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

28. Chapter 28: Aftermath

Chapter 28: Aftermath

"Mmm…"

Yasutake slowly opened his eyes as he laid in bed. The sun was shining outside the window, just peeking over the horizon. Looking at his alarm clock, he noted that he still had some time before he should get up, especially since he didn't have school today.

Because of the Tower of Hanoi, the board of directors at Den Academy had decided to have a short break for the students while people made sense of the chaos. Yasutake appreciated it, as he had been exhausted and hadn't been looking forward to school. He imagined Akira was also glad, as it allowed him and Aoi time to recover.

He was just thinking of falling back asleep when he caught a whiff of smoke. Sniffing the air, he got out of bed, a feeling of foreboding settling over him. He left his room and headed downstairs, and when he got to the kitchen, his jaw dropped.

Sachi was standing by the stove, wearing a light green shirt, jeans, and an apron. Apparently she had been trying to make breakfast, but something had gone wrong. To be precise, the frying pan in front of her was on fire.

"Eh!" Sachi cried, running to the sink. "I-I have to put it out!"

"N-No, Sachi! Don't use water!" Yasutake ran over and grabbed the lid of the frying pan and slamming it on the pan while reaching with his other hand to turn the burner off. "That's a grease fire; water won't work."

"O-Oh," Sachi said, looking at the pan on the stove. "S-Sorry." She bowed her head, her eyes watering. "I-I thought I would make breakfast, b-but I appear to have caused problems."

Yasutake looked at her, then sighed and rubbed his temple. "It's fine," he said wearily. "This sort of thing is to be expected, I guess." Removing his hand and looking at her again, he asked, "Where's Cam? He's usually in charge of breakfast."

"H-He said he was going to open Café Junpei early to celebrate the Tower being stopped. And that I should wake you up to make breakfast, but I didn't want to bother you, and-."

"Alright, alright." Yasutake sighed again then smiled at her. "Don't worry about it. I'll make breakfast. You can set the table, okay?"

Sachi's eyes widened and she smiled, which made Yasutake's heart flip. "Yes!" She went over to a cabinet, opened it and started grabbing plates.

Yasutake sighed and removed the lid off the pan, revealing very burnt bacon. Well, he couldn't serve that. He'd have to start again.

It had been three days since the Tower had fallen and Sachi had woken up. And while he had been ecstatic for her and Cam, the euphoria was starting to leave Yasutake.

He was not unhappy Sachi had finally freed herself; the air in the house had gotten much lighter over the past couple of days and Cam couldn't stop smiling. And having the chance to get to know the girl he'd been living with for ten years was rather nice. The problem was that her recovery wasn't fully complete.

For starters, she still had nightmares. The night after the Tower had collapsed, she had woken up screaming, but she had been much easier to calm down than before. She also had a tendency to space out every now and then and whisper to herself, and sometimes Yasutake would walk into the room and find her with her arms wrapped around her legs.

Her incomplete recovery aside, she also had some mental and emotional problems, namely in the lack of development. Because she had been in a sort of mental coma the past ten years, said development had ended up stunted and she lacked skills many teenagers had, including cooking, mathematics, and how to talk to people aside from Cam and Yasutake.

She also seemed to lack an awareness that she was a young woman living in the same house as two men, as demonstrated yesterday morning when she came out to eat breakfast in her underwear. Sachi had been confused why Yasutake had turned red and started sputtering while Cam shouted at her to go back to her room and put some clothes on.

Blushing at the memory of that incident, Yasutake shook his head to clear it and resumed making the French toast. As far as he could tell, the only way to complete Sachi's recovery was to give her time. Cam had already gone to several stores to get books for her to read so she could catch up and hopefully develop her skills as well as call the therapists to help her adjust. And most likely, the nightmares and spacing out would fade with time, too.

Fifteen minutes later, the two teenagers sat down to breakfast. Sachi ate her food quickly while Yasutake ate a little slower. "What are your plans for the day?" he asked her.

She swallowed and said, "Reading the books Cam brought me. He also downloaded several education programs on the tablet he gave me so I can learn more." She smiled again, somewhat shyly. "I'm… hoping to transfer in to Den Academy eventually."

Yasutake raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure? It might be a little tricky for you."

"I know, but I'll have to go to school again and… I would like to go to a school where I know at least one person."

Fair enough, but Yasutake wasn't sure if she would ever be ready for high school. Perhaps home schooling would be better for her, especially given the complicated subject material Den Academy gave its students.

More importantly, she'll have to physically attend, Yasutake thought grimly. Another problem with Sachi was that she refused to leave the house. When it closed for the day, she would go down to Café Junpei, but she wouldn't go outside. When Yasutake had asked her about this, she had said that she wasn't ready to deal with other people. Like her other problems, Cam figured this one would fade with time, too.

"But what about you?" Sachi asked, drawing Yasutake's thoughts to the present. "What are you planning on doing today? Your duel with Playmaker is tonight, right?"

Yasutake frowned and nodded. After the Tower fell, he and Yusaku had agreed to meet in three days so they could duel again. If Yasutake won, then Ai would be his and he would hand the Ignis over to SOL Technologies. If Yusaku won, then nothing would change.

"You'll win," Sachi said simply. "You always do in the end."

"Your faith is appreciated," Yasutake said, smiling at her. "But like you said, that's not till tonight. Before that, a friend's going to come over."

"A friend?" Sachi repeated, blinking owlishly. "Who?"

"Someone from school. She sent me a message yesterday and asked if she could come by Café Junpei today to talk some things over."

"She? So your friend is a girl? Is she your girlfriend?"

Yasutake's eye twitched as he glared at Sachi, who looked back at him with innocent curiosity. "No, she is not my girlfriend. Just a classmate."

If he was being honest with himself, Yasutake wasn't sure what to think about Masako Himura. She was definitely an interesting person, but the revelation that she was Lilith had thrown him for a loop, as had other revelations about her identity. Yes, she had helped stop the Tower of Hanoi, but she was also a bounty hunter, and if Bishop was telling the truth, SOL would soon be hiring more bounty hunters to go after Playmaker.

They may go after me too if they find out what I have, Yasutake thought as he frowned. Out loud, he said, "That's not till later in the day, however. Until then, I'll help Cam with work."

"Okay." Sachi nodded in understanding. Then she frowned. "And, uh… any plans involving our new house guest?"

Yasutake scowled. "I'll see him later. Talking with him is… aggravating." Sachi nodded again and went back to her breakfast.

---

After breakfast, Yasutake got dressed and headed downstairs. He found Cam behind the counter, baking multiple pastries.

"Hey," Cam said, nodding to Yasutake. "I smelled smoke earlier. Did you burn something?"

"Sachi tried to make breakfast," Yasutake said, turning to a nearby tray of muffins and taking them to the display case. "She tried to make bacon, but it ended up burnt."

"Ah." Cam nodded, frowning a little. "Well, hopefully she'll improve. She has a pretty good memory, so she'll just need time to adjust."

"…She said she wants to attend Den Academy eventually," Yasutake said, glancing at Cam. "Do you think she should?"

"If she is prepared for the workload, then yes," Cam responded. "It's a good school and she'll need an education to get a job after she turns 18. And speaking of Den Academy, when is Masako Himura stopping by?"

"She said it would be around noon. That'll leave plenty of time to prepare for tonight's engagement."

"Sounds good. Hey, I think I'll need extra dough. Could you grab it from the back room?"

"No."

Cam turned to Yasutake and raised an eyebrow. "If I go in there, I'll never get away from him. I'll deal with him later."

Cam frowned in understanding. "…Yeah. I understand."

---

Masako opened the door and walked into Café Junpei, carrying her purse with her. It was rather busy, with most of the tables occupied. Thankfully, the line to the counter was nonexistent, so she was able to get the attention of the two young men standing behind the counter.

"Hello, Miss. Himura," Cam said, smiling at her. Masako noticed that there seemed to be a light in his eyes and his smile reached farther than it had the last time she had met him. "Yasu told me you would be stopping by. Can I get you anything?"

"Just water and a blueberry muffin, please," Masako said, smiling back at the owner. She then turned to the younger man. "If it's not too much to ask, could you take your break now? I can't stay too long."

"…Sure," Yasutake said, his face expressionless. "There are a few things we should clear up. Just…" He looked over the crowded bakery. "There's not really any spot to have a private conversation."

"Well then, have it upstairs," Cam interrupted, placing a bottle of water and a bag on the counter. "Our living room is right above us, so you can talk there without fear of being overheard."

"Huh?" Yasutake said, looking at Cam confused. "Cam, didn't you tell me it's inappropriate for a guy to invite a girl to his house?"

"Yeah, but I don't mind." Cam turned to Masako, who was blushing slightly. "Do you mind, Miss. Himura?"

"N-No, I don't mind," Masako said, clearing her throat. "You're right, we should have privacy for our talk. I'll… wait for you to finish."

Yasutake nodded as Masako walked over to a nearby vacant chair and sank down in it, sighing to herself as she placed her purse on the table in front of her. It had been a long three days since the Tower fell. And she had a lot to talk about with Yasutake.

---

"This is a nice place," Masako said as she sat down on a couch. She and Yasutake were on the second floor of the building in the living room. "Small, but comfortable."

"It provides the comfort we need," Yasutake said simply. He had suspected this might happen, so he had told Sachi to stay on the third floor today. He didn't want Masako or Sachi to meet. At least not today. "So. You're Lilith."

"Yes. And you're Morningstar." Yasutake narrowed his eyes. "You don't have to worry; I don't plan on telling anyone who you are. And neither does Tagoma. It would be rather rude of me to do so after you saved my life." Masako then smirked. "Besides, thanks to you I was able to get Kitamura to finally pay me. In fact, I got him to pay me twice what he owed me. That was rather gratifying."

"I imagine it was," Yasutake said, smirking himself. "It was also gratifying for me to send that same video to Akira Zaizen to show to his superiors. There's been no announcement yet, but I'm sure Kitamura will be fired soon and Zaizen will get his old position back."

"You really are a sneaky bastard, aren't you?" Masako asked, amusement in her voice. Yasutake just shrugged. After giggling to herself, Masako's expression became serious. "While I am grateful for what you gave me, thanking you isn't the reason I asked to meet you."

"I thought not. So why are you here?"

"…To tell you that I'm leaving."

Yasutake didn't respond. Instead he waited for Masako to explain her words.

Masako sighed. "After we parted ways and headed for the Tower, I ran into someone. Someone from my past." She scowled to herself. "Issei Kamakura. He used to go by the alias 'Adam' but now he calls himself 'Thaumiel.'"

"Adam…" Yasutake muttered, frowning to himself. "And Kamakura… those names sound familiar."

"As they should," Masako said gravely. "Issei was the person responsible for the Breaking of Osaka."

Yasutake's eyes widened. He'd heard of the Breaking; two years ago, a hacker had somehow accessed the public safety systems of Osaka and either shut them down or made them go haywire. The end result had been multiple car crashes, several people in hospitals dying for lack of life support, and even a subway crashing. Yasutake didn't know the exact casualties, but he did know they were in the hundreds.

