Announcements

Hello everyone, and welcome to Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS: Hidden Memories! This is my second fanfiction, and my first VRAINS story. For those of you who read my Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V fanfiction, I hope you like this story. It will follow the same format as Academy of Chaos, except the name orders will be Western instead of Japanese, and a new feature in a summary of the duels at the end of the chapter, like the wiki does.

This story follows Yasutake Narahiko, an OC-insert to VRAINS. He works as a cyber bounty hunter, hunting down criminals and hackers that companies like SOL Technologies pay him to find and bring in. He lives with Cameron Junpei, or Cam, and his sister Sachi, who like Yasutake, was involved in the Lost Incident ten years ago.

That said, I hope you enjoy the first chapter of Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS: Hidden Memories!

Update

I've changed the number of children from 6 to 8 as of Chapter 14. This will take a while to implement, so please be patient while I update the previous chapters.

Chapter 1: Morningstar

"You lose!"

Yasutake Narahiko screamed as the shocks overcame him. It was at that moment he awoke, drenched in sweat, in his own bed. He was breathing heavily, his nightmare still etched in his mind.

Calm down, he thought, trying to steady his breathing. Three. Think of three things. Three things to live. Three things to go home. Three things to defeat the enemy. By thinking, you can still live.

He closed his eyes. One: I'm not in that place anymore. I'm in my bedroom at Cam's house in Den City. No one can hurt me while I'm here.

He opened his eyes and looked around his bedroom. Aside from his bed and a desk, it was empty. Two: it has been over ten years since the incident. Even if it takes ten more years, or even fifty, these nightmares will eventually fade.

He closed his eyes again, his breathing steadier but still ragged. Three: I am not alone. What I am doing now, I do for Cam and his sister Sachi. Even if there is no hope for me, there is hope for her.

He opened his eyes, his heart rate finally slowing down. He got out of bed and headed to the bathroom. After splashing water in his face, he looked at his reflection in the mirror. It showed a 16-year-old teenager with hazel eyes. He had spiky black hair with red bangs that zigzagged across the right side of his face. There were bags under his eyes, his exhaustion evident.

Yasutake had been having these nightmares for the last ten years. Sometimes he'd have them for a straight week, other times he'd sleep peacefully for a month. One thing was always for certain: he'd have them again, no matter how hard he tried to forget the incident.

He thought about telling Cam about his nightmare, but dismissed it. He'd just recommend seeing the therapist again. He'd been seeing them on-and-off for ten years. He doubted there was anything more they could do for him.

He turned off the lights in the bathroom and returned to his bed. There was no chance he'd get any sleep now, but he might as well rest until school in the morning. Better that than falling asleep in class again.

Yasutake stared out the classroom window, trying to focus. The teacher had just given the class their calculus homework for the day. He found staring off into space helped him focus. At the very least, it also gave him a reason not to interact with people.

"Hey, you're a duelist, aren't you?"

But some people were determined to interact with him anyways. Yasutake turned and looked at the student who'd said that. It was a slightly overweight boy with tiny eyes, a large mouth, and green hair. He wore the student uniform of Den Academy, same as Yasutake. The students were mingling with each other, working together on their homework. Which Yasutake had no intention of participating in. He wasn't the only who felt that way; he saw a boy in the back row with his head on his arms, taking a nap.

"I mean," the boy said, drawing Yasutake's attention back to him. "you are wearing a Duel Disk. Though it is an older model. Guess that means you're an amateur."

Yasutake looked at the Duel Disk on his left arm. It was circular in shape, with a black base and blue top circling a black screen. A section on the side facing away from him was colored silver. Yasutake looked from the Duel Disk to the boy.

"Who are you again?" he asked. He genuinely had no idea who the guy was.

"Hey!" the boy said, annoyed now. "It's been a month since school started! You still don't know your classmate's name?" He leaned in, a slight smirk on his face. "I know your name, though. Narahiko, right? You probably don't have many friends," he assumed.

"Not really," Yasutake said, returning his gaze to the window. The calculus problem he was working on was based on sets. If A was a subset of B, but B was a subset of C, then…

"Hey!" the boy said again, interrupting Yasutake's thoughts again. "Don't ignore someone when they're talking to you! That's rude. I'm Naoki Shima, by the way." He gave a smug smile and lifted his arm, which had a blue contraption attached to his wrist. "Anything you want to say to me?"

Yasutake looked at him, then back to the window. "Not particularly," he said. This annoyed Naoki even more, who then shoved his arm even closer to Yasutake's face and loudly said, "Even about this?"

"Oh, that," Yasutake commented, a bored expression on his face. "SOL Technologies' new Duel Disk."

"Oh, you noticed?" Naoki said, his smile bigger and his eyes shining. Of course I noticed, Yasutake thought. It's impossible not to notice with you shoving it in my face.

"That Duel Disk you're wearing is one of the card-insert kinds, right?" Naoki said, either not getting Yasutake's hints that he wanted to be left alone, or ignoring them. "The new Duel Disk has an AI installed that helps during duels."

"Hello," the Duel Disk on his arm said.

"Hello," Yasutake said back, this time turning to his tablet instead of the window. Maybe if he looked like he was working on a problem instead of spacing out, Naoki would go away.

No such luck. "This AI is connected to SOL Technologies' cloud," he said. "So I can use cards in data form." He held up his right hand as he continued, "I also have priority access to the VR network, LINK VRAINS." He pointed his Duel Disk at Yasutake's tablet and pushed a button. Several screens popped up on it, all of them showing Duelists in LINK VRAINS, the cyberspace dueling community. "See? Like this."

"Fascinating," Yasutake said deadpan, closing the windows Naoki opened so he could see his homework again. "Ever go to LINK VRAINS?"

"Don't be stupid!" Naoki suddenly shouted, drawing the attention of nearby students.

"'Stupid' is a forbidden word," Naoki's AI said. Yasutake idly wondered why SOL Technologies saw it necessarily to have a grammar censor in their AI. The cleaning robot at Cam's place had the same programming.

"It's a special gathering place for long-time duelists!" Naoki said, quieter this time, not wanting to disturb his classmates. "Charisma Duelists go there too! You can't go there as easy as you think!"

"I see," Yasutake said, still bored. He was familiar with Charisma Duelists; they were essentially idols with stage names who put on a show through dueling.

"But if I do go," Naoki continued, looking hopeful for a second, "maybe I'll meet Charisma Duelists. Maybe even Playmaker!"

"Playmaker?" Yasutake said, frowning. He'd heard the alias before, but he couldn't remember where from.

"He's the hottest duelist right now," Naoki explained. "He secretly fights the Knights of Hanoi, hackers who commit crimes in LINK VRAINS."

Stopping crimes in LINK VRAINS? Yasutake thought. I thought that was my job…

Out loud, he said, "Do you have a picture of Playmaker?" An image wouldn't help him find the guy's identity, but it would be a starting point.

"Of course not," Naoki said, not noticing Yasutake's slight disappointment. "He's cool because no one knows his identity. I want to become a duelist of justice, like Playmaker!" Unfortunately, that last statement was louder than the rest, which got Naoki reprimanded by the teacher.

"Sorry, ma'am," he said, turning back to Yasutake and talking quieter. "Though, if I can't meet Playmaker, I would love to meet Morningstar."

"Morningstar?" Yasutake asked, raising an eyebrow. "Is that someone else fighting the Knights of Hanoi?"

"He fights more than them!" Naoki said, looking excited. "He hunts down criminals, malcontents, anyone who wants to hurt people in LINK VRAINS! He's just as big a hero as Playmaker! Sadly, no one knows his face or identity, either." Suddenly, a thought occurred to Naoki. "Say, you want to join Duel Club?"

"Duel Club?" Yasutake asked, not expecting that.

"Yes, it's an extracurricular group where we discuss tactics and strategies," Naoki explained. "If you're interested in becoming a better duelist, we can help you improve your skills. We always need new members."

"No, thank you," Yasutake said, turning back to his computer again. "I'm not looking for extracurricular work."

"Don't think of it as work, think of it as making friends."

"I'm not looking for those, either."

"Oh, everyone can use friends," Naoki said, then turned to the person behind them. "Zaizen, help me out here. I'm trying to get this guy to join Duel Club, but he won't do it."

