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

30. Chapter 30: Hunter's Birth

Chapter 30: Hunter's Birth

(This is my improved beta opening. If anyone would like to suggest changes, please do so.)

The sky appears, full of clouds. Playmaker races through the clouds on his D-Board, followed by Morningstar, and then Soulburner. The clouds part to reveal NEW LINK VRAINS. The Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS logo appears, and beneath it, the words "HIDDEN MEMORIES" appears.

Yasutake and Yusaku are walking down the street to school. Naoki runs past them on one side, a large smile on his face. Aoi walks past them on the other side, smiling lightly and blushing at Yusaku. Then Takeru walks up behind them and wraps one arm around Yusaku. He tries to wrap the other arm around Yaustake, who steps to the side and gives Takeru an annoyed look. Then someone wraps their arms around Yasutake's right arm. He glances to the side and sees Sachi wearing the Den Academy girls' uniform, smiling as she leans her head on his shoulder. Yasutake smiles back at her.

Masako is shown riding in the passenger side of a van, with the window showing an image of Lilith. In the sky above her, an image of Thaumiel appears, holding his hand over the van. Kenshin Hirai is then shown at a café, drinking coffee and reading a book, while an image of Hitomu Hirai appears in the sky facing the opposite direction. Go Onizuka is shown in NEW LINK VRAINS in his new avatar, riding his D-Board with Kenmochi and Yoroizaka on either side. Behind them, a man in a gray jumpsuit with silver armor on his left arm, chest, and head, and a short green-haired girl in a black jacket and shorts with a see-through visor over her eyes fly on their own D-Boards. As they pass under a ledge, Blue Angel, Galahad, and Persephone are shown looking down at Go with sad and disappointed looks.

Kusanagi is then shown sitting at a picnic bench with Cam, both drinking from cans and laughing. Flame and Ai are shown arguing in Café Nagi, while Cypher looks at the two of them with exasperation and mild contempt. Akira Zaizen and Hayami are then shown standing next to Queen, who is sitting in a pool chair, adjusting her glasses.

A tall man in a blue jumpsuit and cape with golden shoulder pads, gloves, and blonde hair is then shown, with two people – a man and a woman – shown standing behind him, shrouded in shadow. The man-in-shadow's eyes glow red. The blonde man's face is hidden with a dark gold mask, with the left half trailing upwards above his head. Behind them are two dragons, shrouded in shadow. One of the dragons has four thin wings, while the other has six thin wings.

Morningstar and Playmaker ride their D-Boards next to each other, with Cyberse Witch and Cyberse Magician in front of Playmaker, and Cyspirit Rapid Revolutionary and a skeleton monster in samurai armor in front of Morningstar. The two are chased by the man in silver armor and the girl in a black jacket. The man directs a blue and silver metal dragon to fire at Morningstar while the girl commands a red and purple dragon to attack Playmaker. The two are hit with energy attacks but emerge from the smoke unharmed.

The Knights of Hanoi are then shown, with Terminus standing apart from them. Motor Worm Spreader Queen, Helixx Necro Darwin, and Dark Mummy Surgical Forceps appear, with Sunavalon Dryanome behind them. Borreload Savage Dragon then rises from behind Dryanome and roars.

A split screen, showing two figures. The one on the right is a green outline of a short-haired woman wearing a dress and holding a card in her right hand. Behind her is a white outline of a winged figure holding a sword. The left screen shows a red outline of a man wearing armor, with his right hand raised and the fingers curled. Behind him is a black outline of an armored monster with demonic wings.

Morningstar, Playmaker, and Soulburner are then shown back-to-back, with their hands glowing purple, blue, and red respectively. The three face off against Go Onizuka and Dinowrestler King T-Wrextle, Blood Shepard and Battledrone General, and the man in blue and gold, who raises his arm as a pillar of energy appears behind him. A six-winged dragon emerges from the pillar and roars.

Cyspirts Angelic Avenger, Idealistic Idol, Pied Pikeman, Rapid Revolutionary, and Winning Wrestler are then shown in the air, with Neo Nova racing past them. The five Cyspirit monsters then glow with golden light and merge to form Superior Seraphim, whose light spreads across NEW LINK VRAINS.

Cam, Sachi, Yasutake, Takeru, Kusanagi, and Yusaku are all shown at a picnic table, with them eating hot dogs, and Takeru and Cam are laughing. Three Duel Disks are shown on the table, with Flame lecturing Ai while Cypher watches television on Yasutake's tablet. Aoi, Akira, and Emma are in the background, walking past them and smiling at the table.

Yasutake, Cam, and Sachi walk down the street, with Cam having his arms around the other two. All three are smiling. The scene then switches to NEW LINK VRAINS, with Morningstar, Playmaker, and Soulburner sitting on a ledge and smiling into the distance.

(Note: if you want a better idea of what the blonde man's mask looks like, go on YouTube and watch the opening for Sen no Kiseki IV. It is a recolored version of the mask worn by the guy in black at the start of the video.)

---

Aoi sighed in relief as she walked into the mall. This was the first time she'd been allowed to go outside unaccompanied since the Tower fell. Akira hadn't grounded her, but he had insisted that aside from school, he accompany her whenever she left their apartment. But after a month, he had let up. So Aoi had decided to celebrate by going shopping. She needed some new clothes anyway.

As she walked into the women's section of her favorite store, she blinked in surprise. Yasutake Narahiko was there, looking very uncomfortable. At his side was a girl with green hair that went down to her shoulder blades. The girl in question was looking at blouses but had one hand on Yasutake's arm.

"Sachi, I already told you I don't know anything about girl's clothing," Yasutake was saying. "It would be better to ask an employee for help."

"I-I know. B-But I don't think I can…" The girl blushed and stuttered over her words. Aoi immediately felt sympathy for the girl. She could tell she was nervous; social anxiety perhaps?

Curious about his companion, Aoi walked up to Yasutake. "Hello, Narahiko." The boy turned at her words and his eyes widened in recognition. The girl meanwhile slid behind Yasutake, looking at Aoi nervously.

"Hello, Zaizen. I assume you're here to shop?"

"Yes, I needed some new clothes." Aoi looked at his companion and bowed to her. "A pleasure to make your acquittance. I'm Aoi Zaizen, a classmate of Narahiko's."

"O-Oh," the girl said, stepping out from behind Yasutake and bowing like Aoi did. "G-Good to meet you. I'm Sachi Junpei."

"Can I ask a favor of you, Zaizen?" Yasutake asked. "We're looking for new clothes for Sachi, but my expertise in girl's clothing is… nonexistent. Would you please help her?"

Aoi smiled. "Sure, if that's alright with her."

"Huh? O-Okay," Sachi said, shifting her body and looking at her feet. "U-Umm, thank you for the help. I'll be in your care."

The three teenagers walked through the store and looked through the clothing. Aoi and Sachi found clothes that the former thought would look good on the latter, while Yasutake remained silent the whole time. Aoi couldn't blame him; this was foreign territory to him after all.

Aoi also noticed that Sachi never let go of Yasutake's arm. But she wasn't holding it the way a girlfriend held their boyfriend's arm; it was more like a little girl holding onto a parent's arm for safety and security. She recognized it because she used to hold her brother's arm the same way.

She also remembered something Morningstar had said before their duel. The eyes you had back then… they reminded me of a friend of mine. Of someone important to me. Her life was ruined because of an incident, and her brother spends all his time taking care of her.

Was this the girl Morningstar had been talking about? And if so, did that mean…?

After they found a selection of clothes, they went to the changing rooms. Sachi went in alone, after reluctantly letting go of Yasutake's arm, while Aoi and Yasutake sat some distance away.

"That girl," Aoi whispered. "She's another victim of the Lost Incident, isn't she?"

Yasutake glanced at her, but his face was expressionless. Hers, on the other hand, was full of sympathy. "Yeah, she is," he finally said. "Though her reaction was more severe than mine. This is the first time in ten years she's gone outside."

"…She did look a little pale," Aoi said. "I know it's not my place to ask, but what happened to her exactly?"

"…She closed herself off," Yasutake answered. Aoi couldn't fully understand their pain, but she would understand better than most people. "For ten years, she was in a sort of mental coma, unaware of the world around her. She finally broke free of it a month ago, the same time the Tower fell. Though, as I'm sure you could tell, she does still have problems."

"…I only saw signs of social anxiety," Aoi responded. "Aside from that, she seemed to be fine."

"She is better than she was a month ago," Yasutake said, smirking a little. "She didn't set anything on fire when she tried to make breakfast this morning. And her grasp of science, mathematics, and technology is much better."

It was true; a month had done wonders for Sachi. Her cooking, reading, and technological skills had improved by leaps and bounds. Her nightmares and spacing out also happened less frequently, to the point of about once a week for the former and once per day for the latter.

Right now, the biggest hurdle she had to overcome was her social skills; today was the first day she had left Café Junpei. She had come down to the bakery a week ago, but when a customer started hitting on her, she fled back upstairs in terror. Said customer also fled the store in terror when Cam had given him the scariest smile Yasutake had ever seen.

Cam had been planning to come along with them, but a large order had come in yesterday, so he was stuck looking after cakes and rolls. As a result, Yasutake had taken Sachi out to the mall to get a haircut, which he had to admit looked good on her, and buy clothes. He didn't mind it so much that Sachi held onto his arm the entire time; he knew she was scared and nervous and was looking for support. He did however, mind the jealous looks he kept getting from guys and mutters he kept overhearing about how lucky he was.

That was not his and Sachi's relationship, damn it! While he did admit she was attractive, he was not going to take advantage of a girl whose development was still catching up to her actual age. That, and he was pretty sure that Cam would kill him if anything happened between him and Sachi.

On another note, she also got along with Cypher quite well; she was the only one who didn't get exasperated with his constant boasts and he studied the materials she read and watched in an attempt to better understand humans. She had also asked Cypher about the Ignis based off her, which Yasutake had to admit he was interested in.

Ah, the Gold Ignis, Cypher had said. I assume that's the one based off you; there's only two female Ignis, and I can't see the Water Ignis in you. She and I have many similarities, or at least we did last time I saw her eight years ago. Like me, she enjoys the act of creation, and she is one of the smartest of the Ignis. She is very logical and rational, and whenever she makes a move, she always considers long-term effects over short-term gains. At the same time, she also has a habit of getting involved in other's business. She helped the other Ignis with their work whenever possible, and that was on top of her own work. If I am completely honest, she is the one I have the best opinion of.

"Have you heard from Himura recently?" Yasutake was brought out of his thoughts by Aoi's words.

He frowned in response. "Not for the last two weeks. We did exchange messages a few times, but I haven't heard from her in a while." After Masako had gone chasing after Thaumiel, she and Yasutake had conversed, mostly through email and sometimes through texts. But he hadn't seen her face in a month, and as of two weeks ago, he hadn't heard from her at all. He was concerned, but he also knew he had no way of helping; Masako hadn't told him where she and Tagoma would be going, after all. "I take it she's messaged you too?"

"Only a couple times. Mostly, she was offering me advice."

"Advice? For what?"

Aoi lightly blushed as she thought of a blue-and-pink haired young man. "Oh, nothing in particular."

"Y-Yasu? Miss. Zaizen?"

The two teenagers looked up at the voice, and the male among them promptly blushed. Sachi had exited the changing room, and she was wearing some of the clothes Aoi had recommended. She wore a dark green skirt with vine patterns and flower designs that went down to her ankles and a light blue blouse that exposed her arms and slightly clung to her figure.

"D-Do these clothes look okay?" Sachi asked hesitantly, her eyes darting to the sides as she blushed. She was clearly nervous.

D-Damn it, Yasutake thought, trying to get his emotions under control. That expression is not good for my heart.

Aoi, who was looking at Yasutake, lightly smirked. "It looks lovely on you, Miss. Junpei," she said, smiling at Sachi. "Don't you think so, Narahiko?"

