Response to Reviews
Thank you to Cyber Warrior, Portal, HunterHQ, Anonymous, Ambiguous, Kingdom Hearts Guy, Noobmaster, Unnamed, Guest, Jumpei Senpai, Unknown, Big Duels, Decode Talker, Guest, Badass Infearno, Daniel Jensen, Electriuser, Guest, Guest, and T.V. 2000 for reviewing Chapter 79 of Obscured Truth.
Hey, everybody! As always, I hope you're well and are safe wherever you are in the world. With only four chapters until we reach the Mirror LINK VRAINS arc, we're nearing the end of Season 2, don't you agree? I encourage you to pay attention to the next few chapters, as I'm sure you'll like what will happen if you read them closely.
Moving that aside, let's get to answering some reviews:
Cyber Warrior: Haha, you make a good point there.
Portal: It's an interlude chapter, what did you expect? They're important because it allows the characters to process what happened. And actually, I am aware that Den City is a city, thank you very much. Even cities have nature trails attached to them. So give me a break already. Glad you liked Gil's appearance in the chapter.
HunterHQ: No. Yuhiro still doesn't have full control of Link Trigger. He was so backed into a corner that he basically forced himself to activate it, unlike the other times where the words of enemies led to him using the transformation and eventual defeat. Watchman does have a lot of money. It is possible for Herald to extract data from cards of fallen Cyberse cards if he chooses to. Jericho infiltrated SOL Technologies the day Brion joined as a bounty hunter. Yeah, Yuhiro's falling off the deep end, and is no longer himself. No, Yukage didn't hack into the steward bot, that I can confirm with you. Basically, Jericho has accounted for all the eight Ignis, Bohman, Haru, Azrael, everything on SOL Technologies' side, Raguel and the others, etc. Basically, Jericho's going to enjoy the fireworks, though whether he'll do it from the safety of his laboratory or not will be determined in the future. Let's see. If Jericho battled against the Hanoi, he'd be able to squash them all, and Revolver would give him an intriguing challenge. If Jericho battled against Azrael and Lightning's faction, he'd squash Windy and Haru, destroy Lightning along with Jin, have a tiny amount of trouble against Malf, and Azrael and Bohman would give him intriguing challenges. If Jericho battled against Playmaker's faction, he'd crush Slipstream and Blue Maiden, have a tiny amount of trouble against Soulburner, and Playmaker and Raguel would give him intriguing challenges. Then again, I'm just taking into account the stats of the duelists they're at right now. The Kings have their ways of finding out what's going on. Balius isn't aware that Yuhiro and Yukage have Excalibur and Muramasa. Urizen isn't the final boss of Season 3, that I can confirm.
Anonymous: Thank you very much for the idea. Should something happen to Fanfiction, I will make massive changes to Obscured Truth before uploading it to Quotev. Azrael doesn't know what the Crisis is, so he wouldn't have an answer for Bohman. Yeah, things will certainly be better between Brea and Roxy.
Ambiguous: Of course. And yes, I can confirm that Blood Shepherd's hospital room is next to his mother's. I will confirm that the authorities threw the worst type of criminals into the sea and let the sea animals take care of them. Organs were also harvested as well. Of course Brea's an adorable tsundere, and the reason she was at the nature trail was because she was in the middle of a jog. Well, Arashi helped too. Why would Yuhiro level SOL Technologies to the ground? Dairoku actually raised his kids well. It's just that they seized an opportunity when it was there. Like I said above, Yuhiro can't fully control his Link Trigger. He was so backed into a corner that he basically forced himself to activate it, unlike the other times where the words of enemies led to him using the transformation and eventual defeat. The first Soltis aren't the ones available to the public. They serve the higherups, and they can duel too, unlike the ones offered to the public.
Kingdom Hearts Guy: Thanks very much.
Noobmaster: Well, being realistic is important, as you can't be unrealistic all the time. I mean, it's good to follow your dreams, but only if you can follow them in a realistic way. Honestly, I don't see Yuhiro telling the Hanoi about the truth regarding himself.
Unnamed: For Yuhiro, his thoughts would be like he's glad for how Uchida Industries was destroyed. However, he'd feel sadness for the people who died as a result. Yuhiro's only skimmed through Ace's data, so he doesn't know fully what's on it. Azrael isn't concerned that Yuhiro has Ace's data on his hands, nor does he know about the Crisis nor Urizen. No, Zero doesn't know what's going on these days at SOL Technologies. In terms of your QOTC, I won't do a Christmas chapter, for that's already taken. However, the options you suggest may be good ones.
Guest: Cell and Majin Buu weren't the only inspirations for Malf. True Assassin, or Hassan of the Cursed Arm, also was used as inspiration for the creation of Malf. I didn't know about Kro at the time until months ago when I watched Eternals. Not a bad movie, if memory serves. Although it could have been done better. You'll see the other Raiders a bit more in the story now that Brea's getting more focus. Well, do keep in mind that SOL Technologies is still functioning by the end of the anime, so I can't just simply have Yuhiro break into the company to get Earth back. And unfortunately, I must follow anime plot, where Go has Earth put inside the AI chip.
Jumpei Senpai: One of my criticisms of the VRAINS anime was that Queen wasn't punished for her actions. So I had the Kings put her on probation with a death threat should she return for any reason until the mess is cleaned up. And no characters will get drunk in the story. That's just wrong.
Unknown: Sadly, people end up losing their lives in the crossfire. They're caught up by the consequences of other people's actions. The ones Jericho has captive are existing Cyberse creatures. For his Cyberse creatures, the Ignis didn't make them. And no, Jericho ain't losing his head because I have plans for him in the story.
Big Duels: Interlude chapters are perfect for that reason. To give the characters a break, and prepare for what's to come. And thank you. Someone else agrees that the Neo Storm Access Plot Armor point of the duel was bullshit. Because Malf has absorbed so many people, a regular duel won't be able to free them should he lose. You'll see Brea in action during Season 3, that I can confirm, and I encourage you to theorize what deck she has. Sadly, there won't be an Azrael vs Bohman duel. At least not for the time being due to the anime I must follow at times. I can't answer your question. What I can say is that you'll like Jericho moving forward.
Decode Talker: I like to think of Gil as an anti-hero. Someone who lacks conventional heroic qualities and attributes, such as idealism, courage, and morality. And who in the world is Halgo? Is this another anime character I don't know about?
Guest: Yes. Each time Malf ate a new heart, he got a new monster. Great comparison between Go and Dr. Octopus from Spider Man PS4. Jericho's Cyberse monsters would actually have a really great chance against the Topologic monsters, as they weren't made by the Ignis. A good idea for the cooking competition, though I probably won't do the beach or convention ideas. And Herald would win the gaming competition.
Badass Infearno: No. Infearno won't use a dating app. And he's lost a lot recently. He can no longer be seen in public as a result of what happened.
Daniel Jensen: Well, of course Yukage has had more experience, which is why he's stronger than Yuhiro. As for Yuhiro, he isn't necessarily handicapping himself. He's afraid that should he let go of his restraints and morals, he'll become no better than his enemies. It's one of his greatest fears.
Electriuser: For an interlude chapter, I'm glad you enjoyed it. It's Brion, not Orion. Yup, Malf has finally achieved his Perfect form. Actually, that's not a bad idea. A game of ice hockey or paintball would be good to include. And yes, the gang needs to get help from what happened. You'll see that later on in the story, as the first therapy appointment was shown in Chapter 69.
Guest: Not bad ideas.
Guest: Well, of course. That was my intent for Malf. By eating people's hearts, he gets stronger. Unfortunately, I can't do the Baira and Faust date idea because that was already used in another VRAINS fanfic called VRAINS Overdrive. The Dr. Genome one isn't a bad idea, though.
T.V. 2000: Thank goodness there's someone else who agrees with me on the topic that the Go vs Playmaker rematch was crap. For me, writing duels that occurred in the anime are a waste of time, so it's better for me to sum it up so I can keep the chapter going. Yeah, Queen's ambitions proved to be her undoing in the end. Yup, I hope I surprised you. Do not that just because people look young doesn't mean that they are young. As for your last comment, you never know what will happen in the future. Do note, however, that I plan for Bohman and Haru to appear in the future.
With all reviews answered, let's get to the chapter, shall we? Enjoy! Oh, and Happy Thanksgiving everybody!
Chapter 80: Lessons in Reconciliation
In a desolate landscape under a bloody sky, two pendants, one white-ruby and one white-sapphire, fall to the ground before transforming into Excalibur and Muramasa. Their owners, Raguel and Azrael, grab their swords before charging at one another, the blade lock resulting in a flash of light flooding the screen. When the light fades, LINK VRAINS is shown before being replaced my Mirror LINK VRAINS. The Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS logo then appears, with the words "OBSCURED TRUTH" to ominously appear underneath it in rainbow colours. Two symbols also appear underneath those words, with the first one consisting of a dark-orange demonic crest that had lion fangs on the sides, as well as Excalibur slashing it down the middle. The other symbol consisted of a dark-blue demonic crest that had two mirage blades making an X, as well as Muramasa slashing it down the middle.
Yuhiro, Yusaku, Takeru, and Arashi are sitting around a table at Café Nagi, looking at duel footage as they discuss strategies they can use to counter their enemies. At a nearby table, Roxy, Kusanagi, and Greg are chatting, a hamburger in Roxy's hand, and a hotdog in Kusanagi's hand. Rachel is shown nearby playing with Rasterliger, Salamangreat Balelynx, and Linkuriboh, until the four of them turn their heads to see Herald, Ai, and Flame chatting on the best type of entertainment in the world. All four of them go towards the three chatting Ignis and scare them with a large shout. This causes Yuhiro, Yusaku, Takeru, Arashi, Roxy, Kusanagi, and Greg to laugh at the three Ignis, who are still flustered by the prank.
Kengo Dojun looks down at the hospital bed his mother is on, gritting his teeth before making a fist with his right hand. At another hospital room, Yuhiro, Roxy, and Aoi are shown, where they look down on Miyu resting on her hospital bed. Yuhiro puts his hands on the sides of his head, a panicked and stressed look on his face as Roxy and Aoi try to calm him down, his anxiety settling in. Red, glowing cracks start to spread over his body before dimming on and off. Behind him, shadows form, one of which consists of a girl in her pre-teens wearing a white and blue Greek-styled dress, along with sandals twirling around, her shoulder-length blond hair flowing down behind her. The girl's eyes glow red as she raises her right arm in front of her and places her left hand on her chest, as if she were singing. After she disappears, a black-armored knight that had a spiked plume on his helmet, along with dark-steel plates on his arms appears in her place. Strapped to his sides were a pair of jagged, chained blades, each one having a demonic red-orange glyph pattern on them. Attached to his back was a long sword with a massive blade, as well as a set of arms that had large hands, each one having three claws. The multicolored shapes resembling eyes glowed as the knight pulls out all three blades and slashes the screen completely.
Raguel and Playmaker appear, riding parallel to one another on their duel boards, with Cyreath Hercules/Alpha Mode and Firewall Dragon following after them. Next is Soulburner and Slipstream, with Salamangreat Heatleo and Clear Wing Synchro Dragon following after the second duo. Last but not least, Blue Maiden and Numera appear, with Marincess Marbled Rock and Geomathmech Final Sigma following after the third duo.
At SOL Technologies, Akira, Hayami, Queen, and Pawn are looking at a monitor that showed Go Onizuka in the training dome, having won a duel against a virtual Playmaker. While the first two individuals frowned with concern, the second two had satisfied smiles on their faces.
In a dark abandoned room, Yukage narrows his eyes as looks at a happy memory of him and Yuhiro playing together as children by using the memory scanner. Blue, glowing cracks start to appear on his right hand, causing Yukage to take deep breaths to calm himself down. After looking at his pendant for a few moments, Yukage puts on his duel disk before he and Wraith raise their right hands to the sky and log into the network. Haru is then shown training under Azrael's tutelage in a room of a palace, having faced off against multiple upgraded Bitboots with Hydradrive Nagini, Scyllonic Hydradrive Kragun, and Medusoid Hydradrive Gorgun behind him. Nearby, Azrael and Wraith watch the match, wanting to see how much stronger Haru has become.
The screen then shifts to another room of the palace, where Bohman is sitting cross-legged, his eyes closed as he begins to meditate. His eyes open before they glow a rainbow color, the glow also spreading to his chest as the room briefly lights up before dimming down. But in the shadows, Malf's eyes glow red as he proceeds to lick his mouth, hunger on his mind.
Silhouettes of Yua Kogami and Katsuya pop up before they morph into their VRAINS personas Demeter and Percival, where the screen goes back to one room of the palace. Windy, who is wearing a cape and eyepatch, commands Stormridership Bahamut Bomber to attack Demeter, who responds by having Simorgh, Bird of Sovereignty intercept the attack. In another room, Jin Kusanagi stands with Lightning as the latter snaps his fingers, causing a small squad of Armatos Legio Decurions and Centurions to appear behind him. Armatos Legio Magnus Dux, along with Tribunus Laticlavius and Legatus Legionis also appeared behind Lightning. Percival growls as Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon rises from behind him, and two copies of Phantom Knights' Spear appear in his hands.
A silhouette of Ace is shown above Uchida Industries, his right hand outstretched over the company. Drachen faces off against a squad of Bitboots with Red-Eyes Black Dragon behind him, hellbent on getting it back from Ace. The screen then flips over to show Electrolyzer trying to escape his restraints using PSY-Framegears Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, Epsilon, and Zeta, with Jericho ominously laughing in the background.
Smoke appears in various areas of the central station in LINK VRAINS, which has been attacked by multiple Bitboots. Phoenix and Gil stand back to back, with Nephthys, the Scared Flame and Abyss Actor – Evil Heel beside the duelists as they confront one Bitboot each. SengokuQueen and Ghost Girl do the same, with Secret Six Samurai – Rihan and Altergeist Memorygant beside the duelists as they too confront one Bitboot each. Stregone is shown arriving to assist both groups, Quintet Magician and Enlightenment Paladin behind him. Nearby, Rosetta confronts Ace, Black Rose Moonlight Dragon rising from behind her before roaring at Ace, who has Dystopia the Despondent rise behind him in response.
