Chapter 15: Meet the Higher Ups
Ai is seen talking with Koga and a woman wearing an Alice in Wonderland-style gown with black slip-on shoes. Her aqua blue hair tied in twin pigtails reach down to her upper back. Her earrings resemble the Water Ignis symbol. That's because the woman is Aqua, whose remaining data was salvaged by Koga and transferred into a SOLtiS.
"Lightning and Bohman, long erased, have also returned." Ai noted.
"Shade would seek them out. He relies on their raw power." Koga said.
"Windy and Flame tracked an AI recon squad to a chapel in Link VRAINS." Aqua reported. "Bohman's involvement in our battle against Lightning makes that our starting point."
"Please advise me of what you learn from Flame and Windy. I must consult with the Ancients." Koga disappears through a time portal just as Blue Maiden walks in.
"When do we leave?" Blue Maiden asked.
"Your duty lies elsewhere, Blue Maiden. I need you to enlist the Higher Ups at SOL Technologies. Their support is critical against Emperor Shade." Ai tells her.
"But surely you can..." Before Blue Maiden could finish, Ai interrupted her.
"The Higher Ups don't trust me. No one at SOL Technologies has since my duel with the Queen." Ai says.
"The Higher Ups have high hopes for you and your stepbrother. Once they hear you support Koga, they'll join us." Aqua smiles.
"If that's my duty, then so be it." Blue Maiden sighs.
"Thank you, Blue Maiden." Ai bows and then he walks away.
"Are you my friend or his consort?" Blue Maiden asked looking angry.
"I know you're still mad about his betrayal, but this was my idea. This is in your best interest. I'll keep an eye on him." Aqua assures her. "Succeed with the Higher Ups and Ai will pledge his loyalty to you and Playmaker. There's no bond more sacred to an Ignis like him."
"I'm not just mad because he betrayed Playmaker. I'm also mad because he forced me to suffer the same pain he felt." Blue Maiden says looking angry.
From their meeting room in Den City, the Higher Ups, having left their chess-themed avatars, see the progress of the tournament. Rook is a slender man with fair skin, green eyes, and white hair with blue accents. Knight is a tall man with light tan skin, light brown eyes, and red hair with a black accent on the left side. Bishop is a middle-aged man with black hair, light skin, and violet eyes. They watch Akira and the Gore defeat two of the other participants separately.
"This tournament is giving me bad vibes." Rook said.
"Though the Queen has recovered after that Ignis was defeated, I doubt she'd be able to survive the tournament, much less win." Bishop noted.
"Don't count me out just yet." Queen countered as she walked in. "Need I remind you that I implanted the Gore with the Earth Ignis' data?"
"You did, but Zaizen believed it was putting too much strain on his mind." Knight said. "He had no choice but to log him out when the Gore lost to Playmaker. Had he continued to capture Playmaker and the Dark Ignis, he wouldn't be a part of this tournament."
"Right, but on the plus side, the AI chip proved to be a success for the most part. SOL Technologies could be at the top of the world in technology had Zaizen not butted in." Queen scoffed.
"Well, it's a good thing he did." She hears Blue Maiden's voice. She turns around and sees Blue Maiden.
"Well, well, if it isn't Zaizen's kid sister." Queen taunted.
"Shut your mouth! I know Akira wanted to capture the Ignis as much as you do, but when Aqua sensed Earth's destruction, I had known something was wrong." Blue Maiden said.
"Ha! Akira was beneath me, and the Gore was just a hired hand, one I personally chose to make stronger by implanting the Earth Ignis' data into his brain." Queen smirked. "Sure, it brought him to the brink of death, but everything I did to him, I did for the good of the company."
"The company, or yourself?" Blue Maiden accused, angering Queen.
"You sound just like Playmaker." Queen huffed.
"That's another thing I should know. He defeated the Knights of Hanoi and saved Link VRAINS, and how do you thank him? You place a bounty on his head! That proves you only ran SOL Technologies for money!"
"You dare talk back to me like that!?" Queen disputed as she raised her Duel Disk. "Instead of fighting with words, I say we fight with our cards!"