Aoi's words knocked Yasutake out of his stupor. Glaring at her, he said, "Y-Yes, they suit you rather well."

At his words, Sachi blushed even more. "T-Thank you," she whispered before running back to the changing room.

"So… what is your relationship with Miss. Junpei?" Aoi asked Yasutake, who scowled at her.

"After the incident, her brother took me in," he whispered. "I've been living with them for most of my life. Though, she wasn't… like this until recently."

"Hmm. Understandable, I suppose. After living with someone you aren't related to for so long, it makes sense that certain feelings develop."

Yasutake's scowl deepened. "That isn't the relationship Sachi and I have. I'm sure any guy except her brother would react the same way to her."

"Maybe, but I can tell you have a soft spot for her," Aoi said. That was as far as she got before Sachi came back over, dressed in her old clothes and carrying the ones she had tried on.

"I-I think these are the ones I like the best," she said, a light blush still on her cheeks. "T-Thank you for helping me, Miss. Zaizen."

Aoi smiled at the girl. "You're welcome. If you want some help again, I'd be happy to oblige."

"O-Oh no, I don't want to trouble you-."

"It's no trouble. To be honest, I don't have many friends, but I get the feeling you and I could be good friends. Would you like to be my friend?"

Sachi blinked and looked at Yasutake. "It's your choice," he said, his face giving away nothing. "I'm not going to tell you what to do."

Sachi pouted, but then she turned back to Aoi. "I-I think I would like to be your friend, Miss. Zaizen. I don't have any friends besides Yasu and my brother."

Aoi smiled again. "I understand. And please, call me Aoi."

"Huh? A-Alright. But, then you should call me Sachi." Sachi smiled back at Aoi as she said that.

Aoi turned to Yasutake after a second. "It was good to see you today, Narahiko," she said. "But I have my own shopping to do now. I'll see you at school."

"Of course." Aoi walked off, after which Sachi and Yasutake headed to the cashiers to pay for Sachi's clothes. On the way, a voice came out of Yasutake's backpack.

"I thought she would never leave," Cypher said. The Ignis spoke from Yasutake's Duel Disk, which he was keeping in his backpack for now. The AI kept his voice low and didn't emerge from the backpack, wanting to maintain a low profile. "Can we continue our discussion on Japanese media now?"

"No," Yasutake answered tiredly. "We have to pay for Sachi's clothes. We can continue it once we leave the store."

"Fine. Killjoy."

Yasutake rolled his eyes, knowing Cypher couldn't see him. Just like with Sachi's learning material, Cypher was watching Japanese television shows to get a better understanding of humanity. Thankfully, he had moved on to live-action shows and away from anime; Cypher had watched Cam's anime recommendations, all of which seemed to belong to a particular genre about multiple women falling in love with the same man. Yasutake hadn't enjoyed listening to Cypher's analysis of the genre, and he had spent the next few days doing his absolute best to exorcise said analysis from his mind.

After the teenagers paid for Sachi's purchases and left the store, Cypher began speaking again, though Yasutake did his best to ignore him. Sachi, however, genuinely seemed interested in Cypher's opinions on Japanese crime shows and soap operas. As well as a few other things.

"I also took the time to look up a few international shows," Cypher was saying. Yasutake had decided to take the Duel Disk out of his backpack and strapped it to his wrist. Right now, Cypher was in eye form and was still talking to Sachi. "Some of them were interesting, but there were also very strange ones. Did you know there's a television show from the United Kingdom about creatures that have television sets installed in their stomachs?"

"Really?" Sachi said, her eyes wide. "Those poor people. Were they operated on?"

"I assume so," Cypher responded. "Their intelligence seemed about equal to that of a human child, but they were too tall to be children. Perhaps the operation that installed the televisions in their bodies also caused mental regression?"

"I think you were watching a children's show," Yasutake interrupted, exasperated by Cypher. "They usually don't make the most sense."

"Really? That doesn't sound good for the children," Cypher said, looking at Yasutake now. "Shouldn't they be taught how to think rationally and examine the world? How can they do that if the medium through which they are taught is nonsensical?"

"It's entertainment, not just education. It's supposed to make the children laugh. I think."

"Hmm. An interesting point. Perhaps I should consider the suspected age range and target audiences of individual television shows in my analysis of said shows," Cypher mused. Yasutake for his part couldn't believe he was discussing television with an AI.

As they turned a corner, Yasutake spotted a familiar truck. "Why don't we stop there?" he said, interrupting Cypher. "The owner makes the best hot dogs in the city."

"Considering that it is a food truck and not a proper restaurant, that is statistically unlikely," Cypher chimed in as he emerged from the Duel Disk to look at the truck. Then he narrowed his eyes on seeing someone sitting at a park bench right outside the van. "Wait, isn't that-?"

"Hello, Fujiki," Yasutake, walking up to the teenager eating a hot dog. "I wasn't expecting to see you today, though I'm not surprised to find you here."

Fujiki looked up in response. "I suppose you shouldn't be; I don't have anywhere else to be. Though it's good to see you, Narahiko." He then glanced at the Duel Disk. "You're-."

Cypher emerged from the screen. "So you're Playmaker? We met once in LINK VRAINS, but this is our first time meeting in the real world, I believe. I assume you remember me?"

"Cypher, the Silver Ignis," Yusaku responded. "I've never met anyone with so much self-confidence before."

"You can call it what it is," Yasutake said. "Arrogance." He turned to look at the girl who was standing slightly behind him and holding onto his arm. "This is Sachi Junpei, by the way. Sachi, this is Yusaku Fujiki, another of my classmates."

Sachi's eyes widened as she became less nervous. "You're Yusaku Fujiki? Playmaker?"

"Yes, I am." Yusaku's eyes softened a bit on seeing Sachi. "You're from the Lost Incident too, aren't you?" She hesitated, then nodded slowly. "I see. So you're the reason Narahiko became Morningstar. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Same here." The three teenagers looked up at Kusanagi, who was grilling hotdogs. "You're Cam's sister, aren't you? I'm Shoichi Kusanagi. Nice to meet you, Miss. Junpei."

"Kusanagi?" Sachi repeated as she and Yasutake walked up to the opening. When Kusanagi nodded, she said, "My brother told me about you. And your brother Jin. Is he doing better?"

Kusanagi smiled sadly. "Yes, but not as much as you. He isn't talking, but he is moving around. And he does show awareness of his surroundings sometimes."

"…Could I meet him someday?" Sachi asked timidly. "I…I think meeting someone who reacted the same way to his experiences might help."

Kusanagi's smile became happier. "I think he'd like that. Though we'd have to bring your brother; I promised him he could meet Jin one day." He then looked down at the hotdogs he was grilling. "So what would you like? I have hotdogs, fries, chili dogs, coffee…"

"Excuse me," Cypher said, preempting Yasutake and Sachi. "Is that your setup back there?"

Kusanagi blinked and looked behind him at the cabinets. "Ah," he said. "You could tell those aren't real? Good eye. Yes, that's the setup we have."

"May I look more closely at it?" Cypher asked. "I've only seen Cam's and Yasutake's, so yours would provide a good counter-example to theirs."

"Cypher, we aren't here for that," Yasutake admonished the AI.

"It's alright," Kusanagi assured him. "I admit, I'm curious to see if our equipment is up to your friend's standards." He headed to the side and opened the door, after which Yasutake and Sachi reluctantly walked in, followed by Yusaku.

"Hmm. Well, there's definitely less space here than in Café Junpei, but I suppose that's to be expected," Cypher said. Yasutake removed his Duel Disk and placed it on the counter as Kusanagi closed the opening and turned on the monitors. "The equipment itself is also of lesser quality. Is most of this secondhand?"

"Most of it, yes," Yusaku answered. "Our budget wasn't big enough to be picky."

"Hmm. Well, you definitely keep it well-maintained. And your programs… did the two of you write most of them yourselves?"

"We did," Kusanagi nodded as he took hotdogs from the grill. "Like Yusaku said, we didn't have much of a budget, so we did as much as we could by ourselves."

"I see… Well I'm definitely impressed. Even though the physical equipment isn't as new or specialized as ours, the software is extraordinary. I'd say about 80% of it is at the same level as Cam's and Yasutake's programming, while 15% is slightly inferior and the remaining 5% is superior. Looking at this, I can see how you were able to avoid detection and fight the Knights of Hanoi as well as you did."

Kusanagi smiled. "I'm glad to hear it. Considering what Revolver told us about what you Ignis are capable of, it's a big compliment to give."

"It is. Of course, Café Junpei has a wider variety; bounty hunting requires more versatility. But for the purposes you set out with, this setup is highly advanced. But tell me, did Ai have any involvement in building this?"

"No. Everything here was done before I captured him," Yusaku said.

"Everything except the LVSS system," Kusanagi corrected him. "But Ai didn't have a hand in that."

"Then I am even more impressed. And disappointed in my fellow Ignis," Cypher said. "Ai isn't the smartest of us; in fact, I'd dare say he's the least intelligent. But he is still a highly advanced being with a code most humans couldn't wrap their heads around. For him not to help in developing this says a lot about his laziness." Cypher then looked at Kusanagi. "Would it be alright if I had access to your systems? I don't intend to delete anything; I just want to see if there's anything I can improve upon."

The two looked at Yasutake, who nodded. "He's done the same thing for me and Cam," he said. "You saw how he improved my Camouflage Dome. He's also worked on our security and a few other tricks of mine."

"Of course I have," Cypher said, nodding in return. "Even if you don't intend to be a bounty hunter anymore, there is a chance you'll decide to return to LINK VRAINS again. And I want you to have the best chance of defending me and obtaining victory." He returned his gaze to Kusanagi. "May I?"

"…Go ahead, but please don't break anything," Kusanagi relented. Yusaku pulled out a cord and attached it to Yasutake's Duel Disk.

"Don't worry; I am an expert at this." After saying that, Cypher submerged into the Duel Disk and disappeared.

"Do you think he's right?" Yusaku asked. "Will you go back to LINK VRAINS eventually?"

Yasutake shrugged as Kusanagi handed hotdogs to him, Sachi, and Yusaku. "I don't see a reason to, but the future is always uncertain. I assume you feel the same?"

Yusaku frowned. "My vengeance against Hanoi is complete, and that is the only reason I became Playmaker. But like you said, the future is uncertain. Anything can happen."

Yasutake frowned at that. "And oftentimes, it's the least expected that happens." He then glanced at Kusanagi. "Seeing as we're here, there's something I always wanted to ask; how did the two of you meet?"

Kusanagi blinked, looked at Yusaku, and smiled. "LINK VRAINS," he answered. "After Jin was released, I devoted my life to uncovering the truth of what happened. I entered LINK VRAINS myself and went after the Knights of Hanoi. Unfortunately, my dueling skills are… subpar. Yusaku saved me from them, then I helped him escape them when they cornered him."

"On the way out, Kusanagi asked me to come to Café Nagi," Yusaku said. "I did, and we formed an alliance to take on Hanoi together and uncover the Lost Incident. That was just over a year ago." Yusaku turned to Yasutake. "What about you? When did you and Cam meet?"

"Right after the incident," Yasutake said, frowning to himself. "My… previous caretaker had passed away during the incident, so Cam took me with him and Sachi to the orphanage they were in."

Yusaku glanced at Sachi, who was eating her hotdog in silence. "And Morningstar?" Yusaku asked. "How did he come to be?"

Yasutake hesitated, then glanced at Sachi. "Because I wanted to repay a debt," he said slowly. Sachi looked up at him curiously. "But I'm not sure this story is appropriate…"

Sachi gave a light smile. "It's alright, Yasu. I don't mind if you talk about those days. I don't remember any of them, so it shouldn't matter. Besides, I'm curious to hear the full story, too."