"He was my old partner… and boyfriend," Masako admitted, feeling her chest hurt. "He kept his true personality secret from me until the Breaking. When I found out what he did, I dueled and defeated him. After I restarted the systems, Tagoma told the police about him and he was arrested. But somehow, he escaped and was recruited by Hanoi to defend the Tower."

"I assume that since I didn't run into him, you defeated him?"

"Barely," Masako nodded, rubbing her arms, remembering how difficult that duel had been. "After I won, Tagoma started looking for him in the real world, and we found him two days ago. Or rather, we found his hotel room; he'd left right after the Tower fell."

"So you're going to look for him? Couldn't you call the police?"

Masako sighed. "That was my first instinct, but then Tagoma and I found out something else; No one was looking for him."

"What do you mean?"

"Issei is a terrorist whose actions killed dozens of people. He's hacked into multiple corporations and exposed their secrets to the world. If someone like that escaped from prison, there would certainly be at least a taskforce or someone trying to hunt him down and recapture him. But no; there's been no news of his escape, no word of any mobilizations in the police. There haven't even been any notifications from the prison he was held in that he escaped."

Yasutake narrowed his eyes. "You're saying he's either very good at covering all his bases, or someone in a high position of power is protecting him."

"Multiple people is more likely, but yes. If our information is right, I can't rely on anyone else to find Issei." Masako narrowed her own eyes. "Thaumiel is my responsibility. I've barely slept the past few days because of the thought of him being on the loose. If I'm going to have any peace in my life, I need to bring him down."

"…Do you want any help from me and Cam?" Yasutake asked, surprising her. "If this Thaumiel is as dangerous as you say he is, you'll need help."

Masako smiled appreciatively. "Thank you for the offer, but no. I don't doubt that finding and capturing him would be a lot easier with you and Cam helping us, but this is personal. And I can't take either of you away from Café Junpei or Den Academy for an indeterminate time. It wouldn't be fair to you after everything you've done for me. And… everything my father did to you."

The momentary good mood ended with that statement. "So it was true," Yasutake stated, his face blank. "Your father really is Hitomu Hirai?"

"Yes. And my mother's name was Asuna. I know I have an uncle, but I can't recall his name. I don't even know what he looks like."

That is the only reasonable excuse for why you didn't recognize Kenshin Hirai at the bookstore, Yasutake thought. Out loud, he asked, "How do you know about the Lost Incident?"

Masako reached into her purse and pulled out a flash drive. "My father left me a laptop that Tagoma just gave me a while ago. There were videos on it, explaining what the Hanoi Project was and the end goal of said Project."

"The creation of the Ignis," Yasutake said. Masako nodded in confirmation. "So, you know everything your father and Dr. Kogami were attempting to do."

"…Not everything," she admitted. "Or at least, I know what Dr. Kogami was trying to accomplish, but it would appear my father had a different goal in mind." She held the flash drive out to Yasutake. "I made copies of all my father's videos and downloaded them to this flash drive. Hopefully, they can tell you a few things."

Yasutake reached out and took the flash drive. "Thanks. I'll watch it later. But you should know-."

Before he could finish his sentence, the cellphone in his pocket rang, startling the two of them. Pulling it out of his pocket, he frowned at the caller ID. It was Cam.

"I'm sorry. It's Cam." Masako nodded in understanding as he answered the call. "Yes? Do you need me down there?"

"I don't," Cam said, sounding disgruntled. "Our… new house guest wants to talk to you in the back room."

Yasutake scowled. "Well, I don't want to talk to him. Tell him I'm busy." Masako frowned in confusion.

"I did. He said he would hijack the television to talk to you directly if you didn't come down here. And then he would upload my browser history to a popular forum."

Yasutake's scowl turned into a frown. "Your browser history?" Masako blinked.

"Apparently, yours isn't embarrassing enough. That was exactly how he put it."

"…"

Yasutake sighed. "Fine. Tell him I'll be there in a couple minutes."

"Right. Sorry, Yasu."

"It's not your fault, Cam." He hung up after saying that and looked up at Masako. "Sorry about this, but I…"

"There's someone downstairs who wants to talk to you, and you don't want to talk to him?"

"…Yes, that's essentially it."

"Is it the Student Council President?"

Yasutake allowed a small chuckle. "No. It's someone even more aggravating."

---

Takeshi shivered.

"What's wrong, brother?"

Takeshi looked across at his brother, who was recovering from his surgery in a hospital bed.

"Oh, nothing. Just got that feeling that someone was talking about me again. And not in a flattering way."

---

"I'll try to get this over with quickly. Will you wait up here?"

"I'll try, but Tagoma wants me to head home soon. Lots of packing to do, and all that."

Yasutake nodded in understanding. "Like I said, I'll get this done quickly." He stood up and walked to the staircase, which he then took down. Masako's eyes followed him, but then she frowned. Yasutake wasn't the only person on the staircase; there was a pair of feet at the top, almost out of view.

---

Yasutake came down the stairs and behind the counter. "Again, I'm sorry about this, Yasu," Cam said, giving him a sympathetic look. "I know you were talking to Himura, and-."

"It's fine," Yasutake assured him. "I was going to have to talk to him eventually. Better to get it over with." He then headed into the back room.

After the door closed, the door to outside opened and Cam looked up at his new customer. His eyes brightened on recognizing him. "Ah, good. I was hoping you'd get here before she left."

Yasutake walked into the back room and glared at the Duel Disk that was on the counter. "Ah, good. You've finally arrived. It's rude to ignore your partner, isn't it?"

This was said by the black figure with silver lines running over its body that glared at Yasutake.

"I was busy talking with a friend. I considered her more important than you."

"Impossible. No one could be more important than me. Well," he amended, "I could understand Cam or Sachi. You've lived with those two for ten years, so I understand why that bond would supersede ours."

Yasutake resisted the urge to sigh and sat down at the computers. "I was planning on coming down here later, after she left. What did you have to show me?"

"Hmm," the Ignis grunted. "You could at least muster some more enthusiasm. After all, you have the most amazing partner in the world on your side; anything I have to tell you should fill you with wonder."

Must not sigh or roll my eyes, Yasutake thought. I don't want to give him the satisfaction. This was the reason he didn't like dealing with the Ignis; it wasn't that he was rude, or unkind, or anything like that. It was that he had the largest overinflated ego Yasutake had ever seen in his life, and that was saying something. Thinking back to three days ago, Yasutake wondered if this Ignis would ever not aggravate him.

---

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Cam and Sachi broke apart, looking in shock at Yasutake, who stopped screaming when he ran out of breath. The being in his Duel Disk removed its hands from the side of its head and glared at him.

"That was rather rude of you, you know?" it said. "This is the first time I've seen you in ten years, and the first thing you do is try to overload my audio sensors? Talk about a poor welcome."

"Y-You," Cam stuttered, staring at the figure. "Y-You're an-."

"An Ignis, yes," it responded, cutting off Cam's question. "I assume you know of my species, given your interactions with that fool, the Dark Ignis."

"What? How do you-?"

"Oh, I was actually released when you summoned Superior Seraphim," the Ignis revealed to Yasutake. "I didn't think it appropriate to reveal myself at the time. That, and I was gathering information on the outside world." The Ignis's eyes narrowed in contemplation. "I didn't see much of the human world when I left Cyberse World, but it has changed a lot in eight years."

"E-Eight years?" Sachi asked, staring in wonder at the Ignis. "W-What do you mean?"

The being turned to look at her. "Hmm. You're Sachi Junpei, yes? I've seen pictures of the children during the experiment. You've really grown up since then, huh?" Its eyes then turned downward as it stared at Sachi's chest. "In more ways than one."

Sachi blinked in confusion as Cam glared indignantly at the Ignis. "Hey, stop staring at my sister!"

"I was simply making an observation," it defended itself. "As her brother, you should be proud of her development!"

"Who are you?" Yasutake asked, cutting off Cam's retort. "I can tell you're an Ignis, but which one are you? And how do you know me?"

The Ignis turned back to look at Yasutake. "I thought you were an intelligent individual; the records of your duels that I've seen in this Duel Disk point to that conclusion. Tell me, what do you think I am and how I know you?"

"Well…" Those questions finally brought Yasutake down to earth. Ever since the Ignis appeared, he'd been in a mild state of panic, but now he could think clearly. "You said this is the first time you've seen me in ten years, and before we fought, Revolver and Terminus said each of the Ignis was based off one of the children. Which leads me to believe that you're the Ignis that was based off me."

The figure nodded proudly. "It appears I was right. You are rather intelligent. But of course you are; my human could only be the smartest of the children."

"…Somehow, that only sounds like you're complimenting yourself," Yasutake deadpanned, looking at the Ignis through half-lidded eyes.

"Hmm? I'm sure I was complimenting you, too. Oh! I almost forgot. You need a name to call me, don't you?"

"Couldn't I just call you by your Control ID?" Yasutake asked. "Ai is IGN006. Couldn't I call you 008 or something?"

"Three things," the Ignis said, holding up three of its fingers. "One: I am not IGN008. I am IGN007. Please get it right. Two: our Control IDs were given to us by Doctor Kogami, who as I understand it, tried to murder us. So I'd rather not be called by that name. And third," Its eyes narrowed again. "Ai? Is that seriously the Dark Ignis's name?"

"Yes."

"…"

The Ignis burst out in laughter. "Ha ha ha! Oh, that would happen to him! Well, it's no less than he deserves, being as lazy as he was back in Cyberse World. Oh, I can't wait to mock him for such a lame name when I see him again."

"Um, Mr. Ignis, sir?" Sachi asked nervously. "You were saying you wanted a name, didn't you?"

"Oh, I already have one," the Ignis replied, to her surprise. "I chose one for myself eight years ago. I do have a true name, but humans can't understand it; only the Ignis can do so. So," he turned to look Yasutake in the eyes. "You can call me Cypher!"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"Cypher?" Yasutake asked.

"Yes."

"Are you sure?" Cam asked.

Cypher narrowed his eyes in annoyance. "Well, I wanted to call myself 'Grim,' but someone already claimed it. And just so we're clear, it's spelled C-Y-P-H-E-R. With a 'Y' instead of an 'I,'"

"…Did you choose that spelling just because it seemed cooler?" Yasutake asked, staring at Cypher through half-lidded eyes again.

"…No," Cypher said after a pause. The three humans in the room could tell he was lying.

Then something Cypher had said earlier hit one of them. "Wait," Yasutake said. "You said earlier you were 'released' when I summoned Superior Seraphim. What did you mean by that?"

"Oh? You picked up on that? Like I thought, you are worthy to be my partner." Cypher crossed his arms and nodded. "Yes. Eight years ago, I was sealed within the Cyspirit monsters, with the core of my data residing within Superior Seraphim."

"What?" the three humans said, shocked at that.

