Previous Chapter Updates
I'm putting this at the beginning of the chapter so people know about it: I went back to Chapter 2 to change the effect of Cyspirit Lineage so that it cannot target Link Monsters. The reason will become evident in Chapter 13. Also, I originally had Tagoma as the same age as Masako and Yasutake, but I've changed his appearance and his age so that he's in his mid-30s. The reason for that will become evident in later chapters. For those wanting his new appearance, go back to the end of Chapter 8.
Chapter 11: The War of Hanoi
Aoi walked down the street to school, feeling conflicted. She was thinking about what happened yesterday. Go had defeated Dr. Genome and retrieved the removal program for the Another virus. He'd saved a friend in the hospital. And during the duel, other Knights of Hanoi had tried to attack him, only to be stopped by Morningstar. And when it looked like Go would lose, Playmaker had shown up, and motivated Go by lying to him.
Afterwards, Go, Morningstar, and Playmaker had all decided to fight Hanoi together. Aoi had planned to fight alongside them, but…
She had walked away.
Aoi wasn't entirely sure why. Hanoi's actions were nothing short of reprehensible, and she knew they needed to be stopped. She had the skills necessary to do so, and the motivation, after her own experience as a victim of Hanoi's virus. So why was she hesitating to fight?
Against an enemy like Hanoi, you cannot have doubts, about yourself or your reasons.
Aoi frowned as she remembered Morningstar's words. He had said that before their duel, and had said he wanted to challenge her to help her find a new reason to duel. But… what was that reason? Was it her doubt over why she dueled that was holding her back? Was it because she was afraid of becoming an Another and hurting her brother again? Or was it because… because she knew she only dueled for herself, while the others dueled for selfless reasons?
"Zaizen!"
Aoi looked up and saw she had arrived at the outskirts of Den Academy. She turned at the sound of her name and saw the last person she expected to talk to her. Masako Himura walked up to her and smiled at her.
"Good morning," she said as she fell into step with Aoi. "I was wondering if you've seen Narahiko?"
Aoi raised an eyebrow. Why would she know where Yasutake was? "No, I haven't," she said. Masako looked downcast at her answer.
"Oh, I see. I thought you would know, given the two of you are friends."
"Friends?" Aoi repeated. "I don't think-."
"Aren't you?" Masako asked, frowning in confusion. "He talks to you more readily than he talks to anyone else on campus. The only reason he talks to me is because I pester him."
"That's why he talks to me, too." It was true. In all their conversations, she was the one who always initiated them. The only time he initiated communication between them was when he challenged her to a duel.
"And yet, it is obvious the two of you have some kind of bond," Masako said, her frown turning into an amused smirk. "His face is different when you talk to him. Are the two of you… close?" Her emphasis on the last word suggested several different meanings.
Aoi found her cheeks turning red. "N-No," she stammered. "W-We're just classmates. Honestly, I figured he and you were-."
"I'm aware of that rumor," Masako said, her expression turning annoyed as she looked to the side. "Honestly… whenever a guy and girl spend time together, people assume they must be dating. It's ridiculous. Though, given what I just asked, I'm not one to talk." She turned back to Aoi, her expression amused again. "But judging by your reaction, you do have some thoughts about him. Am I wrong?"
Aoi didn't answer right away. If she was being honest with herself, she wasn't sure what she felt about Yasutake Narahiko. As Morningstar, he had helped her, and she liked how he looked at her as an individual person, instead of just Akira Zaizen's little sister. But she couldn't say that she liked him as more than a friend. Being realistic, she wasn't even sure if she could call him a friend at all. He was distant to everyone, not just her, and it was obvious that he disliked interacting with people.
She did want to call him a friend, but "acquaintance" was probably more accurate.
"I don't like him in the way you are suggesting," Aoi finally said. "But I do appreciate his point of view. He's… different from everyone else."
"…I know what you mean," Masako said, her gaze turning introspective. "Ever since I transferred to this school, most of the male students has been hitting on me." And a few of the female students, she thought amusedly. "The same thing happened back in Kyoto; no matter where I went, boys always stared at me. The attention is nice for a while, but eventually you get sick of it. Narahiko is the first boy in a long time who looks at me differently."
She frowned. "He doesn't look at me like I'm an object of desire. He looks at me like I'm a person, like an actual human being… I haven't met many people who have looked at me like that."
Aoi looked at Masako out of the corner of her eye. What was she talking about? Aoi knew next to nothing about Masako's past; only that she transferred to Den Academy from Kyoto. She suspected Masako had a perverse sense of humor: she usually seemed amused by their fellow students' attempts to get closer to her. Was that a façade? Was she hiding her own pain?
"Well," Masako said abruptly. "Since Narahiko isn't here, why don't you and I hang out? I haven't had many female friends before."
"What?" Aoi said, startled. She then narrowed her eyes in suspicion. "So what is it you want? A new Duel Disk?"
Masako blinked. "Uh, no. I already got the new Duel Disk. Why would I need a second?" That was a lie; she already had two: one to wear at school, and one to wear as Lilith in LINK VRAINS.
"A job at SOL Technologies, then?"
"Ugh, no," Masako said, making a disgusted face. "Why would I ever want to work for that pig Kitamura?" Again, she thought.
Aoi blinked. That wasn't the reaction she was expecting. "You know Kitamura?"
"Only through reputation," Masako lied again. "And really, I'd rather be unemployed than work for him." Her eyes widened in pretend terror. "Wait, why are you asking me these questions? Are you telling me that if I talk to you, SOL will hire me? Does that mean I'll have to answer to that fool Kitamura for the rest of my life? Have I doomed myself simply by attempting to be friendly to you?"
"What?" Aoi asked, blinking repeatedly. She had no idea what Masako was talking about. Then she looked closer and saw the corners of Masako's mouth twitch upward. "Y-You're making fun of me!"
"Of course not," Masako said, smiling placatingly even though her eyes still showed her amusement. "I am joking, but it's not at your expense." Her expression turned serious. "Being serious though, why would you ask if I wanted a job at SOL?"
"Well… it's the reason most people talk to me," Aoi said, feeling flustered. How could this girl change her mood so quickly? Was she in a drama club?
"What do you mean?" Masako asked, looking confused.
"You… you do know who my brother is, don't you?" Aoi asked.
Masako shook her head. "No. Why? Does he work at SOL?"
"Yes," Aoi answered. "He used to be the security chief, but he was demoted recently."
"And…" Masako's eyes widened in realization. "Oh, I see. People approach you in the hope they can get a job at SOL in the future."
"…Yes," Aoi admitted. "Though… Narahiko didn't. He was the first person I met who didn't want that."
Masako smiled. "Then I'll be glad to be the second person who doesn't want that," she said. "Zaizen, I get the feeling you're a good person. I would like to be friends with you. If you don't want that, that's fine with me. But I don't care about your brother. I care about the person standing in front of me."
Aoi felt her cheeks turning red again. What… what was with this girl?
"W-Well," she said. "I-If you want to talk to me… I wouldn't object to it."
Masako's smile widened. "Thank you, Zaizen," she said. She turned from Aoi and saw the two of them were standing just outside the entrance to Den Academy's main building. "I have to get to my quantum mechanics class," she said. "I'll talk to you later, Zaizen."
"R-Right," Aoi said, turning to the left, towards her Duel Club meeting. Masako turned right and frowned to herself. She had to ask herself… why had she done that?
She and Tagoma had originally come to Den City so she could hunt Morningstar. They were low on funds, so Masako had registered as a student at Den Academy, which let them stay at their apartment for free. Besides, she needed to finish her schooling. They hadn't planned to stay in Den City too long; just for a few weeks, maybe a month at the most. And while she was at Den Academy, she decided she would have some fun; tease the boys, make the girls jealous, that sort of thing.
Then she had been hired by Terminus to observe Morningstar's dueling. She knew it would be a long job, so she decided to throw herself into her school life. Masako hadn't had much of an upbringing, but she had always been intelligent. She also decided to interact with her classmates more. For the first time in her life, she decided to at least attempt to make friends. Only to encounter someone who she wanted to be a friend, but who clearly wasn't interested.
Yasutake Narahiko, Masako mused. She wasn't sure what drew her to Yasutake in the first place. Maybe it was his demeanor; she was used to boys making fools of themselves in their efforts to impress her. Yasutake was the first boy in a long time not to do that. Or it could be because he distanced himself from everyone; for most of her life, Masako had been drawn to people like that – people who put distance between themselves and others. Took one to know one, right?
