Chapter 15: Shifting Tides

In LINK VRAINS...

"Today's a great day to kick Hanoi ass!" Raguel said as he blasted out of a portal and landed onto a rooftop in LINK VRAINS, which overlooked the chaos the Hanoi was inflicting on innocent bystanders.

"That we can agree on, Raguel." Herald said, emerging from Raguel's Duel Disk. "Let's hope that today, we get lucky for once."

"Yeah. I'm starting to lose patience with these guys."

It had been two days since Raguel went to the shelter with Aoi and Roxy to help out. Unfortunately, the Hanoi's activity in LINK VRAINS increased over time. So Raguel decided to skip school today and yesterday in order to protect LINK VRAINS. He also suspected that Yusaku would be doing the same thing.

Roxy even decided to get started on two programs for Raguel: an anti-purge program to prevent people from being deleted, and a disguise program to move around without being seen. She told him that both programs would be extremely useful, even once the Another crisis ended.

While he wasn't lucky yesterday, he hoped that, today, he would finally hit the bullseye.

"Shall we go down to the streets?" Herald asked, turning to face Raguel.

"Let's go!" Raguel said as he jumped off the rooftop and landed on his duel board, where he sped off to an area where the Hanoi was inflicting the most damage. He then jumped off and landed on the street, where he could see several Knights going after innocent people.

"Here we are." Raguel put his hand on earpiece. "How's that disguise program going, Roxy?"

"It's almost done, just as you ordered!" Roxy responded. "Here you go!"

Within moments, Raguel got a notification on his Duel Disk, which confirmed that he received the disguise.

"Roxy," Raguel said, raising an eyebrow as he tried to click on the disguise she sent him, "why did you send it in a Compressed Zip Folder?"

"Sorry about that." Roxy replied. "Apparently, there was a lot of stuff that I had to put in this disguise, so I had to send everything in a nice Compressed Zip Folder."

"Uh-huh." Pressing the Compressed Zip Folder, he said, "Initiating disguise!" He then spread out his arms, as his appearance changed to that of the disguise Roxy sent him. He now wore a school uniform with a grey coat and a dark green stripe at the collar of the coat. It also came with a white shirt and a red tie. The lower half of his body changed to a dark green skirt with black tights and brown shoes. Raguel's face then changed to one that had large round brown irises, thick eyebrows, and a perpetual blush on each cheek. Finally, his hair color turned brown, as it bobbed and curved inwards at the ends.

Once it was done, Raguel looked at his hands. Upon doing so, he noticed that something was definitely wrong.

"Uh, Raguel?" Herald asked. When Raguel turned to face him, Herald couldn't help but cover his mouth to muffle his laughter.

"What? What's so funny?" Raguel said, only now in a female voice. This caught him off guard, causing him to cover his hands with his mouth. It then dawned on him. Roxy sent him a disguise based off of a schoolgirl!

"Roxy!" Raguel screamed at her through his earpiece. "Why the hell did you send me a disguise OF A SCHOOLGIRL?!"

"Hey, you wanted a disguise, so you got one." Roxy put her hands on her mouth to muffle her laughter. "And honestly, you look so cute in it." She laughed once again.

"Come on, Roxy!" Raguel whined. "Please tell me you have other options. I'll take anything you got."

"Nope. I only had time to make one, and I decided to make one that would not only humiliate you, but also help you blend in as well." For the second time, Roxy laughed. "Also, with the new voice you got, you don't sound threatening at all."

"Damn it, Roxy, when I get back to the real world-!" But before Raguel could finish his sentence, a Knight of Hanoi ended up spotting him.

"Well, well, well. Looks like I found my next prey." He then started running towards him.

"Considering you got the disguise," Herald said, "you might as well use it. After all, you do look cute in it."

I'm going to kill you for this, Roxy, Raguel thought, as he sighed and put a hand to his face. "Fine." After clearing his throat, he turned around from the Knight and screamed in a very loud voice, "SOMEBODY HELP ME!"

Elsewhere, in LINK VRAINS...

Go Onizuka rode his duel board, chasing a Knight of Hanoi that was in front of him.

"I won't let hooligans like you threaten LINK VRAINS!" Go declared.

"Let's see if you can back it up!" the Knight in front of Go said back.

"Speed Duel!" they shouted.

Go Onizuka: 4000 LP

Knight of Hanoi: 4000 LP

"I'll take the first turn," Go said, waving his hand in front of him to see his cards. Twistcobra, Bearhug, Riscorpio, and TagPartner, Go thought. Not a really good hand to start out with, but it will make things epic once I make a comeback. "I summon Gouki Twistcobra from my hand!" A green ogre with four limbs appeared on Go's field. Two of the limbs ended with hands and the other two ended in sharp points, with two snake trails trailing from its head.

Gouki Twistcobra ATK: 1600 DEF: 0 LVL: 3

"That ends my turn." Go concluded.

"My turn! I draw!" the Knight declared. "I activate the Spell card, Graceful Charity! Now I can draw three cards from the top of my deck, in exchange for discarding two cards!" Using Graceful Charity, the Knight drew Negate Attack, Super Crashbug, and Crashbug Road. He then discarded Crashbug X and Crashbug Y from his hand.

Now to bait him, the Knight thought. "I summon a monster in face-down defense position." A face-down card appeared on the Knight's field. "That's all for me. You're up."

"My turn! I draw!" Go said, drawing the top card of his deck. When he looked at it, he smirked. "I activate the Continuous-Spell card, Gouki Shout! When a 'Gouki' monster I control attacks, it gains 300 attack points for every 'Gouki' monster I control until the end of the turn! As I control only one 'Gouki' monster, Twistcobra gains 300 attack points!"

Gouki Twistcobra ATK: 1600 + 300 = 1900 ATK

"Battle!" Go declared. "Twistcobra attacks your face-down defense position monster!" Twistcobra jumped forward and roundhouse kicked the card, turning it into particles.

"That ends my turn, which means Gouki Twistcobra's attack points go back to normal." Go concluded.

Gouki Twistcobra ATK: 1900 – 300 = 1600

Something's definitely up with this Knight, Go thought. Better be on my guard.

"My turn! I draw!" the Knight declared. "You're a fool, Go Onizuka! By doing what you just did, I've won this duel!"

"Is that so?" Go replied, raising an eyebrow. "There's a saying, you know. 'Pride always comes before a fall.'"

"We'll see if that's true or not!" the Knight responded back. "First, I Set one card face-down. Then I banish Crashbug X, Crashbug Y, and Crashbug Z from my Graveyard to Special Summon Super Crashbug from my hand in defense position!" A ginormous digital green behemoth with coding all over its body, as well as pink lines on its upper and lower body, roared upon entering the Knight's field. On its chest were five pink dots, along with a red tube through its shoulders. Its eyes turned red upon looking at Go.

Super Crashbug ATK: 0 DEF: 3000 LVL: 4

"That's why you wanted me to attack earlier." Go realized. The Set monster was either Crashbug X, Y or Z, while he used Graceful Charity earlier to send the other two to the Graveyard.

"The effect of Super Crashbug activates!" the Knight continued, turning to face Go. "All monsters in attack position have their attack and defense points switched!" Go's eyes widened in shock as Super Crashbug fired a yellow blast from its eyes at Twistcobra, enveloping him in a yellow aura.

Gouki Twistcobra ATK: 1600 – 1600 = 0 DEF: 0 + 1600 = 1600

"I end my turn here," the Knight concluded.

"My turn! I draw!" Go declared, but after drawing his card and looking at it, he realized that it wasn't what he wanted. Gouki Face Turn isn't helpful right now, he thought. Guess I better defend myself while I can.

"I switch Gouki Twistcobra to defense position." Go said as Twistcobra took a defensive stance behind his ally. "And end my turn."

"My turn! I draw!" the Knight declared. "I Set two cards. I'll also activate my face-down card, Curse of Fiend! This changes the battle positions of all monsters on the field!"

"What?!" Go widened his eyes as Twistcobra and Super Crashbug stood up, ready to battle. "Why would you do that?"

"Because of Super Crashbug's effect!" the Knight replied. "I said earlier that all monsters in attack position have their attack and defense points switched! And since Super Crashbug is in attack position, it's attack and defense points are now switched!" As the Knight said this, Super Crashbug was enveloped in a yellow aura, which indicated that its strengths and weaknesses were now switched.

Super Crashbug ATK: 0 + 3000 = 3000 DEF: 3000 – 3000 = 0

"Battle!" the Knight declared. "Super Crashbug attacks Gouki Twistcobra!" Super Crashbug spewed out a blast of digital code from its mouth at Twistcobra, eating away at the green ogre and turning him into particles. As a result, an explosion occurred, causing Go to fall on his knees on his duel board.

Go Onizuka: 4000 – 3000 = 1000 LP

"I'll give you a three-count, just to show the world that the mighty Onizuka has fallen!" the Knight mockingly said. "One. Two. Thr-!"

But before the Knight could get to 'Three', Go stood up and laughed. "The effect of Twistcobra activates! Since it was sent to the Graveyard, I can add a 'Gouki' card other than itself from my deck to my hand! I'll add Gouki Grit from my deck to my hand!"

Go then raised his right hand and added, "I activate my Skill, Fighting Spirit! All 'Gouki' monsters that were destroyed in battle this turn return to my field from the Graveyard!" Immediately, Twistcobra reappeared on Go's field.

Gouki Twistcobra ATK: 1600 DEF: 0 LVL: 3

"You may have got your monster back," the Knight said, "but I still have moves to make. Like my Skill, Triple Draw! It lets me draw three cards from the top of my deck!" Using Triple Draw, the Knight drew Burial from a Different Dimension, a second Super Crashbug, and Meteorain.

Damn it, the Knight thought, gritting his teeth as he looked at Meteorain. If I drew Meteorain on my previous turn, I could have Set it before using it this turn to win the duel. But next turn, Onizuka will be defeated in the name of the Hanoi! "I end my turn!"

"Then it's my turn! I draw!" Go declared as he drew the top card of his deck. Upon seeing Gouki Suprex in his hand, he smiled. I just had to keep believing I could find a way, he thought. Now it was time to shift the duel in his favor. "I summon Gouki Suprex from my hand!" A blue ogre with claws on his hands and a long blue tail appeared on his field.

Gouki Suprex ATK: 1800 DEF: 0 LVL: 4

"Suprex's effect activates! As it was Normal Summoned, I get to Special Summon a 'Gouki' monster from my hand! Come on out, Gouki Bearhug!" A brown ogre wearing bear skin all over his body appeared on Go's field. The ogre also had bear claws on his hands as well.

Gouki Bearhug ATK: 2400 DEF: 0 LVL: 6

"Bearhug's effect!" Go continued. "As it was Special Summoned by the effect of a 'Gouki' card, or Normal Summoned, I can target one monster you control and make its attack points become half its original attack points! I choose Super Crashbug!" Bearhug leapt forward and slashed Super Crashbug, cutting its strength in half.

Super Crashbug ATK: 3000 / 2 = 1500 - 0

"Since your Super Crashbug's original attack points were zero, there was no strength to cut in half, meaning that it's weak forever!" The Knight gritted his teeth in hearing that. "Now I'll use my monsters to mash up my circuit!" Go fired a blast of energy from his hand, which formed a Link Portal ahead of him. "The summoning conditions are two 'Gouki' monsters! I'll set Gouki Suprex and Twistcobra in the Link Markers!" Suprex entered the left arrowhead, while Twistcobra entered the bottom arrowhead.