"Then leave him alone, Shima," the student said. Yasutake glanced back. The speaker was a girl, with light brown hair in a bob-cut and yellow eyes, typing on her own tablet. "Not everyone wants to join Duel Club."

"The president said we need new members, and he has a Duel Disk," Naoki said. "Even if it's an older model, I think he'd still be a good addition."

The girl, Zaizen apparently, sighed and turned from her tablet to Yasutake. "I'm Aoi Zaizen," she said. "Do you want to join Duel Club?"

"No," he said, not bothering to look at her. Zaizen, huh? There was a SOL executive named Zaizen. Was she related to him?

"There you go, Shima," Aoi said to Naoki. "He's not interested." She turned back to her tablet. Yasutake had to admit he liked her attitude.

"Am I the only one who takes Duel Club seriously?" Naoki idly wondered. "Look, you don't have to join. Just consider it, alright? I don't think people should spend their time alone."

But spending time alone is one of my favorite hobbies, Yasutake thought. "Thanks, but-."

You should make friends, Yasu. Yasutake internally grimaced at the memory of Cam. Friends can help you get over what happened. If you actually opened up to people, maybe the nightmares would stop. Yasutake couldn't see what friends and nightmares had to do with each other, but he trusted Cam.

"I'll… think about it," Yasutake finally said. Apparently, that was enough to mollify Naoki, as he returned to his seat. Yasutake returned to his homework, looking over it. Calculus was certainly not his favorite subject, but at least it wasn't geometry.

"Sorry about that." Yasutake glanced behind him. This time, it was Aoi who spoke to him, but her eyes remained on her tablet. "Shima means well, he just speaks without thinking."

"I can tell he is a good person," Yasutake said. "But he is also a bad duelist. I doubt there is anything I'd learn from joining Duel Club."

Aoi looked from her tablet to Yasutake. "What makes you think he's a bad duelist?"

Yasutake held up his hand. "There are three things that tell me he is a bad duelist. One," he held up one finger, "he bragged about his Duel Disk. A focus on its technology implies he doesn't care about his deck. Two," he held up another finger, "he hasn't gone to LINK VRAINS. This in turn suggests he doesn't trust his skills. Three," he held up a third finger, "he judges a person's dueling skills by appearances, so he can't be a good duelist."

Aoi raised an eyebrow at Yasutake's points, but he continued talking. "At the same time, there are three reasons I can tell he is a good person. One, even if it's about an object, he wants to talk about dueling because he loves Duel Monsters. Two, being able to acquire the new Duel Disk quickly means he's well-informed. Three, since he's willing to talk to a loner like myself, that means he is willing to make friends. He might be a bad duelist, but he is also a good person."

Aoi stared at Yasutake, not expecting him to speak so much. "Do you always categorize things into groups of three?"

"It helps me think," he said, turning back to his tablet. Unlike Naoki, Aoi took the hint and turned back to her own tablet.

Yasutake walked into Cam's store. It was mostly empty; the afternoon rush had ended an hour ago. Cam was standing behind the counter, handing a woman the muffin she'd purchased.

"Ah, Yasu!" he said when he saw Yasutake. "About time you show up." Cameron Junpei was taller than Yasutake, with short dark green hair and light green bangs. His eyes were blue and he was well-built. He was dressed casually in blue jeans and a purple shirt with an apron over it. Yasutake sometimes thought Cam could become a wrestler if he wanted. Instead, he'd opened a bakery. "I was worried I'd have to work the evening shift without you."

"As if I have anything better to do," Yasutake said, going behind the counter and putting on his own apron. This was his job, helping Cam run his bakery. Or at least it was one of his jobs.

When he got close to Cam, he asked, "How's Sachi?"

Cam looked downcast as he said, "Same as always." He then perked up as a customer came in. While he did that, Yasutake changed the subject.

"Has there been any updates?" he asked.

"Yeah," Cam said, his expression neutral and his voice low as he went over to the oven. "Den City's network security has been strengthened. Most likely, SOL Technologies is performing a scan of LINK VRAINS, trying to find something."

"Something?" Yasutake said, raising an eyebrow. Cam looked at him seriously as he answered.

"I heard it's an AI program. Fleeing from something."

Yasutake frowned. "I didn't know an AI could run away. It's not like they have free will, like humans." Then he thought of something. "If SOL is performing a scan, there will be weaknesses in the network. Weaknesses others might exploit."

"Like the Knights of Hanoi?" Cam said, narrowing his eyes. "I thought you went after all criminals, not just them."

"SOL has a bounty on any Knights I can capture," Yasutake said. "And I can't just let them rampage freely."

"You could leave it to Playmaker," Cam suggested as he pulled fresh rolls out of the oven. "He's been hunting Hanoi for quite some time. If they do appear, he'll handle them."

"I don't trust Playmaker, and SOL's usual security drones aren't enough to stop them," Yasutake said. "Look at it this way: I stop the Knights, SOL pays me, and you get more money for Sachi's treatment."

"She does need it," Cam said. "But I worry about you, Yasu. It doesn't matter how skilled you are; eventually you'll face an opponent you can't beat. And working for SOL won't make the nightmares go away."

Yasutake, who'd been putting fresh pastries inside the display case, stopped at that. Cam looked at him seriously.

"You had another one, didn't you?"

"They never go away, Cam," he said, resuming his work. "It's been ten years and they still happen. After this much time, no therapist is going to be able to help me."

"Then get out there and make friends," Cam said, leaning on the counter. "At least you have that option. I'm lucky if I can get Sachi to leave her room. Maybe making friends will help you move on."

"I want to move on, Cam," Yasutake said, turning from the case to his friend. "I've tried. But the nightmares never stop. Not for long. Right now, I can just continue doing my job and earning money to help you and Sachi. It's the least I can do after everything you've done for me."

Ever since the incident ten years ago, Yasutake had been living with Cam and his sister Sachi, who had also been involved in it. Cam had put up with Yasutake, helped pay for his therapy alongside his sister's, even put the money together so Yasutake could go to Den Academy. Working at his bakery for free was one of the ways Yasutake could repay him. The other way was taking contracts from SOL Technologies on cybercriminals and hackers. Once he dealt with them, SOL paid him for it. That money in turn went towards Cam's bakery and Sachi's treatments.

Noting that the last customer had left the bakery, Yasutake ran to the front and turned on the "CLOSED" sign.

"Hey!" Cam protested. "There's a big event going on later tonight. Go Onizuka and Blue Angel are both dueling. I make a lot of money at events like that."

"This is more important," Yasutake said, taking his apron off and heading for the back room. "When SOL performs the scan, Hanoi will likely attack. I can't let them do too much damage."

"Fine," Cam said, taking his own apron off. "But when this is over, we're going to talk about your therapy."

"Everyone! Are you fired up?" In the central plaza of Den City, a large crowd had gathered, watching several television screens. The screens showed two duelists – one was a well-built young man with dark hair, a chin beard and a gold hat. He wore a large jacket that exposed his chest with dark pants and a golden belt as well as large boots with gold plated buckles and gold plates on his arms over black finger-less gloves.

The second duelist was a teenage girl with long blue hair tied into two long strands by heart-shaped ribbons. Her eyes were also blue, and she wore a white sleeveless shirt with a blue necktie over a blue and pink dress with wing-shaped frills, and dark blue thigh-high socks. Her most noticeable accessory was the pair of white wings on her back with pink hearts and lavender clovers on them.

Their names were Go Onizuka and Blue Angel, and they were the top two Charisma Duelists in LINK VRAINS.

"Many Charisma Duelists are about to duel in LINK VRAINS!" This was said by an MC wearing glasses and an orange suit holding a microphone. "Dueling in Area #1 is LINK VRAINS's #1 hooligan who uses the Gouki deck, Go Onizuka!" The screens shifted to show Go standing in an area that resembled the Paris Las Vegas Hotel and Casino.

"Dueling in Area #2 is LINK VRAINS's poster girl who uses a Trickstar deck, Blue Angel!" The screens shifted again to a place that resembled Florence, Italy, with Blue Angel and her opponent standing on a rooftop. Blue Angel waved and smiled at the camera as the MC said, "To all who have access, come to LINK VRAINS! And for those already here, pay attention to the screen!"

"SOL picked a good time to perform a scan," Yasutake commented. He and Cam were sitting in the back of the bakery, typing on computers. One of the monitors they had showed the LINK VRAINS events. If Yasutake was right and Hanoi did attack, the live recordings would show it first. "If Hanoi takes advantage of the weaknesses in the network, a lot of people will get hurt."

