Responses to Reviews

Over a thousand reviews, everyone! Thank you all for making Hidden Memories such an amazing success. I hope you'll stay with me as I continue to write this story.

Thank you to ZarcEternal, Zero Shadow-01, HunterHQ, Jason, Noobmaster, yuman28, Divadix, Ethan Kironus, D3lph0xL0v3r, ThunderHawk101, Anonymous, Dragviron, NewComer1, jdkeller2000, SakushiRyu, guardian of the aura Aurasoul, Unnamed, savagemaster1999, Codex, LazinessRules, and Guests for reviewing Chapter 52.

HunterHQ: I identify Merlin as an Affably Evil Punch-Clock Villain. He's opposed to the heroes, but only because he works for Ouroboros. It's not a personal enmity like with Zahhak and Jester. If he didn't work for Ouroboros, he'd get along with the heroes quite well. That said, he is completely loyal to Ouroboros. He won't be betraying the group in this fic.

Noobmaster: Wouldn't work; the Enforcers have protection from Jormungand that protects their identities unless they want to be exposed. And Jormungand is stronger than Aqua.

Ethan Kironus: Enforcer No. X is Thaumiel.

Now I'm sorry for the delay, but Chapter 53 is finally here. Enjoy!

Chapter 53: Typing Up Loose Ends

In a black landscape, Morningstar and Zahhak stand back-to-back. The two walk away from each, Morningstar's eyes closed. His eyes then open and they both spin around, right arms raised. Their fists connect, generating a flash of light. When the light fades, Mirror LINK VRAINS is shown, with the title "Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS: Hidden Memories" overlaying it.

Yasutake, Sachi, and Masako are shown on one side of a picnic table, across from Yusaku, Takeru, and Aoi. Takeru talks animatedly and Masako laughs heartedly while the others lightly smile. At a nearby table, Cam and Emily are sitting and chatting with a standing Kusanagi, coffee and hotdogs in front of them. Back at the first table, Masako whispers in Sachi's ear while smirking, making the other girl blush as Yasutake and Aoi give her flat glares.

Kengo Dojun is standing in front of a grave that he places flowers on. Emma is off in the distance, holding her own flowers and watching with a frown. Yukaro is shown slumped over a hospital bed, his head in his hands and a wild look in his eyes. Akira is watching a monitor, his hands steepled and concern in his eyes. The monitor shows Go Onizuka strapped to a chair and performing an exercise. Hayami looks over Akira's shoulder nervously while Queen watches smugly in the background.

Takeshi and Katsumi appear standing outside an arcade, talking amicably with each other. Shizuka walks past them, listening to music on her headphones. She briefly stops and turns her head to look at them out of the corner of her eye, then turns and continues walking. At a nearby table, Kenshin, Ryoken, and Spectre are shown drinking coffee. Ryoken then smirks and raises his left hand. He snaps his fingers.

Morningstar and Playmaker appear, back-to-back, with Cyspirit Rapid Revolutionary and Decode Talker appearing behind them. They then spiral downward and are replaced by Cassiel and Soulburner, who have Cyseraph Blazing Uriel and Salamangreat Heatleo behind them. Heatleo fills the screen with orange flames, and when they dissipate, Blue Maiden and Lilith appear, Marincess Marbled Rock and Magical Musket Mastermind Ottokar behind them. They are then replaced by Galahad and Persephone, Black Luster Soldier – Soldier of Chaos and Malacoda, Netherlord of the Burning Abyss behind them.

The screen cuts to the interior of a palace, where Bohman sits cross legged, his eyes closed. His eyes open and glow. Windy is then shown, wearing a cape and eyepatch, riding Stormridership Bahamut Bomber through Mirror LINK VRAINS. Far below him, in a field of flowers, Jin Kusanagi stands with Lightning as the Ignis raises his hand, a legion of Armatos Legio Centurions and Decurions forming behind him, with Armatos Legio Magnus Dux in the center. The screen pans to show Diana and Goldie across from the Light Ignis. The duo sweeps their right arms to the side as VirtuaBeast Cryptograph Chimera appears and roars.

Techbane and Sylphid are shown back-to-back in shadows, their heads lowered. Techbane raises his head to face Merlin, while Sylphid raises hers to face Thaumiel, anger in her expression. Galahad appears riding his D-Board and plays a card. Black Luster Soldier – Soldier of Chaos appears behind him. The screen changes to Go Onizuka, now much thinner with a blank look on his face with Dinowrestler King T Wrextle next to him. Soldier of Chaos's blade then meets King T Wrextle's fist, making sparks fly. Galahad's and Go's faces are shown over the monsters, with Galahad shouting while Go's face remains blank.

Spectre appears and smirks, Sunavalon Dryanome growing behind him and two Sunvine Thrashers on either side. Terminus takes his place, Subterror Behemoth Fiendess and Subterror Behemoth Hydrossuary appearing behind him. The two monsters breathe blue flames and envelop the screen. When the flames dissipate, Revolver appears, Borreload Savage Dragon, Borreload Furious Dragon, and Borreload eXcharge Dragon behind him. The dragons roar and then glow with green, purple, and yellow energy.

A chain whips across the screen, before pulling back and reattaching the scythe top to its handle. Cydevil Prideful Helel swings its scythe down and connects with Cyspirit Savage Shogun's sword. Sparks fly as Morningstar and Zahhak are revealed on their D-Boards, facing each other with Morningstar's face set in a grimace. The screen changes to Cassiel, Cyseraph Guardian Michael with her, facing off against Merlin, who is supported by Witchcrafter Haine and another woman in purple-and-white robes and hat while also holding a staff.

Lilith and Terminus are then shown, back-to-back, their hands raised. They bring their hands down, and Magical Musket Sovereign Ottokar and Subterror Behemoth Fiendess appear and shoot blasts of energy and fire. The blasts impact, but when the smoke fades, Jester is shown unharmed. His mask then breaks, his face splitting into a sadistic grin as his Infinity Transformation takes hold. He raises his own arm as Life Force Trihexa forms behind him and roars.

Morningstar and Zahhak face off against each other in a field of flowers. The former raises his arm as Cyspirits Savage Shogun, Cosmic Crusader, and Martial Mameluke materialize behind him. The three Cyspirits then merge and form Cyspirit Superior Seraphim, who faces off against a massive twelve-winged figure wrapped in shadows.

Yasutake is then shown with Sachi, the two on a hill of grass and the former sleeping with his head in the latter's lap, a pine tree in the background. Sachi looks down on Yasutake's face, a loving smile on her face. Yasutake opens his eyes and both look upwards as the screen jumps to the sky and sun.

BEEP BEEP BEEP

Katsumi stared at the girl in the hospital bed. A pale face framed by brown hair and covered by a respiratory mask. An IV hooked up to her right arm.

