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

12. Chapter 12: The Fight Goes On

Update

I've gone back to Chapter 7 and added to the effect of Cyspirit Odd Outlaw. I have now added that Odd Outlaw cannot be used as Link Material the turn it activates its effect.

---

Chapter 12: The Fight Goes On

Takeshi waited outside a hospital room, his face grim. People were rushing about all around him. They were mostly doctors and nurses taking new Another victims to different rooms. The rest were the friends and families of the victims, trying to follow the victims but being restrained by nurses and hospital security.

Takeshi looked up at a television in the corner. It showed the Knights of Hanoi running rampant in LINK VRAINS, laughing sadistically as they turned more innocent people into Anothers.

Bastards, he thought as he scowled. If not for Eiji, he would be in LINK VRAINS right now, doing his best to fight Hanoi. Still, right now LINK VRAINS was in good hands. He watched as the screen shifted to show Go Onizuka and Playmaker defeat Hanoi members. He couldn't say he trusted Playmaker's reasons for dueling, but he knew he hated Hanoi. And Go was one of the best people Takeshi knew. If Go trusted Playmaker, that was enough for Takeshi.

Takeshi turned his gaze from the television as the door across from him opened. He stood up as the doctor walked out.

"How is my brother, doc?" he asked. He tried to keep calm, but his insides were twisted with worry.

The doctor looked as grim as Takeshi had a second ago. "I'm afraid it's not good, Mr. Akino," he said. "The disease is spreading at a faster rate than we can counter. At its current speed, I'm afraid your brother won't last the month."

Takeshi's insides unknotted. Now all he felt was despair. "Thanks for not sugarcoating it, doc," he said, trying to keep his voice light and failing. "I-Isn't there anything? Anything I can do? I… I already lost my parents. I don't want to lose my brother, too."

The doctor was silent as he closed his eyes in thought. When he opened them, he said, "There is one option left," he said reluctantly. "An experimental treatment. It has about a fifty-fifty chance of success, but it's the best we can offer."

"Do it," Takeshi said instantly. "I don't care about the cost. I'll pay anything."

The doctor sighed and shook his head. "You don't understand," he said, pulling a tablet out of his coat pocket. "This is the price of the operation." He showed the tablet to Takeshi, whose eyes widened in shock. "You've already racked up a sizable debt in hospital bills," the doctor continued. "I know you can't afford the treatment. And I'm afraid that with your current debt, the hospital will require an advanced deposit."

Takeshi was silent as he stared at the screen. That price… he couldn't afford that. Maybe if he sold their house and most of their possessions, he could, but there wasn't enough time. He was stuck.

"Any other advice, doc?" he asked, his voice hollow. The doctor put a hand on his shoulder. When Takeshi looked up, the doctor offered a kind, but sad smile.

"Spend what time he has left with your brother," he said. "I know that's not what you want to hear, but it's all I can offer. I'm sorry, Mr. Akino."

Takeshi closed his eyes as they began to water. This… this wasn't fair. Eiji was the good boy. He was the one who always wanted to help people, who admired the duelists of LINK VRAINS. While Takeshi had become a Charisma Duelist to pay the bills, there was another reason: he wanted his brother to be proud of him, even if Eiji didn't know Takeshi was Galahad. Well, that and he had wanted to fulfill a promise he made to a girl. Which was looking less and less likely.

Takeshi opened his eyes and turned to the television screen. He scowled as it showed the Knights of Hanoi laughing as they hurt people. It wasn't fair. It wasn't fair that Eiji, an innocent child, had to leave this world, while sadistic bastards like Hanoi got to remain.

"Can I see him now, doc?" Takeshi asked. The doctor nodded and stepped to the side. Takeshi walked into the room, the door sliding to the side to let him in. The sole occupant of the room, who was lying on a hospital bed, looked up and smiled as Takeshi entered.

"Hey, big brother," Eiji said. Unlike Takeshi's blonde hair, Eiji had brown hair that fell to his shoulders. Takeshi couldn't help but think that Eiji looked like a younger version of their father. Takeshi himself knew that he owed his looks to his mother. But he and Eiji did have one thing in common: the same blue eyes.

"Hey, Eiji," Takeshi said, smiling back at Eiji. He had promised himself he would keep a brave face on in front of his brother. "How are you feeling?"

"Tired," Eiji answered. "Those tests really wear me out. I can only imagine how the doctors feel."

"I would hope they feel honored to save a life," Takeshi said, sitting in a chair next to Eiji's bed.

Eiji's smile became a frown. "Don't lie to me, Takeshi," he said. "I'm twelve, not six. I know I'm dy-."

"Don't say that," Takeshi interrupted. "Please… for your older brother's sake, please don't say that again."

Eiji's eyes didn't leave Takeshi's for what felt like an eternity. Eventually, he nodded. "Okay, big brother." He then smiled again. "You know what I would like? I want to watch LINK VRAINS."

"Are you sure? Because right now-."

"I know," Eiji said, interrupting this time. "I know about the Anothers. The doctor told me about what Hanoi is doing and why there are so many people here. And I know that Go Onizuka and Playmaker are fighting them." His smile widened. "Everyone at school loves Playmaker. I don't want to miss out just because I'm sick."

Takeshi smiled, resigned. "Alright, then. I'll turn it on." He picked up a nearby remote and turned the television in the room on. The news was on LINK VRAINS, but it wasn't showing Go or Playmaker anymore.

Takeshi narrowed his eyes as Morningstar pointed at a Knight's Jack Wyvern. The Cyspirit Rapid Revolutionary he had out blasted the machine monster to smithereens.

"Oh, Morningstar!" Eiji said, his eyes wide. "He's good, too! He's not Playmaker, but he is so cool!"

Takeshi turned to his brother. "Do kids at school like Morningstar?"

"Yeah!" Eiji said excitedly. "I know some guys say he's kind of a thug, but he dispenses justice on criminals! Everyone likes someone like that. And the girls seem to think he's handsome. Though, most of them seem to prefer Playmaker over him."

"I see," Takeshi said, chuckling to himself. He turned back to the television and watched Morningstar's duel. Takeshi himself wasn't sure what to make of Morningstar. On the one hand, a bounty hunter wasn't to be trusted, were they? They would do anything for money. And someone called "the Devil of LINK VRAINS" can't have gotten that reputation by being nice to his opponents.

But he had allowed Takeshi to finish his duel against Hanoi, and right now he was doing his best to fight Hanoi, without care of profit.

You really are complicated, aren't you, Morningstar? Takeshi thought, smiling to himself. Maybe that is what makes you so human.

In Hanoi's stronghold, Terminus narrowed his eyes at one of his screens. It showed the hospital room that Eiji and Takeshi were in as they watched the events in LINK VRAINS.

Looks like I found you, Galahad, he thought. And a sick brother… That could be useful. A plan began to form in Terminus's mind. A plan to put an end to a certain annoyance.

Terminus looked at another screen and scowled. Morningstar. Terminus had mixed feelings about him. On the one hand, knowing that he was one of the victims of the Lost Incident, one of those children he, Baira, Faust, and Dr. Kogami experimented on, made Terminus very sympathetic to him. At the same time, his constant interference was proving irritating. At the very least, these duels gave him more information on Morningstar's Deck, which was proving as versatile as Terminus had noted.

---

"Ahhhhh!" The Knight screamed as he fell off his D-Board. Before Morningstar could even approach him, he broke apart into data.

"Damn it," Morningstar muttered, scowling to himself. "That's the second time that's happened today. I'm really getting sick of this."

"Heads up," Cam said into his earpiece. "Behind you."

Morningstar turned around and saw another Knight, this one with pink accents on his mask, approach him.

"You've been taking out a lot of my comrades!" Pink shouted at Morningstar. "I'm going to end you here and now, Morningstar!"

"Hmm," Morningstar said. "A lot of people have said that before. All of them were proven wrong." He faced forwards as he and his opponent sped down the data stream.

"Speed Duel!" they shouted.

Morningstar: 4000 LP

Knight of Hanoi: 4000 LP

"I'll take the first turn!" Pink said, waving his hand in front of him to reveal his cards. He smirked. This could work.

"I activate the Field Spell Card: The Gates of Dark World!" Morningstar raised an eyebrow. A Dark World Deck? It had been a while since he'd seen that.

"With this card, all Fiend monsters gain 300 attack and defense points!" Pink continued. "And now, I activate the Spell Card: Dark World Dealings! This card lets both of us draw one card, then we must discard one card."

Morningstar and the Knight drew, then they each discarded a card. Pink spoke again. "The card I discarded was Broww, Huntsman of Dark World! Since Broww was discarded by a card effect, I can draw another card!"

He drew, then said, "I activate the effect of my Field Spell! By banishing a Fiend monster from my Graveyard, I can discard a Fiend monster and draw one card. I banish Broww and discard Sillva, Warlord of Dark World."

The Knight drew again, then said, "Since Sillva was discarded by a card effect, I can Special Summon it! Return, Sillva, in Attack Position!" A large black and silver humanoid monster appeared on Pink's field, with black wings and carrying a dagger.

Sillva, Warlord of Dark World ATK 2300 DEF 1400 LVL: 5

"And since Sillva is a Fiend monster, it gains 300 attack points thanks to The Gates of Dark World!"

Sillva, Warlord of Dark World ATK 2300→2600 DEF 1400→1700

"I Set one card," Pink said. "And activate the Spell Card: Dark World Market!" The card showed a black humanoid dragon monster with several cards floating in front of it. "This card allows me to draw one card and reveal it. If the card is not a 'Dark World' monster, then I must discard it and my entire hand. But if it is a 'Dark World' monster, then I draw two more cards, discard one, and treat it as having been discarded by my opponent's card effect!"

Morningstar narrowed his eyes. He was familiar with this part of the Dark World strategy; most Dark World monsters had effects that activated if they were discarded, and many of them had additional effects that activated if they were discarded by an opponent's card effect.

"I draw!" Pink said. He looked at his card and smirked. "The card I drew is Lucent, Netherlord of Dark World! That means I draw two more cards!" He drew, then continued. "I now send Lucent to the Graveyard and treat it as having been discarded by your card effect."

Pink discarded Lucent as his smirk grew. "Since Lucent was discarded to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon it! Return to me Lucent, in Attack Position!" A humanoid pink and purple fiend monster appeared and roared.

Lucent, Netherlord of Dark World ATK 2400→2700 DEF 0→300 LVL: 6

"There is more to Lucent's effect!" Pink said. "Since it was discarded by an opponent's card effect, I can also Special Summon a Fiend monster from my Deck to either side of the field!"

"What?" Morningstar said, his eyes widening in surprise. "Either side?"

"That's right," Pink confirmed. "And I'm Specual Summoning Ceruli, Guru of Dark World to your field in Attack Position!" A short little fiend carrying a staff appeared on Morningstar's field.

Ceruli, Guru of Dark World ATK 100→400 DEF 300→600 LVL: 1

"Ceruli's monster effect!" Pink declared. "If it is Special Summoned by the effect of a 'Dark World' card, then the opponent must discard one card!"

"But since it is on my field," Morningstar said, realizing Pink's plan. "That means you must discard a card."

Pink smirked again. "Exactly. I discard this card!" He touched a card and made it disappear. "And now that card's effects activate! Since I discarded Grapha, Dragon Lord of Dark World, I can target and destroy one card you control! I'll destroy and reclaim my Ceruli!" Ceruli shattered.

"There's more to Grapha's effect! Since it was discarded by an opponent's card effect, I can look at a random card in your hand, and if it is a monster, that monster is Special Summoned to my field!"

Morningstar scowled. He didn't want to give any of his monsters over to the enemy. He looked at his hand and noted the two monsters he held.

"Choose a card, Morningstar!" The cards in his hand disappeared and reappeared in front of Morningstar, facing away from him. He clicked one, revealing it. Morningstar smirked.

