five, she defeated every kid in the orphanage, except for her brother, the one who taught her.

But they all agreed it was her voice that made people love her. It was soft and sweet, and when she sang, it was like an angel had come down to Earth. When she told her brother that she wanted to be an idol singer, everyone agreed. They could not think of anyone who would be a more perfect idol than Sachi Junpei.

And then, three years after their parents' deaths… everything changed.

---

Present day…

Shoichi Kusanagi stared at the monitors with a horrified expression on his face. This had to be a bad dream. This couldn't be real.

Yusaku had just defeated Ghost Girl and acquired the backdoor program into SOL Technologies' data banks. He held the key to finding out more about the Lost Incident and learning who was responsible for what happened to him and Kusanagi's brother Jin. And now…

On the monitor, Playmaker was standing next to the railing of a skyscraper, his right arm held up in front of him. On his wrist was a red cord, which led to the Duel Disk of the person who had just challenged him.

Morningstar. LINK VRAINS' most famous bounty hunter. A duelist on par with Playmaker and who might even be stronger than him. But it wasn't just Morningstar's reputation that had Kusanagi worried. It was the eight words he'd just said.

It's time for us to duel. Yusaku Fujiki.

Morningstar knew Playmaker's identity! It was impossible, but undeniable. One of the most dangerous people in LINK VRAINS, who had connections to the higher-ups at SOL and many other companies, knew that Yusaku was Playmaker. This was the last thing Kusanagi had expected and the worst thing that could happen. If he decided to tell anyone… they were done for. All Morningstar had to do was talk, and everything Kusanagi and Yusaku had fought for would be gone.

"Yusaku," Kusanagi muttered, then began to type. Even if Morningstar blabbed, Kusanagi could do something to get Yusaku out of this situation. At least then they could prepare themselves for the worst.

Soon, however, Kusanagi realized there was nothing he could do. That red cord, the Data Anchor, was one of the best-written programs Kusanagi had ever seen. Next to it, the cage program that Go Onizuka had used against Playmaker might as well have been written by a child.

This thing isn't SOL's work, Kusanagi realized. Did Morningstar develop this himself, or… does he have an ally, just like Yusaku has me?

Cam smirked at the monitors. Oh, this was perfect. Not only had he gotten to see Ghost Girl lose, but soon he would see Yasutake defeat Playmaker and finish the contract. He always enjoyed that part. Their targets were usually incredibly smug, thinking that Morningstar's reputation was overblown or undeserved, but then Morningstar defeated them easily. Seeing the expressions on their faces… it was almost funny. And knowing that the money Morningstar made from the hunts went towards Sachi's treatments settled any moral qualms Cam had. Still…

He frowned at the monitor. After hearing Yasutake's theories about what Playmaker was fighting for, he genuinely couldn't say Playmaker was like the rest of their targets. Unlike the corporate spies, criminals, or hacktivists they usually went after, Playmaker's cause was personal. For Cam and Yasutake. A small part of him wanted Playmaker to succeed if it meant that the people who hurt Sachi would be punished for what they did.

But… Yasutake had accepted a contract, and his honor kept him from reneging on it, no matter his or Cam's personal feelings on the matter. Of course, there was always the chance of failure. Cam had never seen Morningstar lose before, but Playmaker was unlike any opponent he'd faced before.

Be careful, Yasu, Cam thought. And don't get cocky. This will not be easy.

Playmaker stared at the cord, then lifted his gaze to Morningstar. While he shared Kusanagi's shock and surprise, his expression was even.

"This Data Anchor," he asked. "Is there a time limit?"

Morningstar raised an eyebrow. That wasn't what he expected Playmaker's first statement to be. He had expected wide-eyed shock or at least an "Oh crap!" Most of his targets had that reaction when he tagged them with the Anchor.

"Technically, yes," he eventually answered. "24 hours. Though I suspect you don't wish to remain in LINK VRAINS that long." Playmaker scowled. Damn. If it was just one or two hours, he could have evaded Morningstar. But now… now he had no choice.

"Ahhh!" Ai screamed, emerging from Playmaker's Duel Disk. "This isn't good, Playmaker! He knows who you are! If he tells SOL, we'll be in big trouble!" He turned and saw Playmaker's blank expression. "Eh? Why aren't you concerned? Shouldn't you be panicking?"

"He won't tell," Playmaker said. "After all, by confirming my identity, he has confirmed his own." He turned his gaze from Ai to Morningstar. "So tell me, why are you doing this, Narahiko?"

Morningstar's eyes narrowed, but he didn't respond. Cam, on the other hand, screamed into his earpiece.

"What!? You have to be kidding me! How does Playmaker know who you are!?"

"Narahiko?" Ai mused, thinking. "Oh! The guy from Duel Club that had a VR duel! Haha! We know who you are! Now you can't expose Playmaker without being exposed in turn!"

"I have no intention of revealing your identity," Morningstar said.

"Eh?" Ai said, confused. Kusanagi, who was watching, was also confused.

"The contract was not for your real name," Morningstar clarified. "Only for the AI in your possession. If the world knew who you were, your life would be ruined. I have no desire for that." He narrowed his eyes again. "That said, I am curious about something: how did you figure out who I am?" But he already had an idea how Playmaker knew.

Playmaker held up one finger. "One: your duel with Shima. You started out with amateurish mistakes, but then your skills turned professional, suggesting you were concealing your true skills to appear weak." He held up another finger. "Two: you used a Cyberse Link Monster in your duel with Shima. While that is not conclusive proof, the only people in possession of Cyberse monsters are myself, you, and Revolver." He raised a third finger. "Three: you know my identity. Only someone who has met me in real life would be able to do that, and since I spend all my time either with my ally or at school, it seems most likely you are also a student at Den Academy." Playmaker now narrowed his eyes. "All these put together suggest that your real name, Morningstar, is Yasutake Narahiko. So since I told you how I know your identity, why don't you tell me how you know mine?"

Morningstar was silent for a while, then held up one finger. "One," he started, which made Playmaker narrow his eyes even further, "your Duel Disk. While many people use the older model, the one you had in Duel Club was the exact same coloring as the one you wore when pictures were taken of you. While that is not definitive, it is suggestive."

"I told you we should have gotten a different Duel Disk for me to live in," Ai interjected. "There is barely any space in here. I could really use a second home."

"Be quiet."

Morningstar lifted a second finger. "Two: The Deck you showed in class. It was an amateur Deck and poorly built. As I use a decoy Deck myself, I figured that that Deck was meant to ward off suspicion. Being built amateurishly suggests that you are attempting to fool people who see your Deck into believing you are a weak duelist."

He lifted a third finger. "Three: you called the hospital to pick up Aoi Zaizen after you dueled her." Playmaker's eyes widened in surprise. "Oh yes. I've known Zaizen was Blue Angel for a while now. I also happened to witness your duel with her, as well as its aftermath." Morningstar now narrowed his eyes again. "You knew she was on the roof. You couldn't have known that unless you knew she was Blue Angel, and given her trust issues, she wouldn't have told you. Meaning you most likely found out the same way I did: through hacking into her account."

Morningstar lowered his hand. "All these put together, added to the fact you have multiple reports of missing classes and running out of them suggests that you are Playmaker, Yusaku Fujiki. It is fortunate for you that I am the one who found out instead of Akira Zaizen or Hanoi. They would be far less civil about it."

Playmaker was silent, then he spoke. "You were there, weren't you?" Morningstar didn't answer, his face blank. "You were part of the incident ten years ago. Your speech pattern… what happened to you in your VR duel with Shima… you were in that place too, weren't you?"

Morningstar didn't answer for a while, then nodded. "I was." He closed his eyes, then recited what the voice told him. "Three. Think of three things. Three things to live. Three things to go home. Three things to defeat the enemy. By thinking, you can still live." He opened his eyes and noticed that while Playmaker's expression hadn't changed, his body had tensed up. "I survived that place and now I fight to move on from that. To forget what happened. But then you come along, and when I watched you duel Revolver, you spoke of three things." He narrowed his eyes again. "Hearing you say that… it brought back everything I had tried to forget. And it told me something else: you know something I don't about the incident. And when I defeat you, you'll tell me."

"Eh?" Ai said. "What incident? And if you tried to forget it, why do you want to know?"

"Because I can't," Morningstar answered simply. "I have someone to support. Someone who was there with me. I can function somewhat in society, but she can't. One of the reasons I became a bounty hunter was to earn money to pay for her therapy."

"Do you think therapy will help her?" Playmaker asked them. "You are not the only one fighting for someone else. I fight to save a friend's brother. He was there too. But I don't just fight for him. I fight for all of us."

"All of us?"

"What I seek is the truth," Playmaker said. "I'm looking for the answers of what happened to us and why. And then punish the people responsible."

"And then what?"

"Eh?" Playmaker said, not expecting that.

"What will you do after you've taken your revenge? Will you keep going to school? Will you try to make friends? Will you become a Charisma Duelist? What is your plan for the future?"

Playmaker didn't answer.

"I see. You don't have one." Morningstar sighed and closed his eyes. "I've thought about investigating the incident myself, but I never did. I convinced myself that if I did so, I would only end up stuck in the past, unable to look towards the future." He opened his eyes and glared at Playmaker. "But now I see the truth. I'll never forget what happened, no matter how hard I try. But I can still try to make the lives of the people who gave me a reason to live better. And that's what I'll do by defeating you."

He fights for money, yet that money goes towards others, Playmaker thought. His reasons for dueling are a lot like Go's. Out loud, he said, "Very well. Let's duel."

"Yes!" Ai said, taking a boxer's stance. "We'll trounce your bounty hunter butt in a Speed Duel!"

"We're not having a Speed Duel," Morningstar said. He then raised his Duel Disk above his head. A bright light shone from it, so bright that it blinded Playmaker and Ai as they covered their eyes.

When Playmaker opened his eyes, they widened in shock. They were now surrounded by a transparent dome.

"This is a Camouflage Dome," Morningstar explained. "It's connected to the same program in my Data Anchor that prevents us from logging out. In addition, neither of us can leave this area, and it hides our presence from the rest of LINK VRAINS."

A method to capture prey who try to run even after being tagged by the Data Anchor, as well as ensure privacy for the duel, Playmaker thought. And since neither of us can leave it, that means we cannot have a Speed Duel on the data stream.

"I've witnessed enough of your duels to know how dangerous your Skill is," Morningstar said. "I'm not taking any chances. We will have a Master Duel, like you had with Revolver." Playmaker narrowed his eyes at that. "And when I win, you'll give me three things. One: the AI in your Duel Disk. Two: the backdoor program Ghost Girl gave you." Playmaker widened his eyes at that demand. "Three: you'll tell me everything you know about the incident ten years ago."

"Why do you want the back-door program?" Ai asked what Playmaker was thinking. "Are you going to infiltrate SOL if we don't?"

"That's for me to know, and both of you to find out," Morningstar answered. "Are you ready, Playmaker?" Playmaker frowned in response. He'd only seen one of Morningstar's duels – the one with Go – but Morningstar had clearly seen several of his. The advantage was obviously in Morningstar's favor, but that had never stopped Playmaker before.

Back in the hotdog van, Kusanagi frowned. Whatever this Camouflage Dome was, he could still see them. He suspected whoever Morningstar's ally was could too. Yusaku, he thought. Win this.

Win this, Yasu, Cam thought. For Sachi.

Morningstar and Playmaker faced off, each activating their Duel Disks.

"Duel!" they shouted.

Morningstar: 4000 LP

Playmaker: 4000 LP

"I'll take the first turn," Morningstar said, taking a card from his hand. "I summon Cyspirit Lancer!" The skeleton in white armor carrying a lance and shield appeared.

Cyspirit Lancer ATK 1800 DEF 0 LVL: 4

"So long as Lancer is in face-up Attack Position," Morningstar continued, "all 'Cyspirit' monsters gain 300 attack points! Digital Charge!"

Cyspirit Lancer ATK 1800→2100

"I now activate the Spell Card: Cyspirit Blast! This card negates the effects of one 'Cyspirit' monster I control until the End Phase and inflicts damage to my opponent equal to half that monster's attack points!"

"Eh? You mean we're getting hit with 1050 points of damage already!?" Ai said.

"No," Playmaker said. "Lancer has 2100 attack points because of its effect. Since his Spell Card negates its effect, we'll take half of 1800, or 900 points of damage."

"That's not better!" A blast of white energy hit Playmaker, making him wince.

Cyspirit Lancer ATK 2100→1800

Playmaker: 4000→3100 LP

"I Set one card," Morningstar said. "I end my turn. And since it is the End Phase, the effect of Cyspirit Blast wears off and Lancer's attack points increase again."

Cyspirit Lancer ATK 1800→2100

After that, Morningstar hit a button on the underside of his Duel Disk. Cam looked at one of the screens as a progress bar popped up. He raised an eyebrow. A precaution in case he lost? Well, it would make for an interesting conversation when he got back.

"My turn! Draw!" Playmaker drew, looked at his card, then played it. "Since I control no monsters, I Special Summon Linkslayer!" A warrior in golden lion armor with a brown cape and two blue energy blades coming out of its wrists appeared.

Linkslayer ATK 2000 DEF 600 LVL: 5

"Next I summon Cyberse Wizard!" A young man with green hair in black and white robes appeared, carrying a staff.

Cyberse Wizard ATK 1800 DEF 800 LVL: 4

"Linkslayer's monster effect!" Playmaker continued. "Once per turn, I can discard up to two cards, then target an equal number of Spell and Trap Cards on the field and destroy them. I discard one card," he said while discarding Dual Assembwurm, "and destroy your face-down card!"

The card shattered, and Playmaker checked the Graveyard to see what it was. He narrowed his eyes. Using Linkslayer's effect had been a risk, but it was one that had paid off. Now he would only have to worry about that card once instead of twice.

"Cyberse Wizard's monster effect!" he declared. "Once per turn, I can change one monster on your field from Attack to Defense Position. I change your Cyspirit Lancer to Defense Position. Cyberse Algorithm!" Wizard pointed its staff at Lancer, which glowed blue as it changed positions.

Morningstar's expression didn't change as he said, "Since Lancer is no longer in Attack Position, its effect ends and it loses 300 attack points."

Cyspirit Lancer ATK 2100→1800

Ai laughed. "The turn we activate Cyberse Algorithm, Cyberse monsters inflict piercing battle damage! That means you'll take 2000 points of damage from Linkslayer's attack!"

"No, he won't," Playmaker said.

"Eh? What do you mean?" Instead of answering, Playmaker gestured to Linkslayer instead.

"Linkslayer, attack Cyspirit Lancer! Meteor Break!" Linkslayer charged at Lancer and cut it in half with its blades, causing an explosion.

"Haha! Looks like you were wrong, Playmaker!" Ai gloated. "He's lost half his Life Points!"

"Look," Playmaker said in response. Ai turned and watched as the smoke cleared, revealing Morningstar with a barrier around him, his Life Points unchanged.