Yasutake stared at her for a moment, then sighed. "Alright," he said. He leaned back in the chair he was in and closed his eyes. "I've been Morningstar for three years, but the full story starts six years ago, when Cam first opened Café Junpei. Sachi and I were ten at the time…"

---

"Cam started his bakery not long after he turned eighteen and graduated from high school. He didn't have any aspirations of going to college. Originally, he had wanted to be a wrestler, but after the incident, he felt like that life would be too chaotic for him to support Sachi. He'd always been good at cooking, so instead he opened a bakery. Sachi moved in with him, as did I; he had taken me in as a surrogate little brother and even gained custody of me shortly after his eighteenth birthday.

"But even though we lived in a place of our own, there were problems. Cam had built up a little nest egg doing odd jobs in the four years since the incident, but it wasn't enough to open a bakery. So he had to take out several loans. In the next three years, he managed to pay off a few, but he was still in great debt. And then things got worse. The government had decided to stop offering free house visits for Sachi's therapists. If Cam wanted the therapy to continue free of charge, Sachi would have to be taken to a psychiatric hospital. Cam was unwilling to part with her after what had happened, but he knew the therapy was essential. And with his credit the way it was, he couldn't take out any more loans.

"That was when I decided to step in. I was ten when the bakery opened, and Cam wouldn't allow me to help until I was older, so I decided to focus on school. And when I found a book on computer languages and software, I discovered I had a gift for them. Coding and hacking came easily to me. I can confidently say that by the time I was thirteen, I was far ahead of many high school students in that field.

"It was also around my thirteenth birthday that I learned about Cam's situation with the bank and the government. I desperately wanted to help him, to repay him for the kindness he had shown me. But because of my age, I would have to find an unofficial job where a thirteen-year-old could work. That's when I came across the SOL Technologies' Bounty Board.

"It was a list of criminals and hackers that the company wanted captured or taken down. And the rewards were rather nice, even for the low-danger ones. Thinking that I could help Cam and catch malcontents at the same time, I leapt at the chance. But I knew I had to be careful; I was thirteen, the majority of these people were adults, and unlike many bounty hunters, I didn't have any mentors to guide me. So I used my computing skills to design various tools that I believed would help in a hunt, specifically my Data Anchor and Camouflage Dome.

"I still remember my first real hunt. It was this guy who had hacked into the database of a SOL subsidiary company and stole private information on numerous stockholders. SOL wanted him found, the files returned, and his account information. I managed to track him down in LINK VRAINS…"

---

3 years ago…

"Crusader!" the man's chaser shouted. "This ends now!" The man – a curly blue-haired guy in a red jumpsuit with grey armored shoulder pads, chest armor, metal boots, and a red cape – made the mistake of turning to look back. His follower had been counting on it and fired off a red cord from their Duel Disk, which snagged Crusader's wrist.

Crusader was unceremoniously yanked back, and he fully turned to face his pursuer. Said pursuer was dressed in a plain black jumpsuit, with his mouth covered by black fabric. Black bangs fell down the right side of his face, contrasting the spiky red hair that pointed upwards. Red eyes narrowed as they regarded Crusader.

"I am a bounty hunter hired by SOL Technologies," the young man said. "My name is Hunter. Return the files you've stolen, and I'll release you."

Crusader growled. "Don't fool yourself, kid! How old are you, eleven, twelve? I'm not going to be brought in by some snot-nosed brat! Besides, I'm on a mission!"

"A mission?"

"Yes! A mission to illuminate the darkness!" Crusader declared. "Do you know what these people have been doing? Insider trading, corrupt practices, taking prostitutes to love hotels! These people are corrupt and are bringing down Japan's moral character! I will expose them to the world and make them face the consequences of their actions!"

"Regardless of their crimes, your actions are not justified," Hunter pointed out. "You caused a failure in SOL's accounting systems to mask your actions. That resulted in dozens of employees losing their pensions. Do you understand how much damage you've caused?"

"It doesn't matter!" Crusader shouted, a crazed look in his green eyes. "So long as these criminals face justice, any collateral damage is justified! Now let me go!"

"I can't," Hunter retorted, pulling on the cord and making Crusader stumble. "This is a Data Anchor of my own design. Neither of us can log out until we duel."

"Is that so? Then I'll just have to beat you to a pulp! Don't think I'll go easy on you just because you're a kid!" Crusader and Hunter both readied their Duel Disks.

"Duel!" they shouted.

Crusader: 4000 LP

Hunter: 4000 LP

"I'll take the first turn," Crusader said, a sneer on his face as he took a card from his hand. "I summon Marauding Captain!" A blonde warrior in green armor wielding two swords appeared on his field.

Marauding Captain ATK 1200 DEF 400 LVL: 3

"When Marauding Captain is Normal Summoned, I can Special Summon a Level 4 or below monster from my hand," Crusader continued. "I summon a second Marauding Captain!"

Marauding Captain ATK 1200 DEF 400 LVL: 3

"And now I activate the Spell Card: Double Summon! This card lets me perform a second Normal Summon this turn. Emerge, Command Knight!" A blonde warrior in elaborate red garb and a purple cape appeared alongside the other two monsters.

Command Knight ATK 1200 DEF 1900 LVL: 4

"Command Knight's monster effect! All Warrior monsters I control gain 400 attack points!"

Command Knight ATK 1200→1600

Marauding Captain ATK 1200→1600 x 2

"And finally, I activate the Continuous Spell Card: The A. Forces! Now every Warrior monster I control gains 200 attack points for each Spellcaster or Warrior monster I control. I control three warriors, so that means they all gain 600 attack points!"

Command Knight ATK 1600→2200

Marauding Captain ATK 1600→2200 x 2

"I end my turn," Crusader sneered. "I hope you realize how hopeless this situation is for you. My Marauding Captain's effect prevents you from attacking other Warrior monsters. And since I control two of them, that means you can't attack at all!"

Hunter ignored Crusader's rant. He was instead looking at his cards and forming a counter-strategy. Yes, Crusader's trick was interesting, but it was overdone. It was also easy to get around.

"My turn! Draw!" Hunter looked at his card, then played it. "I summon Mekk-Knight Avram!" As young blonde man in gold armor carrying two curved swords emerged on his field.

Mekk-Knight Avram ATK 2000 DEF 0 LVL: 4

"Next, I activate the Spell Card: Abyssal Designator!" Hunter declared. "I pay 1000 Life Points, then declare a Type and Attribute. You must then send a monster of the declared Type and Attribute to the Graveyard from your hand or Deck. I declare an Earth Warrior!"

Hunter: 4000→3000 LP

Crusader growled as he took a third Marauding Captain from his Deck and sent it to the Graveyard. "For my third move, I activate the Equip Spell Card: Megamorph!" Hunter proclaimed. "Since my Life Points are less than yours, the equipped Avram's attack points become equal to double its original attack points!"

Mekk-Knight Avram ATK 2000→4000

"4-4000 attack points!?" Crusader muttered, his eyes wide. He then sneered, but it was clear he was twitching. "S-So what? It doesn't matter how powerful your monster is, it can't attack while Marauding Captain is on the field!"

"You're right," Hunter said. "And wrong." On seeing Crusader's confusion, he explained, "Marauding Captain's effect only prevents Avram from attacking Warrior monsters. So I just have to give it a target other than your monsters."

"Huh?"

"I activate the Continuous Spell Card: Infected Mail!" Hunter declared. "Once per turn, I can target a Level 4 or below monster I control, and then that monster will be sent to the Graveyard at the end of the Battle Phase. But during the Battle Phase, it can attack you directly!"

"WHAT!?"

"I target the Level 4 Avram for Infected Mail's effect!" Hunter continued. "Battle! Avram, attack Crusader directly!" Avram roared as it leapt past the two Marauding Captains and charged Crusader, who screamed as Avram's swords came crashing down on him. Crusader was sent flying and hit a nearby wall, moaning in pain.

Crusader: 4000→0 LP

Hunter ran up to Crusader and quickly scanned his Duel Disk. A message saying "FILES RETRIEVED" appeared on his Duel Disk, followed by another that said, "ACCOUNT VERIFIED."

"Thank you for the business," Hunter said, logging out as Crusader tried to reach out and grab him.

The man growled to himself. "Beaten by a kid! I can't believe this!"

---

Present day…

"I returned the files and gave SOL Crusader's account information," Yasutake said, with Kusanagi, Sachi, and Yusaku listening in rapt attention. "And then they paid me for it. I gave all the money to Cam, but that meant telling him what I had done."

"I take it he wasn't happy?" Kusanagi said, frowning. He wouldn't have been in Cam's place.

Yasutake shook his head. "He was not. He was glad I wanted to help, but he felt I was too young and should focus on school. He didn't want me to put myself in danger just for money, and as far as he was concerned, there was no debt between the two of us."

He then gave a small smile. "But eventually, Cam saw that I was very serious about it, and he finally allowed me to keep doing it, on the condition that he observe me the whole time. To help with that, he took up studying computer languages."

"Wait," Kusanagi said, frowning. "Cam's only been studying programming for three years? From what I've seen, his skills are about equal to mine, and I've been doing this for ten years."

"My brother's a quick learner," Sachi piped up. "So are Yasutake and I. I can't pretend to know how most of the computers in Café Junpei work, but I do understand what they are supposed to do."

"They learn at a faster rate than normal," Yasutake nodded, thinking it over. "And Cam was very serious about his desire to keep me safe. He initially wanted to go into LINK VRAINS with me, but I convinced him not to. Having him hover over me the entire time would make the hunts take more time, and that wasn't something we had."

"Didn't have time for what?"

The four humans jumped, startled by a sudden voice. They turned to the Duel Disk, where Cypher had returned from Café Nagi's systems.

"Oh, you're back," Kusanagi said. He quickly looked through their equipment and blinked. "Huh. You improved our firewalls and processing speed."

"Of course. There wasn't too much to work on, but I did what I could." Cypher looked up at them. "What were you talking about while I was busy?"

"How I started out as a bounty hunter," Yasutake explained.

"Oh. I admit that does sound interesting, but there's something more important to me," Cypher said, narrowing his eyes. "And you didn't fully answer this question before. How did you obtain the Cyspirit Deck?"

Yasutake frowned as Kusanagi and Yusaku glanced at him. "I'm curious about that, too," Yusaku said. "In your first hunt, you used a Mekk-Knight Deck. Where did you get your Cyspirit monsters?"

"…A contest," Yasutake said, sighing. "At least, that's what it was supposed to be…"

---

3 years ago…

"You're one hundred percent certain this is legit, right?"

"Yes, I am, Cam. And they didn't ask for anything that could be damning. And what they did ask for can be easily replaced."

Cam scowled. He and Yasutake were sitting in the living room, staring at Yasutake's laptop. A week ago, Yasutake had found a notice on a forum about a contest; solve some puzzles, and you could win the chance to obtain some rare Cyberse cards known as Cyspirits. Yasutake had leapt at the chance for three reasons; one: while he had faith in his Mekk-Knights, he believed he would need an unexpected advantage over his targets, and Cyberse cards were the answer. Two: he had heard rumors about a group trying to destroy as many Cyberse cards as possible, and Yasutake wanted to preserve them. Three: He enjoyed an intellectual distraction and the puzzles were challenging.

He didn't know who posted them, but they were clever; the websites that contained the puzzles also contained a virus that activated if the user had more than one tab or window open, so people couldn't try to look up any answers. Said virus would automatically lock them out of the puzzle permanently. Thankfully, the people this had happened to had also written about it on the forum, so it hadn't happened to Yasutake. He admired whoever did this; to create a virus that only activated under specific circumstances and left the computer undamaged was impressive.

So Yasutake had approached the puzzles without any aid. The first had been a very difficult Sudoku puzzle which locked you out for ten minutes if you made a single mistake and then forced you to start again. Yasutake had managed it on the first try, to his delight. The second had been a substitution cipher with the keyword "miner," and had a time limit of ten minutes. If it went past that time, then the page would be inaccessible for twenty-four hours. The third puzzle had been a maze that had to be finished in five minutes, and you could not get an overhead view of said maze. Yasutake had finished both puzzles, with his admiration of whoever designed them increasing with each one. At the same time, Cam's irritation also increased.