"The card revealed is Cyspirit Bypass!" Morningstar declared. "Since it is a Spell and not a monster, Grapha's effect resolves without a target."

The Knight growled. "My turn isn't over. I activate the effect of the Grapha, Dragon Lord of Dark World in my Graveyard! By returning a 'Dark World' monster I control to my hand, I can Special Summon Grapha from the Graveyard! I return Sillva and Special Summon Grapha in Attack Position!" A massive black, pink, and silver dragon appeared and roared.

Grapha, Dragon Lord of Dark World ATK 2700→3000 DEF 1800→2100 LVL: 8

"3000 attack points," Cam said into the earpiece. "Thank god this is only the first turn."

"I end my turn," Pink said, then smirked. "So, Morningstar. Just try to overcome my perfect formation!"

This Knight is better than the last ones, Morningstar thought. He managed to summon two monsters with high attack points on his first turn. Of course, he'll fall like the rest.

"My turn! Draw!" Morningstar drew his card, narrowed his eyes, then chose another card. "I summon Cyspirit Lancer!" The skeleton in white armor carrying a shield and lance appeared on Morningstar's field.

Cyspirit Lancer ATK 1800 DEF 0 LVL: 4

"So long as Lancer is in Attack Position, all 'Cyspirit' monsters gain 300 attack points. Digital Charge!"

Cyspirit Lancer ATK 1800→2100

"Cyspirit Lancer's monster effect! Once per turn, I can discard one 'Cyspirit' monster so Lancer inflicts piercing battle damage during this turn's Battle Phase."

Morningstar sent the Cyspirit Changer in his hand to the Graveyard. His plan was simple: banish Changer to switch Grapha and Lucent to Defense Position, then attack Lucent to destroy it and inflict piercing battle damage. Since Lucent had 300 defense points, the Knight would take 1800 points of damage.

"Ha!" Pink scoffed. "You will have to try harder than that!" He gestured to his face-down card. "Continuous Trap activate! Dark World Brainwashing!" Morningstar's eyes widened. This was bad. "Since your monster activated its effect and I have three or more cards in my hand, I can return one 'Dark World' monster I control to my hand. The effect of your Lancer then changes to 'discard one random card from your opponent's hand.'" The Knight smirked at Morningstar. "You know what that means, right?"

Morningstar did. It meant that Lancer couldn't inflict piercing battle damage this turn and his opponent was about to use another Dark World effect.

I'll return Lucent to my hand!" Pink declared. "And then, I discard one random card." His cards appeared, their backs to him. He selected one, revealing it. "I am discarding Latinum, Exarch of Dark World! And since Latinum was discarded by my opponent's card effect, I can Special Summon Latinum in Defense Position and increase Grapha's attack points by 500!" A black and grey demonic monster with wings appeared alongside Grapha as the latter glowed red.

Latinum, Exarch of Dark World ATK 1500→1800 DEF 2400→2700 LVL: 6

Grapha, Dragon Lord of Dark World ATK 3000→3500

"3500 attack points," Morningstar muttered.

"That's not the best part of Dark World Brainwashing!" Pink gloated. "So long as I have three or more cards in my hand, I can use it as often as I want!"

"Only in response to monster effects," Morningstar noted. "You can't use it in response to this!" He took a card from his hand and played it. "I activate the Quick-Play Spell Card: Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy Dark World Brainwashing!"

"What?" Pink said, startled as a blast of wind struck his Trap Card and destroyed it. "Damn it!"

I had been planning to use Mystical Space Typhoon against his Field Spell, Morningstar thought. But that Trap Card took priority. And I can't use Changer's effect either; Grapha's 2100 defense points are too much for Lancer.

Out loud, he said, "Appear, the circuit between light and darkness!" His right hand glowed blue as the Link portal appeared in front of him. "Arrowheads confirmed! The summoning condition is one 'Cyspirit' monster! I set Cyspirit Lancer in the Link Marker!" Lancer entered the portal, turning the bottom arrow red.

Circuit combine! Link Summon! Appear! Link 1! Cyspirit Cacophonic Caller!" The skeleton with wings in a business suit appeared, summoned to the Extra Monster Zone.

Cyspirit Cacophonic Caller ATK 500 LINK-1 ↓

"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. I Special Summon Cyspirit Nova!" A small dragon skeleton appeared, but then silver armor grew over it. It spread its silver and black wings as it was summoned to Cacophonic Caller's Link Marker.

Cyspirit Nova ATK 1500 DEF 1000 LVL: 3

"Appear once more! The circuit between light and darkness!" The Link portal once again appeared in front of Morningstar. "Arrowheads confirmed! The summoning condition is one 'Cyspirit' Normal Monster! I set Cyspirit Nova in the Link Marker!" Nova entered the portal, turning the left arrow red.

"Circuit combine! Link Summon! Appear! Link 1! Cyspirit Odd Outlaw!" The cowboy skeleton with two pistols and a covered face appeared, summoned to Cacophonic Caller's Link Marker.

Cyspirit Odd Outlaw ATK 500 LINK-1 ←

In Hanoi's stronghold, Terminus raised an eyebrow. He hadn't seen this Cyspirit monster before.

"I activate the Spell Card: Cyspirit Bypass!" Morningstar continued. "Since I control two 'Cyspirit' Link Monsters, I can Special Summon one 'Cyspirit' monster from my Deck. However, that monster will be destroyed during the End Phase. I Special Summon Cyspirit Prisoner!" The skeleton in a white and blue prisoner's uniform appeared, summoned to Odd Outlaw's Link Marker.

"Appear for a third time! The circuit between light and darkness!" The Link portal appeared, this time in the sky. "Arrowheads confirmed! The summoning conditions are two 'Cyspirit' monsters! I set Cyspirit Cacophonic Caller and Cyspirit Prisoner in the Link Markers!" The monsters in question entered the portal, turning the left and right arrows red.

"Circuit combine! Link Summon! Appear! Link 2! Cyspirit Thrilled Tunneler!" The black skeleton in a brown prospector's uniform with a massive drill for a right arm appeared, summoned to Odd Outlaw's Link Marker.

Cyspirit Thrilled Tunneler ATK 1600 LINK-2 ←→

"Since I used Prisoner to Link Summon a 'Cyspirit' Link Monster, I can add one 'Cyspirit' card from my Deck to my hand. I add Cyspirit Gardna." Morningstar took the card from his Deck, then gestured to Odd Outlaw.

"Odd Outlaw's monster effect! Once per turn, if it points to a Link Monster, I can target cards in your hand equal to that monster's Link Rating. Those cards are shuffled back into your Deck, and then for every two cards shuffled, you draw one card." Pink grit his teeth on hearing that. "Odd Outlaw points to Thrilled Tunneler. That means I can target two cards in your hand and shuffle them into your Deck. You then draw one card."

Morningstar selected the cards, which Pink shuffled back in and then drew. "There is a second part to Odd Outlaw's effect. Since Thrilled Tunneler is a 'Cyspirit' Link Monster, I draw one card for every two cards that were shuffled into your Deck. Meaning I draw a card too."

He drew, then said, "I Set two cards." He then gestured to Thrilled Tunneler. "Thrilled Tunneler's monster effect! Since it points to at least one monster, it can attack you directly by halving its attack points!"

"What?" Pink gasped in shock. "It can attack directly?"

Cyspirit Thrilled Tunneler ATK 1600→800

"Battle! Thrilled Tunneler, attack my opponent directly! Cyber Drill!" Thrilled Tunneler rushed past Grapha and Latinum and struck Pink directly, causing his D-Board to wobble.

Knight of Hanoi: 4000→3200 LP

"I end my turn," Morningstar said as Thrilled Tunneler returned to his field. "And Thrilled Tunneler's attack points return to normal."

Cyspirit Thrilled Tunneler ATK 800→1600

---

In the public viewing plaza, the crowd cheered on Morningstar. But at Café Nagi, Kusanagi frowned at the large television. Yes, Morningstar had managed to damage his opponent, but said opponent still had two very powerful monsters on the field.

He still has options though, Kusanagi thought. The card Morningstar had added to his hand with Prisoner's effect had been Cyspirit Gardna. If the Knight attacked either monster, Morningstar could Special Summon Gardna and redirect the attack to it. And summoning it would also halve all battle damage for the rest of the turn.

Kusanagi glanced at the screens behind him. Because he was working his day job, the screens showed supply shelves to fool people into thinking they weren't computer screens. Yesterday, he'd gotten an email from Cameron Junpei about creating an anti-purge program. Kusanagi could see the benefit of such a program and decided to help him. Unfortunately, between his work at the front and Cam's own job, it was taking some time to finish. Kusanagi estimated that it would take between three days to a week before the program was finished.

The difficulty of the program aside, it was nice to work with someone new for a change. Kusanagi hadn't worked with anyone except Yusaku for a long time. So far, Cam had proven to be intelligent, skilled, and personable, the last of which Kusanagi wished Yusaku was.

Kusanagi looked back again as the dear to the sealed room opened and Yusaku walked out. "What are you doing here?" Kusanagi asked. "I thought you were planning to stay in LINK VRAINS all day."

"He was," Ai answered, emerging from Yusaku's Duel Disk. "But since he's still human, he needs food."

"Ah, a lunch break," Kusanagi said, nodding. "Lucky for you that I'm open."

Yusaku took a hotdog and soda to the picnic table right outside and started his lunch. Sadly, he was soon disturbed by an unwanted visitor.

"Hey there. Mind if I sit here?"

Yusaku looked up at a tall blonde-haired blue-eyed teenager wearing a Den Academy uniform. He was carrying a Café Nagi bag, which he set on the picnic table. He smiled at Yusaku.

"Who are you?"

The teenager blanched and fell over. He immediately got back up, his eyes comically large as tears poured out.

"Are you kidding me?" he whined. "That's the fourth time this week… what do I have to do to be recognized?"

"I think you broke him, Yusaku," Ai whispered.

"Be quiet," Yusaku whispered back. To the guy, he said, "Well, I don't know too many people. I'm sorry for not recognizing you."

The guy stopped crying and sighed as he slid into the seat opposite Yusaku. "At least you apologized for it," he muttered. "I assumed you'd recognize me, since you're wearing our school uniform."

"Like I said, I don't know many people. My name is Fujiki. Yusaku Fujiki. Freshman."

"Takeshi Akino. Senior and Student Council President. Though apparently that doesn't mean much to certain freshmen." Takeshi muttered that last part under his breath. "Anyway, what are you doing out here? School just ended a few minutes ago; you couldn't have gotten here that quickly."

"I had a fever earlier so I didn't go. What about you?"

"Visiting someone in the hospital."

"An Another victim?"

Takeshi shook his head. "No, someone else." He frowned. He didn't want to burden this freshman with his family and financial problems. He turned to the televisions, which showed Morningstar continuing his duel. "You ever go to LINK VRAINS?" he asked Yusaku as he turned back to him, who shook his head.

"I'm not a good duelist. And I'm not looking to go professional." The first part had been a lie, the second wasn't. Yusaku had no plans to become a Charisma Duelist, even if the Knights of Hanoi were defeated.

"Well, at least you know your limits. Not too many people do, sadly. If people were more aware of what they could and could not do, there probably wouldn't be so many Another victims." Takeshi turned back to the televisions as he and Yusaku watched Morningstar's duel continue.

---

"My turn!" Pink declared. "I activate my Skill! Double Draw! During my Draw Phase, I draw two cards instead of one! Draw!" He drew, looked at his cards and smirked. "I activate the effect of The Gates of Dark World! I banish the Ceruli in my Graveyard and discard Kahkki, Guerilla of Dark World to draw one card."

He did so, then said, "I activate the effect of the Kahkki that I discarded! If it is discarded to the Graveyard, I can target and destroy one monster on the field! Say goodbye to your Thrilled Tunneler!" Morningstar's eyes narrowed as his monster disintegrated.