"SOL cares about their customers," Cam said. "If they're doing a scan now, it's probably because they don't have a choice. That, or they have more faith in their security than you do."

"While we're waiting," Yasutake said, turning from the monitor to Cam. "Have you found anything on Playmaker?"

Playmaker had appeared some months ago. Yasutake had initially assumed he was a freelance contractor working for SOL like him, but he'd been proven wrong soon enough. It became apparent that Playmaker only ever did battle with the Knights of Hanoi. If he was one of SOL's contractors, he'd be sent against other kinds of cybercriminals like Yasutake was. No, Playmaker was independent. Though why he was fighting the Knights of Hanoi, Yasutake couldn't guess. If it was to protect LINK VRAINS, that was fine, but Yasutake was certain there was more to it than that.

"No," Cam said, shaking his head. "Whenever he shows up, he deletes his activity logs soon after. There's no trail to follow, no eyewitnesses to provide a description. He's practically a ghost."

"So he's not just a good duelist, but also a master hacker," Yasutake mused. "Fascinating."

Cam was about to respond, but then one of the monitors started beeping. He narrowed his eyes at it. "They've started the scan. It's the MSD Version 99671. They must really want that AI program bad."

Suddenly the screen showing the scan turned red. "That's not good," Cam said. That was an understatement. The color indicated someone was breaking into LINK VRAINS. "Someone's breaching SOL's firewall."

"Can you identify who?" Yasutake asked him. Before Cam could answer, the screen showing Blue Angel and Go suddenly started glitching. The two friends turned to watch the screen. There was suddenly a hole in Go's arena, through which two massive black and green mechanical dragons appeared. Each dragon was ridden by a man in a white coat with the hood up. They both also had grey and yellow masks covering their faces, with one red eye and one green eye.

"Hanoi!" Cam said unnecessarily. Yasutake stood up from his chair. "Hey, what are you doing?"

"They've broken into LINK VRAINS," Yasutake answered, putting his Duel Disk on. "And I can't let them rampage."

"Be careful, Yasu," Cam said, turning back to the screen. "And look out for that AI. If you capture it, we can sell it to SOL."

Yasutake headed to another room in the bakery. This was a closed off space where he could enter LINK VRAINS quickly and quietly. He reached into his jacket and pulled out his Deck. After the door closed, he placed his Deck into his Duel Disk and said, "Deck set! Into the VRAINS!"

Yasutake was surrounded by a sphere of light as he spread his arms. His appearance changed to that of his digital avatar. He wore a dark blue and maroon jumpsuit with black boots. A silver line ran from his legs all the way up his right arm. A black belt appeared around his waist. His hair changed so that it parted in half, with the left half being blue and the right half being black. His bangs remained, except they turned silver. The last part to change was his eyes, changing from hazel to blood red. He was propelled into LINK VRAINS, entering through a digital portal. He landed in the ruins of Area #2. He was no longer Yasutake Narahiko. Now he was Morningstar.

He ran around, looking for the Knights of Hanoi, when he found one. He was still riding the mechanical dragon, but he was chasing a figure that Morningstar recognized as Blue Angel.

"Vanish!" the Knight shouted. His dragon breathed fire at Blue Angel, but before Morningstar could intervene, someone else did. They grabbed Blue Angel and pulled her out of the way of the fire.

"Gee, I'm really back," someone said. Was it Blue Angel's savior? He had spiky yellow, pink, and orange hair and wore a black and dark green jumpsuit with a gold line running up his left arm.

"Who are you?" the Knight asked the man.

"My name is Playmaker!" he declared. Morningstar, who was watching from around a corner, raised an eyebrow. That was Playmaker? He had impeccable timing. "I have what you're looking for." He held up his left arm, showing a red, white, and blue Duel Disk. "Stop attacking LINK VRAINS. If you don't, I'll erase it right now!"

"Hey hey hey!" Morningstar realized the voice from before was coming from Playmaker's Duel Disk. Did he have an AI? "Don't treat your savior as a hostage!"

Playmaker ignored this and continued, "I converted this program into a duel program. If you want it, you have to defeat me in a duel."

So that's the AI SOL was scanning for, Morningstar thought. It was a basic deduction – Playmaker had possession of an AI program, and SOL had been scanning for an AI. Probability wise, it was likely the program they'd been looking for. At the same time, this told Morningstar that Hanoi had attacked because they were looking for the program as well. Playmaker had gotten to it before SOL or Hanoi, so now he was using it as a bargaining chip to make Hanoi cease their attack.

Very clever, Playmaker, he thought. You just might be worth watching after all.

"Fine," the Knight said, smirking. "You'll learn what happens when you oppose the Hanoi!"

"I'm looking forward to it," Playmaker said. Unbeknownst to everyone else, the Knight opened a channel and called his partner.

"I've located the Ignis," he whispered. "Playmaker has it. Come to me so we can overwhelm him with numbers!"

They moved locations to the LINK VRAINS central city location. The Knight and Playmaker stood opposite each other, while Morningstar held back around the corner. He was curious to see what kind of duelist Playmaker was – and what weapon Hanoi would use.

What happened next was completely unexpected. Playmaker appeared to be talking to his Duel Disk when it released a purple light that headed towards the sky.

"What's happening?" Morningstar wondered, watching with surprise. The light opened a tunnel that released a massive stream of blue, purple, and white data. He was even more surprised when he felt a gust of wind.

"This can't be-!" Morningstar said. He watched as a black and white board with blue fins suddenly appeared, which Playmaker jumped on to. The board in turn leapt onto the data stream, and Morningstar watched as Playmaker went racing away.

"A Data Storm?" Morningstar said, his eyes wide. Impossible! Data Storms hadn't appeared in years. More importantly…

He pressed a button on his Duel Disk, releasing a small gray drone. "Follow Playmaker and record his duel," he commanded it. It flew away, following the stream of data. If his intuition was right, Playmaker was about to have a Speed Duel with the Knight of Hanoi. He also noticed that Blue Angel and Go Onizuka were following the duel as well.

As much as Morningstar wanted to follow after Playmaker, he realized he had other problems. There was something out there in the distance. He ran towards it, and soon realized what it was. It was the other Knight of Hanoi, racing towards the duel on his own dragon. Morningstar understood what he was planning immediately: make it a two-on-one duel and overwhelm Playmaker. While Morningstar was indifferent to Playmaker, he wasn't about to let Hanoi cheat.

The Knight was heading towards the data stream when he suddenly felt something on his wrist. He looked down and saw a red cord wrapped around it. He was unceremoniously yanked off his dragon and screamed as he fell to the pavement, hitting it face-first.

He growled as he stood up, shouting, "Who dares attack Hanoi!?"

"I dare." The Knight turned and looked at the voice. It was Morningstar, the red cord coming out of his Duel Disk and still holding onto the Knight's wrist. "This is a Data Anchor," Morningstar told him. "It prevents both of us from logging out until we have a duel."

"You…" the Knight grumbled. "Who are you!?"

"I am Morningstar," he said, making the Knight gasp.

"SOL Technologies' top hunter?" he said, his surprise evident even if his face was hidden. "What business do you have with Hanoi?"

"I am no servant of SOL. And you're attacking LINK VRAINS," Morningstar said evenly. "That's all the reason I need." He activated his Duel Disk, revealing a black and silver blade with a red outline. "If you wish to leave, you must defeat me!"

"Very well," the Knight grumbled, activating his own Duel Disk. It was a version of SOL's new Duel Disk, looking like a white wrist band with green lines and a blue sphere on top.

In a hidden corner of the virtual world, two people were observing the duel between Playmaker and the first Knight of Hanoi. The one up front had tanned skill, yellow eyes, and black hair highlighted with orange and red. He wore a mask made of yellow glass and a white casing with four white dots centered on his forehead. His clothes were simpler: a white jumpsuit, a white trench coat, white gloves, and black boots. The second person had gray hair and light blue eyes and wore a white suit and white shoes.

"Master Revolver!" the second person said. "We have a report from the second Knight!"

"Yes?" Revolver said. "Is he going to aid his comrade, Specter?"

"He can't, sir," Specter said. "He's engaging a duelist who has identified themselves as Morningstar."