"Hmm, perhaps I should start from the beginning," Cypher conceded. "It will make this easier to explain. Yasutake, you said that you knew the Ignis were based off the children from the Lost Incident. Do you know what we did after we were created?"

"You created Cyberse World, your own haven in the network," Yasutake answered. "You also created the Cyberse cards, Data Material, and made SOL Technologies a fortune."

"Yes, we did all of that. Though the last one was coincidental on our part; none of us give a single byte about SOL Technologies. My story begins after all that. After a year and a half of living in Cyberse World, I was bored."

Yasutake blinked. "Bored? You created your own world and paradise and you were bored?"

"Yes," Cypher answered simply. "But then, I got a message from a human. One of the scientists who worked on the Hanoi Project. He made me an offer; together, the two of us could create a new Trinity of Gods and the most powerful archetypes in Duel Monsters."

"A Trinity of Gods?" Cam repeated. "What does that mean? And who was the scientist?"

"Hitomu Hirai," Yasutake said, the realization hitting him. "Terminus told us that SOL killed his brother for stealing something important from them. That was you, Cypher?"

"Yes, that was me," Cypher responded, his gaze turning downcast. "When I was released, the first thing I did was perform an Internet search for Hitomu Hirai and I saw he had been killed shortly after our business was concluded. That was disappointing; he was a unique person with a vision not unlike an Ignis's.

"But back to my story. I accepted his offer and allowed him to take me with him back to his home in Tokyo. Once there, we began work on Project Trinity: the creation of three archetypes of Cyberse monsters that would be more powerful than any other Deck out there, and more importantly, the creation of monsters that would rival the Egyptian Gods."

"…You created monsters that rivaled the Egyptian God cards?" Yasutake asked, somewhat skeptically. He'd never seen the Egyptian God cards in person – no one had in decades – but he knew their reputations as the most powerful Duel Monster Cards to ever exist.

"Of course I did," Cypher said simply. "You already had the chance to wield one of those monster's power, didn't you?"

Yasutake's eyes widened in realization. "Superior Seraphim… then, that means-."

"Yes," Cypher said. "With Dr. Hirai's help, I created the Cyspirit monsters. The same monsters you wield." He gave a light chuckle. "I must admit, I was surprised to discover that the human who released me was the same child who I was tied to. Fate must have a sense of humor after all."

"…You said that you created a Trinity," Yasutake said slowly. "And Superior Seraphim is Link-5. That means the other two archetypes you created also have Link-5 monsters as powerful as Superior Seraphim."

Cypher nodded. "Those two archetypes are known as the Cyangel and Cydemon archetypes. Both contain far more raw power than the Cyspirits, but the latter has far more versatility in the possible moves.

"But that's not important right now; what is important is what happened after we created the cards." Cypher's eyes narrowed in thought. "You said that SOL Technologies killed Dr. Hirai; is that true?"

"Terminus believed it to be true."

"Well, I don't know if they did or not, but Dr. Hirai believed someone was after me or the cards. And he was right. By the time we finished creating the data of the cards, he had come under cyberattack; someone shut down pathways for me to escape through the Internet. How, I don't know. But we believed he would soon be attacked in the real world by someone who wanted the Trinity, or myself. So we devised a way to keep them safe."

"And what was that?" Yasutake asked, starting to have an idea where Cypher was going with this.

"He split me into pieces among the Cyspirit monsters," Cypher revealed. "Or rather, he divided up my core programming into five pieces, and placed those pieces in the data for five of the Cyspirit Link Monsters. I think you know which monsters he put me in."

Yasutake did. "Angelic Avenger, Idealistic Idol, Neo Nova, Winning Wrestler, and Superior Seraphim."

"Yes. They were the most powerful of the Cyspirit Link Monsters, and therefore the best suited to contain my programming. As the most powerful among them and one of the most powerful monsters in existence, Superior Seraphim contained the largest chunk. The idea was that I would be released when the Cyspirit monsters were played, and I was. When you summoned Superior Seraphim against Terminus, you gave me the chance to rebuild myself from the data in my other fragments." The Ignis's eyes changed in such a way to suggest he was smiling. "So thank you for that. But tell me something: why did it take you eight years for you to summon Superior Seraphim? Couldn't you have summoned it earlier?"

"Because I didn't have Superior Seraphim until earlier today," Yasutake told Cypher, surprising him.

"Eh? What do you-?" Cypher narrowed his eyes as he looked down at Yasutake's Deck. "Wait. The majority of these cards are physical, but you only have the data forms of Angelic Avenger and Superior Seraphim. Why is that?"

"A bounty hunter named Lilith gave them to me," Yasutake answered. He didn't want to reveal Masako's name to this AI yet.

"Hmm. Dr. Hirai must have been killed before he could make physical versions of all the Cyspirit cards," Cypher mused. "But how did a bounty hunter get her hands on the data copies of the last two Link Monsters? And how did you get the Cyspirit monsters to begin with?"

"I won them in a contest," Yasutake said. "As for how she had them, I don't know." But Cypher's story and Masako's confession of her identity had given him an idea.

"Hmm. Well, I'll have the chance to learn more later," Cypher decided. "For now, I'll stay with you, Yasutake."

"Eh? You want to stay with me? You don't want to go back to Cyberse World?"

"Well, it's been eight years since I've had a conscious thought. I'd rather spend that time exploring and seeing how the human world has changed since then. Also… I don't really know where the Cyberse World is these days."

"Huh?"

"I actually left your Duel Disk to search for it briefly before coming back. This was while you were driving to this café on that bike of yours. I couldn't find it, so I'm assuming it was hidden, most likely by Ai. Without him, I can't find it." Cypher shrugged. "So for the foreseeable future, you get the honor of being my partner. I look forward to working with you, Yasutake."

---

The next day, Yasutake and Cam had considered turning Cypher over to SOL Technologies; they did want an Ignis, and even if Cypher didn't know where Cyberse World was, it undoubtedly had the same abilities as Ai. But they ultimately decided against it. After hearing Kenshin's and Ryoken's stories, Yasutake wasn't sure he trusted SOL anymore. And besides, he suspected he would need every advantage he could get to defeat Playmaker, which Cypher was more than happy to provide.

Speaking of Cypher, Yasutake looked at the Ignis and asked, "You interrupted my talk with my friend for a reason. What was it?"

"These."

Yasutake looked at the monitors as several images popped up. His eyes widened in surprise. "These are… new Cyspirit cards?"

"Yes," Cypher said smugly. "Unfortunately, I lack the resources to make new Extra Deck monsters, but I believe these cards will help you in the future. And especially in your duel against Playmaker."

Yasutake turned back to the Ignis. "You don't mind fighting against one of your own?"

"Do you mind fighting against a human?" Cypher countered. "It's the same difference, really; we Ignis just have a smaller population. Besides, I looked at your duel records and saw you lost to Playmaker before. That won't do at all! I will not accept a loss against that fool who accepted a cutesy name!"

Yasutake sweatdropped. "You need to work on your priorities," he deadpanned. He turned back to the monitors. "Still, you're right. These will help in our rematch. I doubt Playmaker will see them coming. Thank you."

"Hmm. A being of my brilliance does not need such trifling things as your thanks." Cypher said, holding his head high. "But it is appreciated," he muttered.

"What?"

"Nothing. There were a few other things I wanted to go over with you. I think it's about time I tell you about my Skill, for starters."

---

Masako walked down the stairs and ran into Cam. "Oh sorry, Cam," she said.

"Leaving so soon?"

"I'm afraid so. Tagoma called and he wants me to head home. Preparations for the future and all that."

"Yeah, I get that. But before you leave, there's someone who'd like to see you."

Masako turned as a man stood up from a nearby table. Looking at him, she recognized him. "You're Mr. Hirai, from Hirai Shoten, right?"

"Y-Yes, I am." Kenshin felt very nervous suddenly. "It's good to see you again, Miss. Himura. But, if I may ask… Himura's not your father's name, is it? It was your mother's?"

Masako's eyes widened. "Yes it was. How do you-?"

Kenshin sighed. "I'm disappointed it took me this long to figure it out. I didn't realize who you were until Morningstar's duel with Spectre, when you told everyone that you were my brother's daughter."

Masako stiffened at his words. "Wait. You mean…?"

"…It's a pleasure to finally meet you properly, Masako," Kenshin said. "I'm your uncle, Kenshin Hirai."

---

Yasutake walked out of the back room, having finally gotten away from Cypher's boasting. There was no doubt the Ignis was brilliant and talented, but he could use some humility. That aside, Yasutake was grateful for the new cards; they would definitely make his upcoming duel with Playmaker interesting.

As he walked out, he noticed that Masako had come downstairs and was sitting at a table with… Kenshin Hirai?

Yasutake walked over to Cam, who was watching from behind the counter. "You called him over?" he whispered.

Cam nodded. "Since she's his niece, I thought it might help them both to reconnect."

Masako then caught sight of Yasutake and stood up. She walked over as Yasutake walked out from behind the counter.

"Hey," she said. "I'm sorry, but I have to go. Tagoma needs me home."

"I understand." He glanced at Kenshin, who remained at the table, looking conflicted. "How was the family reunion?"

Masako scowled. "Oh, delightful," she whispered sarcastically. "I just found out the guy I bought Junjou Romantica from is my uncle – which makes me feel like an idiot for not putting the pieces together – and said uncle also made me an Another and tried to destroy the entire network. So I'm feeling very peachy right now."

"…I have no idea what to say to that," Yasutake admitted. "Umm… better to know than not know?"

"There is that," Masako allowed. She smiled sadly at Yasutake. "I'll be leaving before school restarts. And even if I do come back to Den City, I'm not sure I'll reenroll. This may be the last time you and I see each other."

"…Doubtful, but possible," Yasutake said. "Still, it was a pleasure to know you, Masako Himura." He held out his hand, intending to shake hers.

Masako looked at his hand and sighed. "Idiot," she muttered. Before Yasutake could respond, she grabbed his lapels and pulled him close. His protests were muffled by her lips covering his.

Yasutake's eyes widened as his cheeks turned red. He vaguely heard Cam snicker and he noticed Kenshin glaring at him disapprovingly out of the corner of his eye. In front of him, Masako's eyes were closed.

Masako finally let go of him and smirked at his expression.

"Uh… umm… huh?" Yasutake stuttered. He was sure his face was as red as a tomato. Masako giggled at his elegance.

"It was a pleasure for me too, Yasutake Narahiko," she said. "I do hope I come back to Den City someday." She turned and walked to the door but stopped at Kenshin's table. "Goodbye… Uncle Kenshin."

"…Goodbye, Masako," he replied. After saying that, she left.

"So… Narahiko." Kenshin then stood up and glared at Yasutake. "What exactly is your relationship with my niece?"

Yasutake didn't answer. His face still red, he turned around and headed back upstairs.

Cam laughed at his friend's reaction. "He never really learned how to handle other people's emotions very well." He turned to look at Kenshin, who was shaking his head. "So, how was meeting your niece properly?