"Eh!? What gives? You were supposed to take damage!"

"By banishing the Cyspirit Battle Barrier in my Graveyard," Morningstar explained. "I take no battle damage from that battle. All I needed was a 'Cyspirit' monster either on my field or in my Graveyard."

Ai scoffed. "So what? We still have Cyberse Wizard-."

"Battle Barrier also ends the Battle Phase," Morningstar interrupted. "And since I control no monsters, I draw cards equal to the number of monsters you control, Playmaker." He drew two cards, looked at them, then added them to his hand.

"Are you kidding me!?" Ai screeched. "We could have inflicted 2000 points of damage to him, but one Trap Card and suddenly he gets new cards? What's with this guy?"

"He's a skilled duelist, with an unbelievable will," Playmaker said. "This feeling I have… it's very similar to when I faced Revolver. This duel may end up being harder than my duel with Revolver."

"Your Link Sense told you that?" Ai asked him.

"Yes," Playmaker answered. "I Set one card. I end my turn."

"My turn! Draw!" Morningstar looked at his new card, then added it to his hand and chose a different card. "I activate the Continuous Spell Card: Cyberse Infinite Coding!" The card showed bright green lines passing over a shadow shaped like Cyspirit Pied Pikeman. "This card gains a Cyberse Counter every time a Cyberse monster is Link Summoned." Playmaker narrowed his eyes. Since both of them used Cyberse decks, that meant that card would fill up on counters quickly. "And since you control monsters and I don't, I can Special Summon Cyspirit Swordsman!" The skeleton in blue armor with swords appeared.

Cyspirit Swordsman ATK 1200 DEF 900 LVL: 3

"Since Swordsman was Special Summoned by its effect," Morningstar explained, "I can add one 'Cyspirit' monster from my Deck to my hand. I add Cyspirit Pilot!" He did so, then said, "I summon Cyspirit Dancer!" A white skeleton in a pink leotard appeared and did a pirouette.

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." A card popped out of his Deck, which he took and placed on his Duel Disk. "I summon Cyspirit Changer!" The dwarf skeleton with a digital sign appeared.

Cyspirit Changer ATK 200 DEF 100 LVL: 1

"Appear!" Morningstar declared. "The circuit between light and darkness!" The Link portal appeared above him as he continued chanting.

"Arrowhead confirmed! The summoning condition is one 'Cyspirit' monster. I set Cyspirit Changer in the Link Marker!" Changer entered the bottom arrow, turning it red.

"Circuit combine! Link Summon! Come forth! Link 1! Cyspirit Cacophonic Caller!" A skeleton in a business suit carrying a cellphone and radio appeared on his field, summoned to the Extra Monster Zone.

Cyspirit Cacophonic Caller ATK 500 LINK-1 ↓

"Because a Cyberse monster was Link Summoned, Infinite Coding gains one Cyberse Counter!"

Cyberse Infinite Coding: 0 CC→1 CC

"Cacophonic Caller's monster effect! Once per turn, I can Special Summon one Level 4 or lower 'Cyspirit' monster from my Deck to its Link Marker, but that monster cannot attack and is destroyed during the End Phase. I Special Summon Cyspirit Teleporter!" The black skeleton in grey armor appeared as it waved its baton in the air.

Cyspirit Teleporter ATK 500 DEF 1500 LVL: 3

"Appear!" Morningstar declared again. "The circuit between light and darkness!" The Link portal appeared again. "Arrowheads confirmed! The summoning conditions are two or more 'Cyspirit' monsters! I set Cyspirit Cacophonic Caller, Cyspirit Dancer, and Cyspirit Swordsman in the Link Markers!" His three 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 in a trench coat, waistcoat, and boots appeared, raising its pistols as it beat its wings. Like its predecessor, it was summoned to the Extra Monster Zone.

Cyspirit Rapid Revolutionary ATK 2200 LINK-3 ↙↑↓

"Because another Cyberse monster was Link Summoned, Infinite Coding gains another Cyberse Counter!"

Cyberse Infinite Coding: 1 CC→2 CC

"And since Dancer was used to Link Summon a 'Cyspirit' monster, that monster gains 600 attack points!"

Cyspirit Rapid Revolutionary ATK 2200→2800

"Eh?" Ai said, confused. "Why go for that monster? Why not summon the Pied Pikeman monster he used against Go? Doesn't it have more attack points?"

"He's likely going for its effects," Playmaker said, then looked at the effect of Rapid Revolutionary. He narrowed his eyes in understanding. So, that's your plan…

"Since I control a 'Cyspirit' monster," Morningstar said. "I can Special Summon Cyspirit Linker!" The monster with red arrows on its gauntlets appeared, summoned to Rapid Revolutionary's bottom-left Link Marker.

Cyspirit Linker ATK 1700 DEF 800 LVL: 4

"I activate the second effect of Infinite Coding!" Morningstar shouted. "By removing two Cyberse Counters, I draw one card!"

Cyberse Infinite Coding: 2 CC→0 CC

"I activate the effect of Cyspirit Changer in the Graveyard!" Morningstar continued. "By banishing it, all monsters on the field that are not 'Cyspirit' monsters are switched to Defense Position!" Playmaker watched as Cyberse Wizard and Linkslayer took a knee.

"Battle!" Morningstar declared. "Rapid Revolutionary, attack Linkslayer! And when Rapid Revolutionary battles a non-Link monster while it points to at least one monster, it gains 500 attack points until the end of the Damage Step!"

Cyspirit Rapid Revolutionary ATK 2800→3300

"Rapid Revolutionary has another effect!" Morningstar continued. "If it points to at least two monsters, it inflicts piercing battle damage when attacking a Defense Position monster!"

"That's what he was aiming for!?" Ai screeched. "Linkslayer has 600 defense points, and his Link Monster has 3300 attack points! If his attack hits, we'll take 2700 points of damage! Do something, Playmaker!"

"Go, Rapid Revolutionary!" Morningstar said, pointing to Linkslayer. "Revolution Shot!" Rapid Revolutionary lifted its right pistol and fired a yellow blast at Linkslayer.

"I activate my Quick-Play Spell!" Playmaker declared. "Security Block! I target Cyberse Wizard for its effect, and now Cyberse Wizard cannot be destroyed by battle this turn. In addition, neither of us takes battle damage this turn!" The blast hit and destroyed Linkslayer, but Playmaker didn't budge.

"Phew, that was close," Ai said nervously. "If not for our Spell Card, we'd only have 400 Life Points left. And with Cyberse Wizard on our field-."

"I Set one card," Morningstar said, interrupting Ai. "And activate the Spell Card: Cyspirit Deletion!" The card showed Changer glowing with blue light from the inside. "This card targets one monster on my field and one monster on your field. Both cards are then sent to the Graveyard!" Playmaker widened his eyes as Cyberse Wizard and Cyspirit Teleporter both glowed with light and then vanished.

"Oh!" Ai said, annoyed. "He got rid of Wizard! This guy's just like Blue Angel! Right when I think we've saved our monster, it goes away!"

"Since my Teleporter was a 'Cyspirit' monster," Morningstar said, ignoring Ai, "I draw one card. I end my turn."

"My turn! Draw!" Playmaker drew, looked at his card, then added it to his hand. "You didn't seem surprised that I kept you from dealing damage last turn."

"And you didn't seem surprised by my Battle Barrier Trap," Morningstar said. "I've seen a lot of opponents in my time as a bounty hunter; the majority usually end up screaming at me. But you… I can honestly say you're different from them."

"I'll take that as a compliment," Playmaker said, then took a card from his hand. "I summon Draconnet!" A white dragon-shaped machine with blue lines over it appeared on Playmaker's field.

Draconnet ATK 1400 DEF 1200 LVL: 3

"When Draconnet is Normal Summoned, I can Special Summon a Level 2 or lower Normal Monster from my hand or Deck in Defense Position," Playmaker told Morningstar. "From my Deck, I summon Bitron!" A small white monster with blue digital eyes appeared on Draconnet's right.

Bitron ATK 200 DEF 2000 LVL: 2

"Appear!" Playmaker declared. "The circuit that leads to the future!" The Link portal appeared again, this time on Playmaker's side. "Arrowheads confirmed! The summoning condition is one Normal Monster! I set Bitron in the Link Marker!" Bitron entered the bottom arrow, turning it red.

"Circuit combine! Appear! Link 1! Link Spider!" A black mechanical spider with blue lines running over its body was summoned to Playmaker's Extra Monster Zone.

Link Spider ATK 1000 LINK-1 ↓

"Because a Cyberse Link Monster was Link Summoned," Morningstar reminded Playmaker. "Infinite Coding gains one Cyberse Counter."

Cyberse Infinite Coding: 0 CC→1 CC

"Link Spider's monster effect!" Playmaker continued. "Once per turn, I can Special Summon a Level 4 or lower Normal Monster from my hand to Link Spider's Link Marker! I summon Digitron!" A monster resembling Bitron except with a fin on top and small wings beneath it appeared behind Link Spider.

Digitron ATK 1500 DEF 0 LVL: 2

"I activate the effect of the Dual Assembwurm in my Graveyard! When this card is in my hand or Graveyard, I can banish two Cyberse monsters from my Graveyard and Special Summon it with its attack points halved! I banish Cyberse Wizard and Linkslayer from my Graveyard to Special Summon Dual Assembwurm from the Graveyard!" A massive blue and red mechanical dragon appeared on Playmaker's field.

Dual Assembwurm ATK 2800→1400 DEF 1000 LVL: 8

"Appear! The circuit that leads to the future!" Playmaker declared for the second time. The Link portal appeared again as he continued. "Arrowheads confirmed! The summoning conditions are two Cyberse monsters! I set Digitron and Draconnet in the Link Markers!" His monsters entered the left and right arrows, turning them red.

"Circuit combine! Link Summon! Appear! Link 2! Honeybot!" A female monster with mechanical wings and a mechanical bee's stinger appeared as she was summoned to Link Spider's Link Marker. Morningstar watched as his Continuous Spell gained another Cyberse Counter.

Honeybot ATK 1900 LINK-2 ←→

Cyberse Infinite Coding: 1 CC→2 CC

"I activate the Spell Card: Link Treasure!" The card showed a treasure chest with Mistar Boy racing towards it. "With this card, I draw a card for each Link Monster on the field! I draw three cards!" Playmaker drew, then said, "Since I control a Cyberse monster, I Special Summon Backup Secretary!" A woman in white clothes with a purple cape joined his other monsters.

Backup Secretary ATK 1200 DEF 800 LVL: 3

"Appear once more, the circuit that leads to the future!" Playmaker declared again as the Link portal reappeared. "Arrowheads confirmed! The summoning conditions are two or more Effect Monsters! I set Backup Secretary, Dual Assembwurm, and Link Spider in the Link Markers!" His monsters entered the bottom-left, top, and bottom-right arrows. Morningstar narrowed his eyes on seeing what was coming.

"Circuit combine! Link Summon! Appear! Link 3! Decode Talker!" The warrior in blue armor carrying a giant purple sword appeared, summoned to Honeybot's left Link Marker.

Decode Talker ATK 2300 LINK-3 ↙↑↘

Cyberse Infinite Coding: 2 CC→3 CC

"Playmaker's ace monster," Cam muttered as he saw Decode Talker face down Cyspirit Rapid Revolutionary. Too bad he and Playmaker's ally were the only ones seeing this. He figured some networks would pay a great deal of money for this.

Morningstar narrowed his eyes at Decode Talker. This monster… it gave him a strange feeling. He didn't know what it was, but… this monster gave off a very different vibe than any other Cyberse monster Morningstar had ever seen.

"I activate the Continuous Spell: Cyberse Dimension!" Playmaker said next. The card showed Link Bumper falling into a wormhole. "With this card, I can banish one Cyberse monster I control. I banish Honeybot!" Morningstar watched as Honeybot disappeared. He knew what Playmaker was up to. Honeybot prevented both of them from targeting Decode Talker with card effects, but now that she was gone, Playmaker could activate the same card that had defeated Go Onizuka.

Sure enough, Playmaker then said, "I activate the Equip Spell: Cyberse Annihilation, and equip it to Decode Talker! And next, I activate the effect of Cyberse Dimension, sending it to the Graveyard to return Honeybot to my field. And since Honeybot was a Link Monster, I draw one card!" Morningstar watched as Honeybot returned to the field, once again pointing to Decode Talker.

"And thanks to Cyberse Annihilation, if Decode Talker attacks a monster, its attack points become equal to the monster it battles," Morningstar said, narrowing his eyes. "And if it destroys a monster by battle, I take damage equal to that monster's attack points."

"That's right," Playmaker said. "And because Decode Talker is at Honeybot's Link Marker, it cannot be destroyed by battle and neither of us can target it with card effects." He gestured to Decode Talker. "Battle! Decode Talker, attack Rapid Revolutionary! Decode End!"

Morningstar watched as Decode Talker's sword became larger and it charged at Rapid Revolutionary.

"Cyberse Annihilation's effect activates! Decode Talker's attack points become equal to Rapid Revolutionary's!"

Decode Talker ATK 2300→2800

Rapid Revolutionary fired a blast of energy at Decode Talker, but it charged through and sliced Rapid Revolutionary in half. Morningstar didn't react to the explosion that was his monster.

"Cyberse Annihilation's second effect!" Playmaker declared. "Since the equipped monster destroyed a monster by battle, you take damage equal to Rapid Revolutionary's attack points!"

"Your Rapid Revolutionary had 2800 attack points!" Ai pointed out. "Take this!" The Spell Card blasted Morningstar with energy, but before it hit him-

"Counter Trap activate!" he declared. "Cyspirit Defense! Since I have a 'Cyspirit' monster on my field or in my Graveyard, I can halve one instance of effect damage!" The blast hit him, making him wince, but it was less powerful than it had been before.

Morningstar: 4000→2600 LP

"Ah," Ai said. "He only took 1400 points of damage!"

"Cyspirit Defense has one more effect!" Morningstar revealed. "I can return one banished card to its controller's Graveyard!"

"Eh? But the only banished card is-."

"I return Cyspirit Battle Barrier to my Graveyard," Morningstar said. Playmaker narrowed his eyes. He'd dealt damage, but with that Trap in Morningstar's Graveyard, the next attack would only destroy his monster. Still, better to get rid of it now than later.

"Battle! Honeybot, attack Cyspirit Linker!" Honeybot charged a blast of yellow light that it fired at Linker. As Linker exploded, Morningstar pointed to the field.

"I activate the effect of Battle Barrier in my Graveyard!" Morningstar said. "By banishing it, I take no damage from this battle, and then the Battle Phase ends. And since I control no monsters, I draw two cards as you control two monsters."

As Morningstar drew, Playmaker said, "I Set one card. I end my turn."

"What's it going to take to beat this guy!?" Ai said, holding his head in his hands. "That move defeated Go Onizuka, and it just scratched him!"