Watching these events using the Spatial Cube is Watchman, who is in his server. A disappointed look appears on his face before he pulls out a total of six Black Keys, three in each of his hands. Watchman's eyes glow with a purple color before three copies of Crimson Nova the Dark Cubic Lord appear behind him, which proceed to fuse into Crimson Nova Trinity the Dark Cubic Lord as the screen is covered with purple cubes.
Raguel and Azrael are then shown facing off against one another in a matrix-like battlefield. Turboblaze Dragon, along with Cyreaths Blazing Orthros, Aetos Dios, and Lernaean Hydra, appear behind Raguel before combining to form a tall, white-colored bipedal dragon with red irises and black pupils, as well as a long and slender neck. He had a long, voluminous wispy mane streaming out from the upper side of his snout and outwards from his head, with the two protrusions on his head having merged to form into a long, bright and blazing one. His four arms were slender and arm-like with a wing-like appearance and four fingers on his glowing, fiery claws. On his head was a golden piece of armor, with fiery-golden armor pieces on his feathered chest and body. Each of his feet had large grey claws, three at the front and one positioned at the back to resemble high heels. The jet-like engine tail's bands expanded outwards, with the feathers in it spiking upwards before a massive blast of fire erupts from it.
Teravolt Dragon, along with Cychaics Pluto, God of the Underworld, Jupiter, God of the Storm, and Neptune, God of the Sea, appear behind Azrael before combining to form a tall, purple-colored bipedal dragon with blue sclera and white pupils, as well as a small horn-like protrusion on the tip of his snout. His head sported a thundercloud-like crest tipped with yellow coloration, along with pieces of golden armor as well. At the base of his neck, his shoulders, knees, and wings was a black, stud-like feature resembling that of armor, with spikes appearing on the shoulders. His large wings consisted of a fanned shape that expanded outwards to show three spikes tipped with electricity. Strapped to his back was a halo with three spikes on it. Attached to his arms were baseball-mitt-like formations, with three-clawed hands on the undersides that glowed with electricity. His three-clawed feet also glowed with electricity as well. His tail now consisted of two electric generators with a spike at the end, which hummed before releasing electricity from it.
In a garden of Asagao flowers, Miyu sees Yuhiro on one knee, having grabbed the hilt of Excalibur to try and stand up on his feet, the sword having been planted on the ground. She run over and helps Yuhiro stand up on his feet, the both of them having grateful smiles on their faces. The both of them look upwards as the screen jumps to the bright sky and the glowing sun.
At Café Matsuo, during the night...
"STOP THIS! YOU CAN'T... DO THIS TO ME! I AM A LIVING BEING LIKE...AAAAGH!"
Yuhiro frowned and bowed his head to avoid watching the rest of the video, while Arashi, Herald, and Rasterliger continued to watch Earth's demise, grimaces on their faces. Next to Yuhiro, Yusaku, Takeru, Ai, and Flame shared the same distaste.
After Roxy returned home from driving Brea back to Gabriella's house, Ghost Girl sent her footage of Earth's demise by SOL Technologies. Thus leading Roxy to call Kusanagi and the others to Café Matsuo for an emergency meeting, and so that was how everyone proceeded to watch Earth being cut up by SOL Technologies.
"It's more horrible than I imagined." Ai realized.
"Afterwards, SOL Technologies put Earth's data into Go's AI chip." Takeru recapped.
"And messed him up too." Kusanagi added. He and Roxy were leaning against the back wall while the teenagers and Ignis sat in front of the monitors.
"Yes. Destroying two lives in the process." Flame finished.
"I'm furious with SOL Technologies for what happened!" Ai stated the obvious. "They think it's fine to treat us like this?!"
"The higherups have no hearts, Ai. It's likely they're the ones responsible for ordering Earth's demise." Herald told Ai.
"They're also likely responsible for what they did to Go." Arashi sadly said. "If they truly cared about humans, they wouldn't have done this to him."
"Herald and Arashi are right. The higherups don't care for anyone except themselves." Yuhiro agreed, venom in his voice. "In fact, I wouldn't care if they suffered in the worst possible way for their sins." If Yuhiro was being honest with himself, he was actually entertaining the idea to attack SOL Technologies and steal all their data from the mother computer as retribution for what happened. Just to show how powerless they truly are, as well as make the higherups suffer in the process.
"All of this is not right." Yusaku interrupted, having stood up. "It's not right to hurt anyone." He walked out of the backroom and out of Café Matsuo. Yuhiro, Arashi, and Takeru followed after Yusaku, with Rasterliger joining the group. Soon, they found Yusaku sitting at one of the tables, where the three humans grabbed chairs and joined him.
"You okay, Yusaku?" Takeru asked, which got Yusaku's attention. "Hey. You forgot this back at Café Matsuo." He handed Yusaku his duel disk, the latter strapping it on his wrist a few seconds later. "What happened to Go and Earth wasn't your fault."
"I'm with Takeru, dude. You couldn't have known this would happen." Arashi agreed. "We can't control things fully, Yusaku. That's something I'm still struggling to accept."
"Ditto." Yuhiro added, knowing exactly what Arashi was talking about.
"You know, guys. When I acquired Crystal Heart back, I saw some of Earth's memories." Ai suddenly said, which got everyone else's attention.
"Memories, you say?" Herald repeated.
"Yeah!" Ai confirmed. "I saw Aqua tell Earth that he must decide for himself whether to fight alongside or against humanity. And Earth chose to fight with everything he had to protect Aqua."
"Even when Earth was near death, he still swore to remember Aqua forever." Yuhiro recalled, the frown still on his face. To put it simply, Earth gave everything up for his love for Aqua, and in the end, it cost him his life.
"It's hard to make peace when we're already at each other's throats." Takeru stated the obvious.
"Yeah, but on the bright side, we can't make peace unless we're fighting, right?" Ai tried to brighten up things with his question, but it only earned him frowns from the others present.
WHAM!
Seconds later, Herald and Flame proceeded to punch Ai at the same time for such a ridiculous comment.
"Really, Ai? You really had to say that? There are far better things to say than that silly comment." Herald scolded Ai.
"I agree with Herald, Ai. You do know how silly that sounds, right?" Takeru inquired.
"I was about to realize that right when Herald and Flame punched me." Ai moaned in pain.
"You did deserve it, though." Flame pointed out.
"Well guys, as much as I hate to admit it, it's turning out just as Revolver predicted." Yusaku lamented. "The war between the Ignis and the humans is inevitable."
"It's not just Revolver. Lightning thought the same thing." Ai commented.
Arashi blinked. "Lightning thought the same thing as Revolver?"
"Yup." Ai answered. "When Lightning, Windy, and Wraith called me over, they wanted me to join their side. Lightning pointed out that the Ignis were destined to succeed humanity, and to ensure this would happen, he believed we should destroy them. And Lightning wasn't the only one with that belief."
"At that point, that was when Yuhiro, myself, and Yusaku showed up. Along with Revolver a minute later after Azrael trapped us in cages with Lightning, Windy, and Wraith's assistance." Herald finished the recap.
"I can't believe that Azrael, my hybrid brother wants to help the Ignis destroy humanity." Yuhiro seethed. How could Azrael do such a thing? Did he truly see humanity as a failure?! Or was it merely the rules of nature that influenced his thinking?
"Not to mention that Windy put my cousin in the hospital in his attempt to kill me." Arashi commented, which made the others widen their eyes out of shock. Even though they still heard this information, it still shocked them.
"Isn't it crazy that people prefer to fight than choose to compromise?" Takeru muttered.
"Actually, it isn't that crazy. As AIs evolve, humans fear that they will take over our lives." Yusaku began speaking. "And the AIs fear that humans will destroy them in order to prevent that reality from happening. To put it simply, when we feel negative emotions such as fear or anger, our thinking gets clouded, and we aren't able to make the best decisions."
"As Rachel once said, these type of conflicts are repeated over and over again, as evident in wars such as the Renaissance and the World Wars." Yuhiro said. "You could say that it's coded in our DNA."
"Don't tell me you're believing all that stuff, Yuhiro." Arashi stated, which caused Yuhiro to turn to him. "Okay. The stuff about wars, that's legit. But the stuff on DNA? Come on, man. If that were the case, we'd be robots." That comment made Yuhiro slightly chuckle.
"But on the topic at hand, I know what it's like to be consumed by negative emotions, especially when I've been trapped in them for a good majority of my life." Yusaku interjected, which got everyone else's attention. "After the Lost Incident, I was consumed with the need for revenge not just for myself, but for the others as well. In the end, all the rage and hatred I was filled with added up to nothing. I wasted years of my life as a result."
"Well, I don't intend on wasting any amount of time!" Ai said. "Do you remember what you said to Bohman, Yusaku? You said that the impossible is the possible that is yet to be done. Or at the very least, that's how I remember it. But regardless, we can find a solution to this mess peacefully! Without the further loss of life!"
"I'm impressed, Ai. You've actually remembered something worth remembering." Flame praised Ai.
Takeru smiled. "I agree. Sitting down and moping isn't going to get us anywhere!"
"Hell yeah! We gotta feel the flow and work hard so we can end this mess for good!" Arashi agreed.
Yuhiro smiled in agreement. "And our hard work will pay off, especially with what's at stake."
Yusaku looked over all of them and then smiled. "Thank you, all of you. You're right. We have to win this fight and change the future."
"That's right!" Ai cheered.
"And then you and me will have to go our separate ways." Yusaku continued talking, which made Ai widen his eyes.
"Come again?"
"I said that when the war is finally over, we'll go our separate ways." Yusaku recalled.
"No, I heard you. I'm just not sure if I heard you correctly." Ai replied.
"Let him finish, Ai." Herald told Ai.
"It's something that's been on my mind quite for some time. If you stay with me, then other people will try to hunt you down, such as those in SOL Technologies. You'll never have a single moment of peace." Yusaku explained. "But if you rebuild your Cyberse World in an area humans won't be able to find, somewhere far from LINK VRAINS in the infinite of the digital network, then you and the remaining Ignis will be safe."
"Dude. That's deep." Arashi admitted.
"Guys, I hate to interrupt, but even if the war against Lightning ends, we still have another matter to deal with." Herald interjected, which got the others' attention. "The Crisis."
"Oh, yeah. I forgot about that." Yuhiro said. "Watchman said that this Crisis will affect both mankind and the Ignis. So even if the Ignis were to build their Cyberse World in an area humans won't be able to find after the war, what's the chance there's someone in the network who's able to do so?"
That caused the others to gasp out of surprise. If they encountered such a foe, it'd make Lightning and Azrael look tame in comparison.
"That's not good. Then this whole mess will repeat itself all over again!" Ai panicked.
"But with one difference. You'll know where to find us." Takeru pointed out.
"Yes. It took some time for me to find you, but I eventually did, Teddy." Flame replied, having addressed Takeru by the pet name Kiku gave him. As a result, it led to Takeru raising an eyebrow at Flame out of annoyance while the latter turned to the others. "Perhaps it'd be a good idea to stick around for a little longer. At least until both matters are addressed."
"I'm in!" Ai immediately stated.
"So am I." Herald added in unison.
"Really, Flame? You really had to call me by the pet name Kiku gives me?" Takeru interrupted, his eyebrow still raised at Flame as the latter turned to the former, a smirk on his face.
"But regarding Yusaku's topic, once both this war and the Crisis is done, we'll have to go our separate ways." Herald agreed with Yusaku, before turning to Yuhiro. "I guess this means I'll have to say goodbye to you when the time comes, Yuhiro."
"Yeah." Yuhiro agreed. "Miyu, myself, Arashi, and Roxy will miss you for sure."
Herald then turned to Rasterliger. "What about you, RL? Will you come with the others and I after everything is dealt with?"
"I will stay with the humans. There's still so much to learn about them, and until the day comes where Ignis and mankind can live together in peace, I will protect the planet alongside Yuhiro." Rasterliger decided, which made Herald shed a small tear.
"I see. So this is what it's like when parents send their adult children off to the world." Herald commented. "I'll miss you, RL. You've made me a happy Ignis."
"I will miss you too."
Ai sighed. "All this talk of us saying goodbye and preparing for that moment's quite upsetting." He turned to Yusaku. "Surely, we can visit, right?"
"Of course you can visit, Ai." Yusaku assured Ai, a smile on the former's face. "As long as your visits are occasional, not all the time."
"Uh oh. He's doing the mouth thing again. Still freaks me out."
Takeru then turned to Flame. "Sounds like a plan. All this going away talk is kind of making me misty."
"I haven't gone away yet, you know." Flame stated.
"Yeah, I know that Flame. And I know that someday, people will grow up and realize that humans and AIs can coexist." The smile didn't leave Takeru's face as he said this. "It's just sad that the day isn't today. But until that day comes, the only thing I care about is your safety. So you and the others can live your lives in peace."
"Of course. Life is precious. We need to live it to the fullest, after all." Herald said.
"Yeah! Though it's a shame that we'll have to do it without you guys present." Ai added, as he looked at the four humans. "I do hope the day will come where you'll be able to visit without impending doom on us."
"If there's one thing I'll miss, it's seeing Herald's face of disappointment at not getting the Archer version of Gilgamesh in Fate/Grand Order." Arashi commented, which made Yuhiro snicker as Herald glared at Arashi.
"Hey, if it wasn't for that Internet ban, I totally would have got him on my team!" Herald reminded Arashi. "And I still need to get back at you for beating my score on Broken Bonez!"
"Right..."
"That's the main Gacha disappointment when it comes to Pay to Play games. You end up getting addicted to it, and throw a tantrum when you don't get the guy you wanted." Ai stated. "Soap operas, on the other hand, don't provide such disappointment."
"Oh, really? I'd rather enjoy playing a game than listen to people screaming at the top of their lungs during a performance!" Herald replied back.
"Have you two forgotten about the benefit of haikus?" Flame interjected, which got the attention of both Herald and Ai. "They allow one to-."
"We do not need to be reminded of what they're about, Flame!" Ai responded, causing the four humans to laugh upon seeing the argument the Ignis were having about the best form of entertainment.