"Circuit combine! Link Summon! Fly into battle! Link 2! Gouki Jet Ogre!" A purple ogre with red bushy hair joined Go's field in the right Extra Monster Zone. He wore metallic shin guards and had a massive jetpack on it's back. He also carried a musketeer's sword on its right hand.

Gouki Jet Ogre ATK: 2000 LINK-2 ⬅️⬇️

"The effects of Suprex and Twistcobra activate in my Graveyard, letting me add 'Gouki' cards besides themselves from my deck to my hand!" Go added. Using Suprex and Twistcobra's effects, Go added Gouki Rematch and Gouki Cage Match from his deck to his hand.

Since Link Monsters have no defense points, the Knight thought, they should be automatically zero. "I activate Super Crashbug's effect!" the Knight said. "The attack and defense of all attack position monsters are switched!" While Bearhug was enveloped in a yellow aura, Jet Ogre was unaffected.

Gouki Bearhug ATK: 2400 – 2400 = 0 DEF: 0 + 2400 = 2400

"What? Why isn't your Link Monster affected?" the Knight asked, demanding to know.

Go, in response, smirked. "It's simple. Link Monsters only have attack points. They also can only exist in attack position as well!"

"Tch!" The Knight gritted his teeth. "In that case, I activate my face-down Trap card, No Entry! Now all monsters on the field that are in attack position change to defense position!" As he said this, Super Crashbug and Bearhug took kneeling positions by the effect of No Entry!. I'll at least protect myself from damage this turn, the Knight thought.

"You think changing your monster to defense position will save you? Think again!" Go declared. "I activate Jet Ogre's effect! I can target a 'Gouki' monster on my field and destroy it, and by doing so, all monsters on the field change to attack position! I target Bearhug!" On Go's command, Bearhug turned into particles that entered Jet Ogre's sword, turning it yellow. Jet Ogre then flew forward and stabbed Super Crashbug, causing it to stand up and revert back into attack position.

"The effect of Bearhug activates from my Graveyard, as now I get to add a 'Gouki' card other than Bearhug from my deck to my hand!" Using Bearhug's effect, Go added Gouki Finishing Hold from his deck to his hand.

"I activate Gouki Re-Match from my hand!" Go said. "This card lets me Special Summon two 'Gouki' monsters from my Graveyard in defense position, as long as they have different levels. Return, Gouki Suprex and Twistcobra!" The blue and green ogres reappeared on Go's field in defense position, with Jet Ogre pointing to Twistcobra.

Gouki Suprex ATK: 1800 DEF: 0 LVL: 4

Gouki Twistcobra: ATK: 1600 DEF: 0 LVL: 3

"And now I have everything I need, to mash up my circuit a second time!" Go declared, as he fired a blast of energy from his right hand, creating a second Link Portal ahead of him. "The summoning conditions are two or more 'Gouki' monsters! I'll set Gouki Jet Ogre, which is a Link 2 monster, and Gouki Suprex, in the Link Markers!" Jet Ogre split in half, entering the bottom-left and bottom right arrowheads around the portal, while Suprex entered the bottom arrowhead.

"Circuit combine! Link Summon! Show yourself! Link 3! Gouki the Great Ogre!" A massive warrior with horns atop of his head emerged from the portal. He wore black and purple armor with a dark brown fur cape draped from his shoulders. The Great Ogre carried a large battle axe as he was summoned to the Extra Monster Zone, pointing to Twistcobra.

Gouki the Great Ogre ATK: 2600 LINK-3 ↙️⬇️↘️

"Jet Ogre's effect activates! As it was sent to the Graveyard, all 'Gouki' monsters I control gain 500 attack points until the end of the turn!" The Great Ogre and Twistcobra were both surrounded in a red aura as their strength increased.

Gouki the Great Ogre ATK: 2600 + 500 = 3100

Gouki Twistcobra ATK: 1600 + 500 = 2100

"From there, I activate my Spell card, Gouki Finishing Hold! This card increases the attack of a 'Gouki' Link Monster I control by 1000 times its Link Rating until the end of the turn! In addition, it can also inflict piercing battle damage! However, I can only attack with 'Gouki' monsters for the rest of this turn! I target The Great Ogre!" The Great Ogre was enveloped in a golden aura as its strength increased to greater heights.

Gouki the Great Ogre ATK: 3100 + (1000 X 3) = 6100

"Your monster has over 6000 attack points?" the Knight asked, shocked at what he was seeing.

"That's correct!" Go replied. "And I'll end you with one attack!" Thrusting out his hand, Go shouted, "Battle! Gouki the Great Ogre attacks Super Crashbug! At this point, Gouki Shout's effect activates! When a 'Gouki' monster I control attacks, it gains 300 attack points for every 'Gouki' monster I control until the end of the turn! As I control two 'Gouki' monsters, The Great Ogre gains 600 attack points!"

Gouki the Great Ogre ATK: 6100 + 600 = 6700

"Gouki Axe Slash!" The Great Ogre charged forward, with the intent of destroying Super Crashbug, but...

"You fool!" the Knight interjected. "I activate my face-down Trap card, Hate Buster! When a Fiend monster I control is targeted for an attack, I can destroy the monster I control along with your attacking monster, and then inflict damage equal to the original attack points of the monster you had! Since Gouki the Great Ogre had 2600 attack points, you're finished!"

"I don't think so!" Go said right back. "I activate The Great Ogre's effect! If it would be destroyed by battle or card effect, I can destroy one of the monsters it points to instead! And since Twistcobra is in a Main Monster Zone The Great Ogre points to, I'll destroy it instead to keep my monster safe!" Super Crashbug thrust out his arm at The Great Ogre, intending to take him down with it, but Twistcobra stepped in the way, causing both monsters to be destroyed by Hate Buster's effect.

Gouki the Great Ogre ATK: 6700 – 300 = 6400

"Oh no!" the Knight said, realizing what he done.

"Your pride was your own undoing." Go said. "As you now have no monsters, The Great Ogre's attack continues! Finish this Knight off!" The Great Ogre, angered by his comrade's death, charged forward and slashed the Knight, causing him to fall off his duel board and turn into data as his life points dropped to zero.

Knight of Hanoi: 4000 – 6400 = 0

"Damn." Go said. "Had he landed on the ground, I could have interrogated him for information." Suddenly, he saw an explosion. "Looks like there's more Hanoi trash to take care of." He then sped off to the area where the explosion occurred.

In another area of LINK VRAINS...

"Your days of interference are at an end, Playmaker!" a Knight with a grey mask and brown lines said as he followed Playmaker on the data stream.

"They will never end. Not as long as the Hanoi exists." Playmaker replied.

"Speed Duel!" Playmaker and the Knight shouted.

Playmaker: 4000 LP

Knight of Hanoi: 4000 LP

"I'll go first." Playmaker declared. "I Set one card face-down. Next, as I control no monsters, I can Special Summon LinkSlayer from my hand!" A man in golden lion armor with a long, brown cape appeared on Playmaker's field. On each of his claws was a translucent, long blue blade.

LinkSlayer ATK: 2000 DEF: 600 LVL: 5

"Next I summon Draconet!" A white dragon machine with blue lines running over it also appeared on Playmaker's field.

Draconet ATK: 1400 DEF: 1200 LVL: 2

"Draconet's effect!" Playmaker continued. "When this monster is Normal Summoned, I can Special Summon a Level 2 or lower Normal monster from my hand or deck in defense position!" A card popped out of Playmaker's deck, which he took. "I summon Bitron from my deck in defense position!" A small white machine with blue eyes joined Playmaker's field as well.

Bitron ATK: 200 DEF: 2000 LVL: 2

"Now I shall create my ultimate circuit!" Playmaker's hand glowed blue as the Link Portal appeared ahead of him. "The summoning conditions are one Normal monster! I'll set Bitron in the Link Markers!" Bitron then entered the bottom arrowhead, turning it red.

"Circuit combine! Link Summon! Appear! Link 1! Link Spider!" A black mechanical spider emerged from the Link Portal and was summoned to the right Extra Monster Zone on Playmaker's field.

Link Spider ATK: 1000 LINK-1 ⬇️

"Once again, I will create my ultimate circuit!" The Link Portal appeared once again ahead of Playmaker. "The summoning conditions are two or more effect monsters! I'll set Link Spider, which is a Link 1 monster, LinkSlayer, and Draconet in the Link Markers!" Link Spider went into the top arrowhead, LinkSlayer went into the bottom-left arrowhead, and Draconet went into the bottom-right arrowhead.

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

Decode Talker ATK: 2300 LINK-3 ↙️⬆️↘️

"That ends my turn." Playmaker concluded.

"Let's see how you'll respond to our flashy moves!" Ai said, emerging from Playmaker's Duel Disk and taking a boxing stance.

"My turn! I draw!" the Knight said, drawing a card. "I Set three cards face-down."

"You're Setting three cards face-down?" Ai asked as he put a hand to his chin and narrowed his eyes. "What are you up to?"

"Next I summon Gatling Ogre from my hand!" the Knight continued, ignoring Ai as a purple-skinned fiend with spiky blue hair appeared. It wore a brown trench coat embroidered with gold, and its left arm had been replaced by a magazine folder that fed a belt of bullets into the gun barrel attached to the fiend's waist. It's right arm was held firm on a rotating handle.

Gatling Ogre ATK: 800 DEF: 800 LVL: 3

"800 attack points? Is that all you got, you punk?" Ai taunted the Knight.

"If there's anything you should learn, Ai, it's this: Even though a monster may look weak, it can have a deadly ability that can change an entire duel around." Playmaker advised Ai.

"Eh? What do you mean?" Ai asked as he turned to look at Playmaker.

"Let me show you!" the Knight shouted. "I activate the effect of Gatling Ogre! I can send one Set Spell or Trap card to the Graveyard, and by doing this, I can inflict 800 points of damage to you!"

"What?" both Playmaker and Ai said as they widened their eyes.

"The best part is that I can use this effect multiple times! So I'll send all three cards on my field to the Graveyard! Which means you take 2400 points of damage!" As the Knight sent his Set cards to the Graveyard, Gatling Ogre rotated its handle and started firing. Even though Playmaker shielded himself from the continuous hail of bullets using his arms, it still hurt. A lot.

Playmaker: 4000 – 2400 = 1600 LP

"Appear! The circuit of the Hanoi!" A Link Portal appeared ahead of the Knight. "The summoning conditions are one Fiend monster! I'll set Gatling Ogre in the Link Marker!" Gatling Ogre went into the bottom arrowhead, turning it red.

"Circuit combine! Link Summon! Emerge! Link 1! Militia Ogre!" A muscular, grey skinned ogre was summoned to the right Extra Monster Zone on the Knights field. It wore military boots and black pants, along with a belt containing ammunitions, grenades, and two handguns on each side. It also wore a bulletproof vest covering its entire body. A shoulder machine gun was attached to the back of each of the ogre's shoulders.

Militia Ogre ATK: 800 LINK-1 ⬇️

"When Militia Ogre is Link Summoned, I can banish all Spell and Trap cards in my Graveyard, and if I do, it gains 800 attack points for each banished card by this effect!" The Knight smirked as Militia Ogre powered up.

Militia Ogre ATK: 800 + (800 X 3) = 3200

"That Link 1 monster just drank a massive Red Bull and powered up!" Ai panicked. Playmaker gritted his teeth. While he usually didn't agree with Ai, for once, he came to a common understanding with him.