Morningstar narrowed his eyes at the chatty AI. He remembered what Revolver said about this "Ignis" being sentient. He didn't know if that was true or not, but it was certainly more talkative and had more personality than any AI he'd seen before.

"My turn! Draw!" Morningstar looked at his card, then played it. "I activate the Field Spell: Cyspirit Sanctuary!" The card showed a temple in the clouds, with several mechanical parts in the columns, the various Cyspirit Main Deck monsters sprawled on the steps while Rapid Revolutionary and the other Extra Deck monsters were flying in the sky, with two massive dragons – one black and silver, the other red and grey – facing off above the temple. "So long as this card is on the field, all 'Cyspirit' monsters gain 300 attack and defense points. In addition, when I control no monsters, I can Special Summon a 'Cyspirit' monster from my Graveyard. Return to me, Cyspirit Lancer!"

Cyspirit Lancer ATK 1800→2100 DEF 0→300 LVL: 4

And now that Lancer's back, his monsters will become stronger, Playmaker thought.

Cyspirit Lancer ATK 2100→2400

"As there is a Cyberse Link Monster on the field, I can Special Summon this card!" Morningstar said. "Come forth, Cyspirit Prisoner!" The monster was a white skeleton in a white and blue prisoner's uniform. Its skull was metallic silver with one red right eye.

Cyspirit Prisoner ATK 1600→2200 DEF 2100→2400 LVL: 5

"Next, I summon Cyspirit Pilot!" A skeleton in an aviator's jacket with goggles covering its empty right eye socket and left blue eye appeared.

Cyspirit Pilot ATK 1100→1700 DEF 300→600 LVL: 3

"He has three monsters now!" Ai said, panicking.

"Appear! The circuit between light and darkness!" The Link portal appeared above Morningstar. "Arrowheads confirmed! The summoning conditions are two 'Cyspirit' monsters! I set Cyspirit Pilot and Cyspirit Prisoner in the Link Markers!" His monsters entered the top and bottom arrows, turning them red.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 2! Cyspirit Mad Mongrel!" The skeleton dog with a missile launcher and net launcher on its back with metallic wings appeared, summoned to the Extra Monster Zone.

Cyspirit Mad Mongrel ATK 2000→2600 LINK-2 ↑↓

"Ah! That's one scary pooch!" Ai screamed.

"Because a Cyberse monster was Link Summoned, Infinite Coding gains one Cyberse Counter!"

Cyberse Infinite Coding: 3 CC→4 CC

"And since Prisoner was used to Link Summon a 'Cyspirit' Link Monster, I can add one 'Cyspirit' card from my Deck to my hand. I add Cyspirit Reinforcements!" Morningstar took the card from his Deck, then gesturing to his Continuous Spell. "I activate the effect of Infinite Coding and remove two Cyberse Counters to draw one card!"

Cyberse Infinite Coding: 4 CC→2 CC

"We should get rid of that Spell Card," Ai said. "He's just going to use it to draw more cards."

"If I do that, the situation will get worse," Playmaker said. "Read the rest of his card's effects."

"Eh? Hmmm…" Ai said as he read the card. "Ah! I see what you mean. Him drawing new cards is preferable to that."

"I activate the effect of Cyspirit Sanctuary!" Morningstar declared, interrupting the two. "Once per turn, if I control a 'Cyspirit' Link Monster, I can target one face-up monster on the field and move it to an unoccupied Main Monster Zone on its controller's field."

"Ha!" Ai said. "Too bad for you that Honeybot prevents you from targeting Decode Talker with card effects!"

"I'm not targeting Decode Talker. I'm moving your Honeybot to Mad Mongrel's top Link Marker!"

"Eh?" Ai said, confused as Honeybot moved across the field. "Why would he do that? Honeybot still points to Decode Talker."

"Because from there, his Mad Mongrel points to it," Playmaker said as he brought up the information on Mad Mongrel. Because of Morningstar's Field Spell, it now pointed to Cyspirit Lancer and Honeybot.

"Hmm?" Ai said as he squinted at what Playmaker was looking at. "If this card points to two monsters… what!? It can do that? That's not fair!"

"Mad Mongrel's monster effect!" Morningstar declared. "Since it points to two monsters, and one is a 'Cyspirit' monster, it can target a monster on your field and one in my Graveyard, and treat your monster as having the same name and Type as mine. Then, I can use your monster and Mad Mongrel to Link Summon a 'Cyspirit' Link Monster!

"I target Honeybot on your field and Cacophonic Caller in my Graveyard!" Honeybot changed form so that it resembled Cacophonic Caller.

"Appear! The circuit between light and darkness!" The Link portal appeared once again above Morningstar as he continued. "Arrowheads confirmed! The summoning conditions are two 'Cyspirit' Effect Monsters! I set the Link 2 Cyspirit Mad Mongrel and the Link 2 Honeybot treated as Cyspirit Cacophonic Caller in the Link Markers!" Both monsters split into two as they entered the bottom-left, top, bottom, and bottom-right arrows, turning them red. Playmaker narrowed his eyes. He recognized that pattern.

"Circuit combine! Link Summon! Take flight! Link 4! Cyspirit Datastorm Dragon!" The massive grey dragon with red and silver wings appeared and roared as it was summoned to the Extra Monster Zone and Infinite Coding gained another Cyberse Counter.

Cyspirit Datastorm Dragon ATK 2800→3400 LINK-4 ↙↑↓↘

Cyberse Infinite Coding: 2 CC→3 CC

"I activate the Spell Card: Cyspirit Reinforcements!" Morningstar then said. The card showed Lancer and Linker racing towards a battlefield. "Since I control two or more 'Cyspirit' monsters, I can now Special Summon a Level 6 or lower 'Cyspirit' monster from my Graveyard in Attack Position. Return, Cyspirit Linker!" The skeleton with gauntlets reappeared, summoned to Datastorm Dragon's bottom-right Link Marker.

Cyspirit Linker ATK 1700→2300 DEF 800→1100 LVL: 4

"Next, I activate the Spell Card: Cyspirit Storm!" The card showed Egregious Electrician with its legs wrapped around a utility pole, getting electrocuted by lightning striking the pole. "Because I control a 'Cyspirit' Link Monster that points to at least two monsters, I can destroy one Spell or Trap Card on the field. I'll destroy your Cyberse Annihilation!" Playmaker watched as his Equip Spell shattered.

"This is bad!" Ai said. "Without Cyberse Annihilation, Decode Talker's attack points can't change. If he attacks with all his monsters, we'll lose!"

"He can't win this turn," Playmaker said. "Since Datastorm Dragon points to at least one monster, only Link Monsters can declare an attack."

"Oh! That's right!" Ai said, brightening up. "Ha! You can't beat us this turn!"

"Maybe not," Morningstar responded to the AI. "But I can reduce your Life Points. I activate the effect of Cyspirit Deletion in my Graveyard! By banishing it and targeting a 'Cyspirit' Link Monster, I can have that monster inflict double battle damage this turn!"

"Double!?" Ai repeated. "So we'll take 2200 points of damage?"

"No," Playmaker responded. "Datastorm Dragon's effect halves the battle damage when it points to at least two monsters. So we'll take 1100."

"Battle!" Morningstar declared. "Datastorm Dragon, attack Decode Talker! Data Flare!" His dragon gathered blue energy in its jaws that it fired at Decode Talker. Playmaker braced himself against his monster's explosion.

Playmaker: 3100→2000 LP

"And now the Battle Phase ends," Morningstar said. "And since Datastorm Dragon points to at least two monsters, you take 500 points of damage for each monster it destroyed this turn. Go, Datastorm Dragon! Digital Deletion!" Datastorm Dragon blasted Playmaker with red energy, but before it hit-.

"Counter Trap activate!" Playmaker declared. "Link Restart! This card negates an effect that would deal me damage!" A barrier appeared around him that blocked Datastorm Dragon's blast.

"Then, by banishing Link Restart, I can Special Summon a Link Monster from my Graveyard," Playmaker said. "Return to me, Decode Talker!" The monster that Morningstar had just destroyed reappeared and swung its sword again.

Decode Talker ATK 2300 LINK-3 ↙↑↘

Morningstar narrowed his eyes. Playmaker had pulled this same trick against Revolver. "I Set one card," he said. "I end my turn."

"This isn't good, Playmaker," Ai said. "That dragon has 3400 attack points, and you have no cards in your hand. You'll have to pull off a Destiny Draw to win."

In response, Playmaker put his hand on his Deck. "My turn! Draw!" He looked at his card, then played it. "I activate the Spell Card: Link Treasure Ticket!" The card showed Decode Talker and three cards flying away from it. "This card targets a Link Monster I control. I then draw cards equal to that monster's Link Rating, but then, I must send an equal number of cards from the top of my Deck to the Graveyard." He drew his cards, then sent Cynet Defrag, Dotscaper, and Stack Reviver from the top of his Deck to the Graveyard.

"Since it was sent to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon Dotscaper in Attack Position!" A white and green monster that looked like it was made of Legos appeared.

Dotscaper ATK 0 DEF 2100 LVL: 1

"I summon Cyberse Gadget!" A mechanical white monster with blue, grey, and red parts attached to it appeared alongside Decode Talker and Dotscaper.

Cyberse Gadget ATK 1400 DEF 300 LVL: 4

"When Cyberse Gadget is Normal Summoned," Playmaker said, "I can Special Summon a Level 2 or lower monster from my Graveyard with its effects negated. Come, Stack Reviver in Defense Position!" A white machine with data cards on either side of it appeared.

Stack Reviver ATK 100 DEF 600 LVL: 2

"Appear! The circuit that leads to the future!" Playmaker declared as his hand glowed blue. The Link portal appeared above him as he said, "Arrowheads confirmed! The summoning conditions are two Effect Monsters! I set Cyberse Gadget and Stack Reviver in the Link Markers!" His monsters entered the left and bottom arrows, turning them red.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 2! Underclock Taker!" A purple tube with a white disc hovering above it appeared, summoned to the Extra Monster Zone and Decode Talker's top Link Marker. Morningstar glanced at his Continuous Spell as it gained another Cyberse Counter.

Underclock Taker ATK 1000 LINK-2 ←↓

Cyberse Infinite Coding: 3 CC→4 CC

"When Cyberse Gadget is sent from the field to the Graveyard," Playmaker continued, "I can Special Summon one Gadget Token!" A white monster with red jumper cables for arms appeared.

Gadget Token ATK 0 DEF 0 LVL: 2

"And when Stack Reviver is used for a Link Summon, I can Special Summon a Level 4 or lower Cyberse monster in my Graveyard that was used as material for that summon in Defense Position," he said. "Return, Cyberse Gadget!"

Cyberse Gadget ATK 1400 DEF 300 LVL: 4

"And finally," Ai said, "Decode Talker now points to Underclock Taker! That means it gains 500 attack points! Power Integration!"

Decode Talker ATK 2300→2800

"I activate the Spell Card: Cyberse Cache!" Playmaker said. "Since I control a Cyberse monster whose current attack points are different from its original attack points, I draw two cards!" He drew, then gestured to Underclock Taker. "Underclock Taker's monster effect! Once per turn, I can target a monster it points to and a monster you control. Your monster now loses attack points equal to the first monster's attack points! I target my Decode Talker and your Datstorm Dragon!"

"Decode Talker has 2800 attack points!" Ai said. "That means your Datastorm Dragon loses 2800 attack points!"

"Pointless," Morningstar said, shocking Ai. "I activate the effect of Cyspirit Storm in my Graveyard! If a card or effect is activated that would change the attack points of exactly one 'Cyspirit' monster I control, I banish Cyspirit Storm to negate the activation of that effect!"

"Damn it!" Ai said. "He was prepared for that!"

"Appear!" Playmaker declared. "The circuit that leads to the future!" The Link portal appeared above him again. "Arrowheads confirmed! The summoning conditions are two or more Cyberse monsters! I set Gadget Token and the Link 2 Underclock Taker in the Link Markers!" His Underclock Taker split into two as his monsters entered the top, bottom, and bottom-right arrows, turning them red.

"Circuit combine! Link Summon! Appear! Link 3! Encode Talker!" The warrior in bright blue and gold armor carrying a shield appeared, summoned to Playmaker's Extra Monster Zone. Morningstar glanced to his Continuous Spell again as it gained a Cyberse Counter. Sadly, it was now at its maximum number of Counters, so it wouldn't gain any more.

Encode Talker ATK 2300 LINK-3 ↑↓↘

Cyberse Infinite Coding: 4 CC→5 CC

"Appear for a final time! The circuit that leads to the future!" The Link portal appeared for the third time this turn. "The summoning conditions are two Cyberse monsters! I set Cyberse Gadget and Dotscaper in the Link Markers!" His two monsters entered the left and bottom-right arrows, turning them red.

"Circuit combine! Link Summon! Appear! Link 2! Flame Administrator!" A giant red machine monster appeared, summoned to Encode Talker's bottom-right Link Marker.

Flame Administrator ATK 1200 LINK-2 ←↘

"While Flame Administrator is on my field," Playmaker said, "all Link Monsters I control gain 800 attack points!" Morningstar's eyes widened at that.

Decode Talker ATK 2800→3600

Encode Talker ATK 2300→3100

Flame Administrator ATK 1200→2000

"Ha! Now Decode Talker is stronger than Datastorm Dragon!" Ai cheered.

"Battle! Decode Talker, attack Datastorm Dragon! Decode End!" Decode Talker charged with its sword at Datastorm Dragon, but Morningstar was ready.

"I activate the effect of Cyspirit Gardna in my hand!" he said. "If you declare an attack against a 'Cyspirit' monster I control, I can Special Summon this monster and make it the target of your attack!" A white skeleton in black armor carrying two massive shields appeared in Defense Position at Datastorm Dragon's bottom-left Link Marker as it made Decode Talker change course and strike it. "Gardna's effect also prevents it from being destroyed by that battle!"

Cyspirit Gardna ATK 1000→1600 DEF 2000→2300 LVL: 4

As Decode Talker returned to Playmaker's field, Ai said, "We still have Encode Talker and Flame Administrator! Let him have it, Playmaker!"

"Flame Administrator, attack Datastorm Dragon!" Flame Administrator struck Datastorm Dragon, but neither monster was destroyed. "Encode Talker's monster effect! Once per turn, if my monster it points to battles your monster with higher attack points, my monster is not destroyed by battle and I take no battle damage from that battle. Then, I can make Encode Talker or a monster it points to gain attack points equal to the attack points of your monster that I attacked until the end of the turn. I increase Encode Talker's attack points by Datastorm Dragon's attack points!"

Encode Talker ATK 3100→6500

"Yes!" Ai cheered. "With 6500 attack points, it doesn't matter which monster we attack; we'll still win!"

"Battle!" Playmaker declared. "Encode Talker, attack Cyspirit Lancer!"