"Hey guys, sorry to interrupt. But it's only fair you guys know what happened here while we were dealing with Go." Arashi interjected, which got Yusaku and Takeru's attention, along with the three Ignis.
"Something happened at Café Matsuo?" Takeru questioned.
"Yeah. It's kind of a long story." Arashi then proceeded to tell about how he came to Brea's aid when she was about to be attacked by a bear in a nature trail. How he carried her back to Café Matsuo, which was the reason why Roxy wasn't there to help them during their bout against Go. Arashi also told the other humans that he, Yuhiro, and Roxy informed Brea of current events so she could be aware of what was going on. "After we told Brea of what was going on, she wanted to lend a helping hand in any way she can." He turned to Yusaku and Takeru. "And if you two are concerned, Yuhiro and I didn't tell Brea about your real-life identities. We'd be fools to do that, so rest assured."
"As evident during the mission in Gamma, Brea can be a powerful ally." Yuhiro added in support. "I mean, when Arashi came along, you guys gave him a chance, right?"
"We did, but Tigress doesn't have any personal relation regarding what's happened so far." Yusaku pointed out.
"Well, it wouldn't hurt to give her a chance, Yusaku. I mean, Ghost Girl doesn't have a personal case, yet she's helping us." Takeru countered. "I say we give Tigress a chance."
"Then you guys won't be disappointed," a voice said, which caused Yuhiro, Yusaku, Takeru, Arashi, and the three Ignis to turn their heads to Roxy, who was leaning on the doorframe. "Brea knows how to kick ass, and also has the dueling and hacking skills to prove it. I'll reach out to her tomorrow and tell her the good news. And you guys don't have to worry. I made sure that Brea will help out on the sidelines. For as you said, Yusaku, Brea doesn't have any personal reason to help you guys on the frontlines."
"That seems like a fair compromise." Yusaku decided, glad to come to an agreement on the matter.
Meanwhile, Yuhiro turned his head to look up at the stars. While he wasn't sure what must be done to stop this war, he did know one thing: Lightning, Azrael and the others will be defeated, no matter what it took. However, in his mind, a part of him doubted himself and his abilities, as well as whether Azrael's words were true. Whether justice, compassion, and companionship were truly shackles. Ones that didn't exist in today's world.
To make things worse, there was something else on Yuhiro's mind. Would he have to become a monster to put an end to the current situation once and for all? Such a question scared Yuhiro to the core, for if he did become a monster, there'd be another problem down the road.
The ultimate questions on Yuhiro's mind was this: How can Yuhiro help put an end to the Ignis War without losing himself? And should he end up losing himself, what can he do beforehand to ensure that his friends can quell it in time before someone got hurt?
The next day, in LINK VRAINS...
"Are you sure this is a good idea, boss?" Pigeon asked Frog, who was scouring the area.
"Need I remind you that our bank accounts are unaccounted for? That's why we need that big bonus now that the attacks in the network have subsided for good!" Frog reminded Pigeon in turn, which made the latter screech in response. The duo were currently hiding in a bush in the main area of LINK VRAINS.
At one point, the duo was well-known by people for their coverage of the Tower of Hanoi. But unfortunately, they lost all their data relating to said incident, thus leading them to try and get more cover stories so they can make more money. Eventually, their fanbase went down, and their popularity took a nosedive. Frog and Pigeon thought they hit the jackpot when they met Brave Max, who claimed to be Playmaker's sidekick.
So the duo followed after Brave Max, hoping they can get a shot of Playmaker, but eventually realized that Brave Max was a complete liar. Thus, some of the episodes consisted of Brave Max doing stupid stuff, one example being losing to preschoolers in duels.
That was something Frog wanted to delete forever. So that their integrity was intact.
However, despite the hopeless cause, Frog and Pigeon continued to follow after Brave Max, hoping to get a shot of Playmaker. Besides, there had to be some clues or hints in the area, right? Something that Frog and Pigeon can follow so they can meet Playmaker. Right? Right?
"I understand that, boss, but we've been following after Brave Max for a very long time. Perhaps it's time we took some initiative." Pigeon suggested. "I mean, if we've done that for the Turf War and the attacks in the network..."
"...Then we could have had a good cover story." Frog finished, having rubbed his forehead out of frustration. Maybe Frog and Pigeon should have risked their lives to get footage during the Turf War and the recent attacks in the network. If only they had the courage they had during the Tower of Hanoi, they could have-.
"Boss, look up there!" Pigeon gestured Frog to look up, which he did. Within seconds, they saw Playmaker, Soulburner, Raguel, and Slipstream soar through the air on their duel boards.
"Awesome job, Pigeon!" Frog praised Pigeon. "Let's go after them asap!"
"What about Brave Max?" Pigeon asked, as Frog went off running.
"Forget about him!" Frog yelled back. "Hurry up or we'll miss another opportunity, and I don't want to risk that again!"
"Yes sir!"
The duo chased after the duelists, with Pigeon carrying Frog as always. But unlike before, back in the original LINK VRAINS, there was a problem this time around.
"They're too fast, boss." Pigeon said. The new duel boards were equipped with increased speed and maneuverability, allowing duelists to ride faster on them. "I can't keep up."
"Don't worry, Pigeon. I've got something prepared to keep up with the times." Frog assured Pigeon.
"Huh?"
Frog twisted the head of his microphone and made it glow. "Alright!" Pigeon screeched as a rocket formed on his back and latched around his waist. The rocket then ignited, propelling the duo forward at much faster speeds.
"Nice, boss. This will work out fine!" Pigeon commented.
"And it only cost us our next bonuses to get it!" Frog replied. "Although I couldn't afford the breaks."
"Say what?" Pigeon began speaking, only for them to blast full speed, which prevented him from finishing what he was going to say next.
In another area of LINK VRAINS...
Raguel, Playmaker, Soulburner, and Slipstream leapt off their duel boards before landing onto an island. Blue Maiden and Ghost Girl were already there, waiting for the quartet.
"Why did you call us here?" Ghost Girl asked the quartet, as they walked towards her and Blue Maiden. Before any of them can answer, their attention was grabbed by a screech. Looking up, they all blinked in confusion as something shot past their island at incredible speeds before crashing onto a nearby island in an explosion.
"Who or what was that?" Blue Maiden inquired.
"Probably some idiot who illegally modified his duel board." Ghost Girl hypothesized.
"Anyway, what's up, Playmaker? You called us, right?" Blue Maiden questioned.
"I did." Playmaker confirmed. "Revolver sent me a message saying he wants to meet with us here."
Everyone else gasped out of surprise upon hearing this.
"Revolver? For real?" Soulburner questioned.
"That's right." Playmaker confirmed for a second time.
"What does Revolver want with us?" Slipstream asked, having crossed his arms.
"I wish I knew." Playmaker told Slipstream.
"Maybe Revolver needs our help with something." Ai suggested.
"But how was he able to find you in the real world?" Soulburner inquired.
"Yes. That's something I want to know as well." Flame added.
"Because he knows Playmaker's secret identity." Ai answered for Playmaker.
"What?! No way!" Soulburner exclaimed.
"Settle down, Soulburner." Flame told Soulburner. "It's not that surprising. Since the Hanoi were deeply involved in the Lost Incident, it's only fair that they know the identities of the unfortunate victims."
"Yeah, I guess you're right."
"You don't have to worry, Soulburner. For we know Revolver's identity in the real world. So we're equal in that regard." Herald piped in.
Blue Maiden blinked as the others gasped. "You know Revolver's identity?"
"Well, who is he?" Ghost Girl demanded to know.
"Woah, woah! You can ask Revolver directly when we meet him!" Ai responded.
"But should we? He's made it clear that he wants to destroy all the Ignis." Aqua pointed out.
"That may be true, but I doubt he'd want to pick a fight with us, especially with Lightning and Azrael around." Raguel countered.
"He also gave Playmaker a program to keep Lightning from attacking us in the real world." Ai said. "Back then, he said that the enemy of my enemy is my friend, after all."
"Infearno did the same for me when I met him in the real world." Raguel added.
"So for the time being, Revolver's both our ally and our enemy." Slipstream summed up. "Though what happens in this meeting will determine that answer."
"And this still can be a trap." Aqua reminded everyone present.
"But if it is a trap, you'll know right away." Blue Maiden assured Aqua. "Right, Aqua?"
"Of course."
Having heard this, Blue Maiden then turned to Ghost Girl. "What do you think. Ghost Girl? You in?"
"I don't think it hurts to meet Revolver." Ghost Girl answered, having turned to Blue Maiden.
"What do you think, Soulburner? Whatever you decide, I will follow." Flame assured Soulburner, the latter having narrowed his eyes.
"Alright. Let's meet up with Revolver." Soulburner decided.
"Are you in with the meeting, Raguel?" Herald asked Raguel.
"I don't have any objections with this meeting." Raguel replied.
"Neither do I." Slipstream added.
The humans and four Ignis were so engrossed in their conversation that they didn't notice Frog and Pigeon having survived their crash landing, and were hiding behind a rock nearby.
Suddenly, everyone noticed a light shimmer above them. Within a few seconds, the light went downwards, with some light going upwards as well until it was connected, forming into a cage in the process.
"What's this?" Blue Maiden inquired.
"It's some form of barrier." Aqua observed.
"Correct." Everyone turned as a portal opened some distance away, with Revolver stepping out of it before it closed behind him.
"Good. You're all here." Revolver noted.
"Revolver." Soulburner muttered.
"What's the big idea locking us up?" Ghost Girl demanded.
"No need to worry. This barrier is to prevent people from snooping in on our conversation." Revolver assured Ghost Girl.
"Or so you say." Soulburner pointed out, and within a few seconds, another portal appeared much to everyone's surprise as Watchman stepped out of it before it closed up behind him.
"It's Watchman." Raguel recognized the individual that appeared just now.
"How are you here? Revolver just said-." Slipstream began speaking.
"Because I invited him to our meeting." Playmaker answered, as everyone turned to him.
"You called him to the meeting? How come?" Raguel inquired.
"With everything going on, we need as many allies as possible, and Watchman is a powerful one despite his true intentions behind his goals, whatever they may be." Playmaker responded. "As for how I called him..." He pressed a few buttons on his duel disk, which caused a digital card to appear. "I used this."
"And when did you get such a card?"
"Playmaker got that card after defeating Percival months prior." Ai vouched for Playmaker.
"You didn't bother telling any of us?" Soulburner demanded.
Playmaker sighed and turned to Soulburner. "I apologize for not telling you sooner. Unfortunately, the card ended up in a different part of our servers. I was cleaning data out of the servers last night when I found it there. With everything going on, I didn't have a chance to look through it until now."
"I suppose that makes sense." Slipstream commented, the others nodding in agreement. Things got lost in the servers all the time, and due to everything going on, people sometimes didn't have the time to clean things up. To put it simply, the current threat in Lightning, Azrael, and Bohman was a far greater priority.
"Revolver, why did you reach out and call us here?" Playmaker asked, having turned to look at Revolver.
"He most likely wants to join forces." Watchman figured out, which made Soulburner grit his teeth upon hearing that answer.
"Indeed, old friend." Revolver acknowledged Watchman's statement. "I called all of you here for a simple reason. I request your assistance."
"Hold on a second. You, the leader of the Knights of Hanoi, want our help?" Ghost Girl questioned.
"Why exactly would that surprise either of you?" Revolver frowned. "Though we may be on opposite sides, we do have the same goal, which is to defeat Lightning and Azrael. Therefore, our interests are quite aligned. So if you help me, you're helping yourselves as well."
Blue Maiden frowned as she turned to Aqua. "Is he telling the truth?"
"Yes, he's not trying to trick us." Aqua confirmed.
"You should heed the words of the Water Ignis. For they confirm what will most likely happen next based on who says them." Watchman said, having turned to Aqua. "I am glad that you are safe."
"I recognize you. You're the individual back in the Cyberse World. The one who tried to warn us of the coming attack." Aqua recognized Watchman.
"And yet we didn't heed Watchman's warning in time." Flame acknowledged.
"I don't buy what you're saying, Revolver. Because from my experience, the Hanoi don't ask for help." Ghost Girl stated, getting everyone's attention back to the current topic.
"Really, now? You'd waste a chance at acquiring allies during a difficult time like this, Ghost Girl?" Watchman inquired, having gotten Ghost Girl's attention. "Need I remind you that should Lightning and Azrael succeed, we all lose. I understand you may not like what Revolver's suggesting, but it is better to stand together than be hunted down like animals one by one."
"Watchman is correct, Ghost Girl." Revolver pitched in. "We need to work together, especially when we have dangerous enemies that have impacted us in more ways than one. That's the reason why I reached out to Blood Shepherd in the first place."
"You asked my brother to help you?!" Ghost Girl demanded.
Herald's eyes narrowed. "You told Blood Shepherd about Judgment Arrows then, did you? I did think it was weird on how he was able to immediately try to counter it."
Revolver nodded in confirmation before a frown appeared on his face. "Though Blood Shepherd didn't accept my invitation, I did give him a clue on how to defeat the Ignis. But even with that knowledge..."
"He still fell in battle." Raguel finished for Revolver. "We're already aware of this."
"I've never seen anything like it before. Blood Shepherd dueled almost perfectly, and he still lost. If we do nothing, then Blood Shepherd's fate will become our fate."
"Are you saying you're scared of Lightning?" Slipstream curiously questioned, which made Revolver nod in response. "Woah. Um, I wasn't expecting that at all."
"To sum it up, I need your assistance if we are to stop Lightning and Azrael. Because let's be honest. You need my help as well." Revolver finished.
Raguel nodded. Revolver was right. They had to join forces if they were to stop Lightning and Azrael.
"I'll never team up with you, Revolver!"
Everyone turned to look at Soulburner, who made a fist.
"Did you forget what you did to us? I lost my parents because of the Lost Incident! You messed up my life!" Soulburner exclaimed.