"Next, I activate the Spell Card: Dark Corridor! This card adds a 'Dark World' monster from my Deck to my hand, at the cost of discarding a card. I add Beiige, Vanguard of Dark World to my hand." He took the card from his Deck, then said, "I will also discard Beiige!" He sent the card to his Graveyard, then continued. "Since Beiige was discarded by a card effect, I can Special Summon it to my field in Attack Position!" A blue fiend wearing white bone armor and carrying a spear appeared on Pink's field.

Beiige, Vanguard of Dark World ATK 1600→1900 DEF 1300→1600 LVL: 4

"Since that was a Special Summon, I can still perform a Normal Summon!" Pink declared. "I Tribute Beiige and Latinum to Tribute Summon Reign-Beaux, Overlord of Dark World!" Beiige and Latinum disappeared as a new, much larger monster appeared alongside Grapha. Reing-Beaux was a massive black fiend monster with giant dragon wings carrying a two-pronged staff.

Reign-Beaux, Overlord of Dark World ATK 2500 DEF 1800 LVL: 7

"And because of The Gates of Dark World, Reign-Beaux becomes even stronger!"

Reign-Beaux, Overlord of Dark World ATK 2500→2800 DEF 1800→2100 LVL: 7

Morningstar grit his teeth. Reign-Beaux was one of the most powerful Dark World monsters in existence. At least it hadn't been discarded; its effect was horrible.

"If you think this is the greatest problem you'll face, you're wrong!" Pink said, sneering at Morningstar. "I activate the Spell Card: Dark World Lightning!" Morningstar's eyes widened. "This card destroys a Set card, then I get to discard a card. You have two face-downs, so I'll destroy the one on my left!" The card in question shattered. Morningstar frowned as his Cyspirit Barricade was sent to the Graveyard.

"And now, I have to discard a card. Of course, it's the only card in my hand, so I'll discard another Kahkki, Guerilla of Dark World! You know what that means, right?"

"Yes," Morningstar said. "It means you get to destroy another monster on my field." His face was expressionless as Odd Outlaw disintegrated.

"I paid attention when you added Cyspirit Gardna to your hand," Pink gloated. "That card has a good effect, but it requires a 'Cyspriit' monster on the field for its effect to activate. But without monsters, you're defenseless!"

Kusanagi narrowed his eyes at the television, as did Takeshi. Morningstar was in trouble. The only one unconcerned was Yusaku. He figured that Morningstar had a way out of this situation. He'd come too far to lose to a random Knight.

"Battle!" Pink declared. "Grapha, Dragon Lord of Dark World, attack Morningstar directly! Take 3500 points of damage!" Grapha breathed red fire and blasted Morningstar. Morningstar glared at Grapha as the blast hit him full-force.

Pink continued speaking as smoke enveloped Morningstar. "I'm not done! Reign-Beaux, it's your turn! Attack Morningstar directly with Devilish Vacuum Wave!" Reign-Beaux raised its staff and blasted the smoke screen with black energy. Another explosion occurred as the smoke expanded.

"Oh no!" the MC in the public viewing plaza commented. "Grapha had 3500 attack points, and Reign-Beaux had 2800! If those two attacks connected, Morningstar will have lost! Is this the end of the Devil of LINK VRAINS?" Kusanagi, Takeshi, and Yusaku just watched in silence.

The smoke eventually cleared, revealing Morningstar still standing on his D-Board, much to his opponent's shock. That said, his Life Points had taken a hit, and while he hadn't taken any permanent damage, he was clearly annoyed.

Morningstar: 4000→2250→850 LP

"W-What?" Pink asked, aghast. "How did you survive?"

"I banished the Trap Card Cyspirit Half-Guard from my Graveyard," Morningstar answered as a card appeared on his field. It showed Cyspirit Gardna with one of its shields cracking into pieces. "By banishing this card and discarding a 'Cyspirit' monster, all battle damage I take this turn is halved. So while your attacks did damage me, they did not defeat me."

"I see," Takeshi said, his eyes widening in understanding. "He discarded the Cyspirit Gardna in his hand. But now his hand is empty."

"Cyspirit Half-Guard has one more effect," Morningstar continued. "At the end of the Battle Phase, for every monster you control that battled this turn, I can draw a card. Both of your monsters battled, so I draw two cards!"

He drew as the crowd in the public viewing plaza went wild. "I stand corrected," Takeshi said, a grin on his face. "He reduced the damage and replenished his hand. Nice."

Pink growled, then smirked. "So what if you replenished your hand," he said. "You have less than 1000 Life Points and I have two powerful monsters on my field. You have no chance! I end my turn!"

"On the contrary," Morningstar said as he placed his hand on his Deck and narrowed his eyes. "I have everything I need. My turn! Draw!" He drew and glanced at his card. "I summon Cyspirit Sorceress!" A white skeleton appeared wearing an elegant black dress appeared. The hands emerging from the sleeves were made of metal and were alight with green energy. Long black hair emerged from a metal skull with one red eye. A black metal staff appeared in its right hand.

Cyspirit Sorceress ATK 1400 DEF 400 LVL: 4

In Hanoi's stronghold, Terminus narrowed his eyes. "A new Cyspirit monster," he muttered.

"Sorceress's monster effect! When she is Normal Summoned, I can Special Summon a Level 4 or below 'Cyspirit' monster from my Graveyard in Attack Position! Return to me, Cyspirit Lancer!" Sorceress spun her staff and pointed to a nearby Main Monster Zone. The end glowed as Lancer appeared from a purple circle.

Cyspirit Lancer ATK 1800 DEF 0 LVL: 4

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

Cyspirit Lancer ATK 1800→2100

Cyspirit Sorceress ATK 1400→1700

"Sorceress's second effect!" Morningstar continued. "Once per turn, I can declare a Level between one and six; Sorceress's Level then becomes the declared Level. I declare Level two!"

Cyspirit Sorceress LVL 4→2

"Ha!" Pink scoffed. "What good does changing your monster's Level do?" In the back of Café Junpei, Cam rolled his eyes. Hanoi really needed to raise their recruitment standards.

"Appear! The circuit between light and darkness!" Morningstar's hand glowed as the Link portal appeared in front of him. "Arrowheads confirmed! The summoning condition is one Level 2 or lower 'Cyspirit' monster! I set Cyspirit Sorceress in the Link Marker!" Sorceress entered the portal, turning the bottom-left arrow red.

"Circuit combine! Link Summon! Appear! Link 1! Cyspirit Egregious Electrician!" The skeleton carrying an electrical box appeared, summoned to the Extra Monster Zone, with its Link Marker pointing to Lancer.

Cyspirit Egregious Electrician ATK 600→900 LINK-1 ↙

"Egregious Electrician's monster effect! Once per turn, I can move a 'Cyspirit' monster it points at to another Main Monster Zone and Special Summon a 'Cyspirit' monster from my hand to the zone it points to. I move Cyspirit Lancer to my right Main Monster Zone and Special Summon Cyspirit Wanderer in Defense Position!" Lancer moved to the side to make room for a skeleton in a poncho.

Cyspirit Wanderer ATK 1900→2200 DEF 200 LVL: 5

"Wanderer's monster effect! If this card is Special Summoned by the effect of a 'Cyspirit' card, I can target one monster my opponent controls and lower its attack points by 800. I target Grapha with Wanderer's effect. Digital Drain!" The Knight grit his teeth as Grapha's attack points went down.

Grapha, Dragon Lord of Dark World ATK 3500→2700

"Trap activate!" Morningstar declared, gesturing to his face-down card. "Cyspirit Necrocoding!" The card flipped upward, revealing a hand composed of binary code emerging at the end of the tunnel. At the other end was Thrilled Tunneler sweatdropping as Tunnel Tyke hung off its neck. "This card allows me to Special Summon a 'Cyspirit' monster from my Graveyard and equip Necrocoding to it. However, I cannot target a Link-3 or higher 'Cyspirit' Link Monster with this effect. I use Necrocoding to bring back Cyspirit Prisoner!" The said monster appeared, summoned to the left Main Monster Zone.

Cyspirit Prisoner ATK 1600→1900 DEF 2100 LVL: 5

"Necrocoding has another effect while it's equipped to a monster," Morningstar told Pink. "If I use the equipped monster to Link Summon a Cyberse Link Monster, Necrocoding can be treated as a 'Cyspirit' Effect Monster and used as Link Material for that Summon!"

"What?" Pink said, shock evident in his voice.

"Appear! The circuit between light and darkness!" The Link portal once again appeared in front of Morningstar. "Arrowheads confirmed! The summoning conditions are two or more 'Cyspirit' monsters! I set Cyspirit Egregious Electrician, Cyspirit Prisoner, and the Cyspirit Necrocoding treated as a 'Cyspirit' Effect Monster in the Link Markers!" The two named monsters approached the portal, with a transparent version of Prisoner appearing alongside them. The three monsters entered the portal and turned the bottom-left, top, and bottom arrows red.

"Circuit combine! Link Summon! Appear! Link 3! Cyspirit Rapid Revolutionary!" The skeleton in a trench coat and tricorne hat appeared and spread its wings as it was summoned to the Extra Monster Zone.

Cyspirit Rapid Revolutionary ATK 2200→2500 LINK-3 ↙↑↓

"Cyspirit Prisoner's monster effect!" Morningstar declared. "Since it was used to Link Summon a 'Cyspirit' Link Monster, I can add one 'Cyspirit' card from my Deck to my hand. I add Cyspirit Sanctuary to my hand."

He did so, then said, "I now activate the Field Spell: Cyspirit Sanctuary! With this card on the field, all 'Cyspirit' monsters gain 300 attack and defense points!"

Cyspirit Lancer ATK 2100→2400

Cyspirit Rapid Revolutionary ATK 2500→2800

Cyspirit Wanderer ATK 2200→2500

"Those monsters are pretty powerful," Takeshi said. "But Rapid Revolutionary is the only one strong enough to destroy one of that Knight's monsters."

The Knight was sweating, but what Morningstar said next confused him. "You should be aware of something; the monster that is Link Summoned using Cyspirit Necrocoding cannot declare an attack the turn it was summoned."

"What?" the Knight said, surprised. "Then why did you use it?"

"Because I need it in the Graveyard for its other effect," Morningstar answered. "And since you failed to destroy it on your turn, I had to summon Rapid Revolutionary." Morningstar then gestured to his field again. "I activate the effect of Cyspirit Sanctuary! Once per turn, if I control a 'Cyspirit' Link Monster, I can move a monster to a Main Monster Zone on its controller's field. I move Rapid Revolutionary to my left Main Monster Zone."

Yusaku watched as Rapid Revolutionary changed positions. Now Morningstar had Lancer in his right Main Monster Zone, Wanderer in the middle, and Rapid Revolutionary in the left zone. What was he planning?

"I activate the effect of the Cyspirit Necrocoding in my Graveyard!" Morningstar then declared. "If I have no monsters in the Extra Monster Zone, I can banish this card and two 'Cyspirit' Link Monsters from my Graveyard. Then, I can Special Summon a Link-3 or lower 'Cyspirit' Link Monster from my Extra Deck!"

"What?" Pink said, shocked again. "You're summoning another Link Monster?"

"I banish Necrocoding, Cacophonic Caller, and Egregious Electrician from my Graveyard. With this, I can now Special Summon a 'Cyspirit' Link Monster from my Extra Deck." He pulled a card from his Extra Deck and slapped it on his Duel Disk. "Come forth! Link 3! Cyspirit Pied Pikeman!" The skeleton in a guard's uniform carrying a large spear appeared, summoned to the Extra Monster Zone.

Cyspirit Pied Pikeman ATK 2400 LINK-3 ↙↑→

"And due to the effects of Cyspirit Lancer and Cyspirit Sanctuary, Pied Pikeman gains 600 attack points!"

Cyspirit Pied Pikeman ATK 2400→3000

"3000 attack points," Pink grumbled.