"So… this is Nebula?" Katsumi didn't look at Takeshi as he spoke. Like her, he was looking down at the unconscious girl.

"According to Morningstar, yeah." Katsumi hugged her sides. "Hana Adachi. Zahhak took her consciousness data." Her eyes narrowed. "She's in a state like the Another victims. Except this time there's no removal program to save them."

"…That just makes this easier, doesn't it?" She turned to look at Takeshi. "Before Blue Angel defeated that Knight of Hanoi, we didn't know how to save the Another victims. This time, we know exactly how to save Nebula."

Katsumi blinked and then smiled halfheartedly. "Yes. We just have to defeat Zahhak. A duelist strong enough to defeat Morningstar."

"Hey, I said easier, not easy, right?" Katsumi snorted at the stupid smile on Takeshi's face. Then she returned her eyes to Hana and frowned.

"I'll save you, Nebula," she whispered. "I promise."

"So, this is your origin, Aqua?"

The Water Ignis nodded. "Yes. Miyu Sugisaki."

Cypher nodded and crossed his arms. "I did some research on her online. She seems like a good kid." His eyes narrowed. "Just another reason Lightning needs to be stopped."

"Agreed." Yasutake, Sachi, and Aoi all nodded.

The three humans and two Ignis were standing in the hospital room of one Miyu Sugisaku, a girl with long red hair and the origin of the Water Ignis. After Aqua and Aoi joined their team, Sachi had asked Cypher if he could take a look at Miyu to see if he could remove the virus Lightning placed inside her.

"So, can you do it Cypher?" Sachi asked.

"Can you wake Miyu up?" Aoi asked.

"One way to find out." Cypher leapt off of Yasutake's Duel Disk, the lock program having been deactivated prior, and landed on the girl's stomach. He held his hands down and narrowed his eyes. "This will take a few minutes. So make sure I'm not interrupted."

Yasutake nodded and turned to stand at the door. Sachi, Aoi, and Aqua watched as Cypher's hands glowed with silver light. The Silver Ignis hummed to himself as he scanned Miyu's body, working to locate Lightning's virus.

After a minute of searching… "I found the virus," Cypher announced. "Looks like Lightning planted it in her nervous system."

"Can you remove it?" Sachi asked.

"Well, let's see…" Cypher resumed his humming, but only for a few seconds before he abruptly stopped and blinked, the light from his hands disappearing. "What the-?"

"Cypher?" Aqua asked. "What's wrong?"

"…" Cypher's eyes narrowed and he leaned down again, his hands glowing. But after a few seconds, he straightened himself. "Damn you, Lightning."

The three humans and Aqua all blinked at the sheer venom in the Silver Ignis's voice. "What's wrong, Cypher?" Yasutake asked as he walked back to the bed. Cypher leapt up and landed back on the Duel Disk, where its owner reactivated the lock program.

"I found Lightning's virus," Cypher started. "And while it is pretty complex, it would only take me about five minutes to remove it."

Aoi frowned. "Then what's the problem?"

"The problem is that Lightning installed a failsafe," the Silver Ignis explained. "If that virus is removed by any means other than the removal program, the failsafe will send a signal throughout Sugisaki's nervous system." Cypher narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms. "That signal will cause a brain hemorrhage."

The humans all sucked in air out of shock. Aqua narrowed her eyes. "Can you deactivate the failsafe?"

"Not before it would activate, no."

"We're in a hospital already," Yasutake pointed out. "If they're warned, they can save her life. If Sugisaki is treated immediately, how bad would the damage be?"

"I can't say," Cypher shrugged. "It can take months to recover from a brain hemorrhage. And even then, there's no telling how much permanent damage she'll suffer."

"So it would be far safer, and faster, to get the removal program from Lightning," Sachi surmised.

"Yeah," Cypher nodded. "I hate admitting when I've lost, but Lightning's taking extreme measures that I just can't beat. Not without doing damage I'm not willing to inflict."

"Why though?" Aoi asked with a frown. "Why is Lightning resorting to such measures to keep Miyu out of this?"

"Does he view her as that much of a threat?" Sachi asked.

"It's not how threatening she is to him; it's the fact she's a threat in the first place," Cypher said. "Sugisaki on her own is no danger to Lightning, but if she teamed up with Aqua, which I'm assuming would be likely…"

He glanced at Aoi, who nodded at Cypher's assumption. Even though it had been ten years since she saw Miyu, she was confident that her first friend would've helped Aqua the instant the Ignis asked.

"…Then Sugisaki would've been a major threat. And if Lightning could remove a threat before it materialized, then he would." Cypher's eyes narrowed. "Honestly, the failsafe is probably because of me."

"You?"

Cypher nodded at Aqua. "Lightning probably assumed you'd join us eventually, with or without Sugisaki. So he likely guessed you'd ask for my help in saving your origin. He's willing to take such extreme measures because he knows it would take such measures to keep me from helping her."

Aqua tilted her head in thought before nodding. "I see you haven't lost any of your arrogance, Cypher. But I believe you are right about Lightning's thought process."

"Hmph." Cypher grunted and crossed his arms. "Arrogance is when you believe you're better than you actually are. What I am is confident. That's when you are as awesome as you claim."

"No, arrogance is when you boast about it," Yasutake corrected, rolling his eyes. "And you do that way too much."

"Hmph." Cypher turned his head away from Yasutake, making Sachi and Aoi giggle at the sight.

"So there's nothing we can do for Miyu right now?" Aqua asked.

Cypher turned to her and shook his head. "Not until we defeat Lightning. And you can bet we'll do that." He narrowed his eyes. "He turned his own origin into a puppet and put another into a coma," he muttered. "He will answer for this."

Yasutake nodded in agreement. "We'll save them. Just make sure you stay calm; getting angry is how mistakes are made."

"Got it, partner."

The three humans and two Ignis left the hospital, but once they got outside, they found they had an unexpected visitor.

"Hey, Yasutake. Sachi." Masako Himura waved at them, keeping her other hand in her leather jacket's pocket.

"Masako," Yasutake said. Sachi nodded and smiled at the other girl, but Yasutake noted that her smile was… strained. Uncertain. "What are you doing here?"

"I was in the area, paying a visit." The dark-haired girl shrugged. "Saw you three leaving, so I thought I'd say hi." She turned and nodded to Aoi. "Hey, Zaizen. Been a while, hasn't it?"

"Masako Himura," Aoi remembered. "You went to Den Academy for a while. But then you transferred out."

"Glad to see you remember me, Zaizen." Masako smiled. "Or do you prefer Blue Maiden?"

Aoi blinked and then took a step back. "How do you-?!"