"I Set one card face-down. Next, I activate Militia Ogre's second effect!" the Knight said, thrusting out his right hand. "Once per turn, by shuffling a banished Spell or Trap card into my deck, I can destroy one monster you control and inflict damage equal to its original attack points! And the monster I destroy by this effect is Decode Talker!"

"Say what?" Playmaker said, as the machine guns attached to Militia Ogre started spinning, firing down an endless supply of bullets at Decode Talker as the monster exploded into particles. Once again, Playmaker had to shield himself from the explosion.

Playmaker: 1600 – 1150 = 450 LP

"As there is one less banished Spell or Trap card, Militia Ogre loses 800 attack points," the Knight explained. "And I cannot conduct my Battle Phase the turn I use this effect. Thus, I end my turn."

Militia Ogre ATK: 3200 – 800 = 2400

"My turn! I draw!" Playmaker drew the top card from his deck, and narrowed his eyes at what he got.

"Yo, Playmaker!"Ai said. "Data Storm inbound. You ready?"

"Yes," Playmaker answered. He looked ahead as a Data Storm Tornado formed in front of him. The Knight moved to evade it, while Playmaker jumped right into it.

Playmaker yelled as he reached into the data stream. Shadows showing various monsters appeared around him as blue energy gathered around him.

In his Duel Disk, Ai's gaze sharpened. "Seize the wind, Playmaker!" Playmaker took his hand out of the data stream, holding a shining card.

"I activate my Skill, Storm Access!" The shadow of a female, humanoid monster appeared and posed. Playmaker then shot out of the tornado and landed on the stream, in front of the Knight of Hanoi, who was shocked at what he saw.

"Trap card, activate! Link Reanimation!" The card showed Decode Talker climbing out of a portal from the ground. Only the warrior was damaged, with bruises and wounds all over him. "By negating the effects of Link Monsters in my Graveyard and reducing their attack points to zero, I can Special Summon as many Cyberse Link Monsters from my Graveyard as possible to Main Monster Zones on my field. However, at the End Phase, they're destroyed, and I take 1000 points of damage for each one Special Summoned by this effect. Return, Decode Talker and Link Spider!" Both Decode Talker and Link Spider reappeared on Playmaker's field, only in the left and right Main Monster Zones.

Decode Talker ATK: 2300 LINK-3 ↙️⬆️↘️

Decode Talker ATK: 2300 – 2300 = 0

Link Spider ATK: 1000 LINK-1 ⬇️

Link Spider ATK: 1000 – 1000 = 0

"Since I control a Cyberse monster, Backup Secretary can be Special Summoned from my hand!" A woman with white clothes and a purple cape joined his other monsters.

Backup Secretary ATK: 1200 DEF: 800 LVL: 3

"And now, I shall create my ultimate circuit!" Playmaker declared as a Link Portal appeared ahead of him. "The summoning conditions are two monsters. I'll set Backup Secretary, and Link Spider, which is a Link 1 monster, in the Link Markers!" Backup Secretary went into the bottom arrowhead, while Link Spider went into the right arrowhead.

"Circuit combine! Link Summon! Appear! Link 2! Backup Supervisor!" The woman from earlier returned to Playmaker's field, only this time in the right Extra Monster Zone, carrying a notepad. The woman wore white clothes like before, only now they had titanium plating. She also wore a long, purple diamond skirt at the lower half of her body. Attached to her back were two propelling fans.

Backup Supervisor ATK: 1200 LINK-2 ⬇️➡️

"Now I summon Debris Sweeper from my hand!" A small, brown mine with a cybernetic pink eye and two wired claws appeared on Playmaker's field.

Debris Sweeper ATK: 500 DEF: 500 LVL: 1

"It's time to create my ultimate circuit for a final time!" Playmaker declared as a Link Portal appeared ahead of him. "The summoning conditions are two or more monsters! I'll set Decode Talker, which is a Link 3 monster, and Debris Sweeper, in the Link Markers!" Decode Talker split into three and entered the left, right, and top arrowheads, while Debris Sweeper entered the bottom arrowhead.

"Circuit combine! Link Summon! Appear! Link 4! Firewall Dragon!" A massive blue and white dragon with circles all over its body appeared on the field, summoned to the Main Monster Zone Backup Supervisor was pointing to.

Firewall Dragon ATK: 2500 LINK-4 ⬅️⬆️⬇️➡️

"Firewall Dragon's effect! Once, while it's on the field, I can return monsters on the field or Graveyard back to their owner's hands up to the number of monsters co-linked to this card. As Backup Supervisor is co-linked to Firewall Dragon, I'll return Militia Ogre back to your hand! Emergency Escape!" The Knight could do nothing but grit his teeth as Firewall Dragon fired electricity from its head to the ogre, electrocuting it into particles and returning it to the Knight's deck.

"And since Link Monsters don't go to the hand, they go right back to your Extra Deck instead!" Ai added.

"I activate the effect of Debris Sweeper from my Graveyard," Playmaker said, ignoring Ai's commentary. "When it's used to Link Summon, I can destroy 1 card on the field and inflict 500 points of damage!" A silhouette of the small brown mine from earlier appeared and blasted an optic blast at the face-down card, turning it into particles. The Knight's left shoulder fizzled as a result, causing him to steady it with his right hand.

Knight of Hanoi: 4000 – 500 = 3500 LP

"Battle!" Playmaker declared. "Firewall Dragon attacks you directly! Tempest Terahertz!" Firewall Dragon's wings transformed into eight pieces that formed rings of energy around it. The dragon then gathered energy in its mouth that it blasted at the Knight, causing him to lose his balance for a few moments before regaining it.

Knight of Hanoi: 3500 – 2500 = 1000 LP

"Your turn, Backup Supervisor! Attack the Knight directly!" Backup Supervisor proceeded to press a few buttons on her notepad, causing the two propelling fans on her back to aim at the Knight and fire two blasts of energy at him. Once the blasts collided with the Knight, it sent him flying off his duel board and onto a nearby rooftop.

Knight of Hanoi: 1000 – 1200 = 0

Playmaker leapt onto the rooftop where the Knight was and grabbed his collar.

"Tell me who's responsible for creating the Another virus." Playmaker demanded from him.

"You're wasting your time, kid. Because I'm not talking," the Knight replied back.

"Tell us now or I'll eat you faster than a bag of microchips!" Ai said as he transformed into his monster form, ready to eat the Knight whole.

"Okay, stop. The creator of the virus. Her name is-." But that was all the Knight could say before he screamed and turned into black data, dissolving until there weren't any remains of him left.

"Darn it! And we were so close too!" Ai said, snapping his fingers.

"Not exactly, Ai." Playmaker said, standing up. "For if there's anything we learned just now, the person who's responsible for turning people into Anothers is a 'She'."

"And how does that help, exactly?" Ai asked, crossing his arms as he turned to face Playmaker.

"It narrows our search of suspects, as Revolver isn't the one that turned people into Anothers." Playmaker narrowed his eyes. "Perhaps Raguel might have more luck. But in the meantime, we should continue finding more Knights to get the information we need." He then jumped off the rooftop and landed on his duel board, where he sped off to find more Knights.

Meanwhile, in another area of LINK VRAINS...

Raguel, who was still in his schoolgirl disguise, ended up attracting three Knights to his attention. As he was running, he spotted an alley, and headed there. The Knights smirked, believing they finally got their next prey.

The Knights smirked wickedly. "Nowhere to run," one of them said, as Raguel turned to face them. "Time to duel, little girl!"

"I was hoping you'd ask," Raguel said, as he glowed yellow and started to change forms. Seconds later, his true avatar revealed himself.

"Raguel?!" all three Knights shouted. Oh crap.

Before they could even react, Raguel shot out his Duel Anchor at one of the Knights, which wrapped itself around the middle Knight's left arm. Grabbing onto the Duel Anchor, Raguel then swung his captive prey left and right, hitting the other Knights and causing them to hit the ground before flinging him high into the air. Using the alley walls, Raguel immediately wall jumped side to side before jumping onto his duel board, while the Knight unceremoniously landed on his duel board, only on his stomach.

"You'll regret doing that," the Knight said, getting up on his duel board.

"Yeah, yeah." Raguel replied, rolling his eyes. "I get that a lot. But I'd rather get to the part where I kick your sorry ass, wouldn't you agree?"

"You're in for it now!" the Knight said, as he motioned for Raguel to follow him.

"Speed Duel!" the two duelists declared.

Raguel: 4000 LP

Knight of Hanoi: 4000 LP

"I'll go first," the Knight said, as he swiped his hand in front of him to look at his cards. "First, I discard Ahrima, the Wicked Warden from my hand to activate its effect! By discarding this card, I can add one 'Lair of Darkness' from my deck to my hand!" As the Knight sent Ahrima to the Graveyard, he took a card out of his deck and added Lair of Darkness to his hand. "Next, I activate the Spell card, Allure of Darkness! I draw two cards, and then banish 1 DARK monster from my hand!" The Knight then drew two cards from the top of his deck before banishing Mist Archfiend from his hand. "I Set one card face-down, and summon Archfiend Cavalry from my hand!" A demonic creature in red armor holding a lance in his left hand and riding on an armored blue horse appeared on the Knight's hand.

Archfiend Cavalry ATK: 1900 DEF: 0 LVL: 4

"Now I activate my Field Spell card, Lair of Darkness! While this card is in my Field Zone, all monster's attributes are now DARK! With that, I end my turn!"

"My turn! I draw!" Raguel declared. "I summon Cyreath Barbarian!" A man with spiked cuffs, close-cropped blond hair and mustache joined the field.

Cyreath Barbarian ATK: 1500 DEF: 1000 LVL: 4

"Appear, the circuit showing the highest mountain!" A Link Portal appeared ahead of him. "The summoning conditions are one 'Cyreath' monster! I'll set Cyreath Barbarian in the Link Markers!" Barbarian went into the bottom arrowhead, turning it red.

"Circuit combine! Link Summon! Come on out! Link 1! Cyreath Scorpius!" A huge scorpion, with large pincers and a long tail, joined Raguel's field in the right Extra Monster Zone.

Cyreath Scorpius ATK: 1000 LINK-1 ⬇️

"Barbarian's effect!" Raguel continued. "As it was used to Link Summon a monster, the Link Summoned Monster that used Barbarian as a Link Material gains 500 attack points!"

Cyreath Scorpius ATK: 1000 + 500 = 1500

"Scorpius' effect! Once per turn, if I control no monsters, I can Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower 'Cyreath' monster from my Graveyard to a zone this card points to. Return, Cyreath Barbarian!" Scorpius lowered its tail into a portal, with Barbarian grabbing onto it before jumping out of the portal and back onto the field.

Cyreath Barbarian ATK: 1500 DEF: 1000 LVL: 4

"Appear, the circuit showing the highest mountain!" Raguel declared once again, as a second Link Portal appeared ahead of him. "The summoning conditions are two 'Cyreath' monsters! I'll set Cyreath Scorpius, which is a Link 1 monster, and Cyreath Barbarian, in the Link Markers!" Scorpius went into the top arrowhead, while Barbarian once again went into the bottom arrowhead.

"Circuit combine! Link Summon! Ride into battle! Link 2! Cyreath Chariot Commander!" A ghostly skeletal figure whose entire body was made up of blue flames rode onto the field, in the right Extra Monster Zone. It wore a helmet with jagged, uneven horns, and had an outfit consisting of gauntlets, a pauldron over its left shoulder, a tattered gladiator's skirt, and broken-down metallic boots.