"Morningstar?" Revolver said, surprised initially, then he smiled. "Good. We'd likely have to engage him eventually. This will give us an estimation of his strength."

A second screen appeared in front of the two men, this one showing Morningstar and his opponent standing in an open square.

As cool as it would be to have a Speed Duel, Morningstar thought, Playmaker is hogging the stream. I'll have to settle for a Master Duel.

"Duel!" they shouted.

Knight of Hanoi: 4000 LP

Morningstar: 4000 LP

"I'll be taking the first turn!" the Knight said. "My turn!" He waved his hand in front of him, where five cards materialized in front of him. Seeing what was in his hand, he smirked. I'll end this quickly and finish my mission for Master Revolver!

"I Special Summon Hack Dog!" A grey mechanical Rottweiler appeared on his field. It had a golden muzzle, two black horns sticking out either side of its head, and green lines running across its body and down its legs.

Hack Dog ATK 1600 DEF 400 LVL: 4

"I can Special Summon this card from my hand when my opponent doesn't control any monsters," the Knight explained.

"1600 attack points…" Morningstar muttered. "Since that was a Special Summon, he still has his Normal Summon to perform." Louder he said, "You're planning to summon a high-level monster, aren't you?"

"That's right!" the Knight said, impressed. It seemed his prey was more intelligent than the usual bunch. "If I Tribute Hack Dog to summon a Machine-Type monster, it counts as two Tributes!"

"Two Tributes," Morningstar commented, narrowing his eyes. "That means…"

It's time to bring it out, the Knight thought. The most powerful monster given to me by Master Revolver!

"Morningstar," he said. "With this, your act as a hero ends! I release my Hack Dog treated as two Tributes, and Tribute Summon! Come forth! Cracking Dragon!"

The mechanical dragon that he'd been riding earlier appeared on his field. It was black and dark green, with six bladed wings attached by six glowing green lights.

Cracking Dragon ATK 3000 DEF 0 LVL: 8

"I Set one card, and end my turn there," the Knight said.

"So that's his ace monster," Morningstar muttered, looking at his cards. 3000 attack points on the first turn. What should I do in this situation… The cards in his hand wouldn't be enough to destroy that monster. The only way out of this situation…is betting on this single draw! He scowled at that. He hated gambling.

He placed his hand on his Deck, and the silver line on his jumpsuit lit up. "My turn!" he declared. "Draw!" He drew, looked at his card, and thought, Good! This'll do it…!

"I summon Cyspirit Lancer!" The monster that appeared was a grey skeleton warrior. It wore a white chest piece and white leg guards. Its arms were mechanical and grey, as were the lance and shield it carried. Its skull was also metal, with its right eye glowing red.

Cyspirit Lancer ATK 1800 DEF 0 LVL: 4

Specter gasped. "That monster is of the Cyberse type? Where did he get that?"

Revolver ignored him and said, "To think that in one day we'd see two people who possess the Cyberse cards that we've spent years trying to eliminate."

"To think he uses the Cyberse type," the Knight said quietly. "This is unexpected."

"I don't use just any Cyberse monsters, Hanoi," Morningstar said. "I use the Cyspirit archetype."

"You are surprising, Morningstar," the Knight admitted. "But your Cyberse monster is powerless before the Cracking Dragon! I activate its monster effect! Since you Normal or Special Summoned exactly one monster, its attack points are decreased by 200 times its Level, and that damage is dealt to my opponent! Crack Fall!"

The orbs around Cracking Dragon glowed as a wind hit Morningstar and Cyspirit Lancer, hurting both of them. Lancer's Level was 4, so Morningstar took 800 points of damage.

Cyspirit Lancer ATK 1800→1000

Morningstar: 4000→3200 LP

"So that is the effect of Cracking Dragon," Morningstar said, narrowing his eyes at the monster. "Interesting. But it will still fall. I activate Cyspirit Lancer's effect! So long as this monster is in face-up Attack Position, all 'Cyspirit' monsters I control gain 300 attack points! Digital Charge!" Lancer glowed white as its attack points increased.

Cyspirit Lancer ATK 1000→1300

"Ha! Like that will make a difference," the Knight sneered.

"I activate the second effect of Cyspirit Lancer!" Morningstar declared. "I discard one 'Cyspirit' monster, and then until the end of this turn, Cyspirit Lancer can inflict piercing damage! I send the Cyspirit Changer in my hand to the Graveyard." He sent the card to the Graveyard as Cyspirit Lancer glowed white again.

"And why would you want to do that?" the Knight asked.

"Because," Morningstar said. "By banishing the Cyspirit Changer in my Graveyard, all monsters on the field that are not 'Cyspirit' monsters are switched to Defense Position! Digital Inversion!"

A new monster appeared briefly on Morningstar's field. It was a dwarf sized skeleton warrior dressed in a white cloak with a metal skull and a red right eye, carrying a digital sign, with "A" on one side and "D" on the other. It showed the "D" side, which glowed blue as Cracking Dragon changed battle position from Attack to Defense Position.

"With this, I can inflict 1300 points of damage to you and destroy your dragon," Morningstar told the Knight. "Battle! Cyspirit Lancer, attack Cracking Dragon! Digital Lance!" Cyspirit Lancer charged at Cracking Dragon, but the Knight was prepared.

"Trap Card, open!" he declared. "Cracking Barrier!" The card showed Cracking Dragon, Hack Dog, and a monster similar to Hack Dog except shaped like a worm, with a bolt of lightning hitting a shield in front of them. "Cracking Barrier reduces the damage I would take from this attack to 0!"

"But your monster will still be destroyed!" Morningstar pointed out. Cyspirit Lancer hit Cracking Dragon with its lance, but to Morningstar's surprise, the dragon remained.

The Knight laughed at Morningstar's failure. "Too bad," he said, "but Cracking Dragon cannot be destroyed by monsters with a Level equal to or less than itself!"

Cracking Dragon's Level is 8, Morningstar thought. That means I need either a Level 9 monster or a Link Monster. He looked at the cards in his hand then back at the Knight. This at least explains why he didn't seem too troubled when I used Changer's effect. He even had a way to negate the damage.

"Since the battle ended," the Knight suddenly said. "Cracking Barrier's second effect activates! It allows me to Special Summon one Machine-Type monster from my Graveyard, so long as its defense points are less than the damage I would have taken."

The Knight smirked. "I would have taken 1300 points of damage, so I summon the 400-defense point Hack Dog!" The mechanical dog reappeared on the field.

Hack Dog ATK 1600 DEF 400 LVL: 4

Hack Dog can be used as two Tributes for a Machine monster, Morningstar thought, narrowing his eyes. Is he planning on summoning a second Cracking Dragon?

"I Set two cards," Morningstar said. "I end my turn here! And since it is the end of the turn, your Cracking Dragon's effect ends and Cyspirit Lancer's attack points return to normal."

Cyspirit Lancer ATK 1300→2100

"My turn!" the Knight said. "Draw!" He looked at his card, then at the cards in his hand, and smirked. He could end this quickly, but he wanted to toy with his opponent first. Let him experience absolute defeat.

"With this, my strategy is perfect!" he declared. "I activate the Spell Card: Hack Movement!" The card showed the same worm-like creature from Cracking Barrier tunneling into the earth while Hack Dog stood over it, howling to the sky. "I reduce the attack points of one Machine monster on my field to 0, then I add one Level 8 or below Machine monster from my Deck to my hand!"

"What?" Morningstar said, surprised. Though the only sign of that surprise was the widening of his eyes.

"I reduce Hack Dog's attack points to 0 to add another Cracking Dragon to my hand!" the Knight said, drawing the card from his Deck while Hack Dog was surrounded in a green light.

Hack Dog ATK 1600→0

"And as I'm sure you remember; Hack Dog can be used as two Tributes for the summoning of a Machine monster!" the Knight said. "I Tribute Hack Dog to summon my second Cracking Dragon!"

The first dragon on his field was joined by one identical to it. This one roared as it appeared, shattering several windows in the nearby buildings.

Cracking Dragon ATK 3000 DEF 0 LVL: 8

"Then, I activate the Spell Card: DDoS Attack!" the Knight said. "With this effect, I send two more copies of DDoS Attack from my Deck to the Graveyard, and you're dealt 100 points of damage for each card sent to the Graveyard times the Level of a Machine monster I control!"