Revolver frowned. "Yes, I know. And there's something else you all should know. Throughout this whole situation, two of my comrades have been put in the sidelines as a result of Azrael and Malf's actions." He grit his teeth, trying to keep himself together. "Those two bastards captured a close comrade of mine, and made him into a puppet. I had to put that close comrade down in a duel, which led to him losing his consciousness data in the process. That... was one of the worst decisions I've ever made. And to top it all off, I've recently learned that the Ignis murdered my mother."
"WHAT?!" everyone present exclaimed, save for Raguel, Watchman, and Soulburner. Whereas the first two knew the truth about what happened to Revolver's mother, Soulburner didn't care at all.
"While I understand what it's like to lose someone, Soulburner..." Revolver glared at Soulburner in pure fury. "You have no right to parade your loss around like it's the biggest one in town."
"You dare say that after everything you did to me?!" Soulburner countered. "If anything, the losses you went through were nothing more than-."
"That's enough, Soulburner!" Raguel firmly exclaimed, having put a hand on Soulburner's shoulder. "While I hear what you're saying, you don't have the right to minimize someone else's losses! What's more, this is not the time to-!"
"I'm sorry everyone, but this is one of those times where I gotta do what I gotta do. Or my soul will never be at rest." Soulburner replied, causing Raguel to remove his hand from the former's shoulder.
"We gotta do something, dude." Slipstream told Playmaker, who gestured the former to look at Revolver. Upon doing so, he saw Revolver close his eyes and frown, having calmed down in the process.
"Very well. Let's duel Soulburner." Revolver conceded.
"This duel is pointless. You're both wasting time on something that doesn't matter!" Watchman rebuked both Soulburner and Revolver.
"If you get in my way, I'll destroy you too, Watchman." Soulburner warned Watchman, the latter glaring at the former in pure fury.
"Let them duel, Watchman." Playmaker spoke up, which caused everyone to turn to Watchman. "If they have any problems, they must sort it out here and now. Otherwise, they won't be able to work together."
Watchman growled at Playmaker before backing off, having put two and two together as he calmed down. "If this must be done, then I will stay my hand."
"Ah. I get it now. Soulburner's just like you and me, Playmaker." Raguel realized.
"That's correct." Playmaker confirmed, having turned to Raguel. "At the Tower of Hanoi, you and I received closure, Raguel. We uncovered the truth and were able to sort out our feelings on the matter. But Soulburner never got the same closure."
"And until he duels Revolver, he won't be able to sort out his feelings and move forward." Slipstream finished, having realized what was going on.
"I hate to say it, but this is needed." Blue Maiden admitted. "Otherwise, as Playmaker said, we won't be able to work together."
The duel immediately began, with Soulburner summoning Salamangreat Wolvie before using Fury of Fire to bring out Parro and Falco. Once that was done, he Link Summoned Heatleo before ending his turn. In response, Revolver did... nothing.
Everyone was surprised by what they just saw. Raguel, Playmaker, and Watchman weren't affected by what they just witnessed. The trio knew better than to assume that Revolver would bother trying to put up a counterattack. For even Soulburner had the common sense to figure out that this was not the time to be settling things.
After Revolver passed his turn, Soulburner summoned Jack Jaguar before having Heatleo attack Revolver directly. He was about to have Jack Jaguar attack before he stopped himself and screamed in frustration. Soulburner fell to his knees, and his monsters turned into particles.
"He didn't attack. Why didn't he attack?" Ai asked.
"Because it wouldn't have helped, Ai." Playmaker answered, his suspicions having been confirmed. "The fact that Revolver didn't bother to put up a fight led Soulburner to realize that he wasn't going to get any satisfaction at all."
Revolver then proceeded to walk towards Soulburner. "Satisfied?"
"Of course I'm not satisfied!" Soulburner shouted angrily. "I don't even know your real name! And I can't duel you! What am I supposed to do?"
"...My name is Ryoken Kogami." Revolver replied. "I'm sure you're familiar with my father, Dr. Kogami. The one who started the Lost Incident in the first place."
"What?!" Soulburner and Flame exclaimed at the same time, with Blue Maiden, Ghost Girl, and Slipstream sharing their same reaction.
"So let me get this straight." Soulburner said, as he stood up on his feet. "Your dad started the Lost Incident?"
"Yes, that's correct." Playmaker answered, as Soulburner turned to him. "But Revolver was the one who ended it. He was a child back then, just like us. But he knew his father's experiments were wrong, so he alerted the authorities."
"Revolver saved all of us, Soulburner." Raguel told Soulburner.
"And his father, Dr. Kogami, died as well." Herald continued.
Soulburner glared at Raguel, Herald, and Playmaker before putting a hand to his head. "Damn. This is a lot to take in!"
"Calm down, Soulburner." Flame gently urged Soulburner, which helped the latter calm down.
"Whether you want to forgive Revolver or not is your decision alone." Raguel firmly continued, before gritting his teeth. "But like Revolver said, you have no goddamn right to parade your losses like it's the biggest one in town, nor do you have the goddamn right to minimize others as well!"
The next thing Raguel knew, red, glowing cracks began to form on the left side of his face, which made Soulburner and the others gasp upon seeing them. Watchman, on the other hand, narrowed his eyes and frowned, intrigued by what he was seeing.
"What? What?"
"Uh, dude. The red cracks are back..." Slipstream whispered to Raguel. "They're on the left side of your face."
Raguel touched the left side of his face, and upon noticing that they were indeed there, he took some deep breaths, which led them to dissipate. "Why does this keep happening to me?"
Soulburner then turned to Revolver. "I'm sorry for what I did, along with the words I said. I really am. I'm also sorry to hear about your losses."
"It's fine, Soulburner. I forgive you, and I have no grudges against you whatsoever." Revolver responded, much to Soulburner's relief. "However, I would appreciate it if you never made your loss bigger than anyone else's ever again."
"Alright. Thanks for understanding."
"As for our duel, we will settle our differences after Lightning and Azrael have been defeated. Does that sound fair?"
"It does." Soulburner confirmed, having accepted what was going on.
Watchman then sped over to where Soulburner was so fast that the latter didn't see him doing so. Within seconds, Watchman gut punched Soulburner with such force that he was pushed back several feet, much to everyone else's surprise.
"The next time you waste precious time like that, I will get involved, and I will put you in your place." Watchman warned Soulburner, which caused the latter to grit his teeth at the former.
"That's enough, Arshad! Stand down!" Revolver told Watchman, having placed a hand on the latter's right shoulder. "As you said, we can't afford to waste anymore time. Or are you becoming a hypocrite?"
Watchman brushed Revolver's hand off his shoulder. "Very well. What do you suggest we do in order to find Lightning and Azrael?"
Revolver smirked. "Actually, I have a plan to track them down. If you follow me, then I can show you all what I mean."
"Follow you, huh?" Ghost Girl commented.
"Is Revolver trying to trick us?" Blue Maiden asked Aqua, the latter turning to the former.
"No. There's no ulterior motive to his actions." Aqua answered.
"Well, I'm convinced. If what Revolver has to show us will help stop Lightning and Azrael, then I'm willing to follow along." Slipstream decided, the others nodding in agreement.
Revolver then snapped his fingers, which caused a portal to appear as all the humans present walked into it before it closed behind them. But just before it fully closed up, none of them noticed a certain duo chase after the group through the closing portal.
The portal opened and everyone walked into a blinding sandstorm.
"Where the heck are we?" Ai wondered, as he shielded his eyes.
Raguel narrowed his eyes as he looked around the area. It did seem familiar, that's for sure. "Is this-?"
"It is." Revolver confirmed. He stopped in his tracks, everyone else stopping behind him. They looked as the sand fell away, revealing a single structure supported by numerous cables.
"Hey, I've seen that before." Ai recognized the single structure.
"Same here." Playmaker said.
"The Tower of Hanoi..." Watchman muttered.
Slipstream pondered what he just saw before coming to a conclusion. "Could this be the previous LINK VRAINS then?" Sure enough, they could all see ruined buildings in the background.
"It looks like it." Herald stated.
"Pardon me for asking, but how come is it still around? Wouldn't SOL Technologies shut it down after what happened?" Flame pointed out.
"Maybe SOL Technologies didn't bother to do so?" Ai suggested.
Blue Maiden frowned at Revolver. "Why did you bring us here?"
"Don't tell me you're planning to bring back the Tower of Hanoi?" Ai asked, only half joking.
"That's exactly what I'm saying." Everyone turned to stare at Revolver.
"Are you for real?" Ghost Girl asked, anger in her tone.
"I am for real." Revolver replied. "The first step to defeating Lightning and Azrael is to find them, which we've been unable to do so far."
"We wouldn't have to use the Tower of Hanoi if it weren't for me." Watchman interrupted.
"What do you mean, Watchman?" Soulburner inquired.
"Do you remember our meeting a while back, Soulburner?"
Soulburner nodded in response. "If memory serves, you said you had Lightning's algorithm."
"You have Lightning's algorithm?" Revolver inquired out of curiosity. "If you have it in your possession, we can use it to-."
"Had, Revolver, not have." Watchman clarified. "At the time, I used Lightning's algorithm to create a tracker. One that would track his whereabouts. But before it was complete, my associates, Demeter and Percival, took it so they can stop Lightning themselves."
"And they didn't bother telling us?" Blue Maiden questioned.
"They stole it when I wasn't looking, and their foolish actions led both of them to lose their consciousness data in their duels against Lightning and Windy." Watchman explained.
"Hang on a minute. Your associates, the ones you've trained, lost against Lightning and Windy?" Ai asked, disbelief evident in his tone.
"It goes to show how powerful Lightning and Windy are as duelists." Playmaker acknowledged.
Revolver narrowed his eyes. "The fact that you couldn't rein in your allies at a time like this cost us an advantage, Watchman. You are aware of this, correct?"
"I am, and I'm sorry for losing such an advantage." Watchman apologized.
"Then it looks like we have no choice but to use the Tower of Hanoi." Slipstream finished.
"Think of the Tower of Hanoi like a giant antenna." Revolver began speaking, getting everyone's attention. "I plan to restart it, only with some modifications of course."
"I see." Herald nodded. "You plan to modify the Tower's systems. If you do that, it could emit a scan program instead of releasing high density data."
"Exactly." Revolver said. "With a scan program that powerful, we'll be able to find Lightning's location. No matter where he's hiding in the network."
Blue Maiden turned to Ghost Girl. "Wait a minute. Is that really possible?"
"Maybe, but only if you know the Ignis's specific algorithm." Ghost Girl replied, having turned to Blue Maiden.
"But you would need a high-level programmer to modify it like that." Raguel continued for Ghost Girl. "Is that the reason why you tried to recruit Blood Shepherd?"
"Exactly." Revolver confirmed once again, much to Ghost Girl's shock.
Blue Maiden glared at Revolver. "Revolver, I think I speak for everyone when I say we want to defeat Lightning. But let's just say we agree to help restart the Tower of Hanoi and turn it into a scanner. What's the chance that you'll turn it back into a weapon, huh?"
"I'm sure Revolver has a solution to that, Blue Maiden." Watchman assured Blue Maiden, the former having crossed his arms.
"I most certainly have a solution, old friend, and I don't plan on betraying any of you soon." Revolver added. He held up his hand, materializing a polyhedron with a side missing.
"That some part of program?" Slipstream questioned.
"Yes." Revolver answered. "Specifically, the program used to reactivate the Tower of Hanoi. All of us will work together to build it. In other words, the Hanoi are only a part of the plan. You can stop this plan whenever you want."
"That makes sense." Ghost Girl frowned and looked at the group. Counting herself, she believed that the best programmers were Playmaker and Raguel, along with Revolver and the Hanoi. While she knew about Watchman's abilities, she didn't know how skilled he was as a programmer, but given what she saw, it was likely that he was as skilled as the others. Ghost Girl also didn't know how skilled of a programmer Soulburner or Slipstream were, so she wasn't able to comment on them.
The humans and Ignis looked amongst each other before sharing a nod.
"Very well." Playmaker decided. "Let's work together to rebuild the Tower of Hanoi, Revolver. Perhaps through this partnership, you might be able to see things from my perspective. That there must be a peaceful end to this war."
"We'll see, Playmaker." Revolver said back.
"Not so fast. I have one condition." Watchman interjected. "Split the pieces in four parts. One for the Hanoi, one for myself, one for Ghost Girl, and one for Playmaker and his allies. This way, the chances of the Tower of Hanoi being turned into a weapon are reduced even more."
Revolver nodded. "Very well. I accept your terms. There is, however, just one problem, and I'm sure you all know what I'm talking about."
"You need a power source, don't you?" Herald figured out, having narrowed his eyes in anger upon the revelation. "If that's the case, I am not handing World Gears to you or the Hanoi. Not after what happened last time!"
"Will this do instead?" Watchman inquired, as he pressed a few buttons on his duel disk, which caused the Spatial Cube to materialize itself.
"That's the Spatial Cube." Raguel recognized the thing in front of Watchman.
Revolver pressed a few buttons on his duel disk, which released a wave of digital energy that scanned the Spatial Cube. He was surprised at the Spatial Cube's energy upon seeing the results on his duel disk. It was just as powerful as World Gears, if not more powerful than any program Revolver had ever seen before. "It will more than suffice."
"Think of it as compensation for my failure to keep a better watch over my associates during this difficult time." Watchman commented, as the Spatial Cube proceeded to merge with the polyhedron, which caused it to glow with energy as numerous orange particles flowed through it. Seconds later, the Tower of Hanoi was surrounded in an orange aura before dissipating.
Raguel frowned. If he was being honest with himself, he had concerns with working with Revolver and the Hanoi, but if it meant defeating Lightning and Azrael for good, then so be it.
Suddenly, the attention of everyone present was drawn by a voice behind a nearby rock. They all turned to look, only for Revolver to hold up a hand and walk towards the rock. Now that Raguel was paying attention, he could make out some words.
"We'll get a big bonus!" Frog said.
"Sorry, but I can't let you leave." Revolver firmly told Frog and Pigeon, who leaned out from behind the rock. Within seconds, Revolver fired a blue beam at the duo, which led to them being caged in a small sphere. "You'll be staying with me for a while."
Slipstream frowned. "I'd normally ask whether that's alright or not, but given the circumstances, it's better to capture these bozos than let them go."