There was one other thing she suspected attracted her to Yasutake: his eyes. Not the color, but what was beyond that. She could see pain in his eyes. A deep, unspeakable pain. His eyes told her that he was someone who had suffered greatly in life. Was his pain like hers? Was she drawn to him because she felt in him a kindred spirit?
Masako smiled sadly to herself. You sound like a smitten schoolgirl, she thought. She knew what Tagoma would say to her: Focus on the mission, little girl. Feelings are irrelevant. You will leave them in the end. There is no point in becoming attached.
She had followed that advice for the past eight years, ever since Tagoma found her. It had served her well; not having to worry about becoming attached meant not having to care about how she hurt people. So why was she ignoring that advice now?
But Yasutake wasn't the only person she noticed. Aoi Zaizen also drew her attention. From first impressions, and her talk with her, Masako could tell that Aoi wanted to make friends, but was distrustful of other people. Even if Masako had to leave eventually, she wanted to help Aoi get out of her shell; the girl reminded Masako of herself before she met Tagoma.
Masako sat down at her desk in her quantum mechanics class. The lesson started soon after, and it didn't take Masako long to notice that Yasutake, who took this class with her, wasn't there. She wondered if he was sick. And if he wasn't, then what could he be doing?
Yasutake shook his head. "No," he said. "Absolutely not."
"Oh come on," Cam said, pouting. "I thought you said the disguise program was a good idea."
"It is. But not with this avatar."
"What's wrong with it? It would certainly draw Hanoi's attention to you."
Yasutake was beginning to lose his patience. "I don't care how effective it is," he said, his voice rising. "I will not disguise myself as a girl!"
The two of them were sitting in the back room of Café Junpei. Because of Hanoi's increased activity, Yasutake had decided not to go to school today so he could focus on protecting LINK VRAINS. He suspected Yusaku would be doing the same thing.
After watching the footage of Go's duel with Dr. Genome and seeing him use a program to disguise himself as Playmaker, Cam and Yasutake decided to make their own version. Such a tool would be very useful, even after the Another crisis ended. Unfortunately, Cam had decided to use said program to play a joke on Yasutake and had loaded a schoolgirl disguise.
"You have no sense of humor," Cam said, trying and failing to suppress his smile. "Just think of it: you run down the street, looking panicked and upset, and when a Knight confronts you, thinking you are a damsel in distress… you drop the disguise and scare the crap out of him!"
"Do you have any idea what could happen to my reputation if I disguise myself as a girl?" Yasutake asked Cam as he turned to the screen. It showed a pretty girl with short pink hair in a school uniform. "I'll be mocked by the online community."
"You didn't care about that when you refused to duel Blue Angel."
"That was different. This is a matter of pride." Yasutake turned back to Cam. "I'm not disguising myself as a girl. Did you download any other disguises?"
Cam sighed, disappointed in his partner. "Yeah, I downloaded a few others." He pressed a button, causing a new image to appear. It was a tall man with purple eyes, fair skin, and spiked blonde hair. He wore a long white trench coat and grey pants. Yasutake raised an eyebrow as the image lifted his right arm to the sky.
"There is only one King!" the image said in a deep, dramatic voice. "And that is me!"
Yasutake shook his head. "I thought the point of this was to make me look unthreatening. This guy is… a bit much."
"Fair enough," Cam said, nodding grudgingly. "Should I delete it?"
Yasutake thought about it and shook his head again. "No. I could probably give this one to Onizuka. He'd like it a lot. Any others?"
Cam pressed the same button, causing the man to disappear and an image of a very muscular man in a black and grey costume with a cape to appear.
"I'm Batman!" the image said in a growling voice.
Yasutake scowled and glared at Cam. "Were you looking at Internet memes when you came up with these?"
Cam chuckled nervously. "I, ah… I… don't think I can answer that honestly." He hurriedly pressed another button and replaced the Caped Crusader's image with another. Yasutake looked it up and down and nodded.
"Perfect," he said. "This one will work magnificently."
"Figured you'd say that," Cam muttered as Yasutake downloaded the disguise to his Duel Disk. Cam turned to the news feed and scowled. "You'd better hurry," he said. "Hanoi is turning more and more people into Anothers."
"Right," Yasutake said, disconnecting his Duel Disk from the computer. He headed into the sealed room and placed his Deck into his Duel Disk.
"Deck set! Into the VRAINS!"
A Knight of Hanoi wearing a grey mask with light blue lines laughed after defeating a duelist with Hack Worm. Honestly, this was more fun than he had thought it would be. So, where was his next victim?
He looked down from the data stream at the streets below. "Oh?" he said, noticing something. A black and white penguin was waddling down the street, heading for an alley. The Knight smirked. Looks like he found his next prey.
The Knight jumped down from the data stream at the alley's entrance. The penguin, having reached a dead end, turned and faced the Knight.
The Knight smirked evilly. "Nowhere to run," he said. "Duel me!"
"I was hoping you'd ask," the penguin said.
"What?" the Knight said, startled. The penguin glowed yellow and started to change forms. After a second, its owner's true avatar revealed himself.
"Morningstar!" the Knight shouted, shocked and surprised. Oh crap.
"You Knights of Hanoi are starting to annoy me," Morningstar said as he walked towards the Knight. "I'm going to take those frustrations out on you." He narrowed his eyes. "Speed Duel!"
Back in the monitor room, Cam smirked. Oh, the look on that Knight's face was priceless. Would have been better if Morningstar's disguise had been that pink-haired girl, but still, it was good. He turned to the news and his smirk became wider. Looks like Yasu isn't the only one who found an opponent, he thought.
Farther down the data stream, Go Onizuka rode his D-Board, chased by a Knight in a grey mask with red lines.
"Speed Duel!" they shouted.
Go Onizuka: 4000 LP
Knight of Hanoi: 4000 LP
"I'll take the first turn!" Red said, waving his hand in front of him to reveal his cards. "I activate the Field Spell Card: Heavy Metal Raiders! And since you control no monsters, I can Special Summon this monster from my hand! Hack Worm!" A light brown serpentine monster with green lines running up and down its body appeared on Red's field.
Hack Worm ATK 400 DEF 0 LVL: 1
"By using the same effect, I Special Summon another Hack Worm!"
Hack Worm ATK 400 DEF 0 LVL: 1
"It's time to end this duel!" Red shouted. "I Tribute my two Hack Worms to Tribute Summon! Come forth, Cracking Dragon!" The giant black mechanical dragon with six wings attached by green lights appeared on Red's field, taking the place of both Hack Worms.
Cracking Dragon ATK 3000 DEF 0 LVL: 8
"I end my turn," Red said, then sneered at Go. "Prepare to lose, Onizuka!"
"Ha!" Go scoffed. "A true hero does not lose to vermin like you! My turn! Draw!" He drew, then looked up information on Heavy Metal Raiders.
"The first time a Dark Machine monster you control would be destroyed by battle each turn, it is not destroyed," his AI read. "And if you take battle damage from said battle, the monster gains attack points equal to the damage inflicted. And if a Dark Machine monster you control destroys a card either by battle or its effect, you can Special Summon one Dark Machine monster from your hand."
"I see," Go said, narrowing his eyes. "His Field Spell will do more than protect Cracking Dragon from my Link Monsters; it will also make it more powerful when I attempt to destroy it." Of course, there were ways around that. And Go was about to take advantage of them.
"I summon Gouki Suprex!" Go said, touching one of his cards. The blue ogre with claws on its gauntlets appeared.
Gouki Suprex ATK 1800 DEF 0 LVL: 4
"Haha!" Red laughed. "Cracking Dragon's effect activates! Since you Normal or Special Summoned exactly one monster, that monster loses 200 attack points times its Level until the end of the turn, and you take the same amount as effect damage! Crack Fall!" Cracking Dragon released wind, striking Go and Suprex, and making the former wince.
Gouki Suprex: 1800→1000
Go: 4000→3200 LP
Go growled. "When Suprex is Normal Summoned," he said. "I can Special Summon a 'Gouki' monster from my hand. Come forth, Gouki Twistcobra!" A green ogre with snakes attached to its head appeared alongside Suprex.