That isn't good, Morningstar noted. He also noted that the first Cracking Dragon could destroy his Lancer which would let the second one attack him directly. Apparently, the Knight wasn't taking any chances.

"The first Cracking Dragon is a Level 8 monster," the Knight said. "Take 1600 points of damage!" A red laser blasted out of the card towards Morningstar, but he has ready for it.

"Trap Activate! Cyspirit Defense!" It showed Cyspirit Lancer in front of a duelist, blocking a blast of white energy with its shield. "Since I control a 'Cyspirit' monster, or have one in the Graveyard, I can halve the effect damage of your Spell!" A barrier appeared in front of Morningstar, and while it stopped part of the beam, it didn't stop all of it. He winced as the blast hit him.

Morningstar: 3200→2400 LP

"So you had a card ready for effect damage," the Knight commented. "I expected as much. Even so, you will lose this turn."

"No I won't," Morningstar said. "Cyspirit Defense has a second effect. It allows me to return a banished card to its controller's Graveyard. I return Cyspirit Changer to my Graveyard!" He placed the card back in his Graveyard.

"So, you'll use that card with your Lancer and try to repeat your combo," the Knight mused. "I won't allow that! I change my first Cracking Dragon to Attack Position!" The monster in question roared as its position switched. "Next, I activate the Equip Spell: Fire Cracking Storm, equipping it to Cracking Dragon!"

Four red and gold missiles appeared around Cracking Dragon with their centers glowing green.

"When the equipped monster destroys another monster in battle," the Knight explained, "my opponent will take damage equal to the destroyed monster's original attack points!"

"What?" Morningstar said. His Lancer's original attack points were 1800. He'd take 900 points of damage from Cracking Dragon's attack, then lose from Fire Cracking Storm's effect. Even if he negated its effect, the second Cracking Dragon would finish him off. His opponent was definitely going all out.

"With Cracking Dragon under my control, I am the strongest duelist!" the Knight boasted. "Battle! Traffic Blast!"

"Trap Activate!" Morningstar declared. "Cyspirit Illusion!" The card showed three monsters, one being Cyspirit Lancer, another skeleton warrior with blue armor and futuristic swords, and the third being a black skeleton in grey armor holding a baton. All three monsters were turning transparent. "Since you declared an attack against a 'Cyspirit' monster, I look at the top card of my Deck, and if it is a 'Cyspirit' monster, I send it to the Graveyard, and 'Cyspirit' monsters I control cannot be destroyed in battle this turn! If it is not, then the card is placed on the bottom of my Deck."

"So you are gambling?" the Knight said, scorn evident.

"No," Morningstar said, placing his hand on his Deck. "My Deck and I have been through too much for it to end now. My Deck will respond to my feelings!" He drew, and revealed his card. "I drew Cyspirit Teleporter! Now, I send Teleporter to the Graveyard, and my Lancer cannot be destroyed in battle this turn!"

Cracking Dragon sent a stream of blue fire at Lancer, but a blue barrier appeared around Morningstar's monster, protecting it from destruction.

"But you'll take the damage!" the Knight pointed out. The blue fire went around the barrier and struck Morningstar, making him wince and grimace from the attack.

Morningstar: 2400→1500 LP

"You may last this turn," the Knight said. "But I can still inflict damage! My second Cracking Dragon will attack your Lancer! Traffic Blast!" Another stream of blue fire hit Lancer. Like before, a blue barrier protected Lancer, but the fire went around and hit Morningstar, who screamed as he was sent flying backwards.

Morningstar: 1500→600 LP

"At this time, I activate the effect of my Hack Movement in the Graveyard," the Knight said. "I banish it and my Hack Dog to draw two cards. Then, I'll Set both those cards. And during the End Phase, the effect of Fire Cracking Storm destroys itself." The four missiles around the first Cracking Dragon disintegrated.

"It looks like this match is over," the Knight commented as Morningstar stood up.

"No! I still have some Life Points remaining!" Morningstar said, a determined look on his face.

The Knight laughed. "You don't get it, do you? The true meaning of my words!"

Morningstar wondered what he meant, then turned around at a loud noise. His eyes widened at what he saw. A large tornado of data was heading their way, destroying every building in its path.

"You'll get swallowed up by that Data Storm," the Knight sneered. "And meet your end." He laughed at Morningstar's increasing panic.

Morningstar shot out his Data Anchor at one of the buildings, hoping to latch onto it and use it as an anchor to hold him, when suddenly the Data Storm burst.

"What?" he and the Knight said simultaneously. The Data Storm broke apart as someone shot out of it. Morningstar got a good look at him. It was Playmaker, and he was holding a card.

Playmaker shot out of the Data Storm and landed on a nearby data stream, continuing his duel, not realizing that he had just saved Morningstar from certain death.

Thank you, Playmaker, Morningstar thought, turning back to his opponent. "It looks like your prediction was false."

The Knight growled and spat out, "Maybe. But I have two Cracking Dragons on my field, and you have 600 Life Points left. The moment you summon a Level 3 or above monster, you lose!"

"I wonder about that," Morningstar said, his eyes narrowing.

"What?" the Knight said.

"My turn! Draw!" Morningstar drew his card and gave a small smile. He had what he needed to win now.

I have three reasons to win this duel, he thought. One: in order to protect LINK VRAINS from people like him. Two: in order to save Cam's sister Sachi from the darkness we both fell into. Three: To pay back Playmaker for saving my life!

"I activate the effect of the Cyspirit Changer in my Graveyard!" he declared. "I banish it, then all non-'Cyspirit' monsters on the field switch to Defense Position!" The little skeleton appeared on his field again, and the "D" flashed as both Cracking Dragons switched to Defense Position.

"You don't know when to give up!" the Knight shouted. "It's no use! Trap Activate: Pulse Mines! All of my opponent's monsters are switched to Defense Position." Four balls covered in electrodes appeared around Cyspirit Lancer and produced an electric field around it, switching Lancer to Defense Position.

"Don't get so flustered," Morningstar told the Knight with a straight face. "Since Lancer is no longer in Attack Position, its effect ends, and its attack points return to normal."

Cyspirit Lancer ATK 2100→1800

"I activate the Spell Card: Cyberse Call! This card adds one Level 4 or below Cyberse monster from my Deck to my hand." The card showed a man in a green coat with blue shoulder pads holding a shining wand above his head. "I add Cyspirit Saver to my hand. Then, I activate the effect of Cyspirit Teleporter in my Graveyard! Since I control a face-up 'Cyspirit' monster, by discarding 1 card, I can Special Summon this card in Attack Position! However, I cannot Normal Summon the turn I activate this effect."

His new monster was a black skeleton warrior in grey armor with a grey skull that had a red right eye, holding a baton.

Cyspirit Teleporter ATK 500 DEF 1500 LVL: 3

"No matter what monster you summon," the Knight said, "Pulse Mines will change it to Defense Position!" Sure enough, the electric field reappeared as Teleporter was switched to Defense Position.

"You fool!" the Knight said. "Since you summoned a Level 3 monster, Cracking Dragon's effect reduces its attack points by 600, and inflicts 600 points of damage to you! You only have 600 Life Points. Crack Fall!" Cracking Dragon let loose another wind as the Knight said, "With this, it's over."

The wind hit Morningstar and Teleporter, reducing their Life Points and attack points respectively, but he did not lose.

Cyspirit Teleporter ATK 500→0

Morningstar: 600→100 LP

"He's still alive!?" the Knight said, surprised. "Impossible!"

"What's wrong?" Morningstar asked him, a small smirk on his face. "It seems you don't understand your own monster's effect. Cracking Dragon's effect only lowers my Life Points equal to the amount my monster's attack points decrease. But Teleporter's attack points were originally 500! So it's attack points can only be lowered by 500, so I only take 500 points of damage!"

"Even so," the Knight said through gritted teeth, "you only have 100 Life Points left. The moment you summon another monster, it's over!"

"No, it isn't," Morningstar said, taking another card from his hand. "I activate the effect of Cyspirit Saver in my hand! Since I took effect damage, I can Special Summon this monster!"

Cyspirit Saver was dwarf sized like Cyspirit Changer, except its bones were black, its armor was white, and its left eye was blue. It carried a small shield on its mechanical right arm.