"I activate the effect of Cyspirit Reinforcements in my Graveyard!" Morningstar interrupted him. "If you attack a non-Link 'Cyspirit' monster I control, I can banish this card to change the attack target to a 'Cyspirit' Link Monster I control. I redirect your attack to Datastorm Dragon!"

"What difference does it make?" Ai asked. "You'll still lose!"

"Go, Encode Talker! Final Encode!" A sword appeared from Encode Talker's shield as it charged Datastorm Dragon. It charged past it as it slashed it, causing a massive explosion that obscured Morningstar's field.

"Yes!" Kusanagi cheered. "Way to go, Yusaku!"

"Yasu!" Cam said, concerned for his friend.

"Yes!" Ai said. "That attack will have inflicted 3100 points of damage! This duel's over!"

Playmaker watched the smoke silently, then his eyes widened. Morningstar was still standing, as were his Gardna, Lancer, and Linker. He had taken damage, but it was less than Playmaker had been expecting.

Morningstar: 2600→1050 LP

"Eh!?" Ai said. "Why do you still have Life Points left? That attack should have dropped you to 0!"

"The turn Cyspirit Gardna is summoned by its effect," Morningstar explained, "all battle damage I would take is halved."

Ai whined. "What's it going to take with him!? The strategies that defeated Go Onizuka and Blue Angel are doing nothing against him!"

"He's a powerful duelist," Playmaker said simply. "And he fights for something he believes in. That cause gives him strength."

"Eh?" Ai asked. "How does fighting for what you believe make you a better duelist?"

"I don't expect you to understand," Playmaker said, and would have said more, but Morningstar interrupted.

"Trap activate!" he declared. "Cyspirit Backup! This card returns a 'Cyspirit' Link Monster in my Graveyard to my Extra Deck. Then, I can Special Summon a 'Cyspirit' Link Monster from my Extra Deck whose Link Rating is less than that of the returned monster. I return Datastorm Dragon to my Extra Deck to Special Summon Cyspirit Egregious Electrician!" The skeleton in overalls carrying an electrical power box appeared, summoned to the Extra Monster Zone.

Cyspirit Egregious Electrician ATK 600→1200 LINK-1 ↙

"He could have summoned a Link 3, but he went with Link 1?" Ai asked. "Why?"

"I suspect we'll find out," Playmaker answered.

"Because the returned Datastorm Dragon was Link 3 or higher, I now draw two cards!" Morningstar said, doing so. "It's still your turn, Playmaker."

"I Set one card," Playmaker said. "I end my turn. And during the End Phase, Encode Talker's attack points return to normal."

Encode Talker ATK 6500→3100

"My turn! Draw!" Morningstar looked at his card, then gestured to his field. "I activate the effect of Infinite Coding! I remove two Cyberse Counters to draw one card!"

Cyberse Ininite Coding: 5 CC→3 CC

He then gestured to Egregious Electrician. "Egregious Electrician's monster effect! Once per turn, I can move a 'Cyspirit' monster it points at to a different Main Monster Zone and Special Summon a 'Cyspirit' monster from my hand to the zone it points to. I move Cyspirit Gardna to Special Summon Cyspirit Wanderer in Defense Position!" The black skeleton in poncho and trousers appeared, summoned to Egregious Electrician's Link Marker.

Cyspirit Wanderer ATK 1900→2500 DEF 200→500 LVL: 5

"Defense Position?" Ai asked. "Why would he-? Oh! I understand why he summoned Egregious Electrician now!"

"Cyspirit Wanderer's monster effect!" Morningstar declared. "When this monster is Special Summoned by the effect of a 'Cyspirit' card, one monster on your field loses 800 attack points! I target Decode Talker for this effect. Digital Drain!"

Decode Talker ATK 3600→2800

"Appear! The circuit between light and darkness!" The Link portal appeared again above Morningstar. "The summoning conditions are two or more 'Cyspirit' monsters! I set Cyspirit Egregious Electrician, Cyspirit Gardna, and Cyspirit Linker 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!" The skeleton in a guard's uniform carrying a long spear appeared, summoned to the Extra Monster Zone and pointing to Cyspirit Wanderer.

Cyspirit Pied Pikeman ATK 2400→3000 LINK-3 ↙↑→

Cyberse Infinite Coding: 3 CC→4 CC

"Oh!" Ai said. "Now I get why he would summon Wanderer in Defense Position! He planned this far ahead?"

"Pied Pikeman's monster effect!" Morningstar declared. "Once per turn, I can change the battle position of a monster it points to and destroy one Spell or Trap Card on the field. I change Cyspirit Wanderer to Attack Position to destroy your face-down card!"

"Before you do that, I'll play it!" Playmaker interrupted. "Trap activate! Recoded Alive! This card banishes a Link 3 Cyberse Link Monster on my field or in my Graveyard. I banish Decode Talker!" Decode Talker disappeared as Morningstar narrowed his eyes. He remembered this Trap Card from Playmaker's duel with Revolver.

"Since Decode Talker was banished, I can Special Summon one 'Code Talker' monster from my Extra Deck," Playmaker continued. "Come, Excode Talker!" The giant green warrior that had defeated Ghost Girl appeared, summoned to Encode Talker's bottom Link Marker.

Excode Talker ATK 2300 LINK-3 ←↑→

"Excode Talker gains 800 attack points due to Flame Administrator's effect!"

Excode Talker ATK 2300→3100

"Excode Talker's monster effect! Monsters it points to gain 500 attack points and cannot be destroyed by card effects! Excode Talker points to both Encode Talker and Flame Administrator!"

Encode Talker ATK 3100→3600

Flame Administrator ATK 2000→2500

"Yes!" Kusanagi said, smiling at the screen. "Encode Talker protects his monsters from being destroyed by battle while Excode Talker protects them from card effects! Keep it up, Yusaku!"

"Yasu," Cam muttered, frowning at the screen.

"I activate the effect of Cyspirit Sanctuary!" Morningstar declared. "Once per turn, I can move a monster on the field to an unoccupied Main Monster Zone on its controller's field. I move Encode Talker from the Extra Monster Zone to Pied Pikeman's top Link Marker! And since Excode Talker does not point to it anymore, Encode Talker loses 500 attack points!"

Encode Talker ATK 3600→3100

Playmaker grit his teeth. Since Encode Talker didn't point to Excode Talker or Flame Administrator anymore, they could be destroyed, and he could take damage.

"Battle!" Morningstar said, pointing at Pied Pikeman. "Pied Pikeman, attack Flame Administrator! Spiritual Halberd!" Pied Pikeman charged at Flame Administrator and slashed it, destroying it in an explosion that Playmaker braced himself against.

Playmaker: 2000→1500 LP

"Since Flame Administrator left the field," Playmaker said. "My Link Monsters' attack points return to normal."

Encode Talker ATK 3100→2300

Excode Talker ATK 3100→2300

"Pied Pikeman's effect now activates!" Morningstar revealed. "Since it points to two monsters, when it destroys a monster by battle, I gain Life Points equal to half that monster's attack points! Flame Administrator had 2500 attack points, so I gain 1250!"

Morningstar: 1050→2300 LP

"Now it's Lancer's turn! Cyspirit Lancer, attack Encode Talker! Digital Lance!" Lancer charged Encode Talker and pierced it with its lance, destroying it in an explosion.

Playmaker: 1500→1400 LP

"Finally, Cyspirit Wanderer attacks Excode Talker! Digital Desperado!" Wanderer pulled a pistol out from under its poncho and blasted blue energy at Excode Talker, destroying it in an explosion as well.

Playmaker: 1400→1200 LP

"I Set one card," Morningstar said. "I end my turn."

Ai stared over the field. "How did this happen?" he wondered. "We started this turn with three powerful Link Monsters, and he destroyed them easily! Not only that, but he got his Life Points back! And you!" He turned to face Playmaker. "Why aren't you panicking? This guy is clearly stronger than anyone we've faced before! Even Revolver didn't push us like this! Shouldn't you be a little worried?"

"The situation is bad," Playmaker said with an expressionless face. "But that doesn't matter. My Deck carries my feelings over the last ten years. Even if it's against someone like Morningstar, someone who has experienced the same pain I have, I will not lose. My Deck will respond to me!" He placed his hand on his Deck. "My turn! Draw!"

He looked at the card, then gestured to the field. "I activate the effect of Recoded Alive in my Graveyard! Since I have no monsters in the Extra Monster Zone, I can banish Recoded Alive to Special Summon the banished Decode Talker!" His ace monster reappeared on the field.

Decode Talker ATK 2300 LINK-3 ↙↑↘

Cam scowled at the screen. "Every time Yasu gets rid of that monster, Playmaker brings it back," he said. "I've never seen a monster as persistent as this one."

"I activate the effect of Dual Assembwurm in the Graveyard!" Playmaker said. "I banish Bitron and Dotscaper from the Graveyard to summon Dual Assembwurm with its attack points halved!"

Dual Assembwurm ATK 2800→1400 DEF 1000 LVL: 8

"Because Dotscaper was banished, I can now summon it with its effect!" Dotscaper reappeared as well.

Dotscaper ATK 0 DEF 2100 LVL: 1

"I pay half my Life Points to activate the Equip Spell: Cynet Defrag's effect from my Graveyard!" Playmaker continued. "This card Special Summons a Level 4 or lower Cyberse monster from my Graveyard in Defense Position and equips itself to it. I summon Cyberse Gadget!"

Playmaker: 1200→600 LP

Cyberse Gadget ATK 1400 DEF 300 LVL: 4

"Appear! The circuit that leads to the future!" The Link portal appeared again above Playmaker. "The summoning conditions are two Cyberse monsters! I set Cyberse Gadget and Dual Assembwurm in the Link Markers!" His monsters entered the top and left arrows, turning them red.

"Circuit combine! Link Summon! Appear! Link 2! Link Bumper!" A red and grey humanoid machine appeared, summoned to the Extra Monster Zone as Infinite Coding gained another Cyberse Counter.

Link Bumper ATK 1400 LINK-2 ←↑

Cyberse Infinite Coding: 4 CC→5 CC

That monster doesn't point to any monsters, Morningstar thought, narrowing his eyes. That means…

"Because Cyberse Gadget was sent from the field to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon a Gadget Token!"

Gadget Token ATK 0 DEF 0 LVL: 2

"And since Decode Talker points to a monster, it gains 500 attack points! Power Integration!"

Decode Talker ATK 2300→2800

"Appear! The circuit that leads to the future!" The Link portal appeared once again above Playmaker. "Arrowheads confirmed! The summoning conditions are two or more monsters! I set Dotscaper, Gadget Token, and the Link 2 Link Bumper in the Link Markers!" His monsters entered the left, top, bottom, and right arrows, turning them red.

"Circuit combine! Link Summon! Appear! Link 4! Firewall Dragon!" A massive blue and white dragon with circles all over its body appeared on his field, summoned to Playmaker's Extra Monster Zone.

Firewall Dragon ATK 2500 LINK-4 ←↑↓→

"That monster…" Morningstar muttered. This is the monster that defeated Revolver. And… that feeling I got from Decode Talker. It's even stronger now. This monster… why is this monster so different from any monster I've seen? Is it because it's of the Cyberse, or… because of something else?

"I saw you defeat Revolver with that dragon," he said out loud to Playmaker. "It's impressive, certainly. But neither it nor Decode Talker is strong enough to defeat Pied Pikeman."

"I don't need it to defeat your Link Monster," Playmaker said. "I just need to use this." He took a card from his hand and played it. "I activate the Spell Card: Linkage Hole! Since I control a monster that is Link 4 or higher, it destroys monsters you control up to the number of monsters I control that are Link 3 or higher!"

"What?" Morningstar said, his eyes widening.

"Firewall Dragon is Link 4, and Decode Talker is Link 3," Playmaker reminded him. "So two of your monsters are destroyed. I'll destroy your Cyspirit Lancer and Pied Pikeman!" His Decode Talker and Firewall Dragon both produced a blast of blue light that struck Morningstar's field. When the smoke cleared, Wanderer was the only monster left.

Morningstar grit his teeth. "Since Cyspirit Lancer left the field, Wanderer loses 300 attack points."

Cyspirit Wanderer ATK 2500→2200

"Battle!" Playmaker declared. "Decode Talker, attack Cyspirit Wanderer! Decode End!" Decode End swung its sword and struck Wanderer, destroying it. Morningstar winced from the explosion.

Morningstar: 2300→1700 LP

"Hehe!" Ai laughed. "You only have 1700 Life Points left! Firewall Dragon's attack will end this!"

"Go, Firewall Dragon! Attack Morningstar directly! Tempest Attack!" Firewall Dragon's wings transformed into eight pieces that formed rings of energy around it. Firewall Dragon gathered red energy above its mouth that it blasted at Morningstar.

"Yes!" Ai cheered. "This duel is over!"

"Are you sure about that?" Playmaker gasped at Morningstar's words.

"Counter Trap activate! Cyspirit Barricade! 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, blocking Firewall Dragon's attack.

"Eh?" Ai said. "No fair! We were so close!"

"Barricade has two more effects!" Morningstar revealed. "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. Return to me, Cyspirit Pied Pikeman!" His guardsman reappeared as it twirled its pike.

Cyspirit Pied Pikeman ATK 2400→2700 LINK-3 ↙↑→

"He got his monster back?" Ai asked. "Wait… he said his Trap Card had two more effects. What's the next one?"

"The next effect," Morningstar answered, "deals you damage equal to the difference between my Life Points and Pied Pikeman's attack points!"

"EH!?" Ai said. "But you have 1700 Life Points and Pied Pikeman's original attack points were 2400. That means-!"

"700 points of damage," Playmaker finished.

"You only have 600 Life Points," Morningstar reminded Playmaker. "This is the end!" His Trap blasted Playmaker, but before it hit-.

"I activate the Quick-Play Spell: Security Port!" Playmaker said. The card showed three monsters – one blue, one green, and one red – with a mask in front of them made from their faces. "If I would take damage while I control a Cyberse monster, I can negate that damage!" The light from Cyspirit Barricade fizzled out. "Then, I draw one card!" He looked at his card, then gestured to Firewall Dragon.

"Firewall Dragon's monster effect! For every monster that is co-linked to this card, I can return a monster on our fields or Graveyards to our hands once! Firewall Dragon is co-linked to Decode Talker. I'll use its effect to return Pied Pikeman to your Extra Deck! Emergency Escape!" Blue lightning emerged from Firewall Dragon's head and hit Pied Pikeman, who disintegrated. Morningstar took the card from his Duel Disk and placed it back in his Extra Deck.

"I Set two cards," Playmaker said. "I end my turn."

"My turn! Draw!" Morningstar looked at his card, then at Playmaker. "Playmaker, you have shown me your true ace monster. I'll do you a favor and show you mine."

"Eh?" Ai asked. "Does that mean you're bringing Datastorm Dragon back?"