"Oh relax." The other girl waved a hand flippantly. "I already knew you were Blue Angel. And Yasutake told me the Water Ignis and her partner had joined us. And since the Water Ignis's origin is currently a resident of this hospital, it didn't take too much to figure out."

"I- You-." Aoi blinked again. "Wait, us?"

"She's Lilith," Yasutake interrupted, giving Masako an unamused glare. "And she's fighting alongside us."

"Lilith?" Aoi turned wide-eyed to Masako. "The bounty hunter from the Tower of Hanoi? That was you, Himura?"

"Yeah, that was me," Masako confirmed with an amused smile.

"Why?" The girl turned as Aqua emerged from Aoi's Duel Disk. "You are a bounty hunter, right? Why are you helping us fight Lightning?"

"The Water Ignis, right?" Masako guessed with a raised eyebrow.

"I go by Aqua. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise." Masako closed her eyes and sighed. "It's kind of a long story. Mind if I tell you it while we get something to eat?"

Aoi frowned in thought. "It is close to dinner time," she admitted.

Masako smiled and turned to Yasutake. "You want to join us, Yasutake?"

He shook his head. "You two can go ahead," he said. "Galahad asked me to work on something, and I need to finish it before we meet up tomorrow."

"Then I'll go with you," Sachi said immediately.

"Oh no. You're coming with us." Masako gave a wide grin as she wrapped an arm around Sachi's shoulders, making the other girl yelp in surprise. "I haven't had any fun since coming back to Den City, and you need to get out more."

"T-That's not…" Sachi turned to look at Yasutake in desperation.

The lone boy smiled calmly at her. "I think you should go with them, Sachi. Masako is good at connecting to people." He turned to give Masako a glare. "Just don't take her any place she isn't comfortable being."

"Don't worry. We're just going to get supper," Masako assured him.

"W-Well okay," Sachi said, still uncertain, but willing. Aoi shared Sachi's uncertainty but nodded.

"I'll make sure she gets home," Aoi promised Yasutake, who nodded back.

"I'll see you tomorrow Aoi, Masako; we'll be resuming the search for Lightning." He turned and headed for the bus, while the girls turned and went the opposite direction, Sachi being half-dragged by an enthusiastic Masako.

After Aoi and Aqua had joined, they had returned to the site of Aqua's captivity to look for traces of Lightning, but they hadn't found anything. The Light Ignis was covering his tracks far better than anyone Yasutake had hunted before. That was on top of Den Academy's end-of-term exams, which Yusaku and Yasutake couldn't skip, despite what they wanted.

"Was that necessary?" Cypher asked. "Pushing Sachi like that?"

"Sachi still needs to get more comfortable with people," Yasutake explained. "And Masako's good at that; she did the same for me."

"I don't disagree, but I'm not sure Himura's the right person for Sachi to get close to."

Yasutake frowned. "Sachi is rather… uncomfortable around Masako. Hopefully spending time with her will change that."

"It's not her relationship with Himura that bothers her; it's yours."

"What?" Yasutake blinked as he stared at the Ignis, who glared back.

"Don't give me that. I know you aren't that thick." Cypher's eyes narrowed. "You know exactly why Sachi acts the way she does around Masako. Don't try and deny it."

"…"

"Look, I'm not an expert on social subtleties, and neither are you. But until you figure out just what your relationship is with both Masako and Sachi and talk to both of them about it, you're not going to see any improvement. If you're not careful, this can end badly. Like the ending of White Album 2."

Yasutake frowned. "I don't need relationship advice from an artificial intelligence."

"Would you rather get it from Cam?" Cypher shot back. "And honestly, who do you know who can give good relationship advice?"

Yasutake blinked. That… was sadly true. The only people he knew who had experience in an actual relationship were Cam and Emma, and there was no way he was going to either of them to talk about Sachi and Masako. Cam was biased and Emma was Emma. Other than them, his best choices were Takeru and Aoi; those two at least had some social sense, which was more than could be said for Yusaku.

"…I'll figure something out," he grumbled. "This isn't as easy as dueling or hacking." Since when did he have to worry about girls or feelings? Being a bounty hunter was so much easier than being a teenager.

"Hmph. Fine, do it yourself. Just do it soon; I don't want either of those girls going School Days on you."

Yasutake scowled at his partner. "I think I preferred it when you stuck to action anime."

"Revolver doesn't slip up." Lightning, sitting on Jin's shoulder, brought his hand to his chin. He watched as videos of Revolver and Blood Shepherd standing in a desert disintegrated. "He erased all traces of the duel."

Lightning leaned his head back. "Revolver and Blood Shepherd are both excellent duelists and hackers," he thought aloud. "If they team up, it won't be good for us." After all, Playmaker's team had just gained new allies in the form of Aqua and Blue Maiden, along with the trio of Lilith, Galahad, and Persephone. But none of those three had the hacking skills of Blood Shepherd. That one man joining up with Lightning's enemies… it would be problematic.

Lightning turned to look at Jin. "Right?" The boy didn't respond. "Oh right. You can't answer. Hmm. Considering the risk, it would be best to act while I can."

His thoughts were interrupted by a pair of voices entering the room.

"Your program was surprisingly well made. I didn't think I would be able to heal this fast."

"That program wasn't mine; it was Jormungand's."

"Ah, that would explain it; of course a human program wouldn't be this advanced. I'm glad to see some of you know your proper place."

A sigh. "I feel sorry for whoever ends up dueling you; they just might surrender out of a desire to be rid of your voice."

"Oi!"

Lightning watched with interest as Windy and his support avatar Echo walked into the throne room alongside Jester. Lightning had to admit that without Jormungand's aid, Windy would still be healing at the moment. Another annoying point he had to concede. Even so, the damage done by Hanoi's virus couldn't be fully healed. Windy was left with scars and marks across half his body. The Wind Ignis had decided to hide said scars with bandages on his arms and legs, a green cape, and an eyepatch over what used to be his right eye.

"I'm glad to see such camaraderie between allies," Lightning said, interrupting whatever fight Windy and Jester were having. "That friendship will be necessary in the battles ahead." Oh, how he loathed the words that came out of his nonexistent mouth. If not for the Enforcers' prowess and their own lack of numbers, he would have already disposed of them. Unfortunately, their presence was needed for the future. "You are looking better, Windy."

"I feel better too!" Windy jumped up and swung around Echo's head. "I feel like I can take on Revolver full force now! How's the fight against our enemies going?"

"One of SOL's bounty hunters captured and destroyed Earth," Lightning informed him. He kept the part about the bounty hunter having an AI implanted in his brain a secret. It was irrelevant to the greater picture.

"Oh? That happened?" Windy giggled. "He'd never have joined us, so it saved us the trouble of ending him."