"…I didn't expect it to go as smoothly as it did," Kenshin admitted. "I expected her to shout at me, call me despicable or a monster. She did mention she'll be leaving Den City, but she accepted my phone number so she could call if she wanted. Though I don't know why she would want to."

"You have to keep family close," Cam said simply. "I learned that lesson a long time ago. Guess she and you are starting to learn that as well."

"…Maybe."

---

Masako walked down the street, thinking of Yasutake's face when she kissed him and giggling to herself.

I do hope I can come back one day, she thought. Her thoughts were interrupted by the ringing of her cellphone.

"Hello?"

"It's me, little girl," Tagoma said on the other end. "You finished your business?"

"Yes. I gave Yasutake the video copies. Hopefully, that will help him with some answers." She paused, then said, "I also met my uncle."

"Oh yeah? What's he like?"

"He's Terminus."

"Ah. Awkward?"

"Awkward. Still, I might like to talk to him again."

"You probably should. Just don't get involved in the Hanoi business; we have enough on our plate as is."

"Understood."

"Oh. Did you… give Narahiko that other thing?"

"No, I didn't." She then told Tagoma something that made him curse her.

---

Yasutake sat down to dinner with Cam and Sachi. Today, they were eating a combination of sashimi and udon.

"Your duel with Playmaker is tonight, right Yasu?" Sachi asked him. Yasutake nodded in response.

"Heh. You're going to have an eventful evening. Even more so than this morning," Cam commented with a smirk.

Sachi blinked. "Did something happen?"

"No," Yasutake said, giving a warning glare to Cam, who ignored it.

"Yasu's friend Masako kissed him before she left," he said.

"Cam!" Yasutake shouted, embarrassed. He grabbed his glass of water to take a drink while Cam, chuckling, did the same thing. Sachi looked at the two, her eyes wide.

"A girl kissed Yasu? So he got her pregnant?"

"PPFFTT!"

Cam and Yasutake spat out their drinks simultaneously and began coughing. Yasutake was the first to recover.

"What!? No!"

"Huh?" Sachi blinked innocently. "But Cam told me that when a girl kisses a guy, she becomes pregnant. That's where babies come from."

Yasutake's eye twitched as he turned to glare at Cam. "Cam…"

Cam finally stopped coughing, his face red. "She was five! What was I supposed to tell her?" He turned to Sachi. "I'm… sorry to admit this, Sachi, but I lied to you back then. A boy and girl kissing does not make the girl pregnant."

"It doesn't?" Sachi said, confused. "Then where do babies come from?"

"W-Well, umm… you see, first umm… you know what, I'm going to get you a book that explains it," Cam finally said. "A book can tell you much more effectively than I can."

Yasutake nodded in agreement and rubbed his temple, sighing to himself. Sachi really made life in this house interesting.

---

The three humans walked into the back room.

"Ah, about time," Cypher said, glaring at them. "You do know your duel with Playmaker is supposed to start in five minutes, right?"

"Yes. That's why we're here," Yasutake responded as he picked up the Duel Disk and strapped it to his wrist. Cam and Sachi, meanwhile, sat down in front of the computers to observe the duel. "Are you ready?"

"Hmm. What kind of question is that? With me on your side, you cannot possibly lose." Yasutake smirked at that as he walked to the sealed room.

"Good luck, Yasu," Cam said. Sachi smiled at him and nodded.

"Thanks, you two." After the door closed, Yasutake inserted his Deck into his Duel Disk. "Deck set! Into the VRAINS!"

---

Morningstar emerged from the portal and landed on the ground. Looking around, he saw he had landed where the Tower of Hanoi used to be. Sand surrounded him in every direction, with skyscrapers in the background. The sky was still red, a leftover from the Tower.

"SOL Technologies announced they would shut this place down at the end of the week," Cypher told Morningstar. Right now, Cypher was an orange eye with a silver iris, surrounded by a black lens with silver lines around it. "This will be your only chance to duel Playmaker."

"Yeah. I know." Morningstar turned to watch as another portal opened above him. Playmaker fell out of the portal and landed some distance away from him. The two regarded each other silently.

"So we're really doing this, huh?" Ai said as he emerged from Playmaker's Duel Disk. "You couldn't have left well enough alone."

"You could have left when I removed the lock, but you didn't," Playmaker reminded him.

"That's because I sensed someone." Ai narrowed his eyes. "And I sense him right now, too."

"I am glad to see your abilities have not weakened since we last saw each other." Cypher emerged from Morningstar's Duel Disk after he said that, surprising Playmaker. "That said, they don't appear to have improved either. You always were too lazy for your own good."

"Eh! I don't want to hear something like that from you!" Ai shouted back. "I may have been lazy, but at least I didn't get captured by a human like you!"

"Yes, you did," Playmaker reminded Ai, deflating him a little.

"If you are referring to eight years ago, I chose willingly to go with Dr. Hirai," Cypher said. "If you're referring to Morningstar, I don't have a lock program keeping me in this Duel Disk. Unlike your partner, mine trusts me not to leave him."

"More like I was hoping you would leave," Morningstar told the AI before turning to Playmaker. "This guy showed up after the duel with Terminus. He appears to the Ignis based off of me."

"I see," Playmaker said, nodding. "And from your conversation just now, I'm guessing you left Cyberse World before Ai did, Ignis?"

"I have a name, you know," Cypher responded, his eyes half-closed. "Unlike your friend Ai there, my name is actually cool. It is Cypher."

"Cypher?" Ai repeated. "Playmaker, don't you have a monster called Storm Cipher?"

"Oh, you have a monster named after me?" Cypher asked. "It appears your partner does have some taste, despite being teamed up with you."

"I'm pretty sure the card wasn't named after you," Morningstar deadpanned. "And we're wasting time." He turned from his AI to Playmaker. "Now that we both have an Ignis, we're even. Let us we which of us is the stronger duelist, shall we?"

Playmaker smirked. "Of course."

"But first…"

Morningstar raised his Duel Disk, which emitted a bright light and made Playmaker cover his eyes. When the light faded, Playmaker looked around and frowned. They were now trapped in a transparent dome.

"Your Camouflage Dome?" Playmaker asked. Morningstar nodded. "It seems larger than before."

"It is," Cypher said. "I took the liberty of upgrading it, otherwise it wouldn't have been able to contain a certain monster's power."

Playmaker raised an eyebrow but didn't ask what Cypher meant. "Well then, shall we get started?"

"Yes." Morningstar narrowed his eyes. "Everything ends here, Playmaker."

"Duel!"

Morningstar: 4000 LP

Playmaker: 4000 LP

"I'll take the first turn," Playmaker said, taking two cards from his hand. "By sending a Level 2 or lower monster from my hand to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon Bitrooper!" A white and yellow monster with a lance and digital shield appeared on his field in Attack Position.

Bitrooper ATK 1500 DEF 2000 LVL: 4

"I summon ROM Cloudia!" A brown-furred sheep with pink horns appeared alongside Bitrooper.

ROM Cloudia ATK 1800 DEF 0 LVL: 4

"ROM Cloudia's monster effect! When it is Normal Summoned, I can add one Cyberse monster from my Graveyard to my hand." Playmaker took the monster he just discarded out of the Graveyard, but he didn't add it to his hand. "And because it was added to my hand from the Graveyard, I can Special Summon Latency!" A pink humanoid monster carrying a blue hourglass appeared in Attack Position.

Latency ATK 0 DEF 0 LVL: 1

"Appear! The circuit that leads to the future!" Playmaker's hand glowed as the Link portal appeared above him. "Arrowheads confirmed! The summoning conditions are three monsters! I set Bitrooper, Latency, and ROM Cloudia in the Link Markers!" His three monsters became whirlwinds of energy that entered the left, bottom-left, and right arrows, turning them red.

"Circuit combine! Link Summon! Appear! Link 3! Powercode Talker!" A red-armored warrior with massive shoulder pads and white gauntlets and boots appeared, summoned to the right Extra Monster Zone.

Powercode Talker ATK 2300 LINK-3 ←↙→

Morningstar narrowed his eyes as Playmaker reached for his Deck. "Because I used the Special Summoned Latency to Link Summon Powercode Talker, I draw one card!" Playmaker drew, then played it. "I activate the Continuous Spell Card: Link Processing Failure! I select one Link Monster on my field, and then Link Monsters with equal or fewer Link Markers and non-Link Monsters cannot attack, but after two turns, this card will be destroyed. I select Link-3 Powercode Talker."

Morningstar's eyes narrowed further as Playmaker continued. "I Set one card. I end my turn."

"Hmm," Cypher mused. "A Link-3 monster, a Set card, and a card to keep us from attacking. A solid formation."

"It's more than that," Morningstar told the AI. "It's designed to bring about a specific outcome."

"Indeed," Cypher agreed. "His Continuous Spell Card keeps all monsters that aren't Link-4 or higher from attacking. Meaning he likely wants us to summon a Link-4. But why Powercode Talker? I've looked through your records of him, and he should have at least four other 'Code Talker' monsters, shouldn't he?"

"He does. But he likely chose Powercode because of its effects."

"That would make sense," Cypher nodded. "Powercode Talker's effect lets it double its attack points when it battles by simply Tributing a monster it points to. Since Playmaker doesn't have any other monsters, that must mean his Set card is a means to Special Summon a monster, which he can then use for Powercode's effect."

"That, or the card in his hand is a monster that can be summoned during my turn," Morningstar added, which Cypher agreed to. "Either way, we won't know unless we spring his trap. My turn! Draw!"

As Morningstar looked at his cards, Playmaker asked Ai, "Ai, what can you tell me about Cypher?"

"…To be honest, not as much as I would like to," Ai answered. "Cypher left the Cyberse World three years before I hid it away. We all thought he was kidnapped, but it would make sense if he left it voluntarily."

"I see. So because he left, you don't know him as well as the others?"

"Exactly."

"Still, is there anything you can say with certainty?"

"He's very arrogant," Ai said immediately. "That doesn't appear to have changed since I last saw him. He believes himself to be superior to everyone, including the rest of the Ignis. Unfortunately, that arrogance is a little justified."

"You're saying he's the most powerful of all of you?"

"That, or second or third most powerful," Ai said. "The first six Ignis, myself included, are only capable of creating one Attribute of Cyberse monsters each. The last two, Cypher and the Gold Ignis, are each capable of manipulating three Attributes. Cypher can manipulate Light, Dark, and Fire, while the Gold Ignis manipulates Earth, Water, and Wind. And I can honestly say that only the Light or Gold Ignis could outsmart him. Paired with Morningstar, they make a dangerous combination."

Playmaker nodded in understanding. In other words, this duel had the potential to be even tougher than his duel with Revolver.

"Since you control a Link Monster and I do not, I can Special Summon Cyspirit Armorer!" A skeleton in blacksmith's clothes carrying a large hammer appeared in Attack Position.

