Chapter 17: Clash of the AI
Our heroes had been confronted by Lightning and Bohman, the former having reincarnated as a human. The reason they returned is that Bohman wanted revenge for his defeat against Playmaker. But Playmaker decided to make a wager: Ai duels Bohman while Playmaker takes on Lightning. They win, and Playmaker will surrender the Ignis to Lightning. They lose, and they must join Playmaker and his allies. First off is Ai against Bohman.
Ai: 4000 LP
VS
Bohman: 4000 LP
"If you believe you are capable of defeating me, you are as mistaken as Playmaker." Bohman glared.
"Oh, I can, and I'll prove it." Ai begins the duel.
Turn 1: Ai (4000)
"To start, I'll activate the Field Spell Ignister AILand." Ai activates his Field Spell.
"A Field Spell on the first turn. Intriguing." Bohman commented.
"Believe me, you haven't seen anything yet." Ai said. "Since I have no monsters in my Main Monster Zones, I can use Ignister AILand to summon any Level 4 or below Ignister from my hand. The only drawback is I can no longer use my Field Spell to summon monsters with the same Attribute as the one I summon. Come, Pikari Ignister." He summons a yellow blob with orange, blue, and purple markings and an irregular blue ring on the left side of its white hat. (Level 4/1200/600)
"A Cyberse monster. Interesting."
"This is just the opening act. I activate Pikari's special ability." Ai said. "Since I successfully summoned, Pikari, I get to add an AI Spell or Trap in my deck to my hand." A card slips out of his deck and he places it in his hand.
"Next, I'll create my circuit!" The Arrowhead portal opens. "I set Pikari in the Link Arrow." Pikari turns into a yellow hurricane and enters the down-left arrow, lighting it up. "I Link Summon! Link-1 Linguriboh!" The result of his Link Summon is a mean-looking version of Linkuriboh. (300/↙)
"Now that my Main Monster Zone is empty once again, I can use my Field Spell to summon another Ignister: Achichi." A red blob with purple and grey markings appears. The ring symbol is seen on its top horn. (Level 2/800/800)
"And Achichi has its own ability, which lets me retrieve an Ignister in my deck to my hand." Another card slips out of Ai's deck and he places it in his hand.
"Next, I summon Doyon Ignister." A purple blob with white, yellow, and pink marking with the blue symbol on its tail appears. (Level 4/400/1600)
"Doyon's special ability lets me retrieve an Ignister in my Graveyard to my hand." He retrieves Pikari.
"No matter how many monsters you summon, what I have planned won't be enough." Bohman glared.
"That's because I'm not yet done. Now, the pieces are in place for me to Link Summon once again. The summoning conditions require three different monsters." Doyon, Achichi, and Linguriboh enter the Arrowhead portal, lighting the entire bottom row of arrows.
"Finally, it's time to unleash a monster forged from the darkest depths of the shadows! Striking fear into all who witness its majestic might! I Link Summon! Link-3 Dark Templar Ignister!" A corrupted version of Decode Talker emerges. The blue ring symbol appears on its left shoulder. (2300/↙↓↘)
"Hey, doesn't that look like Decode Talker?" Yuya asked.
"I think so, Yuya." Yusei said. "But it may have some powers of its own."
"Our spectator is right. And I'll show you by activating Ignister AILand's effect again to summon Bururu Ignister." A green blob with white, orange, and dark green marks appeared, with the same symbol seen on its left ear. (Level 3/600/1000)
"And doing so activates Dark Templar's special ability!" Ai declares. "If a monster is summoned next to one of Dark Templar's Links, I can summon any Level 4 or lower Ignisters from my Graveyard next to his other two links, as long as I negate their abilities. Come on back, Doyon and Achichi!" The purple and red blobs appear. (Achichi: Level 2/800/800; Doyon: Level 4/400/1600)
"So now, I can now use them to Link Summon once again. This time, the summoning conditions are at least 2 Cyberses." Bururu, Achichi, and Doyon enter the portal, lighting up the left, right, and down arrows. "From the infernal blaze that gave rise to the universe comes a monster that scorches all who cross its path! Rise up from the flames! Link-3 Fire Phoenix Ignister!" The result of the Link summon is a red phoenix with blazing wings and blue markings. The symbol is seen in its center gem. (2300/←↓→)
"You may have summoned two Link Monsters, but it'll take more than that to defeat me." Bohman challenged.