Cyreath Chariot Commander ATK: 2000 LINK-2 ⬆️⬇️

"Lair of Darkness will change your monster's attribute to DARK!" the Knight reminded Raguel.

Cyreath Chariot Commander: FIRE - DARK

"Barbarian's effect activates once again!" Raguel said, aware of the effect of Lair of Darkness.

Cyreath Chariot Commander ATK: 2000 + 500 = 2500

"I activate the Equip Spell card, Barbarian Hammer!" The card showed a massive hammer with spiked ends and a long handle. "When a 'Cyreath' monster equipped with this card attacks and destroys a monster you control, I can also destroy 1 card on your field and inflict 1000 points of damage!"

"Ah, quite a clever card!" Herald said, emerging from Raguel's Duel Disk. "And combined with it's immunity to destruction by battle and card effects when it attacks makes Chariot Commander the perfect ideal candidate to give the hammer to."

"Obviously." Going back to the duel, Raguel said, "I Set two cards face-down. Battle! Cyreath Chariot Commander attacks Archfiend Cavalry!" Chariot Commander charged forward and swung the Barbarian Hammer at Archfiend Cavalry, but...

"Trap card, activate! Impenetrable attack!" the Knight interjected. "When it's activated, I can choose one of two effects! And I'll choose it's first effect, where my monster cannot be destroyed by battle or card effects this turn!" As the Knight said this, Archfiend Cavalry was covered in a yellow barrier, which took the brunt of Chariot Commander's attack.

"But you still take battle damage!" Raguel reminded the Knight.

Knight of Hanoi: 4000 – 600 = 3400

"I end my turn." Raguel concluded.

"My turn! I draw!" the Knight declared. Upon seeing what he got, the Knight smirked. "Prepare yourself for the end, Raguel! First, I summon Tour Guide from the Underworld!" A red-haired woman wearing a blue-suit and carrying a black purse with a skull-and-crossbones on it appeared.

Tour Guide from the Underworld ATK: 1000 DEF: 600 LVL: 3

"Tour Guide's monster effect! When it's Normal Summoned, I can Special Summon a Level 3 Fiend monster from my hand or deck with its effects negated! From my deck, I Special Summon Lilith, Lady of Lament!" A red-haired, black skinned female demon appeared on the Knight's field. She had a very long tail, along with bat wings. Her right eye was red, while the other eye was green.

Lilith, Lady of Lament ATK: 2000 DEF: 0 LVL: 3

"I activate the Spell card, Double Summon!" the Knight added. "This card lets me perform an additional Normal Summon this turn! Now I'll tribute Tour Guide from the Underworld and Archfiend Cavalry to Tribute Summon Darkest Diablos, Lord of the Lair!" A massive, black and white dragon with chains all over its body appeared on the Knights field. The dragon had large wings and a long tail. Its blue eyes glared at Raguel as it roared at him.

Darkest Diablos, Lord of the Lair ATK: 3000 DEF: 2000 LVL: 8

"I activate the effect of Darkest Diablos! Once per turn, I can tribute a DARK monster to have you place one card from your hand at the bottom or top of your deck! But why stop there? I also activate the effect of Lair of Darkness! Once per turn, if I would tribute a monster I control to activate a card effect, I can tribute a DARK monster you control instead!"

"What did you say?" Raguel said, shocked and angered at what the Knight just told him.

"With the effect of Lair of Darkness, I tribute the DARK attribute Cyreath Chariot Commander!" the Knight said. Immediately, Chariot Commander and the Barbarian Hammer turned into particles. "Now send the only card in your hand to the top or bottom of your deck."

"Fine." Raguel spat out. He took the card in his hand, Cyreath Sphinx, and put it at the bottom of his deck.

"Time to battle!" the Knight declared. "First, Lilith, Lady of Lament attacks you directly!" Lilith went in for the attack and slashed Raguel with her claws before returning to the Knight's field, causing Raguel to hold his abdomen as it flickered.

Raguel: 4000 – 2000 LP

"You're finished, Raguel! Darkest Diablos attacks you directly! Ghoulish Flame!" Darkest Diablos gathered ghoulish flames in its mouth before firing it at Raguel. However...

"Quick-Play Spell, activate!" Raguel interrupted. "Cyreath Rebound! This card not only negates your attack, but also inflicts damage equal to half of your monster's attack! Since Darkest Diablos has 3000 attack points, you take 1500 points of damage!" Cyreath Rebound emitted a shield around Raguel, which pushed the fiery energy back to the Knight, making him stagger.

Knight of Hanoi: 3400 – 1500 = 1900

"You got lucky this time," the Knight said, as he regained his balance. "I end my turn. As my turn ended, I can Special Summon 'Torment' tokens in defense position equal to the number of monsters tributed to that respective player's field. Here's a gift, Raguel. Because it's the last one you'll ever get!" A dark, ghoulish spirit with green eyes and mouth was summoned to Raguel's field in defense position.

Torment Token ATK: 1000 DEF: 1000 LVL: 3

"He's got us on the ropes," Herald commented. "But that won't stop us, right partner?"

Raguel nodded. "Of course." Putting a hand on the top card of his deck, he said, "My turn! I draw! I activate my face-down Spell Card, Pandora's Box!" The card showed a spartan with white skin and a red tattoo on the left side of his face and body opening the box, seeking power. "This card lets me draw until I have five cards in my hand. However, I must discard a 'Cyreath' monster from my hand at the end of my turn, or I'll take 2000 points of damage." He then drew the top four cards from his deck.

"Appear, the circuit showing the highest mountain!" A Link Portal appeared ahead of Raguel. "The summoning conditions are one monster! I'll set the Torment token in the Link Markers!" The Torment token turned into a black cyclone of energy as it entered the bottom-left arrowhead, turning it red.

"Circuit combine! Link Summon! Appear! Link 1! Cyreath Skull Wing!" A small skull with wings fluttered in the right Extra Monster Zone on Raguel's field.

Cyreath Skull Wing ATK: 300 LINK-1 ↙️

"Next, I activate the Spell card, Cyreath Lead from my hand!" The card showed Cyreath Hercules, leading various Cyreath Barbarians into battle. "This card lets me Special Summon a Level 4 or lower 'Cyreath' monster from my hand. I Special Summon Cyreath Gargoyle from my hand!" A small, blue gargoyle with large horns, stubby wings, and large hands with vicious claws appeared on Raguel's field.

Cyreath Gargoyle ATK: 500 DEF: 500 LVL: 1

"Appear, for a second time! The circuit showing the highest mountain!" Raguel declared, as a second Link Portal appeared ahead of him. "The summoning conditions are two 'Cyreath' monsters! I'll set Cyreath Skull Wing, which is a Link 1 monster, and Cyreath Gargoyle in the Link Markers!" Gargoyle went into the bottom arrowhead, while Skull Wing went into the bottom-left arrowhead.

"Circuit combine! Link Summon! Emerge! Link 2! Cyreath Teumessian Fox!" An orange fox with black stripes all over its body was summoned to the right Extra Monster Zone and barred its fangs at the Knight.

Cyreath Teumessian Fox ATK: 1000 LINK-2 ↙️⬇️

Cyreath Teumessian Fox: EARTH - DARK

"Skull Wing's effect! Since it was used to Link Summon, you take 300 points of damage!" A silhouette of Skull Wing appeared and went through the Knight, causing him to shudder.

Knight of Hanoi: 1900 – 300 = 1600 LP

"Now I activate my Skill, Call of Olympus! I can Special Summon 1 random 'Cyreath' monster straight from my deck, and if I control a 'Cyreath' Link Monster, I can add 1 Spell or Trap card from my deck to my hand!" A random card popped out of Raguel's deck, which he added to his hand. Perfect, he thought as he looked at the card. "Through my Skill, I Special Summon Cyreath Legionnaire!" A muscular man in golden armor, shin pads, braces, and helmet with red feathers appeared on Raguel's field. He carried a small sword and massive shield.

Cyreath Legionnaire ATK: 1700 DEF: 1000 LVL: 4

Cyreath Legionnaire: EARTH - DARK

"Everything is set for this!" Raguel said. "Appear, for the final time! The circuit showing the highest mountain!" A third Link Portal appeared ahead of Raguel. "The summoning conditions are two or more 'Cyreath' monsters! I'll set Cyreath Teumessian Fox, which is a Link 2 monster, and Cyreath Legionnaire, in the Link Markers!" Legionnaire went into the bottom arrowhead, while Teumessian Fox split into two and entered the top-left and top-right arrowheads.

"Circuit combine! Link Summon! The strongest warrior chosen by the gods! Link 3! Cyreath Hercules!" A tall, muscular warrior wearing a brown tunic around his waist emerged from the portal. He wore shoulder guards resembling lion paws and a helmet resembling a lion's head with a plume forming a mane. He also carried a massive gauntlet with a lion face on each arm.

Cyreath Hercules ATK: 2500 LINK-3 ↖️⬇️↗️

"Teumessian Fox's effect! Since it was used to Link Summon a 'Cyreath' Link Monster, the Link Summoned monster can attack directly this turn!" As Raguel said this, an orange aura surrounded Hercules.

"Your monster can attack directly now?" the Knight asked, his face showing fear. Raguel, in response, nodded, making the Knight gasp.

"Legionnaire's effect activates as well!" Raguel continued. "Since it was used to Link Summon, the Link Summoned monster can inflict piercing battle damage this turn!" It was evident to Raguel that the Knight knew he was completely screwed.

"Judging from the look on the Knight's face, it looks like he's about to pee his pants." Herald observed.

"Let's make sure we scar him then." Raguel then thrust out his right hand and said, "Battle! Cyreath Hercules attacks you directly! Nemean Strike!" Hercules jumped forward, pulled back his right hand, and smashed his right gauntlet at the Knight, causing him to be sent flying off his duel board. He would have fallen headfirst to the ground had Raguel not caught him using his Duel Anchor.

Knight of Hanoi: 1600 – 2500 = 0

"Who's responsible for creating the 'Another' virus?" Raguel demanded.

"I won't talk!" the Knight shouted back.

"Fine, but you forced this on yourself!" Raguel activated his Cracker gauntlet and electrocuted the Duel Anchor, thus electrocuting the Knight as well. "That was Level 1. Do you want to experience Level 2? If you don't want to, then give me a name!"

"Baira!" the Knight said, panicking. "She's responsible for-AAAAAGGGGHHHH!" The Knight screamed as his body turned into black data, causing the Duel Anchor to retreat back into Raguel's Duel Disk.

"Well, that sucked." Herald said. "I was looking forward to going all 'Bad Cop' on him."

"If you mean your hydra form," Raguel said, as he jumped on a nearby rooftop, "I say we save it in case we absolutely need it. But regardless, we learned three things not just from this duel, but from the other duels as well. One: There are other people than Revolver, Infearno, and Dancho who are giving these Knights orders. It means that they're likely busy with something else."

"Which means there's more Hanoi scum to take care of," Herald added, as he crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes.

"Two: The Hanoi want to cover their tracks by erasing each defeated Knight and Sergeant." Raguel continued. "This tells me that they prefer to operate in the shadows, in secrecy."

Herald pondered this information for a moment before speaking. "It makes sense when you think about it. After all, what if turning innocents into 'Anothers' is only but a step to their master plan?"

"That's something we need to find out." Raguel told him. "Three: The name of the person who created the 'Another' Virus is Baira. As the creator, she must have the cure for the 'Another' Virus."