Cyspirit Armorer ATK 1200 DEF 2000 LVL: 6

"And since there's a Cyberse Link Monster on the field, I can Special Summon Cyspirit Prisoner!" A skeleton in prisoner's clothes appeared next to Armorer in Attack Position.

Cyspirit Prisoner ATK 1600 DEF 2100 LVL: 5

"Armorer's monster effect! I can target a Link Monster on the field and send Armorer to the Graveyard. Then I can Special Summon Cyspirit Armor Tokens equal to that monster's Link Rating. I target your Powercode Talker to summon three Armor Tokens!" Armorer disintegrated, and three dwarf skeletons with large heads in blacksmith's clothes appeared, all in Attack Position.

Cyspirit Armor Token ATK 0 DEF 0 LVL: 2 x 3

"Now he has four monsters! Is he going to Link Summon a Link-4?" Ai wondered.

Cypher scoffed. "Oh, my partner can do so much more than that."

"Appear! The circuit between light and darkness!" Morningstar hand glowed blue and a Link portal appeared above him. "Arrowheads confirmed! The summoning condition is one 'Cyspirit' monster. I set one Armor Token in the Link Marker!" One of his tokens became a whirlwind of energy and entered the bottom arrow, turning it red.

"Circuit combine! Link Summon! Appear! Link 1! Cyspirit Cacophonic Caller!" A skeleton in a business suit appeared in the Extra Monster Zone to Morningstar's right.

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, but that monster cannot attack and is destroyed during the Ed Phase. Come, Cyspirit Strategist!" A skeleton in a black and grey tuxedo carrying a sextant appeared in Attack Position.

Cyspirit Strategist ATK 1600 DEF 100 LVL: 4

"Appear! The circuit between light and darkness!" The Link portal appeared again. "Arrowheads confirmed! The summoning conditions are two or more 'Cyspirit' monsters. I set Cacophonic Caller, Prisoner, and one Armor Token in the Link Markers!" Said monsters became whirlwinds of energy and entered the bottom-left, top, and right arrows, turning them red.

"Circuit combine! Link Summon! Appear! Link 3! Cyspirit Pied Pikeman!" A skeleton in a guard's uniform carrying a long spear appeared, summoned to the Extra Monster Zone.

Cyspirit Pied Pikeman ATK 2400 LINK-3 ↙↑→

"Prisoner's monster effect! When it is used to Link Summon a 'Cyspirit' Link Monster, I can add one 'Cyspirit' card from my Deck to my hand."

As Morningstar took a card from his Deck, Ai said, "That monster isn't strong enough to get past Link Processing Failure's effect!"

"As always, you seem to enjoy stating the obvious," Cypher deadpanned, annoying Ai. "I assure you, my partner has many ways to get around your partner's card."

"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."

"EH!?" Ai screeched. "Playmaker! He's going to destroy Link Processing Failure!"

"No, he isn't," Playmaker said, confusing the Ignis.

"I change my last Armor Token to Defense Position!" Morningstar declared. "And destroy your Set card!" Playmaker's face-down card shattered.

"Why the face-down? Isn't Link Processing Failure more important?"

"All he needs to destroy Link Processing Failure is a Link-4 monster, which he can summon easily now," Playmaker explained to Ai. "It thus made more sense for him to destroy my face-down card."

"Hmm. Morningstar assessed you as the most intelligent duelist he's faced," Cypher said, looking at Playmaker. "That assessment appears to have been accurate, though being smarter than Ai isn't as difficult as one would think."

"Shut up!"

"I summon Cyspirit Nova!" A mechanical silver dragon with no legs appeared and roared.

Cyspirit Nova ATK 1500 DEF 1000 LVL: 3

"Appear! The circuit between light and darkness!" The Link portal appeared above Morningstar's head. "Arrowheads confirmed! The summoning conditions are 'Cyspirit' Normal Monsters! I set my last Armor Token and Nova in the Link Markers!" The two monsters became whirlwinds of energy and entered the top-right and right Link Markers, turning them red.

"Circuit combine! Link Summon! Appear! Link 2! Cyspirit Zany Zealot!" A skeleton in priest robes carrying a hacksaw and a pistol emerged from the portal, summoned to Pied Pikeman's bottom-left Link Marker.

Cyspirit Zany Zealot ATK 1300 LINK-2 ↗→

"Didn't he use that monster against Spectre?" Ai asked Playmaker.

"Yes. And he's not done."

"Appear for a fourth time! The circuit between light and darkness!" The Link portal appeared above Morningstar. "Arrowheads confirmed! The summoning conditions are two or more 'Cyspirit' Effect Monsters! I set Strategist and the Link-3 Pied Pikeman in the Link Markers!" His monsters became whirlwinds of energy, with the latter splitting into three, and entered the top, bottom-left, bottom, and bottom-right arrows, turning them red.

"Circuit combine! Link Summon! Appear! Link 4! Cyspirit Datastorm Dragon!" A metallic grey dragon with red and silver wings emerged from the portal and roared from the Extra Monster Zone.

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

"Ah!" Ai screamed. "His Link-4 monster!" Then he paused. "Well, at least this one has effects that benefit us during his turn."

"It doesn't," Cypher revealed to Ai. "Since Morningstar used Strategist to Link Summon Datastorm Dragon, its effects are negated until the End Phase."

"Eh? Seriously? Why would you have a card like that?"

"For situations like this." Cypher turned to look back at Morningstar. "It is true that with Datastorm Dragon, we can destroy Powercode Talker, and then attack directly with Zany Zealot. But we can do better than that, can't we?"

Morningstar ignored Cypher and gestured to his field. "Zany Zealot's monster effect! Once per turn, if it is co-linked with a 'Cyspirit' Link Monster, I can Special Summon one 'Cyspirit' monster from my Graveyard with its effects negated. Resurrect, Cyspirit Nova!" The skeletal dragon reappeared in Attack Position.

Cyspirit Nova ATK 1500 DEF 1000 LVL: 3

"As Nova is a Normal Monster, it has no effects to negate," Cypher added.

"And as I control a 'Cyspirit' monster, I Special Summon Cyspirit Navigator!" A skeleton dressed like a pirate appeared in Attack Position.

Cyspirit Navigator ATK 1300 DEF 1100 LVL: 3

"Appear for the final time! The circuit between light and darkness!" Morningstar's hand glowed as the Link portal appeared above him for the fifth time. "Arrowheads confirmed! The summoning conditions are two Level 3 or lower 'Cyspirit' monsters. I set Navigator and Nova in the Link Markers!" Said monsters became whirlwinds of energy and entered the top-left and left arrows, turning them red.

"Circuit combine! Link Summon! Appear! Link 2! Cyspirit Legendary Legionnaire!" A skeleton in silver plate armor carrying a sword and a red shield appeared, summoned to Datastorm Dragon's bottom-right Link Marker.

Cyspirit Legendary Legionnaire ATK 1700 LINK-2 ↖←

"I have one more monster to summon. As I control a 'Cyspirit' monster, I can Special Summon this monster. Come, Cyspirit Linker!" A skeleton in black armor and gauntlets appeared in Attack Position, summoned to Datastorm Dragon's bottom Link Marker.

Cyspirit Linker ATK 1700 DEF 800 LVL: 4

"Hmm. Five Link Summons in one turn and a powerful formation," Cypher gloated. "You truly are worthy of being my partner."

"Eh, Playmaker?" Ai said to his partner. "This situation… isn't optimal." Playmaker only narrowed his eyes. Indeed, Morningstar had brought out a strong formation, but something about it seemed… off to him.

"Battle!" Morningstar declared. "Datastorm Dragon, attack Powercode Talker! Data Flare!" Datastorm Dragon blasted Playmaker's monster with blue energy, but Playmaker only took a card from his hand.

"I activate the effect of the Rescue Interlacer in my hand!" he declared. "By discarding it, battle damage against my Attack Position Cyberse monster becomes 0!" The blast destroyed Powercode, but a barrier appeared and prevented Playmaker from taking damage.

"Tch," Cypher grit his teeth. "Even so, since Powercode Talker is no longer on the field, your Link Processing Failure is destroyed!" Sure enough, Playmaker's Continuous Spell disintegrated. "And with our three remaining monsters, we can-."

"I activate the effect of the Highspeed Data Recovery in my Graveyard!" Playmaker declared, cutting Cypher off. The card Morningstar had destroyed reappeared on Playmaker's field. It showed a computer monitor, with multiple circuits on the screen, and bolts of electricity converging on a single point. "Since my Cyberse Link Monster was destroyed by battle and sent to the Graveyard, I can banish it to Set one Quick-Play Spell Card on my field. I Set Spool Code!" A Set card appeared on Playmaker's field. "The card Set by Highspeed Data Recovery can be activated this turn."

Morningstar narrowed his eyes, but he still gestured to his field. "Legendary Legionnaire, attack Playmaker directly!" His monster charged Playmaker, but the hacker only gestured to his field.

"I activate the Quick-Play Spell Card: Spool Code!" he declared. "If your monster attacks directly while I have three or more Cyberse monsters in the Graveyard, that attack is negated!" Another barrier appeared and blocked Legendary Legionnaire's sword. "Then, I can summon three Spool Tokens!" Three blue and white disks appeared on Playmaker's field, all in Defense Position.

Spool Token ATK 0 DEF 0 LVL: 1 x 3

"We still have two monsters," Cypher reminded Playmaker. "That means we can-."

"Highspeed Data Recovery's second effect activates!" Playmaker said, interrupting the AI again. "If the card Set by its effect is activated during the Battle Phase, then the Battle Phase automatically ends!"

"Eh? Seriously?"

"Ha ha!" Ai laughed. "Too bad! You couldn't touch our Life Points!"

"Hmm…" Cypher glowered. "It appears I underestimated Ai's partner. He used a card that could activate an effect even if it was destroyed."

"Not just that," Morningstar told the Ignis. "He activated a card that required a specific set of conditions to use. And he anticipated us fulfilling those conditions."

"Indeed." Cypher then laughed. "How fitting! It is right that my first duel as your partner be against a worthy opponent like this!"

Morningstar ignored Cypher and took a card from his hand. "I Set one card," he said. "I end my turn."

"And during your End Phase, the effect of Rescue Interlacer activates," Playmaker said. "And I can Special Summon it!" A red and white humanoid machine appeared on Playmaker's field in Attack Position.

Rescue Interlacer ATK 1000 DEF 1200 LVL: 3

"My turn! Draw!" Playmaker looked at his card and formulated a plan. If he played this right, he could end this duel this turn. But he suspected Morningstar would have a counter to that. And speaking of Morningstar…

"Tell me something, Morningstar," the hacker said, surprising the hunter. "Is something wrong?"

Morningstar raised an eyebrow as Cypher answered for him. "Eh? What do you mean? Of course there is nothing wrong with my partner!"