"You're right, Bohman. It's a good thing I have this card, then." Ai revealed a card to his opponent. "And I'm sure it's a card that should be familiar to you." He reveals the card as Judgment Arrows, surprising Bohman. Lightning looked towards Ai and Bohman's duel and saw the former's card.
"Judgment Arrows..." Lightning said.
"You never told me you had that card!" Bohman shouted.
"You never asked." Ai said. "As to how I got this card, I have your data to thank for it."
"My data?"
"You were the reason I had turned against humanity after you absorbed the others into your code." Ai said. "But after Playmaker beat me, the truth showed me that both sides are right. Lightning and Dr. Kogami discovered that the humans and Ignis couldn't coexist. It was through Lightning's simulations that he discovered that only he is the reason humans and Ignis can't coexist, and it was because of this secret that the war against humanity began. If only Lightning's code wasn't corrupted…"
"Well, the past is the past, and you and I have a score to settle." Bohman said.
"That is correct, and now's the time to play the spell that brought the Cyberse to its knees!" Ai activates Judgment Arrows (↖↑↗). The spell emerges from a dark twister right behind Fire Phoenix. "And thanks to Judgment Arrows, if a monster next to its Link battles, then that monster's Attack Points are doubled during damage."
"I see. Even if I summon my most powerful monster and attack Fire Phoenix, its attack points will double."
"That's right. I'd show you what my other tricks are, but for now, I'll place this face-down and end my turn." Ai's turn ends with a single face-down card.
Turn 2: Bohman (4000)
"An impressive turn, but I can do better. I draw!" Bohman draws his card.
"With his Fire Phoenix in the Main Monster Zone, my summoning of Hydradrive Booster is limited. Thankfully, there's more than one way to bring out powerful monsters."
"I activate Hydradrive Scabbard!" Bohman starts with a Spell card. "It lets me summon a Hydradrive Token to my field." Bohman's monster is a reptilian-like creature. (Level 1/0/0)
"And I'll use it to generate my circuit!" He uses the Token to Link Summon right away. It enters the portal, lighting up the down arrow. "I Link summon Link 1 Burn Hydradrive!" The result of his Link summon is a red snake with orange wings and the emblem is on its head. (1000/↓)
"Next, I'll activate the Spell Hydradrive Rebuild! It allows me to destroy my Burn Hydradrive." Burn Hydradrive explodes.
"Strange, why would he play a Spell that destroys his monster?" Yuma asked.
"Because of its special ability." Aqua said. "When it's destroyed, Burn Hydradrive can summon a Hydradrive Token in Defense Mode."
"Our spectator has hit the nail on the head." Bohman confirmed. "Burn Hydradrive summons a Hydradrive Token the instant it's destroyed." A Hydradrive Token appears. (Level 1/0/0)
"And thanks to Hydradrive Rebuild, I can summon Burn Hydradrive back from my Grave as long as I negate its abilities." Burn Hydradrive emerges from the Graveyard. (1000/↓)
"And I'll use this new Token to generate my circuit!" He uses the Token to Link Summon. The down arrow lights up on the portal. "I Link Summon! Link-1 Dusk Hydradrive!" His Link Monster is a dark purple snake creature with small bat wings, resembling Burn Hydradrive. (1000/↓)
"I've never seen that kind of monster before." Ai commented.
"Only because I never played it." Bohman countered. "But enough of that. I activate another Hydradrive Rebuild and destroy Dusk Hydradrive!" Dusk Hydradrive explodes.
"And just like Burn Hydradrive, should Dusk Hydradrive be destroyed, I can summon a Hydradrive Token in Defense Mode." Another Token appears on the field. "And Hydradrive Rebuild resummons Dusk Hydradrive back from my Grave!" Dusk Hydradrive returns to the field. (1000/↓)
"I feel like I have seen this strategy before." Aqua commented.
"You have?" Yugi asked.
"When I helped Blue Maiden in her duel against Bohman's brother Harlin."