Gouki Twistcobra ATK 1600 DEF 0 LVL: 3
"Since you summoned another monster, Cracking Dragon's effect activates again!" Red reminded Go. "Crack Fall!" Cracking Dragon's winds struck Go and Twistcobra.
Gouki Twistcobra ATK 1600→1000
Go: 3200→2600 LP
Go growled again. That dragon's effect was annoying. "I activate the effect of the Gouki Headbatt in my hand!" he declared. "By sending another 'Gouki' monster from my hand to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon Headbatt in Defense Position and increase another 'Gouki' monster's attack points by 800!" He clicked on the Gouki Riscorpio in his hand, sending it to the Graveyard. "I target Twistcobra, and Special Summon Headbatt!" A purple and red ogre appeared alongside Suprex and Twistcobra as Twistcobra glowed red.
Gouki Headbatt ATK 800 DEF 0 LVL: 2
Gouki Twistcobra ATK 1000→1800
"You never learn!" Red shouted. "Cracking Dragon's effect activates once more! Crack Fall!" The winds struck Headbatt and made Go wince.
Gouki Headbatt ATK 800→400
Go: 2600→2200 LP
"You can't take much more of this, Onizuka!" Red gloated. "Your Life Points are almost half gone!"
Go smiled. "So long as I have a single Life Point, I will win!" he declared. He then gestured to the sky. "Appear, my circuit!" His hand glowed blue as the Link portal appeared in front of him. "Arrowheads confirmed! The summoning conditions are at least two 'Gouki' monsters! I set Gouki Headbatt, Twistcobra, and Suprex in the Link Markers!" His monsters entered the Link portal, turning the bottom-left, bottom, and bottom-right arrows red.
"Circuit combine! Link Summon! Appear! Link 3! Gouki The Great Ogre!"
The monster that appeared was a large ogre in grey and red armor with a bearskin cape carrying an axe. The Great Ogre roared as it was summoned to the Extra Monster Zone.
Gouki The Great Ogre ATK 2600 LINK-3 ↙↓↘
"Link Monsters do not have Levels," Go reminded Red. "That means your Cracking Dragon's effect won't work on The Great Ogre!" Of course, he thought. Since Cracking Dragon has 0 defense points, The Great Ogre's effect won't work on Cracking Dragon, either. The Knight growled at Go's words.
"I activate the effects of the 'Gouki' cards that were sent from the field to the Graveyard," Go said. "I can add 'Gouki' cards besides themselves from the Deck to my hand." He added Gouki Octostretch, Gouki Re-Match, and Gouki Serpent Splash to his hand. He smirked on seeing his cards.
"I activate the Spell Card: Gouki Re-Match!" Go declared. "This card Special Summons two 'Gouki' monsters from my Graveyard with different Levels in Defense Position! I summon Gouki Riscorpio and Gouki Twistcobra!" Twistcobra reappeared, accompanied by a red ogre with scorpion claws and a scorpion tail.
Gouki Riscorpio ATK 2300 DEF 0 LVL: 5
Gouki Twistcobra ATK 1600 DEF 0 LVL: 3
"You fool!" Red said, sneering at Go. "Have you forgotten Cracking Dragon's effect! You're about to take 1600 points of damage!"
"Are you sure about that?" Go asked, making the Knight gasp. "Cracking Dragon's effect only activates when exactly one monster is Summoned. As I summoned two monsters, its effect doesn't activate!" The Knight gasped again at that revelation.
"Twistcobra's monster effect!" Go declared. "By Tributing a 'Gouki' monster, I can increase the attack points of a 'Gouki' monster by that monster's attack points until the end of the turn! I Tribute Riscorpio to increase The Great Ogre's attack points by 2300!" Riscorpio broke into pieces as The Great Ogre glowed red.
Gouki The Great Ogre ATK 2600→4900
"Because Riscorpio was sent from the field to the Graveyard, I can add one 'Gouki' card from my Deck to my hand," Go said. He added a second copy of Gouki Suprex to his hand.
Red sneered to himself. Yes, that's right. Increase The Great Ogre's attack points, he thought. Heavy Metal Raiders will protect Cracking Dragon and then make it even stronger, while your Twistcobra's effect will end this turn. And next turn, I will win!
Go smirked. "I know what you want," he said, startling the Knight. "You expect me to attack Cracking Dragon with The Great Ogre, then you'll use Heavy Metal Raiders' effect to protect Cracking Dragon and make it stronger."
The Knight grit his teeth. "So what if I am? What other move do you have?"
"This move," Go said, taking a card from his hand. "I activate the Quick-Play Spell Card: Gouki Serpent Splash! This card targets a 'Gouki' Link Monster I control whose current attack points are higher than its original attack points, and inflicts damage to you equal to the difference!"
"What?" Red said, his surprise evident.
"The Great Ogre's current attack points are 4900, and its original attack points were 2600," Go reminded Red. "That means you take 2300 points of damage!" Go's Spell Card blasted Red, causing him to cry out in pain.
Knight of Hanoi: 4000→1700 LP
"I cannot conduct my Battle Phase the turn I activate Serpent Splash," Go revealed to the Knight. "I Set 1 card, and end my turn. And since it is the end of my turn, Twistcobra's effect ends and The Great Ogre's attack points return to 2600."
Gouki The Great Ogre ATK 4900→2600
Cam whistled at Go's move. Very good. He looked at the effect of Heavy Metal Raiders at the beginning of his turn, so he knew what moves to make to get around its effect. And as a result, he had inflicted even more damage than he would have if he had attacked, and kept Cracking Dragon from getting more powerful.
The Knight growled. "You'll pay for that!" he shouted. "I activate my Skill! Double Draw! During my Draw Phase, I can draw two cards instead of one!" He drew his two cards and smirked. With these two cards, he would win!
"I activate the Spell Card: DDoS Attack! With this card's effect, I send the other two copies of this card from my Deck to the Graveyard. And you're dealt 100 points of damage for each card sent to the Graveyard times the Level of a Machine monster I control!"
Go grit his teeth. He remembered that card from Playmaker's duel with Hanoi.
"Cracking Dragon is Level 8," Go's AI said. "With two DDoS Spell Cards sent to the Graveyard, this effect will inflict 1600 points of damage."
"Take this!" Red said as his card released a blast of energy at Go. Before it hit-.
"I activate the effect of the Gouki Octostretch in my hand!" Go declared. "By discarding this card, I can halve one instance of battle damage or effect damage! I halve the damage from your Spell Card!" The blast hit Go, but it wasn't as strong as it could have been.
Go: 2200→1400 LP
Red grit his teeth, but continued his turn. "Battle! Cracking Dragon, attack Gouki Twistcobra! Traffic Blast!" Cracking Dragon blasted Twistcobra with blue fire, destroying it.
"Twistcobra's effect activates!" Go said. "I can add one 'Gouki' card from my Deck to my hand!" He added Gouki Hugbear to his hand.
"Heavy Metal Raiders' effect now activates!" the Knight declared in response. "Since a Dark Machine monster destroyed a monster by battle or its effect, I can Special Summon a Dark Machine monster from my hand." He sneered. "And I have the perfect monster to summon."
"What?" Go said, narrowing his eyes. What was this Knight up to?
"I summon a second Cracking Dragon!" Red declared as another Cracking Dragon appeared alongside the first.
Cracking Dragon ATK 3000 DEF 0 LVL: 8
Go grit his teeth. He had been planning to activate his Skill to bring back Twistcobra, but with another Cracking Dragon on the field, that wasn't a good idea. Both of them would use their effects to reduce Twistcobra's attack points to 400 and lower Go's Life Points to 200. Then all Red had to do was attack The Great Ogre, and even if its effect protected it, Go would lose from the damage.
"You might survive this turn, but you will be greatly weakened," Red gloated. "Battle! My second Cracking Dragon will now destroy The Great Ogre! Traffic Blast!" Go watched as blue fire approached The Great Ogre, but before it touched his monster-.
"Trap activate!" Go declared. "Gouki Near-Fall!" The card showed Gouki The Great Ogre pinning Battlin' Boxer Headgeared to the floor of a wrestling arena. "This card equips itself to a 'Gouki' monster I control, and the first time that monster would be destroyed by battle or card effects each turn, it is not destroyed! I equip Near-Fall to The Great Ogre!" The blue flames hit The Great Ogre, but the monster remained on the field.
"But you will still take damage!" Red reminded Go. The flames hit Go, making him wince from the pain.