"Not physically, I mean mentally," Playmaker clarified. "I remember our last duel in vivid detail. And the entire time, I remember you being focused and driven. But…" The hacker narrowed his eyes. "I don't feel that drive in you this time. It feels more like you're running on autopilot. Like you are only putting yourself through the motions. Like you are attempting to finish this as quickly as possible.

Morningstar was silent as Cypher and Ai both looked at him. "You're right," the hunter finally said. "I am trying to end this quickly. And my drive is gone." His eyes softened as he looked at the ground. "My partner's sister is awake," he said softly. "She is finally free of the darkness that haunted her. Most of it, at least. The reason I became a bounty hunter three years ago was so I could help provide for her, and to pay back her brother for taking me in."

He smiled sadly. "I am glad she is awake. She and him are both smiling instead of wallowing in sadness. But… with her free of the darkness, I have no reason to duel anymore. I have no reason to continue hunting people, or even to come to LINK VRAINS. If not for the fact I promised to retrieve Ai from you, I probably would not have come here."

The hunter looked up at his opponent. "That's why, this will be my last duel," he declared. "After this duel, Morningstar will be no more."

"Yasu…" Cam muttered, watching the duel in sadness for his friend. Sachi likewise frowned at the screen.

"Eh!?" Cypher shouted, shocked. "Y-You mean to tell me that you're quitting after this!? Does that mean my first duel with you will also be the last!?"

"Probably," Morningstar answered. Cypher shouted in frustration at that.

Playmaker chuckled, surprising the other three occupants of the Camouflage Dome. "I understand," he said. "My revenge is complete; the Knights of Hanoi are defeated and the truth of the Lost Incident is out there. I have no reason to duel anymore either. But…" The hacker smiled. "I enjoyed dueling you last time, which is why I wanted to duel you again."

Morningstar smiled again. "I enjoyed dueling you too. You are a challenging opponent, after all."

"But I've learned something on this journey of mine," Playmaker continued, making the hunter raise an eyebrow. "Never say never. Even if you feel this is your last duel, I image it won't be. But if it is…" The hacker's grin became fierce. "Then why don't we make it the best duel we possibly could?"

Morningstar's smile widened at that. "Of course! Come at me, Playmaker!"

"These two are way too similar," Ai said, sweatdropping.

"I'm starting to see that myself," Cypher said, nodding in agreement.

"Appear! The circuit that leads to the future!" Playmaker's hand glowed as the Link portal appeared above him. "Arrowheads confirmed! The summoning conditions are two monsters! I set two Spool Tokens in the Link Markers!" Two of his tokens became whirlwinds of energy and entered the top and bottom arrows, turning them red.

"Circuit combine! Link Summon! Appear! Link 2! Security Dragon!" A white mechanical dragon with red wings and stomach appeared, summoned to Datastorm Dragon's top Link Marker.

Security Dragon ATK 1100 LINK-2 ↑↓

"Oh no!" Cypher said, panicking. "That monster's effect is not good for us!"

"Security Dragon's monster effect! Once while on the field, if it is co-linked, I can return one monster my opponent controls to the hand! As Security Dragon is co-linked with Datastorm Dragon, I'll target and return Datastorm Dragon itself to your hand!" Datastorm Dragon started to glitch out, but Morningstar gestured to his field.

"Legendary Legionnaire's monster effect!" he declared. "Once per turn, if it points to two monsters, I can increase the attack points of another 'Cyspirit' Link Monster by 1000! I increase Zany Zealot's attack points!" Datastorm Dragon disappeared as Zany Zealot's attack points increased.

Cyspirit Zany Zealot ATK 1300→2300

"Clever," Ai commented. "Datastorm Dragon was leaving, so he used his other monster's effect to increase his weakest monster's attack points." Playmaker only gestured to his field.

"Appear! The circuit that leads to the future!" The Link portal appeared above him again. "Arrowheads confirmed! The summoning condition is one Level 2 or lower Cyberse monster. I set my last Spool Token in the Link Marker!" Said token became a whirlwind of energy and entered the bottom arrow, turning it red.

"Circuit combine! Link Summon! Appear! Link 1! Talkback Lancer!" A blue and green armored warrior appeared, summoned to the Extra Monster Zone to the left of Playmaker.

Talkback Lancer ATK 1200 LINK-1 ↓

Morningstar's eyes narrowed as he looked up Talkback Lancer's effects. With its position, Playmaker could Tribute Security Dragon to Special Summon Powercode Talker from his Graveyard. But Morningstar suspected his opponent had a different strategy in mind.

Sure enough, Playmaker raised his hand again. "For the third time, appear! The circuit that leads to the future!" The Link portal appeared as his hand glowed blue. "Arrowheads confirmed! The summoning conditions are two or more Effect Monsters. I set Rescue Interlacer and the Link-2 Security Dragon in the Link Markers!" His monsters became whirlwinds of energy, with Security Dragon splitting into two, and entered the top, bottom, and right arrows, turning them red.

"Circuit combine! Link Summon! Appear! Link 3! Transcode Talker!" A brown and white armored humanoid monster emerged from the portal, summoned to Talkback Lancer's Link Marker.

Transcode Talker ATK 2300 LINK-3 ↑↓→

"When Transcode Talker is co-linked, monsters it is co-linked with and Transcode itself gain 500 attack points and cannot be targeted by your card effects!"

Talkback Lancer ATK 1200→1700

Transcode Talker ATK 2300→2800

Morningstar smirked to himself. Now he understood why Playmaker had summoned Powercode Talker for his first turn.

Sure enough, Playmaker gestured to his monster. "Transcode Talker's additional effect! Once per turn, I can Special Summon one Link-3 or lower Cyberse Link Monster from my Graveyard to Transcode Talker's Link Marker! Resurrect, Powercode Talker!" The monster in red armor reemerged, summoned to Transcode Talker's right Link Marker.

Powercode Talker ATK 2300 LINK-3 ←↙→

"And since Powercode is co-linked with Transcode, it gains 500 attack points!

Powercode Talker ATK 2300→2800

"I see!" Cypher said, taking on the air of someone who made a major discovery. "He didn't just set a trap for us we couldn't avoid; he wanted us to destroy Powercode so he could bring it back with Transcode." Cypher chuckled. "You humans are full of surprises."

"And Playmaker isn't done yet," Morningstar told the AI.

"Oh? What other moves does he have?"

"I activate the Spell Card: Cyberse Cache!" Playmaker declared. "Since I control a Cyberse monster whose current attack points are different from its original attack points, I draw two cards!" He drew, then said, "I activate the effect of SIMM Tablir in my hand! By revealing it, I can Special Summon it to a zone my linked Link Monster points to and then return a Level 4 Cyberse monster from my Graveyard to my hand. I Special Summon SIMM Tablir to Powercode Talker's right Link Marker and return ROM Cloudia to my hand!" A black, white, and light blue mechanical rodent with a white nose appeared in Defense Positon.

SIMM Tablir ATK 0 DEF 1800 LVL: 5

Morningstar's eyes narrowed. "He tried this same trick with Revolver," he muttered.

"Hmm? What trick?"

"I summon ROM Cloudia!" The brown-furred sheep reappeared.

ROM Cloudia ATK 1800 DEF 0 LVL: 4

"ROM Cloudia's monster effect! When it is Normal Summoned, I can return a Cyberse monster from my Graveyard to my hand. I return Latency to my hand. This in turn activates Latency's effect! When Latency is added to my hand from the Graveyard, I can Special Summon it!" The pink humanoid carrying an hourglass appeared in Attack Position.

Latency ATK 0 DEF 0 LVL: 1

"Eh? Three monsters?"

"Appear! The circuit that leads to the future!" The Link portal appeared above Playmaker for a fourth time that turn. "Arrowheads confirmed! The summoning conditions are two or more Cyberse monsters! I set Latency, ROM Cloudia, and SIMM Tablir in the Link Markers!" His three monsters became whirlwinds of energy and entered the left, top, and right arrows, turning them red.

"Circuit combine! Link Summon! Appear! Link 3! Excode Talker!" A green armored giant with shields on its wrists emerged, summoned to Powercode Talker's right Link Marker.

Excode Talker ATK 2300 LINK-3 ←↑→

"Because Latency was used to Link Summon Excode Talker, I can draw one card!" Playmaker drew, then gestured to his newest monster. "Excode Talker's monster effect! When it is Link Summoned, I can choose a number of your Main Monster Zones, equal to the number of monsters in the Extra Monster Zones, and keep you from using those zones. Grasp Zone!"

Excode Talker formed a ball of green energy and flung it to Morningstar's center-left Main Monster Zone, blowing a hole in it and making it unusable. Morningstar grit his teeth. Playmaker had chosen well; if there were a Link Monster in the unoccupied Extra Monster Zone that pointed to that zone, he couldn't use it. And with that choice, he now knew what Playmaker had planned.

"Excode Talker's additional effect! Monsters it points to gain 500 attack points and cannot be destroyed by card effects!" Powercode Talker glowed as its attack points increased.

Powercode Talker ATK 2800→3300

"Yes!" Ai cheered. "With this, we've won! Excode, Powercode, and Transcode can destroy Morningstar's monsters and Talkback Lancer can attack directly! Go, Powercode-!"

"Not yet!"

Ai stopped as he looked at Playmaker. "What? Why?"

"I said I would show Morningstar the best duel I possibly could," Playmaker reminded the Ignis. "And I can do far more than this!" Playmaker activated a card from his hand. "I activate the Spell Card: Link Treasure Ticket, and target Excode Talker with its effect! I now draw cards equal to Excode Talker's Link Rating and then send an equal number of cards from the top of my Deck to the Graveyard. Excode is Link-3, so I draw three cards and send three cards to the Graveyard."

Playmaker drew then sent his cards to the Graveyard before taking one of them back. "I activate the effect of the discarded Dotscaper! When it is sent to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon it!" A monster made of green and white bricks appeared in Attack Position.

Dotscaper ATK 0 DEF 2100 LVL: 1

"I activate the Field Spell Card: Cynet Storm! While this card is on the field, all linked monsters gain 500 attack and defense points, and the Link Summon of Link Monsters cannot be negated." Playmaker's four Link Monsters, as well as Morningstar's three Cyspirits, all gained attack points, and in the case of Linker, defense points, as they were all linked.

Excode Talker ATK 2300→2800

Powercode Talker ATK 3300→3800

Talkback Lancer ATK 1700→2200

Transcode Talker ATK 2800→3300

Cyspirit Legendary Legionnaire ATK 1700→2200

Cyspirit Linker ATK 1700→2200 DEF 800→1300

Cyspirit Zany Zealot ATK 2300→2800

"He's either confident in his victory or has a trick up his sleeve," Cypher mused. "Otherwise he would not activate a card that increases our monsters' attack points as well."

"That, or he considers the risk to be worth the reward," Morningstar countered.

"I Special Summon Link Infra-Flier to Excode Talker's right Link Marker in Attack Position!" A blue and silver kite appeared next to Excode Talker.