"No," Morningstar said, surprising Ai and Playmaker. "In terms of attack points, Datastorm Dragon is my strongest monster. But… I have one monster that can become far stronger!" He gestured to his Field Spell.

"I activate the effect of Cyspirit Sanctuary! As I control no monsters, I Special Summon Cyspirit Lancer from the Graveyard!" His Lancer returned, summoned to Firewall Dragon's top Link Marker.

Cyspirit Lancer ATK 1800→2100

"Cyspirit Lancer is in Attack Position. That means all 'Cyspirit' monsters gain 300 attack points! Digital Charge!"

Cyspirit Lancer ATK 2100→2400

"Next, I activate the effect of Cyspirit Teleporter in my Graveyard! By banishing it, I can Special Summon a Level 3 or lower 'Cyspirit' monster from my Graveyard. Return to me, Cyspirit Dancer!" The skeleton in a leotard reappeared.

Cyspirit Dancer ATK 1000→1600 DEF 200→500 LVL: 2

"Since you control a Link Monster and I do not, I can Special Summon this monster: Cyspirit Tunnel Tyke!" A dwarf skeleton in a prospector's uniform with two metal arms and carrying a crank drill appeared on his field. Its head was disproportionately large, with a single red eye glaring at Playmaker.

Cyspirit Tunnel Tyke ATK 200→800 DEF 500→800 LVL: 2

"That little monster is no threat to us!" Ai said.

"I activate the effect of Cyspirit Wanderer in the Graveyard!" Morningstar said, ignoring Ai. "By shuffling this card back into my Deck, I can Special Summon a 'Cyspirit' Link Monster from my Graveyard, but the summoned monster cannot declare an attack this turn. Return to me, Mad Mongrel!"

Cyspirit Mad Mongrel ATK 2000→2600 LINK-2 ↑↓

"Next, I summon Cyspirit Saver!" The dwarf skeleton carrying a shield appeared.

Cyspirit Saver ATK 0→600 DEF 1300→1600 LVL: 2

"I activate the effect of Cyberse Infinite Coding! By removing two Cyberse Counters, I draw one card!"

Cyberse Infinite Coding: 5 CC→3 CC

"He has a field full of monsters!" Ai screeched. "This is bad, Playmaker!" Playmaker just narrowed his eyes in response.

Morningstar closed his eyes, then opened them again. "Appear! The circuit between light and darkness!" The Link portal appeared above him as he raised his arm. "Arrowheads confirmed! The summoning conditions are three or more 'Cyspirit' monsters! I set Cyspirit Dancer, the Link 2 Cyspirit Mad Mongrel, and Cyspirit Saver in the Link Markers!" His monsters entered the left, right, top-left, and top-right arrows, turning them red.

"Circuit combine! The galaxy's rage that breaks all limitations! Link Sumon! Take flight! Link 4! Cyspirit Neo Nova!"

A black dragon skeleton appeared on Morningstar's field before skin grew over the bones. The dragon had dark silver armor covering its upper torso and legs with midnight black skin underneath. Its long black tail ended in a white star, while its large wings had dark silver spines and black membranes between them with white dots all over them. Its reared its dark silver head and showed its blue and red eyes and roared in triumph as it was summoned to the Extra Monster Zone and Infinite Coding gained another Cyberse Counter.

Cyspirit Neo Nova ATK 2500→3100 LINK-4 ↖←↗→

Cyberse Infinite Coding: 3 CC→4 CC

"What the-?" Ai said, his eyes wide at the monster before him. "What kind of monster is this? And why does it look like Firewall Dragon?"

Playmaker narrowed his eyes at the dragon in front of him. Ai was right that Neo Nova resembled Firewall Dragon, but there was more to it than that. He could feel something from this monster. Something he hadn't from any of the other Cyspirit monsters. It was… deep rage. And hatred. But at what?

"Since I Link Summoned Neo Nova using Cyspirit Dancer," Morningstar said, interrupting Playmaker's thoughts, "Neo Nova gains 600 attack points."

Cyspirit Neo Nova ATK 3100→3700

"I now activate the effect of Cyspirit Sanctuary to move Neo Nova to a different Zone!" Morningstar said. "I move Neo Nova to my center Main Monster Zone."

Playmaker narrowed his eyes as Neo Nova changed places. From that location, it could point to four monsters at once and use all its effects.

"Neo Nova's first effect! Orbital Gain!" Morningstar declared. "Once per turn, I can draw one card for each monster it points to. But, during the End Phase, I must send an equal number of cards from the top of my Deck to the Graveyard."

He placed his hand on the top of his Deck and closed his eyes. This will likely be my last turn. Cam… Sachi… I'll win for both of you. He opened his eyes and drew his cards. He looked at them and smiled.

"Playmaker," he said. "This will be my last turn." Playmaker raised an eyebrow at that. "As I control a 'Cyspirit' monster, I summon Cyspirit Navigator!" The skeleton in a pirate's outfit appeared.

Cyspirit Navigator ATK 1300→1900 DEF 1100→1400 LVL: 3

"Appear! The circuit between light and darkness!" The Link portal appeared above him again. "Arrowheads confirmed! The summoning conditions are two Level 4 or lower 'Cyspirit' monsters! I set Cyspirit Navigator and Cyspirit Tunnel Tyke in the Link Markers!" His monsters entered the left and top arrows, turning them red.

"Circuit combine! Link Summon! Appear! Link 2! Cyspirit Idealistic Idol!" The skeleton in a sleeveless indigo dress and black tights with midnight black hair appeared, summoned to Neo Nova's right Link Marker.

Cyspirit Idealistic Idol ATK 1500→2100 LINK-2 ←↑

Cyberse Infinite Coding: 4 CC→5 CC

"What?" Ai said, shocked. "Why does your monster look like Blue Angel's monsters?" Playmaker likewise was curious, but about something else as well. He felt something from this monster too, like he did from Neo Nova. Except instead of hatred and rage, he felt... sadness.

Morningstar closed his eyes, then answered. "This card doesn't symbolize Blue Angel. Not to me." He opened his eyes. "This card symbolizes my friend. The one who was there with us."

Playmaker's eyes softened. "This card reminds you of her?"

"Of what she could have been if not for the incident," he said. "I'll be honest; I'm not sure whether including this card in my Deck is honoring her in some way or insulting her, but… I think the world should know what it lost. What could have been, and what was stolen from the world because of the incident."

"Morningstar…" Playmaker muttered. Back at the bakery, Cam was crying. His sister didn't deserve her fate. She had always been the happy one, the child who could make everyone smiled. Even after their parents died in the fire, she was never sad. She was always trying to make everyone feel better. And because of the incident, that was taken away forever. Even if she started talking again, she would never be the same person she was back then. For that, Cam hated the people who kidnapped her and tortured her.

In Café Nagi, Kusanagi was also crying. He was thinking of his brother Jin, of what he was like before the incident, of what his life could have been like if he hadn't been kidnapped.

Back at the duel, Morningstar's and Playmaker's eyes were dry. But they felt the same sadness that Cam and Kusanagi felt. The feeling that something precious had been taken from the world, and it would never come back.

Morningstar closed his eyes and sighed. He opened them again and said, "I activate the Quick-Play Spell: Mystical Space Typhoon!"

"Oh no!" Ai said, startled. "That card destroys one Spell or Trap Card! Which one of ours is he going to destroy?"

"Neither," Morningstar said, confusing Ai. "I'm destroying Cyberse Infinite Coding!" His Continuous Spell disintegrated into light after he said that.

"What? Why would he-?" Ai suddenly realized the answer to his question. "His Spell Card's last effect!"

"That's right," Morningstar said. "If Cyberse Infinite Coding leaves the field while it has two or more Cyberse Counters on it, I can Special Summon one Cyberse Link Monster from my Extra Deck, so long as its Link Rating is equal to or less than the number of Cyberse Counters my Spell Card had."

"Ah!" Ai said. "Cyberse Infinite Coding had five Cyberse Counters! That means he can summon a Link 5 monster!"

"It won't be that high," Morningstar said. "In fact, I'm bringing back an old friend. Return to me, Cyspirit Datastorm Dragon!" The grey and red dragon reappeared on the field, summoned to the Extra Monster Zone.

Cyspirit Datastorm Dragon ATK 2800→3400

"This Special Summon is also treated as a Link Summon," Morningstar told Playmaker. "That means Datastorm Dragon's effects are unlocked. It also means that Idealistic Idol's effect activates! Since it points to at least one monster, you take 200 points of damage whenever a monster is Link Summoned!"

"What!?" Ai said as Idealistic Idol's wings glowed.

"Go! Ideal Light!" White light from Idealistic Idol's wings hit Playmaker, making him wince.

Playmaker: 600→400 LP

Morningstar then took a card from his hand. "I activate the Continuous Spell Card: Cyspirit Formation!" The card showed Pied Pikeman and Rapid Revolutionary with their hands gripping each other while Neo Nova roared behind them.

"With this card's effect, my monsters are protected," Morningstar said. "So long as a Link 3 or higher 'Cyspirit' monster points to at least one monster, you cannot target them with card effects and they cannot be destroyed by card effects." He remembered Playmaker's Cynet Refresh Trap Card from his Duel with Revolver. Thanks to Cyspirit Formation, that wouldn't work on his monsters. And it had another effect that would come in handy in case Playmaker was using a different strategy.

"Neo Nova's third effect! Celestial Charge!" Morningstar declared. "Once per turn, I can increase its attack points by 800 for every monster it points to. However, Neo Nova is the only monster that can declare an attack the turn I use this effect."

"What? 800 times the number of monsters it points to?" Ai asked. "That means-."

"3200 more attack points," Playmaker finished.

Cyspirit Neo Nova ATK 3700→6900

"6-6900 attack points?" Ai said. "That's overkill! His Neo Nova was already strong enough to win. Why increase its attack points?"

"Because," Morningstar answered, "I want you to see Neo Nova's full power." He gestured to Firewall Dragon. "Battle! Neo Nova, attack Firewall Dragon! Cosmic Cannon!" Neo Nova gathered white energy into its mouth, but Playmaker made his move before it could strike.

"Trap activate! Doppler Phase Coating! This card equips to a Cyberse monster I control and prevents it from being destroyed by battle once per turn! I equip it to Firewall Dragon!"

Morningstar raised an eyebrow. "Why would you activate that card? Preventing Firewall's destruction won't protect your Life Points." Then his eyes widened. "Unless-."

"I still have a card to play," Playmaker said. "I activate the Quick-Play Spell: Cynet Backdoor! This card banishes a Cyberse monster I control and lets me add a Cyberse monster with less attack points from my Deck to my hand. I banish Firewall Dragon and add Balancer Lord to my hand." As he took the card from his Deck, Firewall Dragon disappeared.

"Cynet Backdoor will return Firewall Dragon during my next Standby Phase," Playmaker said. "And when it returns, it will be able to attack you directly."

"That won't stop me from attacking your Decode Talker with Neo Nova," Morningstar pointed out. "Especially since it loses 500 attack points because it doesn't point to Firewall Dragon anymore."

Decode Talker ATK 2800→2300

"I assume your Doppler Phase Coating Trap Card has something to do with why you banished Firewall Dragon."

"It does," Playmaker affirmed. "Since Firewall Dragon left the field, Doppler Phase Coating was sent to the Graveyard. And if Doppler Phase Coating is sent to the Graveyard during the Battle Phase, the Battle Phase automatically ends." After he said that, the energy that Neo Nova was gathered dissipated as Morningstar scowled.

"I Set one card," he said. "I end my turn. And now we've reached the End Phase, three things occur. One: I must send the top three cards of my Deck to the Graveyard." He did so, sending Cyspirit Chain, Cyspirit Multiplier, and Cyspirit Replay to the Graveyard. "Two: Neo Nova loses its attack boost."

Cyspirit Neo Nova ATK 6900→3700

"Three," and on this one, Morningstar smiled. "Since I control a Link 4 or higher 'Cyspirit' Link Monster and you took no battle damage this turn, Cyspirit Formation halves your Life Points."

"What!?" Ai said, shocked. He and Playmaker then felt an intense pressure on them for a while that eventually subsided.

Playmaker: 400→200 LP

"You only have 200 Life Points left," Morningstar said. "And since Idealistic Idol's effect activates when either of us Link Summons, that means you cannot Link Summon anymore."

"We don't need to Link Summon!" Ai yelled at Morningstar. "Thanks to Cynet Backdoor's effect, when Firewall Dragon returns, we just need to attack you directly to win!" Morningstar smiled at that.

"My turn! Draw!" Playmaker drew, then said, "During my Standby Phase, Firewall Dragon returns to my field!" His dragon returned, this time summoned to the center Main Monster Zone, opposite Neo Nova.

Firewall Dragon ATK 2500 LINK-4 ←↑↓→

"Hehe!" Ai cheered. "And now we just have to attack you directly and we win!"

"I'm afraid that won't happen," Morningstar said, shocking Ai. "Trap activate! Cyspirit Route!" The card showed Cyspirit Rapid Revolutionary at a fork in the road, with one path leading towards a shadowed monster and the other leading towards a ruined landscape. "This card activates if a Link Monster is Special Summoned to your field from somewhere other than your Extra Deck. This card then targets the monster you summoned and a 'Cyspirit' Link Monster on my field. I target Neo Nova!" A path of light appeared on the ground, connecting Firewall Dragon to Neo Nova.

"What is this?" Ai asked. "What did you do to Firewall Dragon?"

"My Trap Card does two things," Morningstar explained. "First: it makes it so that Firewall Dragon is the only monster that can declare an attack this turn. Second: Firewall Dragon can only declare an attack against Neo Nova."

"Eh?" Ai said. "But Neo Nova has more attack points than Firewall Dragon. We'll just not att-."

"Playmaker doesn't have a choice," Morningstar interrupted. "If we reach the End Phase, and Firewall Dragon or Neo Nova did not battle, then Playmaker takes damage equal to their combined attack points."

This last part surprised Ai and Playmaker. "But… but that means…"

"Even if I remove Firewall Dragon, or Neo Nova from the field without attacking it," Playmaker said. "Then I'll still take 5000 points of damage."

"That's right," Morningstar said. "I told you before these would be our last turns. If you wish to win, you must do so this turn."

Playmaker stared at Morningstar, then closed his eyes. "In that case," he said. "I'm sorry. This is the end." He opened his eyes and played a card from his hand. "I activate the Equip Spell: Cyberse Advantage!" The card showed Decode Talker swinging its sword at Excode Talker. "I equip this card to Firewall Dragon!" His dragon glowed briefly as the Equip Spell was activated.

"To activate this card, I must discard Balancer Lord," Playmaker explained. "Then, Firewall Dragon gains attack points equal to Balancer Lord's!"

Firewall Dragon ATK 2500→4200

"Yes!" Ai cheered. "Now Firewall is stronger than Neo Nova!" Morningstar just narrowed his eyes.