"As much as I don't agree with it, we can't let those two go after everything they heard from our discussion." Playmaker stated.
After everyone left the old LINK VRAINS and returned to the island they were on, they logged out of the network one by one, business matters having been concluded.
In the real world, in the backroom, at Cafe Matsuo...
Yuhiro, Roxy, and Arashi typed on the computers at Café Matsuo. After Yuhiro and Arashi returned to the real world, they explained to Roxy what was going on, as well as what they learned from the meeting. When the duo got to the Tower of Hanoi part, Roxy was a bit tense at first, especially after what happened months prior. However, Yuhiro revealed to Roxy that Revolver gave control of the repairs to them, along with Emma and Watchman so that no one could turn it into a weapon. While Roxy was still apprehensive with the plan, she agreed to go through with it. After all, it will help in stopping Lightning and Azrael, as well as ending this war for good.
"I can't believe we're helping to rebuild the Tower of Hanoi. It was the last thing I expected." Roxy grumbled.
"Revolver's given us full control of the repairs, so any chance of the Tower of Hanoi being turned into a weapon again are reduced to zero." Yuhiro reminded Roxy.
"I know. Doesn't mean I have to be comfortable with it."
"True, true."
Arashi sighed as he worked. He was feeling tired, but with everything going on, it was his responsibility as a member of the team to pitch in. Then again, Arashi was shaken due to recent events, which may have resulted in him being tired. A part of Arashi was also troubled, especially after hearing Yusaku's words the other night, which popped up in his head.
"After the Lost Incident, I was consumed with the need for revenge not just for myself, but for the others as well. In the end, all the rage and hatred I was filled with added up to nothing. I wasted years of my life as a result."
"Is something wrong, Arashi?" Herald asked, which snapped Arashi out of his thoughts.
"Uh, no. No. Let's keep going." Arashi answered, having resumed typing while Herald looked on in concern.
"You know, if you told me a week, heck even a day ago that we'd be working with the Hanoi, I'd say you need to write more realistic fanfics." Kusanagi commented on the screen, where he turned to Yusaku.
Yuhiro raised an eyebrow. "Really, Kusanagi? Fanfics? While I agree with your concerns, I don't think Fanfics have anything to do with the conversation."
Ai, Flame, Yusaku, Takeru, and Kusanagi were sitting in Café Nagi, while Yuhiro, Roxy, and Herald were in Café Matsuo, communicating through the video monitors.
"I agree as well, Kusanagi, but it's a risk worth taking if there's a real possibility that we can find Lightning and Azrael." Yusaku pointed out the obvious. "We need to bring an end to this war and fast."
"You're right, but it's still weird." Kusanagi countered.
"I thought that was emphasized enough as it is." Roxy stated.
"I was thinking that maybe we put an Ignis algorithm into the Tower so the chances of finding Lightning and Azrael will increase." Herald suggested to the group.
"Uh, I'd rather not, Herald." Ai said.
"For once, I'm with Ai." Flame added. "Even though the chances of Revolver turning the Tower of Hanoi back into a weapon are reduced, I don't think it'd be a good idea to input an Ignis algorithm inside it. The last thing we need is to give the enemy a weapon that can be used against us, don't you agree?"
"That's a fair point." Herald conceded. "I just brought it up because I thought it'd help, that's all."
Takeru sighed on the screens, with Arashi sighing a few seconds later. While Arashi still had focus on the task, Takeru didn't. Apparently, the latter was still affected by what happened during the meeting.
"Takeru, do you have a moment to chat?" Flame asked, which caused Takeru to nod in confirmation as he began standing up from his chair.
"Flame and I will be back in a bit, guys. Keep me updated on the progress." Takeru instructed the group, as he left Café Nagi.
While the other humans and Ignis present continued to work, Yusaku couldn't help but notice that Arashi wasn't fully focused on what was going on, even if it wasn't to the same extent compared to Takeru. Just like Takeru, it seemed that something troubled Arashi.
"Hey, guys. Maybe let's break for the night. We'll resume progress tomorrow. Does that seem fair?" Yuhiro suggested.
"After what happened today, I think that's a good idea." Kusanagi agreed.
"Some r and r will help indeed." Roxy concurred. "See you guys tomorrow." The screen showing Yusaku, Kusanagi, and Ai disappeared, with Roxy shutting down the monitors afterwards. Once that was done, Yuhiro picked up his duel disk before going upstairs to the living room with Roxy and Arashi. "Again, this was one weird day."
"You can say that again." Yuhiro agreed, having put his duel disk on the table in the living room before going over to the kitchen to grab himself a small snack. Roxy also followed Yuhiro to the kitchen, only for the former to grab a juice box from the fridge. Arashi, on the other hand, sat down on one of the couches.
"I know you said that there was nothing wrong, Arashi, but I can't help but feel that there is." Herald figured out, which made Arashi roll his eyes.
"Alright, you win. I'm just a little disturbed, that's all." Arashi admitted.
"Is it about working with the Hanoi? Because if it is, I too feel some reluctance about it." Yuhiro guessed.
"It's not about the Hanoi, Yuhiro. I've accepted that working with the Hanoi will increase our chances in defeating Azrael and Lightning for good." Arashi responded. "It's-."
But before Arashi could finish talking, Yuhiro's duel disk issued out a beep, which caused everyone to turn to Herald.
"A message during this hour of the day? That's something I didn't expect." Herald said, displaying it so he can read it in front of him. "How interesting."
"What's on the message, Herald?" Roxy inquired curiously.
"The message came from Ai. Apparently, he and Yusaku want to meet up in my private server." Herald reported.
Yuhiro frowned. "But we just met up in the network for the meeting with Revolver. What could have changed since then?" His eyes widened. "Did Kusanagi get an update on the Tower of Hanoi's progress?"
"Yusaku said that he wants to talk to Arashi." Herald explained.
"Is that so?" Arashi questioned. "Very well. Let's get going."
"I'll go with you." Yuhiro asserted, with Arashi nodding back.
"To think that you'd be going into the network a second time today..." Roxy muttered. "Alright. Let's go meet with Yusaku and see what he wants with Arashi." She and Yuhiro then went downstairs to the backroom, the former sitting on one of the chairs while the latter went to the closed-off space.
"Deck Set! Into the VRAINS!" Yuhiro and Arashi said in unison, as they put their decks in their duel disks.
In LINK VRAINS, at Herald's private server...
Raguel and Slipstream landed on the ground, which was covered with lush-green grass. "Well, it's good to be back here again."
"It certainly is." Herald agreed.
"Uh, where's Playmaker exactly?" Arashi questioned.
"Right here," a familiar voice answered, as its owner, Playmaker, and Soulburner walked over to where Raguel and Slipstream were.
"Okay, Playmaker. You wanted to meet me here, and here I am." Slipstream crossed his arms. "So what is this about?"
"As we were working on the Tower of Hanoi, I couldn't help but notice you were troubled." Playmaker began speaking. "I don't know whether if it was about the Hanoi or something else, but you need to get your head straight for the coming battle against Lightning and Azrael."
"Plus, we're your friends, dude." Soulburner added. "Let us help you out."
Slipstream sighed. "Alright. Here it is. You know how when you're at the final boss of a video game, you end up getting psyched up to beat both it and the game?"
"I know that feeling when I squared off against Goetia using Hercules, Mash Kyrielight, and Merlin in Fate/Grand Order." Herald spoke up. "I nearly lost against that guy."
"Not the time." Raguel whispered to Herald.
"I think I get it." Playmaker said. "Go on."
"I know for a fact that I'll be facing off against Windy." Slipstream continued. "My greatest fear is that if I get revenge on Windy for what happened to Takeda, I'd be no better than a killer. I don't want my desire for revenge to strip away a portion of my life. I want to live, and enjoy it with you guys, along with the other people I've met in my life."
"I see. So Revolver's words have troubled you." Playmaker deduced, which led to Slipstream nodding in confirmation.
"And when you were talking about how your need for revenge wasted years of your life, my worries were brought up to the surface once again. No offence."
"None taken." Playmaker thought this over for a few seconds. "Would you be interesting in dueling me?"
Slipstream was caught off guard for a few seconds. "That's not a bad idea, Playmaker, but how come?"
"Sometimes, when it comes to solving problems, words aren't enough. Sometimes, it takes a bit more to help someone out." Playmaker sighed. "Honestly, I don't know whether a duel will help you get your head straight. But it won't hurt to try, would it?"
"I accept your challenge, Playmaker."
Playmaker, upon hearing this, smiled. "Good." He and Slipstream then walked away some distance from the others, the former going to one side for their duel, while the latter did the same thing on the opposite side.
"A duel between Playmaker and Slipstream. That's something I thought I wouldn't see." Soulburner commented, grinning to himself. "A shame I'm not dueling either of them. It'd be good practice for the battle to come."
"Perhaps you may get that opportunity, Soulburner." Flame assured Soulburner.
"It's a good thing I made it possible for duels here." Herald commented. "Despite being a sanctuary, it's still a good place to practice and hone your skills, don't you agree?"
"Makes sense." Raguel replied, before turning to Soulburner. "I'm sorry, Soulburner."
"Huh? For what?" Soulburner asked out of confusion.
"The words I said to you back at the meeting earlier today." Raguel clarified.
"It's fine, Raguel. If anything, I needed to hear it from you." Soulburner admitted.
"How so?"
"Back in LINK VRAINS a few days ago, when you chopped Ace's left forearm off of him, I said that we had to be better than our enemies." Soulburner began explaining to Raguel. "Unfortunately, when I look back on it, the way I behaved towards Revolver wasn't right at all. I degraded his losses and made my own bigger, and ended up giving into my anger as a result."
"But you needed to work things out with Revolver, for if you didn't, you wouldn't be able to work with him."
"I know." Soulburner sighed. "But still, I lowered myself to the level of how Azrael or Lightning or even Windy would talk to their opponents. Belittling them any chance they got, and making them feel small in the process. I need to do better."
"Acknowledging what you've done is the first step towards becoming a better individual, Soulburner." Flame stated, as he turned to Soulburner. "You can't change the past, but you can improve the future."
"Thanks, Flame. That's certainly wise of you to say." Soulburner acknowledged.
"Wise words indeed, Flame." Herald agreed.
"Are you ready, Slipstream?" Playmaker asked, which got everyone else's attention as they turned to the coming duel.
"Yes!" Slipstream confirmed. "Get your game on!"
"Time to duel!" Playmaker and Slipstream said at the same time.
Playmaker: 4000 LP
Slipstream: 4000 LP
"You challenged me, so it's only fair for me to go first." Slipstream pointed out, causing Playmaker to nod in agreement. "My turn! I activate the Quick-Play Spell card, Diced Dice. This card lets me roll a dice, and if I roll a one or six, I can add a card from my deck to my hand that requires a dice roll. But if I roll a different number, I have to roll it again and apply one of two effects based on the result."
Playmaker narrowed his eyes. If Slipstream manages to roll a one or six, he gets a new card from his deck to his hand. Otherwise, he'll have to apply one of two different effects, he thought in his mind. Ones that either benefit or hinder him.
A giant dice then appeared in front of Slipstream as he grabbed it. "Go, Dice Roll!" He threw the giant dice in the air before it landed on the ground and stopped rolling after a few seconds, which landed on a one. "Since the dice landed on a one, I can add a card from my deck to my hand that requires a dice roll. As such, I add Speedroid Wheel from my deck to my hand." A card popped out of Slipstream's deck, which he took and added to his hand. "I activate the Quick-Play Spell card, Speedroid Wheel. This card lets me discard a card to roll a six-sided dice and then Special Summon up to two 'Speedroid' monsters from my hand and/or my deck whose total levels equal the result, but I have to negate their effects. However, here's the catch. If I do not Special Summon this turn, I lose life points equal to the result times 500."
"Another card that uses luck? Really?" Ai questioned. "You're going to end up becoming like Bohman if you keep that up."
"That may be the case, Ai, but it's a part of his deck, and it can actually catch even the strongest duelists off guard." Playmaker pointed out. As evident by how Bohman gave us trouble with that type of card during our third duel, he recalled in his mind.
"I send Speedroid Rubberband Plane from my hand to my Graveyard." After Slipstream took a card and sent it to his Graveyard, a second giant dice appeared in front of Slipstream, which he grabbed with his hands. "Go, Dice Roll!" He threw the giant dice in the air before it landed on the ground and stopped rolling after a few seconds, which landed on a four. "That's not too bad. Since the dice landed on a four, that means I can Special Summon up to two 'Speedroid' monsters whose total levels equal four. As such, I Special Summon Speedroid Ultra Hound and Red-Eyed Dice from my deck to my field." After two cards popped out of Slipstream's deck, he played them, which caused two monsters to appear on his field.
The first was a red dragon whose body was consisted of several criss-cross-connected plastic elements, which operated on the 'lazy tongs' pantograph principle. On one end of the dragon was its tail, with the mouth on the other end.
The second was a yellow dice with a single red eye and six red electrodes orbiting around it.
Speedroid Ultra Hound ATK: 800 DEF: 800 LV: 3
Speedroid Red-Eyed Dice ATK: 100 DEF: 100 LV: 1
"It's time to kick my circuit into overdrive!" A Link Portal appeared above Slipstream. "The summoning conditions are two Wind monsters. I set Speedroid Ultra Hound and Red-Eyed Dice into the Link Markers!" Ultra Hound went into the bottom-left arrowhead, while Red-Eyed Dice went into the bottom-right arrowhead.
"Link Summon! Appear! Link 2! Hi-Speedroid Rubber Band Shooter!" A dark-blue rubber band gun whose body was composed of a rotating barrel with an engine at the back flew onto Slipstream's field in the right Extra Monster Zone. It had six fins at the front that glowed green at the top, as well as six fins around the back of the barrel. At the front was a cone with a shining blue light.