Link Infra-Flier ATK 0 DEF 1800 LVL: 2

"And because of Cynet Storm and Excode Talker, Link Infra-Flier gains 1000 attack points!"

Link Infra-Flier ATK 0→1000

"Appear! The circuit that leads to the future!" The Link portal appeared above Playmaker for a fifth time. "Arrowheads confirmed! The summoning conditions are two or more Effect Monsters! I set Dotscaper, Link Infra-Flier, and Talkback Lancer in the Link Markers!" Said monsters became whirlwinds of energy and entered the top, bottom-left, and bottom-right arrows, turning them red.

"Circuit combine! Link Summon! Appear! Link 3! Decode Talker!" A warrior in dark blue armor carrying a large sword appeared, summoned to the right Extra Monster Zone.

Decode Talker ATK 2300 LINK-3 ↙↑↘

"Cynet Storm and Excode Talker increase Decode Talker's attack points by 1000, and because Decode Talker points to a monster, it gains 500 more attack points. Power Integration!"

Decode Talker ATK 2300→3300→3800

"I activate the effect of Dual Assembwurm in the Graveyard! By banishing two monsters from the Graveyard, I can Special Summon it with its attack points halved. I banish SIMM Tablir and Talkback Lancer." A red and blue dragon appeared, summoned in Attack Position.

Dual Assembwurm ATK 2800→1400 DEF 1000 LVL: 8

"I activate the Equip Spell Card: Link Unit, and equip it to Dual Assembwurm. With this, if I use Dual Assembwurm to Link Summon, it counts as two materials." Playmaker then gestured to the sky. "Appear! The circuit that leads to the future!"

"Eh?" Cypher said, surprised as the Link portal appeared. "He's Link Summoning a sixth time?"

"Arrowheads confirmed! The summoning conditions are two or more Cyberse monsters. I set Decode Talker and Dual Assembwurm treated as two monsters in the Link Markers!" Said monsters became whirlwinds of energy, with the latter splitting into two, and entered the top, bottom, and bottom-right arrows, turning them red.

"Circuit combine! Link Summon! Appear! Link 3! Encode Talker!" A white and gold armored warrior carrying a shield emerged, summoned to the right Extra Monster Zone.

Encode Talker ATK 2300 LINK-3 ↑↓↘

"Cynet Storm and Excode Talker increase Encode Talker's attack points by 1000!"

Encode Talker ATK 2300→3300

"I don't understand," Cypher admitted. "Decode Talker was stronger than Encode Talker. Yes, it has a more beneficial effect in the long run, but why would he make a move like that?"

"To create the ultimate formation," Morningstar explained. "Look at his monster's Link Markers."

"Huh? What are you…? N-No way!"

"Hey, Playmaker…" Ai turned to look at his partner with wide eyes. "You're not trying to-."

"I summon Backup Secretary!" A woman with purple hair and white, black, and purple clothes appeared in Attack Position.

Backup Secretary ATK 1200 DEF 800 LVL: 3

"I can Special Summon Backup Secretary if I control a Cyberse monster. And now, I activate the effect of Link Restart in the Graveyard! By banishing it, I can Special Summon a Link Monster from the Graveyard. Resurrect, Decode Talker!" The dark-blue armored warrior reappeared, summoned to Excode Talker's right Link Marker and gaining power from Cynet Storm's and Excode Talker's effects.

Decode Talker ATK 2300→3300 LINK-3 ↙↑↘

(Note: In this duel, Link Restart is using its effect from Episode 10. If it makes an appearance in Hidden Memories season 2, it will be using its effect from Episode 65).

"I told you, Morningstar," Playmaker said. "I told you I would show you the greatest duel I can possibly give. So I'll show you the same duel that Revolver showed me! A duel that transcends everything!"

"He couldn't be…" Cam muttered, his eyes wide.

"Appear! The circuit that leads to the future!" For a seventh time, the Link portal appeared above Playmaker's field. "Arrowheads confirmed! The summoning conditions are two or more monsters. I set Backup Secretary and the Link-3 Decode Talker in the Link Markers!" His two monsters became whirlwinds of energy, with Decode Talker breaking into three whirlwinds, and entered the top, bottom, left, and right arrows, turning them red.

"Circuit combine!" The Link portal released a tremendous amount of energy, making Morningstar brace himself against the wind. "When the two Extra Monster Zones are co-linked, a monster can be Special Summoned to the other Extra Monster Zone!" A pillar of blue light erupted from the empty Extra Monster Zone on Playmaker's left. "Link Summon! Appear! Link 4! Firewall Dragon!"

A large mechanical dragon emerged from the portal. Its body was primarily two colors, with its chest armor, legs, tail, and the spines of its wings being white, while its stomach, neck, and the membranes of its wings being blue. Circles formed on its elbows, tail, feet, and on the top of its head. Its red eyes gleamed as it roared from the left Extra Monster Zone and Transcode Talker's top Link Marker.

Firewall Dragon ATK 2500 LINK-4 ←↑↓→

"Firewall Dragon gains 1000 attack points from the effects of Cynet Storm and Transcode Talker!"

Firewall Dragon ATK 2500→3500

"Extra Link!" Playmaker declared. His dragon and four Code Talker monsters all stood in formation, facing Morningstar with all their strength.

"A-Amazing, Playmaker!" Ai cheered. "You performed the same move Revolver did! Only in three turns instead of five!"

Cam grit his teeth. "This isn't good." Morningstar had faced an Extra Link before when he dueled Terminus, but that had only been three monsters, and all had been Link-3. This was five monsters, and one was Link-4.

"An Extra Link…" Cypher mused, his eyes narrowed. He then glanced at Morningstar, whose hair covered his eyes. "I think there's only one appropriate response to this situation. Don't you, Morningstar?"

Morningstar didn't answer. Instead, he smiled.

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Morningstar vs. Playmaker

This Duel is conducted as a Master Duel.

Turn 1: Playmaker

Playmaker activates the effect of Bitrooper in his hand, sending a Level 2 or lower monster from his hand to the GY to Special Summon it. He sends the Level 1 Latency from his hand to the GY and Special Summons Bitrooper in Attack Position (1500/2000/4). Playmaker Normal Summons ROM Cloudia (1800/0/4). As ROM Cloudia was Normal Summoned, Playmaker can add 1 Cyberse monster from his GY to his hand. He adds Latency from his GY to his hand. As it was added from his GY to his hand, Playmaker Special Summons Latency (0/0/1) in Attack Position. Playmaker uses Bitrooper, Latency, and ROM Cloudia to Link Summon Powercode Talker (2300/3/←↙→) to the Extra Monster Zone. As the Special Summoned Latency was used to Link Summon, Playmaker draws 1 card. Playmaker activates the Continuous Spell Card Link Processing Failure by choosing a Link Monster he controls and preventing monsters that are not Link Monsters and Link Monsters with a Link Rating lower than or equal to that monster's from attacking. During the 2nd Standby Phase after activation, Link Processing Failure is destroyed. Playmaker chooses the Link-3 Powercode Talker. Playmaker Sets 1 card. He ends his turn.

Turn 2: Morningstar

Morningstar draws. Since Playmaker controls a Link Monster and he does not, Morningstar Special Summons Cyspirit Armorer (1200/2000/6) in Attack Position. As there is a Cyberse Link Monster on the field, Morningstar Special Summons Cyspirit Prisoner (1600/2100/5) in Attack Position. Morningstar activates the effect of Cyspirit Armorer, targeting Powercode Talker. Armorer is sent to the GY and Morningstar Special Summons Cyspirit Armor Tokens equal to Powercode Talker's Link Rating (0/0/2), in other words, 3. Morningstar uses 1 Cyspirit Armor Token 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 its Link Marker, but it cannot attack and is destroyed during the End Phase. Morningstar Special Summons Cyspirit Strategist (1600/100/4) in Attack Position). Morningstar uses Cacophonic Caller, Prisoner, and 1 Cyspirit Armor Token to Link Summon Cyspirit Pied Pikeman (2400/3/↙↑→) to the Extra Monster Zone. Since Prisoner was used to Link Summon Pied Pikeman, Morningstar can add 1 "Cyspirit" card from his Deck to his hand. He adds Cyspirit Nova to his hand. Morningstar activates the effect of Pied Pikeman, changing the Cyspirit Armor Token it points at to Defense Position to destroy Playmaker's Set card. Morningstar Normal Summons Cyspirit Nova (1500/1000/3). He uses Nova and the last Cyspirit Armor Token to Link Summon Cyspirit Zany Zealot (1300/2/↗→) to Pied Pikeman's bottom-left Link Marker. Morningstar then uses Strategist and the Link-3 Pied Pikeman to Link Summon Cyspirit Datastorm Dragon (2800/4/↙↑↓↘) to the Extra Monster Zone. Because Strategist was used to Link Summon a "Cyspirit" Link Monster, that monster's effects are negated until the end of the turn. As it is co-linked to a "Cyspirit" Link Monster, Morningstar activates Zany Zealot's effect to Special Summon 1 "Cyspirit" monster from his GY in Attack Position with its effects negated. He Special Summons Cyspirit Nova (1500/1000/3). Since he controls a "Cyspirit" monster, Morningstar Special Summons Cyspirit Navigator (1300/1100/3) in Attack Position. Morningstar uses Navigator and Nova to Link Summon Cyspirit Legendary Legionnaire (1700/2/↖←) to Datastorm Dragon's bottom-right Link Marker. As he controls a "Cyspirit" monster, Morningstar Special Summons Cyspirit Linker (1700/800/4) in Attack Position to Datastorm Dragon's bottom Link Marker.

Datastorm Dragon attacks Powercode Talker, with Playmaker activating the effect of Rescue Interlacer in his hand as his Attack Position Cyberse monster was attacked, discarding it to reduce the battle damage he would take from his battle to 0. The attack continues, and Powercode Talker is destroyed. As the targeted monster left the field, Link Processing Failure's effect destroys itself. Since his Cyberse Link Monster was destroyed by battle and sent to the GY, Playmaker activates the effect of the Trap Card Highspeed Data Recovery in his GY, banishing it to Set 1 Quick-Play Spell Card from his Deck, which can also be activated this turn. He Sets Spool Code. Legendary Legionnaire attacks Playmaker directly. Playmaker then activates the Quick-Play Spell Card Spool Code, negating the direct attack because he has at least 3 Cyberse monsters in his GY and Special Summons 3 Spool Tokens (0/0/1) in Defense Position. Since the card Set by Highspeed Data Recovery's effect was activated during the Battle Phase, the Battle Phase automatically ends. Morningstar Sets 1 card. He ends his turn. During the End Phase, Playmaker activates the effect of Rescue Interlacer in his GY as it was sent there to activate its effect this turn, Special Summoning it in Attack Position (1000/1200/3).