"And she could also be an excellent lead to the whereabouts of Revolver and his lackeys." Herald added.

"Good thinking. Let's get this information to the others so-."

GROWL...

"What's wrong?" Herald asked.

"I'm hungry," was all Raguel said. "I guess time flew by fast." Looking at his Duel Disk, he added, "Crap. It's already halfway through the afternoon. A good lunch break is what I need." He then logged out afterwards.

At Café Matsuo's backroom...

Yuhiro opened his eyes and leaned on the back of the sealed room. The door opened as he slowly stumbled out, careful not to fall. Progleo jumped out of Yuhiro's Duel Disk, concern on his face.

"Is everything okay, Yuhiro?" Progleo asked Yuhiro, who leaned on a nearby wall for support.

"I'm fine, buddy." Yuhiro replied. "Just need to get my strength back, that's all." He stretched his arms and legs, which helped provide him with some energy.

"Is it me, or is Roxy usually here?" Herald asked, as he looked around the backroom.

"She might be getting lunch ready." Yuhiro said to Herald. "Or-."

DING!

"Yuhiro! Could you get the customer's order?" Roxy shouted from upstairs.

"Sure thing!" Yuhiro shouted back, as he walked out of the backroom and to Café Matsuo. Progleo, on the other hand, went upstairs to look for Roxy.

As Yuhiro headed to the counter, he grabbed his apron along with a pen and paper. "What can I get you-?" But when he looked at who the customer was, it was the last person he expected to see today.

"How are you, Furutani?"

Yuhiro stumbled backwards a few steps. Rachel Miyake was standing in front of the counter, smiling at him. She wasn't wearing the Den Academy uniform; instead, she was wearing a white, Victorian-style dress with a dark magenta line all around the bottom, and carried a small black bag. At the upper section of the dress was two black triangles on both sides, with a small red handkerchief in the middle. She also wore high white socks and small black shoes as well.

Yuhiro narrowed his eyes. "Miyake," he began. "How do you know I work here?"

"Simple." Rachel said, giving him her coy smile. "I looked into the student directory. It said you lived above a fast-food restaurant, so I put two and two together that you worked at said fast-food restaurant. Am I mistaken?"

"You're not mistaken at all." Roxy said, as she came from behind Yuhiro. "Yuhiro here is not only my roommate, he's also my co-worker as well."

"Yuhiro?" Rachel repeated. "I guess I was right about Furutani having a friend. A close friend, for sure. Just like Zaizen."

Roxy laughed in response to this, much to Yuhiro's dismay. "Depends on who you're asking," she said, smiling at Rachel. "I'm Roxanne Matsuo, but everyone around here calls me Roxy. I'm the owner of Café Matsuo. Considering that you know Yuhiro, I'm guessing you're one of his classmates?"

"Rachel Miyake," she answered, bowing slightly. "I started attending Den Academy a while ago. I actually met Yuhiro on my first day, when he had his anxiety attack."

"Really?" Roxy asked, as Rachel nodded. "In that case, I should thank you for helping Yuhiro out. Tell you what," she said, getting a devilish glint in her eye, "I'll give Yuhiro the rest of the day off. So the two of you can spend time together."

"Wait. What?" Yuhiro said, startled. "But I was planning on taking my lunch break."

"You can take it with me." Rachel interjected, her gold-colored eyes also obtaining a devilish glint in them. "I haven't seen you at school recently, and could use some company." She then turned to Roxy, her eyes wide and sparkling. "Would that be okay with you? Pretty please?"

"Of course, sweetie!" Roxy immediately said. "After all, who couldn't say yes to that cute face?"

Ah hell no, Yuhiro thought. With Rachel showing up at Café Matsuo, it threw a monkey wrench in his plans to kick Hanoi butt with Herald and Progleo.

"But I really don't want to-."

"No excuses." Roxy told Yuhiro, who was now serious, as she pulled his ear and turned around so she could speak to him privately. She leaned to his ear and whispered, "Yuhiro, you honestly need to get out more. This girl could learn a thing or two from you that she can use when she's older. Don't worry about Hanoi; the others are taking care of it. Oh, and someone needs to take Progleo out for a walk." As if on cue, Progleo showed up, carrying his leash.

Yuhiro sighed. "All right. I'll give it a shot." He turned to Rachel. "Just let me put this apron away and I'll meet you at the front."

"See you in a few!" Rachel giggled as Yuhiro headed to put away his apron. This was going to be fun.

At an apartment in Den City...

Greg opened his eyes and blinked as the blue sphere around him vanished. He stood up from the couch in his and Rachel's apartment and stretched. Even though he was very good at dueling, he still found the job tiring. Especially since Rachel is the one who duels while he helps her in the real world as tech support.

He walked over to the desk in front of him and sat on the chair in front of it. He then plugged his Duel Disk into it and downloaded the data from his duels against the Knights of Hanoi. Greg then sent that data to an email address that Watchman provided him and Rachel with, along with a request for an anti-purge program if possible.

A few minutes later, Watchman sent Greg a reply, consisting of a "Thank you for looking into this. I'll investigate what you told me and notify you should something come up." Two notifications then appeared on Greg's computer, which he checked. The first one showed that a transfer had been made from an unknown source to Greg and Rachel's bank account. The second notification showed a file containing various programs that can be used in case of emergency, as well as during missions.

Greg frowned as he looked at his phone. While this Watchman is generous, he thought, neither of us know who he is exactly. And unfortunately, that made him partially annoyed.

Where are you Rachel, he thought as he dialed her phone number. She answered on the second ring.

"What is it, Greg?" Rachel asked.

"You know exactly why I'm calling." Greg answered. "I thought we agreed that after lunch, you would come home and take over for me."

"Yeah, but... I made a change in the plan." Rachel responded.

"You made a change in the plan?" Greg muttered under his breath. "Rachel, listen to me. What we're doing right now is more important than whatever it is you're up to."

"I know." Rachel said. "But... I need to do this. It's important to me."

"In that case, could you at least tell me what you're doing? And what time you'll be back?"

"No." Rachel firmly replied. "I'll tell you when I want to, and that's that."

"Rachel, I didn't mean it like-."

"I have to go." Rachel interrupted. "I'll be back before dinner. I promise." She hung up after that. Greg cursed as he lowered his phone and turned his attention to his laptop. He activated the tracker that he placed in Rachel's phone. While she hated that it was there, she understood its importance.

He raised an eyebrow at her phone's location. Café Matsuo? From what he knew, the place was a fast-food restaurant owned and ran by a woman named Roxanne Matsuo. Why would Rachel go there?

He attempted to hack into Café Matsuo's computers, but soon found out he couldn't. The firewalls and security systems protecting Café Matsuo's computers were far too advanced. Which raised the question: Why would a fast-food restaurant have firewalls and security systems in the first place?

Perhaps I need to look at this from a different perspective, Greg thought, as he hacked the security cameras outside Café Matsuo to see what Rachel was doing. "Really, Rachel? A boy?" Greg muttered, as he stared at the laptop screen. He decided to play the audio starting from when Rachel approached the counter to see what is so important this boy is to her. Rachel, you're 11 years old, and this boy is freakin 16. He scowled. You better not be trying to date him!

However, Greg's scowl disappeared from his face when Roxy said the boy's first name. Yuhiro. Why was that name familiar? Greg wondered. His eyes widened upon realizing something important. Of course! Greg immediately exited the security camera window and opened up a file called Project: VIII. When he scrolled through the file and found what he was looking for, Greg took off his glasses and gasped.

"My God," was all Greg could say. "I didn't think this was possible." If Greg was right, then he and Rachel would have a lot more work ahead of them.

At Café Matsuo...

Rachel hung up as Yuhiro walked out of Café Matsuo's front door with Progleo. "Were you calling someone?"

"Just answering a call." Rachel answered, a strained smile on her face. "Had to deal with something for a quick minute, but it's done. Ready to head out?"

"I suppose so." Yuhiro replied, as the three of them started walking away from Café Matsuo. "Can I ask you something? Why exactly do you want to hang out with me out of all the people in Den Academy?"

Rachel didn't answer straight away. After a few moments, she turned her head and smiled at him. "I'll tell you what, ask me that question later in the evening. By then, I'll answer. Deal?"

Yuhiro sighed. "Deal. Where exactly do you want to go?"

Before Rachel could answer, there was a chime from Yuhiro's pocket. He pulled out his phone and opened his messages.

"Roxy said we should go to the public viewing plaza," he said. "Apparently, there's a food truck that sells the best hotdogs in Den City. And he's a friend of Roxy's, so he could give us a discount."

"That's actually a good idea." Rachel said. "And I'm curious as to who's dueling in LINK VRAINS."

Another chime came from Yuhiro's pocket, causing him to pull out his phone and read the message Roxy sent him. He snickered.

"What's so funny?" Rachel asked out of curiosity.

"Roxy wanted to let us know that, when we get there, we shouldn't call hotdogs Hot Dog Sandwiches." Yuhiro replied, rolling his eyes. Seriously? People thought that hot dogs were sandwiches? "It kinda ticks him off."

Rachel giggled. "I can see why. People assume that anything between two loaves of bread is a sandwich."

"I guess so." Still, Yuhiro wondered: Why did Roxy suggest a hotdog truck? Was there a specific reason for it?

"Say, Furutani. How long did you live in Den City?" Rachel asked, as the three of them turned a corner.

"My whole life." Yuhiro responded. "I've never left it."

"How come?"

"Never saw the need to. What about you?"

Rachel shook her head. "I was actually born here, believe it or not." She glanced at Yuhiro as she asked her next question. "Roxy said that you're her roommate. What happened to your parents?"

"My parents?" Yuhiro repeated. "I don't remember them. All I know was that I spent my childhood in the Den City Shelter. I assumed my whole life that my parents were dead."

"I'm sorry."

"You don't have to be." Yuhiro bitterly said. "By thinking they're dead, it helps me move on. Besides, the closest I have to family is Roxy. And recently, Leo." Progleo barked in happiness in hearing that.

Rachel gave a sad smile. "I wasn't just going to say that. In fact, I was going to say something else."

"Like what?"

"That you're lucky."

Yuhiro stopped walking and turned to face Rachel. She did the same. "What exactly are you saying?"

"I'm saying that you're lucky when compared to me." Rachel clarified, her smile replaced with a look of depression as she looked to the ground. "You may not have known your parents, but by not doing so, you don't have any memories of them. It means you're spared of any pain the memories you had with them would have brought you once they died."

Yuhiro and Rachel stood still in silence for a few minutes. Eventually, Yuhiro kneeled to her level and broke the silence. "What exactly happened to your parents, Miyake?"

She gave a sad smile. "A lot of things," she finally said. "None of which I want to talk about right now. And please, just call me Rachel."

Yuhiro stood up. "Alright. You can call me Yuhiro." He soon turned to Progleo upon hearing him whine. "You gotta do your business, little buddy? Then go do so near that bush over there." Progleo immediately ran over to the bush and did his business.

"That is one peculiar dog you got there, Yuhiro." Rachel said, giggling in the process.

"I still haven't potty trained him yet, but once I do, he'll learn not to pee at random spots." Yuhiro commented, as Progleo came back to him. The three of them then started walking again.

After a few minutes, Rachel suddenly said, "A shortcut! Let's go through here!" She grabbed Yuhiro's hand and pulled him to the left.