"There's more to Necrocoding's effect," Morningstar said, shocking the Knight. "The monster Special Summoned by this effect is treated as having been Link Summoned. Not only that, but it is treated as pointing to a number of monsters equal to its Link Rating!"

"What!?" Pink said, shocked beyond reason. Terminus was likewise surprised. Since Cyspirit monsters gained effects depending on how many monsters they pointed to, that Trap Card essentially let them use all their effects. Thankfully, it could only do so for Link-3 and lower monsters.

"Of course, Necrocoding has one downside," Morningstar continued. "The monster Special Summoned by this effect is shuffled back into my Extra Deck during the End Phase. But I don't think that will matter." He gestured to Pied Pikeman. "Pied Pikeman's monster effect! Once per turn, if it points to at least one monster, I can change that monster's battle position to destroy one Spell or Trap Card on the field. I change the Cyspirit Wanderer it points at to Attack Position to destroy your Field Spell!"

Pink flinched as The Gates of Dark World shattered and his monsters' attack and defense points went down. Terminus scowled. Even if Pied Pikeman could use all its effects in theory, its particular effects required manipulating the monsters it pointed to. That meant it had to truly point to at least one monster to use its effects. And thanks to Wanderer, it could.

Grapha, Dragon Lord of Dark World ATK 2700→2400 DEF 2100→1800

Reign-Beaux, Overlord of Dark World ATK 2800→2500 DEF 2100→1800

"And since it is treated as pointing to three monsters, I can activate Pied Pikeman's third effect!" Morningstar declared. "Once per turn, I can Tribute one monster it points to and increase Pied Pikeman's attack points by that monster's attack points. I Tribute Cyspirit Wanderer to increase Pied Pikeman's attack points by Wanderer's 2500 attack points!" Wanderer shattered as Pied Pikeman glowed red.

Cyspirit Pied Pikeman ATK 3000→5500

"Nice!" Takeshi said as he pumped his fist. "If he destroys Grapha with Pied Pikeman, he can reduce that Knight's Life Points to 100!"

"No," Yusaku said, drawing Takeshi's attention. "This duels is over."

"Battle!" Morningstar declared. "Cyspirit Pied Pikeman, attack Grapha, Dragon Lord of Dark World!" Pied Pikeman charged Grapha at Morningstar's command.

"I activate the effect of the Cyspirit Barricade in my Graveyard!" Morningstar suddenly said. The card appeared on the field, which Pink recognized as the card he had destroyed last turn. "By banishing this card from my Graveyard, I can increase Pied Pikeman's attack points by 1000!"

"What!?" the Knight shrieked as Pied Pikeman glowed red again.

Cyspirit Pied Pikeman ATK 5500→6500

"Go, Pied Pikeman! Spiritual Halberd!" Pied Pikeman's spear glowed with white energy. It slashed through Grapha, destroying it in a massive explosion that sent the Knight flying from his D-Board, screaming at the top of his lungs.

Knight of Hanoi: 3200→0 LP

Takeshi whistled. "Damn. Morningstar is really strong, isn't he?"

"Yes, he is," Yusaku said. He remembered his duel with Morningstar vividly; it had been more even than his duel with Revolver, but in the end, it had been even more challenging. And from the looks of it, Morningstar was only getting stronger.

Takeshi stood up and scrunched up his empty bag. "It was good to talk to you, Fujiki," he said. "Maybe I'll see you at school." He walked over to a waste bin, threw the bag in, then walked away.

Morningstar jumped down next to the Knight and pinned his arm with his leg.

"Who gave you your orders?" he demanded. The last Knight he had interrogated had said Revolver hadn't given them their orders, but someone obviously had.

"Three of Master Revolver's lieutenants," the Knight gasped as Morningstar increased the pressure. "Please, stop that!"

"Their names," Morningstar said, narrowing his eyes. "Give me their names!"

"T-Terminus!" the Knight said, panicking. "He's the first of them. The others-!" That was all he said before he turned black and broke apart into data, screaming as he did so.

Morningstar narrowed his eyes. "Well that sucked," Cam said. "You didn't get to finish interrogating him."

"Maybe not," Morningstar answered. "But these last few duels have taught me three things. One: people other than Revolver are giving these Knights their orders. That means Revolver is likely busy with something else."

"That could be troublesome later," Cam muttered. "What are the other two things you learned?"

"Two: Revolver has at least three other lieutenants aside from Dr. Genome. I'm also going to assume Spectre isn't one of them; he doesn't strike me as the kind to give orders. And even if he is one of the people giving orders, I would rather overestimate Hanoi than underestimate them."

"And the third?"

"Three: one of the lieutenants is named Terminus," Morningstar said, narrowing his eyes again. "He was the only one mentioned, so I assume he's the leader or the strongest of them. Even if he isn't, he's the only one we know about."

Terminus, he thought. You are my best chance to find Revolver and whoever has the Another removal program. I will find you.

"With this duel over, I-," Morningstar began, then winced as he took a step. He fell to one knee and felt his side.

"Damn it, Yasu," Cam said, scowling in the back room. "You've pushed yourself too far. Log out. You need a lunch break."

Morningstar sighed. He wanted to stay in LINK VRAINS and keep defeating Knights, but he recognized the tone in Cam's voice. If he didn't do as Cam said, he'd end up cleaning the bathrooms at Café Junpei. Again. So he logged out.

---

Yasutake opened his eyes and leaned against the side of the sealed room. The door opened as he stumbled out. Thankfully, Cam managed to catch Yasutake before he fell over.

"Easy, Yasu," Cam said. "You just had three duels in a row. That would tire out anyone."

"This is mostly because of the last duel," Yasutake said, letting Cam help him into the nearest chair. "I didn't have to get serious at all for the first two. It's been a while since I fought a Dark World Deck; I feel out of practice." He looked at the news channel, which showed Playmaker reentering LINK VRAINS and engaging the Knights.

"Looks like it's Playmaker's turn," he said, sighing. "You said something about a lunch break?"

"Yeah." Cam nodded in affirmation. "Besides, I've kept away from the front too long. Time for the day job."

Yasutake stood up without help and led the way out of the back room. He was about to take a pastry out of the display case when the unfortunate happened.

"Hello, Narahiko."

He looked up and stumbled backwards a few steps. Masako Himura was standing in front of the counter, smiling at him. She wasn't wearing her school uniform; instead she was wearing a lowcut long-sleeve black shirt and black pants, both of which were formfitting, and carried a small black bag. She was also wearing purple lipstick and silver skull earrings. Not that Yasutake cared about such things.

Yasutake narrowed his eyes. "Himura," he said. "How did you know I work here?"

"Oh?" Masako said, the same coy smile on her lips. "What makes you think I'm here to see you?"

"People only respond to questions with questions when they're being evasive," Yasutake said. "And that smile of yours is far too suggestive. Wipe it from your face."

Masako attempted to frown, then reverted to her smile. "Sorry, can't. Maybe I could when you're not around, but not now." Her eyes were just as playful as her smile. "As for knowing you worked here, I just looked in the student directory. It said you lived above a bakery, so I assumed you worked at said bakery. Am I wrong?"

"You are not," Cam said, sliding next to Yasutake. "Yasu here is my roommate and co-worker."

"Yasu?" Masako repeated, an eyebrow raised. "I didn't know Narahiko had such a close friend. Or that he had a friend."

Cam laughed. "That depends on who you ask," he said, smiling at Masako. "I'm Cameron Junpei, but everyone calls me Cam. I'm the owner of Café Junpei. Since you know Yasu, I'm guessing you're a classmate of his?"

"Masako Himura," she answered, bowing slightly. "I transferred in a short while ago. Narahiko here has been very gracious to me at school."

"Really?" Cam said, affecting surprise as he looked at Yasutake. "You can be polite?"

"When I want to be," Yasutake said, his face deadpan. "What are you doing here, Himura?"

"You didn't come to school today," she said, pouting. "I was looking forward to talking to you." She put her hands behind her back and leaned forward, her head tilted as she batted her eyelashes. Why are you standing like that? Yasutake wondered.

"That's my fault," Cam said, drawing the attention of the two teenagers. "I needed help in the store earlier, and Yasu here is the only employee I have. Tell you what," he said, getting a devilish glint in his eye, "I feel bad about holding you here, Yasu. Why don't I give you the rest of the day off?"

"What?" Yasutake said, startled. "But I was just planning to take my lunch break-."

"You can take it with me," Masako interjected, a sly smile on her face. "I've barely eaten all day, and I could use some companionship." She turned to Cam, her eyes wide and sparkling. "Would it be alright if I took Narahiko out on the town?"

Cam laughed. "Yeah, go ahead. He doesn't get out enough. Just come back before dark."

Damn it, Yasutake thought. He's fallen for it, too. In school, he'd noticed that all Masako had to do was smile at a person or make her eyes do that sparkling thing, and they would do anything she wanted. He had a rather vivid memory of when Naoki had attempted to carry a large stack of books for her in the library. The key word being "attempted," as he had tripped over a stool and fell, covering himself in books. It had taken all Yasutake's self-control to keep himself from laughing at the poor boy. As far as he knew, he was the only person immune to Masako's manipulative eyes and smile. Though he suspected Yusaku was also immune to it, since he'd never seen Masako smile at him. Or maybe the loner vibe Yusaku gave off kept Masako away from him. If that was true, Yasutake envied him.

"I really don't want to-."

"No excuses," Cam said, turning serious. He leaned in so he could whisper. "Yasu, you need to get out more. A date is just what you need. Don't worry about Hanoi; Go and Playmaker can handle them for now."

"D-Date?" Yasutake said, louder than he intended. "I am not going on a date!"

"Of course not." Cam and Yasutake turned to Masako as she said that. "We're simply two friends hanging out and eating together. I find these things go way better if neither party has expectations of the other."

"E-Expectations?" Yasutake repeated, panicking but not knowing why. "Expectations of what?"

Masako put a finger to her lips. "Oh, there are so many. Though, I think listing some of them might make people listening in uncomfortable."

Yasutake growled. Damn it. He knew what this was. Cam and Masako were conspiring against him. If he didn't go with Masako, the two would do their utmost to annoy him to no end. And right now, Yasutake doubted his restraint.

"I hate both of you," he said, not at all petulantly. "Give me a minute." He headed towards the staircase that led upstairs, but before hearing Cam shout after him.

"Just so you know, if you plan on hiding out up there, I will send Himura up after you."

Yasutake growled again as Masako giggled. What had he done to deserve this?

---

Tagoma opened his eyes and blinked as the blue sphere around him disappeared. He stood up from the chair in his and Masako's apartment and stretched. Being in LINK VRAINS for several hours really left the body stiff. When he brought his arms down, he checked his Duel Disk. Yes, it had recorded all of Morningstar's duels.

He walked over to another chair, which his laptop was sitting on top of. He opened it, and after it started up, he connected his Duel Disk to it and downloaded the data from Morningstar's duels. He then sent the data to the email address Terminus had provided him and Masako.

It didn't take long before Terminus sent him a reply. It boiled down to "thank you and here is your pay." Tagoma checked his and Masako's bank account and saw a transfer had been made from an unknown account. The amount was three times the fee Terminus had been willing to pay. Tagoma assumed this was because he had sent data on three duels.

Tagoma frowned. Masako was supposed to be the one going into LINK VRAINS while he ran tech support. That was the way they had been doing it for their entire careers as bounty hunters. Tagoma only went in when their client wanted to watch the hunt themselves, as his Duel Disk contained a drone and Masako's didn't. But since Masako had decided to go to school today, he had been forced to go in and observe Morningstar's duels.

What was happening with that girl? She had never been this unfocused on a mission before. Granted, they had never accepted a tracking contract before, but still… something was up with her.

Tagoma looked at the time on his laptop and his frown deepened. Masako should have come back by now. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a cellphone. He dialed Masako's number and waited.

She answered on the third ring. "What is it, Tagoma?" she asked, irritation in her voice. Tagoma raised an eyebrow at that.