Cyspirit Saver ATK 0 DEF 1300 LVL: 2

"And now, thanks to Cyspirit Saver's effect, all effect damage that I would take for the rest of the turn is negated!" Morningstar declared.

The Knight grit his teeth again at this development. Now he couldn't defeat him with Cracking Dragon's effect.

"I'm not done!" Morningstar said. "Since I control a 'Cyspirit' monster, I can Special Summon Cyspirit Linker from my hand!"

Cyspirit Linker was a white skeleton warrior wearing black armor. It had a black cape and wore gauntlets that had red arrow markings on them. Its arms and skull were made of metal, with its right eye glowing red.

Cyspirit Linker ATK 1700 DEF 800 LVL: 4

"No matter how much trash you gather up, they won't stand a chance against my Cracking Dragons!" the Knight told Morningstar.

"Is that so?" Morningstar said. "I'm about to call out my trump card!"

"Trump card?" the Knight sneered. "Don't make me laugh! No matter what you play, as long as I have my Cracking Dragons and Pulse Mines…" Suddenly he realized what Morningstar was planning. "It can't be-!"

"Come forth!" Morningstar shouted, pointing to the sky above him. "The circuit that exists between light and darkness!" A bolt of lightning came out of his hand and hit the sky, creating a square portal with eights arrows around it.

"Arrowheads confirmed!" Morningstar chanted. "The summoning conditions are two or more 'Cyspirit' monsters! I set Cyspirit Lancer, Cyspirit Saver, and Cyspirit Teleporter in the Link Markers!"

The three monsters he named flew up to the portal, each heading towards one arrow. Lancer entered the arrow on the top, turning it red. Saver entered the arrow on the bottom, turning it red as well. Finally, Teleporter entered the arrow on the bottom-left, turning it red. The portal glowed and released its energy as Morningstar continued the summon chant.

"Circuit combine! Link Summon! Come forth! Link 3! Cyspirit Rapid Revolutionary!"

The monster that appeared was another skeleton warrior, but it wore a blue metallic trench coat over a black waistcoat, pants, and knee-high boots. It carried two black futuristic pistols in its metal hands and wore a silver tricorne hat. It raised its head, revealing a silver metal skull with its right eye glowing red and the left eye glowing blue. It's most striking feature, however, were the grey and silver metallic wings that emerged from its back.

Cyspirit Rapid Revolutionary ATK 2200 LINK-3 ↙↑↓

"Monsters from the Extra Deck are Special Summoned into the Extra Monster Zone!" Morningstar told the Knight, which he already knew.

"Your trump card is a Link Monster?" the Knight said, surprised. First it was Cyberse monsters, now it was a Cyberse Link Monster.

"Link Monsters do not possess Levels!" Morningstar reminded the Knight. "And they cannot be in Defense Position! Therefore, the effects of your Cracking Dragons and Pulse Mines won't work on Rapid Revolutionary!"

Morningstar pointed to his field as he continued, "I activate the effect of Cyspirit Teleporter in my Graveyard! By banishing it, I can Special Summon 1 Level 3 or lower 'Cyspirit' monster from my Graveyard! With this, I Special Summon Cyspirit Saver in Defense Position!"

Cyspirit Saver ATK 0 DEF 1300 LVL: 2

The card zones appeared on the field briefly. They showed that Rapid Revolutionary's Link Arrows pointed to both Cyspirit Linker and Cyspirit Saver on Morningstar's field, and one of the Knight's Cracking Dragons.

"Rapid Revolutionary's monster effect! When it points to at least one monster, it gains 500 attack points when battling a non-Link Monster! Furthermore, when it points to at least two monsters, if it attacks a Defense Position monster, it inflicts piercing battle damage to you!"

"What did you say?" the Knight said, surprised.

"I'm far from done!" Morningstar said. "I activate the effect of Cyspirit Multiplier in my Graveyard! By banishing my Cyspirit Lancer, I can equip this card to Rapid Revolutionary!" His Equip Spell showed a green stream of data with Rapid Revolutionary splitting into two above it. Rapid Revolutionary glowed green when the card was equipped.

"Battle!" Morningstar declared. "Rapid Revolutionary attacks the Cracking Dragon that it is not linked to!" Rapid Revolutionary raised its pistols, but the Knight was ready.

"Too bad!" the Knight said, sneering. "Trap Activate: Sakuretsu Armor! This card destroys the attacking monster!" The Trap released a blast of energy at Rapid Revolutionary, but Linker jumped in front of it and shielded Rapid Revolutionary with its gauntlets, the arrows on them glowing red. "What? What happened?"

"Thanks to Cyspirit Linker's effect, Link Monsters that are linked to it cannot be destroyed by card effects!" Morningstar explained, which made the Knight grit his teeth again. "The battle continues! Rapid Revolutionary, attack Cracking Dragon! And since your dragon is not a Link Monster, Rapid Revolutionary gains 500 attack points!"

Cyspirit Rapid Revolutionary ATK 2200→2700

"Go, Rapid Revolutionary! Revolution Shot!" Revolutionary lifted the pistol in its right hand and aimed it at the first Cracking Dragon. The pistol started to glow with yellow light. It fired the blast at the dragon as the Knight spoke.

"But Cracking Dragon cannot be destroyed by monsters with lower Levels than-," then it hit him. "L-Link Monsters don't have Levels!"

The blast hit Cracking Dragon, destroying it and sending the Knight flying.

"And remember, since Rapid Revolutionary is linked to at least two monsters, it inflicts piercing battle damage!"

Knight of Hanoi: 4000→1300

Cyspirit Rapid Revolutionary ATK 2700→2200

The Knight stood up painfully. "I still have Life Points. This duel isn't over!"

"Yes, it is," Morningstar told him. "The monster equipped with Cyspirit Multiplier can declare two attacks during the Battle Phase!"

"What?" the Knight said, panicking.

"Go, Rapid Revolutionary! Final Revolution Shot!" Revolutionary lifted both its pistols above its head, where they glowed and merged into one elongated rifle. It pointed the rifle at the second Cracking Dragon, and fired its attack.

"I found you, Playmaker!" Go shouted as he vaulted over the fences onto the roof Playmaker was standing on. "Duel me!"

"Your actions were quite flashy!" This was said by Blue Angel who jumped onto the other side of the roof. "Get ready!"

"Sorry," Playmaker said, "but I'm not interested." He ran forward and teleported onto his board which he rode as he logged out.

Go placed his fist in his other hand and growled, "He fled." Suddenly, there was a massive explosion a few blocks away, causing him and Blue Angel to turn in surprise. "What was that?"

The Knight screamed as his Cracking Dragon was destroyed and he was sent flying, this time hitting the wall of a skyscraper and making a crater in it as he slid down.

Knight of Hanoi: 1300→0

"Your skills are better than I anticipated," Morningstar said, his Duel Disk disengaging and his monsters fading. "But you were still too weak."

"Hey, you!"

Morningstar turned and looked at the voice. It was Go Onizuka, who was standing on a rooftop looking down at Morningstar. Blue Angel stood alongside him.

"Who are you?" Go asked him. "Are you an ally of Playmaker?"

"My name is Morningstar," he answered. Blue Angel gasped in shock at hearing that. "And no."

He turned back to the Knight and pressed a button on his Duel Disk. A gold digital net shot out of it and pinned the Knight to the wall.

"What is this?" the Knight asked, trying to escape.

"This security net is designed to keep you from logging out," Morningstar explained. "The encryption on it is heavy enough that it should take your fellow Knights about two hours to break through, at which point SOL Technologies will have collected you."

He then noticed the grey drone he'd dispatched to follow Playmaker approach. It dissolved into his Duel Disk, and showed him the result of Playmaker's duel. Playmaker won, huh? Good for him.

"Don't ignore me!" Morningstar turned and looked back. Go and Blue Angel had both jumped down, with Go glaring at Morningstar. "Even if you aren't Playmaker, I'm itching for a duel. Duel me!"

"Sorry, Mr. Onizuka," Morningstar said. "But I have no interest in you." He turned and walked away, logging out as he did so.

"Damn him!" Go said. "Who does he think he is?"

"Morningstar," Blue Angel said, drawing Go's attention. "He's a cyber bounty hunter, hunting down hackers and criminals for companies like SOL Technologies. He works mostly for SOL, but he's technically independent."