Lightning noticed Jester didn't react to the news. Given Ouroboros likely had spies within SOL Technologies, he probably already knew. Well whatever; it didn't hurt Lightning.

"Aqua fled and joined Playmaker's side. With a partner named Blue Maiden."

"Tch. So she joined them, like we expected," Windy grumbled. "Oh well. Now that I'm restored, I can crush her myself!"

"You'd lose."

"What?!" Windy exclaimed, outraged at Lightning's simple statement.

"You are not weaker than Aqua," the Light Ignis clarified. "But with Blue Maiden, along with Cypher, Ai, Flame, and their partners on her side, Aqua has the benefit of experience and power you don't. If you want to stand against her, you'll need some experience of your own."

Windy glared at Lightning before narrowing his visible eye. "So, did you have something in mind?"

"Yes. There are too many players on the board. I'd like you to clear a few of them off." Lightning tossed Windy a sphere of blue data. "This is a program to help. Use it to trap your prey. Once you're done, head to the second set."

"Hmm. Fine. What will you be doing?"

"Bohman's task is almost done, so we'll be moving soon. Before that…" Lightning's eyes narrowed. "I'll make this place a grave."

Windy giggled. "Sounds exciting. I look forward to the result!" The Wind Ignis and Echo disappeared in a green whirlwind.

Lightning turned to Jester. "And what do you intend to do?"

"Jormungand asked me to run an experiment," Jester answered.

"An experiment?" Lightning tilted his head. He could not deny his interest; he had always enjoyed conducting experiments with Cypher. "What kind?"

"You'll see soon," Jester assured him. "If it succeeds, you'll have a new weapon and be rid of one more enemy."

"I see. And if it fails?"

"Then you'll still get a new weapon."

Morningstar glared at the door in front of him before turning to glare at the person next to him. "You can't be serious."

Lilith adopted a smug grin that reminded the former hunter far too much of a cat. "Oh don't be like that. You never went to places like this in your previous job?"

Morningstar turned back to glare at the sign over the door. The Wild Firefox. "I have been to places like this before, yes. But do you really think we'll find anything on Lightning in a network bar?"

Much like the real world, LINK VRAINS had areas where more seedy business was conducted, and that hadn't changed despite the redesign. Networks bars were one such area, one that was added into LINK VRAINS by enterprising hackers, though Morningstar was aware that SOL had made a few bars for entertainment purposes. Though only adults were allowed in such places, technically.

Network bars served a similar purpose to bars in real life. The only real difference was that since it was VR, they could enjoy the feeling and taste of alcohol without experiencing any of the harmful side effects. Though indulging too much could lead to the brain believing you were drunk. Morningstar had never tried VR-alcohol himself – he wished to live a long life instead of being killed by Cam – but he had been to network bars before on jobs and encountered quite a few colorful people. And drunks. Good lord, the drunks.

Lilith shrugged. "Probably not Lightning himself, no. But the patrons might have seen or heard something odd. No harm in checking, at the very least."

Morningstar frowned but didn't deny her statement. After returning to LINK VRAINS to look for Lightning, the nine of them – himself, Lilith, Cassiel, Soulburner, Playmaker, Blue Maiden, Galahad, Persephone, and Ghost Girl – and that last one still surprised him – had split up to search LINK VRAINS for any signs of Lightning. After a half hour of searching, Lilith had contacted Morningstar and invited him here to look for clues.

"She's not wrong," Cypher allowed. "Besides, I've never been in a place like this before. It should be fun."

"Right." Morningstar grimaced. "Fun."

Lilith laughed at his expression. "Oh come on, Morningstar. Where's your sense of adventure?"

"I think I left it back home. Along with my common sense, apparently." The former hunter sighed. "Let's just get this over with."

10 minutes later…

Two humans and an Ignis walked out of a bar. The male human glared at the female. "Never again," he said. "Never. Again."

Lilith pouted at Morningstar. "Hey, that fight wasn't my fault! What would you do if some middle-aged man grabbed your ass?"

"Question his tastes. Then call SOL's ethics department."

"You weren't innocent in that either, partner," Cypher said, his amusement evident. "I saw you toss that one guy over that table."

Morningstar glared at the Silver Ignis, who was unrepentant in his enjoyment. He sighed. "Why is it that whenever I go out with you, we end up in a fight?"

"Not my fault," Lilith said teasingly. "You're just a trouble magnet."

"I don't have this problem when going out with any of the others," Morningstar replied. "If anyone's a trouble magnet, it's you."

Lilith chuckled. "Well, I guess I do like the excitement." She frowned. "Still, we didn't find out anything. Pity."

"Really?" Cypher blinked. "I found out quite a bit."

"She's talking about Lightning. Not lessons in drunkenness or human behavior."

"Oh. Well in that case, yeah I got nothing."

Morningstar rolled his eyes and pressed a button on his Duel Disk. "I'll call Playmaker and see which areas everyone else has searched. It's not late enough that-."

"Morningstar!"

The former hunter blinked at the voice that came over the comm line. "Cam? What is it?"

"Kusanagi and I picked up a signal. It matches Lightning's."

Morningstar, Lilith, and Cypher all narrowed their eyes. "Where is it?"

"I'm sending coordinates to you and Cassiel now. Kusanagi is alerting Playmaker and the others."

A signal popped up on Morningstar's map. "Got it. Lilith and I are on our way?"

"Eh? You're with-?"

Morningstar cut the link before Cam finished his question. "Let's go."

Lilith nodded. But when he turned, she grabbed his arm. He turned back to face her and saw the hesitant look on her face. "What is it?"

"After this… there's somewhere I want to go with you."

Morningstar blinked. "What?"

"Persephone, can you hear me?"

The girl in question nodded as she rode her D-Board. "I hear you, Playmaker."

"An ally found Lightning's signal. We're investigating."

The sound of an engine made Persephone turn her head. She smiled as Galahad rode up alongside her. "Got it. Galahad's with me. Send us the coordinates and we'll meet you-."

"P-Persephone?"

The Charisma Duelist's eyes widened as a new voice broke out over her comms. "What? Who's that?"

"P-Persephone… H-Help me…"

Persephone's face paled as she realized who the voice belonged to. "Nebula?!"

"What?" Galahad gasped, having been listening in.

"Nebula, are you there?" Persephone demanded. Only to receive static as her answer. The girl grit her teeth and pressed a button on her Duel Disk, using a program Playmaker had given her designed to track a call.

Playmaker took that moment to resume his call. "Persephone, what happened? The call was interrupted."

"I'm sorry, Playmaker," she said as a set of coordinates came up on her Duel Disk. "But I have something I need to investigate."

"Investigate? Investigate what?"

"I'll let you know when I found out."

"Don't worry, Playmaker," Galahad called out. "I'll stay with her."

"…Alright. Good luck, both of you."