"H-Hey! Let go of me!" Yuhiro protested as she led him to an alleyway. "Are you nuts, Rachel? Whenever someone goes into an alleyway, it never ends well."

"Oh, come on." Rachel pouted, still holding his hand. "That's just superstition. Besides, I want to get to the public viewing plaza ASAP."

"Then I'm afraid you're out of luck, little girl."

Rachel stopped at the center of an intersection in the alley. Yuhiro freed his hand from her grip and looked around. Sure enough, there were four thugs, two in front and two behind them.

The one with a small bearded ponytail spoke. "Well, well, well. What do we have here? A boy and his little sister enjoying a nice walk on a weekday."

"What's your point?" Rachel asked the thug, as she crossed her arms. Her expression showed no fear, but something else instead. "We're headed to the public viewing plaza."

"The public viewing plaza? I'm a nice guy. Perhaps we can figure something out, although it will cost you."

Yuhiro just sighed. "Why don't you just tell us what you want?" he asked, slightly annoyed. "I think it saves everyone a lot of time."

"Oh, we have a wise guy here, boys," the bearded ponytail thug said to his cohorts, causing them to snicker. "That attitude of yours is just going to cost you more. Although," he leered at Rachel as he looked her up and down, "I can think of an alternative form of-."

The next thing the thug knew, Rachel snapped. She pulled out something from her bag that looked like lipstick and fired two metal lines out of it at him, tasering him in the process. As a result, the bearded ponytail thug fell onto the floor, convulsing.

"Boss!" one of the thugs cried out as they approached their leader.

"How do you like that, you SON OF A BITCH?" Rachel said. "PEDOPHILES LIKE YOU, LIKE ALL OF YOU, SHOULD NEVER EXIST!" She then glared daggers at the rest of them, who were very afraid. "TAKE THIS!" She then fired her lipstick taser at each of the remaining thugs, also causing them to fall onto the floor and convulse. By the time she was done, she was panting.

"Rachel!" Yuhiro said, kneeling to her level and grabbing her shoulders out of concern. "Stop! It's over. Let's just go to the plaza." They started walking, but Progleo wouldn't come with them, as he was scared at what he just saw. "Looks like I'm carrying you out of this alleyway." He picked up Progleo and headed with Rachel out of the alleyway.

By the time they got onto the main street, Progleo wanted to walk again, so Yuhiro put him down. It was at that part where Rachel started speaking.

"I'm sorry about what you saw," she said.

"Don't apologize." Yuhiro replied, as he turned his head to face her. "We won't talk about it until you're ready, okay?"

Upon hearing that, Rachel gave him a genuine smile. "Alright." Changing the subject, she asked, "How long until we reach the public viewing plaza?"

Yuhiro looked at the street signs, and, knowing where they were, pointed in a direction. "This way. About two minutes or so."

The two continued their walk, their heart rates going down. Thanks to the interruption, the awkward atmosphere around them went down.

"Rachel, I've been meaning to ask. Where did you get those healing stims?" Yuhiro asked.

"My guardian knows a close friend who has them," Rachel answered. "They help me relax whenever I have nightmares. Why? You want some?"

"I'm considering it." Yuhiro replied. "It might help with my anxiety attacks as well. Would you mind asking your guardian if I could have some healing stims?"

"Of course."

The three of them eventually made it to the public viewing plaza. Like Yuhiro had thought, there was a large crowd, watching the television screens. Right now, they showed Stregone, Go Onizuka, and Playmaker dueling. The crowd was cheering wildly for the three duelists.

Yuhiro looked at the edge of the crowd and found the food truck Roxy was talking about. Behind the counter was a man in a purple sweatshirt and apron with purple hair, grilling hotdogs. There was a sign above him that said "Café Nagi".

"There's the place Roxy was talking about." Yuhiro said, pointing it out to Rachel. She looked at it and raised an eyebrow.

"Doesn't look like much." Rachel replied. "But as long as the food is good, then I don't care."

The three of them walked up to the counter. Luckily, there was no line. The guy behind the counter smiled at him.

"Hi there." Kusanagi said to them in a friendly tone. "What can I get you today?"

"I'll have a hotdog, potato wedges, and a Nestea." Yuhiro said. Turning to Rachel, he asked, "What do you want, Rachel?"

"I appreciate the chivalry, but I can pay for myself, Yuhiro." Rachel replied, smiling at him.

"Yuhiro?" Kusanagi interrupted, his voice full of surprise and startling them. "Sorry. Your name's Yuhiro Furutani, right?"

Yuhiro raised an eyebrow. "Correct. How exactly do you know my name?"

"Your friend Roxy told me." Kusanagi sheepishly told me. "My name's Shoichi Kusanagi. She mentioned your name several times when I went to Café Matsuo for lunch."

Yuhiro was confused. This guy went to Café Matsuo?

His thoughts, however, were interrupted by what Kusanagi said next. "You go to Den Academy, right? I think you might know a friend of mine. Yusaku Fujiki?"

Yuhiro's eyes widened in surprise before he narrowed them again. If this man knew Yusaku, that meant...

He looked more closely at the storage shelves behind Kusanagi. There was a slight wavering to them, suggesting they were computer screens.

So he's Playmaker's ally, Yuhiro thought. He must have tracked Roxy down and introduced himself. Usually, Roxy would be the one to take the initiative and introduce herself, but for someone else to go to her instead? That was a complete first.

Out loud, Yuhiro finally said, "I do know Fujiki, but not too well yet. I'd call him a classmate instead of a friend. He mostly keeps to himself."

Kusanagi nodded in understanding. "Yup. That sounds like him." He finished grilling Yuhiro's hotdog and placed it and a carton of potato wedges on a tray, along with his Nestea.

Yuhiro was about to pay for the meal when Kusanagi stopped him. "No need," he said to him. "This ones on the house."

Due to Yuhiro's honor, he didn't like receiving things for free. But since the guy insisted... "Alright. But only if you stop by Café Matsuo. I'm pretty sure Roxy would be more than happy to give you a burger combo free of charge."

Kusanagi smiled. "Deal. I'll bring Yusaku too, if he agrees to go. It would help him to try a different food out, wouldn't you agree?"

After Yuhiro took his tray from the counter, he waited for Rachel to give her order. While Kusanagi offered her food free of charge, she insisted on paying the full amount.

"Thank you for the offer," she said to him, "but it's only fair that I pay for what I get." Kusanagi shrugged and accepted her money.

"You know, I just want to thank you guys." Kusanagi told them before they went to find a table, getting their attention. "You're the first people to not call hotdogs Hot Dog Sandwiches."

"No problem." Rachel said, turning her head to face him. "After all, a hotdog isn't a sandwich because not only are hotdogs cylindrical in shape, they're also vertical in orientation."

"Exactly!" Kusanagi agreed with her, happy to see someone that thinks just like him. "Several of the people in Den City say that a hotdog is a sandwich. Especially that motorcycle girl with long, pink hair." In hearing this, Yuhiro turned his head to fully pay attention to Kusanagi. "She said that any filling between a couple of slices of bread is a sandwich. When I tried to make a rebuttal, she told me not to debate with her on the topic, as the customer was always right. But that's something I don't always agree with, that's for sure."

Did Ghost Girl visit Café Nagi? If so, when? Yuhiro wondered. Suddenly, he was worried that Ghost Girl managed to figure out that Yusaku was Playmaker. However, he snapped out of his thoughts when Rachel got his attention.

"Are we going to find a table or not?" she asked him. Yuhiro nodded, and the two of them, along with Progleo, sat down at a nearby table. "You know, I'm not familiar with Yusaku Fujiki. Is he in our class?"

"Yes." Yuhiro answered her. "He usually sits in the back row. Tall guy, blue and pink hair."

"Oh! I remember now!" Rachel realized. "He's the same guy that the 'Neanderthal', Shima, yells at."

Yuhiro couldn't help but laugh at the fact that Rachel called Naoki a Neanderthal. It would make sense, considering that he not only lacked knowledge, but also yelled most of the time.

Rachel took a bite of her hotdog. "Okay, this is the best!" she said. "I really like it."

Yuhiro took a bite out of his hotdog and nodded. "Yup. I have to agree with you there."

The two of them ate in silence, while on occasion, Yuhiro gave a potato wedge or two to Progleo for him to eat. He really is a peculiar creature, Yuhiro thought, as he watched the cub chow down on the potato wedges.

They continued eating in silence until Rachel broke it. "You're a duelist, right? Are you any good at dueling?"

Yuhiro shrugged. "Believe it or not, I'm pretty good, simply because I keep up with the times. What about you? Are you a duelist?"

Rachel shook her head. "No, although I do have a deck, and I plan on dueling when I get older. So I can be like one of the duelists on the screens." She then pointed to the screens, which showed a replay of Playmaker using Decode Talker to defeat a Knight of Hanoi.

"Like Playmaker?" Yuhiro asked.

"Partially." Rachel replied. "But also like Raguel as well."

Yuhiro's response to this was to raise an eyebrow. "And why's that?"

"Because he's different from the rest, just like Playmaker." Rachel told him. "While people see Playmaker and Raguel as heroes, when I look at them, I see them as people who are special. I don't know why they're in LINK VRAINS fighting the Knights, but what I do know is that they're doing it for more than just glory, don't you think?"

Yuhiro was puzzled by what Rachel said. She obviously didn't know his identity as Raguel, but she did paid attention to detail. "Quite observant of you. Perhaps if they're still around one day, you can ask them yourself."

"And that is something I plan on-." Rachel suddenly stopped talking. Yuhiro looked up from his food and saw she was looking over his shoulder. He turned and looked.

There was a man several meters away. He had brown hair, with blue eyes, a small moustache, and glasses. He also wore a suit jacket with a buttoned up white shirt. If Yuhiro had to guess, the man was Rachel's guardian. The man had a look of concern on his face and made a beckoning gesture to Rachel.

In seeing this, Rachel sighed. "Excuse me," she said, as she picked up her tray and walked over to the guy. After a few minutes, she came back, looking disappointed.

"I'm sorry, Yuhiro," Rachel said, "but I have to go home, as it's getting late."

"Was that your guardian?"

Rachel nodded. "Yeah. His name is Greg, and wants me to come home so I can get my homework done."

Yuhiro glanced at Greg, who narrowed his eyes at him. He then turned his gaze to Rachel. "I hope you get home safe."

"Thank you. I will." Rachel said as she turned to leave, but then turned and smiled at Yuhiro.

"Oh! I almost forgot about your question."

"My question?" Yuhiro repeated before he remembered what he asked Rachel earlier. About why she chose to hang out with him out of everyone else at Den Academy.

"It's only fair that, after today, I answer it," she told it. "And the answer is this: You accept me for who I am."

Before Yuhiro could ask what she meant by that, Rachel continued, "I have to go. I'll explain further the next time I get the chance." She then turned and ran over to Greg. The two departed the plaza afterwards.

"Hello, Furutani."

Yuhiro turned to the voice and saw Yusaku sit down in the seat Rachel left vacant. Once he sat down, he removed his Duel Disk from his wrist and placed it on the table. Yuhiro, in response, did the same.

"About time you did that, Yuhiro!" Herald said, emerging from Yuhiro's Duel Disk and turning to face him. "Do you know how long I had to be quiet while you spent time with another human?"

"It could be worse." Ai said, emerging from Yusaku's Duel Disk and getting Herald's attention. "We spent all day hunting down Knights of Hanoi and got no-!" Suddenly, Ai heard chewing sounds. When Ai turned to what the sound was, his eyes widened. "Progleo, can it be really you?"