"She is correct. And this is the card that will grant me victory!" Bohman confirms as he activates the same card Ai had used earlier: Judgment Arrows (↖↑↗). "The Link Spell Judgment Arrows!"
"Impressive." Ai commented.
"Next, I'll use the Token to generate my circuit for a third time!" The portal opens again. The Hydradrive Token enters it, lighting up the down arrow. "I Link Summon Link-1 Flow Hydradrive!" He summons Flow Hydradrive right next to Burn and Dusk Hydradrive. (1000/↓)
"Hey! That's not fair! He can't summon that card there!" Yuma shouts. "There's no Link Arrow pointing to it!"
"You're wrong." Aqua corrected Yuma. "Judgment Arrows has its own Link Arrows, so he can summon them to three of his Main Monster Zones."
"So, with that Spell, he can summon any Link Monster he wants right next to Judgment Arrows." Yusei said.
"That's right, and I'll use two of them to generate my circuit!" The portal opens once more. Burn and Dusk Hydradrive enter the left and right arrows, respectively. "I Link Summon! Link 2 Twin Hydradrive Knight!" His Link Monster is a human in steel armor wielding two swords. The symbol is seen around his small waist. (1800/←→)
"A Link 2 monster. Well done, Bohman."
"And it gets even worse for you. Twin Hydradrive Knight's special ability activates!" Bohman declares his next move. "When I Link Summon Twin Hydradrive Knight, it gains the Attributes of the monsters that were used to Link Summon it. So now, my knight becomes a monster of Fire and Dark." The knight's left sword glows red and its right sword glows purple.
"This doesn't make any sense. Why would he summon a monster that gains multiple Attributes?" Yuya asked.
"Because it has another special ability." Aqua spoke. "As long as Twin Hydradrive Knight is out, it can negate the special abilities of any monster that share its Attribute."
"She is correct, but don't take my word for it. See for yourself! Twin Hydradrive Knight, dispel the abilities of Dark Templar and Fire Phoenix!" A red snake binds Fire Phoenix and a purple snake snares Dark Templar, nullifying their powers.
"That is so bad!" Jaden said.
"And it gets worse. Thanks to Judgment Arrows, the Attack Points of Bohman's knight doubles during damage." Aqua added.
"Next, I'll summon Hydradrive Spawner." His new Hydradrive resembles a clutch of eggs with the emblem in its center. (Level 2/500/500)
"And I'll use it to generate my circuit once again. I set Hydradrive Spawner in the Link Arrow. I Link Summon Link 1 Alteration Hydradrive!" He summons a shaman with dark red robes and a disheveled beard. Its scepter has a four-pointed star at the top. (0/↘)
"And when I use my Hydradrive Spawner to Link Summon, I get another Hydradrive Token." Another Hydradrive Token appears. (Level 1/0/0)
"He's summoning so many Link Monsters. What's he planning?" Jaden asked.
"For once, I'm a little afraid to find out." Yuya added.
"Next, I activate Alteration Hydradrive's ability! It lets me choose a Hydradrive on my field and if any of those in my Graveyard have fewer Links than the monster I chose, I can summon as many as I desire. Since Twin Hydradrive is Link 2, I can summon Link 1 Burn and Dusk Hydradrive from my Graveyard." Burn and Dusk Hydradrive emerge from the grave. (Burn & Dusk: 1000/↓)
"However, in exchange, I must destroy Twin Hydradrive Knight." Twin Hydradrive Knight explodes.
"That doesn't make sense. Why would he destroy his Link 2 monster just for a pair of Link 1s?" Yusei asked as the auras around Dark Templar and Fire Phoenix dissipate.
"Now, I use this Token to generate my circuit!" The portal opens again. It enters the down arrow. I Link Summon Link 1 Coolant Hydradrive!" A blue snake creature emerges. (1000/↓)
"He summoned five Link 1 Monsters in just a single turn." Jaden noted. "Why would he do that?"
"My guess, he's planning to summon his most powerful monster." Aqua spoke. This gained the others' attention.
"Ultimate monster?" Yuya asked.
"Yes, and that monster is Link 5."
"Whoa! Link 5?!" Yuma gasps.