"If it's a duel you want, it's a duel you'll get!" Blue Maiden accepted her challenge.
"I can see this will ger really physical. Let's leave them." Bishop suggested as he and the other two Higher-Ups left to view the duel from a better vantage point.
"Why don't we make things interesting? You win and we'll support you through this little contest of yours. I win and you give this message to Zaizen: we will never join your little crew!"
"Let's duel!" They shout in unison.
Blue Maiden: 4000 LP
VS.
Queen: 4000 LP
"Since we're in my territory, I'll start." Queen declares the start of her turn.
Turn 1: Queen (4000)
She sees her Allure Queens and three Allure Spells. "To start, I activate Allure Palace!" Queen uses her Field Spell.
"That Field Spell…" Blue Maiden mused.
"That's right. With Allure Palace, all my Allure Queens gain 500 Attack and Defense Points. And my Queens gain the ability to Level up without having to wait until my next turn." Blue Maiden sneered.
"Now I activate Allure Dance!" Queen activates another Spell. "Now my Allure Queens gain Attack points equal to the monster they're equipped with."
"Now I summon Allure Queen LV3!" Her monster is a woman in a regal red and black dress. She's armed with a golden staff. (Level 3/500/500)
"Why play a monster that has only 500 Attack points?" Blue Maiden asked.
"It's because of this: when I summon an Allure Queen, Allure Palace lets me call another copy of that monster onto your field!" A second Allure Queen LV3 appears on Blue Maiden's field. (Level 3/500/500)
"And don't forget, Allure Palace gives my Allure Queen LV3 500 Attack and Defense Points." The Field Spell lights up. (500→1000/500→1000)
"This means we both have a queen on our field, only yours is stronger." Blue Maiden said.
"But yours won't be around for long. I activate Allure Queen's special ability!" Queen declares her move. "There's a reason she's called an Allure Queen, because once a turn, she can equip one of your monsters onto her." The Queen's Allure Queen flirtatiously wagged her finger, causing Blue Maiden's queen to disappear and rematerialize in her staff. Blue Maiden scowled.
"And thanks to Allure Palace, I can Level her up immediately! Come out, Allure Queen LV5!" Her Allure Queen LV3 disappears and in her place is a more beautiful Allure Queen, her dress is slightly more revealing, having black leggings and a loose cloth. (Level 5/1000/1000)
"And thanks to Allure Palace, you get another Allure Queen as well." Queen told her as a second copy appears on her opponent's field. (Level 5/1000/1000)
"And let me guess: Allure Palace strengthens your queen's attack and defense power, right?" Blue Maiden asks as her opponent's Field Spell lights up again. (1000→1500/1000→1500)
"And like her previous form, Allure Queen LV5 can steal your monster and equip herself with it." Queen's monster uses her staff to absorb Blue Maiden's monster.
"And I'll use Allure Palace to level up Allure Queen once again! Here's Allure Queen LV7! And with Allure Palace, she gains 500 Attack and Defense points." Her monster is upgraded into a sultry woman with a short dress and her bare feet exposed. (Level 7/1500→2000/1500→2000)
"And just like last time, a second Allure Queen appears onto your field!" A second Allure Queen LV7 appears on Blue Maiden's field. (Level 7/1500/1500)
"Now to take it. Allure Queen LV7, take her monster!" Allure Queen LV7 raised her staff and absorbs Blue Maiden's Allure Queen.
"You give me three different Allure Queens just for you to absorb them." Blue Maiden glared.
"That's right, and now's the time to bring them back. Allure Dance's other effect activates! By sending Allure Queen's equipped card to the Graveyard, I can summon as many Allure Queens that have different Levels as I want from my Graveyard." Queen declares as the monster in Allure Queen LV7's staff disappears. "Return, Allure Queen LV3, LV5, and LV7!" The three Allure Queens reappear on the Queen's side of the field. "And thanks to Allure Palace, my queens gain 500 Attack and Defense Points." Her Queens power up. (LV3: 500→1000; LV5: 1000→1500; LV7: 1500→2000)
"This is just how she created the combo against Ai." Blue Maiden's thoughts echo in her head. "I'm impressed with the way you called out your monsters."
