Roxy's Reports 13: Playmaker and Percival
At Café Matsuo, late afternoon, in the kitchen...
"Come on, work you silly laptop!" Roxy begged, looking at her laptop. Right now, she and Herald were about to start a FaceTime chat with Yusaku and Kusanagi using ChatSecure. Meanwhile, Yuhiro was upstairs, doing his homework.
She turned to Herald. "I honestly can't believe Progleo has a fixation with squirrels."
"Well, it could be worse." Herald replied, briefly turning his head to Roxy before turning it back to look at the tablet in his hand. Right now, he was playing the Gravity Guy IOS game on Yuhiro's tablet to see if he could beat his high score. "Almost there, Gravity Guy. Get to the end of the-."
"And that's enough game time for now." Roxy said, grabbing the tablet from Herald's hands. As a result, the Gravity Guy that he had been controlling until now ended up falling upwards into the sky, causing Herald to lose the level.
"NOOOOOOO!" Herald cried out. "And I was so close too!"
"Yo, Roxy. Can you hear me?"
Roxy and Herald both turned to the laptop screen, and was greeted by Kusanagi, Yusaku, and Ai on the other end of the feed. The background was the interior of Café Nagi.
"I can hear and see you," Roxy said, smiling. "Can you hear and see me?"
"Loud and clear." Kusanagi responded.
"You can hear me too, right Herald?" Ai asked, appearing out of Yusaku's Duel Disk.
"Yes, Ai. I can hear you." Herald replied, putting a hand briefly to his face.
"Where's Furutani?" Yusaku asked.
"He's doing homework." Roxy answered. "And he's a bit tired too, as he ran after Progleo just two hours ago."
"Did something happen?"
"Progleo is a curious cub." Herald pointed out. "And he unfortunately has developed an interest with squirrels. To the point where, like a dog, he'll chase after them."
"But you can't blame Progleo!" Ai stated. "He's young."
"Yes, but he must learn, as he's in a new world after all." Herald responded.
"Okay, cut it out you two." Roxy interrupted. She then turned to Kusanagi and Yusaku. "All right, you guys ready to begin?"
"Yes," the two of them responded.
"Alrighty then." She then set up Yusaku's profile. "So, Fujiki. We already know your name both in the real world and in LINK VRAINS, so I've already put them down. How this works is I'll be asking you a series of questions, and rest assured, I'll keep my end of the deal. This chat will be deleted afterwards."
Yusaku nodded. "Ok. So what's your first question?"
"Is there any other aliases you go by, Fujiki?"
"Oh, that's easy!" Kusanagi said. "The people in LINK VRAINS call him their hero."
"But I'm not." Yusaku pointed out, turning to Kusanagi with a deadpan look.
"The Hanoi also call him a dark horse because they don't know much about him." Ai stated.
"And I intend to keep it that way, Ai." Yusaku said. "For everyone's safety."
"Oh, so you do care about people!" Ai responded, causing Yusaku to roll his eyes.
"You can tease him later, Ai." Herald said. "For now, I would like to ask Fujiki a question that's been on your mind."
Yusaku turned to the screen. "What is it, Herald?"
"I know you use a Cyberse deck, but I want to know it's main function. And if you have ace monsters, do tell me as well."
Yusaku thought about it for a minute before speaking. "The Cyberse deck doesn't have a theme to it, Herald. Rather, it's a mish-mash of different Cyberse monsters which work together so I can pull off consecutive Link Summons."
"But is there another strategy to it, like how Trickstars inflict burn damage, or how Goukis focus on beating up the opponent?"
"Afraid not." Yusaku answered. "As for my ace monsters, they would have to be two important ones that I got from the Data Storm."
"Through Storm Access of course!" Ai added. "Without little old me, Yusaku, you wouldn't have been able to fully utilize the Cyberse deck to the best of its abilities."
"Ai, I've used the deck long before I acquired you in my Duel Disk." Yusaku replied. "And I haven't lost a duel so far. No thanks to you."
"YOU WHAT?" both Roxy and Herald said at the same time.
"Hold on. Do you mean to tell me that Fujiki hasn't lost a single duel so far?" Roxy asked.
"Yup." Kusanagi confirmed. "Yusaku here is practically a dueling machine."
"In that case, Fujiki, you deserve the highest honor." She typed something on her computer. "You deserve an SSS, my friend."
"Huh?" Yusaku asked.
"It's a Duel Grade based on your skills as a duelist, with yours standing for Smokin' Sexy Style." Herald said.