"Where are you?" he asked. "School ended some time ago. I thought you were supposed to take over for me after school."

"Yes, well…" He heard hesitation in Masako's voice. "There's something I wanted to do. Something important."

"There's nothing more important than the job, little girl," Tagoma said. "I thought you had learned that by now."

"I did," she said. "But… this is a personal thing."

"…In that case, mind telling me what this 'personal thing' is?"

"…No," Masako finally said. "Like I said, it's personal, and I want to keep it that way."

"Masako, what are you-?"

"I need to go," she interrupted. "I'll see you tonight, Tagoma." She hung up after that. Tagoma growled as he lowered the phone and returned to his laptop. He activated the tracker that he had placed in Masako's phone. She was aware of said tracker but didn't know he could turn it on remotely.

He raised an eyebrow at her phone's location. Café Junpei? According to the Den City directory, it was a bakery, owned by a man named Cameron Junpei. Why would Masako go there? Looking at the menu, he saw they had dango, her favorite food, but so did a bakery near their apartment. Café Junpei was on the other side of the city. What was Masako doing there?

He attempted to hack into Café Junpei's computers but received an unexpected surprise. The firewalls and security programs protecting Café Junpei's computers were incredibly advanced. He'd seen corporations with less security than this. He couldn't even breach its systems for a second.

Tagoma narrowed his eyes. Why would a bakery need such advanced security systems? Was it a front for SOL Technologies or another corporation? Or was there some other reason he couldn't see?

---

Masako hung up as Yasutake walked out the bakery's door. He raised an eyebrow. "Were you calling someone?" he asked.

"Answering a call," she said, smiling at him, but it was strained. "It's nothing you need to concern yourself with."

"…Okay," Yasutake said, narrowing his eyes. "Be honest with me. Why are you doing this?"

"Doing what? Not telling you who I was talking to? That's my business, and-."

"Not that. Why do you want to hang out with me?"

Masako's smile turned playful. "Are you really that dense? Do I have to spell it out for you?"

"No," Yasutake answered. "I want to know why me. You must know that half the student body at Den Academy would be more than willing to hang out with you. So what makes me so different from them?"

Masako didn't answer straight away. After a few seconds, her smile became real. "Tell you what; why don't you ask me that when this is over. If I had fun, I'll answer it. Honestly. Deal?"

Yasutake narrowed his eyes further. "I would prefer to know now, but… deal. So… where do you want to go?"

Before Masako could answer, they heard a chime from Yasutake's pocket. He pulled out his cellphone and opened his messages. He raised an eyebrow.

"Cam says we should go to the public viewing plaza," he said. "There's a food truck there that sells the best hotdogs in Den City. And he's a friend of Cam's, so he might give us a discount."

The two teenagers glanced through the windows of Café Junpei to see Cam behind the counter, watching the two of them with a smirk.

"Can he hear us?" Masako asked Yasutake.

"I don't think so," Yasutake said. Even so, he walked to the side so Cam couldn't see him anymore.

"Still, it's not a bad suggestion. You want to go to the public viewing plaza?"

"Sure. I haven't had a decent hotdog in months. And it will be interesting to see duels in LINK VRAINS."

Yasutake suspected that last part was why Cam had suggested the public viewing plaza. He probably knew that Yasutake would want to get this over with so he could go back to LINK VRAINS, and the public viewing plaza was the best place to see what was going on.

Still, why suggest a hotdog truck? There were other restaurants around. Was the food there really good, or was there another reason?

---

Tagoma scowled at his laptop's screen. He'd hacked the security cameras outside Café Junpei so he could find out what Masako was doing. And lo and behold, she was standing outside with a boy. The boy was wearing the Den Academy student uniform. He couldn't make out the kid's eyes, but he had spiky black hair and red bangs which extended downwards on the right side of his face.

So this was what was so important to Masako? A date? He admitted the guy was good-looking, but such actions were pointless. Even if they were staying in Den City longer than they had thought, they were planning on leaving eventually. There was no point in getting to know the people of this city or Masako's fellow students. Hadn't he taught her that forming connections with people was pointless? That there was no benefit to becoming attached to people?

Tagoma sighed and rubbed his temples. Still, Masako was headstrong. If she wanted to go out with this guy, he couldn't stop her. She would learn eventually why it was a bad idea to become attached.

---

"Have you lived in Den City your whole life?" Masako asked Yasutake. The two of them were walking down the sidewalk towards their destination. They weren't touching, which relieved Yasutake. He didn't like people touching him.

He nodded. "Born and raised. And aside from some school trips, I've never left it."

"Why?"

"Never saw the need to. What about you? The teacher said you transferred from Kyoto. Are you originally from Kyoto?"

Masako shook her head. "I was born in Tokyo. Spent the first eight years of my life there. Since then, I've been on the move. Kyoto was just the latest in a long line of homes." She glanced at Yasutake as she asked her next question. "Mr. Junpei said you were his roommate. What happened to your parents."

"Don't know," he answered simply. "Never met them. I grew up alone."

"…Oh," Masako said, her voice small.

"Don't."

"Don't what?"

"Don't offer me your condolences," he said. "The way I see it, they abandoned me at birth. I don't owe them anything. The closest I have to family is Cam."

Masako gave a sad smile. "I wasn't going to say I'm sorry," she said. "I was going to say something stupider."

"Like what?"

"That you're lucky."

He stopped in his tracks and turned to her. She did the same. "Lucky?" he asked, surprised. "What part of growing up without parents is lucky?"

"I meant you are lucky in comparison to me," she clarified, her smile replaced with a depressed look. "Yes, it's sad you never knew your parents, but at the same time, it means you don't miss them. It means you don't have memories of them. It means that if something horrible happened to them or if they disappointed you, it would hurt far less than if you did grow up with them."

Yasutake and Masako stood still for a while. Eventually, Yasutake broke the silence. "…What happened to your parents, Himura?"

She gave a sad smile. "A lot of things," she said. "None of which I'm willing to say. Not yet, at least. And please, just call me Masako."

"…Fine," he said. "We should hurry, Masako." He turned and started to walk again. She followed him, pouting.

"You know, if a girl asks you to call her by her first name, the boy is supposed to say she can call him by his first name."

Yasutake sighed. "I assumed that if you wanted to call me by my first name, you would, whether I gave permission or not."

Masako thought about that. "I suppose you're right, Yasutake. Or should I call you Yasu, like Mr. Junpei does?"

"You can call me Yasutake, but don't call me Yasu. And don't call him Mr. Junpei either. Just call him Cam." Yasutake didn't know why but being called Yasu by someone other than Cam irked him.

"Alright," Masako said, smiling to herself. "How long until we reach the public viewing plaza?"

"About twenty minutes, I think," Yasutake said. "While we're walking, I have another question."

"And that is?"

"You said you've been on the move since you were eight. Was that because of what happened to your parents?"

She didn't answer, but she didn't stop walking either. "Partly," she finally said. "I've been living with someone else the last eight years. Kind of like you and Cam, I suppose. Though, I can honestly say your guardian is nicer than mine."

The two continued in awkward silence. Yasutake wasn't naturally curious about other people's lives, but he was curious about Masako's. Did her parents die, or had they abandoned her? Or were they simply busy with overseas jobs so Masako was living with a relative?

After a few minutes, Masako suddenly said, "Let's cut through here." She grabbed Yasutake's hand and pulled him to the left.

"H-Hey! Let go of me!" Yasutake protested as she led him into an alley.

"Come on, we'll get there faster if we cut through the back streets," Masako said.

Yasutake narrowed his eyes. "Have you never watched American films? Whenever a character goes into an alley, bad things happen."

"Does this look like a movie to you, Yasutake?" Masako asked, still holding his hand. "I want to get to the public viewing plaza as fast as possible."

"Then I'm afraid you're out of luck, pretty girl."

Masako stopped in the center of an intersection in the alley. Yasutake immediately freed his hand from her grip and looked around. There was a thug on each street, four in total, including the one they had just come down. He must have followed them to box them in.

The one in front of them had been the one who spoke. "What do we have here, folks? Two students it looks like. Den Academy, right? That's a pretty prestigious school, isn't it? The two of you must have a future if you're going there."

"What's your point?" Masako asked the thug. Her expression showed no fear, only irritation. "We're busy. We need to get to the public viewing plaza."

"The public viewing plaza? Well, just so happens I know the way there. I could show you if you want. Of course, it's going to cost you."

Yasutake sighed. "Why can't you just voice your intentions from the start?" he asked in a bored tone. "Just say you're robbing us. It saves time on all sides."

The thug narrowed his eyes at Yasutake. "Oh, a wise guy, eh? Well, that attitude of yours is going to cost a little extra. Though…" he leered at Masako as he looked her up and down. "I could think of an… alternative form of payment."

Masako's response was to punch him in the face. Hard. As he staggered back from the blow, holding his nose, she swept her left leg under his, knocking him to the ground.

Yasutake and the other three thugs blinked. Then the one behind them ran at Masako, calling her unprintable names, while the two on the left and right charged at Yasutake.

Yasutake turned his head in time to see the thug on the right's fist head towards his head. He reflexively caught said thug's fist in his left hand. He twisted the man's hand, causing him to cry out in pain. He reached out with his other hand and grabbed the man's elbow, using his smaller size and the thug's momentum to throw him over his shoulder, right at his other opponent. The two men hit each other, knocking each other to the ground.

Yasutake looked for Masako and saw the last thug had his arms wrapped around her, restraining her. Before he could help her, she stepped on his right foot with the heel of her boot, making him cry out in pain. She pushed her head back, bashing his nose in. The man loosened his grip, allowing Masako to escape. She quickly turned around and lashed out with her leg, hitting him in the side and knocking him to the ground, groaning in pain.

Before the thugs could recover, Yasutake grabbed Masako's hand and quickly pulled her out of the alley. Once they got back on the main street, he let go.

"No more shortcuts," he said, catching his breath.

Masako nodded as she breathed heavily. "Agreed."

Yasutake looked up at the street signs and, knowing where they were, pointed in a direction. "This way to the public viewing plaza. About five minutes or so. Or would you rather head home?"

"Why?" Masako asked, an almost feral smile on her face. "Because some idiots tried to take your wallet? I invited you, didn't I? Are you sure you don't want to head back home?"

Yasutake honestly wanted to, but he was reluctant to leave Masako alone in case those thugs tried to attack her while she was alone. Of course, from what he had seen, she could protect herself just fine.

"I agreed to go with you," Yasutake finally said. "I'm a man of my word. Shall we?"

Masako's smile lost its edge as she nodded. "Let's go."

The two continued their walk, their heart rates going down. Thanks to the interruption, the awkward atmosphere had evaporated.

"Those moves you made," Masako said. "That was aikido, wasn't it?"

"It was," Yasutake said, honestly surprised. "Have you taken classes on it?"

Masako shook her head. "My knowledge of martial arts is very basic. I just know enough to recognize a few. When did you learn aikido?"

"A few years ago," he answered. "Cam thought the mental exercises could help me with some… issues. And I learned the physical aspects for self-defense. What about you? Those moves you made weren't random, but I didn't recognize a style."

"Basic self-defense," Masako said. "I took a few classes while I was on the move, and my guardian taught me a few other tricks. Do you know anything besides aikido?"

"A few tricks, but mostly just boxing and wrestling," Yasutake answered. "Cam used to-." He stopped talking, his light-hearted mood shattered. He also stopped walking. Masako took a few steps forward, then turned around to face him as his face became guarded.

She smiled at him. "I'm guessing Cam didn't want to become a baker originally," she said. "It's fine. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to." She looked ahead of them. "Come on. The plaza's just ahead."

Yasutake didn't say anything. Instead, he just started walking again, with Masako taking her place at his side.

The two teenagers finally made it to the public viewing plaza. Like Yasutake had thought, there was a large crowd, watching the television screens. Right now, they showed Go Onizuka and Playmaker both dueling. The crowd was cheering wildly for the two duelists.