When Progleo looked up at who was speaking to him, he sat on his hind legs excitedly, happy to see Ai again. He then started licking Ai, who stretched over to hug him.

"I missed you so much!" Ai said, as he got smothered by Progleo's licking.

"I'm so happy to see you again, Dark Ignis!" Progleo told him.

"So this is the sentient Cyberse creature you have, Furutani?" Yusaku asked, as Progleo got up and approached Yusaku. Yusaku, in response, petted him on the head.

"In public, I call him Leo." Yuhiro started to explain, before Herald interrupted.

"But his real name is Progleo." Herald finished. "Speaking of sentient creatures, I wonder Ai. Do you have Linkuriboh with you? I'm pretty sure Progleo would love seeing his playmate again."

"You mean Linky?" Ai asked, to which Herald nodded. "No. If I have to guess, he's in the Cyberse World."

"Well, it's better that he's safe in the Cyberse World than in the Hanoi's clutches." Herald contemplated.

"That we can agree on." Ai agreed. "You know Herald, we should tell Yuhiro about the fond memories we had with each other in the Cyberse World, as well as of the other Ignis. It's something he'll definitely enjoy."

"Which can be told later." Yusaku interrupted, as Ai sighed and said, "Fine. He's all yours."

Yuhiro nodded in understanding. While hearing about the Cyberse World from Ai and Herald was interesting, as well as about the other Ignis, they had other matters to discuss. "Did you learn anything from the Knights you defeated?"

Yusaku shook his head. "I was close once, but then he got purged before he could spill the beans. You?"

"I managed to interrogate one before he got purged." Yuhiro answered. "I learned the name of the person who created the 'Another' Virus. A woman named Baira."

Yusaku narrowed his eyes. "Baira... Are you sure it's her?" Yuhiro nodded. "We should get to tracking her down then ASAP."

"That would be the most logical move." Herald agreed with Yusaku. "Letting the others know would also be another logical move."

"Kusanagi and I will see if we can find anything about her." Yusaku said. "We'll let you and Roxy know if we cover something important."

"That will be easier than you think, Yusaku." Kusanagi said, drawing both Yuhiro and Yusaku's attention to him. "Apparently, from what I've heard, the Hanoi have been quite busy with SOL Technologies lately."

"What do you mean?" Yuhiro asked.

Kusanagi's jaw dropped in hearing that. "You mean you haven't heard? Alright. Give me a second." He turned off the grill, grabbed a laptop in the truck, and brought it over to where Yuhiro and Yusaku were. "This article was posted yesterday. It talks about how SOL Technologies created a 100% AI Duelist to take down the Hanoi. The project was authorized by Kitamura, who's the new security manager after replacing Zaizen."

"Can't believe that dumbass actually did something." Yuhiro said, as he read over the article.

"And I can't believe he made more of those stupid robot duelists." Herald added as he scanned the article. "Sheesh. This guy has no brains at all."

"Nevertheless, he'll still buy some time." Yusaku noted. "Again, should we find something, we'll let the both of you know as soon as we can."

"Right." Yuhiro looked at the sky and scowled. Guess time flew faster than he expected, because the sun was already setting. "It's getting late, and I promised Roxy that I would get back before dark." He stood up from his seat, picked up his Duel Disk, and said, "I'll see you tomorrow, Fujiki."

"Same here." Yusaku replied.

"Bye, Progleo!" Ai said. "I hope we get an uninterrupted chance to catch up. Same goes to you, Herald."

"Bye, Dark Ignis!" Progleo said back, hurrying over to Yuhiro's side.

Yuhiro was about to walk away from Café Nagi when Yusaku spoke to him. "Furutani, be careful about Miyake. I have a bad feeling about her."

"I do get the sense she isn't telling me everything." Yuhiro acknowledged, turning around to face him. "But I will keep that in mind." Yuhiro then turned back around and resumed walking away from Café Nagi.

Fifteen minutes later...

"It was so good to see the Dark Ignis again!" Progleo cheerfully said, as Yuhiro and him walked took the scenic, yet longer route home. Yuhiro suggested it, mostly to avoid the thugs he encountered with Rachel earlier, but just so he could think to himself.

"The Dark Ignis's name is Ai, Progleo." Herald told him, causing Progleo to raise an eyebrow.

"Like as in an A.I?" Progleo wondered.

"No. As in an eyeball." Herald stated. "It will surely trigger him."

As Herald and Progleo were talking, Yuhiro was thinking about the three main events that happened today. First, he found out who was responsible for the Anothers. Baira, he thought. I don't know how long it takes me, but when I find you, you'll cure the 'Another' victims. As well as lead me to Infearno and Revolver yourself.

Then there was Rachel. When she attacked those thugs using her lipstick taser, her face showed extreme fury and pain. As though she went through something horrible in her childhood that caused her to act this way. Almost like... me. Yuhiro then shook his head. There was no way she could understand his pain, nor could he hers. Not unless they've been through it themselves.

Finally, there was meeting Kusanagi, Yusaku's partner. Never thought I'd meet Yusaku's partner-in-crime today, Roxy, he thought. If Yusaku and Kusanagi were working together, then Kusanagi must have had a sibling who went through the Lost Incident. Just like him, Yusaku, and Miyu. He was about to join in on Herald and Progleo's current conversation when he heard a voice.

"Are you done with dueling, kiddo?"

Yuhiro stopped walking. He turned to his right and saw Emma of all people talking to Aoi near the bridge. He frowned. Whenever Emma talked to someone, it was always about business. So what exactly did Emma want from Aoi?

"What makes you say that?" Aoi asked as she looked to the ground.

"Why else would you stop logging into LINK VRAINS?" Emma replied, as she looked out into the sunset.

"You know why." Aoi said, getting Emma's attention. "It's because of my brother. Akira... he... he hates it when I put myself in danger." Her eyes widened as if to make a point. "And I can't say I blame him."

"Oh, is that right?" Emma turned her head back to the sunset. "I remember a time when Blue Angel did what she wanted. Not what others wanted from her. I get it, you don't want to scare your brother, but this is your life." She turned her head to face Aoi. "So go live it."

"But Akira will-."

"Look, I didn't come here to produce your future. But if I were you, I'd never let anyone take my life away from me. Not a chance."

"Oh..." was all Aoi said.

Yuhiro narrowed his eyes as he overhead what Emma said to Aoi. He had to admit, she had a point there.

"Is that the mean lady we encountered in LINK VRAINS?" Progleo asked.

"Shh." Yuhiro told the cub. "I'll tell you later."

"Speaking of taking lives," Emma continued, "I know who tried to take yours."

Yuhiro's eyes widened in surprise in hearing this. He knew Emma was a skilled hacker, and he also knew she'd be able to find the information she needed in a heartbeat. She was also willing to share the information, in exchange for a price. Yet a single question rose in his head: Why was Emma sharing this information with Aoi for free?

"The same lady who's deleting everyone." Emma said, piquing Aoi's curiosity. "The virus has the same signature. You were the guinea pig to this whole pandemic, but I don't know why I'm telling you, you're retired, right?" She then started to walk to her motorcycle. "Let some other hero solve this mess."

As Emma started up her motorcycle, she turned to Aoi. "Oh, but in case you're interested, the culprit's name is Baira. Ciao." And Emma rode off, leaving Aoi alone to watch the sunset. Or so she thought.

Yuhiro scowled as he walked away from the scene with Progleo. He remembered how once, he got the same 'talk' from Emma, along with her mind games. While it hurt, it did help him get through a problem. One that he didn't want to think about right now.

"So is someone going to answer my question from earlier?" Progleo asked, as they walked down the street.

"Yeah, Progleo. That was her. And you can call her Emma." Yuhiro answered him. "Also, she isn't necessarily mean. To be honest, I don't know how to explain it to you at all."

"Well, you did a good job explaining what happened between the two of you during your duel against her." Herald said. "But we should change the subject, as I can sense your discomfort. Now that the young Zaizen knows who put her in a coma, perhaps that can motivate her to fight against the Hanoi."

"Possibly." Yuhiro agreed with Herald. "If we find out where Baira's going to strike next, we can send a message to her. Whether she takes the opportunity or not, that's up to her."

At Café Matsuo...

Yuhiro opened the door to Café Matsuo. The store was closed, but he had his own key.

"Hey," Roxy said as she walked downstairs from the second floor, holding her tablet. "Didn't I tell you to get back before dark?"

Yuhiro sighed. "On the way back, I overheard Emma's conversation with Aoi. Which took longer than I thought."

Roxy scowled as she followed him, along with Progleo, into the backroom. "And why exactly were you eavesdropping on their conversation? Hell, why was Emma even talking to Aoi?"

"Because Emma found out who infected Aoi in the first place." Herald answered. "And this woman is the same woman causing the 'Another' pandemic. Also-." But before Herald could continue, Yuhiro interrupted.

"The woman's name is Baira." He sat down on his chair while Roxy sat down on hers. "I intend to track her down any chance I get."

"You mean this woman?" Roxy asked as she turned on the monitors. What Yuhiro saw next shocked even him. The monitors showed three figures defeating Kitamura's AI army. While Yuhiro recognized one of the figures as Dancho, there was a second figure was a man with dark and light blue hair and a white lab coat with black lines, as well as a silver-yellow eyepiece over his left eye. The third figure, whom Yuhiro assumed to be Baira, was a woman with red and orange hair and a sleeveless white lab coat with pink lines, as well as a silver-yellow eyepiece over her left eye.

"While you spent the day with Miyake, I scoured the news." Roxy continued. "Kitamura thinks those AI's of his have any chance against the Hanoi? He must be deluded."

"That we can agree on, Roxy." Yuhiro said. "Oh, and I met Kusanagi today."

"Yeah? What are your thoughts on him?"

"Very nice guy. Gave me a free hotdog. I told him you'd give him free burgers sometime."

Roxy smiled as she glanced at Yuhiro. "It'd be my pleasure."

"He and Fujiki are tracking Baira down while Kitamura and his AI's keep them busy as we speak."

"Sorry to interrupt your conversation," Herald said to the two humans, "but what exactly are we going to do with Baira?"

"Simple." Roxy stretched her hands. "We're going to help track her down, and then Yuhiro's going to kick her ass." Progleo barked in agreement.

"I'm not going to be kicking her ass. Aoi is." Yuhiro replied, causing her to turn her chair to face him.

"That's not up to you. That's up to her." Roxy emphasized.

"I'm well aware of that." Yuhiro told her, also turning his chair. "But regardless of what happens, I got a feeling that Blue Angel is coming back to LINK VRAINS. And if we find Baira's location, then we can make it easier for her to get the justice she deserves."

"In other words, Yuhiro wants to send a message to Aoi regarding Baira's location, in the hopes of her coming back." Herald deduced, causing Yuhiro to put a hand to his face. "After all, should Blue Angel win, it could motivate her to fight against the Hanoi."

"Or she might leave permanently after that." Roxy rebutted.

"Come on, Roxy. For God's sake, YOU MADE ME USE A SCHOOLGIRL DISGUISE!" Yuhiro stated. "You owe me for that."

Roxy sighed as she turned her chair back to the monitors. "Fine. But only after we find Baira's location."

Yuhiro smiled as he turned his chair back to the monitors. "Deal."

At the Zaizen Residence...

Aoi was furious. So much that, by the time she went to her room, she threw her bag onto her bed.