When Playmaker ended the call, the male Charisma Duelist turned to his partner. "You know it's a trap, right? Morningstar said her consciousness data was taken."

"It's absolutely a trap," Persephone agreed. She narrowed her eyes. "But if there's a chance to save Nebula, then it's a trap I'm willing to spring."

Galahad smiled at seeing her resolve. "That's what I love about you, Persephone."

The girl's cheeks turned red. "D-Don't say things like that here. Someone might see us."

The boy chuckled as the two rode off towards the call's location.

Morningstar and Lilith flew over and lined up with Playmaker, Soulburner, Blue Maiden, Cassiel, and Ghost Girl.

"Playmaker, we're here," Morningstar told him.

"Where are Galahad and Persephone?" Blue Maiden asked.

"Persephone had something she needed to investigate," Playmaker answered. "And Galahad went with her."

"Well, we should be fine on our own," Soulburner said confidently.

"Don't underestimate Lightning," Flame chided. "Even so, you're probably right."

"The signal our allies found should be just up ahead," Morningstar said, looking at a map.

"Hey, look there!"

The others looked up at Cassiel's alert and noticed the gate of yellow light.

"No doubt about it." Cypher's eyes narrowed. "That's Lightning's signal."

"So we finally found him," Blue Maiden said.

"It doesn't seem to be a trap," Ghost Girl said.

"We can't let him slip away this time!" Aqua said.

"He will atone for destroying Cyberse World!"

"Yeah!" Ai shouted his agreement with Flame's words.

"Let's go!" Everyone followed Playmaker through the gate, unaware they were being watched.

The seven duelists emerged from the gate inside a vast pillared room.

"Where are we?" Soulburner wondered.

"A palace?" Blue Maiden guessed.

Ghost Girl looked down and gasped. "That's… Blood Shepherd!"

The others turned as Ghost Girl shot down to the ground and saw that the bounty hunter was indeed there. And then they caught sight of his opponent.

"Lightning!" Playmaker said, his eyes narrowing.

The six still airborne duelists dropped down next to Ghost Girl. "Blood Shepherd!" she said. "Why are you here?"

"I have no business with you!" Blood Shepherd said. "Don't interfere. This is my duel!"

"It's not like we have business with you either!" Ai shot back.

"Why are you dueling?" Soulburner asked.

"I invited him," Lightning answered. "I intended to invite you as spectators too."

Morningstar's eyes narrowed. Spectators? He understood the subtext: Lightning wanted them to bare witness to his power. As a demonstration. And a warning.

Ai spoke up before the rest could. "Why did you invite Blood Shepherd?"

"In this fight, my side is woefully outnumbered." While Lightning disliked Ouroboros, it wouldn't do to tell his enemies about them; let their involvement serve as a surprise. "You have numerous people who want to kill us on your side. If you teamed up with Blood Shepherd, it'll make things more difficult. So before the real fight, I decided to chop the unnecessary weeds."

"Unnecessary?" Blood Shepherd repeated, his voice low.

"That's right," Lightning confirmed. "To put it simply, I'll defeat our enemies, starting with the weakest."

"…Light Ignis, I will end you!"

Cassiel turned to Morningstar. "Should we try to stop this?" she asked. "Blood Shepherd isn't our ally, but against the Light Ignis…"

"There's no need to worry; Blood Shepherd will be fine." She blinked at the certainty in Morningstar's tone. "Blood Shepherd is a proud bounty hunter. He's lived his life on his own two feet." Morningstar's eyes narrowed. "As a former bounty hunter, I understand that pride. I won't insult him by trying to stop this."

"But if he loses-."

"Then he loses. But he'll give his all in this fight. That's more than enough for someone like him."

Ghost Girl glanced at Morningstar and smiled.

"Any sign of him?"

"No. He must be in a different section of LINK VRAINS."

Yoroizaka grit his teeth. "Damn it. With all the sightings reported, I would've thought we'd find Playmaker by now."

"Going by the number of sightings, it looks like he's searching for something," Kenmochi told his partner. "And it's not just him; there's been sightings of Soulburner, Cassiel, Morningstar, Lilith, Galahad, Persephone, Ghost Girl, and some new girl in blue all over VRAINS."

Yoroizaka grunted. "I don't care how many allies he has. For Go's sake, we have to defeat Playmaker!"

Kenmochi frowned. They hadn't been aware of what Go was working on with SOL. Until they saw his duel with the Earth Ignis. After that, they had confronted Zaizen about it, who admitted he had given Go the AI chip on Queen's orders.

The duo had tried to talk to Go, but they had been "refused access" by SOL personnel. Evidently, the implantation of the AI chip made Go their property. It sickened the two friends to hear their idol talked of that way, but they had to accept they couldn't do anything about that. There was however, one thing they could do.

Defeat Playmaker. Playmaker was the reason Go had the chip installed, and it was Playmaker's Ignis that SOL wanted most. If they defeated Playmaker, perhaps the chip would be removed and Go would be returned to normal.

So, with help from Zaizen and Hayami, Kenmochi and Yoroizaka had started scouring VRAINS for the duelist. Thankfully, finding sightings of the duelist wasn't hard; he'd been spotted all over VRAINS the past few days. The problem was catching up with him or his allies. By the time either of the two arrived at the area Playmaker had been spotted in, he was already long gone. The same was true of his allies.

"Kenmochi! Yoroizaka!" The two gasped as Hayami's voice came over their comms. "We picked up an Ignis signal! If you hurry, you can reach it!"

"Yes!" Yoroizaka grinned. "Where is it?"

"It's- huh?"

"What is it?" Kenmochi asked.

"We just picked up another Ignis signal. And it's moving. Moving… right towards you two!"

"What?" Yoroizaka gasped.

"Right towards us?" Kenmochi repeated, looking around.

"It's beneath you two!" The two looked down and gasped as a green tornado enveloped them. They tried to shield their faces with their arms but screamed as they were knocked off their D-Boards.

"Kenmochi! Yoroizaka!" In SOL's monitor room, Hayamai turned to look at Akira in worry. "Chief, we've lost contact with Kenmochi and Yoroizaka!"

Akira frowned as he steepled his hands. "Vital signs?"

"Still strong. We have a signal from them, but communications are down!"

"Do what you must to resume contact with them," he ordered. His frown deepened in thought. First Sylphid cut all contact, then Techbane and Blood Shepherd both quit. And now Kenmochi and Yoroizaka… Whatever this is, I hope you two can escape it.

"Ugh…" Kenmochi groaned as he pushed himself into a sitting position. "What was that…? Yoroizaka?"

"I'm here." His partner moaned as he rose to his hands and knees. He raised his head and gasped. "What the…?"