Go: 1400→1000 LP
"I end my turn," Red said. "With two Cracking Dragons on my field, if you summon any monsters, you'll take twice the damage from before!"
Go smirked. "Maybe, maybe not," he said. "My turn! Draw!" He looked at his card and smiled. "I summon another Gouki Suprex!" The blue ogre reappeared on the field, summoned to The Great Ogre's bottom Link Marker.
Gouki Suprex ATK 1800 DEF 0 LVL: 4
Red laughed. "You fool! Your Suprex is Level 4! That means you'll take 800 points of damage from my first Cracking Dragon! And with my second Cracking Dragon, you'll take another 800 points of damage. You lose! Crack Fall!" Both Cracking Dragons released wind, but Suprex's attack points didn't change.
"What?" Red said, shocked. "Why didn't your monster lose attack points?"
"Because of Gouki Near-Fall," Go explained. "So long as it remains face-up on the field, the attack points of 'Gouki' monsters cannot be changed by card effects!" Red gasped. That meant he couldn't reduce Suprex's attack points and he couldn't damage Go! What was worse, it also meant Go could summon any monster he wanted without fear of repercussions.
"Suprex's monster effect!" Go declared. "When it is Normal Summoned, I can Special Summon one 'Gouki' monster from my hand! I summon Gouki Hugbear!" A new ogre appeared, summoned to The Great Ogre's bottom-left Link Marker. It had blue skin, red braids, and wore bear skin over most of its body and had a bear skin cape.
Gouki Hugbear ATK 2400 DEF 0 LVL: 6
"A new 'Gouki' monster?" Red said with surprise.
"And this one has a very special effect," Go said. "If Hugbear is Special Summoned by the effect of a 'Gouki' card, I can target one monster you control and halve its attack points until the end of the turn!" The Knight grit his teeth. "I target Cracking Dragon number one!" The first Cracking Dragon glowed red as its attack points decreased.
Cracking Dragon ATK 3000→1500
"It's time to end this duel!" Go declared as he pointed ahead of him. "Appear, my circuit!" His hands glowed blue as the Link portal appeared in front of him. "Arrowheads confirmed! The summoning conditions are two or more 'Gouki' monsters! I set Gouki Suprex and the Link 3 The Great Ogre in the Link Markers!" His monsters became streams of blue and brown wind that entered the bottom-left, top, bottom, and bottom-right arrows, turning them red.
"Circuit combine! Link Summon! Appear! Link 4! Gouki The Master Ogre!"
Go's most powerful Link Monster appeared. The ogre had mostly blue armor with gold shoulder pads, gauntlets, and leg guards. It spread its blue cape, swung its massive axe and roared as it was summoned to the Extra Monster Zone.
Gouki The Master Ogre ATK 2800 LINK-4 ↙↑↓↘
"L-Link 4?" Red said, startled at the powerful monster. He quickly regained his composure. "I-It doesn't matter. My Field Spell prevents you from destroying my Cracking Dragons. And if you attack, they will only get stronger!"
"Is that so?" Go asked, smirking. "Gouki Suprex went to the Graveyard, so its effect activates, and I add a new 'Gouki' card from my Deck to my hand!" He drew, and smirked on seeing what it was.
"I activate the effect of the Gouki Headbatt that I just added to my hand!" Go declared. "I discard the Twistcobra in my hand and target The Master Ogre. Now, Headbatt is Special Summoned in Defense Position, and The Master Ogre gains 800 attack points!" A second Headbatt appeared on the field, summoned to The Master Ogre's bottom Link Marker.
Gouki Headbatt ATK 800 DEF 0 LVL: 2
Gouki The Master Ogre ATK 2800→3600
Red laughed. "Have you forgotten the situation? Since The Great Ogre left the field, so did Gouki Near-Fall. That means my Cracking Dragons can both use their effects! Double Crack Fall!" Winds released from both Cracking Dragons struck Headbatt and Go, making the latter cry out.
Gouki Headbatt ATK 800→400→0
Go: 1000→600→200 LP
"If you summon another monster, you'll lose!" Red boasted. Go smiled in response.
"Well then, I'll have to win with the monsters on my field!" he declared, then gestured to his Link Monster. "The Master Ogre's monster effect! Once per turn, I can return all 'Gouki' monsters it points at to my hand! I return Headbatt and Hugbear to my hand!" His two monsters disappeared. "For every monster I return to my hand, I negate the effects of one of your cards until the end of the turn!"
"What?" Red said, surprised. He looked up in surprise as Hugbear briefly appeared, wrapping its arms around his second Cracking Dragon. Headbatt in turn had wrapped itself around Red's Field Spell.
"I choose to negate the effects of Heavy Metal Raiders and the second Cracking Dragon!" Go declared, shocking the Knight.
"B-But that means…"
"It means your monsters cannot avoid destruction!" Go said.
"The Master Ogre must attack the monster with the highest attack points first," Go's AI told Red. "But it can attack all monsters you control once each."
"WHAT!?" Red shouted.
"Battle! The Master Ogre, attack the second Cracking Dragon!" The Master Ogre charged the said monster and kicked it in the head. The Master Ogre leaped further into the air, then used its cloak to form a funnel that struck Cracking Dragon, destroying it. Red cried out in pain as his monster was destroyed.
Knight of Hanoi: 1700→1100 LP
"This is the end!" Go declared. "The Master Ogre! Go! Attack the first Cracking Dragon!" The Master Ogre pulled out its axe, which it swung at Cracking Dragon. It stuck the axe in its head, and pulled downwards, cutting said monster in half in a massive explosion. Red was sent flying and screaming from his D-Board as he lost.
Knight of Hanoi: 1100→0 LP
In the public viewing plaza, the crowds were cheering on Go's victory against the Knight of Hanoi.
"Nice, Onizuka!" one boy cheered.
"I can't stay on the sidelines!" his friend next to him said, reaching into his pocket.
"What are you doing?" the first boy asked, confused.
"I'll also defeat the Hanoi and become famous!" his friend declared.
"H-Hey!" the first boy said, startled as his friend ran off. "That's not a good idea!"
The boy materialized in LINK VRAINS, a confident smile on his face. Unfortunately, he had materialized with nothing under his feet, facing a Data Storm tornado. He panicked and flapped his arms wildly before he landed on a D-Board that materialized for him.
The boy took a calming breath as he steadied his feet, then turned to the left as he heard something. A Knight of Hanoi in a grey and purple mask approached from around the corner of a building, a sadistic smirk on his face.
"T-They're really here!" the boy said, panicking. Before he could say anything else, someone else on a D-Board approached him. He turned and saw Playmaker.
Playmaker turned to the boy and addressed him. "This place is dangerous. Go home," he said.
"Playmaker…" the boy said weakly, his knees giving out under him. He watched as Ai appeared from Playmaker's Duel Disk.
"You should do what he says," Ai said in an amused tone.
"Okay," the boy said, still weakly. As the boy left, Playmaker turned to the Knight of Hanoi.
"I'll take you on," Playmaker said.
Purple smirked and said, "As I hoped!"
Back in the public viewing plaza, the boy turned as his friend came back, disheveled and shaking.
"That was fast," he commented.
"T-That was scary," his friend said, falling to his knees.
Playmaker and Purple turned the corner.
"Speed Duel!" they shouted.
Playmaker: 4000 LP
Knight of Hanoi: 4000 LP
"I'll have the first turn!" Purple declared. "I can Special Summon this monster if I control no monsters. Come out, Steelswarm Cell!" A small black bug materialized on Purple's field.
Steelswarm Cell ATK 0 DEF 0 LVL: 1
"That monster is a Fiend but looks like an Insect," Ai noted. "It's the worst of both worlds!"
"Be quiet," Playmker said.
Purple wasn't done with his turn yet. "I summon Steelswarm Scout!" A little bug-like man with goggles appeared alongside Cell.
Steelswarm Scout ATK 200 DEF 0 LVL: 1
Purple smirked. "And with this, your defeat is certain!" he declared. "Appear, our future circuit!" His hand glowed blue as the Link portal appeared above him. "Arrowheads confirmed! The summoning conditions are two 'lswarm' monsters! I set Steelswarm Cell and Scout in the Link Markers!" The said monsters entered the Link portal and caused the top and bottom arrows to turn red.