"Yes. Look at the monsters' Attributes." Aqua said as she begins naming them one by one. "Burn Hydradrive is Fire. Coolant Hydradrive is Water. Flow Hydradrive is Wind. Alteration Hydradrive is Earth. And lastly, Dusk Hydradrive is Dark."
"She's right to caution you. I have evolved over the years, and now's the time I show you the results! Prepare yourself, Ai, as I generate my optimal circuit!" The portal opens once more. "The summoning conditions require 5 Link Monsters with different Attributes! I set all 5 of my Hydradrives in the Link Arrows!" Burn, Coolant, Flow, Dusk, and Alteration Hydradrive enter the portal, illuminating the left, right, down, down-left, and down-right arrows. "Witness the greatest Link Summoning ever! Link 5 Chimera Hydradrive Dragrid!" The result of the Link Summon is a gigantic seven-headed hydra with six of the heads having a different colored star mark on its forehead and a larger one in its underbelly. (4000/←↙↓↘→)
"Whoa! That thing is humongous!" Yuya yelped.
"You haven't seen what it's capable of. Chimera Hydradrive Dragid's special ability activates. When it's summoned from my Extra Deck, it gains a Hydradrive Counter." The gem on the center head glows.
"It's been so long since I've seen that monster. It'd be so fun to destroy it." Ai said.
"I'll defeat you before you even get the chance." Bohman declares. "I activate the Equip Spell Hydradrive Cannon! By equipping this cannon to my Chimera Hydradrive Dragrid, it gains 600 Attack Points for every Hydradrive monster in my Graveyard."
"There are currently 7 Hydradrives in his Graveyard. That means his Dragrid gains 4200 points!" Yusei pointed out. Chimera Hydradrive Dragrid is armed with a powerful cannon that supercharges his attack strength. (4000→8200)
"His Dragrid is powerful enough to take it down in a single attack!" Yuya yelled.
"Chimera Hydradrive Dragrid, destroy Dark Templar Ignister!" Bohman commands his creature to attack. The hydra's cannons take aim at Dark Templar. They fire a large purple energy beam straight at it.
"Watch out, Ai!" Jaden yelled.
"Relax, there's no violence in this performance. I activate A.I.'s Show!" Ai springs his Trap Card. "When your monster attacks me, I can stop that attack and end the battle." A barrier surrounds Dark Templar, deflecting the attack.
"No!" Bohman shouts.
"And there's more. I can summon as many non-Link Cyberse monsters that have 2300 Attack Points from my Extra Deck next to my Link Monsters' Links, given that their combined Attack Points are lower than your monster's Attack Points!" Ai added. "I choose to summon three Ignisters! Rise up, Earth Golem, Wind Pegasus, and Light Dragon!" Ai's three monsters emerge beside Dark Templar and Fire Phoenix.
The Fusion Monster is a gigantic rock golem with the symbol on its chest. (Level 7/2300/2000)
The Synchro Monster is a white Pegasus with flowing green flames on its wings, mane, and hooves. The symbol is seen on the jewel in its chest. (Level 7/2300/1500)
Finally, the Xyz Monster is a shimmering gold dragon with the same symbol on its chest plate. (Rank 4/2300/1500)
"Did you see that?" Jaden asked. "He just summoned three new monsters with just one card."
"I'm aware of that, Jaden." Yuma said.
"To think you would be able to stop my strongest attack with just one card." Bohman admitted. "Just what is it you're aiming for?" He finishes his turn with a face-down card.
Turn 3: Ai (4000)
"You'll find out soon enough. I draw." Ai draws his card. "First, I activate A.I. Mine. For every Ignister Link Monster that's Link 3 or higher, I can draw a card. Since I have Dark Templar and Fire Phoenix, which are both Link 3, I can draw two new cards."
Ai looks at his two new cards and smile. "How about that! I just got everything I needed!"