The two looked around. They were standing in a circular arena made of light green stone, encased by a green bubble. Outside the bubble, they could make out LINK VRAINS.

"Where are we? What is this?" Yoroizaka asked in panic.

"This is my trap!"

The two turned as a green whirlwind appeared on the far side of the arena. When it dissipated, it revealed Windy and Echo.

Kenmochi gasped. "An Ignis! This is your trap?"

"Yep! I'm Windy, the Wind Ignis! And this is Echo."

The duo pushed themselves to their feet. "Why the hell did you attack us?" Yoroizaka demanded.

"Well, things are about to heat up real soon," Windy explained. "So before they do, I need to remove a few threats."

"So we're a threat to you?" Kenmochi asked.

"Nope!" Windy said tauntingly, making the two stumble in shock. "You two are about the least-threatening people in LINK VRAINS! But you are pretty annoying, and I apparently need more experience. So you two will make good cannon fodder."

"Cannon fodder?!" Yoroizaka sputtered indignantly. "Who do you think we are? We're bounty hunters for SOL Technologies!"

"Oh I know exactly what you are." Windy's visible eye scrunched up. "Weaklings."

"Oi!"

"Calm down, Yoroizaka!" Kenmochi said, placing his hand on his friend's shoulder. "He's trying to rile us up!"

"I know that, but-."

Kenmochi stepped in front. "If you're the one who set this trap, does that mean we'll get out if we defeat you?"

"Yes. But you won't."

"We'll see about that." Kenmochi raised his Duel Disk. "Yoroizaka, leave this to me. Even if I lose, at least you'll have an idea about how he duels."

"What? No way! I'm going first!"

"I don't really have the time or energy to do two duels in a row," Windy whined. "How about this? The two of you face me in a Tag-Team Duel? You share your field, Graveyard, and Life Points while I duel alone."

The two stilled and glanced at each other. In theory, such a format favored them greatly, considering their Decks. But for the enemy to be the one to suggest it…

Yoroizaka smirked. "Huh. You're pretty arrogant to suggest something like that, aren't you Ignis?"

"Nah. I just know what I can do. And I can do way more than you two."

Yoroizaka growled. "Fine then! We'll take you on together!" The two raised their Duel Disks.

"Duel!"

Windy: 4000 LP

Kenmochi & Yoroizaka: 4000 LP

"I'll take the first turn!" Yoroizaka declared. "I summon Gouki Suprex!" A blue ogre with claws appeared.

Gouki Suprex ATK 1800 DEF 0 LVL: 4

"Suprex's effect activates! When it is Normal Summoned, I can Special Summon a 'Gouki' monster from my hand. Come, Gouki Riscorpio!" A red-and-black ogre with scorpion claws and a tail appeared in Attack Position.

Gouki Riscorpio ATK 2300 DEF 0 LVL: 5

"I activate the effect of Gouki Headbatt in my hand! By discarding Gouki Twistcobra, Suprex gains 800 attack points and I can Special Summon Headbatt in Defense Position." A violet smaller ogre appeared alongside the previous two.

Gouki Headbatt ATK 800 DEF 0 LVL: 2'

Gouki Suprex ATK 1800→2600

"Appear, my circuit! The summoning conditions are two or more 'Gouki' monsters. I set Headbatt, Riscorpio, and Suprex in the Link Markers!" His monsters entered the left, top, and right arrows. "Link Summon! Appear! Link-3! Gouki The Solid Ogre!" A large muscular ogre wearing dark blue and orange armor emerged from the Link portal at the right Extra Monster Zone.

Gouki The Solid Ogre ATK 2400 LINK-3 ←↑↓

"The effects of Headbatt, Riscorpio, and Suprex activate! As they were sent from the field to the Graveyard, I can add three new 'Gouki' cards from my Deck to my hand." Yoroizaka took his new cards, then said, "I activate the Spell Card: Gouki Re-Match. This lets me Special Summon two 'Gouki' monsters with different Levels from my Graveyard in Defense Position. Resurrect, Riscorpio and Twistcobra!" The red ogre reappeared at The Solid Ogre's bottom Link Marker, along with a green ogre with serpent tails dangling from its head.

Gouki Riscorpio ATK 2300 DEF 0 LVL: 5

Gouki Twistcobra ATK 1600 DEF 0 LVL: 3

"I activate the Continuous Spell Card: Gouki Unity! While I control a 'Gouki' Link Monster in the Extra Monster Zone, 'Gouki' monsters in my Main Monster Zones cannot be destroyed by battle or card effects, and I take no battle damage from attacks involving my 'Gouki' monsters. I end my turn."

"Oh, that's not a bad formation," Windy mused, rubbing his chin. "I guess I'll have to actually put in some effort. My turn! Draw! I activate the Field Spell Card: Stormrider Turbulence. While this card is on the field, my 'Stormrider' monsters gain 300 attack points. And as I control no cards in my Spell & Trap Zone or Main Monster Zones, I can Special Summon this card. Come, Stormrider Skyfisher!" A white airship with numerous fins on its sides appeared in Defense Position.

Stormrider Skyfisher ATK 0→300 DEF 0 LVL: 1

"When Skyfisher is Special Summoned by its effect, you must Set a Spell or Trap Card from your Graveyard, but that cannot be activated."

Yoroizaka blinked in confusion. "I Set a card? I Set Gouki Re-Match."

"Appear! The circuit that rages before me!" The Link portal appeared above Windy. "The summoning condition is a Level 2 or lower 'Stormrider' monster. I set Skyfisher in the Link Marker!" His monster entered the bottom arrow. "Link Summon! Appear! Link-1! Stormridership Stratastorm!" A large dark brown airship with light brown fins and a bird's face at its bow emerged from the portal at the Extra Monster Zone.

Stormridership Stratastorm ATK 1500→1800 LINK-1 ↓

"I activate the effect of Stormrider Hippogriff in my hand! Since you control a card in the Spell & Trap Zone, I can Special Summon it!" A dark blue and violet airship with an elongated tail appeared in Attack Position.

Stormrider Hippogriff ATK 800→1100 DEF 1200 LVL: 3

"Appear again, the circuit that rages before me! The summoning conditions are two 'Stormrider' monsters. I set Hippogriff and Stratastorm in the Link Markers!" Windy's monsters entered the top and bottom arrows. "Link Summon! Appear! Link-2! Stormridership Rockbuster!" A dark brown two-headed mechanical bird with a red tail emerged from the portal at the Extra Monster Zone.

Stormridership Rockbuster ATK 2000→2300 LINK-2 ↑↓

"A monster with 2300 attack points that quickly," Kenmochi muttered.

"It doesn't matter," Yoroizaka said confidently. "So long as Gouki Unity is on the field, he can't touch us."