Hi-Speedroid Rubber Band Shooter ATK: 1000 LINK-2 ↙️↘️
"Rubber Band Shooter's effect now activates!" Slipstream continued. "By banishing one Wind Synchro monster from my Extra Deck, I can reveal two 'Speedroid' monsters from my deck whose total levels equal the level of that banished monster. You choose one for me to add to my hand, while the other one goes straight to my Graveyard. I banish the Level 8 Hi-Speedroid Kitedrake!" He took two cards from his deck before showing them to Raguel. "With that, I reveal to you the Level 4 Speedroid Double Yoyo and the Level 4 Horse Stilts!"
The two selected cards then appeared on Slipstream's field for Playmaker to choose.
"What do you think, Playmaker?" Ai asked Playmaker. "If we choose the former, he gets to bring back his monsters, but if we choose the latter, he gets to Special Summon a monster from his hand. So one way or another, he gets two more monsters on his field, and can then-!"
"I choose Double Yoyo." Playmaker decided, much to Ai's chagrin as Slipstream added the chosen card to his hand, while he sent the other card to his Graveyard.
"Have you not listened to my pros and cons for those monsters?!" Ai exclaimed, panic evident in his tone.
"Yes, but as you said, Slipstream will have two more monsters on his field one way or another." Playmaker countered.
"I summon Speedroid Double Yoyo from my hand." Slipstream said, as two green discs with blades attached by a single, grey center then appeared on his field.
Speedroid Double Yoyo ATK: 1400 DEF: 1400 LV: 4
"Double Yoyo's effect! When it's Normal Summoned, I can Special Summon one Level 3 or lower 'Speedroid' monster from my Graveyard. I Special Summon Red-Eyed Dice from my Graveyard to my field!" Soon, Red-Eyed Dice reappeared on Slipstream's field.
Speedroid Red-Eyed Dice ATK: 100 DEF: 100 LV: 1
"I now activate Red-Eyed Dice's effect. Once per turn, when it's Normal or Special Summoned, I can target one 'Speedroid' monster on my field with a different name, declare a level from one to six, and change its level to the declared level until the end phase." Slipstream added. "I target Double Yoyo, and declare six!" Soon, Double Yoyo was surrounded in a gold aura that changed its level.
Speedroid Double Yoyo LV: 4 + 2 = 6
"I tune the Level 1 Speedroid Red-Eyed Dice with the Level 6 Double Yoyo!" A bolt of green lightning struck Slipstream as the world greyed out and his two monsters disappeared into particles. Two rings, one yellow and one green, appeared before turning blue and merging. Seven blue rings stacked in a tower appeared, a screen displaying "1 + 6" in front of them. The screen changed to "7" as light surged through the rings.
"Spread those wondrous wings, and strike down your enemies at the speed of light!" Slipstream chanted. "Synchro Summon! Appear, Level 7! Clear Wing Synchro Dragon!" A white and black dragon covered in white, blue, and black armor appeared on Slipstream's field in one of the two Main Monster Zones Rubber Band Shooter pointed to. She had neon green crystals attached to her body, which acted like wings that shone with bright light.
Clear Wing Synchro Dragon ATK: 2500 DEF: 2000 LV: 7
"I also activate Rubber Band Shooter's second effect. Immediately after its effect resolves, I can perform an additional Normal Summon. However, I can't Special Summon monsters from my Extra Deck for the rest of this turn, except Synchro monsters. As such, I summon Speedroid Ohajikid from my hand to my field." A small robotic kid in a cowboy's outfit with a blue cape and a hat on its head appeared on Slipstream's field.
Speedroid Ohajikid ATK: 1000 DEF: 200 LV: 3
"When Ohajikid is Normal Summoned, I can target one tuner monster in either player's Graveyard and Special Summon it to my side of my field. I can then immediately Synchro Summon one Wind Synchro monster using only the Special Summoned monster and Ohajikid as well." Slipstream added. "From my Graveyard, I Special Summon Red-Eyed Dice to my field once again." Soon, Red-Eyed Dice reappeared on Slipstream's field once again.
Speedroid Red-Eyed Dice ATK: 100 DEF: 100 LV: 1
"I tune the Level 1 Speedroid Red-Eyed Dice with the Level 3 Ohajikid!" A bolt of green lightning struck Slipstream as the world greyed out and his two monsters disappeared into particles. Two rings, one yellow and one orange, appeared before turning blue and merging. Seven blue rings stacked in a tower appeared, a screen displaying "1 + 3" in front of them. The screen changed to "4" as light surged through the rings.
"Thousand-face possessing shadow of the labyrinth. With that sharp blade, render chaotic darkness!" Slipstream chanted. "Synchro Summon! Come, Level 4! Hi-Speedroid Puzzle!" A humanoid blue and green machine monster that had a blade for a left hand and a cannon for a right hand, as well as a red scarf around its neck, appeared on Slipstream's field in the second Main Monster Zone Rubber Band Shooter pointed to.
Hi-Speedroid Puzzle ATK: 1300 DEF: 1600 LV: 4
"I end my turn here." Slipstream grinned. "Okay, Playmaker. Let's see what you can do."
"My turn! I draw!" Playmaker said, as he drew the top card of his deck. "I summon Link Streamer from my hand to my field." A golden dragon with solar panels for wings appeared on Playmaker's field. It had a circular body with a hole in the middle, along with two smaller solar panels on each side.
Link Streamer ATK: 1600 DEF: 1800 LV: 4
"Next, I activate the Spell card, Cynet Mining. By sending a card from my hand to my Graveyard, I can add one Level 4 or lower Cyberse monster from my deck to my hand. I discard Dotscaper from my hand to my Graveyard, and add the Level 4 Clock Wyvern from my deck to my hand." After Playmaker took a card and sent it to his Graveyard, a card popped out of his deck, which he took and added to his hand. "Dotscaper's effect now activates! As it was sent to my Graveyard, I can Special Summon it from my Graveyard to my field!" Soon, a green and white monster made out of digital bricks appeared on Playmaker's field.
Dotscaper ATK: 0 DEF: 2100 LV: 1
"Link Streamer's effect now activates! Once per turn, when I Normal or Special Summon a Cyberse monster, I can Special Summon a 'Data' token to my field." Playmaker added, as Link Streamer opened up its chest, which caused golden light to flow through it before a golden satellite dish appeared on Playmaker's field.
Data Token ATK: 0 DEF: 0 LV: 1
"I will now create my circuit!" A Link Portal appeared above Playmaker. "The summoning conditions are one Level 1 monster. I set the Data token into the Link Markers!" The Data token went into the bottom arrowhead, turning it red.
"Link Summon! Appear! Link 1! Linkuriboh!" A small, blue machine monster with large eyes appeared on Playmaker's field in the right Extra Monster Zone. He had a tail with a Link Arrow that pointed downwards attached to the end.
Linkuriboh ATK: 300 LINK-1 ⬇️
"Kick his butt, Linky!" Ai cheered, having raised a fist in the air.
"Kuri Kuri Ku!" Linkuriboh replied back.
"I will create my circuit for a second time!" Playmaker announced, as a second Link Portal appeared above him. "The summoning conditions are two effect monsters. I set the Link 1 Linkuriboh, and Link Streamer into the Link Markers!" Linkuriboh went into the top arrowhead, while Link Streamer went into the bottom arrowhead, turning both of them red.
"Link Summon! Appear! Link 2! Code Talker!" A light-blue armoured warrior appeared on Playmaker's field in the right Extra Monster Zone. In the warrior's hands was a long, translucent sword.
Code Talker ATK: 1300 LINK-2 ⬆️⬇️
"Code Talker's effect now activates! He gains 500 attack points for every monster he points to, and he can't be destroyed by battle or card effects while he points to a monster." Playmaker informed Slipstream. "As Code Talker's pointing to Dotscaper, he gains 500 attack points." A light-blue aura surrounded Code Talker, which increased his strength.
Code Talker ATK: 1300 + 500 = 1800
"I now activate the Spell card, Arrow Charge. When there are two Link monsters on the field with the same Link rating, I can draw two cards from the top of my deck. In exchange, I must not only show you them, but also banish them during my End Phase should they be in my hand." Playmaker drew the top two cards of his deck before showing them to Slipstream. "The cards I drew are Cyberse Cache and Breakthrough Skill."
Slipstream frowned as he looked at them. Cyberse Cache basically lets Playmaker draw two cards should he control a Cyberse monster whose attack points are different than its original, he thought in his mind. As for Breakthrough Skill, Playmaker can target a face-up effect monster on my field and negate its effects until the End Phase. In addition, he can banish it from his Graveyard to target a face-up effect monster on my field and negate its effects until the End Phase the turn after it's sent to the Graveyard. I'll have to tread carefully if I'm to defeat him.
"I activate the Spell card, Cyberse Cache." Playmaker stated, just as Slipstream deduced the former would do. "As I control a Cyberse monster whose attack points are different than its original amount, I can draw the top two cards from my deck." He proceeded to once again drew the top two cards of his deck.
"Yes! More cards means more options, and more options means more chances to win the duel!" Ai said.
"Perhaps, but the duel's only getting started." Playmaker reminded Ai, before he looked through his hand quickly. "I will now create my circuit for a third time!" A third Link Portal appeared above him. "The summoning conditions are two or more effect monsters. I set the Link 2 Code Talker, and Dotscaper into the Link Markers!" Code Talker went into the top and left arrowheads, while Dotscaper went into the bottom arrowhead, turning all three of them red.
"Link Summon! Appear! Link 3! Transcode Talker!" A brown and white armoured humanoid warrior appeared on Playmaker's field in the right Extra Monster Zone. On Transcode Talker's back was a folded cannon, ready to be used.
Transcode Talker ATK: 2300 LINK-3 ⬆️⬇️➡️
"I activate Transcode Talker's effect!" Playmaker said. "Once per turn, I can Special Summon one 'Code Talker' monster from my Graveyard to a Main Monster Zone he points to. Return, Code Talker!" On Playmaker's command, Code Talker reappeared on his field in the Main Monster Zone Transcode Talker pointed to. As a result, both monsters were co-linked.
Code Talker ATK: 1300 LINK-2 ⬆️⬇️
Code Talker ATK: 1300 + 500 = 1800
"At this point, Transcode Talker's second effect activates. Not only does he and all monsters he's co-linked with gain 500 attack points, you can't target them with card effects as well!"
"Crap..." Slipstream muttered, as both Transcode Talker and Code Talker were surrounded in an orange aura, which increased their attack points. With Code Talker not being able to be destroyed by battle or card effects, as well as Transcode Talker preventing the opponent from targeting him and monster's he's co-linked to with card effects, they were untouchable... to an extent. For there always was a loophole to situations such as this.
Transcode Talker ATK: 2300 + 500 = 2800
Code Talker ATK: 1800 + 500 = 2300
"Battle!" Playmaker declared. "Code Talker attacks Clear Wing Synchro Dragon!"
"I'm assuming your plan is not to self-destruct?" Slipstream correctly guessed.
"That's right." Playmaker confirmed. "I activate Prohibit Snake's effect from my hand. At the start of the damage step, when a Cyberse Link monster I control battles a monster you control, I can send this card from my hand to my Graveyard to return that monster back to your hand."
"But because Clear Wing Synchro Dragon is a Synchro monster, it goes right back to your Extra Deck, bub!" Ai added, much to Slipstream's shock as a yellow, mechanical snake with two big blue eyes wrapped itself around Clear Wing Synchro Dragon, which turned her into particles that went back to Slipstream's Extra Deck.
"The battle continues! Transcode Talker attacks Hi-Speedroid Rubber Band Shooter! Transcode Finish!" The cannon on Transcode Talker's back began to unfold into a massive one, which Transcode Talker grabbed and aimed at Rubber Band Shooter. The cannon began charging energy as Transcode Talker fired the blast of energy at Rubber Band Shooter, which turned it into particles. As a result, Slipstream was slightly pushed back, his life points having dropped in the process.
Slipstream: 4000 – 1800 = 2200 LP
"Prohibit Snake's second effect activates! Since a Cyberse monster on my field destroyed a monster on your field and sent it to your Graveyard, I can banish one card from my Graveyard to target one Level 4 or lower Cyberse monster in my Graveyard, and add it to my hand. I banish Link Streamer to add Prohibit Snake back to my hand!" A card popped out of Playmaker's Graveyard, which he took and added to his hand. "I Set two cards face-down and end my turn. Now, Slipstream. Show me what you'll do next in response to my moves!"
"Don't worry, I intend to do so! My turn! I draw!" Slipstream said, having drew the top card of his deck. "I activate the Spell card, Graceful Charity. This card lets me draw three cards in exchange for discarding two cards." After Slipstream drew the top three cards of his deck, he took two of them and sent them to his Graveyard. "Card of Compensation's effect. When it's sent from my hand to my Graveyard, I can draw two more cards from the top of my deck." He drew two more cards from the top of his deck.
"I activate the Spell card, Speed Recovery. This card lets me target one 'Speedroid' monster in my Graveyard, and Special Summon it to my field. Return to me, Gum Prize!" Soon, a white gum box appeared on Slipstream's field before transforming into a small, robotic warrior.
Speedroid Gum Prize ATK: 0 DEF: 800 LV: 1
"Next, I activate the effect of Ultra Hound in my Graveyard. By banishing this card from my Graveyard, I can target one 'Speedroid' monster in my Graveyard and not only shuffle it into my deck, but also Special Summon one 'Speedroid' Synchro monster from my Extra Deck whose level is the same as the shuffled monster's level, but a different name. However, its effects are negated."
"So he gets a free Synchro monster as a result?!" Ai exclaimed, having been surprised by what he just heard.
"Yes, Ai. It appears to be the case." Playmaker confirmed, just as surprised as Ai was.
"I shuffle Rubberband Plane back into my deck, whose level is five. That means I can Special Summon the Level five Hi-Speedroid Chanbara from my deck to my field!" Slipstream announced, as he took a card from his Graveyard and shuffled it into his deck. Within seconds, a humanoid monster sitting on a massive blade appeared on Slipstream's field in the right Extra Monster Zone.
Hi-Speedroid Chanbara ATK: 2000 DEF: 1000 LV: 5
"I summon Speedroid Dominobutterfly from my hand to my field." A mechanical butterfly whose wings consisted of two dominoes, one white and one black on each side, appeared on Slipstream's field. Its had arms, with the right fingers being colored black, white the left fingers were colored white. Its head consisted of a small, single scope in the middle of it.