Ai's words earned a clueless stare from Bohman. "Since there's an Ignister on my field, I can summon my turquoise teardrop: Hiyari Ignister." His monster is a teardrop-shaped turquoise blob with yellow and green marks on its body and the ring symbol on its pink forehead. (Level 1/300/400)
"Next, by tributing my Fire Phoenix, I can activate Hiyari's ability!" Ai declares as Fire Phoenix disappears. "Now I can add a Level 5 or higher Ignister in my deck to my hand and Hiyari's Level rises to 4." A card slips out of his deck and he reveals it as Water Leviathan Ignister. "I choose my Water Leviathan." Hiyari glows green briefly (Level 1→4)
"A Ritual monster? What's the point on getting that in your hand?" Bohman questioned.
"Because of Hiyari's other ability. If I tribute a Link Monster to use Hiyari's ability, I can add A.I.'s Ritual to my hand." Another card slips out of his deck and he shows it to Bohman.
"Next, I'll activate A.I.'s Ritual! It allows me to summon a Ritual Monster with monsters from my field or hand." Ai activates his Ritual spell. "Of course, if have an Ignister on my field, I can banish monsters from my Graveyard as well. I tribute Level 4 Hiyari and banish Level 3 Bururu." Hiyari and Bururu appear on a forming circle. The two monsters turn into seven flames that disintegrate into the sky before entering the circle.
"This ferocious dragon awakens from the deepest trenches to flood the world with fear! I Ritual Summon! Water Leviathan Ignister!" Ai's Ritual Monster emerges from the water. It is a sea serpent with a purple gem in its forehead bearing the symbol. (Level 7/2300/2000)
"He traded in a monster of fire for one of water. What could he be doing?"
"And now, I activate the spell AIdle Reborn, which allows me to revive an Ignister in my Graveyard. Rise once more, Fire Phoenix!" Ai's Fire Phoenix emerges from the Graveyard. (2300/←↓→)
"Six monsters with six different attributes?!" Yuma was in shock.
"Amazing! He's done something not even we could do." Yusei commented.
"So, you have six different monsters, that's nothing. My Dragrid has 8200 Attack Points. And even if you do attack it, Judgment Arrows will double its strength to 16,400 points." Bohman reminded him.
"True, but what if I told you that I have a monster that requires the energies of six monsters?"
"You're bluffing! There's no such card!" Bohman accused Ai of bluffing.
"Ai's not the guy who'd joke about it. I saw that monster with my own eyes." Playmaker spoke.
"What's that? You saw Ai's monster before?" Bohman asked.
"That's right and beating it will not be as easy as you claim." Playmaker informed Bohman.
"He's right to warn you. But don't take my word for it. See for yourself!" Ai declares. "I have everything I need to build my circuit!" The arrowhead portal opens. "The summoning conditions require at least 2 monsters with 1500 or more Attack Points with different Attributes. I set Fire Phoenix, Water Leviathan, Wind Pegasus, Earth Golem, Light Dragon, and Dark Templar in the Link Arrows!" Each of the six monsters enter the portal, lighting up the up, left, right, down-right, down, and down-left arrows.
"I Link Summon! The energies of the six unite as one! The superior, strong, splendid, stunning, super, super-super Link Monster! The one that rules above all! Link 6 The Arrival Cyberse Ignister!" Ai's ultimate monster is massive dark purple humanoid with rings forming its body and two large rings connecting to the back of its body. Its weapon is a dual sword with a sickle blade. (?/↑←↙↓↘→)
"Impossible! How could you have a Link 6 monster!?" Bohman gasps in complete horror.
"Remember when I told you that your code was how I got Judgment Arrows?" Ai asked. "Well, it was giving that code a bit of an upgrade that helped me obtain this monster."
"You enhanced my code for a monster whose Attack Points are unknown?" Bohman asked.
"Not entirely unknown, for they become equal to the number of Link Materials used multiplied by 1000. With 6 monsters, that means The Arrival's Attack Points rise to 6000!" Ai explains as the spirits of each of the six monsters unite into The Arrival, intensifying its power. (ATK: ?→6000)
"And it also gains 1000 more Attack Points for every card I have in play." Ai continued.