"Ghost Girl just shows up and thinks she can lecture me?" Aoi said to herself. "What does she know?" She would have continued, but her Duel Disk beeped, getting her attention. Curious, Aoi walked over and picked it up. Upon inspection, she found out that she got a message.

"Furutani sent a message?" Aoi muttered as she clicked on the message to read it.

Zaizen,

If you're reading this message, then you still probably haven't found a reason to duel again. Perhaps what I'm about to tell you might help in making your decision.

Roxy and I found where Baira will strike next. If you want justice for what she did to you, just follow the coordinates I sent you.

Djeoi37495hddiwyriegeithdni9dej

Regards,

Furutani.

P.S. Progleo says hi.

Aoi's eyes widened in reading the message. In my hands are the details to get justice for what's been done to me, she thought. Yet one question was on her mind: Should she take it or not?

At the Hanoi Stronghold...

Faust had a look of disappointment and concern on his face as he and Baira watched the recording of Raguel interrogating the Knight regarding her location. Unfortunately, since the Knight spilled the beans, it was only a matter of time until Raguel and Playmaker got to work on tracking them down.

"This is most disappointing." Faust commented, as he swiped the monitor from him. "While SOL won't be bothering us for a while, it's only a matter of time until we have to deal with Raguel and Playmaker."

"Yes, Faust." Baira agreed. "But Raguel and Playmaker isn't what worries me. It's the plan being devised by Dr. Kogami."

This got Faust's attention as Baira continued. "I agree that the Ignis must be eliminated, more than ever, now that we got two instead of one to destroy. It's just that I may be fearful that we may be taking it too far. And Revolver will be the one who pays the price!"

All Faust did in response was close his eyes. "Baira, don't let your emotions cloud your reasoning. Even though you feel that Revolver is family, the mission must come first."

"I know. But don't pretend you're not worried about Revolver as well." Baira said to him. "As he is the leader of the Knights of Hanoi, he will be the one to shoulder the blame."

"The only option is to destroy the Ignis, and eliminate the Cyberse before Dr. Kogami's plan is ready to launch. And the first step is defeating Playmaker and Raguel." Faust stated. "Which you've failed to accomplish. Your virus was supposed to find Playmaker and Raguel and eliminate them. But you've only been successful in turning everyone else but them into 'Anothers'."

"What if Baira's failure is a blessing in disguise instead?" a new voice said, causing both Baira and Faust to turn to an individual materializing in the Hanoi Stronghold. The figure was a male of medium height, with red hair and blue eyes. He also wore a white lab coat with orange lines, as well as a silver-yellow eyepiece over his left eye. In his left hand, he was carrying a coffee tray, with three coffee cups on it. "With so many duelists having become 'Anothers', as well as Playmaker and Raguel now knowing who was responsible, they'll certainly be on the hunt for you." As if he almost forgot, he gestured to the coffee tray he was carrying. "Coffee, anyone?"

"What are you suggesting, Lord Kazuma?" Faust asked, as he took one of the coffees from the coffee tray.

"Simple." Lord Kazuma replied. "An old strategy known as 'Divide and Conquer'. I'll intercept Raguel the first chance I get and acquire his Ignis, while Baira intercepts Playmaker."

"An excellent suggestion." Baira said as she took her coffee cup from the coffee tray and turned to Faust. "As Lord Kazuma said, I'll be on the lookout for Playmaker. Perhaps we'll run into each other. Then when we do, I'll put him to sleep."

With the plan having been made, Faust, Baira, and Lord Kazuma raised their coffee cups and said, "To humanity's future!" The three of them then took a drink of their coffees.

Lord Kazuma's smile turned to a mischievous one as he lowered his coffee cup from his mouth. "Let's get the show started," he said to Baira and Faust, "shall we?"

Card Gallery

Debris Sweeper (LV: 1/Cyberse/Earth/ATK: 500/DEF: 500)

Effect: If this card is used to Link Summon: You can destroy 1 card your opponent controls, and if you do, inflict 500 damage.

Barbarian Hammer (Equip Spell Card)

Effect: Equip only to a 'Cyreath' monster. When the equipped monster destroys a monster by battle: You can destroy 1 card your opponent controls, and if you do, inflict 1000 damage to your opponent.

Cyreath Lead (Normal Spell Card)

Effect: When this card is activated: You can Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower 'Cyreath' monster from your hand.

Pandora's Box (Normal Spell Card)

Effect: When this card is activated: You can draw until you have five cards in your hand. At the End Phase: Discard 1 'Cyreath' monster from your hand; otherwise, take 2000 damage.

Link Reanimation (Normal Trap card)

Effect: Target Cyberse Link Monsters in your GY; Special Summon them to unused Main Monster Zones on your field, but their effects are negated; also, their ATK is reduced to 0. During the End Phase: Destroy all Cyberse Link Monsters Special Summoned by this effect, and take 1000 damage for each monster Special Summoned by this effect (this is not optional).

Militia Ogre (LR: 1/Fiend/Fire/ATK: 0/⬇️️)

Effect: 1 Fiend monster. When this card is Link Summoned: You can banish all Spell and Trap cards from your GY, and if you do, this card gains 800 ATK for each card banished by this effect. Once per turn: You can shuffle 1 banished Spell/Trap card into your deck, then target 1 monster your opponent controls; destroy it, and if you do, inflict damage to your opponent equal to its original ATK. You cannot conduct your Battle Phase the turn you activate this effect.

Cyreath Teumessian Fox (LR: 2/Cyberse/Earth/ATK: 1000/↙️⬇️)

Effect: 2 'Cyreath' monsters. While you control a 'Cyreath' monster, this card cannot be targeted by card effects. If this card is used for the Link Summon of a 'Cyreath' Link Monster, the Link Summoned monster that used this card as Link Material can attack your opponent directly this turn.

QOTC

Which anime do you think I got Yuhiro's schoolgirl disguise from? Note: When answering this QOTC, please put down a name that isn't Guest, Anonymous, etc. so that I can give you a shoutout if you get it correct.

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Next time on Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS: Obscured Truth. Chapter 16: The Magician's Trap. Having made her decision, Aoi logs back into LINK VRAINS as Blue Angel to get justice on Baira. Anticipating that the Knights of Hanoi will potentially hold Blue Angel hostage again, Yuhiro logs in as well to provide a helping hand, only for him to fall into a trap, where he'll have to duel to get out of there alive...

Responses to Reviews and Authors Notes

Thank you to HunterHQ, Unnamed, Unknown, Guest, Team Rocket, Anonymous, Guest, Guest, Zeromk7, Guest, Guest, Anonymous, and Guest for reviewing Chapter 14 of Obscured Truth.

I'm back, everyone! Sorry for the really long hiatus, as there was a lot to cover in this chapter! Before I go to review what happened in this chapter, I just want to say three things. One: With the Coronavirus being spread around the world, I hope that everyone is healthy and safe. Two: I want to apologize for the long wait. Not only was there a lot to cover this chapter, but I also had schoolwork as well. Three: I want to thank you very much for waiting. As a reward, I'll make a small announcement prior to answering reviews. With that out of the way, let's talk about what happened.

The first thing that happened this chapter were Go Onizuka's, Playmaker's, and Raguel's duels against the Knights of Hanoi. I just want to give HunterHQ credit for providing a duel idea for Go, which was incorporated into this chapter. It also shows that no matter how hard he's hit, he'll always get right back up again. For Playmaker's duel, I do hope you enjoyed seeing Gatling Ogre and its OC Link Monster, Militia Ogre (in my opinion, Lotten from 5D's utilized Gatling Ogre in a much better fashion. If he had Militia Ogre, he'd be even deadlier). As for Raguel's duel, I had Raguel duel against a Knight that used the Lair of Darkness Structure Deck. Once the duel was over, Raguel interrogated the Knight and learned who was responsible for turning people into Anothers: Baira.

The second thing that happened this chapter was Yuhiro being forced to spend time with Rachel. Along the way, Rachel snapped and tasered four thugs, whom she called pedophiles. How does this affect her character? You'll have to keep on reading and see.

We also see Yuhiro meeting Kusanagi officially for the first time at Café Nagi. A few minutes after meeting Kusanagi, Rachel told Yuhiro that she had to go with her guardian Greg. After leaving, Yusaku approached him to regroup and see if any information was obtained. He even got the chance to meet Progleo as well. I originally planned on having Ai and Herald tell Yuhiro about the Cyberse World, but ultimately decided to move it to a different chapter.

The third thing that happened was Yuhiro listening in on Emma and Aoi's conversation near the bridge. This leads to him sending Aoi a list of coordinates as to where Baira will appear next, so that she can get justice.

Last but not least, there's the small introduction of the Hanoi's Secretary, or the second of the OC winners for the contest: Lord Kazuma, submitted by Electriuser. His dueling debut will be next chapter against Raguel, so stay tuned for what's to come.

Oh, and before I forget, in this chapter, Greg opened up a file known as Project: VIII. What do you think it is? Let me know your thoughts.

Now onto the announcement: I thought about it for a while, and decided to release a Profile page for Obscured Truth alongside the story itself. It will be released once the Another arc is wrapped up, with weekly profiles being released alongside the chapters. These profiles will be made by Yuhiro and Roxy, with Herald adding in his own comments. I hope you're excited for what's to come!

Anyways, let's get to the reviews:

HunterHQ: I'm glad you enjoyed Chapter 14. Sorry that I was inactive for a while, as I had a lot of stuff to do, as well as content to cover for the chapter. To answer your question: No, Quinton didn't get a chance to see the other kids. I also agree with you; considering how Rachel is 11 years old and mischievous, she is quite a tease. As for your questions regarding Watchman: He'll explain what happened in a later chapter.

Guest: Yes, something happened to Watchman that caused him to lose his strength. Once he gets it back, he should be able to help out more.

Unknown: Loved your reference from Kung Fu Panda 2. Chapter 14 was all about showing how even though some characters had unhappy beginnings, there's hope for their futures.

Guest: No. Aoi and Yuhiro are not going to be a couple. They are, however, going to be really good friends.

Team Rocket: Please don't be afraid for Yuhiro. He's not getting a harem, nor will there be any Yuki-Rito style sexual accidents in the story at all.

Anonymous: I think waiting and seeing is the best idea. After all, those who wait will have their patience rewarded.

Guest: You'll have to keep reading to get your answer.

Guest: I'm glad you liked the chapter. And to answer your question, I plan on Miyu using Trickstars, just to show the bond between her and Aoi. I agree that WATER archetypes such as Nekroz, Mermail, and even the White and White Aura are powerful. But I already decided on Trickstars.

Zeromk7: Thank you very much. If you want to send a potential OC idea, just send me a private message. I may or may not use it, so keep that in mind. Just don't forget to review this chapter.

Guest: You're not the only one with concerns regarding Tenyi Spirit – Nahata's effect. What I'll probably do is give him an anime effect.

Guest: Yes. It will be explained how Yuhiro got his Cyreath deck.

Anonymous: Interesting. I didn't know that.

Guest: I can't answer this question directly, but I'll tell you this: Infearno and Yuhiro have one thing in common with each other.

Thanks for reading Chapter 15 of Obscured Truth. Don't forget to spread the word about anyone who you think will enjoy this story. Any questions, opinions, or concerns? Put them on your reviews. Want to know when the next chapter is released? Make sure you follow both the story and me for notifications. As always, constructive criticism is welcome because it helps for improvement. Lastly, I hope that you are all safe and healthy, wherever you are in the world. See you next time, as the next chapter is one you don't want to miss!