Speedroid Dominobutterfly ATK: 100 DEF: 300 LV: 2 Scale: 8
"I tune the Level 2 Speedroid Dominobutterfly with the Level 5 Hi-Speedroid Chanbara!" Slipstream declared, as a bolt of green lightning struck him and the world greyed out before his two monsters disappeared into particles. Two rings, one black and white, and the other gold, appeared before turning blue and merging. Seven blue rings stacked in a tower appeared, a screen displaying "2 + 5" in front of them. The screen changed to "7" as light surged through the rings.
"Spread those wondrous wings, and strike down your enemies at the speed of light!" Slipstream chanted. "Synchro Summon! Appear once again, Level 7! Clear Wing Synchro Dragon!" Clear Wing Synchro Dragon reappeared on Slipstream's field, only in the right Extra Monster Zone.
Clear Wing Synchro Dragon ATK: 2500 DEF: 2000 LV: 7
"When Chanbara is sent to the Graveyard, I can target one of my banished 'Speedroid' monsters and add it to my hand."
"Oh, boy! Something tells me that the both of us know what he'll add, Playmaker!" Ai exclaimed.
"Most likely Kitedrake..." Playmaker quietly agreed with Ai.
"I target Kitedrake, which is sent to my Extra Deck instead because it's a Synchro monster." Slipstream confirmed the obvious, as he took a card from his banished zone before shuffling it back into his Extra Deck. "Next, I activate the effect of Horse Stilts in my Graveyard. By banishing it from my Graveyard, I can send one Wind monster from my deck to my Graveyard. I send Speedroid CarTurbo from my deck to my Graveyard." A card popped out of Slipstream's deck, which he took and sent to his Graveyard.
"I now tune the Level 1 Speedroid Gum Prize with the Level 7 Clear Wing Synchro Dragon!" A bolt of green lightning struck Slipstream as the world greyed out and his two monsters disappeared into particles. Two rings, one white and one emerald green, appeared before turning blue and merging. Seven blue rings stacked in a tower appeared, a screen displaying "1 + 7" in front of them. The screen changed to "8" as light surged through the rings.
"Wings of radiance and light, spread in magnificence and strike down our foes!" Slipstream chanted. "Synchro Summon! Appear, Level 8! Hi-Speedroid Kitedrake!" A mechanical, serpentine dragon whose body was comprised of white disks connected by blue sections, and a blue and white head appeared on Slipstream's field in the right Extra Monster Zone. On the dragon, there were also green panels on its back and tail, which formed wings.
Hi-Speedroid Kitedrake ATK: 3000 DEF: 2800 LV: 8
"The effects of Gum Prize and Kitedrake activate in sequence. First, when Gum Prize is sent to the Graveyard as Synchro Material, I can draw one card from my deck and reveal it before sending it to the Graveyard. If it's a 'Speedroid' monster, the Synchro monster that used this card as Synchro material gains attack points equal to that 'Speedroid' monster's attack points."
Playmaker narrowed his eyes and frowned. Unless Slipstream draws a monster whose attack points are zero, Kitedrake will gain attack points one way or another, he thought in his head.
"I draw!" Slipstream drew the top card of his deck, looked at it briefly, and grit his teeth in frustration. "You're lucky, Playmaker. I reveal the Level 3 Speedroid Taketomborg and send it to my Graveyard, which means Kitedrake gains 600 attack points!" Kitedrake roared as its strength increased.
Hi-Speedroid Kitedrake ATK: 3000 + 600 = 3600
"Next, when Kitedrake's Synchro Summoned, I can activate one of two effects." Slipstream thought it over for a quick moment before deciding. "I choose to activate the first effect, which lets me destroy all other cards on the field!"
"What?!" Playmaker gasped out of surprise.
"GAAH! Not good, not good!" Ai added, before turning to Playmaker. "Do something or we're toast, Playmaker!"
"I activate the Trap card, Breakthrough Skill." Playmaker said, as he gestured to his face-down card. "This card lets me target one face-up effect monster you control, and negate its effects until the End Phase. I target Kitedrake!" Within seconds, Kitedrake moaned in pain as it greyed out, its effects having been negated.
"Whew." Ai cried out of relief. "That actually scared me for a bit."
"You may have saved your monsters, but I still got plenty of tricks up my sleeve." Slipstream told Playmaker and Ai. "Starting with this! I activate the Spell card, Monster Reborn, which lets me target a monster in either of our Graveyards and Special Summon it to my field. Return to my field once again, Clear Wing Synchro Dragon!" At Slipstream's command, Clear Wing Synchro Dragon reappeared on his field once again.
Clear Wing Synchro Dragon ATK: 2500 DEF: 2000 LV: 7
"From there, I activate the effect of CarTurbo in my Graveyard. By banishing this card and one 'Speedroid' monster in my Graveyard, all Wind monsters I control gain 800 attack points until the end of the turn. I banish CarTurbo and Red-Eyed Dice!" Soon, Kitedrake, Clear Wing Synchro Dragon, and Puzzle were surrounded in a red aura that increased its strength.
Hi-Speedroid Kitedrake ATK: 3600 + 800 = 4400
Clear Wing Synchro Dragon ATK: 2500 + 800 = 3300
Hi-Speedroid Puzzle ATK: 1300 + 800 = 2100
"Interesting." Playmaker commented, which got Slipstream's attention.
"What's interesting?" Slipstream inquired.
"How you continue to adapt as the duel progresses." Playmaker explained. "You're just like me."
"All duelists respond to the moves other duelists make." Slipstream raised an eyebrow. "What are you trying to get here?"
Playmaker frowned. "Simple. No matter what you and I faced, we continued striving towards our goal. For several years, my goal was to get revenge on the Hanoi in the name of all the victims who suffered from the Lost Incident. Unfortunately, I lost years of my life as a result."
"I hear you, Playmaker. I just…" Slipstream gathered his thoughts for a moment before continuing to speak. "I just don't want that to happen to me. How were you able to move forward after all of that?"
"Truth be told, I needed help to do so." Playmaker answered, which got Slipstream's attention. "As I fought the Hanoi, I got to meet different kinds of people. Ones I've allied with as time passed on. And as a result from these experiences, I've managed to open my horizons in the process. It got to the point where I no longer felt blinded from everything else going on. The funny thing is that even if it was indirectly, Ai was the person who led me to change to a better person in the end."
"Aw, that's so sweet!" Ai cried out of joy. "Then again, where would you be without little ol' me?"
"Slipstream, let me ask you a question. In the time you've been here at Den City, were your horizons expanded?" Playmaker inquired.
Slipstream thought this over. Back then, he was a different person. One who was bitter with what happened to him during the Lost Incident. In order to cope with the pain and anger Slipstream had day by day, he logged into LINK VRAINS whenever he could, and crushed duelists so he can get it out, as well as master his deck. However, meeting Raguel and the others changed Slipstream. Now he became someone who cared not for his wellbeing, but for the wellbeing of those he cared about. Someone who acquired new perspectives, as well as someone who realized that despite what happened, he still had a choice on how to respond to things. To put it simply, whatever choice Slipstream made would determine how the past affected him, how it would affect the present for him and others, and how it impacted the future for himself and everyone else moving forward. "You're right. My horizons were expanded in the time I've been at Den City."
Playmaker stared at Slipstream for a second, and then smiled. "That's awesome to hear, Slipstream. No matter what you're facing, seize the wind, and create a path that leads to a better future for yourself and the people in your life!
"You got it, Playmaker! I won't let you down!" Slipstream thrusted out his right hand. "Battle! Hi-Speedroid Puzzle attacks Transcode Talker! At this point, Puzzle's effect activates. At the start of the damage step, when it battles a Special Summoned monster, its attack points are doubled until the end of the damage step!" Puzzle was surrounded in a green aura that increased its attack points.
Hi-Speedroid Puzzle ATK: 2100 X 2 = 4200
"Do something or we're going to be done for soon, Playmaker!" Ai panicked.
"I know, Ai." Playmaker replied. "I activate the effect of Prohibit Snake from my hand. Just like before, at the start of the damage step, when a Cyberse Link monster I control battles a monster you control, I can send this card from my hand to my Graveyard to return that monster back to your hand."
"And like before, since because Puzzle is a Synchro monster, it goes right back to your Extra Deck, bub!" Ai added, as Prohibit Snake wrapped itself around Puzzle, which turned it into particles that went back to Slipstream's Extra Deck.
"Fine, I'll give you that one." Slipstream said. "But the battle continues! Hi-Speedroid Kitedrake attacks Transcode Talker! Sonic Tornado!" Kitedrake's panels glowed with light as it roared and charged towards Transcode Talker, spinning in the process. It slammed into Transcode Talker before flying upwards back to Slipstream's field, turning the former into particles as Playmaker was pushed back a few feet, his life points decreasing in the process.
Playmaker: 4000 – 1600 = 2400 LP
Code Talker ATK: 2300 – (500 X 2) = 1300
"I activate the Trap card, Cyberse Beacon." Playmaker responded, having gestured to his face-down card. "When I take damage either by battle or your card effect, I can add one Level 4 or lower Cyberse monster from my deck to my hand. I add the Level 3 Backup Secretary from my deck to my hand." A card popped out of his deck, which he took and added to his hand.
"That's fine by me." Slipstream stated. "Because the battle is not over yet! Clear Wing Synchro Dragon attacks Code Talker! Spinstorm Sky Strike!" Clear Wing Synchro Dragon rose high into the sky before roaring and diving downwards, green winds whipping around her in the process. She then divebombed Code Talker, which destroyed him as Playmaker's life points as he was pushed back several feet.
Playmaker: 2400 – 2000 = 400 LP
"I Set two cards face-down and end my turn, which means CarTurbo's effect ends, and Kitedrake and Clear Wing Synchro Dragon's attack points return to normal." Slipstream concluded, as Kitedrake's attack points reverted back to the amount it had earlier.
Hi-Speedroid Kitedrake ATK: 4400 – 800 = 3600
Clear Wing Synchro Dragon ATK: 3300 – 800 = 2500
"My turn! I draw!" Playmaker said, as he drew the top card of his deck. "I will admit, I wasn't expecting you to go after Transcode Talker. I assumed you'd go after Code Talker."
"Want to know why I went after Transcode Talker first, Playmaker? It's because I've learned that there's always something going on behind the scenes, no matter how true victory may appear to be at the moment." Slipstream answered. "You'd simply either keep reviving your monsters with Transcode Talker's effect, or use him for something that will benefit you in the long run, such as material for a Cyberse monster that isn't a Link monster. In addition, Code Talker's effect prevents him from being destroyed by battle or card effects while pointing to a monster. So by destroying Transcode Talker, I not only got rid of a strong monster with troublesome effects, but also depleted a resource on your field. Call it long-term planning for my victory, if you will."
"I would have done the same thing if I were in your shoes." Playmaker admitted. "For the duel is never truly over until both duelists gave it their all. Allow me to show you what I mean. I activate the Spell card, Link Reborn. This card lets me Special Summon one Link monster from my Graveyard. However, it can't attack for the rest of this turn. Return to my field, Transcode Talker." At Playmaker's command, Transcode Talker reappeared on his field, only in the Main Monster Zone.
Transcode Talker ATK: 2300 LINK-3 ⬆️⬇️➡️
"Next, I activate Transcode Talker's effect. "Once per turn, I can Special Summon one 'Code Talker' monster from my Graveyard to a Main Monster Zone he points to. Return, Code Talker!" On Playmaker's command, Code Talker reappeared on his field in the Main Monster Zone Transcode Talker pointed to.
Code Talker ATK: 1300 LINK-2 ⬆️⬇️
Great. He brought it back again, Slipstream cursed in his mind.
"From there, I activate the effect of Scrypton from my hand." Playmaker continued. "By banishing a Cyberse monster from my Graveyard with a different name, I can Special Summon Scrypton from my hand to my field. I banish Dotscaper!" Soon, a digital, humanoid being wearing a robotic suit with green lines running over it appeared on Playmaker's field. Inside the glass helmet on its head was a small brain with eyes.
Scrypton ATK: 1500 DEF: 1500 LV: 5
"Dotscaper's effect now activates! As it was banished, I can Special Summon it back to my field! Return, Dotscaper!" Within seconds, Dotscaper reappeared on Playmaker's field.
Dotscaper ATK: 0 DEF: 2100 LV: 1
"I will now create my circuit." Playmaker declared, as a Link Portal appeared above him. "The summoning conditions are two Cyberse monsters. I set Scrypton and Dotscaper into the Link Markers!" Scrypton went into the bottom arrowhead, while Dotscaper went into the bottom-right arrowhead, turning both of them red.
"Link Summon! Appear! Link 2! Cyberse Wicckid!" A young boy wearing a black magician's robe with green lining, along with a formal white shirt with green suspenders connected to black shorts and glowing green underpants appeared on Playmaker's field in the right Extra Monster Zone, resulting in him and Code Talker being co-linked with one another. He had light green hair, with some of it covering his right eye, the both of them being light green. He also wore green and black gloves, along with black boots and green socks. In his left hand, he carried a black wand with green lining, a gem in the middle, and green horn-like ends at the tip.
Cyberse Wicckid ATK: 800 LINK-2 ⬇️↘️
Code Talker ATK: 1300 + 500 = 1800
"When Scrypton is used as Link Material for the Link Summon of a Cyberse monster, I can target one banished monster and shuffle it into my deck. I target Link Streamer, and shuffle it into my deck." Playmaker decided, as a card popped out of his banished zone, which he took and shuffled into his deck. "As there's a Cyberse monster on my field, I can Special Summon Backup Secretary to my field." A woman with white clothes and a purple cape appeared on his field in the Main Monster Zone Wicckid pointed to.