"Circuit combine! Link Summon! Appear! Link 2! Steelswarm Origin!" The same monster that Morningstar had fought yesterday appeared, summoned to Purple's Extra Monster Zone.
Steelswarm Origin ATK 2000 LINK-2 ↑↓
"I Set one card," Purple said. "I end my turn." He smirked at Playmaker. This was going to be fun!
Playmaker looked at the effects of Origin and scowled. This monster was going to prove troublesome to defeat.
"My turn! Draw!" he said.
"Egregious Electrician, attack my opponent directly!" Morningstar declared. "Horrible Lightning!" Egregious Electrician pulled a plug out of its power box and pointed it at the Knight with a grey and light blue mask. It fired a blast of yellow lightning, shocking itself and Morningstar's opponent. The said Knight fell off his D-Board as he lost. He hit the ground hard, and Morningstar jumped off his D-Board to stand next to his opponent.
"Defeated by a Link 1 monster," Blue muttered. "How could this get more embarrassing?"
"I could have defeated you with a Kuriboh," Morningstar answered. "Now tell me: where is Revolver?"
"I don't know," Blue answered. "He didn't give us our orders."
Morningstar narrowed his eyes. "Then who did?"
"I-." That was all the Knight could say before he broke apart into pieces. Morningstar growled.
"They purged this one, too," he grumbled. "Cam, any progress on that anti-purge program?"
"I'm working with Kus- Playmaker's ally on that," Cam answered. "We have a framework for it, but it's going to take time. You can't rush brilliance."
Morningstar narrowed his eyes. "You almost said a name," he noted. "Do you know who's helping Playmaker?"
"Nope," Cam said, his voice higher than normal.
Morningstar sighed. "I hate it when you lie to me, Cam," he said. "If you promised to not tell me their name, I'd understand."
"I didn't promise that, it's just… Look, we can talk about this later. There's Knights of Hanoi everywhere."
"Fair enough," Morningstar said, turning back to the data stream. "Let's see if the next one is better than this one was."
"I summon Lady Debugger!" Playmaker said, placing a card on his Duel Disk. The monster that appeared on his field resembled a humanoid mechanical ladybug.
Lady Debugger ATK 1700 DEF 1400 LVL: 4
"If Lady Debugger is Normal Summoned, I can add one Level 3 or lower monster from my Deck to my hand," Playmaker explained. "I add Dotscaper to my hand."
"It won't help you!" the Knight shouted. "Trap activate! Hidden Soldiers! When you Normal Summon a monster, this card lets me Special Summon a Level 4 or lower Dark monster from my hand. I Special Summon Steelswarm Gatekeeper in Defense Position!" A monster resembling a bear in black armor appeared on Purple's field, summoned to Origin's bottom Link Marker.
Steelswarm Gatekeeper ATK 1500 DEF 1900 LVL: 4
"That's not good," Ai noted. "With that Link Monster pointing to Gatekeeper, we can't destroy it."
"Maybe not," Playmaker said. "But I can still damage him." He took another card from his hand. "I activate the effect of the Bitlooper in my hand. By discarding a Level 2 or lower monster, I can Special Summon Bitlooper! I discard Dotscaper, so come forth, Bitlooper!" A monster resembling a mechanical white knight appeared, summoned in Attack Position.
Bitlooper ATK 1500 DEF 2000 LVL: 4
"Because Dotscaper was sent to the Graveyard, its effect now activates!" Playmaker declared. "I can Special Summon this card!" The monster that looked like it was made of Legos appeared, summoned to Origin's top Link Marker.
Dotscaper ATK 0 DEF 2100 LVL: 1
"Appear! The circuit that leads to the future!" Playmaker's right hand glowed blue as the Link portal appeared in front of him. "Arrowheads confirmed! The summoning conditions are two or more Effect Monsters! I set Bitlooper, Dotscaper, and Lady Debugger in the Link Markers!" His monsters became streams of wind that entered the bottom-left, top, and bottom-right arrows, turning them red.
"Circuit combine! Link Summon! Appear! Link 3! Decode Talker!" The warrior in blue armor carrying a giant purple sword appeared, summoned to Playmaker's Extra Monster Zone.
Decode Talker ATK 2300 LINK-3 ↙↑↘
"I activate the effect of the Link Infra-Flier in my hand!" Playmaker declared. "Once per turn, I can Special Summon this card to Decode Talker's Link Marker!" A mechanical blue, red, and silver kite appeared, summoned to Decode Talker's bottom-left Link Marker in Defense Position.
Link Infra-Flier ATK 0 DEF 1800 LVL: 2
"Decode Talker's monster effect!" Playmaker continued. "If Decode Talker points to a monster, it gains 500 attack points! Power Integration!"
Decode Talker ATK 2300→2800
"If I control a Cyberse monster whose current attack points are different from its original attack points, I can activate this card. The Spell Card: Cyberse Cache! This card allows me to draw two cards!"
Playmaker drew, then said, "I Set one card." He pointed at Origin. "Battle! Decode Talker, attack Steelswarm Origin! Decode End!" Decode Talker's sword lengthened as it charged Origin.
"Pointless!" Purple said, sneering at Playmaker. "So long as Origin points to a monster, it cannot be destroyed by battle or card effects!" Decode Talker's sword struck Origin, but it held firm.
"That may be true," Ai said. "But you still take damage!" Purple winced from the shockwaves of Decode Talker's attack.
Knight of Hanoi: 4000→3200 LP
"I end my turn," Playmaker said.
"That makes it my turn," Purple said. "And I'll start by activating my Skill! Double Draw! During my Draw Phase, I draw two cards instead of one!" He drew his two cards and smirked. Oh, this was a perfect hand.
"At the start of my Main Phase, the effect of the Steelswarm Scout in my Graveyard activates!" the Knight announced. "Since I control no Spell or Trap Cards, I can Special Summon Scout in Attack Position!"
Steelswarm Scout ATK 200 DEF 0 LVL: 1
"This next monster can be Tribute Summoned in face-up Attack Position by Tributing one 'Steelswarm' monster," Purple told Playmaker. "I Tribute Scout to Tribute Summon Steelswarm Girastag!" Scout disappeared, and its place was taken by a giant black and orange monster with an arm cannon.
Steelswarm Girastag ATK 2600 DEF 0 LVL: 7
"Girastag has another effect that activates when it's Tribute Summoned by Tributing a 'Steelswarm' monster," the Knight continued. "I can send one card you control to the Graveyard and gain 1000 Life Points!"
Playmaker's eyes widened as Purple gestured to his field. "I send your Decode Talker to the Graveyard!" Decode Talker shattered as the Knight glowed yellow.
Knight of Hanoi: 3200→4200 LP
"He took out our best monster and increased his Life Points?" Ai commented. "That's not fair!"
"He's not done," Playmaker said.
"Eh? What do you mean?"
"I'm far from done summoning monsters!" Purple announced. "Since I Tribute Summoned a 'Steelswarm' monster while Gatekeeper was on the field, I can perform an additional Normal Summon or Set!"
"Eh? Another Normal Summon?"
"I Tribute Steelswarm Gatekeeper to Tribute Summon Steelswarm Moth!" Gatekeeper disintegrated, as a black and green monster with a cape shaped like wings and a tail appeared, taking Gatekeeper's place at Origin's bottom Link Marker.
Steelswarm Moth ATK 2400 DEF 0 LVL: 6
"Steelswarm Moth's monster effect!" the Knight declared. "If this card is Tribute Summoned by Tributing a 'Steelswarm' monster, I can pay 1000 Life Points to return up to two cards you control to your hand!" Playmaker's eyes widened again. "I return your Link Infra-Flier and your Set card!" The said cards disappeared as Playmaker took them back. Purple winced a little as he paid the price, but it was worth it.
Knight of Hanoi: 4200→3200 LP
"This is bad!" Ai said, panicking. "He has three strong monsters, and we have no cards on the field!"
"Exactly," the Knight sneered. "This is the end for you, Playmaker!" He gestured to his monsters. "Steelswarm Girastag, attack Playmaker directly!" Girastag aimed its cannon at Playmaker, but before it could fire-.
"I activate the effect of the Lockout Gardna in my hand!" Playmaker declared. "If my opponent's monster declares a direct attack, I can Special Summon Lockout Gardna in Attack Position!" A red, purple, and gold monster appeared, summoned to the middle Main Monster Zone.