"And that's just the opening act. Watch as I rule my circuit!" Queen declares as the eight-arrow portal appears above. "The summoning conditions are 3 Spellcasters! I set Allure Queen LV3, 5, and 7 in the Link Arrows!" She sets Allure Queen LV3, LV5 and the second LV7 in the portal, lighting the up the left, right, and down arrows. "I Link Summon Link-3 Golden Allure Queen!" Her Link monster is a woman in a long golden dress and a more intricate staff. (2500/←↓→)
"And thanks to Allure Palace, my Golden Allure Queen gains 500 Attack points." She declares as her Golden Allure Queen powers up. (2500→3000 ATK)
"Now I activate her special ability. She gains the Attack Points of the Allure Queen that's next to her Link." A grid of the field shows Golden Allure Queen in the right Extra Monster Zone and Allure Queen LV7 behind her. Golden Allure Queen powers up. (3000→5000 ATK)
"5000 Attack Points. Impressive." Blue Maiden complimented.
"And it gets better. When I have Allure Palace, if you even try to destroy my Allure Queen with an attack or ability, not only is my queen safe from destruction, but one of your monsters is destroyed in her place." Queen said. "And even if you do summon a monster anyway, Allure Dance forces it to attack Golden Allure Queen, which is the strongest monster in play."
"A combo like that puts me in quite a bind." Blue Maiden mused. "But that doesn't mean I can't find my way around it."
"Easier said than done. I equip Golden Allure Queen with this: Allure Crown!" Queen activates a new Spell card. It depicts a platinum crown studded with shimmering diamonds and jewels. "Not only does this crown give my queen some bedazzling bling, but it also protects her from any Spell or Trap you use against her. And if she destroys a Link monster in a battle, it can attack again."
"So even if I use my Spells and Traps, it's useless against Golden Allure Queen?"
"Exactly! So, go ahead and attack me, if you can." Queen ends her turn.
Turn 2: Blue Maiden (4000)
"Oh, I will!" Blue Maiden draws her card. She looks at her hand and sees a few new Marincess cards.
"I summon Marincess Blue Tang!" Her monster wears a beautiful dress that resembles a blue tang. (Level 4/1500/1200)
"Marincess? I was expecting you to use your Trickstars." Queen spoke.
"These cards represent someone who became very close to me, and these cards will help me win! And it starts with Blue Tang! Her special ability lets me send one Marincess in my deck to the Graveyard. I think I'll send this Marincess Sea Horse to the Graveyard." She places the card into the Graveyard.
"And I think I'll use Blue Tang to build my Circuit!" Blue Maiden declares as the link portal appears. "I set Blue Tang in the Link Arrow." Blue Tang enters the portal, lighting up the down Link Arrow. "I Link Summon! Link-1 Marincess Blue Slug!" Her Link Monster is a girl wearing a blue dress, and her hair resembles a sea slug. (1500/↓)
"And since Blue Tang was used to Link Summon, I can check the top three cards of my deck for a Marincess card and I can add one of them to my hand while the rest go back into my deck." She checks the three cards, revealed to her as Marincess Sea Star, Marincess Snow, and a new Marincess card called Marincess Bubble Wall. She picks Marincess Sea Star while the other two return to the deck.
"And Blue Slug has her own ability. She lets me retrieve Sea Horse in my Graveyard and add her to my hand." She takes Sea Horse out of the Graveyard. "And I can summon Marincess Sea Horse next to Blue Slug's Link!" Her blue-garbed girl with seahorse-like shoulder pads appears. (Level 3/1400/1000)
"I must say, Blue Maiden's playing style is intriguing." Bishop commented.
"Yes, but even her best monster won't be enough against those Allure Queens." Knight noted.
"Who said I was done? Now I'll rebuild the circuit!" The Link Portal appears again. "I set Blue Slug and Sea Horse in the Link Arrows." The left and down arrows light up once the monsters enter them. "I Link Summon Link-2 Marincess Coral Anemone!" Her next Link Monster is another girl whose blue and white dress has anemone-like sleeves. (2000/←↓)
"Link Summon as many times as you want, your monsters will pale in comparison to my queens." Queen smirked.