"Ahh," Masako said, looking disappointed. "It's just Go Onizuka and Playmaker. I was hoping to watch Morningstar duel."

Yasutake raised an eyebrow. "Are you a fan of Morningstar?"

"Yes," she said. "I've been to a lot of forums devoted to him. He has a lot of fangirls out there. Though, that is to be expected from a man naming themselves after the goddess of love."

Yasutake almost fell over from shock before he caught himself. "What?" he said, shocked beyond reason. "The goddess of love? What does the devil have to do with love?"

"Oh, I don't mean Lucifer," Masako clarified. "I know that Lucifer is Latin for 'morning star,' but he isn't the only thing called that. In astronomy, Venus is often called the morning star because it appears in the sky right before sunrise. Venus is the Roman name for Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love and beauty. In other words, Morningstar refers to the goddess of love."

Yasutake blinked multiple times. That logic was somewhat convoluted, but he understood it. Worse, he had never thought about how Morningstar referred to the planet Venus. He knew it was a medieval weapon and the religious connotations of the name, but he hadn't thought it had anything to do with love.

I'm going to pretend I never learned that, Yasutake thought. It will be better for my sanity.

He looked at the edge of the crowd and noticed the food truck that Cam had talked about. A man in a purple sweatshirt and apron with purple hair was standing behind the counter, grilling hotdogs. There was a sign above him that said "Café Nagi."

"I think that's the place Cam was talking about," Yasutake said, pointing it out to Masako. She looked at it and raised an eyebrow.

"Doesn't look like much," Masako noted. "Though if the food is good, that doesn't matter."

The teens walked up to the counter. Thankfully, there was no line. The guy behind the counter smiled at them.

"Hello," Kusanagi said in a friendly tone. "what would you two lovebirds like? I have hotdogs, chili dogs, cheese dogs-."

"Lovebirds?" Yasutake interrupted, confused by the term. "Why did you call us that?"

"Oh?" Kusanagi said, surprised. "Are you two not on a date? I'm sorry, but you look like you are."

"We aren't," Masako said, smiling at the man. "Though, that's largely for his benefit. He isn't too good with understanding people's emotions."

"I can understand them when I want to!" Yasutake protested.

Kusanagi nodded in understanding. "I see. I know someone a lot like that. He's brilliant with machines, but horrible with people."

"Why are you two ganging up on me?" Yasutake asked of no one in particular. He sighed. "I'll have a hotdog, fries, and soda," he said, calming himself down. "What do you want, Masako?"

"I can pay for myself, Yasutake," she said, turning her smile on him. "Like I said, this isn't a date, so you don't-."

"Yasutake?" Kusanagi interrupted, his voice full of surprise and startling the teenagers. "Oh sorry. Just… are you Yasutake Narahiko, by any chance?"

Yasutake raised an eyebrow. "Yes, I am. Have we met?"

"Not in person," Kusanagi said, smiling at him. "But I know your friend Cameron Junpei. My name's Shoichi Kusanagi. He mentioned you when he stopped by some time ago."

Yasutake was confused. When had Cam visited the public viewing plaza?

That question was erased from his mind by what Kusanagi said next. "You go to Den Academy, right? I think you might know a friend of mine. Yusaku Fujiki?"

Yasutake's eyes widened then narrowed. This man knew Yusaku. Then, that meant…

He looked more closely at the storage shelves behind Kusanagi. There was a slight wavering to them, suggesting they were in fact computer screens.

So this guy is Playmaker's ally, Yasutake thought. Cam must have tracked him down somehow and introduced himself. He hadn't expected Cam to take the initiative like that. He usually stuck to tech support. Yasutake remembered when he had asked Cam about the anti-purge program, he had said part of a name, but hadn't told Yasutake who he was talking about. This must be Cam's way of telling him.

Out loud, he finally said, "I do know Fujiki, but not well. I would call him a classmate instead of a friend. He mostly keeps to himself."

Kusanagi nodded in understanding. "That sounds like him." He finished grilling Yasutake's hotdog and placed it and a carton of French fries in a bag. He set them and a soda on the counter.

Yasutake reached into his pocket, but Kusanagi waved. "No need to pay," he said. "I owe Cam a favor, so consider this paying a debt."

Yasutake scowled. He didn't like not paying for a meal, but if the guy insisted… "Alright," he said. "But you should stop by Café Junpei. I'm sure Cam would give you some pastries free of charge."

Kusanagi smiled. "I'll do that. Maybe I'll convince Yusaku to go, too. It would help him to eat something other than hotdogs all day."

Yasutake waited while Masako gave her order. Kusanagi offered her food free of charge, but she refused and paid him the full amount.

"I get free stuff all the time," she said to him. "I'd feel better paying for this much." Kusanagi just shrugged and accepted her money.

"That was interesting," Masako commented as she and Yasutake headed to a picnic table close to Café Nagi. "Did you know Cam had a friend like that?"

Yasutake shook his head. "No, I didn't. But I'm not surprised. Cam does have a life outside of Café Junpei. If he wants to make friends, that's his choice, not mine." And finding out more about Playmaker's outside help probably wasn't the only reason Cam approached Kusanagi, he thought. He remembered that before he dueled Playmaker, he had said he dueled to save a friend's brother. He was probably talking about Kusanagi, and if his brother was in the same place as Sachi… Yasutake could see very well why Cam would want to know more about Kusanagi.

The two teenagers sat down at the table and continued their conversation. "I must say, I'm not familiar with Yusaku Fujiki," Masako was saying. "Is he in our class?"

"Yeah," Yasutake answered. "He usually sits in the back row. Tall guy, blue and pink hair."

"Oh!" Masako's eyes widened in realization. "I do know him! I never talked to him, but I know who you're referring to. Isn't he the one Shima is always yelling at?"

Yasutake nodded. "Yeah, that's him." He had noticed that Naoki had a habit of trying to talk to Yusaku. He was sure Naoki was just trying to be friendly, but those talks always ended with him shouting at Yusaku.

Masako took a bite of her hotdog. "Oh!" she said. "This is really good! Kusanagi knows his stuff."

Yasutake took a bite of his hotdog and nodded. "Yeah. It's certainly better than the last hotdog I had."

The two teenagers ate in silence for a minute, then Masako broke it. "You work at Café Junpei, right? So does that mean you know how to cook?"

Yasutake shrugged. "I know how to bake pastries," he said. "Cookies, bread, donuts, those I can make. I can't make something like tempura or gyudon."

"Can you make dango?"

Yasutake raised an eyebrow. "Yeah. Why?"

Masako smiled. "It's my favorite food," she said. "There's a café near my apartment, and they make good dango, but I think I might stop by Café Junpei to see how your dango tastes."

Yasutake's response was to ask, "What about you? Can you cook?"

Masako made a so-so gesture with her free hand. "I can cook simple things like TV dinners. And my guardian says I make a good nikujaga. But when I tried cooking sukiyaki, I… accidently burned a few things."

Yasutake raised an eyebrow again. "A few things?"

Masako nervously laughed. "Oh, you know, myself, the food, the kitchen, etcetera… It doesn't really matter."

"Uh huh," Yasutake said, making a mental note to never let this woman anywhere near the equipment at Café Junpei.

"Still, I-." Masako suddenly stopped talking. Yasutake looked up from his food and saw she was looking over his shoulder, her face grim. He turned and looked.

There was a man several meters away. He was dressed in a black leather jacket and jeans. He was also bald with silver eyes. If Yasutake had to guess, the man was in his thirties. The man had a scowl affixed to his face and was glaring at Masako. He reached out with his hand and made a beckoning gesture to Masako.

The girl in question sighed. "Excuse me," she said to Yasutake. Before he could ask what was going on, she got up, grabbed her food, and walked over to the guy. After a minute or so, she came back, looking disappointed.

"I'm sorry, Yasutake," she said. "But I have to go home."

"That's your guardian?"

She nodded. "Tagoma. He… says its getting late and he wants me to head home with him."

Yasutake glanced back at Tagoma, who was still scowling. He then turned his gaze to Masako. "Do you want to head home?"

She sighed. "No, but it's best to do as he says. I owe him that much." She turned to leave, but then turned back and smiled at Yasutake.

"Though, there is something else. I think I owe you an answer to your question, don't I?"

"Question?" Yasutake repeated. He then remembered what he had asked Masako outside Café Junpei. About what made him so different from the rest of Den Academy.

"I said I'd answer you if I had fun, and I did," she said. "And the reason why is… because you look at me like I'm real."

Yasutake blinked. "Real? What do you mean?"

She gave him a sad smile. "I'm sorry, Yasutake, but I have to go. I'll explain the next time we're alone." She then turned and ran over to Tagoma. The two departed the plaza, though not before Masako glanced over her shoulder at Yasutake. She frowned on seeing that he was back to eating his food.

What she didn't see was that he was also frowning. You look at me like I'm real. What does she mean by that?

"Hello, Narahiko."

Yasutake looked up and saw Yusaku sit down in the seat Masako left vacant. He was carrying a hot dog and a laptop. Once he sat down, he removed the Duel Disk from his wrist and placed it on the table.

Yasutake raised an eyebrow. "You're taking a big risk," he said. "Taking off your Duel Disk and placing it in front of a hunter who has a contract for it."

"Like you could take me!" Ai said, emerging from the Duel Disk's screen and glaring at Yasutake. "There's no way I'd let you escape with me! I'd-."

"He never stops talking," Yusaku interrupted. "Do you want to listen to him all the way home?"

Yasutake thought about it and shook his head. "Fair point. And defeating you in a duel is more fun." He turned to the televisions, which now showed the news of the day. "You and Onizuka left the battlefield?"

"As did you," Yusaku said, opening his laptop. "That was Masako Himura from school, right?"

Yeah," Yasutake said, nodding. "She and my roommate conspired against me. It was go with her or have her at my house. This was the safer option."

Yusaku narrowed his eyes. "She's dangerous. You know that, right?"

"I do get the sense she's not telling me everything," Yasutake acknowledged. "But how do you think she's dangerous?"

Yusaku shook his head. "I can't say for certain, but she gives me a bad feeling."

She gave me a bad feeling when I first met her, Yasutake thought. She still does. Though I think that bad feeling is based on… other things.

"We have more important concerns than Masako at the moment," Yasutake said, changing the subject. "Did you learn anything from the Knights you dueled?"

Yusaku shook his head. "Not after I defeated the one with the purple mask. They were all purged before they could tell me anything. You?"

"I managed to interrogate one before he was purged," Yasutake answered. "I didn't gain much, but I did learn a few things. Namely that Revolver has at least three more lieutenants and one of them is named Terminus."

Yusaku narrowed his eyes. "Terminus… do you think they're the one responsible for the Anothers?"

"I can't say," Yasutake said. "But judging from your question, you intend to do something about that?"

Before Yusaku could answer, the televisions interrupted them.

"We interrupt this program for SOL Technologies' press conference." They looked up at the screens, which showed Kitamura in front of four microphones.

"It took a long time, but SOL Technologies has successfully developed a 100% AI duelist," he said. "I'll now make a promise! Our AI department will eliminate the Knights of Hanoi and restore peace to LINK VRAINS!"

"So he's the security manager who replaced Zaizen," Ai said.

"He seems quite confident." The three at the table turned and looked at Kusanagi, who had walked out of Café Nagi and was standing beside them.

"But this allows us to buy time," Yusaku noted.

"To find the person behind the Another virus?" Yasutake asked. After Yusaku nodded, he said, "Kitamura may buy time, but not much. He likes to talk big, but he's incompetent and easily manipulated."

"That sounds like personal experience," Ai said. "Have you met this Kitamura guy?"

Yasutake shook his head. "No, I've never met him. But my friend Cam has."

"The guy who helps you in LINK VRAINS?" Yusaku asked.

Yasutake glanced at Kusanagi, who had returned to Café Nagi. Apparently, he had told Yusaku about his meeting with Cam.