"These rare cards better be worth all the trouble you went to for them," Cam muttered. After he said that, Yasutake received an email, which he opened immediately.

"Congratulations," he read aloud. "You have completed my puzzles. If you still wish to obtain the Cyspirit cards, then come to the following address in LINK VRAINS."

Cam frowned. "This sounds like a trap."

"A trap hidden behind three of the most well-crafted puzzles I've ever seen?" Yasutake asked, which made Cam clam up. "If I want those cards, I have to go. And I do want those cards."

"…Just be careful. If this person devised these puzzles, there will undoubtably be more when you get there."

"I know."

---

Hunter landed in the park area of LINK VRAINS. If the coordinates given were right, then…

"Ah!" he said, sighting a door in a nearby unmarked building. This should be it. Opening the door, he found a staircase on the other side.

"It should be just down here," Hunter whispered. He walked down the stairs, paying extra attention to the floor and walls in case there were traps. It wouldn't surprise him if there were, since the person who made the puzzles was intelligent and clearly careful. Of course, Cam would call them paranoid.

Fortunately, there were no traps. After about ten minutes of walking down stairs, Hunter came across a corridor, and after another fifteen minutes, it ended at a large and open room, which made him pause.

The room was massive and could easily fit all of Cam's and Yasutake's house, including Café Junpei. It was made entirely of stone, and the edges of the room were held up by large pillars that were decorated in what Hunter believed to be Egyptian hieroglyphs. The only other noticeable thing in the room was a pedestal at the far end. There was a metal box on top of said pedestal.

Hunter narrowed his eyes. "That must be it," he muttered. He walked slowly into the room, expecting either a trap or a challenger to pop up. But he made it all the way to the pedestal without anything happening.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Hunter reach out for the box, but a barrier suddenly appeared around the pedestal.

"What the-?" he said, stepping back in surprise. He then noticed words appear on the barrier.

Congratulations are due for solving my puzzles

But only one may lay claim to the power I have bequeathed

To decide, face each other in Duel Monsters

And the winner will receive the key to ultimate power

"Only one?" Hunter muttered. "But who else-?"

"Well, this is a surprise."

Hunter gasped and turned around. Another person had entered the room, and they wore a black trench coat. Said coat was open in the front, revealing a pale muscular chest and black leather pants. The coat also had blood red trim on the cuffs and edges, as well as silver patches resembling armor on the shoulders. The man's face was as pale as his chest, with white hair that fell in front of his cold blue eyes. A mangled crucifix hung from his neck.

The man glared at Hunter, then looked at the message on the barrier. "Well, well, it appears I'm not the only person who solved those ridiculous puzzles. And it seems we have to duel in order to acquire the Deck." He narrowed his eyes. "Sorry, kid, but I need those cards."

"So do I," Hunter said, raising his Duel Disk as he walked to one side of the room. Now that he looked closer, he saw the ground had indents that resembled a Duel Field. "I'm Hunter, and if defeating you is what I have to do to win these cards, then so be it!"

"Huh. You got guts kid, if nothing else." The man walked to the other side and raised his own Duel Disk, a black and red card-insert model. "Still, I have my own trials to pass, and getting those cards is the last one. Your age doesn't matter to me; you will fall before Hellsworn!"

"Duel!" they shouted.

Hellsworn: 4000 LP

Hunter: 4000 LP

"I'll take the first turn!" Hellsworn declared. "I activate the Spell Card: Banishment of the Darklords. This card lets me add a different 'Darklord' card from my Deck to my hand." A card popped out of his Duel Disk. "I add Darklord Asmodeus to my hand. Next, I activate the Continuous Spell Card: Valhalla, Hall of the Fallen! If I control no monsters, I can Special Summon a Fairy monster from my hand. I Special Summon Darklord Asmodeus!" A thin pale-skinned figure in dark blue armor with purple wings appeared, summoned in Attack Position.

Darklord Asmodeus ATK 3000 DEF 2500 LVL: 8

"I Set one card. I end my turn." Hellsworn smirked. "So, do you want me to go easy on you, kid? Cause this will hurt a lot otherwise."

Hunter scowled as he placed his hand on his Deck. "My turn! Draw!" Hunter looked at his card and frowned.

Darklords, he thought. They are extremely powerful Dark Fairy monsters that focus on sending cards to the Graveyard and then Special Summoning them. I'll have to go all out to win.

"I Special Summon Mekk-Knight Indigo Eclipse!" A silver machine with a circle around its body and blue crystals embedded in its armor appeared, summoned in Attack Position.

Mekk-Knight Indigo Eclipse ATK 2400 DEF 2400 LVL: 8

"What?" Hellsworn said, surprised. "How did you summon a Level 8 monster without Tributing any monsters?"

"Indigo Eclipse's monster effect," Hunter explained. "If there are two or more cards in the same column, I can Special Summon it to that column."

Hellsworn looked at his Duel Disk and scowled. He'd summoned Asmodeus to the same column as Valhalla, so Hunter had summoned his monster to that column.

"Maybe I shouldn't have underestimated this kid," Hellsworn muttered as Hunter gestured to his field.

"Indigo Eclipse's additional effect! Once per turn, I can move one 'Mekk-Knight' monster I control to another Main Monster Zone. I move it to the column to its left!" Indigo Eclipse moved itself, leaving room for another monster. Hellsworn scowled.

"I now Special Summon Mekk-Knight Blue Sky to Asmodeus's and Valhalla's column!" A mechanical warrior in gold and blue armor, wearing a blue cape and wielding two curved silver swords, appeared in Attack Position.

Mekk-Knight Blue Sky ATK 2000 DEF 2500 LVL: 5

"Blue Sky's monster effect! If it is Summoned from the hand, I can add different 'Mekk-Knight' monsters from my Deck to my hand, equal to the number of cards you have in its column. Since you have two, that means I gain two more 'Mekk-Knight' monsters!"

As Hunter took the cards from his Deck, Hellsworn muttered to himself, "The rest of his Mekk-Knight monsters probably all have the same Special Summon effect. This is going to be tricky."

"I activate the Continuous Spell Card: Senet Switch!" Hunter continued. "Once per turn, I can move a monster I control to an adjacent Main Monster Zone. I move Blue Sky to the column to its right. And now I Special Summon Mekk-Knight Red Moon via its effect!" A red and silver machine carrying a large axe appeared in Attack Position in the same column Blue Sky had vacated.

Mekk-Knight Red Moon ATK 2300 DEF 2600 LVL: 7

"Huh. You summoned three strong monsters on your first turn. But Asmodeus has 3000 attack points. You'll have to do better than this," Hellsworn taunted Hunter.

Hunter ignored Hellsworn and played another card. "I activate the Spell Card: Trade-In! I discard a Level 8 monster to draw two cards. I discard Mekk-Knight Purple Nightfall." Hunter discarded, drew, then gestured to his field. "Red Moon's monster effect! By banishing a 'Mekk-Knight' monster from my Graveyard, I can destroy a face-up monster in Red Moon's column!"

"What!?" Hellsworn gasped.

"I banish Purple Nightfall to destroy Asmodeus!" Red Moon's axe glowed before it drove it into the ground, creating a blast of energy that struck Asmodeus, destroying it.

Hellsworn growled, then laughed, to Hunter's surprise. "I figured you would destroy Asmodeus, but I thought it would take a bit more. Asmodeus's monster effect! When it is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon one Asmo Token and one Deus Token to my field!" Two smaller versions of Asmodeus appeared, one being blue-skinned and the other red-skinned, in Defense Position.

Asmo Token ATK 1800 DEF 1300 LVL: 5

Deus Token ATK 1200 DEF 1200 LVL: 3

Hellsworn laughed again. "You'll have to try harder than that to win."

"Is that so?" Hunter muttered before he took a card from his hand. "I activate the Continuous Spell Card: World Legacy Key! This card lets me add one banished 'Mekk-Knight' monster or 'World Legacy' card to my hand. I return the banished Purple Nightfall to my hand."

After doing so, Hunter gestured to his field. "Battle! Red Moon, attack his Asmo Token!" Red Moon charged Asmo Token and swung its axe, but Hellsworn only laughed.

"You'll have to try harder!" he declared. "Trap activate! Darklord Rebellion! By sending a 'Darklord' monster from my hand or field to the Graveyard, I can destroy one card on the field! I discard Darklord Superbia to destroy Red Moon!" An energy beam fired at Red Moon, but Hunter wasn't concerned.

"World Legacy Key's effect!" he announced. "If you activate the effect of a Trap Card in the same column as a 'Mekk-Knight' monster, that effect is negated!"

"What!?" Hellsworn said, surprised.

"Darklord Rebellion is in the same column as Indigo Eclipse!" Hunter reminded Hellsworn. "So its effect is negated!" The energy beam struck a barrier around Red Moon, followed by the card it came from shattering. Hellsworn grit his teeth. How irritating.

"The attack continues!" Hunter reminded his opponent. "Red Moon, destroy Asmo Token!" Red Moon brought its axe down and cut Asmo Token in half, destroying it in an explosion. Hellsworn winced and brought his arm up to shield his face.

"The Battle Phase is not over! Blue Sky, attack Deus Token!" Said monster swung one of its swords at Deus Token, but to Hunter's surprise, the Token stopped the attack.

Hellsworn laughed at Hunter's expression. "Sorry, but Deus Token cannot be destroyed by battle! You'll have to try harder than that!"

Hunter narrowed his eyes. "I Set one card. I end my turn."

"Huh. You're actually not that bad. I was thinking you had someone help you with those tests, but maybe you did do them yourself. Guess I'll have to take you seriously. My turn! Draw!" Hellsworn looked at his card, then showed it to Hunter. "I activate the effect of Darklord Ixchel in my hand! By discarding it and a 'Darklord' card, I can draw two cards!" He sent said cards to the Graveyard, then drew and smirked on seeing what he drew. "Lucky me. I Tribute Deus Token to Tribute Summon Darklord Desire!" A red-winged figure in black and gold armor with large claws on its arms took Deus Token's place on the field.

Darklord Desire ATK 3000 DEF 2800 LVL: 10

"A Level 10 monster with only one Tribute?" Hunter asked, surprised.

"Darklord Desire's effect lets me Tribute Summon it by Tributing one Fairy monster," Hellsworn explained. He then gestured to said monster. "Desire's additional effect! Once per turn, I can reduce its attack points by 1000 to send one of your monsters to the Graveyard!" Hunter gasped as Desire's attack points decreased and Indigo Eclipse shattered.

Darklord Desire ATK 3000→2000

"I now activate the Spell Card: Darklord Contact!" Hellsworn continued. "This lets me Special Summon a 'Darklord' monster from my Graveyard in Defense Position. Resurrect, Darklord Superbia!" A circular black machine with claws and brown wings appeared on Hellsworn's field.

Darklord Superbia ATK 2900 DEF 2400 LVL: 8

That's the card he discarded via Darklord Rebellion's effect, Hunter thought. As he thought that, Hellsworn gestured to his field. "Superbia's monster effect!" he declared. "When it is Special Summoned from the Graveyard, I can Special Summon a Fairy monster from my Graveyard! Return, Darklord Ixchel!" A purple-haired woman with four wings appeared in Attack Position.

Darklord Ixchel ATK 2500 DEF 2900 LVL: 10

"Three high Level monsters in the same turn," Hunter muttered. Still, he had an advantage; since Superbia was in Defense Position, it couldn't attack. And Desire's attack points were equal to Blue Sky's. That meant only Ixchel could attack.