Lockout Gardna ATK 1000 DEF 1000 LVL: 3
"Ha!" the Knight scoffed. "Like that will change anything! Girastag, continue your attack against Lockout Gardna!" Girastag fired a blast of orange energy at Lockout Gardna, but it withstood the blast.
"The turn Lockout Gardna is Special Summoned by its effect," Playmaker explained. "It cannot be destroyed by battle!"
"But you will still take the damage!" Playmaker braced himself against the backlash of Girastag's attack.
Playmaker: 4000→2400 LP
The Knight sneered. "Your turn, Moth! Attack Lockout Gardna!" Moth charged and struck Lockout Gardna. Even though it wasn't destroyed, Playmaker still experienced backlash from the attack.
Playmaker: 2400→1000 LP
"This is the end, Playmaker!" Purple shouted. "Steelswarm Origin, attack Lockout Gardna and wipe out Playmaker's Life Points!" Origin gathered black energy in its mouth and blasted Lockout Gardna. Before the blast hit-.
"Do it now, Playmaker!" Ai screamed.
"Be quiet," Playmaker said as he calmly took a card from his hand. "I activate the Trap Card Parallel Port Break from my hand!"
"From your hand!?" Purple shouted, surprised as the card appeared. It showed several DVI cords, all broken in half. "You can't do that!"
"I can if I halve my Life Points," Playmaker revealed. "In exchange, the battle damage I would take from a battle involving a Cyberse monster is reduced to 0!" Playmaker winced as his Life Points were halved, but he was shielded from Origin's attack.
Playmaker: 1000→500 LP
The Knight grit his teeth. "I end my turn," he said grudgingly.
"My turn! Draw!" Playmaker drew, and narrowed his eyes at what he got.
"Looks like it's time, right Playmaker?" Ai said.
"Yes," Playmaker answered. He looked ahead as a Data Storm tornado formed in front of them. The Knight moved to evade it, but Playmaker jumped right into it.
Playmaker yelled as he reached into the data stream. Shadows showing various monsters appeared around him as blue energy gathered in his hand.
In his Duel Disk, Ai's gaze sharpened. "Now! Seize the wind, Playmaker!" Playmaker took his hand out of the stream, holding a shining card.
"I activate my Skill! Storm Access!" The shadow of a humanoid monster appeared and posed. Playmaker shot out of the tornado and landed on the stream, now in front of the Knight of Hanoi, who grit his teeth.
"I summon Draconnet!" The white dragon machine with blue lines running over it appeared on Playmaker's field, summoned to Steelswarm Origin's top Link Marker.
Draconnet ATK 1400 DEF 1200 LVL: 3
"Draconnet's monster effect! When this monster is Normal Summoned, I can Special Summon a Level 2 or lower Normal Monster from my hand or Deck in Defense Position!" A card popped out of Playmaker's Deck, which he took. "I summon Bitron in Defense Position!" The small white machine appeared, summoned to Playmaker's right Main Monster Zone.
Bitron ATK 200 DEF 2000 LVL: 2
"Appear! The circuit that leads to the future!" Playmaker's hand glowed blue as the Link portal appeared in front of him. "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!" The black mechanical spider appeared, summoned to the Extra Monster Zone.
Link Spider ATK 1000 LINK-1 ↓
"Link Spider's monster effect!" Playmaker continued. "Once per turn, I can Special Summon one Level 4 or lower Normal Monster from my hand to its Link Marker! I Special Summon Digitron in Attack Position!" A white machine with a fin and small wings appeared behind Link Spider.
Digitron ATK 1500 DEF 0 LVL: 2
"Appear! The circuit that leads to the future!" Playmaker declared as his hand glowed blue again. The Link portal appeared above him this time. "Arrowheads confirmed! The summoning conditions are two monsters! I set Digitron and Draconnet in the Link Markers!" The said monsters entered the top and bottom arrows, turning them red. The Knight laughed as Playmaker did this.
"You don't get it do you?" he said. "You would have been better off using Link Spider. Due to Steelswarm Origin's effect, neither of us can Special Summon from the Extra Deck to the Main Monster Zones, except to Origin's Link Markers!"
"I know," Playmaker said, worrying the Knight. "That is why I'm Link Summoning without Link Spider!" He looked up as the portal glowed.
"Circuit combine! Link Summon! Appear! Link 2! Space Insulator!"
A humanoid machine monster appeared on the field. It had mostly blue and silver armor, with a white helmet on its head. Like the Knight had said, it was summoned to Origin's top Link Marker.
Space Insulator ATK 1200 LINK-2 ↑↓
The Knight growled. "What was the point of that? You knew it would be summoned to Origin's Link Marker. So why did you summon it?"
"For Space Insulator's effect," Playmaker explained. "You see, any monster that Space Insulator points to loses 800 attack and defense points!"
"What?" the Knight said, panicking as Origin glowed red.
Steelswarm Origin ATK 2000→1200
"I activate the effect of the Link Infra-Flier in my hand!" Playmaker continued. "And Special Summon it to Link Spider's Link Marker!" The mechanical kite reappeared, summoned in Defense Position.
Link Infra-Flier ATK 0 DEF 1800 LVL: 2
"Appear for a third time! The circuit that leads to the future!" The Link portal appeared once more above Playmaker. "Arrowheads confirmed! The summoning conditions are two or more Cyberse monsters! I set Link Infra-Flier, Link Spider, and Lockout Gardna in the Link Markers!" His monsters entered the top, bottom, and bottom-right arrows, turning them red.
"Circuit combine! Link Summon! Appear! Link 3! Encode Talker!" The white armored warrior carrying a shield appeared, summoned to the Extra Monster Zone. Purple grit his teeth at this development.
Encode Talker ATK 2300 LINK-3 ↑↓↘
"I activate the effect of the Parallel Port Break in my Graveyard!" Playmaker declared. "If I control a Cyberse Link Monster in the Extra Monster Zone, I can banish Parallel Port Break and Special Summon a Cyberse Link Monster from my Graveyard with its effects negated. I Special Summon Decode Talker!" The dark blue warrior appeared again, summoned to Encode Talker's bottom Link Marker.
Decode Talker ATK 2300 LINK-3 ↙↑↘
"Decode Talker would normally gain 500 attack points because it points to Encode Talker," Ai noted. "But because its effects are negated, it won't. And that will be your downfall!"
"Battle!" Playmaker declared. "Decode Talker, attack Steelswarm Girastag! Decode End!" Decode Talker charged Girastag, but because Girastag was stronger, it withstood the attack.
"Encode Talker's monster effect! Once per turn, if a monster it points to battles a monster with higher attack points, that monster is not destroyed by battle and I take no battle damage from that battle!" Playmaker said. "Then, I can have Encode Talker or a monster it points to gain attack points equal to Girastag's attack points!"
"Oh no!" the Knight shouted.
"I increase Encode Talker's attack points!" Encode Talker glowed red as its attack points increased by Girastag's attack points.
Encode Talker ATK 2300→4900
"You have 3200 Life Points left," Ai reminded the Knight. "And Steelswarm Origin has 1200 attack points. You know what happens next, don't you?"
"Battle!" Playmaker declared. "Encode Talker, attack Steelswarm Origin! Final Encode!" A blade emerged from Encode Talker's shield as it charged Origin.
"Since it has monsters at its Link Markers, Origin won't be destroyed," Ai said. "But you will still take the damage!" Encode Talker struck Origin, and its blast went through, straight to the Knight, who was flung backwards off his D-Board, screaming.
Knight of Hanoi: 3200→0 LP
The Knight hit the ground and was left there groaning. Playmaker jumped off his D-Board and landed next to him.
Playmaker kneeled next to the Knight. "Hand over the computer virus removal program," he said.
The Knight turned away from Playmaker as he said, "No one gave us that."
Ai emerged from Playmaker's Duel Disk in his monstrous form. "Then who has it? If you don't tell me, I'll eat you!"
The Knight gasped and looked away as Ai leaned in close. "It's…"
In Hanoi's stronghold, Baira and Terminus were looking at screens. Baira scoffed and swiped right on hers. "Erase."
The Knight screamed as he broke apart into data. Ai turned back into his humanoid form as he and Playmaker watched.
"To stop him from talking," Playmaker said, knowing the reason behind this event.
"So cruel," Ai said.
"Playmaker!" The two turned as Go and Morningstar ran up to him.
"Have you seen Blue Angel?" Go asked him.
"No," he answered.