"Battle!" Playmaker declared. "Firewall Dragon, attack Cyspirit Neo Nova! Tempest Attack!" Firewall Dragon's wings collapsed behind it and formed shards around it, creating several rings of energy around it. Firewall Dragon gathered red energy in its mouth that it fired at Neo Nova. Before it hit-.

"I activate the effect of Cyspirit Barricade in my Graveyard!" Morningstar said. "By banishing this card, one 'Cyspirit' monster I control gains 1000 attack points! Strike back, Neo Nova, with Cosmic Cannon!" Neo Nova glowed as it gathered white energy and fired back at Firewall Dragon.

Cyspirit Neo Nova ATK 3700→4700

The two blasts collided in midair and held steady. "Firewall Dragon's attack points are 4200," Morningstar said. "And Neo Nova's are 4700. You only have 200 Life Points left. That means you lose."

"No," Playmaker said. "I have come too far to lose now. I understand what you fight for. It is a worthy goal. And what you wish for… I want to forget what happened, too. But I can't. All I can do… is fight to learn the truth. And I will learn the reasons behind what happened to us!"

Playmaker gestured to Firewall Dragon. "I activate the effect of the equipped Cyberse Advantage! If the equipped monster attacks a monster with higher attack points, I can Tribute one Cyberse Link Monster except Firewall Dragon, and increase Firewall's attack points by that monster's attack points!"

"What?" Morningstar said, surprised.

"I Tribute Decode Talker!" The said monster disintegrated into light that flew towards Firewall Dragon. "And now Firewall Dragon gains 2300 attack points!"

Firewall Dragon ATK 4200→6500

"End this, Firewall Dragon!" Playmaker said. The stream of red energy increased in strength until it overpowered the white stream. As it headed towards Neo Nova, Morningstar just watched, then closed his eyes.

"You win."

The blast hit, causing a massive explosion. The force of it threw smoke everywhere, so that Playmaker couldn't see a thing. But he didn't need to. He knew what he would see when the smoke cleared.

Once it cleared, Playmaker saw Morningstar was standing right where he'd been, his eyes still closed. His monsters faded away as his Life Points dropped to 0.

Morningstar: 1700→0 LP

"Yasu!" Cam yelled, staring at the screen in shock. Did Yasutake… just lose?

"Yes!" Kusanagi cheered, standing up then sitting down in his chair. He brought a hand to his face and closed his eyes, exhausted from stress. "Yusaku won. Yusaku beat Morningstar."

"We did it!" Ai cheered. "We did it! We did it! We-!"

"Be quiet," Playmaker said. He walked over to Morningstar as the transparent dome around them started to disintegrate. He checked his Duel Disk and saw the Data Anchor was no longer keeping him from logging out. He would do so, but he needed to talk to Morningstar first.

When he reached Morningstar, the latter had opened his eyes. "This isn't over," he said. "I promised to retrieve the AI for SOL. I still intend to do so. It will just have to wait for a while."

"Understood," Playmaker said. "But... what you said, about wanting to forget the incident. I tried that. I tried that for so long, but I couldn't. This… this is all I can do."

"And do you think it will grant you peace?" Morningstar asked. "Do you think vengeance will grant any of us peace?"

"...I don't know," Playmaker said. "I don't know if what I'm doing is right or wrong, or if it will help me or not, but… there's nothing else I can do. I have to keep doing this. But just because I do doesn't mean you have to. Please, for your own sake, don't fight Hanoi. Leave the fight to me."

Morningstar sighed. "I'm not sure I can do that," he said. "SOL pays me for defeating them, and they are such easy prey." He glanced up and narrowed his eyes. "You said you fight for a friend's brother?" Playmaker nodded. "For whatever it's worth, I hope you do find the truth. At the very least, it might help knowing why the incident happened."

Playmaker turned to walk away, but he stopped. "You asked that if you win, I tell you what I know about the incident." He turned around. "I won, but I feel that if anyone deserves to know, it's you. I'm afraid I don't know much. All I know about the incident is that it had another name." He narrowed his eyes. "The Hanoi Project."

"Hanoi Project?" Morningstar repeated, surprised. Then he narrowed his eyes. "I see. That's why you're hunting the Knights of Hanoi. You think they had something to do with the incident."

"And aside from that, I don't know anything else," Playmaker said, turning away again. "Goodbye, Morningstar."

"Bye bye!" Ai said, waving at Morningstar. "Better luck next time! Oh, and if you see him, tell Zaizen to-." Playmaker logged out before Ai could finish his message. Morningstar logged out soon after.

---

In Café Nagi, Yusaku leaned against the wall, exhausted from his duels with Ghost Girl and Morningstar.

"That was horrible," Ai said. "Two duels back to back, and especially that last one… I have to say, if Morningstar's going to duel us again, you should develop a countermeasure to his Data Anchor."

"Probably," Yusaku said before opening the door.

"Yusaku!" Kusanagi said, his relief evident. "That was a very amazing duel. I've never seen anyone push you like that."

"No one has," Yusaku answered. "Even Revolver… hopefully it will be a long time before I have to duel Morningstar again."

"I hope so, too," Kusanagi said, then he turned serious. "Are you sure Morningstar won't reveal your identity? If he tells Zaizen-."

"He won't," Yusaku said. "I know his identity, too. He knows that if he exposes us, I'll expose him. That aside, Narahiko has a strong sense of honor. He'll leave us to our business."

"I hope you're right," Kusanagi said. "Now then, why don't we analyze that backdoor program you got from Ghost Girl?"

---

Yasutake stumbled out of the sealed room as Cam caught him.

"Easy, Yasu," he said softly. "That duel was intense. Way more so than any of your previous duels."

"Tell me about it," Yasutake muttered. "I'm exhausted. I imagine Fujiki feels worse, having dueled twice."

Cam frowned at Yasutake. "How do you feel about that? About Playmaker knowing who you are?"

"He won't expose me," Yasutake said confidently. "It's a Mexican standoff: I can't expose him without exposing myself, and vice versa. Besides, I get the feeling he's a little protective of me. Because of the incident."

"The incident…" Cam muttered. "I heard what he said. The Hanoi Project. That name suggests it was a research project, which meant it had backers, most likely corporate. And the largest company in Virtual Reality is-."

"SOL Technologies," Yasutake finished. "Fujiki thought there might be something in SOL's data banks about the incident, and after talking to him, I think he's right. Which reminds me…" He walked over to the computers and sat down. He smirked at the monitors. "It worked. The Data Anchor was able to copy the backdoor program from Playmaker's Duel Disk."

"So you're going after him?" Cam asked. "To stop him or access the data bank yourself?"

"The latter," Yasutake answered. "I think he deserves a break from dueling me after this. And if I can access the data bank myself, maybe I can find something about the incident."

"You do know that if Bishop finds out about this, he'll drop the contract?" Cam asked. "He'll probably never contact you for work again."

"I find that acceptable," Yasutake said. "Besides, if SOL was responsible for what happened to me, to Fujiki, to Sachi… Then I'm better off never taking another job from them again."

Yasu, Cam thought. You've always been stubborn. If someone tries to stop you from doing something, you just keep going. He smiled to himself. I'm glad we met, Yasu. That was the only good thing that came out of the incident…

---

Ten years ago…

"Sachi!" Cam screamed as he raced into the police station. Two officers came up to him and restrained him, which was easy to do, considering he was fourteen.

"Easy, kid!" One of the officers said. "Don't worry, your sister's in the back."

"I need to see her!" Cam said desperately. "I need to see my sister! She's been missing for six months! I need to see her!"

The officers looked at each other before one released him, but the other held onto him. "Very well," she said. "Come with me. But… don't be shocked by what you see."

Cam followed the officer into the back of the station. As soon as he saw a small head of green hair though, he rushed towards it.

"Sachi!" He raced up and kneeled in front of the girl. "Hey, Sachi. It's me. It's Cam, your brother. It's alright." The girl didn't respond to him. There was no light in her eyes.

"Sachi?" Cam said desperately. "Sachi?" She still didn't respond. She just stared out, her eyes empty and her face set in a haunted look.

"What's wrong with her?" he asked the officer, who was standing behind him, her face grim. "Why won't she respond to me?" The officer put a hand on his shoulder and pulled him away gently. He let her, albeit hesitantly.

"We're not completely sure," the officer said in a low voice. "Rescue workers found her, and five other children, in a small structure in the woods. From what they could tell, the children were subjected to extreme electrical shocks."

"What?" Cam said, horrified. "Who would torture children?"

"I don't know," she responded disgustingly. "But apparently this went on for a while. Most of the children are just like your sister – they won't respond to us. Or anything." She looked at Cam apologetically. "I'm sorry, kid, but I'm not sure if your sister can recover from this."

Cam soaked that in, his horror and shock growing. "You mean… she'll be like this forever?"

"We really don't know," the officer said sympathetically. "The government's been informed of this and they're offering paid therapy for all the children, at least for a while. But… I don't think your sister will ever be the same again."

No. That couldn't be right. Sachi was the strong one, the one who could find the bright side to anything. Even though he was older, Sachi was the one who gave him hope, who made everyone around her smile. She couldn't be…

Then something she said sank in. "Wait. You said most of the children were unresponsive. That means…"

"Two of them have talked," the officer said. "They haven't said much, but it's still encouraging."

"Can I talk to them?" Cam asked. "Please? This might be my only chance to understand what happened to Sachi."

The officer considered, then nodded slowly. "One of them already left," she said. "A man came by earlier and took his little brother home. Another boy went with them. That child was an orphan, so we figured he could use some help."

"And the other?"

"Is in the back," she said, turning towards another door. "He's an orphan, too. Lived on the streets. No idea as to who his parents are or where they are. I don't even know how he survived on his own. The poor thing."

As they came up to the door, she said, "Take it slow with him. He's talking, but… it isn't much. Whatever happened to him and your sister affected him deeply."

"What's his name?"

The officer looked at him as she opened the door. "Narahiko. Yasutake Narahiko."

---

Morningstar vs. Playmaker

Turn 1: Morningstar

Morningstar Normal Summons Cyspirit Lancer (1800/0/4). Since Lancer is in Attack Position, all "Cyspirit" monsters gain 300 ATK (Lancer: 1800→2100). Morningstar activates the Spell Card Cyspirit Blast, negating Lancer's effects until the End Phase (Lancer: 2100→1800) and inflicting damage to Playmaker equal to half Lancer's original ATK (Playmaker: 4000→3100 LP). Morningstar Sets 1 card. He ends his turn. Since it is the End Phase, the effect of Cyspirit Blast ends, and Lancer's effect resumes (Lancer: 1800→2100).

Turn 2: Playmaker

Playmaker draws. As he controls no monsters, Playmaker Special Summons Linkslayer (2000/600/5) from his hand in Attack Position via its own effect. He Normal Summons Cyberse Wizard (1800/800/4). Playmaker activates the effect of Linkslayer, discarding 1 card (Dual Assembwurm) to target and destroy 1 Spell/Trap Card on the field. He destroys Morningstar's face-down card (Cyspirit Battle Barrier). Playmaker activates the effect of Wizard, allowing him to change a monster on the field from Attack Position to Defense Position and letting Cyberse monsters inflict piercing battle damage this turn, but Playmaker's monsters can only attack the affected monster this turn. Playmaker targets Lancer. Since it switched to Defense Position, Lancer's effect ends (Lancer: 2100→1800). Linkslayer attacks and destroys Lancer, but Morningstar activates the effect of Cyspirit Battle Barrier in his GY. Since he controls a "Cyspirit" monster or has 1 in his GY, he banishes Battle Barrier, he takes no damage from the battle, and the Battle Phase ends. Since Morningstar now controls no monsters, he draws cards equal to the number of monsters Playmaker controls. Morningstar draws 2 cards. Playmaker Sets 1 card. He ends his turn.

Turn 3: Morningstar

Morningstar draws. He activates the Continuous Spell Card Cyberse Infinite Coding. Now, whenever a Cyberse Link Monster is Link Summoned, a Cyberse Counter is placed on Infinite Coding. Since Playmaker controls monsters and he doesn't, Morningstar Special Summons Cyspirit Swordsman (1200/900/3) from his hand. Since Swordsman was Special Summoned via its own effect, Morningstar adds Cyspirit Pilot from his Deck to his hand. Morningstar Normal Summons Cyspirit Dancer (1000/200/2). Since Dancer was Normal Summoned, Morningstar Special Summons Cyspirit Changer (200/100/1) from his Deck. Morningstar uses Cyspirit Changer to Link Summon Cyspirit Cacophonic Caller (500/1/↓) to the Extra Monster Zone. As a Cyberse Link Monster was Link Summoned, Cyberse Infinite Coding gains 1 Cyberse Counter (Infinite Coding: 0 CC→1 CC). Morningstar activates the effect of Cacophonic Caller, Special Summoning Cyspirit Teleporter (500/1500/3) from his Deck to its Link Marker, but it cannot attack and is destroyed during the End Phase. Morningstar uses Cyspirit Cacophonic Caller, Cyspirit Dancer, and Cyspirit Swordsman to Link Summon Cyspirit Rapid Revolutionary (2200/3/↙↑↓) to the Extra Monster Zone (Infinite Coding: 1 CC→2 CC). Since Dancer was used to Link Summon a "Cyspirit" Link Monster, Rapid Revolutionary gains 600 ATK (Rapid Revolutionary: 2200→2800). Since he controls a "Cyspirit" monster, Morningstar Special Summons Cyspirit Linker (1700/800/4) to Rapid Revolutionary's bottom-left Link Marker.

Morningstar activates the effect of Infinite Coding, removing 2 Cyberse Counters (Infinite Coding: 2 CC→0 CC) to draw 1 card. Morningstar activates the effect of Cyspirit Changer in his GY, banishing it since he controls a "Cyspirit" monster and switching Cyberse Wizard and Linkslayer to Defense Position. Rapid Revolutionary attacks Linkslayer, and since it points to at least 1 monster, it gains 500 ATK as it is battling a non-Link Monster (Rapid Revolutionary: 2800→3300). Playmaker activates his face-down Quick-Play Spell Security Block, targeting Cyberse Wizard. This turn, neither player takes battle damage and Cyberse Wizard cannot be destroyed by battle. Rapid Revolutionary destroys Linkslayer (Rapid Revolutionary: 3300→2800). Morningstar Sets 1 card. He activates the Spell Card Cyspirit Deletion, targeting Cyberse Wizard. He sends Cyspirit Teleporter on his field to the GY and sends Cyberse Wizard to the GY. Since the monster he sent to the GY was a "Cyspirit" monster, Morningstar draws 1 card. He ends his turn.