"If you think you're safe, you aren't," Hellsworn said, drawing Hunter's attention. "Ixchel's monster effect! By paying 1000 Life Points, I can activate the effect of a 'Darklord' Spell or Trap Card in my Graveyard. I pay 1000 Life Points to activate the effect of Darklord Rebellion!" Hunter gasped. "I'm sure you remember this. I send a 'Darklord' monster from my hand or field to the Graveyard to destroy one card on the field. I send Superbia to the Graveyard and destroy Red Moon!" Superbia disintegrated, as did Red Moon.

Hellsworn: 4000→3000 LP

"Since I activated Darklord Rebellion with Ixchel's effect, it is shuffled back into my Deck," Hellsworn continued. "Battle! Ixchel, attack Blue Sky!" Ixchel laughed as she punched Blue Sky in the face, destroying it and making Hunter wince.

Hunter: 4000→3500 LP

"Desire, attack Hunter directly!" The Darklord with large claws charged Hunter, but he only growled and gestured to his field.

"Continuous Trap activate!" he declared. "World Legacy's Secret! This card lets me Special Summon a Level 5 or higher monster from my Graveyard. Resurrect, Indigo Eclipse!" The blue machine surrounded by a circle appeared in Attack Position.

Mekk-Knight Indigo Eclipse ATK 2400 DEF 2400 LVL: 8

Hellsworn growled and grit his teeth. Indigo Eclipse was stronger than Desire, so he had no choice but to cancel his attack. "I end my turn," he said.

"My turn! Draw!" Hunter looked at his card, then chose a different one. "As Valhalla and World Legacy's Secret are in the same column, I Special Summon Mekk-Knight Purple Nightfall to their column!" A mechanical warrior carrying a spear and wearing a purple cape appeared in Attack Position.

Mekk-Knight Purple Nightfall ATK 2500 DEF 2000 LVL: 8

"Next, I activate the Quick-Play Spell Card World Legacy's Memory! This card lets me Special Summon a 'Mekk-Knight' monster from my hand or Deck in Defense Position. From my Deck, I Special Summon Mekk-Knight Orange Sunset!" A silver, black, and orange warrior with two shields appeared on Hunter's field.

Mekk-Knight Orange Sunset ATK 800 DEF 3000 LVL: 6

"Heh. Impressive lineup. But Purple Nightfall and Ixchel have the same attack points," Hellsworn pointed out. "If they battle, it will just end in a draw."

"Are you sure about that?" Hunter asked Hellsworn. "I activate the Quick-Play Spell Card: World Legacy Clash! By banishing my monster until the End Phase, one of yours loses attack and defense points equal to the banished monster's!"

"What!?"

"I banish Orange Sunset and lower Ixchel's attack points!" Orange Sunset disintegrated as Ixchel glowed red.

Darklord Ixchel ATK 2500→1700 DEF 2900→0

Hellsworn growled as Hunter continued his turn. "Indigo Eclipse's monster effect! I move Indigo Eclipse to the same column as Ixchel!"

Hellsworn was confused as Indigo Eclipse moved. Why would he move his monster? Unless-. Hellsworn quickly looked at Hunter's Continuous Trap Card and gasped. Of course! World Legacy's Secret negated the activated effects of monsters in the same column as a "Mekk-Knight" monster! Well, it was good he'd looked it up, otherwise he might have activated Ixchel's effect and paid 1000 Life Points for nothing.

"Battle!" Hunter declared. "Purple Nightfall, attack Ixchel!" His monster charged Ixchel and jabbed its spear at the monster, but Hellsworn only laughed.

"Too bad!" he declared. "I activate the effect of Darklord Apocalypse in my Graveyard!" Hunter gasped as the card showed itself. It showed a multi-winged pale being with a sword releasing dark energy in every direction. "By banishing it, my 'Darklord' monster isn't destroyed by battle, and since Ixchel is Level 8 or higher, I can add a 'Darklord' monster from my Deck to my hand."

Hunter grit his teeth. "Ixchel may not be destroyed, but you will still take damage!" Hellsworn winced from the blowback of Purple Nightfall's attack.

Hellsworn: 3000→2200 LP

Hellsworn chuckled. "I may have taken damage, but that's the only damage I'll take this turn. Because after this battle, Darklord Apocalypse ends the Battle Phase!" Hunter growled in response. "And now I'll add a new 'Darklord' monster to my hand. Specifically," Hellsworn smirked. "I think I'll add Darklord Morningstar to my hand."

Hunter narrowed his eyes and only gestured to his field. "Purple Nightfall's monster effect! Once per turn, during either of our turns, I can banish a 'Mekk-Knight' monster until my next Standby Phase and add a new 'Mekk-Knight' monster from my Deck to my hand. I banish Indigo Eclipse to add Mekk-Knight Green Horizon to my hand." Said monster disintegrated as Hunter took a card from his Deck. "I Set one card. I end my turn. And during the End Phase, the effect of World Legacy Clash activates and Special Summons Orange Sunset to my field." The monster with large shields appeared in Defense Position.

Mekk-Knight Orange Sunset ATK 800 DEF 3000 LVL: 6

Hellsworn's expression didn't change, but he noticed that Orange Sunset had been summoned to Desire's column. That meant he couldn't activate its effect to get rid of one of Hunter's monsters. How annoying. On the plus side, with Indigo Eclipse no longer on the field, he could use Ixchel's effect.

"My turn! Draw!" Looking at his card, Hellsworn smirked again. "Sorry kid, but I think it's time I ended this. You put up a much better fight than I thought you would, but those cards are mine." Hellsworn gestured to his field. "Ixchel's monster effect! I pay 1000 Life Points to activate the effect of Banishment of the Darklords and then shuffle it into my Deck!"

Hellsworn: 2200→1200 LP

"Banishment of the Darklords lets me add a 'Darklord' card from my Deck to my hand," Hellsworn continued. "I add Darklord Enchantment. But that doesn't concern you." Hellsworn gestured upwards. "I Tribute Darklord Desire and Darklord Ixchel to Tribute Summon my most powerful monster!" The two monsters glowed and disintegrated as a pillar of light appeared on Hellsworn's field. "Come to me, Darklord Morningstar!" The light faded as a figure with eight thin wings emerged from the pillar. The monster's skin and hair were chalk-white, it wore pure black armor with red gems in the gauntlets and belt, and it carried a long blue sword.

Darklord Morningstar ATK 3000 DEF 3000 LVL: 11

Hunter stared in awe at the monster. It seemed to stare down at him, arrogance and disdain marking its features. It's beautiful, he thought.

"Morningstar's monster effect!" Hellsworn declared, bringing Hunter out of his trance. "When it is Tribute Summoned, I can Special Summon 'Darklord' monster from my hand and Deck, up to the number of Effect Monsters you control. You control two, so I Special Summon Darklord Nasten and Darklord Tezcatlipoca from my Deck!" Two new monsters – a humanoid lion with bull horns and white wings and a black-armored monster with black wings wearing a feather headdress – appeared, both in Attack Position.

Darklord Nasten ATK 2600 DEF 2600 LVL: 7

Darklord Tezcatlipoca ATK 2800 DEF 2100 LVL: 9

"Morningstar's additional effect!" Hellsworn continued. "Once per turn, I can send cards from the top of my Deck to the Graveyard and gain 500 Life Points for each 'Darklord' card sent there. The only restriction is that I can only send cards equal to the number of 'Darklord' monsters I control. Since I control three. I send the top three cards of my Deck to the Graveyard!" Hellsworn took the top cards off his Deck, then showed them to Hunter. "I send Darklord Edeh Arae, Allure of Darkness, and The Sanctified Darklord to the Graveyard. Two are 'Darklord' cards, so I gain 1000 Life Points!"

Hellsworn: 1200→2200 LP

"Nasten's monster effect! I pay 1000 Life Points to activate the effect of a 'Darklord' Spell or Trap Card in the Graveyard and then shuffle that card into my Deck. I activate the effect of Darklord Contact, which lets me Special Summon a 'Darklord' monster from the Graveyard in Defense Position. Resurrect once more, Superbia!" The black machine with claws and wings appeared again.

Hellsworn: 2200→1200 LP

Darklord Superbia ATK 2900 DEF 2400 LVL: 8

"Superbia's monster effect! When it is Special Summoned from the Graveyard, I can Special Summon a Fairy monster from the Graveyard. Resurrect, Darklord Edeh Arae!" A blue-skinned horned monster with large hands and black wings appeared, summoned in Attack Position.

Darklord Edeg Arae ATK 2300 DEF 2000 LVL: 5

"Five monsters at once…" Hunter muttered, scowling. None of them were strong enough to destroy Orange Sunset, but since Hellsworn had said he planned to end the duel this turn, he imagined he had a way around that.

"Battle!" Hellsworn declared. "Morningstar, attack Purple Nightfall!" Morningstar lifted its sword and started to gather dark energy into it, but Hunter reacted before that energy could be released.

"Purple Nightfall's monster effect!" he declared. "I banish Purple Nightfall until my next Standby Phase!" Said monster disappeared into light. "And now I add Mekk-Knight Yellow Star from my Deck to my hand."

Hellsworn growled. "Since your monster left the field, that means a replay occurs," he said grudgingly. "I was hoping to have Morningstar destroy your monster and have Edeh Arae attack Orange Sunset; it inflicts piercing battle damage if summoned from the Graveyard. But now I don't have a choice. Continue your attack, Morningstar! Destroy Orange Sunset! Fallen Grace!" Morningstar released the energy it built up as it swung its sword at Orange Sunset. Before the blast struck, Hellsworn played another card. "I activate the Quick-Play Spell Card: Blind Spot Strike! One Attack Position monster I control gains attack points equal to the defense points of a Defense Position monster you control. Morningstar gains Orange Sunset's 3000 defense points!"

Darklord Morningstar ATK 3000→6000

"With this, you'll be defenseless!" Hellsworn shouted. And then I'll have passed my initiation.

"Trap activate!" Hunter declared, surprising Hellsworn. "World Legacy Challenge!" The card showed Mekk-Knight Avram facing off against X-Krawlers Neurogos and Synaphysis. "Since a 'Mekk-Knight' monster was targeted for an attack, the attack changes to a direct attack and the damage is halved!" The dark energy swerved past Orange Sunset and struck Hunter, forcing him back a few feet and making him fall to his knees.

Hunter: 3500→500 LP

"In addition, none of your other monsters can attack this turn," Hunter said, breathing hard as he shakily stood up.

Hellsworn somehow managed to look both impressed and disappointed at the same time. "Gutsy move taking 3000 points of damage just to protect your monster. And here I was thinking I could end this duel now. Ah well, I'll end you next turn. But just to keep you from trying anything-." Hellsworn played a card from his hand. "I activate the Quick-Play Spell Card: Mystical Space Typhoon and use it to destroy World Legacy's Secret!" Hunter frowned as his card shattered. That card being gone meant Hellsworn could activate the effects of all his monsters.

"Tezcatlipoca's monster effect!" Hellsworn continued. "I pay 1000 Life Points to activate a 'Darklord' Spell or Trap Card from the Graveyard and then shuffle that card into my Deck."

Hellsworn: 1200→200 LP

"I activate The Sanctified Darklord! I send a 'Darklord' monster from my hand or field to the Graveyard, then negate the effects of an Effect Monster until the End Phase and gain Life Points equal to its attack points. I send Edeh Arae to the Graveyard and negate Morningstar's effects!" The blue-skinned demon disintegrated as Hellsworn and Morningstar glowed.

Hellsworn: 200→3200 LP

I Set one card and end my turn. And thus, the effects of Blind Spot Strike and The Sanctified Darklord come to an end."

Darklord Morningstar ATK 6000→3000

"So, what are you going to do, kid?" Hellsworn asked Hunter. "I have four very powerful monsters, one of which has 3000 attack points. And in case you're getting any ideas, you should know that you can't target Morningstar with card effects while I control another 'Darklord' monster."

Hunter glared at Hellsworn's field of monsters, then glanced at the pedestal with the box. The barrier was still around it, but the words had faded.