"With three cards, that means The Arrival's Attack Points become 9000!" Yuya said as The Arrival's Attack Points rise even more. (ATK: 6000→9000)
"Your monster is powerful, but what's the point of summoning it if it won't do a thing? I activate my Dragrid's special ability! I use its counter to roll a die. Go, Judgment Dice! By returning my Chimera Hydradrive Dragrid to my Extra Deck, I can summon a Chimera Hydradrive Draghead with the same attribute as the result." An energy orb appears in Bohman's hands and a six-sided die tumbles within it. Each of the six sides has a different symbol that represent an Attribute. The die stops on the fire symbol. "The symbol I rolled is Fire. Which means I can summon Chimera Hydradrive Draghead – Flame!" The center head powers down, and the red hydra head takes its place. (4000/↖↑↗→↘)
"I've seen it only one other time and it still irks me seeing you use Flame's power." Ai glared.
"Then, I'm sure you remember what Draghead Flame can do. It destroys all the monsters that aren't linked to it. The Arrival will have to depart!" The Flame Draghead blasts the Arrival with a mighty fireball. It strikes The Arrival, creating a veil of smoke.
"Aw man! That was Ai's best card!" Yuma shouted.
"This duel is over." Bohman smirks. But his expression changed from a look of confidence to one of shock. Once the smoke cleared, he saw that The Arrival is still standing. "What?! How is your monster still standing?"
"Oh, I may have forgot to mention that I can place a counter on The Arrival. By doing that, The Arrival can't be affected by any other card effect." Ai pointed out.
Bohman growls. "At least my move wasn't a complete waste. When Hydradrive Cannon is sent to the Graveyard, I can banish a Hydradrive monster from my Graveyard. By doing so, I can return it to the top of my deck, ready to use on my next turn."
"Next turn? Sorry, Bohman, but there isn't going to be a next turn." Ai countered.
"Huh?"
"The Arrival has one more ability. I can instantly destroy one of your monsters."
"NO!" Bohman gasps in horror as his Draghead explodes.
"And by destroying your monster, I get an Ignister Token." A droplet blob with the ring symbol appears. (Level 1/0/0)
"And with another card on the field, The Arrival gains another 1000 points." The Arrival gains even more power. (9000→10000)
"10,000 Attack Points?!" Bohman yelled in total fear.
"That's right, and it's about to put them all to good use. The Arrival Cyberse Ignister, attack Bohman directly!" Ai commanded his trump card to attack. "Ultima Attribution!" The Arrival conjures an energy sword and brings it down onto Bohman. Bohman yells in agony as he is sent crashing on the sandy ground. (Bohman: 4000→0)
"Unbelievable." Yuma said in awe.
"He defeated Bohman with a single attack." Astral noted.
"Well, Bohman? Now do you understand what's at stake?" Ai asked Bohman.
"You may have defeated me, Ai, but Playmaker does not stand a chance against Lightning."
"Well now, we'll just see about that, shall we?" Ai said as they watched Playmaker's duel against Lightning.
Fan-Made/OC Cards
Dusk Hydradrive
Dark
Cyberse/Link/Effect
ATK: 1000/Link 1
Link Arrows: ↓
1 "Hydradrive" monster
Cannot be used as material for the Link Summon of a Link 1 monster. If your opponent controls a DARK monster, this card can attack directly. If this card is destroyed by battle or card effect: You can Special Summon 1 "Hydradrive Token" (Cyberse/EARTH/Level 1/ATK 0/DEF 0) in Defense Position.
Hydradrive Spawner
Earth
Cyberse/Effect
Level 2
ATK: 500/DEF: 500
If this card is used as Link Material for a Link Summon of a "Hydradrive" monster: You can Special Summon 1 "Hydradrive Token" (Cyberse/EARTH/Level 1/ATK 0/DEF 0) to your side of the field in Defense Position. If this card is in your GY: You can target 1 "Hydradrive" or "Property" card you control; Special Summon this card, then destroy the targeted card, but banish this card when it leaves the field. You can only use this effect of "Hydradrive Spawner" once per turn.
Hydradrive Cannon
Equip Spell
Equip only onto a Link 4 or higher "Hydradrive" monster. The equipped monster gains 600 ATK for every "Hydradrive" monster in your GY. If this card is sent to your GY, you can banish 1 "Hydradrive" monster from your GY: return this card to the top of your Deck. You can only use this effect of "Hydradrive Cannon" once per turn.