Backup Secretary ATK: 1200 DEF: 800 LV: 3
"Next, I activate Wicckid's effect. Once per turn, when a monster is Special Summoned to a Main Monster Zone he points to, I can banish one Cyberse monster from my Graveyard to add one Cyberse tuner monster from my deck to my hand. I banish Scrypton, and add Cyberse Synchron from my deck to my hand." A card popped out of Playmaker's deck, which he took and added to his hand. "I summon Cyberse Synchron from my hand to my field." A small white machine with blue eyes connected to the middle of a white ring appeared on Playmaker's field. In the middle of the ring was a translucent, blue energy field. Surrounding it were three boosters. One on the top, one on the bottom-left, and one on the bottom-right.
Cyberse Synchron ATK: 100 DEF: 100 LV: 1
"I activate Cyberse Synchron's effect." Playmaker stated. "Once per turn, I can target one Level 4 or lower monster on my field and increase its current level by its original level until the End Phase. I target Backup Secretary and increase her level by three!" Playmaker continued, as the boosters on Cyberse Synchron glowed, which increased Backup Secretary's level by three.
Backup Secretary LV: 3 + 3 = 6
"I tune the Level 1 Cyberse Synchron with the Level 6 Backup Secretary!" A bolt of blue lightning struck Playmaker as the world greyed out and his two monsters disappeared into particles. Two rings, one white and one purple, appeared before turning blue and merging. Seven blue rings stacked in a tower appeared, a screen displaying "1 + 6" in front of them. The screen changed to "7" as light surged through the rings.
"Flash of lightning! Strike from the far reaches of the universe, and unleash the soaring dragon's unknown power to all that dare stand against it!" Playmaker chanted. "Synchro Summon! Descend, Level 7! Cyberse Quantum Dragon!" A white and blue dragon with elongated wings that had thrusters embedded in them appeared on Playmaker's field in the Main Monster Zone Wicckid pointed to. It had a total of four eyes that gleamed from his head.
Cyberse Quantum Dragon ATK: 2500 DEF: 2000 LV: 7
"But I'm not done yet! Because I activate the Spell card, Cynet Fusion. This card lets me Fusion Summon one Cyberse Fusion monster from my Extra Deck, by using monsters in my hand or field as Fusion Material. I use Clock Wyvern in my hand, along with Code Talker and Wicckid on my field as Fusion Materials!" Soon, a silhouette of a mechanical blue and purple dragon appeared on Playmaker's field. Within seconds, Clock Wyvern turned into red particles, Code Talker turned into blue particles, and Wicckid turned into green particles. The red, blue and green particles then swirled into a vortex, which led to three tornadoes of energy that shot upwards before merging to form a white and yellow whirlwind.
"Dragon embodying grand power! Emerge from the storm, and unleash the strength of legends!" Playmaker chanted. "Fusion Summon! Come on out, Level 7! Cyberse Clock Dragon!" A purple-colored dragon with four eyes, along with pink lines running across its body emerged out of the whirlwind and appeared on Playmaker's field in the right Extra Monster Zone. It had black armor on its thighs, lower arms, shoulders, and the back of its neck and tail. Its hands and feet were pink with white claws, and its wings were split into six golden sections.
Cyberse Clock Dragon ATK: 2500 DEF: 2000 LV: 7
"When Cyberse Clock Dragon is Fusion Summoned, I can send a card from the top of my deck to the Graveyard equal to the combined Link ratings of the Fusion Materials used for its Fusion Summon." Playmaker explained. "Both Wicckid and Code Talker have a Link rating of two, which means I send the top four cards of my deck to the Graveyard." He took the top four cards of its deck and sent them to the Graveyard. "And for every card sent to the Graveyard by this effect, Cyberse Clock Dragon gains 1000 attack points!"
"No you don't!" Slipstream interjected. "I activate Clear Wing Synchro Dragon's effect. During either of our turns, when you activate the effect of a Level 5 or higher monster-!"
"You cannot!" Playmaker countered. "While Cyberse Clock Dragon is on my field and I control a Link monster, you can only target it for attacks or card effects. In addition, while Cyberse Quantum Dragon is on my field and I control a Link monster, you can only target it for attacks or effects."
Slipstream gasped. With both Clock Dragon and Quantum Dragon on the field with the same effect, that meant he couldn't target any of Playmaker's monsters with Clear Wing Synchro Dragon's effects, which meant her effect resolved without doing anything.
"Go, Cyberse Clockup!" As if on cue, Cyberse Clock Dragon glowed red and roared.
Cyberse Clock Dragon ATK: 2500 + (1000 X 4) = 6500
"Alright! Let's win this, Playmaker!" Ai cheered.
"Battle!" Playmaker declared, as he thrusted out his right hand. "Cyberse Clock Dragon attacks Clear Wing Synchro Dragon! Pulsating Surge!" Purple lightning gathered across Cyberse Clock Dragon's wings and upper body, which gathered in its mouth.
"You're truly strong, Playmaker. Just as strong as Raguel." Slipstream commented. "But I still got one trick left up my sleeve."
"And what trick would that be?" Ai questioned.
"This! Trap card, activate! Cross Damage!" Slipstream gestured to his face-down card. "When you declare an attack, any battle damage I take from that attack is also inflicted to you!"
"Oh no! It's Déjà vu all over again!" Ai realized, as Playmaker gasped out of surprise.
"Sorry, Playmaker, but it looks like this duel's ending in a draw." Slipstream said, with Playmaker nodding in agreement as Cyberse Clock Dragon fired the energy in its mouth at Clear Wing Synchro Dragon, which caused a shockwave that sent both duelists flying off the ground before they landed on their backs. Each duelist's life points dropped to zero seconds afterwards.
Playmaker: 400 – 4000 = 0
Slipstream: 2200 – 4000 = 0
"Slipstream! Playmaker!" both Raguel and Soulburner said, the duo running over to where Slipstream and Playmaker were. Whereas Raguel ran over to Slipstream, Soulburner ran over to Playmaker.
"You doing alright?" Raguel asked, as he helped Slipstream stand up on his feet.
"A little winded, but I'm actually okay." Slipstream assured Raguel, the two of them seeing Soulburner helping Playmaker stand up on his feet. Soulburner and Playmaker then walked over to where Slipstream and Raguel were. "Thanks, Playmaker. I appreciate the help."
"I'm just glad I was able to help you get your head on straight." Playmaker responded.
"I hear you, there. It's funny." Slipstream looked up to the sky. "All the people I've met helped me with the same problem I've had. And you want to know the one thing those people said to me that was common?"
"What thing would that be?"
Slipstream took off his mask, revealing his dark-green eyes. "That I have a choice on how I can respond to things. All this time, I've felt powerless because I couldn't change what happened to me, whether it was directly or by association. Even though I'm still struggling with it, I'm slowly starting to acknowledge that I can't control everything. I can, however, make decisions that will help me in the long run. The best part is that we're allowed to feel different emotions when these events come up."
"Same for me, Slipstream." Raguel agreed.
"Ditto." Soulburner added, glad to hear that last part of Slipstream's answer. "I'm just happy to hear that we're allowed to feel different emotions in response to different situations. Otherwise, we'd be robots." That last part caused everyone to laugh, even Playmaker.
But before anyone else could speak, Raguel's duel disk beeped, much to everyone's surprise.
"Another message? Seriously?" Herald groaned. "Who else would need our attention now of all times?"
"It may be important, Herald. You never know who's contacting you until you answer it." Flame pointed out.
"Answer it! Ai want to know who's calling!" Ai said.
"Alright, alright. Hang on a second." Raguel told the three Ignis present, before he pressed a button on his duel disk. "Hello?"
"Hello back to you, Raguel." Gil firmly stated, which got everyone's surprise upon hearing his voice. "You and I need to talk."
Green, wispy pieces of data are shown floating through the network as a bright light briefly covers the screen, multiple cards popping up one by one.
Yusaku is first shown walking to school before he morphs into his VRAINS Persona Playmaker. Takeru is also shown doing the same thing before he morphs into his VRAINS Persona Soulburner. Last but not least, Yuhiro and Arashi are shown doing the same thing before they morph into the VRAINS Personas Raguel and Slipstream. Ai, Flame, Aqua, and Herald pop up on the screen one by one afterwards.
A split screen then pops up, showing Aoi walking down the street on one side, while Emma scratches the back of her head on the other side, as if she were stressed out. The both of them then morph into their VRAINS Personas Blue Maiden and Ghost Girl. A second split screen pops up afterwards, showing Rachel on her tablet on one side, while Gekiryushi practices her swordsmanship on the other side with concentration. The both of them then morph into their VRAINS Personas Numera and SengokuQueen.
Soon after, a third split screen appears, showing a skinny Go Onizuka clutching his head in pain with his left hand, while Kengo Dojun puts a hand on his chin, as if thinking something over. The screen then cracks, showing a virtual network where Go closes his eyes and spreads out his hands with a smile, while Blood Shepherd aims his right hand at the screen. A fourth split screen appears, showing Akairo completing some schoolwork, while Brion is in his apartment, looking at a picture in his locket with narrowed eyes, which showed his family. The screen then cracks, showing Drachen with Red-Eyes Black Dragon Sword in his hand, while Electrolyzer has PSY-Framegears Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, Epsilon, and Zeta attached to his body.
The main tower LINK VRAINS is shown before the screen cracks in two, which reveals the main tower in Mirror LINK VRAINS. Lightning's faction is shown in the light, but then the screen is enveloped in darkness before depicting Azrael flaring out the Muramasa with Malf and Wraith on his sides.
Revolver, Specter, and Infearno are then shown on the screen, with Revolver on the left, Infearno in the center, and Specter on the right.
The screen changes to show multiple people at Green Park. First is Kusanagi and Roxy beside one another, with Akira speaking to Emma and Gekiryushi nearby. Next is Arashi crossing his arms, with Takeru is looking out at another area while Yusaku simply looks ahead of him, Aoi sitting down on the stairs nearby. Yuhiro is seen looking ahead of him with a stressed expression on his face, a silhouette of Miyu trying to comfort him. Rachel runs up to where Yuhiro is before standing next to him, with Naoki trying to wave his hand to the humans nearby. Herald is shown with Ai, Flame, and Aqua nearby the humans. Last but not least, Ryoken, Youta, and Emon are shown conversing in another area of Green Park.
The screen then shows a grey landscape, where duel monsters appear in pairs. First is Firewall Dragon and Firewall eXceed Dragon, second is Salamangreat Heatleo and Violet Chimera, third is Cyreath Hercules/Alpha Mode and Turboblaze Dragon, fourth is Clear Wing Synchro Dragon and Hi-Speedroid Kitedrake, and fifth is Borreload Savage Dragon and Borreload Dragon before all of them disappear one by one. Last but not least, a network background appears, with a strand of rainbow data flowing around it before Raguel, Playmaker, Soulburner, and Slipstream appear, along with Ai, Flame, and Herald. All four humans draw a card from the top of their decks before a bright light covers the screen.
Card Gallery
No new cards introduced in this chapter.
QOTC
Of the eight victims, who do you think the Lost Incident hurt most of all?
Chapter Preview
Next time on Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS: Obscured Truth. Chapter 81: Lessons in Anger. Following Playmaker's duel against Slipstream, Raguel receives a call from Gil, who wants to speak with him. Doubtful of Raguel's skills and resolve following recent events, Gil challenges him to a duel to see for himself whether he's truly ready for what's to come. However, a different side of Gil is shown as the duel progresses, where he reveals the true reason why he challenged Raguel to a duel in the first place…
Author's Notes
Well, this is a surprise. It's only been one week, and I've completed another chapter! That's a bit faster than usual, don't you agree? As such, a quicker recap is needed, especially with mostly anime events going on, don't you agree?
This chapter is pretty much straightforward, as it adapts most of Episode 83 and 84 of the anime, so I won't bother recapping anime events. Instead, I'll focus on the main highlight of the chapter, which was the Slipstream vs Playmaker duel. Here, Slipstream felt disturbed upon hearing Playmaker's story on how revenge cost him years of his life. As a result, it brought up the conversation he had with Ryoken back in Chapter 74, and how his fear of becoming no better than Windy should he pursue his revenge has returned to his mind.
So Playmaker approaches Slipstream, and duels the latter in an attempt to help him out. During the duel, Playmaker tells Slipstream how despite what happened, the time he spent fighting against the Hanoi led him to meeting different individuals. Ones that helped him open his horizons in different ways, and as a result, Playmaker was no longer blinded to anything else aside from his need for revenge. What's more, Playmaker even admits that Ai indirectly helped him change.
In terms of the duel, allow me to explain why I ended it in a draw: I didn't want either duelist to lose, as it wouldn't look good on them. So instead, I wanted to show how Playmaker and Slipstream responded to one another's strategies. It also was a great opportunity to show off the Cyberse lock, which consisted of Cyberse Clock Dragon, Cyberse Quantum Dragon, and a Link monster, which was Transcode Talker in this case. As for why Playmaker didn't attack Hi-Speedroid Kitedrake with Cyberse Clock Dragon, he didn't want to take any risks. By attacking with Cyberse Quantum Dragon, Playmaker wanted to ensure that things were clear first before he can land the final blow. As for Slipstream, he attacked Transcode Talker with Hi-Speedroid Kitedrake because in his mind, there's always something going on behind the scenes. He'd rather get rid of a powerful resource than deal massive damage and be blindsided within seconds.
For Playmaker, I do plan on him losing at some point in the story, and it may be sooner than you think. As for Slipstream, I didn't want to add another loss following his duel against Blood Shepherd.
Following the duel is the ending scene, where Slipstream thanks Playmaker for his help. Slipstream also has come to terms with the fact that he can't control everything. Or at the very least, he's close to doing so. After that comes the juicy part, where Gil calls Raguel, requesting that they talk. Since this part is a cliff-hanger, Chapter 81 will continue right where Chapter 80 ended.
As such, without further ado, I want to thank you all for reading Chapter 80 of Obscured Truth. As always, please let me know your thoughts about the chapters below in your reviews. Also, constructive criticism is appreciated, as your tips and advice helps make the story better. In addition, don't forget to favorite and follow the story. That way, you will get a notification once the next chapter is released.
What did you like the most about the chapter? The anime scenes? The duel between Playmaker and Slipstream? Or something else?
That's all for now, folks. Stay tuned, as we're going to have One Hell of a Time in Chapter 81! Oh, and Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!