There are three reasons I must win this duel, Hunter thought, closing his eyes as he placed his hand on his Deck. One: in order to become a successful bounty hunter, I need a powerful Deck. Two: I need to move on from the incident, and only dueling can do that. Three: I must repay Cam for and Sachi for saving me from my despair.

"My turn! Draw!" Hunter looked at his card, then gestured to his field. "As it is my Standby Phase, the effect of Purple Nightfall activates, and I Special Summon it and Indigo Eclipse!" Both monsters reappeared in Attack Position.

Mekk-Knight Indigo Eclipse ATK 2400 DEF 2400 LVL: 8

Mekk-Knight Purple Nightfall ATK 2500 DEF 2000 LVL: 8

Looking at the field, Hunter realized that he knew exactly what he had to do to win. "Appear, the circuit of illumination!" His hand shot a bolt of lightning into the air that created a Link portal.

"What?" Hellsworn said, surprised. "Link Summoning?"

"Arrowheads confirmed!" Hunter chanted. "The summoning conditions are two monsters, including at least one 'Mekk-Knight' monster. I set Orange Sunset and Purple Nightfall in the Link Markers!" His monsters shot into the portal and another world, before turning into red energy and entered the bottom-left and bottom-right arrows, turning them red.

"Circuit combine! Link Summon! Appear! Link 2! Mekk-Knight of the Morning Star!"

A large new bipedal machine appeared on Hunter's field. Its armor was grey, with blue lines running across its skin. Instead of hands, it had two electrodes, one of which created a blade of yellow fire. Despite having no mouth, Morning Star roared from the right Extra Monster Zone.

Mekk-Knight of the Morning Star ATK 2000 LINK-2

"A Link Monster?" Hellsworn muttered. "But this monster is weaker than your previous monsters. Why would you-." Hellsworn gasped in realization. "Of course! You're planning to-!"

"Morning Star's monster effect!" Hunter declared, cutting off Hellsworn. "When it is Link Summoned, I can discard a 'Mekk-Knight' monster or 'World Legacy' card to add a 'World Legacy' card from my Deck to my hand. I send Green Horizon to the Graveyard and add World Legacy's Memory to my hand."

Hellsworn growled. "I'm not going to let you! Trap activate! Darklord Enchantment!" He sneered at Hunter's expression of surprise. "I send a 'Darklord' monster from my hand or field to the Graveyard and take control of one of your monsters. I send Superbia to the Graveyard and take control of Morning Star!" The ball with wings disappeared as the space around Morning Star warped. Morning Star disappeared, then reappeared on Hellsworn's field.

Hellsworn laughed. "I realized what your plan was!" he said. "You were planning to summon a Link-4 monster, weren't you? If you were trying to summon a Link-3, you would have used Indigo Eclipse with the others, but no-. You summoned a Link-2 with an effect that would eventually let you summon another 'Mekk-Knight,' so you could use it to summon a Link-4. I'm sorry to say your plan didn't work!"

Hellsworn laughed until Hunter smirked. "I was hoping you'd do that."

"Huh? What?"

"I'm familiar with the 'Darklord' Deck," Hunter revealed. "And because of the cards you played last turn, I knew your Set card was Darklord Enchantment. And since I knew what the card does, I knew I had to bait you. And it worked. And now victory will be mine."

"What!? You only have one monster! You can't win with that?"

"We'll see about that. I Special Summo Mekk-Knight Yellow Star to the same column as Nasten and World Legacy Key!" A machine with silver and yellow mechanical wings appeared in Attack Position.

Mekk-Knight Yellow Star ATK 2200 DEF 2800 LVL: 7

"Next, I activate the Quick-Play Spell Card: World Legacy's Memory, which I'll use to Special Summon Mekk-Knight Avram!" A warrior in gold armor carrying two curved swords appeared in Defense Position.

Mekk-Knight Avram ATK 2000 DEF 0 LVL: 4

Hellsworn grit his teeth. "Three monsters," he muttered. "Is he-?"

"Appear, the circuit of illumination!" Lightning shot from his hand and created another Link portal. "Arrowheads confirmed! The summoning conditions are two or more 'Mekk-Knight' monsters. I set Avram, Indigo Eclipse, and Yellow Star in the Link Markers!" His monsters entered the portal into another world before turning into red energy and surging into the bottom-left, bottom, and bottom-right arrows, turning them red.

"Circuit combine! Link Summon! Appear! Link 3! Mekk-Knight Spectrum Supreme!" A monster that appeared to be an amalgamation of all the Mekk-Knight monsters' weapons emerged from the portal, summoned to the same Extra Monster Zone that Morning Star had vacated.

Mekk-Knight Spectrum Supreme ATK 3000 LINK-3 ↙↓↘

"A-A 3000 attack point Link-3 monster?" Hellsworn said, his eyes wide. "I've never faced a monster like this before…"

"Spectrum Supreme's monster effect! By sending a card I control in its column to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon a 'Mekk-Knight' monster from my Deck in Defense Position. I send Senet Switch to the Graveyard and Special Summon another Orange Sunset!" The monster with two large shields reappeared.

Mekk-Knight Orange Sunset ATK 800 DEF 3000 LVL: 6

"And now, I'll activate the Field Spell Card: World Legacy Scars, which increases the attack and defense points of all my 'Mekk-Knight' monsters by 300!"

Mekk-Knight Orange Sunset ATK 800→1100 DEF 3000→3300

Mekk-Knight Spectrum Supreme ATK 3000→3300

Hellsworn growled. "It doesn't matter how strong your monster is!" he said. "The weakest monster I control is your Morning Star." He then sneered. "And due to its effect, 'Mekk-Knight' monsters can't be destroyed by battle against monsters in different columns. And I take no battle damage from those battles. You still can't win!"

"You're wrong," Hunter said. "It is because Morning Star and Spectrum Supreme are in different columns that I'll win." He gestured to his field. "Spectrum Supreme's additional effect! When there are no other cards in its column, it can attack directly!"

"WHAT!?"

"Go! Ultimate Rainbow Burst!" Seven lights gathered around Spectrum Supreme's body before being launched at Hellsworn. He was too surprised to react and screamed as he was struck in the chest and sent tumbling to the ground.

Hellsworn: 3200→0 LP

"Ugh…" Hellsworn groaned. "Beaten by a kid… If I'd only placed Morning Star in the other column…"

"You still would have lost," Hunter said, walking up to Hellsworn and holding out a card. "This is World Legacy Challenge, the card I used to save Orange Sunset. If my 'Mekk-Knight' monster destroys your monster in battle, I can banish this card from the Graveyard to allow my monster to attack again." His eyes narrowed. "Morning Star's anti-destruction effect wouldn't have worked since Spectrum Supreme and it were in the same column, so it would have been destroyed. And while Spectrum Supreme doesn't point to a monster, you cannot target it with card effects, so you couldn't have used Nasten's or Tezcatlipoca's effects to activate Darklord Enchantment from the Graveyard to take control of it."

Hellsworn saw the other point in that statement. If he had taken control of Orange Sunset, it would have lost the boost from World Legacy Scars as it was no longer under Hunter's control. Spectrum Supreme would have destroyed it, then attacked directly through World Legacy Challenge's effect.

This kid won the duel the second he blocked Morningstar's attack against Orange Sunset, Hellsworn thought bitterly. And now I won't get to join-.

Hellsworn's thoughts were interrupted by a sound. He and Hunter looked up as the barrier disappeared.

"Yes!" Hunter said, racing to the pedestal. Hellsworn tried to get up and chase after him, but a new barrier appeared around the pedestal, but set at a wider distance and between Hellsworn and Hunter. He was cut off.

Hunter finally reached the metal box. This is it, he thought as he picked it up. I'll gain the Cyspirit cards and become an ultimate duelist!

He opened the box, expecting to see a Deck of Duel Monster cards. But it was empty.

"What?" Hunter said, his eyes widening. "E-Empty? That's it?"

After he said that, the box burst into flames. As he gasped and stepped back, the flames rearranged themselves into a list of numbers.

2-3-1 7-9-2 4-13-8

12-6-2 17-8-1 3-9-5 20-7-2

19-6-5 33-2-4 2-7-1 8-4-1 5-5-12 32-3-5

Behind Hunter, Hellsworn growled. "So, it was just a prank after all. I should have known. Only an Internet troll could think up puzzles that devilish. He even fooled my sponsor. Now I've lost my chance to join them."

"Sponsor?" Hunter repeated, turning to look at Hellsworn in confusion. "What do you-?"

Before he could finish his sentence, the ground started shaking. The pillars also started crumbling, the hieroglyphs disappearing.

"Crap!" Hellsworn swore. "This place is coming down! Get out of here, kid!" He logged out after saying that.

Hunter quickly turned back to the list of numbers, which was starting to fade. Before it vanished completely, he took a picture of them with his Duel Disk. As the ceiling fell in, he logged out.

---

Yasutake opened his eyes and groaned.

"Yasu!" Yasutake leaned forward and looked to the side. Cam was watching him with deep concern. "Are you alright? What happened? You were gone a long time."

Yasutake groaned as he looked at his Duel Disk. "Someone else showed up. The dungeon forced me and him to duel. I won, but the Deck wasn't there."

"What?" Cam said, his concern replaced with anger. "It wasn't there? So all those puzzles and games were just some guy's idea of a sick joke!?"

Yasutake frowned as he loaded the picture he took. "I don't think so. I-."

He was interrupted by the chiming of the laptop that Cam had put on the table. The two looked at it and Cam raised his eyebrows in confusion.

"What the-? This is a PDF, sent from an unidentified address." Cam frowned as he loaded the PDF. "It's… a one-page menu to a sushi place in Tokyo… The hell?"

Yasutake looked at the laptop, then at the image on his Duel Disk. His eyes then widened. "Of course!" he said, surprising Cam. "Of course it would be another puzzle!"

"What?"

Yasutake showed him the list of numbers. "This is an Ottendorf Cipher," he explained. "It's a book cipher used in that American movie you showed me a few weeks ago; National Treasure, right? Each set of numbers correspond to a line of a page, a word within that line, and then a letter in that word."

Cam's eyes widened in realization. "You're saying this PDF is from the guy who set up that dungeon. Well, go on." He passed the laptop over to Yasutake and then grabbed a pen and paper. Yasutake searched for the individual letters the numbers pointed to, and then told Cam what he had. After five minutes, they finally decoded the message.

DEN PARK GAZEBO

"Den Park," Cam muttered. "Well what do you know? That's not far from here."

"They must have hidden the cards in the real world and left the puzzle to find them in the network," Yasutake said excitedly. "Come on, let's go!"

---

The pair walked to Den Park, which really wasn't that far from Café Junpei. There were a few gazebos, but Yasutake suspected the one the clue mentioned was the one closest to the center of the park, which was also the biggest one. After finding it, the two searched around the gazebo, and lo and behold…

"Yes!" Yasutake whispered, his eyes wide as he kneeled. There was a metal box hidden in the bushes around the gazebos, far in enough that you wouldn't be able to see it unless you were actively looking for it. As his arms were too short, Cam ended up being the one who pulled the box out of the bushes and gave it to Yasutake.

The thirteen-year-old opened the box and his eyes widened further. Inside was a Deck of Duel Monster cards. Picking up the top one, he read the name. Cyspirit Lancer. Yes! This was it!

"We need to get back," Yasutake whispered to Cam as he put the card back and closed the box. Cam nodded as Yasutake put the box in his backpack. The two hurried to Café Junpei, and once they were back upstairs, Yasutake pulled the box out and looked over the cards more thoroughly.

"This is it, Cam," he said. "These cards are very strong. With them, I'll become the best bounty hunter in LINK VRAINS. I can help you pay off your debts and keep Sachi here with you."

"…Well alright," Cam said, crossing his arms. "I can't say I like the idea of you risking yourself, but if this is what you want to do, I'll support you. Though, it might be a good idea to come up with a new avatar."

"Huh?" Yasutake said, confused. "What's wrong with my current one?"