"Oh. I see," was all Yusaku said in response.
"Anyway, now that we clarified your Duel Grade," Roxy said, "could you tell us about the two monsters you pulled from the Data Storm, as well as your Skill?"
"The first Link Monster I pulled from the Data Storm was Decode Talker," Yusaku began. "He helped me not only defeat the grunt of Hanoi, but also during my other duels as well."
"It's effect?"
"Gains 500 attack points for every monster it points to. If the opponent activates a card or effect that targets a card I control, I can tribute one monster Decode Talker points to, negate and destroy it."
"So Decode Talker is pretty efficient for a Link 3 monster. Not bad." Herald commented. "You said there was another monster?"
"Yes." Yusaku said. "Firewall Dragon, my Link 4 monster."
"Oh, let me tell them! Let me tell them!" Ai interrupted. "Yusaku here got Firewall Dragon during his Speed Duel against Revolver, and didn't bother to use it until-."
"It's rude to interrupt, Ai." Kusanagi stated, stopping Ai from talking.
"Firewall Dragon may have reasonable attack points," Yusaku continued over Ai, who was angry with Kusanagi, "but it's ability to return monsters from the Graveyard or Field back to the hand for each monster it's co-linked with makes it deadly."
"I see." Roxy typed this information down onto her computer. "Alright. Almost done. Now tell us about your Skill."
"Oh, that's simple!" Ai said. "When Yusaku's life points here at 1000 or less, he can obtain a Cyberse Link Monster from a nearby data storm. The stronger and more violent the storm, the stronger the monster."
"That's... actually true, Ai." Kusanagi said. He turned to Yusaku. "I've lost count as to how many times you went into the Data Storm. How many Cyberse monsters did you get from there?"
Yusaku shrugged his shoulders. "Who knows? As long as they help us get justice on the Hanoi, it doesn't matter in the end."
"Alright." Roxy said. "Yusaku Fujiki, allow me to-."
"Wait." Herald suddenly interrupted. "I want to put down some notes of mine into Fujiki's profile, as well as ask one more question. Do you mind?"
Roxy sighed as she put a hand on her face. "You should have told me sooner, Herald." She hooked Yuhiro's Duel Disk up to her laptop, letting him add his details.
"Okay, Fujiki. One last question: Why do you fight?" Herald asked.
"Hey, Herald." Kusanagi warned him. "It's pretty sensitive for-."
"It's alright, Kusanagi." Yusaku said. "I'll do my best to answer."
"But Yusaku-."
"Percival asked me that same question during our Speed Duel." Yusaku began. "And ever since that duel, it got me thinking on what my 'true self' is."
"Your true self?" Herald repeated.
"Yeah. The truth is: I don't know what my 'true self' is exactly. Ever since I started dueling, it was to defeat the Hanoi and get justice. That was my only goal, but then someone like Percival comes along and challenges my ideology, to the point where I'm questioning what I want in life. Like: What if I can make friends? What if I can move on from the pain?"
"Yusaku..." Kusanagi muttered.
"Okay, I can see it's upsetting you." Herald realized. "I do hope that one day, you find what you're looking for, Fujiki."
"Thank you." Yusaku responded.
"Okay, Yusaku Fujiki." Roxy said. "It's time to show you your profile!" She shared her screen so both Yusaku and Kusanagi can see it. This was what Yusaku's profile looked like:
Name: Yusaku Fujiki
VRAINS ID: Playmaker
Other Aliases: LINK VRAINS' Hero (by the public. Yusaku said that he's no hero.), The Dark Horse of the Hanoi (the Hanoi doesn't know too much about Yusaku, other than his LINK VRAINS ID.)
Gender: Male
Age: 16
Residence: An old apartment in Den City/Café Nagi
Job: Hacker, part-time employee at Café Nagi (and he works there for free, just like Yuhiro.)
Deck: Cyberse (The deck focuses on swarming the field for Link Summons. Like themed archetypes such as Gouki or Trickstar, Yusaku's deck is entirely built around Link Summoning, only just the Link Summoning part.)
Ace Monster(s): Decode Talker (was the first Cyberse Link Monster Yusaku got from the Data Storm. As a Link 3 monster, it's a pretty efficient one too.), Firewall Dragon (a strong Link 4 monster with reasonable attack points. However, it's effects are where it shines the most. For every card Firewall Dragon is co-linked to, Yusaku can return monsters on the field and/or Graveyard back to the hand. It's nothing compared to Turboblaze, though.)