Turn 4: Playmaker

Playmaker draws. He Normal Summons Draconnet (1400/1200/3). As Draconnet was Normal Summoned, Playmaker activates its effect, letting him Special Summon a Level 2 or lower Normal Monster from his hand or Deck in Defense Position. Playmaker Special Summons Bitron (200/2000/2) from his Deck in Defense Position. Playmaker uses Bitron to Link Summon Link Spider (1000/1/↓) to the right Extra Monster Zone. As a Cyberse Link Monster was Link Summoned, Cyberse Infinite Coding gains 1 Cyberse Counter (Infinite Coding: 0 CC→1 CC). Playmaker activates the effect of Link Spider, letting him Special Summon a Level 4 or lower Normal Monster from his hand to a zone Link Spider points to. Playmaker Special Summons Digitron (1500/0/2). Playmaker activates the effect of Dual Assembwurm in his GY, banishing Linkslayer and Cyberse Wizard in his GY to Special Summon it with its ATK halved (2800→1400/1000/8). Playmaker uses Digitron and Draconnet to Link Summon Honeybot (1900/2/←→) to Link Spider's Link Marker (Infinite Coding: 1 CC→2 CC). Playmaker activates the Spell Card Link Treasure, drawing 1 card for every face-up Link Monster on the field. There are 3, so Playmaker draws 3 cards. Since Playmaker controls a Cyberse monster, he Special Summons Backup Secretary (1200/800/3) from his hand. Playmaker uses Backup Secretary, Dual Assembwurm, and Link Spider to Link Summon Decode Talker (2300/3/↙↑↘) to Honeybot's left Link Marker (Infinite Coding: 2 CC→3 CC).

Playmaker activates the Continuous Spell Card Cyberse Dimension, targeting Honeybot for its effect. Honeybot is banished. Playmaker activates the Equip Spell Cyberse Annihilation, equipping it to Decode Talker. If the equipped monster attacks one of Morningstar's monsters, its ATK becomes equal to that monster's ATK during damage calculation and if the equipped monster destroys a monster by battle, Annihilation will inflict damage equal to that monster's ATK. Playmaker activates the effect of Cyberse Dimension, destroying it and Special Summoning Honeybot (1900/2/←→), then drawing 1 card since Honeybot was a Link Monster. Decode Talker attacks Rapid Revolutionary (Decode Talker: 2300→2800). The effect of Honeybot prevents monsters it points to from being destroyed by battle. Rapid Revolutionary is destroyed (Decode Talker: 2800→2300). As the equipped monster destroyed a monster by battle, the effect of Annihilation activates inflicting damage to Morningstar equal to the destroyed monster's ATK. Morningstar activates his face-down Counter Trap Cyspirit Defense. Since he would take damage from a card effect while he controls a "Cyspirit" monster, the damage is halved (Morningstar: 4000→2600 LP) and Morningstar can return 1 banished card to its controller's GY. He returns Cyspirit Battle Barrier to his GY. Honeybot attacks and destroys Linker, but Morningstar activates the effect of Battle Barrier in his GY, banishing it to take no damage from the battle and end the Battle Phase. Since he controls no monsters, he draws cards equal to the number of monsters Playmaker controls. Morningstar draws 2 cards. Playmaker Sets 1 card. He ends his turn.

Turn 5: Morningstar

Morningstar draws. He activates the Field Spell Cyspirit Sanctuary, increasing the ATK/DEF of all "Cyspirit" monsters he controls by 300. Since he controls no monsters, he activates its effect to Special Summon a "Cyspirit" monster from his GY. He Special Summons Cyspirit Lancer (1800→2100/0→300/4). Since Lancer is in Attack Position, all "Cyspirit" monsters gain 300 ATK (Lancer: 2100→2400). Since there is a Cyberse Link Monster on the field, Morningstar Special Summons Cyspirit Prisoner (1600→2200/2100→2400/5) from his hand. He Normal Summons Cyspirit Pilot (1100→1700/300→600/3). Morningstar uses Cyspirit Pilot and Cyspirit Prisoner to Link Summon Cyspirit Mad Mongrel (2000→2600/↑↓) to the Extra Monster Zone (Infinite Coding: 3 CC→4 CC). Since Cyspirit Prisoner was used to Link Summon a "Cyspirit" Link Monster, Morningstar can add 1 "Cyspirit" card from his Deck to his hand. He adds Cyspirit Reinforcements. Morningstar activates the effect of Infinite Coding, removing 2 Cyberse Counters to draw 1 card (Infinite Coding: 4 CC→2 CC). Morningstar activates the effect of Cyspirit Sanctuary. Since he controls a "Cyspirit" Link Monster, he can target 1 face-up monster on the field and move it to an unoccupied Main Monster Zone on its controller's field. He moves Honeybot to Mad Mongrel's top Link Marker.

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 as the monster in the GY, then use it and Mad Mongrel to Link Summon a "Cyspirit" Link Monster. Morningstar targets Honeybot on Playmaker's field and Cacophonic Caller in his GY. Morningstar uses the Link 2 Mad Mongrel and the Link 2 Honeybot to Link Summon Datastorm Dragon (2800→3400/4/↙↑↓↘) to the Extra Monster Zone (Infinite Coding: 2 CC→3 CC). Morningstar activates the Spell Card Cyspirit Reinforcements, allowing him to target a Level 6 or lower "Cyspirit" monster in his GY. He can then Special Summon that monster. He targets and Special Summons Cyspirit Linker (1700→2300/800→1100/4) from his GY in Attack Position to Datastorm Dragon's bottom-right Link Marker. Morningstar activates the Spell Card Cyspirit Storm. Since he controls a "Cyspirit" Link Monster that points to at least 2 monsters, he can destroy 1 Spell/Trap Card on the field. He destroys Cyberse Annihilation. Morningstar activates the effect of Cyspirit Deletion in his GY, banishing it and targeting Datastorm Dragon; now all battle damage Datastorm Dragon inflicts this turn is doubled.

Datastorm Dragon attacks and destroys Decode Talker, with Datastorm Dragon's effect halving the battle damage but Cyspirit Deletion's doubling it (Playmaker: 3100→2000 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 for each monster it destroyed during the Battle Phase. It destroyed 1, so Playmaker takes 500 damage. As an effect that would inflict damage was activated, Playmaker activates his face-down Counter Trap Link Restart, which negates the effect. Playmaker activates the other effect of Link Restart in his GY, banishing it to Special Summon a Link Monster from his GY. Playmaker Special Summons Decode Talker (2300/3/↙↑↘). Morningstar Sets 1 card. He ends his turn.

Turn 6: Playmaker

Playmaker draws. He activates the Spell Card Link Treasure Ticket, targeting Decode Talker. Since Decode Talker is Link-3, he draws 3 cards, then sends the top 3 cards of his Deck to the GY (Cynet Defrag, Dotscaper, and Stack Reviver). Since Dotscaper was sent to the GY, Playmaker can Special Summon it (0/2100/1) in Attack Position. Playmaker Normal Summons Cyberse Gadget (1400/300/4). As it was Normal Summoned, Playmaker activates the effect of Cyberse Gadget to Special Summon a Level 2 or lower monster from his GY with its effects negated. He Special Summons Stack Reviver in Defense Position (100/600/2). Playmaker uses Cyberse Gadget and Stack Reviver to Link Summon Underclock Taker (1000/2/←↓) to the Extra Monster Zone (Infinite Coding: 3 CC→4 CC). As it was sent from the field to the GY, Playmaker activates the other effect of Cyberse Gadget, which lets him Special Summon a Gadget Token (0/0/2). As it was used as a material for a Link Summon, Playmaker activates the effect of Stack Reviver, which lets him Special Summon a Level 4 or lower Cyberse monster that was used for that Link Summon from his GY in Defense Position. He Special Summons Cyberse Gadget (1400/300/4). Since Decode Talker points to a monster, it gains 500 ATK (Decode Talker: 2300→2800). Playmaker activates Cyberse Cache, allowing him to draw 2 cards as he controls a Cyberse monster whose current ATK is different from its original ATK. Playmaker activates the effect of Underclock Taker, decreasing the ATK of a monster Morningstar controls by the current ATK of a monster that Underclock Taker points to. He tries to decrease the ATK of Datastorm Dragon by that of Decode Talker, but Morningstar activates the effect of Cyspirit Storm in his GY, banishing it to negate the activation of an effect that would change the ATK of exactly 1 "Cyspirit" monster he controls.

Playmaker uses the Link 2 Underclock Taker and Gadget Token to Link Summon Encode Talker (2300/3/↑↓↘) to the Extra Monster Zone (Infinite Coding: 4 CC→5 CC). Playmaker uses Cyberse Gadget and Dotscaper to Link Summon Flame Administrator (1200/2/←↘) to Encode Talker's bottom-right Link Marker. So long as Flame Administrator is on the field, all Link Monsters Playmaker controls gain 800 ATK (Decode Talker: 2800→3600) (Encode Talker: 2300→3100) (Flame Administrator: 1200→2000). Decode Talker attacks Datastorm Dragon, but Morningstar activates the effect of the Cyspirit Gardna in his hand, Special Summoning it (1000→1600/2000→2300/4) in Defense Position to Datastorm Dragon's bottom-left Link Marker since his opponent attacked a "Cyspirit" monster, and making it the attack target instead. Decode Talker attacks Cyspirit Gardna, whose effect prevents its destruction by that battle. Flame Administrator attacks Datastorm Dragon, but Playmaker activates the effect of Encode Talker as a monster that it points to is attacking, preventing Flame Administrator from being destroyed by that battle and Playmaker taking no battle damage from that battle. After damage calculation, either Encode Talker or a card it points to gains ATK equal to the current ATK of Datastorm Dragon. He chooses to increase the ATK of Encode Talker by the ATK of Datastorm Dragon (Encode Talker: 3100→6500).

Encode Talker attacks Cyspirit Lancer, but Morningstar activates the effect of Cyspirit Reinforcements in his GY, banishing it since a non-Link "Cyspirit" monster he controls was selected as an attack target and changing the attack target to a "Cyspirit" Link Monster he controls. He chooses Datastorm Dragon. Encode Talker attacks Datastorm Dragon and destroys it, but the effect of Cyspirit Gardna halves the battle damage (Morningstar: 2600→1050 LP). Morningstar activates his face-down Trap Card Cyspirit Backup, targeting Datastorm Dragon in his GY. Datastorm Dragon returns to his Extra Deck, then he can Special Summon a "Cyspirit" Link Monster from his Extra Deck whose Link Rating is lower than Datastorm Dragon's, and have this Special Summon treated as a Link Summon. He Special Summons Cyspirit Egregious Electrician (600→1200/1/↙) to the Extra Monster Zone. Since Datastorm Dragon had a Link Rating of 4, Morningstar draws 2 cards. Playmaker Sets 1 card. He ends his turn. During the End Phase, the effect of Encode Talker ends (Encode Talker: 6500→3100).

Turn 7: Morningstar

Morningstar draws. He activates the effect of Infinite Coding, removing 2 Cyberse Counters to draw 1 card (Infinite Coding: 5 CC→3 CC). Morningstar activates the effect of Egregious Electrician, moving the Cyspirit Gardna it points at to another Monster Zone and Special Summoning Cyspirit Wanderer (1900→2500/200→500/5) from his hand to the zone Egregious Electrician points to in Defense Position. Since Cyspirit Wanderer was Special Summoned by the effect of a "Cyspirit" card, it can lower the ATK of 1 of Playmaker's monster by 800. Morningstar targets Decode Talker (Decode Talker: 3600→2800). Morningstar uses Egregious Electrician, Gardna, and Linker to Link Summon Cyspirit Pied Pikeman (2400→3000/3/↙↑→) to the Extra Monster Zone (Infinite Coding: 3 CC→4 CC). Morningstar activates the effect of Pied Pikeman, changing Wanderer to Attack Position to destroy Playmaker's face-down card. Before it is destroyed, Playmaker activates the Trap Card Recoded Alive, targeting Decode Talker for its effect. Decode Talker is banished, and Playmaker can Special Summon 1 "Code Talker" monster from his Extra Deck. He Special Summons Excode Talker (2300→3100/3/←↑→) to Encode Talker's bottom Link Marker. Monsters Excode Talker points to gain 500 ATK and cannot be destroyed by card effects (Encode Talker: 3100→3600) (Flame Administrator: 2000→2500). Morningstar activates the effect of Cyspirit Sanctuary, targeting Encode Talker and moving it to Pied Pikeman's top Link Marker (Encode Talker: 3600→3100).

Pied Pikeman attacks Flame Administrator, destroying it (Playmaker: 2000→1500 LP). Since Flame Administrator left the field, its effect ends (Encode Talker: 3100→2300) (Excode Talker: 3100→2300). Since Pied Pikeman points to 2 monsters and it destroyed a monster in battle, Morningstar gains LP equal to half of Flame Administrator's ATK (Morningstar: 1050→2300 LP). Lancer attacks and destroys Encode Talker (Playmaker: 1500→1400 LP). Wanderer attacks and destroys Excode Talker (Playmaker: 1400→1200 LP). Morningstar Sets 1 card. He ends his turn.

Turn 8: Playmaker

Playmaker draws. Since he has no monsters in the Extra Monster Zone, he banishes Recoded Alive from his GY to Special Summon Decode Talker (2300/↙↑↘). Playmaker activates the effect of Dual Assembwurm in his GY, banishing Bitron and Dotscaper to Special Summon it with its ATK halved (2800→1400/1000/8). Since Dotscaper was banished, Playmaker can Special Summon it (0/2100/1). Playmaker then activates the effect of Cynet Defrag in his GY, paying half his LP to Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower Cyberse monster in his GY and equip Cynet Defrag to that monster (Playmaker: 1200→600 LP). He Special Summons Cyberse Gadget (1400/300/4). Playmaker uses Cyberse Gadget and Dual Assembwurm to Link Summon Link Bumper (1400/2/←↑) to the Extra Monster Zone (Infinite Coding: 4 CC→5 CC). Since Cyberse Gadget was sent from the field to the GY, its effect activates, Special Summoning a Gadget Token (0/0/2). Since it points to a monster, Decode Talker gains 500 ATK (Decode Talker: 2300→2800). Playmaker uses Dotscaper, Gadget Token, and the Link 2 Link Bumper to Link Summon Firewall Dragon (2500/4/←↑↓→) to the Extra Monster Zone. As he controls a monster that is Link-4 or more, Playmaker activates the Spell Card Linkage Hole to destroy monsters Morningstar controls, up to the number of monsters he controls that are Link-3 or more. Playmaker destroys Lancer and Pied Pikeman. Since Lancer is no longer on the field, Wanderer's ATK is reduced (Wanderer: 2500→2200). Decode Talker attacks and destroys Wanderer (Morningstar: 2300→1700 LP). Firewall Dragon attacks Morningstar directly, but Morningstar activates 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 or less than the damage he would have taken. He Special Summons Cyspirit Pied Pikeman (2400→2700/3/↙↑→). The effect of Cyspirit Barricade now deals damage to Playmaker equal to the difference between Pied Pikeman's ATK and Morningstar's LP. Playmaker activates the Quick-Play Spell Card Security Port, which reduces the damage to 0 since he controls a Cyberse monster and lets him draw 1 card. Playmaker activates the effect of Firewall Dragon, to return monsters on the field or in either player's GY to the hand, up to the number of monsters co-linked with Firewall Dragon. He returns Pied Pikeman to Morningstar's Extra Deck. Playmaker Sets 2 cards. He ends his turn.