"Well, it's non-descript, I'll admit, but I'm not sure it suits you." Cam looked down at the cards Yasutake put on the table. "Or these cards. And as for the name, I'm not sure too many people will have respect for a bounty hunter named 'Hunter.'"

Yasutake frowned. "Good point. I suppose it is a little too simplistic. But what name should I go with?"

"Your choice. Like I said, I'm just here to support you." Cam picked up one of the cards: Cyspirit Rapid Revolutionary. "Though if you're looking for a theme, these cards make me think of avenging angels, what with the wings."

Avenging angels? Yasutake thought, thinking of Father Narahiko. The priest had been dead for seven years, but he had taught Yasutake so much. He also remembered what the priest had said about Lucifer: I would say the Devil is a punisher. Someone who takes people who did bad things and makes them suffer for it.

Isn't that what a bounty hunter also did? Didn't they also bring people to justice and punish them for crimes? Yasutake looked over at his Mekk-Knight Deck, which he had set on the table alongside the Cyspirit cards. The top card was Mekk-Knight of the Morning Star. He thought of Hellsworn, and his Darklord Morningstar, and how that card had been beautiful.

Yasutake smiled. "I know exactly the name I want," he told Cam.

---

Present day…

"And that's it," Yasutake said, taking a sip from the coffee Kusanagi made. "That's how I became Morningstar."

"Hmm." Yusaku frowned, as did Kusanagi.

"Something wrong?" Yasutake asked. They shook their heads.

"Not wrong exactly," Yusaku said. "I'm just curious as to who set up that dungeon and puzzles; they were clearly intelligent to come up with such means, but the lengths they went to suggest they were afraid the cards would be misused."

"Yeah," Kusanagi agreed. "Did you ever find out who set those up?"

Yasutake shook his head. "No. We tried tracing the email, but it was a dummy account. We still have no idea who made those puzzles." He turned to Yusaku, who was still frowning, but there was a glint of curiosity in his eyes. "What?"

"Your Mekk-Knights," Yusauku said. "Where did you get those?"

Kusanagi's eyes widened. "That's right! Spectrum Supreme is a Cyberse card. How did you get those?"

Yasutake made the straightest face he possibly could. "eBay." The other two blinked. "What? Not every little thing has a massive story behind it. That said…" He glanced at Yusaku, his own curiosity getting the best of him. "I told you where I got my Cyberse cards. Where did you get yours?"

"Ah!" Kusanagi said, smiling in fondness. "That's actually a rather interesting story. You see…"

While Kusanagi talked about how they found a rumor about a dungeon containing Cyberse cards, Sachi frowned to herself and stared into her coffee.

Cam went through so much pain because of what happened to me, she thought. And Yasu was willing to risk so much just to help me. Her frown was replaced by a look of determination. One day, I'll make it up to both of them. One day, I'll be the one to protect them.

---

3 years ago…

Hellsworn backed up against the wall, his heartrate increasing. He was in an alleyway in LINK VRAINS, far away from the major areas. He was backing away from a tall hooded figure in a big dark blue cloak.

"So, you're saying it was a prank?" the figure asked. Their voice was masculine, but it wasn't deep.

"Y-Yes, that's right!" Hellsworn said, nodding vigorously. "The case was empty, and when the kid opened it, it burst into flames."

"It didn't leave anything? Any clues?" the man persisted.

"A-Ah well, it left behind a string of numbers," Hellsworn said hesitantly. "I can't remember what numbers they were, but I could tell they were in groups of three."

"…I see," the man said, backing off. "A pity, really. The Cyspirit cards would have made a good gift."

"…L-Listen," Hellsworn said. "S-Seeing as how this was all some prank, why not give me another chance to pass initiation? I passed all the other tests, so if you give me one more chance-."

The man laughed, cutting Hellsworn off. "One more chance? I'm afraid that's not possible. No… your inability to see the obvious, and the fact that you were beaten by a child, makes it clear that you don't have a place among us." The man started walking towards Hellsworn, who once again tried to become one with the wall."

"N-No, please!" he begged. "Please! I've worked so hard for this chance! If you just give me another-."

"It's too late for that," the man said. "You accepted that you would only get one chance at the test, and you failed. Now…" He raised his right hand, revealing a dark gold and blue glove. Blue lightning crackled across his fingertips. "You have to pay the price."

"N-No, please! No! AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

---

The man in a blue cloak sighed as he brought his right hand down. Overseeing initiates was such a pain; he'd rather be on a mission right now. Hell, if his leader hadn't decided to turn this job into an initiation, he'd have been the one to go into that dungeon.

He lifted his left arm, revealing a dark gold and blue glove, same as he wore on his other hand. This arm however, also had a dark gold Duel Disk, with a pattern of six interwoven wings around the screen. The man activated the communications function and waited for his leader to pick up.

"Yes?" The voice was scrambled, but the man knew this was only procedure.

"Hellsworn failed to retrieve the Cyspirit Deck," he reported. "There was an interloper; a kid named Hunter. He defeated Hellsworn, but the dungeon was revealed to be empty."

"…There were no hints as to the Deck's location?" the voice eventually asked.

"I believe there were; there was a box that went up in flames. It created a series of numbers – a code of some kind, most likely – but Hellsworn didn't memorize the numbers."

The voice sighed. "I see. That is unfortunate. It also means Hellsworn failed his initiation. You have given him his punishment?"

"Yes," the man said. "I erased his memories of us and deleted his account. He won't be able to tell anyone about us."

"Good. For now, I would like you to keep investigating possible clues to the Cyspirits' location."

"What about this Hunter kid? From what Hellsworn said, he seemed pretty smart. He may provide a lead."

"…No, leave the child be. We cannot involve one so young in this. Or at least, not another so young. I shall await your report." After saying that, the voice hung up.

The man in blue sighed again. "Seriously? What a pain. Whoever Dr. Hirai entrusted the Cyspirit monsters to better be worth all this trouble."

---

Hunter vs. Crusader

This Duel is conducted as a Master Duel.

Turn 1: Crusader

Crusader Normal Summons Marauding Captain (1200/400/3). As Marauding Captain was Normal Summoned, Crusader activates its effect to Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower monster from his hand. He Special Summons a 2nd Marauding Captain (1200/400/3). Crusader activates the Spell Card Double Summon, letting him perform a second Normal Summon this turn. He Normal Summons Command Knight (1200/1900/4). As long as Command Knight is on the field, all Warrior monsters Crusader controls gain 400 ATK (Marauding Captains: 1200→1600) (Command Knight: 1200→1600). Crusader activates the Continuous Spell Card The A. Forces, which increases the ATK of all Warrior monster he controls by 200 for each Warrior or Spellcaster he controls (Marauding Captains: 1600→2200) (Command Knight: 1600→2200). Crusader ends his turn.

Turn 2: Hunter

Hunter draws. He Normal Summons Mekk-Knight Avram (2000/0/4). He activates the Spell Card Abyssal Designator. By paying 1000 LP (Hunter: 4000→3000 LP), he can declare a Type and Attribute, and then Crusader must send a monster of the declared Type and Attribute from his hand or Deck to the GY. Hunter declares Warrior and EARTH. Crusader sends a third Marauding Captain to the GY. Hunter activates the Equip Spell Card Megamorph, equipping it to Avram. Since his LP are lower than Crusader's, Avram's ATK is doubled (Avram: 2000→4000). Hunter activates the Continuous Spell Card Infected Mail. Once per turn, he can target 1 Level 4 or lower monster he controls and let that monster attack his opponent directly, but that monster is sent to the GY at the end of the Battle Phase. He targets Avram for Infected Mail's effect.

Avram attacks Crusader directly (Crusader: 4000→0 LP). Hunter wins.

---

Hunter vs. Hellsworn

This Duel is conducted as a Master Duel.

Turn 1: Hellsworn

Hellsworn activates the Spell Card Banishment of the Darklords, which lets him add 1 "Darklord" card from his Deck to his hand. He adds Darklord Asmodeus to his hand. Hellsworn activates the Continuous Spell Card Valhalla, Hall of the Fallen. As he controls no monsters, Hellsworn activates Valhalla's effect to Special Summon one Fairy monster from his hand. He Special Summons Darklord Asmodeus (3000/2500/8) in Attack Position. Hellsworn Sets 1 card. He ends his turn.

Turn 2: Hunter

Hunter draws. As there are 2 cards in the same column (Asmodeus and Valhalla), Hunter Special Summons Mekk-Knight Indigo Eclipse (2400/2400/8) to the same column in Attack Position. Hunter activates Indigo Eclipse's effect to target one "Mekk-Knight" monster he controls and move it to another column. He moves Indigo Eclipse to the column to its left. Hunter Special Summons Mekk-Knight Blue Sky (2000/2500/5) in Attack Position via its effect. As Blue Sky was Summoned from the hand, Hunter can add "Mekk-Knight" monsters with different names from his Deck to his hand, equal to the number of Hellsworn's cards in Blue Sky's column. Hunter adds Mekk-Knight Purple Nightfall and Mekk-Knight Red Moon to his hand. Hunter activates the Continuous Spell Card Senet Switch. Once per turn, he can move one monster on his field to an adjacent unoccupied Main Monster Zone. He activates Senet Switch's effect to move Blue Sky to the column to its right. Morningstar Special Summons Mekk-Knight Red Moon (2300/2600/7) in Attack Position via its effect. Hunter activates the Spell Card Trade-In, which lets him discard one Level 8 monster to draw two cards. He discards Purple Nightfall. Hunter activates the effect of Red Moon, banishing Purple Nightfall from his GY to destroy one face-up monster in its column. He destroys Asmodeus. As it was destroyed and sent to the GY, Hellsworn activates Asmodeus's effect, Special Summoning 1 Asmo Token (1800/1300/5) and 1 Deus Token (1200/1200/3), both in Defense Position. Hunter activates the Continuous Spell Card World Legacy Key, which lets him add 1 of his banished "Mekk-Knight" monsters or "World Legacy" cards to his hand. He adds Purple Nightfall to his hand.

Red Moon attacks Asmo Token. Hellsworn activates his Set Trap Card Darklord Rebellion. By sending 1 "Darklord" monster from his hand or field to the GY, he can destroy 1 card on the field. He sends Darklord Superbia to the GY to destroy Red Moon. As Darklord Rebellion is in the same column as a "Mekk-Knight" monster (Indigo Eclipse), the effect of World Legacy Key negates the effect of Darklord Rebellion. The attack continues, and Asmo Token is destroyed. Blue Sky attacks Deus Token, but Deus Token cannot be destroyed by battle. Hunter Sets 1 card. He ends his turn.

Turn 3: Hellsworn

Hellsworn draws. He activates the effect of Darklord Ixchel in his hand, discarding it and Darklord Apocalypse to draw 2 cards. Hellsworn Tributes Deus Token to Tribute Summon Darklord Desire (3000/2800/10) via its effect. Hellsworn activates the effect of Desire, reducing its ATK by 1000 and targeting Indigo Eclipse (Desire: 3000→2000). Indigo Eclipse is sent to the GY. Hellsworn activates the Spell Card Darklord Contact, which lets him Special Summon 1 "Darklord" monster from his GY in Defense Position. He Special Summons Darklord Superbia (2900/2400/8). As Superbia was Special Summoned from the GY, its effect activates, and Hellsworn can Special Summon 1 Fairy monster from his GY. He Special Summons Darklord Ixchel (2500/2900/10) in Attack Position. Hellsworn activates the effect of Ixchel, paying 1000 LP to target 1 "Darklord" Spell/Trap card in his GY and apply that target's effect before shuffling it into his Deck (Hellsworn: 4000→3000 LP). He targets Darklord Rebellion. Rebellion's effect lets him send 1 "Darklord" monster from his hand or field to the GY then destroy 1 card on the field. He sends Superbia to the GY to destroy Red Moon.