"We'll see about that when I use Coral Anemone's ability to revive a Water monster from my Graveyard, so come on back, Blue Slug!" Blue Maiden tells her as Blue Slug resurfaces. (1500/↓)
"Now I can Link Summon for a third time. The summoning conditions require at least 2 Water monsters. I set Blue Slug and Coral Anemone in the Link Arrows!" Blue Slug and Coral Anemone enter the portal, lighting up the left, right, and down arrows. "I Link Summon! Link-3 Marincess Marbled Rock!" Her Link-3 monster is a woman with spiky, dark blue hair in a shell-like dress with long, claw-like nails. (2500/←↓→)
"Your Marbled Rock is powerful, but she doesn't stand a chance against my Allure Queens." Queen reminded her. "In case you forgot, my Allure Dance can force your monster to battle Golden Allure Queen."
"I haven't forgotten, but my turn's far from over. Since I used Coral Anemone to Link Summon, her special ability activates, letting me take a Marincess back from my Graveyard." She grabs Marincess Sea Horse from the Graveyard.
"She's not wasting any time." Knight commented.
"It's no wonder she's Zaizen's sister." Bishop noted.
Blue Maiden reveals the Marincess Sea Horse she just added to her hand. "Since I added a Marincess monster to my hand, I can summon the Tuner Monster Marincess Betta!" Her new monster is a girl with orange hair that resembles the Siamese fighting fish in a blue dress. (Level 3/900/900)
"A Tuner Monster?" Queen gasped.
"This is no ordinary Tuner Monster, Queen." Blue Maiden told her. "I can use Betta along with at least one other Marincess in my hand to Synchro Summon a Water monster."
"Since when do you Synchro Summon!?" Queen said in shock.
"If you've been traveling around with a hero like Playmaker, you pick up a few new things from him. Like this one!" Marincess Sea Horse appears beside Betta.
The area around her darkens as her Duel Disk glows green. "Level 3 Marincess Betta tunes Level 3 Marincess Sea Horse!" Both monsters dissipate into energy, forming into sets of rings. Betta's rings are green, while Sea Horse's are purple. Their Levels are displayed in a tag pointing to their rings. They change into a bright blue color before merging into a thin ring, later splitting into six identical rings. A series of small rectangles appear and rotate counterclockwise forming a sort of tunnel. Another display shows the two monsters' Levels before they're replaced by the Synchro Monster's Level. The camera flashes back to Blue Maiden.
"The seas of change unite together to illuminate the shadows and shine the light of victory!" Blue Maiden chants before a pillar of light shines behind her. "I Synchro Summon! Level 6 Marincess Stargazer!" Her new Synchro Monster is a woman in a white dress with blue shooting stars on it and her aqua blue hair has a sea star clip. (Level 6/2300/1500)
"So what? You might have a new monster, but it's still weaker than my Queen." Queen told her.
"We'll see about that. Since I Synchro Summoned Stargazer, I can summon a Marincess from my Graveyard. Come on back, Coral Anemone!" Coral Anemone resurfaces next to Stargazer. (2000/←↓)
"Now I send Marincess Sea Star from my hand to the Graveyard to activate her ability." Her card disappears from her hand. "Now my Marincess Marbled Rock gains 800 ATK until the end of the turn." Marbled Rock glows blue briefly as its power jumps up. (ATK: 2500→3300)
"Now I use Marbled Rock's ability to retrieve Sea Star from my Graveyard." She retrieves Sea Star from the Graveyard. "And the best thing about Sea Star is that I can use her ability twice, meaning Marbled Rock gains even more ATK." She discards Sea Star again. Marbled Rock powers up again. (ATK: 3300→4100)
"Now my Marbled Rock is powerful enough to help me win." Blue Maiden declares her move. "But first, I activate Marincess Battle Ocean, raising their ATK by 200." Marbled Rock's ATK rose to 4300, Stargazer's to 2500 and Coral Anemone's to 2200.