Turn 9: Morningstar

Morningstar draws. Since he controls no monsters, he activates the effect of Cyspirit Sanctuary to Special Summon Cyspirit Lancer (1800→2100/0/4) from his GY. Since Lancer is in Attack Position, all "Cyspirit" monsters gain 300 ATK (Lancer: 2100→2400). Morningstar activates the effect of Cyspirit Teleporter in his GY, banishing it to Special Summon Cyspirit Dancer from his GY (1000→1600/200→500/2). Since Playmaker controls a Link Monster and he does not, Morningstar Special Summons Cyspirit Tunnel Tyke (200→800/500→800/2) from his hand. Morningstar activates the effect of Cyspirit Wanderer in his GY, shuffling it back into his Deck to Special Summon 1 "Cyspirit" Link Monster from his GY, but it cannot declare an attack this turn. He Special Summons Cyspirit Mad Mongrel (2000→2600/2/↑↓). Morningstar Normal Summons Cyspirit Saver (0→600/1300→1600/2). Morningstar activates the effect of Infinite Coding, removing 2 Cyberse Counters to draw 1 card (Infinite Coding: 5 CC→3 CC). Morningstar uses Dancer, the Link-2 Mad Mongrel, and Saver to Link Summon Cyspirit Neo Nova (2500→3100/4/↖←↗→) to the Extra Monster Zone (Infinite Coding: 3 CC→4 CC). Since Dancer was used to Link Summon a "Cyspirit" Link Monster, Neo Nova gains 600 ATK (Neo Nova: 3100→3700). Morningstar activates the effect of Cyspirit Sanctuary to move Neo Nova to his center Main Monster Zone.

Morningstar activates the effect of Neo Nova. Since it points to at least 1 monster, he can draw 1 card for each monster it points to, but during the End Phase, he must send an equal number of cards from the top of his Deck to the GY. Neo Nova points to Cyspirit Lancer, Cyspirit Tunnel Tyke, and Firewall Dragon, so Morningstar draws 3 cards. Since he controls a "Cyspirit" monster, Morningstar Special Summons Cyspirit Navigator (13001900/11001400/3). Morningstar uses Cyspirit Navigator and Cyspirit Tunnel Tyke to Link Summon Cyspirit Idealistic Idol (1500→2100/2/←↑) to Neo Nova's right Link Marker (Infinite Coding: 4 CC→5 CC). Morningstar activates the Quick-Play Spell Card Mystical Space Typhoon, destroying his Infinite Coding Continuous Spell Card. Since Infinite Coding left the field while it had 2 or more Cyberse Counters, Morningstar can Special Summon 1 Cyberse Link Monster from his Extra Deck whose Link Rating is equal to or less than the number of Cyberse Counters it had, and have it treated as a Link Summon. Morningstar Special Summons Cyspirit Datastorm Dragon (2800→3400/4/↙↑↓↘) to the Extra Monster Zone. Since this Special Summon is considered a Link Summon, Idealistic Idol inflicts 200 damage to Playmaker as it points to at least 1 monster (Playmaker: 600→400 LP).

Morningstar activates the Continuous Spell Card Cyspirit Formation. So long as they point to at least 1 monster, Link-3 and higher "Cyspirit" monsters cannot be targeted by Playmaker's card effects and they cannot be destroyed by his card effects. Morningstar activates the effect of Neo Nova, increasing its ATK by 800 for every monster it points to until the End Phase, but no other monsters can declare an attack (Neo Nova: 3700→6900). Neo Nova attacks Firewall Dragon, but Playmaker activates his face-down Trap Card Doppler Phase Coating, equipping it to a Cyberse monster he controls and preventing it from being destroyed by battle once per turn. He equips it to Firewall Dragon. Neo Nova's attack continues, but Playmaker activates his face-down Quick-Play Spell Card Cynet Backdoor to banish a Cyberse monster he controls then adding a Cyberse monster with ATK less than that monster's ATK from his Deck to his hand. During his next Standby Phase, the banished monster is returned to the field and it can attack directly that turn. He banishes Firewall Dragon and adds Balancer Lord to his hand. As it was sent to the GY during the Battle Phase, the effect of Doppler Phase Coating activates, ending the Battle Phase. Morningstar Sets 1 Card. He ends his turn, and he then sends the top 3 cards of his Deck to the GY (Cyspirit Chain, Cyspirit Multiplier, and Cyspirit Replay) and Neo Nova losses its ATK boost (Neo Nova: 6900→3700). In addition, since he controls a Link-4 or higher "Cyspirit" monster and Playmaker took no battle damage this turn, Cyspirit Formation halves his LP (Playmaker: 400→200 LP).

Turn 10: Playmaker

Playmaker draws. During the Standby Phase, Firewall Dragon returns to the field, to Playmaker's center Main Monster Zone (2500/4/←↑↓→). Since a Link Monster was Special Summoned to Playmaker's field from somewhere other the Extra Deck, Morningstar activates his face-down Trap Card Cyspirit Route, targeting Firewall Dragon and Neo Nova for its effect. Now, only Firewall Dragon can declare an attack this turn, and it can only attack Neo Nova. And then, during the End Phase, if Firewall Dragon or Neo Nova did not battle, Playmaker takes damage equal to their combined ATK. Playmaker activates the Equip Spell Card Cyberse Advantage, equipping it to Firewall Dragon and discarding Balancer Lord to increase Firewall Dragon's ATK by Balancer Lord's (Firewall Dragon: 2500→4200). Firewall Dragon attacks Neo Nova. Morningstar activates the effect of Cyspirit Barricade in his GY, banishing it to increase the ATK of 1 "Cyspirit" monster he controls by 1000 (Neo Nova: 3700→4700). Since the equipped monster is attacking a monster with higher ATK, Playmaker activates the effect of Cyberse Advantage. He Tributes Decode Talker to increase Firewall Dragon's ATK by Decode Talker's ATK until the end of the Damage Step (Firewall Dragon: 4200→6500). The attack continues, and Neo Nova is destroyed (Morningstar: 1700→0 LP). Playmaker wins.

---

Cyspirit Prisoner

Attribute: LIGHT Type: [Cyberse/Effect] ATK 1600 DEF 2100 Level: 5

If there is a Cyberse Link Monster on the field; you can Special Summon this card (from your hand). If this card is used as material for the Link Summon of a "Cyspirit" Link Monster: You can add 1 "Cyspirit" card from your Deck to your hand. You can only use this effect of "Cyspirit Prisoner" once per turn.

Cyspirit Tunnel Tyke

Attribute: LIGHT Type: [Cyberse/Effect] ATK 200 DEF 500 Level: 2

If your opponent controls a Link Monster and you do not, you can Special Summon this card (from your hand). You can send this face-up card on your field to your GY: Special Summon 1 Link-2 or lower "Cyspirit" Link Monster from your GY. You can only activate each effect of "Cyspirit Tunnel Tyke" once per turn.

Cyberse Infinite Coding Continuous Spell Card

Each time a Cyberse Link Monster is Link Summoned: place 1 Cyberse Counter on this card (max. 5). Once per turn: you can remove 2 Cyberse Counters from this card; draw 1 card. If this card leaves the field while it has 2 or more Cyberse Counters on it: Special Summon 1 Cyberse Link Monster from your Extra Deck (this Special Summon is treated as a Link Summon) whose Link Rating is equal to or less than the number of Cyberse Counters on this card when it was removed from the field.

Cyspirit Deletion Normal Spell Card

Target 1 face-up Cyberse monster you control and 1 face-up monster your opponent controls: send both cards to the GY. If 1 of the sent cards was a "Cyspirit" monster; draw 1 card. You can banish this card from your GY: Target 1 "Cyspirit" Link Monster on your field; this turn, all battle damage that monster inflicts is doubled.

Link Treasure Normal Spell Card

Draw 1 card for each face-up Link Monster on the field. You can only activate "Link Treasure" once per turn.

Cyberse Dimension Continuous Spell Card

Select 1 Cyberse monster you control: banish it. You can send this face-up card to the GY; return the selected monster to the field, and if it was a Link Monster, draw 1 card.

Cyspirit Sanctuary Field Spell Card

All "Cyspirit" monsters you control gain 300 ATK/DEF. If you control no monsters: you can Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower "Cyspirit" monster from your GY. You cannot Special Summon monsters, except "Cyspirit" monsters, the turn you activate this effect. If you control a "Cyspirit" Link Monster: you can target 1 face-up monster on the field; move it to a Main Monster Zone on its controller's field. You can only activate each effect of "Cyspirit Sanctuary" once per turn.

Cyspirit Reinforcements Normal Spell Card

If you control two or more face-up "Cyspirit" monsters: target 1 Level 6 or lower "Cyspirit" monster in your GY; Special Summon that monster in Attack Position. If your opponent targets a non-Link "Cyspirit" monster for an attack while you control a "Cyspirit" Link Monster, you can banish this card from your GY; change the attack target to a face-up "Cyspirit" Link Monster you control.

Cyspirit Storm Normal Spell Card

If you control a "Cyspirit" Link Monster that points to at least 2 monsters: Destroy 1 Spell/Trap Card on the field. When a card or effect is activated that would change the ATK of exactly 1 "Cyspirit" monster on your field, while this card is in the GY: You can banish this card from your GY; negate the activation of that card or effect.

Link Treasure Ticket Normal Spell Card

Target 1 Link Monster you control; draw cards equal to its Link Rating, then send an equal number of cards from the top of your Deck to the GY. You can only activate 1 "Link Treasure Ticket" once per turn.

Security Port Quick-Play Spell Card

If you would take effect damage while you control a face-up Cyberse monster: reduce the damage to 0 and draw 1 card.

Cyspirit Formation Continuous Spell Card

If at least 1 Link-3 or higher "Cyspirit" Link Monster(s) you control points to at least 1 monster: your opponent cannot target them with card effects and they cannot be destroyed by card effects. During your End Phase, if you control a Link-4 or higher "Cyspirit" Link Monster and your opponent took no battle damage this turn: halve your opponent's LP. Destroy this card if you control no "Cyspirit" monsters.

Cyspirit Route Normal Trap Card

If a Link Monster is Special Summoned to your opponent's field (except from the Extra Deck): target 1 Link Monster on your opponent's field and 1 "Cyspirit" Link Monster on your field. The targeted monster your opponent controls can only attack the targeted monster you control, and no other monsters your opponent controls can declare an attack. During the End Phase, if one of the targeted monsters did not battle this turn: inflict damage to your opponent equal to their combined ATK.

Cyberse Advantage Equip Spell Card

Equip only to a Link-3 or higher Cyberse Link Monster. When this card is activated: send 1 Cyberse monster in your hand to the GY; the equipped monster gains ATK equal to the sent monster's ATK. If the equipped monster attacks an opponent's monster with higher ATK: you can Tribute 1 Cyberse Link Monster you control except the equipped monster; the equipped monster gains ATK equal to the Tributed monster's ATK until the end of the Damage Step. During your End Phase, destroy this card. You can only control 1 "Cyberse Advantage".

---

Chapter Preview

Next time on Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS: Hidden Memories. Chapter 7 - The Hanoi Project

---

Responses to Reviews & Author's Notes

Thank you to sanedimentio, D3lph0xL0v3r, FanficCrossoverMaster15, and HunterHQ for reviewing the last chapter. Credit to sanedimentio for the creation of Cyspirit Tunnel Tyke. I also wish to confirm that, yes, sanedimentio, you are very evil for thinking up Mad Mongrel's effects. And I thank you for that.

In response to D3lph0xL0v3r's question about how Morningstar knows Playmaker's identity, he learned back in Chapter 4 when Yusaku brought Aoi Zaizen to the hospital, as he wouldn't have known she was up there unless he knew she was Blue Angel, something only a hacker could learn. And like Morningstar said in this chapter, he has no intention of revealing Playmaker's identity to SOL or anyone; he only wants Ai, he doesn't want to ruin Yusaku's life.

Okay, this chapter took a lot of time to write, especially the duel. I had to redo the ending to it at least three times. I always intended for Playmaker to win, as he has to in order for the plot to move forward. FanficCrossoverMaster15 and HunterHQ both suggested a draw, but I wanted to make it as clear-cut as possible. Also, I made it a Master duel instead of a Speed Duel primarily because I didn't want to give Playmaker a new Link Monster. Also, from what I gather, Master Duels are seen as more respectful than Speed Duels, and I wanted both of them to be able to go all out.

Aside from the duel, the focus of this chapter, and the flashbacks at the beginning and end, was to further flesh out Cam and Sachi as characters. So now we know: they were born in a well-to-do family whose house burned down, then they were sent to an orphanage and then Sachi was kidnapped. That act, even though it ruined Sachi's life, also led to Cam and Yasutake meeting.

On the topic of OCs, I have an announcement: I have two, mostly clear-cut characters that will debut soon. For spoiler reasons, I won't share much, but I will say this: the first is a young woman whose avatar's name is Lilith, and she uses the Magical Musket Deck. She is a bounty that Morningstar is hunting, but she's a very different target than he's used to. The second character is a male Knight of Hanoi who was part of the Hanoi Project with Faust, Dr. Kogami, and Kyoko Taki or Baira. His avatar's name is Terminus and he uses the Subterror archetype. I also have an idea for a third OC, a male Charisma Duelist, but I have to do a bit more work on him.

I've also decided that I will not do QOTCs, for the simple reason that I have too many questions. So instead, for this chapter and possibly the next few, I will conduct a survey: I will provide a list of possible Cyspirit Link Monster names, and people can post, either in a review, or PM, which ones they like the most. I've also set up a poll on my profile page. I can't see it, so can someone tell me if it's there or not. I will not include letters that already have Link Monsters, and I also will not include the following letters: B, H, O, S, or W. I already have ones for those that will appear, but I'm not certain on when they will appear exactly.

So, here is the list of possible Cyspirit Link Monster names: Atrocious Avenger, Finicky Fool, Giggling Giant, Jubilant Jester, Knowledgeable Knight, Labored Llama, Quixotic Queen, Useless Usurer, Vivacious Vixen, Xenodochial Xiphosura, Youthful Yodeler, Zany Zealot

If anyone wishes to suggest a better name than the ones above, they are welcome to do so.

Thank you to everyone for reading and reviewing my work. I've received a lot of positive feedback so far, and it means a lot to me. If you see any mistakes in my work, feel free to point them out; I am always looking to get better. And if anyone has any OC cards they wish to suggest, go right ahead.