"Yeah him. He runs a bakery called Café Junpei some distance from here. Anyway, Kitamura is the only person Cam has every banned from Café Junpei."

"Oh!" Ai said, surprised. "Banned? What did he do?"

Yasutake sighed. "Cam gets a lot of SOL employees during business hours. Kitamura and a few of his friends were there once. He got a call and started shouting on the phone at them. Cam asked him to quiet down for the sake of the other customers. Kitamura refused and started threatening to have SOL buy out his bakery."

"I bet Cam didn't like that," Ai said, anticipating something wonderful.

Yasutake smirked. "No, he didn't. He started asking Kitamura and his friends to leave, but they decided to pick a fight with him. I'm not sure if they were drunk or just stupid, but it ended badly for them."

"How badly?"

"Cam kicked Kitamura and his friends out of the bakery. And I mean literally kicked him out. His boot hit Kitamura's rear end and sent him flying out the door."

Ai laughed. "Oh, I wish I could have seen that!"

"Some of the other customers took pictures and gave them to Cam," Yasutake said. "He has at least one of them framed. After that, Kitamura complained to the higher-ups at SOL and tried to get Cam run out of town. I don't know if he would have succeeded or not, but Akira Zaizen stepped in and worked things out."

"How did he do that?"

"Cam gives all SOL employees a 15% discount and Kitamura never goes to Café Junpei again," Yasutake said. "Though I think Zaizen had ulterior motives. He often buys blueberry muffins from us."

"You were at school while this was happening?" Yusaku asked.

Yasutake nodded. "Yeah. I didn't learn about it till I got home and Cam told me about it." He looked up at the sky and scowled. "It's getting late, and I promised Cam I would get back before dark." He stood up from the bench and said, "I'll see at school, Fujiki."

"Right."

Yasutake turned and walked away, yawning to himself. He hadn't expected a not-date with Masako to end with him talking to Yusaku about Kitamura, but he didn't mind. Masako was more pleasant company, but Yasutake didn't have to worry about Yusaku flirting with him. At least, he hoped he didn't.

Yasutake walked down the street towards Café Junpei. He estimated it would take him another ten minutes to get there. Or it should have.

"There you are!"

Yasutake looked up and blinked. He then looked around him. He was surrounded by the four thugs he and Masako had beat up earlier.

"I see your girlfriend decided to ditch you," the leader said, scowling at Yasutake. "Pity. I was hoping to get revenge on that bitch."

Yasutake narrowed his eyes. "I have three things to say to all of you," he said. "One: she is not my girlfriend. She is a girl I was forced to hang out with." He didn't tell them Masako's name, as he didn't want them to go looking for her. "Two: do not call her a 'bitch.' Three: don't attempt to fight with me. It will only end badly."

"Yeah, right, you punk!" the leader said, charging at Yasutake and swinging his fist.

---

Yasutake opened the door to Café Junpei. The store was closed, but Yasutake had his own key.

"Hey," Cam said, looking up from behind the counter. He was watching the news on his tablet. "I thought I told you to get back before dark."

Yasutake sighed. "I ran into some trouble on the way back," he said. "Took longer than I thought it would."

"Sorry to hear that," Cam said, looking back at the tablet. "You should watch this. Kitamura just released his AI army."

Yasutake stepped behind the counter and stood next to Cam, watching the tablet with him. The screen showed a multitude of AI duelists like the two he had fought in the databank facing off against multiple Knights of Hanoi on D-Boards.

"Oh, I met Kusanagi," Yasutake said as they watched.

"Yeah? What do you think of him?"

"Nice guy. He gave me a free hotdog. I told him you would give him some free pastries."

Cam smiled. "I could do that." He glanced at Yasutake. "Sorry for not telling you about him earlier. But I wanted you to meet him in person."

"And I'm glad I did," Yasutake said. "He and Fujiki are planning to search for the person behind the Another virus while Kitamura's AI duelists keep Hanoi busy."

"Do you think they can do it?"

"I'm more concerned about how much time Kitamura will buy us," Yasutake said. "I beat both of his prototypes easily, but I also beat Hanoi easily. I can't say which is more skilled."

"It will probably go down to numbers," Cam said, looking back at the screen.

---

"I'll switch the main monitor to the map," one SOL operator said. Kitamura stood in the center of SOL headquarters, staring at the central projection. It switched to show the statuses of all members of the AI Duelist Squad. He laughed softly as he stared at it.

"Number 266 won! Number 45 won!"

"Number 13 won! Number 702 won! Number 444 won!"

"Number 267 won!"

"30& of the Knights of Hanoi have been defeated!" another operator announced.

"Good! Keep it up and defeat them all!"

After Kitamura said that, however, some AI statuses switched red to show loses. The number increased, making Kitamura panic.

"What?"

"Number 39 lost!"

"Number 580 lost! Number 933 lost!"

"Number 80 lost!"

"Number 163 lost! Number 895 lost!"

Kitamura gaped at the projection, then turned to one of the operators. "What's going on?" he asked her.

"Three Knights of Hanoi are winning at incredible speed!"

"Three?" he repeated in disbelief.

"I'll put it on screen!"

As Kitamura turned back to the projection as a new image came up. It showed Baira, Faust, and Terminus on their D-Boards, surrounded by smoke.

"Them?" Kitamura said, sweating in disbelief. Shortly after he said that, the last status on the projection turned red.

"The AI Squad have all lost," an operator reported.

"0% chance of my promotion," Kitamura said weakly, falling to his knees.

---

Takeshi opened the door of his house and turned the lights on. He yawned as he collapsed into a nearby chair. He brought his right hand to his face and closed his eyes.

He had just spent the last few hours visiting pawnshops, asking what they would pay for certain items. Most of the items were his, but a few were things his and Eiji's parents had left behind. Unfortunately, none of them could offer enough for him to pay for the experimental treatment. Or the hospital bill.

Takeshi sighed. He really was out of options, wasn't he? He couldn't afford to pay for Eiji's treatment with the means available to him. Maybe if he looked for a loan shark, he could acquire the money. But loan sharks tended to be even worse than the banks when it came to paying off debts. Then again, what other choice did he have? Let his little brother die? That wasn't something Takeshi would ever consider.

He was so deep in thought that it took him a while to notice that his Duel Disk was beeping. When he finally heard it, he looked at it and raised an eyebrow in confusion. An unknown number was calling him. Or rather, it was calling Galahad; he had two numbers, one to answer as Takeshi and the other as Galahad.

Deciding it couldn't hurt, he answered the call. "This is Galahad, the Knight of Justice," he said. "Who is this?"

"I know who you are, Galahad," the person on the other end said. Their voice was scrambled, but Takeshi suspected they were male. Call it instinct. "Or do you prefer Takeshi Akino?"

Takeshi blinked in surprise then scowled. No one knew he was Galahad. Well, almost no one. A girl knew, but she wouldn't tell anyone.

"You didn't answer my question," he said. "Who are you?"

"I know about your brother," the person said. "I have a way to help you."

Takeshi's scowl deepened. "I know a scam when I hear it."

"No scam. And no tricks," they said. "My name is Terminus. And I have a proposition for you."

---

Morningstar vs. Knight of Hanoi

This Duel is conducted as a Speed Duel.

Turn 1: Knight of Hanoi

KoH activates the Field Spell Card The Gates of Dark World. Now all Fiend monsters gain 300 ATK/DEF. He then activates the Spell Card Dark World Dealings, letting both players draw 1 card, then discard 1 card. They draw, then KoH discards Broww, Huntsman of Dark World and Morningstar discards Cyspirit Half-Guard. Since Broww was discarded to the GY by a card effect, KoH can draw 1 card. KoH activates the effect of The Gates of Dark World, banishing Broww from his GY to discard Sillva, Warlord of Dark World and draw 1 card. Since Sillva was discarded to the GY by a card effect, KoH activates its effect to Special Summon itself (2300→2600/1400→1700/5) in Attack Position. KoH Sets 1 card.

He activates the Spell Card Dark World Market, which lets him draw 1 card and reveal it. If the card is a "Dark World" monster, he can draw 2 more cards, send 1 card to the GY, and treat the discarded card as having been discarded by an opponent's card effect. KoH draws and reveals Lucent, Netherlord of Dark World. Since Lucent is a "Dark World" monster, KoH draws 2 cards, sends Lucent to the GY, and treats it as if it was discarded by Morningstar's card effect. Since Lucent was discarded to the GY by a card effect, KoH can Special Summon it (2400→2700/0→300/6) in Attack Position. And because it was discarded by an opponent's card effect, KoH can Special Summon 1 Fiend monster from his Deck to either side of the field. KoH Special Summons Ceruli, Guru of Dark World (100→400/300→600/1) to Morningstar's field in Attack Position. Because Ceruli was Special Summoned by the effect of a "Dark World" card, KoH must discard 1 card. He discards Grapha, Dragon Lord of Dark World. Since Grapha was discarded to the GY by a card effect, KoH can target 1 card Morningstar controls and destroy it. He destroys Ceruli. Since Grapha was discarded from KoH's hand by Morningstar's card effect, KoH can look at 1 random card in Morningstar's hand, and if it is a monster, it is Special Summoned to KoH's field. KoH picks and reveals Cyspirit Bypass. It is not a monster, so Grapha's effect does not activate. KoH activates the effect of Grapha in his GY, returning Sillva to his hand and Special Summoning Grapha, Dragon Lord of Dark World (2700→3000/1800→2100/8) in Attack Position. KoH ends his turn.

Turn 2: Morningstar

Morningstar draws. He 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 effect of Lancer, discarding Cyspirit Changer to allow Lancer to inflict piercing battle damage if it attacks a Defense Position monster. KoH activates his face-down Continuous Trap Card Dark World Brainwashing. Since Morningstar's monster activated its effect and KoH has 3 or more cards in his hand, he can target 1 "Dark World" monster on the field, return it to the hand, and the activated effect becomes "Discard 1 random card from your opponent's hand." KoH returns Lucent to his hand, and then discards Latinum, Exarch of Dark World. Since Latinum was discarded by an opponent's card effect, its effect activates, letting KoH target 1 Fiend monster on the field. He targets Grapha. Latinum is Special Summoned (1500→1800/2400→2700/6) in Defense Position, and Grapha gains 500 ATK (Grapha: 3000→3500).

Morningstar activates the Quick-Play Spell Card Mystical Space Typhoon, targeting and destroying Dark World Brainwashing. He uses Lancer to Link Summon Cyspirit Cacophonic Caller (500/1/↓) to the Extra Monster Zone. Morningstar activates Cacophonic Caller's effect to Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower "Cyspirit" monster from his Deck to the zone it points to. Morningstar Special Summons Cyspirit Nova (1500/1000/3). Morningstar uses Cyspirit Nova to Link Summon Cyspirit Odd Outlaw (500/1/←) to Cacophonic Caller's Link Marker. Morningstar activates the Spell Card Cyspirit Bypass. Since he controls 2 "Cyspirit" Link Monsters, he can Special Summon 1 "Cyspirit" monster from his Deck, but it is destroyed during the End Phase. Morningstar Special Summons Cyspirit Prisoner (1600/2100/5) to Odd Outlaw's Link Marker. Morningstar uses Cacophonic Caller and Prisoner to Link Summon Cyspirit Thrilled Tunneler to Odd Outlaw's Link Marker (1600/2/←→). Because 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 Gardna to his hand.

Since it points to a Link Monster, Morningstar activates Odd Outlaw's effect, targeting cards in KoH's hand equal to Thrilled Tunneler's Link Rating and shuffling those cards back into the owner's Deck. Then, for every 2 cards shuffled, KoH draws 1 card. Morningstar targets 2 cards in KoH's hand, which are shuffled into the Deck, and KoH draws 1 card. Since Thrilled Tunneler is a "Cyspirit" Link Monster, Morningstar draws 1 card for every 2 cards shuffled into KoH's Deck. He draws 1 card. He then Sets 2 cards. Since it points to 1 monster, Morningstar activates the effect of Thrilled Tunneler, allowing it to attack KoH directly, but its ATK is halved until the End Phase (Thrilled Tunneler: 1600→800) (KoH: 4000→3200 LP). Morningstar ends his turn, and the effect of Thrilled Tunneler ends (Thrilled Tunneler:800→1600).