"Then what is a bounty hunter doing with the Knights of Hanoi?" Go asked her, which Blue Angel had no answer for.

"Playmaker," Revolver muttered. "Who would have guessed he'd be such a dark horse..."

"Master Revolver," Specter spoke up. "You made some wrong decisions here. But there's a silver lining. SOL Technologies didn't get Ignis."

"It won't take long to uncover Playmaker's identity," Revolver said. "One: he hates us – the Knights of Hanoi. Two: not many people have Cyberse cards. Three: he'll come to me because he wants to battle me."

"You're correct," Specter said, bowing low.

Revolver smiled. "Let's start preparing for that fight."

"What about Morningstar, Master Revolver?" Specter asked. "He interfered this time, and he may do so again. He may even ally with Playmaker."

"Morningstar is a lap dog to SOL Technologies," Revolver said, dismissing him. "He won't work with Playmaker. And if he gets in our way, we'll deal with him."

Yasutake opened his eyes. He was back in the sealed room in the back of Cam's bakery. He leaned against the wall, his duel with the Knight having taken its toll. Damn, he thought. If I'm going to start fighting Hanoi, I'm going to have to request a bonus for their dragon.

He walked out of the room, and saw Cam at the computers. "Is LINK VRAINS alright?" he asked him.

"They're repairing the damage now," Cam said, not taking his eyes off the screens. "It should be done by tomorrow. Nice work by the way. Your duel gave us a lot of information on Hanoi's strategies."

"I sent the drone to record Playmaker's duel," Yasutake said, taking his Duel Disk off and plugging it into a port. "Should provide some interesting data."

"No need for that," Cam said. "His Speed Duel with Hanoi was broadcasted across the country. Everyone knows about him now, and that he has Cyberse monsters."

"Cyberse?" Yasutake said, genuinely surprised. He'd thought he was the only one who still had Cyberse cards. Looks like he was wrong. "Sounds like Playmaker is a very interesting person."

"That's what the Internet thinks," Cam said, opening a few windows on the screen. "All the dueling forums are abuzz with tales about Playmaker. None about you defeating that Knight though."

"Good," Yasutake said. "I don't want to draw attention to myself. Playmaker can have as much of it as he wants."

Cam was about to answer when a call came in over one of the screens. "Looks like it's our boss," he said, answering the call. There was no visual, only audio.

"Morningstar, I assume you saw the news," the person on the other end said. It was Bishop, the executive at SOL Technologies who usually hired him.

"About Playmaker and Hanoi, yes," Yasutake said. "I assume you got my present."

"The Knight of Hanoi, yes. We sent a bonus to your account for dealing with him," Bishop said. And that was all he said on the matter. Yasutake didn't ask about what they were doing to him and he didn't care. "I have a new job for you. Twice your usual rate."

Yasutake's eyes widened with surprise as he glanced at Cam. Cam shared his surprise, only his mouth had opened as well. Bishop wouldn't offer that amount unless it was serious.

"Who do you want me to hunt?" Yasutake asked him.

"Playmaker," Bishop said. "He is in possession of an AI that belongs to SOL Technologies. We would like you to retrieve it from him."

Yasutake frowned. He remembered when he first saw Playmaker, claiming that he captured an AI and converted it into a duel program. He assumed that was the AI Bishop was talking about. It also meant the only way to retrieve it would be to defeat Playmaker in a duel.

He smiled to himself. "Send the contract over," he said. "I'll find Playmaker. Then I'll defeat him."

Morningstar vs. Knight of Hanoi

Turn 1: Knight of Hanoi

As Morningstar controls no monsters, KoH Special Summons Hack Dog (1600/400/4) from his hand in Attack Position via its own effect. Hack Dog can be treated as two Tributes for the Tribute Summon of a Machine-Type monster. He Tributes Hack Dog to Tribute Summon Cracking Dragon (3000/0/8). KoH Sets one card. He ends his turn.

Turn 2: Morningstar

Morningstar draws. He Normal Summons Cyspirit Lancer (1800/0/4). As his opponent Normal or Special Summoned exactly 1 monster, KoH activates the effect of Cracking Dragon, reducing that monster's ATK by 200 times its Level until the end of the turn and inflicting damage equal to that value to the opponent (Cyspirit Lancer: 1800→1000, Morningstar: 4000→3200 LP). Since Cyspirit Lancer is in Attack Position, all "Cyspirit" monsters gain 300 ATK (Cyspirit Lancer: 1000→1300). Morningstar activates the effect of Cyspirit Lancer, discarding the Cyspirit Changer in his hand so that Cyspirit Lancer can inflict piercing battle damage. He activates the effect of Cyspirit Changer in his Graveyard, banishing it and switching all face-up non-Cyberse Type monsters to Defense Position. Cyspirit Lancer attacks Cracking Dragon, but KoH activates his face-down Trap Card Cracking Barrier, negating the damage from Morningstar's attack. In addition, the effect of Cracking Dragon prevents its destruction by battle by monsters with a Level equal to or lower than its own. At the end of the battle, Cracking Barrier's second effect activates, letting KoH Special Summon a Machine-Type monster from his Graveyard whose DEF is less than the damage he would have taken. He Special Summons Hack Dog (1600/400/4). Morningstar Sets two cards. At the end of the turn, Cracking Dragon's effect wears off, and the ATK of Cyspirit Lancer returns to normal (1300→2100).

Turn 3: Knight of Hanoi

KoH draws. He activates the Spell Card Hack Movement, reducing the ATK of 1 Machine-Type monster on his field to 0 to add 1 Level 8 or below Machine-Type monster from his Deck to his hand. He reduces Hack Dog's ATK (Hack Dog: 1600→0) and adds another copy of Cracking Dragon to his hand. He Tributes Hack Dog to Tribute Summon Cracking Dragon (3000/0/8). KoH activates the Spell Card DDoS Attack, letting him target a Machine-Type monster he controls and send any number of "DDoS Attack" from his Deck to his Graveyard to inflict damage to the opponent equal to the number of sent "DDoS Attack" times the Level of the targeted monster times 100. He sends two DDoS Attack and targets the first Cracking Dragon, intending to inflict 1600 points of damage. Morningstar activates his face-down Trap Card Cyspirit Defense. Since he has a "Cyspirit" monster on his field or in his Graveyard, he can halve one instance of effect damage (Morningstar: 3200→2400 LP), then return 1 banished card to its controller's Graveyard. He returns Cyspirit Changer to his Graveyard. KoH switches the Defense Position Cracking Dragon to Attack Position. He then activates the Equip Spell Fire Cracking Storm, and equips it to the first Cracking Dragon. When the equipped monster destroys an opponent's monster by battle, the opponent will take damage equal to the destroyed monster's original ATK, but Fire Cracking Storm will be destroyed during the End Phase. The equipped Cracking Dragon attacks Cyspirit Lancer. Morningstar activates his face-down Trap Card Cyspirit Illusion, letting him excavate the top card of his Deck, and if it's a "Cyspirit" monster, it is sent to the Graveyard, and "Cyspirit" monsters he controls cannot be destroyed in battle this turn. If not, he places the card on the bottom of his Deck. He draws Cyspirit Teleporter, so he sends it to the Graveyard and Cyspirit Lancer cannot be destroyed in battle this turn. The attack continues (Morningstar: 2400→1500 LP). KoH attacks with the second Cracking Dragon (Morningstar: 1500→600 LP). KoH activates the effect of Hack Movement in his Graveyard, banishing it and Hack Dog to draw 2 cards. He Sets two cards. During the End Phase, the effect of Fire Cracking Storm destroys itself.