"Not bad, but I can use Allure Dance to force your Marbled Rock to attack Golden Allure Queen first."
"Drat! The Queen has outmaneuvered Blue Maiden." Rook said.
"I had a feeling you'd do that." Blue Maiden smirked.
"Hm?"
"I activate Marincess Stargazer's special ability! By discarding one card, your monster loses ATK equal to Marbled Rock's ATK until the battle's over." Stargazer unleashes a flurry of shooting stars that surround Golden Allure Queen. (ATK: 5000→700)
Queen winced in shock.
"Now Marbled Rock, attack Golden Allure Queen! Submerging Slash!" Marbled Rock charges towards Golden Allure Queen.
"If you're going to beat me that easily, you're sorely mistaken! Allure Crown has another effect. By sending it to the Graveyard, I take no damage from this battle." Golden Allure Queen takes off the crown and uses it to create a barrier around her.
"And don't forget that I still have Allure Palace out, meaning I can use my Golden Allure Queen's special ability." Marbled Rock strikes the barrier. "Since your monster battled my Allure Queen, your Marbled Rock is sunk!" The barrier fires a beam of light towards Marbled Rock.
"That's just what I wanted."
"Huh?"
"I activate Marincess Wave from my hand!" Blue Maiden plays a Trap card from her hand. "Normally, I can't use it this way, but since Marbled Rock is a Link-3 monster, I can. Since I have a Marincess Link monster out, one of your monster's special abilities are negated and I choose your Golden Allure Queen!"
"No!"
"Not so regal now, are you?" The beam stops and dissipates.
"And now your Allure Queen loses its power boost." Golden Allure Queen glows red briefly (ATK: 5000→3000)
"It may not have its power anymore, but it still has 3000 Attack Points, and I still have Allure Dance, which forces your monsters to battle."
"Not for long. I activate another Trap from my hand: Marincess Pressure!" Blue Maiden plays a new Marincess card. "Since there's a Marincess Link monster, I can banish one of your monsters, but since Coral Anemone and Marbled Rock are Link-2 or higher, I can banish two instead!"
"What?!"
"With that, those Queens are losing their crowns." Bishop commented.
Blue Maiden's Trap releases a torrent of water, destroying both Allure Queens.
"She may have got rid of my Queens, but as soon as she attacks, I can use my Skill, Power Possession to recover from whatever attack she throws at me and play a Trap from anywhere, even if that card's not in my deck." Queen thought in her head as she eyed Blue Maiden. "And once my next turn comes, I'll use my Spell Allure Throne to bring back my LV7 Allure Queen and give her 500 extra ATK for every Allure Queen in my Graveyard, which will give me the strength I need to win this duel and silence this brat for good."
"I activate the Trap Marincess Cascade!" Blue Maiden plays her Trap, surprising the Queen. "By banishing Marincess Link monsters on my field, I can power up another monster by 300 for every Link Arrow they had." Marbled Rock and Coral Anemone disappear in a burst of blue pixels. "Marbled Rock is Link-3 and Coral Anemone is Link-2, so my Marincess Stargazer gains 1500 Attack Points. The spirits of Marbled Rock and Coral Anemone join with Stargazer, powering her up. (ATK: 2500→4000)
"T-This is impossible!"
"Think what you like, this is the end! Marincess Stargazer, attack and dethrone the Queen once and for all! Shooting Star Shower!"
Marincess Stargazer fires a flurry of stars at the Queen. She yells in pain as she crashes onto the meeting room floor. (Queen: 4000→0)
"And that is how the Queen lost her castle." Bishop said.
"I never thought you'd play those cards like that." Queen said.
"So, what do you say, Queen? Will you and the Higher Ups help us?"
"I did say that we'll support you throughout the tournament, and it hurts to admit this, but I'm a woman of my word." Queen admitted. "I better inform the Kings."
"That won't be necessary." She hears a voice from behind her. The Kings appear in full view. The Yellow King is an elderly man wearing glasses and a white suit. The Blue King is a tall man with purple hair wearing a blue suit. The Red King is a bit shorter than the Blue King and has short orange hair wearing a black suit with a red tie.