Go grit his teeth. "So it's just the three of us."
"The three of us are enough," Morningstar said. Wait, that's not true, he thought, remembering Galahad's duel. But he hadn't seen Galahad since then, and Go and Playmaker hadn't mentioned him.
Back at the conversation, Ai was saying, "She's not coming back."
"Whether Blue Angel fights against Hanoi or not," Playmaker said. "This situation won't change."
"Why?"
Playmaker raised a finger. "One: Even if we keep fighting, there's no end to them." He raised a second finger. "Two: The computer virus is constantly updated, so we can't make a removal program." He raised a third. "Three: We can only solve this by finding the person who created the computer virus."
Go nodded in understanding. "We have to get to the source."
"Whoever is responsible will reveal themselves eventually," Morningstar noted. "Until then, the most we can do is limit the damage. However…"
Go looked at Morningstar. "What is it?"
"I have attempted to interrogate several Hanoi members for Revolver's location," Morningstar revealed. "However, someone has been purging them every time I ask."
"Like what just happened to that Knight," Ai noted.
"Revolver's current location is a concern, but not a primary one," Playmaker said. "But you are right, Morningstar; until we find the person responsible for the virus, we can only limit the damage Hanoi is inflicting."
Go and Morningstar both nodded. The three separated, but before they left, Go asked Morningstar, "Do you believe Blue Angel will show up?"
"Yes," Morningstar said without doubt. "She'll show up, sooner or later."
"How do you know?"
"Because I know her. And she isn't one to leave a fight unfinished." Morningstar narrowed his eyes. He imagined Akira had either forbade Aoi from fighting Hanoi, or she was afraid of hurting him if she lost. He could understand both positions, from Akira's perspective and Aoi's. At the same time, he knew how brave Aoi was.
"She'll help us in this fight eventually," Morningstar told Go. "Until then…" He narrowed his eyes further. "We'll just have to take out the trash."
Go Onizuka vs. Knight of Hanoi
This Duel is conducted as a Speed Duel.
Turn 1: Knight of Hanoi
KoH activates the Field Spell Card Heavy Metal Raiders. Now the first time each Dark Machine monster he controls would be destroyed by battle, it is not destroyed, and if KoH takes battle damage from that battle, that monster gains that much ATK. Since Go controls no monsters, KoH Special Summons Hack Worm (400/0/1) from his hand in Attack Position. He then Special Summons a second Hack Worm (400/0/1) from his hand in Attack Position the same way. He Tributes both Hack Worms to Tribute Summon Cracking Dragon (3000/0/8). KoH ends his turn.
Turn 2: Go
Go draws. He Normal Summons Gouki Suprex (1800/0/4). As his opponent Normal or Special Summoned exactly 1 monster, KoH activates the effect of Cracking Dragon, reducing that monster's ATK by 200 times its Level until the end of the turn and inflicting damage equal to that value to the opponent (Suprex: 1800→1000) (Go: 4000→3200 LP). As Suprex was Normal Summoned, Go activates its effect, allowing him to Special Summon a "Gouki" monster from his hand. He Special Summons Gouki Twistcobra (1600/0/3) in Attack Position. The effect of Cracking Dragon activates (Twistcobra: 1600→1000) (Go: 3200→2600 LP). Go activates the effect of Gouki Headbatt in his hand, sending another "Gouki" monster from his hand to the GY to Special Summon it in Defense Position (800/0/2), then increase a "Gouki" monster's ATK by 800. He sends Gouki Riscorpio and targets Twistcobra (Twistcobra: 1000→1800). The effect of Cracking Dragon activates (Headbatt: 800→400) (Go: 2600→2200 LP). Go uses Headbatt, Suprex, and Twistcobra to Link Summon Gouki The Great Ogre (2600/3/↙↓↘) to the Extra Monster Zone. As Headbatt, Suprex, and Twistcobra were sent from the field to the GY, Go activates their effects, to each add a "Gouki" card from his Deck to his hand. He adds Gouki Octostretch, Gouki Re-Match, and Gouki Serpent Splash.
Go activates the Spell Card Gouki Re-Match, allowing him to Special Summon 2 "Gouki" monsters with different Levels from his GY in Defense Position. Go Special Summons Riscorpio (2300/0/5) to The Great Ogre's bottom-left Link Marker and Twistcobra (1600/0/3) to The Great Ogre's bottom Link Marker. Go activates the effect of Twistcobra, Tributing a "Gouki" monster to increase the ATK of a "Gouki" monster he controls equal to the Tributed monster's ATK until the End Phase. He Tributes Riscorpio and targets The Great Ogre (The Great Ogre: 2600→4900). As Riscorpio was sent from the field to the GY, Go activates its effect to add a "Gouki" card from his Deck to his hand. He adds a second Gouki Suprex. Go activates the Quick-Play Spell Card Gouki Serpent Slash to inflict damage equal to the difference between the original and current ATK of a "Gouki" Link Monster. He targets The Great Ogre (KoH: 4000→1700 LP). Go cannot conduct his Battle Phase the turn he activates Serpent Slash. He Sets 1 card. He ends his turn, and the ATK of The Great Ogre returns to normal (The Great Ogre: 4900→2600).
Turn 3: Knight of Hanoi
KoH activates a Skill, Double Draw, letting him draw 2 cards during his Draw Phase instead of 1. He draws. KoH activates the Spell Card DDoS Attack, letting him target a Machine monster he controls and send any number of DDoS Attack Spell Cards from his Deck to his GY to inflict damage to the opponent equal to the sent DDoS Attack times the Level of the targeted monster times 100. He sends two DDoS Attack and targets Cracking Dragon, but Go activates the effect of the Gouki Octostretch in his hand, discarding it to halve the damage (Go: 2200→1400 LP). Cracking Dragon attacks and destroys Twistcobra. Since Twistcobra was sent from the field to the GY, Go activates its effect to add a "Gouki" card from his Deck to his hand. He adds Gouki Hugbear. Since a Dark Machine monster destroyed a card on the field by battle, KoH activates the effect of Heavy Metal Raiders to Special Summon 1 Dark Machine from his hand. He Special Summons a second Cracking Dragon (3000/0/8). Cracking Dragon attacks The Great Ogre, but Go activates his face-down Trap Card Gouki Near-Fall and equips it to The Great Ogre. The equipped The Great Ogre cannot be destroyed by battle or card effects once per turn (Go: 1400→1000 LP). KoH ends his turn.
Turn 4: Go
Go draws. He Normal Summons Gouki Suprex (1800/0/4). KoH attempts to activate the effect of Cracking Dragon, but the effect of Gouki Near-Fall prevents the ATK off all "Gouki" monsters Go controls from being changed by card effects. The turn Suprex is Normal Summoned, Go can Special Summon 1 "Gouki" monster from his hand. He Special Summons Gouki Hugbear (2400/0/6). Since Hugbear was Special Summoned by the effect of a "Gouki" card, Go can target 1 face-up monster KoH controls and halve its ATK until the end of the turn. Go targets the first Cracking Dragon (Cracking Dragon: 3000→1500). Go uses Suprex and the Link 3 The Great Ogre to Link Summon Gouki The Master Ogre (2800/4/↙↑↓↘) to the Extra Monster Zone. Since Suprex was sent from the field to the GY, Go activates its effect to add a "Gouki" card from his Deck to his hand. He adds a second Headbatt. Go activates the effect of the Headbatt in his hand, sending the Gouki Twistcobra in his hand to the GY to Special Summon Headbatt to The Master Ogre's bottom Link Marker (800/0/2) and increase The Master Ogre's ATK by 800 (The Master Ogre: 2800→3600). The effects of both Cracking Dragons activate (Headbatt: 800→400→0) (Go: 1000→600→200 LP). Go activates the effect of The Master Ogre, returning all "Gouki" monsters it points to to his hand to negate the effects of face-up cards KoH controls until the End Phase, up to the number of monsters returned. He returns Headbatt and Hugbear to negate the effects of Heavy Metal Raiders and the second Cracking Dragon.
The Master Ogre can attack all monsters KoH controls, but it must attack the monster with the highest ATK. The Master Ogre attacks and destroys the second Cracking Dragon (KoH: 1700→1100 LP) and the first Cracking Dragon (KoH: 1100→0 LP). Go wins.
Playmaker vs. Knight of Hanoi
This Duel is conducted as a Speed Duel.