"Oh? Hmm, that's a good point," Windy admitted as he rubbed his chin. "What to do about that card… Oh! I know! I summon Stormrider Pegasus!" A new airship, this one with a long and thin white body, appeared at Rockbuster's bottom Link Marker. At had feathered green wings on each side, a white horse head with a green mane attached to its bow, and a green tail at its stern. Four folded white legs were held against its undercarriage.

Stormrider Pegasus ATK 1800→2100 DEF 1600 LVL: 4

"Rockbuster's effect activates! When a monster is Normal or Special Summoned to its Link Marker while I control no cards in my Spell & Trap Zone, I can destroy two cards in your Spell & Trap Zone!"

"What?" Yoroizaka gasped.

"I'll destroy Gouki Unity and the Set Gouki Re-Match!" The two cards shattered and made their owner flinch.

Windy laughed. "Oh, you should see the look on your face! But it gets better! Pegasus's effect activates! By targeting Rockbuster and giving up its attack this turn, Pegasus allows Rockbuster to inflict piercing battle damage!" Windy's opponents gasped again. "Battle! Rockbuster attacks Riscorpio!"

Yoroizaka grit his teeth as Rockbuster's feet were launched by chains at Riscorpio. "I activate the effect of Gouki Octostretch in my hand! As your monster is attacking, I can discard Octostretch to halve the battle damage!" The claws struck and destroyed Riscorpio, making Yoroizaka flinch.

Kenmochi & Yoroizaka: 4000→2850 LP

"Hmm." Windy's eye narrowed. "That wasn't as explosive as I hoped it would be."

"Riscorpio's effect activates! I add a new 'Gouki' card from my Deck to my hand."

Windy shrugged. "Oh well. It doesn't change what will happen. Appear! The circuit that rages before me!"

"Another Link Summon?" Kenmochi said in surprise.

"The summoning conditions are two or more 'Stormrider' monsters. I set Pegasus and Link-2 Rockbuster in the Link Markers!" The monsters entered the bottom-left, bottom-right, and bottom arrows. "Link Summon! Appear! Link-3! Stormridership Bahamut Bomber!" A massive black mechanical whale with black wings, orange fins, and cannons attached to its sides emerged from the portal at the Extra Monster Zone.

Stormridership Bahamut Bomber ATK 2800→3100 LINK-3 ↙↓↘

"A Link-3 monster with 3100 attack points?" Yoroizaka gasped.

"Bahamut Bomber's effect activates! When it is Special Summoned and I have no cards in my Spell & Trap Zone, I can destroy a card you control and inflict 500 points of damage! Say goodbye to The Solid Ogre!"

"I don't think so!" Yoroizaka declared. "The Solid Ogre's effect activates! Once per turn, I can move a 'Gouki' monster in my Main Monster Zone to its Link Marker!" Twistcobra shifted to The Solid Ogre's bottom Link Marker. "And so long as The Solid Ogre points to a 'Gouki' monster, it cannot be destroyed by battle or card effects."

"Tch." Windy narrowed his eyes. "How annoying. I end my turn."

Kenmochi stepped forward. "My turn! Draw!" He looked at his card, then at his partner. "Yoroizaka, this enemy is more dangerous than we anticipated. I'll have to end it here."

Yoroizaka nodded. "Agreed. Finish him, Kenmochi! Use my cards to their full power!"

Windy laughed. "Finish me? How funny! You think you can defeat me the way you are?"

"To save Go from the fate he as resigned himself to? Absolutely! I summon Gouki Suprex!"

Gouki Suprex ATK 1800 DEF 0 LVL: 4

"Suprex's effect activates! I Special Summon Gouki Bearhug!" A gray-skinned ogre in a bearskin cape appeared in Attack Position.

Gouki Bearhug ATK 2400 DEF 0 LVL: 6

"Bearhug's effect activates! When it is Special Summoned by a 'Gouki' card's effect, Bahamut Bomber's attack points are halved until the end of the turn!"

Stormridership Bahamut Bomber ATK 3100→1700

"Ah!" Windy screeched. "No! Bahamut Bomber!"

"Appear, my circuit!" Kenmochi declared. "The summoning conditions are two or more 'Gouki' monsters. I set Suprex and Link-3 The Solid Ogre in the Link Markers!" His monsters entered the top, bottom, bottom-left, and bottom-right arrows. "Link Summon! Appear! Link-4! Gouki The Master Ogre!" A new ogre, larger than the previous ones, wearing golden armor and a red cape over a blue bodysuit, emerged from the Link portal at the Extra Monster Zone.

Gouki The Master Ogre ATK 2800 LINK-4 ↙↑↓↘

"Since Suprex was sent to the Graveyard, I add Gouki Headbatt from my Deck to my hand."

"Oh no!" Windy cried out. "A Link-4 monster! I can't defeat that!" He paused and then his eye scrunched up. "Just kidding!"

"What?" Kenmochi gasped.

"Stormrider Turbulence's effect!" Windy declared. "If you Special Summon a Link Monster while I control exactly one 'Stormrider' Link Monster, and your monster's Link Rating is equal to or greater than mine, then that monster's effects are negated until your next Standby Phase!"

Kenmochi gasped again as The Master Ogre briefly grayed out. "Ha ha! Your Master Ogre is powerless!"

Kenmochi grit his teeth but then smirked. "We'll see about that. Twistcobra's effect activates! By Tributing Bearhug, The Master Ogre gains attack points equal to Bearhug's attack points until the end of the turn!"

Gouki The Master Ogre ATK 2800→5200

"5200 attack points?!" Windy said in surprise.

"As Bearhug was sent to the Graveyard, I add a new 'Gouki' card from my Deck to my hand. I activate the Spell Card: Gouki Re-Match, and Special Summon Riscorpio and Headbatt from my Graveyard." The red and purple ogres reappeared on Kenmochi's field in Defense Position.

Gouki Headbatt ATK 800 DEF 0 LVL: 2

Gouki Riscorpio ATK 2300 DEF 0 LVL: 5

"Appear again, my circuit! The summoning conditions are two 'Gouki' monsters. I set Riscorpio and Twistcobra in the Link Markers!" The two monsters entered the left and bottom arrows. "Link Summon! Appear! Link-2! Gouki Jet Ogre!" A blue ogre in black armor, with a jetpack on its back and a saber in its right hand, emerged from the portal at The Master Ogre's bottom Link Marker.

Gouki Jet Ogre ATK 2000 LINK-2 ←↓

"As Riscorpio and Twistcobra were sent to the Graveyard, I add two new 'Gouki' cards from my Deck to my hand. And since Jet Ogre has a lower Link Rating than Bahamut Bomber, it retains its effects. I activate the Spell Card: Gouki Face Turn! By destroying a 'Gouki' card I control, I can Special Summon a 'Gouki' monster from the Graveyard. I destroy Jet Ogre to Special Summon The Solid Ogre!" The jetpack-wearing ogre disintegrated and was replaced by the armored ogre, who reappeared at The Master Ogre's bottom Link Marker.