Turn 3: Knight of Hanoi

KoH activates a Skill, Double Draw, letting him draw 2 cards during his Draw Phase instead of one. He draws. He activates the effect of The Gates of Dark World to banish Ceruli from his GY, discard Kahkki, Guerilla of Dark World, and draw 1 card. Since Kahkki was discarded by a card effect, KoH activates its effect to target and destroy Thrilled Tunneler. KoH then activates the Spell Card Dark Corridor, using it to add Beiige, Vanguard of Dark World from his Deck to his hand, then discard Beiige. Since Beiige was discarded by a card effect, KoH activates its effect to Special Summon it (1600→1900/1300→1600/4) in Attack Position. KoH Tributes Beiige and Latinum to Tribute Summon Reign-Beaux, Overlord of Dark World (2500→2800/1800→2100/7). KoH activates the Spell Card Dark World Lightning, targeting 1 of Morningstar's Set cards and destroying it (Cyspirit Barricade) and discarding another Kahkki. Since Kahkki was discard by a card effect, KoH can target and destroy 1 monster on the field. He targets and destroys Odd Outlaw. Grapha attacks Morningstar directly, but Morningstar activates the effect of the Cyspirit Half-Guard in his GY, banishing it and discarding the Cyspirit Gardna in his hand to halve all battle damage Morningstar would take this turn. Grapha's attack continues (Morningstar: 4000→2250 LP). Reign-Beaux attacks directly (Morningstar: 2250→850 LP). Since 2 monsters KoH controls battled this turn, the effect of Half-Guard lets Morningstar draw 2 cards. KoH ends his turn.

Turn 4: Morningstar

Morningstar draws. He Normal Summons Cyspirit Sorceress (1400/400/4). Because Sorceress was Normal Summoned, Morningstar activates its effect to Special Summon 1 Level 4 or below "Cyspirit" monster from his GY in Attack Position. He Special Summons Cyspirit Lancer (1800/0/4). Since Lancer is in Attack Position, all "Cyspirit" monsters gain 300 ATK (Lancer: 1800→2100) (Sorceress: 1400→1700). Morningstar activates the effect of Sorceress, declaring Level 2 and changing Sorceress's Level to 2 until the End Phase (Sorceress: 4→2). Morningstar uses Cyspirit Sorceress to Link Summon Cyspirit Egregious Electrician (600→900/1/↙) to the Extra Monster Zone. Morningstar activates the effect of Egregious Electrician, moving Lancer from the zone Egregious Electrician points at to another zone and Special Summoning Cyspirit Wanderer (1900→2200/200/5) to Egregious Electrician's Link Marker in Defense Position. Since Wanderer was Special Summoned by the effect of a "Cyspirit" card, Morningstar can target 1 monster KoH controls and lower its ATK by 800. He targets Grapha (3500→2700).

Morningstar activates his face-down Trap Card Cyspirit Necrocoding, targeting Cyspirit Prisoner in his GY with its effect. Morningstar Special Summons Prisoner (1600→1900/2100/5) in Attack Position and equips Necrocoding to Prisoner. If the monster equipped with Necrocoding is used to Link Summon a Cyberse Link Monster, Morningstar can use Necrocoding as Material for the Link Summon, but the monster summoned by this effect cannot declare an attack the turn it is Link Summoned. He uses Egregious Electrician, Prisoner, and Necrocoding to Link Summon Cyspirit Rapid Revolutionary (2200→2500/3/↙↑↓) to the Extra Monster Zone. Because 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 Sanctuary to his hand. He then activates the Field Spell Cyspirit Sanctuary, which increases the ATK/DEF of all "Cyspirit" monsters by 300 (Lancer: 2100→2400) (Rapid Revolutionary: 2500→2800) (Wanderer: 2200→2500). Morningstar activates the effect of Sanctuary, moving Rapid Revolutionary to his left Main Monster Zone. Morningstar activates the effect of Necrocoding in his GY, banishing it, Cacophonic Caller, and Egregious Electrician from the GY since he controls no monsters in the Extra Monster Zone. He can then Special Summon 1 "Cyspirit" Link Monster from his Extra Deck (which is treated as a Link Summon) and treat it as pointing to a number of monsters equal to its Link Rating. Morningstar Special Summons Cyspirit Pied Pikeman (2400→3000/3/↙↑→) to the Extra Monster Zone. Morningstar activates the first effect of Pied Pikeman, changing the Cyspirit Wanderer it points at to Attack Position to destroy The Gates of Dark World (Grapha: 2700→2400/2100→1800) (Reign-Beaux: 2800→2500/2100→1800). Morningstar activates the third effect of Pied Pikeman, Tributing the Wanderer it points at to increase its ATK by Wanderer's ATK (Pied Pikeman: 3000→5500).

Pied Pikeman attacks Grapha, and Morningstar activates the effect of the Cyspirit Barricade in his GY, banishing it to increase Pied Pikeman's ATK by 1000 (Pied Pikeman: 5500→6500). Pied Pikeman destroys Grapha (KoH: 3200→0 LP). Morningstar wins.

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Cyspirit Sorceress

Attribute: LIGHT Type: [Cyberse/Effect] ATK 1400 DEF 400 Level: 4

When this card is Normal Summoned: You can Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower "Cyspirit" monster from your GY in Attack Position. Once per turn: You can declare a Level from 1 to 6; this card becomes that Level until the End Phase. You can only control 1 "Cyspirit Sorceress".

Dark World Market Normal Spell Card

Draw 1 card and reveal it. If the card is a "Dark World" monster: draw 2 additional cards, discard 1 card, and treat it as having been discarded by an opponent's card effect. If the card is not a "Dark World" monster: discard your entire hand.

Cyspirit Half-Guard Normal Trap Card

If an opponent's monster declares an attack: Discard 1 "Cyspirit" monster; all battle damage you take for the rest of the turn is halved. At the end of the Battle Phase of the turn you activate this effect: draw 1 card for each monster your opponent controls that battled this turn. Once per Duel, if this card is in your GY, you can activate the above effect by banishing this card from the GY.

Cyspirit Necrocoding Normal Trap Card

During your Main Phase: Target 1 "Cyspirit" monster in your GY; Special Summon it and equip this card to that target. You cannot target a Link-3 or higher "Cyspirit" Link Monster with this effect. If this card leaves the field, destroy the equipped monster. If the equipped monster is used for the Link Summon of a Cyberse Link Monster: this card can be treated as a "Cyspirit" Effect Monster and used as Material for the Link Summon, but the Summoned monster cannot declare an attack the turn it is Link Summoned. If you control no monsters in the Extra Monster Zone: You can banish this card and 2 "Cyspirit" Link Monsters from your GY; Special Summon 1 Link-3 or below "Cyspirit" Link Monster from your Extra Deck (This Special Summon is treated as a Link Summon) and treat it as pointing to a number of monsters equal to its Link Rating. During the End Phase of the turn you activated this effect, shuffle the monster Special Summoned by this effect back into your Extra Deck. You cannot Link Summon a Link-4 or higher Link Monster the turn you activate this effect.

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Chapter Preview

Next Time on Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS: Hidden Memories. Chapter 13 – A Brother's Promise

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Responses to Reviews & Author's Notes

Thank you to HunterHQ, mekyaku, D3lph0xL0v3r, and Ninjacya321 for reviewing Chapter 12. Credit to sanedimentio for the first effect of Cyspirit Necrocoding and its artwork. I came up with the banish from the Graveyard effect, since it is really the only way for a monster like Pied Pikeman to use all of its effects.

To answer mekyaku's question, the pink-haired schoolgirl disguise was no one in particular. HunterHQ originally suggested a scene like that, with the girl being one of the girls in the bishojo game Yasutake was playing. But if you want a reference, I picture her looking like Kanon Nakagawa from The World God Only Knows.

To answer Ninjacya321's review, I want to say thank you. Like I've said, all constructive criticism and corrections are welcome. I consider myself a perfectionist with OCD tendencies, so I want to make my duels as perfect as possible. Because of you telling me about Cracking Dragon, I've gone back to Chapter 11 and changed the effect of Gouki Near-Fall. As for what you said about Lycoris and Light Stage, could you be more specific? Is it the first turn with Cyspirit Saver or the use of Cyspirit License that was a mistake? The way I understood it was that after Lycoris's effect activated, Light Stage then activated, and Morningstar chained Saver's effect to Light Stage's. That meant Saver's effect resolved first, so its effect negated the damage from Light Stage. If I'm wrong, I can go back and change the effects of Saver or License so that instead of preventing effect damage, they reduce it to 0.

As for the Link Monster you suggested, I'm afraid I cannot use that, at least not with its current name and appearance. It does follow the alliterative naming pattern, but I'm limiting it to one Link Monster per letter, and Morningstar already has Datastorm Dragon. (Incidentally, I noticed that Demoralizing Desires has the same attack points, Link Rating, and Link Markers as Datastorm Dragon.) I might change that limit one day, but not until I have one Cyspirit Link Monster for each letter. As for its appearance, all the Cyspirits are skeletons with mechanical parts attached to them, blue and red eyes, and mechanical wings on their back. Datastorm Draogn and Neo Nova may grow skin over their skeletons, but the pattern remains. As for what you said about the protagonists going through a darker stage, I do have a monster to represent Morningstar's anger, but it won't appear for some time.

I originally planned for this chapter and chapter 11 to be one chapter, but because of the length, I split them. And we had a lot happen in this chapter. First, the duel between Morningstar and a Knight of Hanoi. In contrast to Go's and Playmaker's opponents using Dark Machine and Steelswarm Decks, his used a Dark World Deck. I chose Dark World because I've never written a Dark World duel before, and I feel it's a powerful archetype to go against.

The later half of the chapter was a date- sorry, not-date, between Yasutake and Masako. I planned to write more scenes with the two of them, both to develop their characters and showcase the chemistry between them. Yasutake also got the opportunity to meet Kusanagi and Yusaku outside of school, and we learned why Kitamura was banned from Café Junpei. And at the beginning and end, we had scenes with Takeshi Akino, aka Galahad, which will lead into Chapter 13.

Okay, I have three final things to say, and all three will be up to the readers. The first concerns something I've been discussing with OPFan37, and that is an opening. I've noticed several fanfics do them, and I've been considering writing one for Hidden Memories. I want to know what the readers think about this, and if you think I should, what scenes do you think I should include in said opening?

The second thing is even more important: original characters. All the OCs that have appeared so far are my design, and I want to open it up so people can suggest their own characters. Because of the timeline I'm working on, it's probable that only one or two suggested OCs will show up in the next 10 chapters at the least, but I still want people to suggest them. All you need to do is provide their name, age, appearance, an outline of their personality, and what Deck they use. The only requirement I have for the last one is that if they use monsters from the Extra Deck, they must include a Link Monster. If you do not wish to suggest an OC, you are free to suggest an archetype you would like to see instead.

The last thing I wish to say is also related to OCs. I plan to later introduce a female character to serve as an opponent to Galahad and someone from his past. Aside from those features, I have decided to let the readers provide details for her. If anyone wants to suggest a name, appearance, and personality for her, I would greatly appreciate that. I already know which Deck I want her to use, but if people wish to suggest an archetype for her, they are more than welcome to.

As always, thank you for reading Chapter 12 of Hidden Memories. Please post a review of what you liked about this chapter and what you would like to see in future chapters. What did you think of Masako and Takeshi in this chapter? What did you think of Tagoma? I hope to see you all next time on Hidden Memories.