Turn 1: Knight of Hanoi
Since he controls no monsters, KoH Special Summons Steelswarm Cell (0/0/1). He then Normal Summons Steelswarm Scout (200/0/1). KoH uses Cell and Scout to Link Summon Steelswarm Origin (2000/2/↑↓) to the Extra Monster Zone. KoH Sets 1 card. He ends his turn.
Turn 2: Playmaker
Playmaker draws. He Normal Summons Lady Debugger (1700/1400/4). Since Lady Debugger was Normal Summoned, Playmaker can add 1 Level 3 or lower monster from his Deck to his hand. He adds Dotscaper to his hand. Since Playmaker Normal Summoned a monster, KoH activates his face-down Trap Card Hidden Soldiers, which lets him Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower Dark monster from his hand. He Special Summons Steelswarm Gatekeeper (1500/1900/4) to Origin's bottom Link Marker in Defense Position. Playmaker activates the effect of Bitlooper in his hand, discarding Dotscaper to Special Summon it in Attack Position (1500/2000/4). Since Dotscaper was sent to the GY, Playmaker Special Summons it to Origin's top Link Marker (0/2100/1). Playmaker uses Bitlooper, Dotscaper, and Lady Debugger to Link Summon Decode Talker (2300/3/↙↑↘) to the Extra Monster Zone. Playmaker activates the effect of Link Infra-Flier in his hand to Special Summon it to Decode Talker's bottom-left Link Marker (0/1800/2) in Defense Position. Because Decode Talker points to a monster, Decode Talker gains 500 ATK (Decode Talker: 2300→2800). Since he controls a Cyberse monster whose current ATK is different from its original ATK, Playmaker activates the Spell Card Cyberse Cache to draw 2 cards. He Sets 1 card.
Decode Talker attacks Origin, but because it points to a monster, Origin cannot be destroyed by battle (KoH: 4000→3200 LP). Playmaker ends his turn.
Turn 3: Knight of Hanoi
KoH activates a Skill, Double Draw, letting him draw 2 cards during his Draw Phase instead of 1. He draws. At the start of his Main Phase, because he controls no Spell/Trap Cards, KoH Special Summons Steelswarm Scout (200/0/1) from the GY in Attack Position. KoH Tributes Steelswarm Scout to Tribute Summon Steelswarm Girastag (2600/0/7) via its effect. Since Girastag was Tribute Summoned by Tributing a "Steelswarm" monster, KoH can target 1 card his opponent controls, send it to the GY, and gain 1000 LP. He targets Decode Talker, sending it to the GY (KoH; 3200→4200 LP). Since a "Steelswarm" monster was Tribute Summoned while Gatekeeper was on the field, KoH can Normal Summon or Set 1 monster in addition to his Normal Summon/Set this turn. KoH Tributes Gatekeeper to Tribute Summon Steelswarm Moth (2400/0/6) to Origin's Link Marker. Since Moth was Tribute Summoned by Tributing a "Steelswarm" monster, KoH can pay 1000 LP, target up to 2 cards Playmaker controls, and return them to his hand. KoH targets and returns Link Infra-Flier and Playmaker's Set card (KoH: 4200→3200 LP). Girastag attacks Playmaker directly, but Playmaker activates the effect of Lockout Gardna in his hand, Special Summoning it in Attack Position since an opponent's monster declared a direct attack (1000/1000/3). A replay occurs and Girastag attacks Lockout Gardna, which isn't destroyed by battle this turn (Playmaker: 4000→2400 LP). Moth attacks Lockout Gardna (Playmaker: 2400→1000 LP). Origin attacks Lockout Gardna, but Playmaker activates the Trap Card Parallel Port Break from his hand, reducing the battle damage to 0 at the cost of paying half his LP (Playmaker: 1000→500 LP). KoH ends his turn.
Turn 4: Playmaker
Playmaker draws. At this point, he enters the Data Storm. Playmaker activates his Skill Storm Access, which allows him to randomly access a card from a Data Storm when his LP is 1000 or less. Playmaker obtains Space Insulator and adds it to his Extra Deck.
Playmaker Normal Summons Draconnet (1400/1200/3) to Origin's top Link Marker. Since Draconnet was Normal Summoned, he can Special Summon 1 Level 2 or lower Normal Monster from his hand or Deck in Defense Position. He Special Summons Bitron (200/2000/2) in Defense Position from his Deck. Playmaker uses Bitron to Link Summon Link Spider (1000/1/↓) to the Extra Monster Zone. Playmaker activates the effect of Link Spider to Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower Normal Monster from his hand to a zone it points to. Playmaker Special Summons Digitron from his hand (1500/0/2) in Attack Position. Playmaker uses Digitron and Draconnet to Link Summon Space Insulator (1200/2/↑↓) to Origin's top Link Marker. Monsters that Space Insulator points to lose 800 ATK/DEF (Origin: 2000→1200). Playmaker activates the effect of Link Infra-Flier in his hand, Special Summoning it to Link Spider's Link Marker (0/1800/2) in Defense Position. Playmaker uses Link Infra-Flier, Link Spider, and Lockout Gardna to Link Summon Encode Talker (2300/3/↑↓↘) to the Extra Monster Zone. Playmaker activates the effect of Parallel Port Break in his GY, banishing it to Special Summon Decode Talker (2300/3/↙↑↘) to Encode Talker's bottom Link Marker with its effects negated.
Decode Talker attacks Girastag, but Playmaker activates the effect of Encode Talker as a monster that it points to is attacking, preventing Decode Talker 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 Girastag. He chooses to increase the ATK of Encode Talker by the ATK of Girastag (Encode Talker: 2300→4900). Encode Talker attacks Steelswarm Origin (KoH: 3200→0 LP). Playmaker wins.
Gouki Near-Fall Normal Trap Card
Target 1 face-up "Gouki" monster you control: equip this card to that target. The first time the equipped monster would be destroyed by battle or card effect each turn, it is not destroyed. The ATK of "Gouki" monsters you control cannot be changed by card effects.
Parallel Port Break Normal Trap Card
If a Cyberse monster you control battles an opponent's monster with higher ATK: reduce the battle damage you would take to 0. You can activate this effect from your hand during your opponent's turn by paying half your LP. If you control a Cyberse Link Monster in your Extra Monster Zone: You can banish this card from your GY, then target 1 Cyberse Link Monster in your GY; Special Summon it with its effects negated. You can only activate each effect of "Parallel Port Break" once per turn.
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Next Time on Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS: Hidden Memories. Chapter 12 – The Fight Goes On
Responses to Reviews & Author's Notes
Thank you to JaneValentine007, darkblade456, HunterHQ, mekyaku, Unknowedz, Fenghuang0296, D3lph0xL0v3r, ClearwingYuta, Frost190, and Cobalt Striker Gundam for reviewing Chapter 10.
I would like to thank Fenghuang0296, Ezilo, and mekyaku for suggesting Extra Deck monsters for Galahad. They won't show up in Galahad's next duel, but at least one of the suggested monsters will show up in the duel after that. That said, I would still like suggestions for Magical Musket cards for Lilith, especially a Link Monster. Again, her ace monster is Magical Musket Mastermind Zakiel, and an upgraded form of Zakiel would be nice.
In response to Cobalt Striker Gundam's question about Blue Angel and Morningstar, I want to say something that I've said before: there will be no romance between Aoi and Yasutake. The reason she has more scenes with him than Go and Yusaku is because, quite frankly, she's the easiest to write in. Also, I really like her character, and I want her to have friends. That's partly the reason I gave her the first scene in this chapter, as well as providing screen time for Masako.
This chapter takes place in the latter half of Episode 24. That part of the episode only showed Go and Playmaker defeating Knights, so I decided to use this opportunity to have both of them show off. I originally had three duels planned for this chapter, but because of their combined length, and some additional scenes I wanted to write, I decided to split the chapter in half. This one showed duels with Go and Playmaker, and the next chapter will show one with Morningstar.
On the duel with Playmaker in this chapter: When I wrote the duel between Morningstar and Playmaker, I made it a Master Duel because I didn't want to give Playmaker a new Link Monster. But since he didn't use Space Insulator until his duel with Faust, I felt it an appropriate monster to give him with this duel.
Thank you for reading Chapter 11 of Hidden Memories. Please post a review of what you thought of this chapter and what you would like to see in the future. It means a lot that people continue to read my work.