"Oh my. The Kings." Bishop said.
"It's rare to see them in person." Knight added.
"So, you three are the company's biggest shareholders." Blue Maiden deduced.
"That's correct." The Blue King confirmed.
"We saw enough of the duel, and when you took down the Queen, we knew it was in our best interest to assist you in any way possible." The Yellow King said.
"What!?" Queen gasped.
"Ms. Zaizen, did your brother send you for our aid?" The Red King asked.
"Actually, it was someone called Ai."
"Wait, Ai? You mean the Dark Ignis? The same one I sent The Gore to capture?" Queen realized.
"Yes. I take it you have some history with him."
"Let's just say he and I… got acquainted."
"If by 'acquainted', you mean he beat you and stole your code key, then I say you did." Blue Maiden noted, earning a chilling glare from the Queen. "Anyway, I better head back and deliver the good news." Blue Maiden turns and leaves the Higher Ups alone. The Queen glares at the Three Kings.
"Do not be upset. She has proven herself worthy of our assistance." Blue King admitted. "Besides, Zaizen would've done the same in her shoes, wouldn't he?" Queen stood silent.
Blue Maiden left the SOL Technologies building. "Ai, it's done. The Higher Ups have joined our side."
"Perfect. I'll send Soulburner to pick you up."
"I'll be waiting at the main plaza." Blue Maiden said but just as she disconnected, a flash grenade rolled in front of her. It detonates, nearly blinding her. Three troopers rush in and knock out Blue Maiden. All she could see was purple armor before passing out.
OC Cards
Marincess Betta
WATER/Cyberse/Tuner/Effect
ATK: 900/DEF: 900
If you added a "Marincess" monster to your hand this turn: You can Special Summon this card from your hand. You can only Special Summon "Marincess Betta" once per turn this way. If this card would be used as Synchro Material for a WATER monster, "Marincess" monster(s) in your hand can be used as non-Tuner Synchro Materials. A WATER monster Special Summoned using this card as a material gains this effect:
At the start of the Damage Step, if this card battles: You gain LP equal to the ATK of your opponent's monster.
Marincess Stargazer
WATER/Cyberse/Synchro/Effect
ATK: 2300/DEF: 1500
1 WATER Tuner + 1+ non-Tuner monsters
If this card is Synchro Summoned: You can target 1 "Marincess" monster in your GY; Special Summon it. During the Damage Step, if a "Marincess" monster battles (Quick Effect): You can discard 1 card; The opponent's monster it is battling loses ATK equal to the current ATK of your battling monster until the end of the Damage Step. If this Synchro Summoned card is sent from the field to the GY: You can target 1 "Marincess" card in your GY; add it to your hand, also, monsters your opponent controls lose 1000 ATK. You can only use each effect of "Marincess Stargazer" once per turn.
Marincess Bubble Wall
Continuous Spell Card
Your opponent cannot declare direct attacks. The first time your "Marincess" monsters that would be destroyed by battle each turn, is not destroyed. Once per turn, during your Standby Phase, pay 1000 LP, or destroy this card.
Marincess Pressure
Normal Trap Card
If you control a "Marincess" Link monster: You can target 1 monster your opponent controls; banish it. If you control a Link-2 or higher "Marincess" Link Monster, you can target up to 2 monsters instead. If you control a Link-3 or higher "Marincess" monster, you can activate this card from your hand.
Allure Crown
Equip Spell Card
Equip this card only to an "Allure Queen" monster. The equipped monster is unaffected by your opponent's Spell and Trap Cards. If the equipped monster destroys an opponent's Link Monster in battle, it can declare a second attack in a row. If your monster battles an opponent's Link Monster, you can send this card to the GY; you take no battle damage from that battle.
Allure Throne
Equip Spell Card
Target 1 "Allure Queen" Monster in your GY: Special Summon it and Equip this card to it. The equipped monster gains 500 ATK for every other "Allure Queen" monster in your GY. If this card is destroyed, destroy the equipped monster.