Turn 4: Morningstar

Morningstar draws. He activates the effect of Cyspirit Changer in his Graveyard, banishing it to switch both Cracking Dragons to Defense Position. As he controls a Machine-Type monster, KoH activates his face-down Trap Card Pulse Mines, changing Cyspirit Lancer to Defense Position and changing all Attack Position monsters his opponent Normal or Special Summons this turn to Defense Position as well. Since it is no longer in Attack Position, Cyspirit Lancer's effect ends (Cyspirit Lancer: 2100→1800). Morningstar activates the Spell Card Cyberse Call, which lets him add 1 Level 4 or below Cyberse-Type monster from his Deck to his hand. He adds Cyspirit Saver to his hand. Morningstar activates the effect of the Cyspirit Teleporter in his Graveyard. Since he controls a face-up "Cyspirit" monster, he discards Cyspirit Multiplier, and Special Summons it (500/1500/3) from the Graveyard, but he cannot Normal Summon this turn, and it is switched to Defense Position by Pulse Mines' effect. As his opponent Normal or Special Summoned a monster, KoH activates the effect of Cracking Dragon, reducing that monster's ATK by 200 times its Level and inflicting the same value as damage to the opponent. However, Cyspirit Teleporter had only 500 ATK, so only 500 damage is inflicted (Cyspirit Teleporter: 500→0, Morningstar: 600→100). Morningstar activates the effect of the Cyspirit Saver in his hand, Special Summoning it (0/1300/2) in Defense Position as he took effect damage. Due to the effect of Cyspirit Saver, all effect damage he would take for the remainder of the turn is negated. Since he controls another "Cyspirit" monster, Morningstar Special Summons Cyspirit Linker (1700/800/4) from his hand in Defense Position via its own effect.

Morningstar uses Cyspirit Lancer, Cyspirit Teleporter, and Cyspirit Saver to Link Summon Cyspirit Rapid Revolutionary (2200/ LINK-3/ ↙↑↓) in the Right Extra Monster Zone. As Link Monsters cannot exist in Defense Position, the effect of Pulse Mines does not apply. Morningstar activates the effect of Cyspirit Teleporter in his Graveyard, banishing it and Special Summoning Cyspirit Saver to the zone beneath Rapid Revolutionary. Rapid Revolutionary is now linked to Cyspirit Linker, Cyspirit Saver, and 1 Cracking Dragon. Since Rapid Revolutionary is linked to at least one monster, it gains 500 ATK when it battles a non-Link Monster once per turn, and since it is linked to at least two monsters, if it attacks a Defense Position monster, it inflicts piercing battle damage. Morningstar activates the effect of Cyspirit Multiplier in his Graveyard, banishing Cyspirit Lancer to equip it to Rapid Revolutionary. Now Rapid Revolutionary can make two attacks per turn. Cyspirit Rapid Revolutionary attacks Cracking Dragon. KoH activates his face-down Sakuretsu Armor, which destroys the attacking monster, but the effect of Cyspirit Linker prevents Link Monsters linked to it from being destroyed by card effects. The attack continues, with Rapid Revolutionary's effect granting it 500 ATK (Rapid Revolutionary: 2200→2700). As Link Monsters do not have Levels, the effect of Cracking Dragon that prevents it from being destroyed by battle with a monster with a Level lower than or equal to Cracking Dragon does not apply, so Cracking Dragon is destroyed. Due to the effect of Rapid Revolutionary, it inflicts piercing battle damage (KoH: 40001300 LP) (Rapid Revolutionary: 27002200). The effect of Cyspirit Multiplier allows Rapid Revolutionary to attack twice. Rapid Revolutionary attacks the second Cracking Dragon, destroying it and inflicting piercing battle damage (KoH: 13000 LP). Morningstar wins.

Hack Dog
Attribute: DARK Type: [Machine/Effect] ATK 1600 DEF 400 Level: 4
If your opponent controls no monsters, you can Special Summon this card (from your hand). This card can be treated as 2 Tributes for the Tribute Summon of a Machine monster.

Cyspirit Changer
Attribute: LIGHT Type: [Cyberse/Effect] ATK 200 DEF 100 Level: 1
During your Main Phase, if you control a "Cyspirit" monster: You can banish this card from your GY; change the battle position of all face-up non-"Cyspirit" monsters on the field to Defense Position. You can only activate this effect of "Cyspirit Changer" once per turn.

Cyspirit Lancer
Attribute: LIGHT Type: [Cyberse/Effect] ATK 1800 DEF 0 Level: 4
So long as this card is in Attack Position: All "Cyspirit" monsters gain 300 ATK. Once per turn: You can discard 1 "Cyspirit" monster; during this turn's Battle Phase, if this card attacks a Defense Position monster, inflict piercing battle damage to your opponent.

Cyspirit Teleporter
Attribute: LIGHT Type: [Cyberse/Effect] ATK 500 DEF 1500 Level: 3

If you control a "Cyspirit" monster, you can Special Summon this card (from your GY) in Attack Position by discarding 1 card. You cannot Normal Summon the turn you activate this effect. You can banish this card from your GY; Special Summon 1 Level 3 or lower "Cyspirit" monster from your GY. You can only activate each effect of "Cyspirit Teleporter" once per turn.

Cyspirit Saver
Attribute: LIGHT Type: [Cyberse/Effect] ATK 0 DEF 1300 Level: 2
If you take effect damage; you can Special Summon this card from your hand in Defense Position. If Summoned this way: You take no effect damage this turn. You can only activate this effect of Cyspirit Saver once per Duel.

Cyspirit Linker
Attribute: LIGHT Type: [Cyberse/Effect] ATK 1700 DEF 800 Level: 4
If you control a "Cyspirit" monster, you can Special Summon this card (from your hand). You can only Special Summon "Cyspirit Linker" once per turn this way. Link Monsters linked to this card cannot be destroyed by card effects.

Cyspirit Rapid Revolutionary
Attribute: LIGHT Type: [Cyberse/Link/Effect] ATK 2200 LINK-3 ↙↑↓
2+ "Cyspirit" monsters
This Link Summoned card gains these effects depending on the number of monsters it points to.
-1 or more: Once per turn: This card gains 500 ATK during the Damage Step when battling a non-Link Monster.
-2 or more: If this card attacks a Defense Position monster, inflict piercing battle damage to your opponent.
-3: The first time monsters you control that are linked to this card would be destroyed by battle, they are not destroyed, and any battle damage you take from battles involving those monsters is also inflicted to your opponent.

Cracking Barrier Normal Trap Card
If your opponent attacks a Machine-Type monster: reduce the battle damage from that battle to 0. After damage calculation; you can Special Summon 1 Machine-Type monster from the GY whose DEF is equal to or less than the damage you would have taken. The Summoned monster cannot declare an attack or change its battle position.

Hack Movement Normal Spell Card
Reduce the ATK of 1 face-up Machine-Type monster you control to 0; add 1 Level 8 or lower Machine-Type monster from your Deck to your hand. You can banish this card and 1 Level 4 or lower Machine-Type monster from your GY: draw 2 cards.

Cyspirit Defense Counter Trap Card
If you would take damage from a card effect while you control a "Cyspirit" monster or have at least 1 "Cyspirit" monster in your GY: Halve that damage, then you can return 1 banished card to its controller's GY.

Fire Cracking Storm Equip Spell Card
Equip only to a Machine monster. When that attacking monster destroys your opponent's monster by battle: You can activate this effect; inflict damage to your opponent equal to that destroyed monster's original ATK. During your End Phase, destroy this card.

Cyspirit Illusion Normal Trap Card
If your opponent attacks a "Cyspirit" monster: excavate the top card of your Deck; if the card is a "Cyspirit" monster: Send it to the GY, and "Cyspirit" monsters you control cannot be destroyed in battle this turn. If not, place it on the bottom of your Deck.

Cyberse Call Normal Spell Card
Add 1 Level 4 or below Cyberse monster from your Deck to your hand. You can banish this card from your GY; Special Summon 1 Cyberse monster from your GY.

Cyspirit Multiplier Equip Spell Card
Equip only to a "Cyspirit" monster. That monster can make two attacks against your opponent's monsters during the Battle Phase. Once per Duel, if this card is in your GY, you can activate the above effect by banishing 1 "Cyspirit" monster in your GY.

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Next time on Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS: Hidden Memories. Chapter 2 - Go Onizuka

Author's Notes

The first chapter of Hidden Memories is complete. The OC here uses a "Cyspirit" deck, which I view as technological ghosts or zombies. Since this archetype does not exist in the game, all of them will be my own creations. If anyone has suggestions for "Cyspirit" cards or Link Monsters, they are welcome to give them, but all Link Monsters must have alliterative names. Unlike Academy of Chaos, which sometimes has real life or anime effects, all cards in this fanfic will have their anime effects.

Because I am still working on Academy of Chaos, I will alternate between the two, meaning the next chapter of Academy of Chaos will come out before Chapter 2 of Hidden Memories.

Please read and review my work, as feedback is very important for my work going forward. All constructive criticism is welcome, as I still seek to improve.