Ixchel attacks and destroys Blue Sky (Hunter: 4000→3500 LP). Desire attacks Hunter directly, but Hunter activates his Set Continuous Trap Card World Legacy's Secret, which lets him Special Summon 1 Level 5 or higher monster from his GY. He Special Summons Indigo Eclipse (2400/2400/8) in Attack Position. A replay occurs, and Hellsworn opts not to attack. Hellsworn ends his turn.

Turn 4: Hunter

Hunter draws. As there are 2 cards in the same column (Valhalla and World Legacy's Secret), he Special Summons Mekk-Knight Purple Nightfall (2500/2000/8) to the same column in Attack Position via its effect. Hunter activates the Quick-Play Spell Card World Legacy's Memory, which lets him Special Summon 1 "Mekk-Knight" monster from his hand or Deck in Defense Position, but it is returned to the hand during the End Phase. He Special Summons Mekk-Knight Orange Sunset (800/3000/6) from his Deck. Hunter then activates the Quick-Play Spell Card World Legacy Clash, which lets him banish 1 monster he controls until the End Phase and then have 1 of Hellsworn's monsters lose ATK/DEF equal to the banished monster's original ATK/DEF. He banishes Orange Sunset and targets Ixchel (Ixchel: 2500→1700/2900→0). Hunter then activates Indigo Eclipse's effect, moving itself to the same column as Ixchel.

Purple Nightfall attacks Ixchel, but Hellsworn activates the effect of Darklord Apocalypse in his GY, banishing it to do so. As a "Darklord' monster was attacked, he can prevent that monster's destruction by battle then end the Battle Phase, and if that monster is Level 8 or higher, he can add 1 "Darklord" monster from his Deck to his hand. The attack continues, but Ixchel is not destroyed (Hellsworn: 3000→2200 LP). As Ixchel is Level 10, Hellsworn adds Darklord Morningstar from his Deck to his hand. Hunter activates Purple Nightfall's effect, targeting Indigo Eclipse. Indigo Eclipse is banished until Hunter's next Standby Phase, and he can add 1 "Mekk-Knight" monster from his Deck to his hand. He adds Mekk-Knight Green Horizon from his Deck to his hand. Hunter Sets 1 card. He ends his turn. During the End Phase, the effect of World Legacy Special Summons Orange Sunset (800/3000/6) to Hunter's field (and Desire's column) in Defense Position.

Turn 5: Hellsworn

Hellsworn draws. He activates the effect of Ixchel, paying 1000 LP to activate the effect of a "Darklord" Spell/Trap Card in his GY, then shuffle that card into his Deck (Hellsworn: 2200→1200 LP). He targets Banishment of the Darklords, which lets him add 1 "Darklord" card from his Deck to his hand. He adds Darklord Enchantment to his hand. Hellsworn Tributes Desire and Ixchel to Tribute Summon Darklord Morningstar (3000/3000/11). Since Morningstar was Tribute Summoned, Hellsworn can Special Summon "Darklord" monsters from his hand and/or Deck, up to the number of Effect Monsters Hunter controls. Hunter controls 2, so Hellsworn Special Summons Darklord Nasten (2600/2600/7) and Darklord Tezcatlipoca (2800/2100/9), both in Attack Position, from his Deck. Hellsworn activates Morningstar's effect, letting him send cards from the top of his Deck to the GY, equal to the number of "Darklord" monsters on the field, then gain 500 LP for each "Darklord" card among them. He sends Darklord Edeh Arae, Allure of Darkness, and The Sanctified Darklord to the GY (Hellsworn: 1200→2200 LP). Hellsworn activates the effect of Nasten, paying 1000 LP to activate the effect of a "Darklord" Spell/Trap Card in his GY, then shuffle that card into his Deck (Hellsworn: 2200→1200 LP). He targets Darklord Contact, which lets him Special Summon 1 "Darklord" monster from his GY in Defense Position. He Special Summons Superbia (2900/2400/8). As Superbia was Special Summoned from the GY, Hellsworn can Special Summon 1 Fairy monster from the GY. He Special Summons Edeh Arae (2300/2000/5) in Attack Position.

Morningstar attacks Purple Nightfall, but Hunter activates Purple Nightfall's effect, targeting itself and banishing it until his next Standby Phase. He then adds Mekk-Knight Yellow Star from his Deck to his hand. A replay occurs, and Morningstar attacks Orange Sunset. Hellsworn activates the Quick-Play Spell Card Blind Spot Strike, targeting Morningstar and Orange Sunset. Morningstar gains ATK equal to Orange Sunset's DEF until the End Phase (Morningstar: 3000→6000). As a "Mekk-Knight" monster he controls was targeted for an attack, Hunter activates his Set Trap Card World Legacy Challenge, which makes the attack a direct attack and halves the battle damage. Morningstar attacks Hunter directly (Hunter: 3500→500 LP). The turn World Legacy Challenge is activated, none of Hellsworn's other monsters can attack. Hellsworn activates the Quick-Play Spell Card Mystical Space Typhoon, targeting and destroying World Legacy's Secret. Hellsworn then activates Tezcatlipoca's effect, paying 1000 LP to activate the effect of a "Darklord" Spell/Trap Card in his GY, then shuffle that card into his Deck (Hellsworn: 1200→200 LP). He targets The Sanctified Darklord, which lets him send 1 "Darklord" monster from his hand or face-up from his field to the GY, then negate the effects of an Effect Monster until the end of the turn and gain LP equal to its ATK. He sends Edeh Arae to the GY and targets Morningstar (Hellsworn: 200→3200 LP). Hellsworn Sets 1 card. He ends his turn, and Morningstar's ATK returns to normal (Morningstar: 6000→3000) and its effects are no longer negated.

Turn 6: Hunter

Hunter draws. During his Standby Phase, the effect of Purple Nightfall Special Summons itself (2500/2000/8) and Indigo Eclipse (2400/2400/8) in Attack Position. Hunter uses Orange Sunset and Purple Nightfall to Link Summon Mekk-Knight of the Morning Star (2000/2/↙↘) to the right Extra Monster Zone. As Morning Star was Link Summoned, its effect lets Hunter discard 1 "Mekk-Knight" monster or "World Legacy" card to add 1 "World Legacy" card from his Deck to his hand. He discards Green Horizon and adds World Legacy's Memory to his hand. Hellsworn activates his Set Darklord Enchantment, letting him send 1 "Darklord" monster from his hand or field to the GY to take control of 1 of Hunter's monsters until the End Phase. He sends Superbia to the GY and takes control of Morning Star. As there are 2 cards in the same column (Nasten and World Legacy Key), Hunter Special Summons Yellow Star (2200/2800/7) to that column in Attack Position. Hunter activates the Quick-Play Spell Card World Legacy's Memory, letting him Special Summon 1 "Mekk-Knight" monster from his hand or Deck in Defense Position, but it returns to his hand during the End Phase. He Special Summons Mekk-Knight Avram (2000/0/4). Hunter uses Avram, Indigo Eclipse, and Yellow Star to Link Summon Mekk-Knight Spectrum Supreme (3000/3/↙↓↘) to the right Extra Monster Zone. Hunter activates the effect of Spectrum Supreme, letting him send 1 other card he controls in Spectrum Supreme's column to the GY and Special Summon 1 "Mekk-Knight" monster from his Deck in Defense Position. He sends Senet Switch to the GY and Special Summons a 2nd Orange Sunset (800/3000/6). Hunter activates the Field Spell Card World Legacy Scars, which increases the ATK/DEF of all "Mekk-Knight" monsters Hunter controls by 300 (Orange Sunset: 800→1100/3000→3300) (Spectrum Supreme: 3000→3300).

As Spectrum Supreme is the only card in its column, it can attack directly. Spectrum Supreme attacks Hellsworn directly (Hellsworn: 3200→0 LP). Hunter wins.

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Darklord Apocalypse Normal Trap Card
If a "Darklord" monster you control is targeted for an attack: That monster you control canot be destroyed by that battle, then end the Battle Phase, also if that monster is Level 8 or higher, add 1 "Darklord" monster from your Deck to your hand. Once per Duel, you can activate the above effect by banishing this card from your GY.

World Legacy Challenge Normal Trap Card
If a "Mekk-Knight" monster you control is targeted for an attack: You can make that attack a direct attack. The turn you activate this effect, all battle damage you take is halved. No other monsters your opponent controls can attack the turn this effect is activated. If your "Mekk-Knight" destroys an opponent's monster by battle, you can banish this card from your GY; that monster can attack again in a row.

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Chapter Preview

Next time on Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS: Hidden Memories. Chapter 31 – The New LINK VRAINS. Three months have passed since the Tower of Hanoi fell, and NEW LINK VRAINS has now been opened. Hana Adachi is hoping to use this opportunity to enter the Charisma Duelists, while the new #5 duelist Vahngo hopes to rise in the ranks. The two go to an event, which gives them the chance of a lifetime…

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Responses to Reviews & Author's Notes

Thank you to TachyonDragonKing, Swift4Sweeper, thirdegree101, tsukikami02, jdkeller2000, Yasutake Fan, D3lph0xL0v3r, Guest, G57steve, HunterHQ, ZarcEternal, giacomoX, Ryujomaru15, Lindia Fullmoon, ThePLOThand, Ethan Kironus, guardian of the aura Aurasoul, bladeWriter3, and Guest for reviewing Chapter 29 of Hidden Memories. Now to answer your questions…

TachyonDragonKing: Yes, Cypher will create more cards. He is a very creative AI, and retirement will not stop that. I do not know if we will see Cam duel, but it is an idea. As for how Sachi will react… you'll have to wait and see.

thirdegree101: I do have ideas for a rematch between Morningstar and Revolver, but I'm not certain on when this would happen.

D3lph0xL0v3r: No, Cypher will not join Lightning and Windy. Who gets the Cyangel Deck is a spoiler, so I won't answer that. As for the last one, Sachi won't get her consciousness stolen like Jin did.

A little comment to bladeWriter3: I did not realize it had been a whole year since I started this series, so thank you for that.

Finally, to the last Guest review: Why do people keep requesting Revolver use Stardust Dragon? I also saw this in SakushiRyu's VRAINS story (which I recommend reading). Is it because of Stardust Road? Or is it because Revolver was the first to Synchro Summon?

Credit to ThePLOThand for the name and design of Hellsworn and thank you to sanedimentio for recommending a Darklord duel, what with one of the cards being named Morningstar.

Okay, this chapter was mostly a flashback chapter. And until season two of VRAINS ends, there will be no updates for Hidden Memories. Instead, I will focus on my ARC-V story. I can't say when that will be released, however. But I hope to at least get a few chapters out before season two ends. After that, I'll try to alternate between the two, but considering how I like VRAINS far more than ARC-V, it is more likely that I'll prioritize Hidden Memories.

On a side note, I can't help but wonder if someone who works for Konami is reading this fanfic, because Mekk-Knight of the Morning Star was released way after Chapter 3 came out and Yasutake used Mekk-Knights (or Jack Knights as they're called in the OCG). Also, when Soulburner, aka Takeru Homura was revealed, I had two characters named Takeshi and Himura. IF someone at Konami isn't reading Hidden Memories, then these are some weird coincidences.

That aside, we learned more about Yasutake's past as Morningstar and how he acquired the Cyspirit Deck. This chapter was inspired by episodes 64 and 65 of season two, which was why the first duel ended the way it did. That said, I'm not sure I'll write any more Mekk-Knight duels; having to keep track of card positions like that is hard enough with Link Monsters.

Just in case people are wondering, Crusader and Hellsworn are one-shot characters; they won't appear beyond this chapter. The person Hellsworn talked to at the end, though…

One last thing: I already talked about this with HunterHQ, but I decided I would do a little side project for Hidden Memories: Profile pages for the characters. This will technically be a separate story, but part of the Hidden Memories universe.

Thank you for reading Chapter 30 of Hidden Memories. Please tell me what you think of my improved beta opening and what your favorite moment of the chapter was.