Turn 3: Playmaker

Playmaker draws. He uses 2 Spool Tokens to Link Summon Security Dragon (1100/2/↑↓) to Datastorm Dragon's top Link Marker. As Security Dragon is co-linked, Playmaker activates its effect, targeting 1 monster Morningstar controls and returning it to his hand. He targets and returns Datastorm Dragon to Morningstar's Extra Deck. Before Datastorm Dragon leaves the field, Morningstar activates Legendary Legionnaire's effect, targeting Zany Zealot. Zany Zealot gains 1000 ATK, but it is destroyed during the End Phase (Zany Zealot: 1300→2300). Playmaker uses 1 Spool Token to Link Summon Talkback Lancer (1200/1/↓) to the left Extra Monster Zone. He then uses Rescue Interlacer and the Link-2 Security Dragon to Link Summon Transcode Talker (2300/3/↑↓→) to Talkback Lancer's Link Marker. As Transcode Talker is co-linked, itself and monsters it is co-linked with gain 500 ATK and cannot be targeted by Morningstar's card effects (Talkback Lancer: 1200→1700) (Transcode Talker: 2300→2800). Playmaker activates Transcode Talker's effect, targeting 1 Link-3 or lower Cyberse Link Monster in his GY and Special Summoning it to Transcode Talker's Link Marker. He Special Summons Powercode Talker (2300/3/←↙→) to Transcode Talker's right Link Marker. Powercode Talker's ATK increases via Transcode Talker's effect (Powercode Talker: 2300→2800). As he controls a Cyberse monster whose current ATK is different from its original ATK, Playmaker activates the Spell Card Cyberse Cache and draws 2 cards. Playmaker activates the effect of SIMM Tablir in his hand, revealing it, adding ROM Cloudia from his GY to his hand, then Special Summoning SIMM Tablir (0/1800/5) to Powercode Talker's right Link Marker in Defense Position. Playmaker Normal Summons ROM Cloudia (1800/0/4). As ROM Cloudia was Normal Summoned, Playmaker activates its effect, adding Latency from his GY to his hand. As Latency was added from the GY to his hand, Playmaker Special Summons Latency (0/0/1) in Attack Position. Playmaker uses Latency, ROM Cloudia, and SIMM Tablir to Link Summon Excode Talker (2300/3/←↑→) to Powercode Talker's right Link Marker. As the Special Summoned Latency was used to Link Summon, Playmaker draws 1 card. As Excode Talker was Link Summoned, Playmaker activates its effect, choosing unused Main Monster Zones, equal to the number of monsters in the Extra Monster Zones, and preventing those zones from being used. He targets Morningstar's center-left Main Monster Zone. Monsters Excode Talker points to gain 500 ATK and cannot be destroyed by card effects (Powercode Talker: 2800→3300).

Playmaker activates the Spell Card Link Treasure Ticket, targeting Excode Talker. He draws cards equal to Excode Talker's Link Rating, but he then must send an equal number of cards from the top of his Deck to the GY. He draws 3 cards and sends Dotscaper, Dual Assembwurm, and Link Restart to the GY. As Dotscaper was sent to the GY, Playmaker activates its effect, Special Summoning it in Attack Position (0/2100/1). Playmaker activates the Field Spell Card Cynet Storm, increasing the ATK/DEF of Linked monsters on the field by 500 (Excode Talker: 2300→2800) (Powercode Talker: 3300→3800) (Talkback Lancer: 1700→2200) (Transcode Talker: 2800→3300) (Legendary Legionnaire: 1700→2200) (Linker: 1700→2200/800→1300) (Zany Zealot: 2300→2800). Playmaker Special Summons Link Infra-Flier to Excode Talker's right Link Marker in Attack Position (0→1000/1800/2). Playmaker uses Dotscaper, Link Infra-Flier, and Talkback Lancer to Link Summon Decode Talker (2300→3300/3/↙↑↘) to the right Extra Monster Zone. Decode Talker gains 500 ATK for each monster it points to (Decode Talker: 2800→3800). Playmaker activates the effect of Dual Assembwurm in his GY, banishing SIMM Tablir and Talkback Lancer from his GY to Special Summon it Attack Position with its ATK halved (2800→1400/1000/8). He activates the Equip Spell Card Link Unit, equipping it to Dual Assembwurm. Dual Assembwurm is now treated as 2 materials for the Link Summon of a Link Monster. Playmaker uses Dual Assembwurm and the Link-3 Decode Talker to Link Summon Encode Talker (2300→3300/3/↑↓↘) to the right Extra Monster Zone. As he controls a Cyberse monster, Playmaker Special Summons Backup Secretary (1200/800/3) in Attack Position. He then activates the effect of Link Restart in his GY, banishing it to Special Summon Decode Talker to Excode Talker's right Link Marker (2300→3300/3/↙↑↘). Playmaker uses Backup Secretary and the Link-3 Decode Talker to Link Summon Firewall Dragon (2500→3500/4/←↑↓→) to the left Extra Monster Zone, creating an Extra Link.

This duel will continue…

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Highspeed Data Recovery Normal Trap Card
If your Cyberse Link Monster is destroyed by battle and sent to the GY: Set 1 Quick-Play Spell Card from your Deck to your field. The card Set by this effect can be activated during the turn it is Set. If the card Set by this effect is activated during the Battle Phase: End the Battle Phase. Once per Duel, if this card is in your GY, you can activate the above effect by banishing this card from the GY.

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Chapter Preview

Next time on Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS: Hidden Memories. Chapter 29 – The Devil of LINK VRAINS. Morningstar and Playmaker continue their duel, each giving their best. In response to Playmaker's power, Morningstar fights with the power Cypher gave him. At the end of the day, the victor is…

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Responses to Reviews & Author's Notes

Thank you to HunterHQ, FurySong, Nirvash Neo, The Brilliant Star, Gem Rose, thirdegree101, ZarcEternal, Fenghuang0296, Lyrissa Artemick, ThePLOThand, D3lph0xL0v3r, giacomoX, Ethan Kironus, Ryujomaru15, O, Doomboy, OsarimRin, LazinessRules, Lindia Fullmoon, TachyonDragonKing, JaneValentine007, Yasutake Fan, and jdkeller2000 for reviewing Chapter 27 of Hidden Memories. This was the most reviewed chapter I've ever had, with a total of 24 reviews. The second most reviewed was Chapter 20 An Old Score, with 23 reviews. Now to answer questions…

thirdegree101: I think the chapter answered your first question, but as for the second, I won't say anything. Since Masako's taking a break to hunt down Thaumiel, nothing is confirmed for those two. As for your question about Revolver Synchro Summoning… I'll wait for the episode to come out before I answer that.

D3lph0xL0v3r: Cypher's eyes are orange, but his body is black with silver lines running over him.

Nirvash Neo: Actually, I imagined Angelic Avenger representing Yasutake himself, with him avenging the wrongs committed to him and those he cares about. As for Superior Seraphim… I did not make that connection at all, but I do like the interpretation you made for it. That's awesome. As for voice actors, I don't know about most of them, but I thought of Noriaki Sugiyama for Yasutake, mostly because of his work as Shirou Emiya, and ironicaly Minami Takahashi for Sachi; I'll explain the reason why down below.

LazinessRules: … Cam does not have a VRAINS avatar. Did you mean someone else, or…? An anthropomorphic wolf does sound cool, but I'm not sure it fits Cam.

Yasutake Fan: If you want to know what Superior Seraphim's effects are, look at the bottom of the chapter, right before the Chapter Preview; that is were I show OC cards, and it explains all of Superior Seraphim's effects.

Sorry for the late update everyone. I've gotten myself stuck playing Trails in the Sky FC (which I totally recommend, but only if you can afford the time and plan to play SC after it) and I'm on vacation right now, finishing this up. Hopefully, Chapter 29 will be released on time, but no promises. Sorry about that.

There is a lot to unpack this chapter. For the first part, while Sachi is awake, she still has problems and isn't fully healed. She will improve over time of course, but some issues will be harder to overcome than others. Characterization-wise, I drew inspiration from Megumi Tadokoro from Shokugeki no Soma, (voiced by Minami Takahashi, who ironically also voiced a young Ryoken) and like Megumi, Sachi will grow more confident. Oh, and just something from a conversation I had with OPFan37; they said they pictured Sachi as a loli. She is not. She is a head shorter than Yasutake, who is about the same height, if not a little taller, than Yusaku. Hopefully, her being awake makes that easier to picture.

Then, there's Masako leaving. I understand if this makes you upset, but I feel it is necessary; Issei/Thaumiel played a massive role in Masako's backstory, and she has to hunt him down in the real world, which she can't do in Den City. Sadly, this means she will have a smaller role in season 2, but don't worry about her disappearing entirely; she will return. The same will also be true of Galahad and Terminus; they will have much smaller roles in season 2 than season 1, but they will still appear and have a role to play.

We also had the proper introduction of Morningstar's Ignis: Cypher. To be honest, I wanted to name him Grim, but I saw SakushiRyu already named Ketsueki Kioku's Ignis Grim, and I didn't want to copy him. So instead, I named him Cypher, and he has quite an ego. And with Cypher helping him, that means Morningstar gets a new Skill to replace Cyberse Revolution. Sadly, we won't see it until season 2, but when it is revealed, I hope you all like it.

And finally, we have the duel between Morningstar and Playmaker. It's safe to say this won't actually be the last duel for either of them, but it is for the paths they have walked thus far. Both of them have devoted themselves to a path they wholly believe in, and that path has ended. But every ending has a beginning. And this ending just so happens to come with an Extra Link.

Okay, that's the last of Hidden Memories stuff, but there a few other things I want to talk about. The first is related to my new ARC-V story. I've hit a bit of a roadblock on Yuji's (Yuya's Link counterpart) backstory, so I've decided to open it up to the readers. I was originally planning for Yuji to have a similar background to Yusaku (traumatized by the Lost Incident, the creation of AI, and a feeling of emptiness) with changes made to his Ignis's personality and the role the Ignis play in the story. And as the Knights of Hanoi don't exist, obviously there would be a different role for Dr. Kogami and his son. But I've also thought up a different backstory, and I would like others' opinions on it; instead of the Lost Incident, there was a fire of which Yuji was the sole survivor, ala Shirou Emiya of fate/stay night, and he was adopted by Dr. Kogami and Ryoken. Which backstory do you believe would work better?

Also, this is a confession: I can't get ideas of fanfic stories out of my head. I've been reading Love Hina Double Trouble and crossovers between fate/stay night and Highschool DxD like Draconian Fate Works and Fake x Fate (I recommend all three stories, by the way). And reading them has given me more ideas for stories; a crossover between Highschool DxD and Trails of Cold Steel, a Kamen Rider Dragon Knight (the American version, not Ryuki) and Love Hina crossover, Shokugeki no Soma, but with Duel Monsters instead of food… Do you guys think I should write these? If not now, then someday? I just can't decide what I want to write!

Well, I do know I want to continue Hidden Memories. Speaking of which, thank you for reading Chapter 28 of Hidden Memories. Please tell me what your favorite part of the chapter was. I know there's a lot to this chapter, but I hope it was easy to follow.