The first one was used to defeat a Cracking Dragon, and has aided Yusaku in duels from time to time. Firewall Dragon was used to not only beat Revolver, but also Akira Zaizen as well.
Skill: Storm Access (When his life points are 1000 or less, he can obtain a Cyberse Link Monster from a nearby data storm. The stronger and more violent the storm, the stronger the monster. You could say Yusaku takes the term big risks equals big rewards to the next level.)
It's a great skill to lean on when all hope seems to be lost, as it's saved his butt more times than I can count. He also has cards that purposely lower his life points to a safe level or limit damage, so he has enough for a counterattack. It's risky, but it works.
LINK VRAINS' History: Just like Yuhiro, he was part of the Lost Incident with seven other kids (him, Yuhiro and Miyu, along with Kusanagi's brother makes four. I wonder how the other four are holding up and if they're alright). Although he was saved, he was emotionally scarred like the other Lost Incident kids, and as a result, he couldn't move on. He appeared in LINK VRAINS to fight the Knights of Hanoi after deciding to confront his past and find the truth about the Lost Incident. This is mainly his drive for duelling and living.
Duel Grade right now: SSS (Smokin' Sexy Style) (The dude hasn't lost a duel at all. Like that's completely amazing. And without Ai's help too? I'm impressed (and disappointed in Ai at the same time for, well, being Ai.))
Notes: Yusaku's Cyberse deck focuses on swarming the field for Link Summons. It's also centered on surviving to the bitter end, where he can use his Skill Storm Access to make a comeback (and Ai, as his partner, you gotta do a better job of helping him.)
Just like Yuhiro, he uses an old model Duel Disk, which very few use today. It might be the same one he used during the Lost Incident.
Like Yuhiro, he has a habit of saying three things (this was given to him by the same person who spoke to Yuhiro. Yusaku believes that that same person is still imprisoned, which is another reason why he fights. So that he can one day free them. Although I do wonder: Who exactly is this person?)
I'm not sure, though, when Yusaku met and joined forces with Kusanagi. Must ask when I get the chance.
Ever since his duel against Percival, Yusaku is starting to question what his 'true self' exactly is. He claims to want justice for everyone who suffered at the hands of the Hanoi, but based on what he told me, perhaps he wants more. He hopes to find an answer once the Hanoi are defeated (and I do hope he figures it out.)
"Wow. This is really detailed." Kusanagi commented. "And it's even got the stuff we didn't discuss as well."
"Thank you very much." Roxy replied, setting up a new blank profile. "Anyhow, which duelist do you want to do next? Faust? Revolver? Percival?"
"Percival." Yusaku immediately answered. "We can cover Revolver and Faust later, but Percival is someone we should talk about right now."
"Okay. Do we know anything about him other than his LINK VRAINS ID?"
"I'm afraid not." Kusanagi said, shaking his head. "Other than the fact he was once the Hanoi's intern during the Lost Incident."
"Wait, WHAT?" Roxy responded, accidentally shouting in shock and causing everyone to cover their ears. "Fill me in on the details!" Her hands were on the keyboard, ready to type.
"Well, from what Percival told me," Yusaku recalled, "he worked as an intern during the Lost Incident, and didn't know of its real purpose until it was too late. This led to him working with Watchman so he could atone for his mistakes."
"Okay, what else?" Roxy typed this information down.
"I think Percival knows one of the Lost Incident kids." Kusanagi added, a hand on his chin. "But I don't know which one he was referring to."
"Yeah, because like Watchman, he was keeping us in the dark!" Ai stated. "Which makes sense, considering he's a 'Dark Knight.'"
"I love that idea for his alias, Ai." Roxy agreed with Ai, putting it down on Percival's profile as Herald rolled his eyes.
"Really, Ai? Really?" Herald repeated. "That's a Batman reference!"
"How was I supposed to know?" Ai asked. "I've never seen a 'Batman' movie before in my life. I'd rather watch soap operas."
"Can we please get to what deck he uses, his ace monsters, and his Skill if any?" Herald asked.
"Well, he uses a 'Phantom Knights' deck, which focuses on Graveyard manipulation, searching, and Xyz Summoning." Yusaku recalled. "But I don't think he used the deck to its full potential."
"What do you mean? Are you saying he's a bad duelist or something?"
"No." Yusaku answered. "I'm saying that, during our duel, he held back."
"Wait, what?" Kusanagi said, turning to Yusaku. This time, it was his turn to be shocked. "So you're saying this guy might be as strong as Watchman?"
"Possibly." Yusaku theorized.
"And what about his ace monsters?" Herald asked.
"Not much information on them, I'm afraid." Yusaku replied. "The Phantom Knights of Rusty Bardiche is a Link 3 monster with reasonable attack points, while Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon is his Xyz monster. He may have almost taken me down with it-."
"But luckily, Yusaku pulled through and won the duel!" Ai finished for him. Yusaku turned his head to look at Ai. "Hey, it could be worse. You could have ended up facing Revolver's Borreload Dragon again."
"I have to agree with Ai here, Yusaku." Kusanagi stated. "You've faced worse, and considering how you defeated your first Xyz Monster, I say you didn't do too bad."
"Right." Yusaku responded.
"Okay, gentlemen and Ignis." Roxy said, typing the information down. "I've already gave Percival a Duel Grade, and with the information we've discussed, Percival's profile is complete. What do you think?" As she shared her screen once again, this was what Percival's profile look liked:
Name: Unknown
VRAINS ID: Percival
Other Aliases: The Dark Knight (really, Ai? That's a Batman reference!)
Gender: Male
Age: Unknown
Residence: Unknown
Job: Hanoi Intern (formerly), Watchman's Ally (currently)
Deck: Phantom Knights (makes sense, considering how his name is based off of an ancient knight) (The deck focuses on manipulating their cards while in the Graveyard. The deck also has revival tactics, searching, and the ability to Xyz Summon strong Xyz Monsters with additional boosted effects. However, both Yusaku and Kusanagi believe Percival was holding back on purpose. If that's the case, who knows what his deck is truly capable of?)
Ace Monster(s): The Phantom Knights of Rusty Bardiche (not much about what this monster does. All Yusaku knows is that it's a Link 3 monster with reasonable attack points), Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon (this monster almost defeated Yusaku in a one-turn kill. But Yusaku was still able to defeat this monster in battle regardless).
Skill: Unknown
LINK VRAINS' History: Percival worked as an intern during the Lost Incident, and didn't know of the real purpose of the project until he was too late. This regret eventually led him to join Watchman so he could atone for his mistakes.
He apparently knows one of the Lost Incident kids, but we aren't sure which one.
Duel Grade right now: A (Apocalyptic) (his dueling skills were enough to give Yusaku a minor challenge. However, I'll repeat what I said earlier: Yusaku and Kusanagi believe Percival was holding back on purpose. If that's the case, Percival might be just as powerful as Watchman if he held nothing back.)
Notes: Percival's Phantom Knights deck focuses on manipulating their cards while in the Graveyard. The deck also has revival tactics, searching, and the ability to Xyz Summon strong Xyz Monsters with additional boosted effects. Unfortunately, there might be more to this archetype than we already know.
During the Lost Incident, Percival worked as an intern, and didn't know what was really going on until it was too late. After the incident, Watchman found him, and gave him an offer: In exchange for his help against the 'Crisis', he would help set things right for the child that Percival knew (which one did he exactly know? Whoever it was, he or she must mean a lot to Percival for him to accept the deal).
Other than that, we don't know much about him, just like with Demeter and Watchman (ugh. These unknowns are starting to annoy me.)
Kusanagi chuckled at that last comment. "Yup. Unknowns are definitely annoying. I sure do hope we get real answers soon."
"We will, Kusanagi." Yusaku assured him. "In due time."
"Well, gentlemen." Roxy said. "I hope you enjoyed the chat. And thank you for the information too."
"Also," Herald added, "be on the lookout for anything suspicious in LINK VRAINS. Especially now that more Cyberse cards are in the network."
"We will." Yusaku replied, a serious look on his face.
"Bye!" Roxy said before hanging up. She then deleted the chat afterwards.
"It was good to chat with them." Herald commented. He then turned to Roxy. "Can I have the tablet back now?"
Roxy sighed. "Fine. But only until dinner." She handed him back Yuhiro's tablet back as she stood up. "And only until then."
"Loud and clear." And Herald immediately started playing Gravity Guy again, much to Roxy's dismay.
"It could be worse," she muttered, as she started cooking dinner for herself, Yuhiro, and Progleo. If this Ignis gets into video games, she thought, I'll have to put in the time controls for him.
Chapter Preview
Next time on Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS Obscured Truth: Roxy's Reports 14: Revolver and Faust
Author's Notes
Hi, everyone! I hope you enjoyed the profiles on Playmaker and Percival. Next up will be Chapter 22. After that, I'll update you as to what comes next. See you later!