Gouki The Solid Ogre ATK 2400 LINK-3 ←↑↓

"Stormrider Turbulence's effect activates!" Windy declared. "The Solid Ogre's effects are negated! It doesn't matter whether you summon it from the Graveyard or Extra Deck; your Link Monsters' effects are useless!"

"On the field, yes!" Kenmochi agreed with a fierce grin. "But not while in the Graveyard! When Jet Ogre is sent from the field to the Graveyard, all 'Gouki' monsters I control gain 500 attack points until the end of the turn!"

"WHAT?!"

Gouki Headbatt ATK 800→1300

Gouki The Master Ogre ATK 5200→5700

Gouki The Solid Ogre ATK 2400→2900

"5-5700 attack points?" Windy gasped.

"That's right. And Bahamut Bomber has 1700 attack points. The difference is 4000!" Kenmochi clenched his fist. "I'm going to end this in a single hit, Ignis!"

"N-No! Don't do it!"

"Battle! The Master Ogre attacks Bahamut Bomber!" Said monster brought out a giant war-axe and leapt into the air, its axe high above it.

"NNNNNOOOO!" Windy screeched. "…Is what I would be saying if I was helpless!"

"What?"

"I activate the effect of Stormrider Gulldiver in my hand!" Windy declared. "When I would take battle damage, I can discard Gulldiver to halve the damage and then end the Battle Phase!" The Master Ogre brought its axe down and split Bahamut Bomber in half. The airborne mechanical whale exploded as it was destroyed and Windy cried out. But he survived.

Windy: 4000→2000 LP

Kenmochi grit his teeth. "Damn it. I thought that would be enough."

Windy laughed. "Of course it wouldn't be! We Ignis aren't so easy to defeat! Gulldiver's effect now ends the Battle Phase. But that's not all it can do! By banishing Gulldiver from my Graveyard, I can Special Summon a 'Stormrider' Link Monster whose Link Rating is equal to or lower than the number of my monsters that were destroyed by battle this turn, so long as I halve its attack points and negate its effects. You destroyed one monster, so I Special Summon Stormridership Stratastorm!" The dark brown airship reappeared.

Stormridership Stratastorm ATK 1500→750→1050 LINK-1 ↓

Yoroizaka growled. "He's setting up for a counterattack."

"I know," Kenmochi agreed. "Even if I can't defeat him this turn, I can set up a powerful offense for your next turn. I activate the Spell Card: Double Summon, which lets me perform another Normal Summon this turn. Come, Suprex!" Another blue ogre appeared.

Gouki Suprex ATK 1800 DEF 0 LVL: 4

"Suprex's effect activates! Come, Riscorpio!" A second red ogre appeared in Attack Position.

Gouki Riscorpio ATK 2300 DEF 0 LVL: 5

"Appear, my circuit! The summoning conditions are two 'Gouki' monsters. I set Headbatt and Suprex in the Link Markers!" The monsters entered the top and bottom arrows. "Link Summon! Appear! Link-2! Gouki Heel Ogre!" A violet ogre in bronze and gold armor, wielding a large staff and a mane of flames wreathing its face emerged from the portal at The Solid Ogre's left Link Marker.

Gouki Heel Ogre ATK 1000 LINK-2 ↑↓

"Since Headbatt was sent to the Graveyard, I add a new 'Gouki' card to my hand."

"And since Heel Ogre has a higher Link Rating than Stratastorm," Windy interrupted, "Stormrider Turbulence negates its effects until your next Standby Phase!"

Kenmochi scowled but didn't let the news stop him. "I activate the effect of Headbatt in my hand! By discarding Twistcobra, I increase The Master Ogre's attack points by 800 until the end of the turn and Special Summon Headbatt in Defense Position.

Gouki Headbatt ATK 800 DEF 0 LVL: 2

Gouki The Master Ogre ATK 5700→6500

"Appear again, my circuit! The summoning conditions are three or more 'Gouki' monsters. I set Headbatt, Riscorpio, and Link-2 Heel Ogre in the Link Markers!" The Gouki monsters entered the left, right, bottom-left, and bottom-right arrows. "Link Summon! Appear! Link-4! Gouki The Giant Ogre!" A large ogre wearing white and purple armor with a black cape emerged from the portal, wielding an enormous sword, which it swung from The Solid Ogre's left Link Marker.

Gouki The Giant Ogre ATK 3000 LINK-4 ←↙↘→

"Stormrider Turbulence's effect! Your Link Monster's effects are negated until your next Standby Phase!"

"I Set one card," Kenmochi said. "I end my turn. During the End Phase, Twistcobra's, Jet Ogre's, and Headbatt's effects end."

Gouki The Master Ogre ATK 6500→2800

Gouki The Solid Ogre ATK 2900→2400

With Octostretch in my hand and Desperate Tag, my defenses are solid. "Everything's set now," Kenmochi said. "On your turn, Yoroizaka, you'll be able to defeat this Ignis!"

Yoroizaka smirked. "Right!"

"Oh? You think you can defeat me on your next turn?" Windy's eye turned up as though he were smirking. "Well, that just gives me incentive to defeat you this turn! My turn! Draw! I activate the Spell Card: Stormrider Return! Since I have no cards in my Spell & Trap Zone, I can Special Summon a 'Stormrider' monster from my Graveyard. Resurrect, Bahamut Bomber!" The massive whale airship reappeared and roared.

Stormridership Bahamut Bomber ATK 2800→3100 LINK-3 ↙↓↘

Kenmochi gasped. "He got his Link Monster back just like that?"

"That's just how good I am!" Windy boasted. "Bahamut Bomber's effect activates! When it is Special Summoned and I have no cards in my Spell & Trap Zone, I can destroy one of your cards and inflict 500 points of damage. I destroy The Giant Ogre!" The whale's mouth opened and blasted said ogre with sonic waves, destroying it and making Kenmochi and Yoroizaka wince.

Kenmochi & Yoroizaka: 2850→2350 LP

"He took our monster out just like that?" Yoroizaka grumbled.

"I'm not done!" Windy declared. "Bahamut Bomber's additional effect! Once per turn, I can destroy a card in your Spell & Trap Zone and inflict 500 damage to you!" Kenmochi gasped. "I'll destroy your Set card!" Said card shattered as Kenmochi winced again.

Kenmochi & Yoroizaka: 2350→1850 LP

Kenmochi grit his teeth. "My Desperate Tag…"

"I summon Stormrider Harpiarm!" A light blue airship with feathery green and beige wings appeared.

Stormrider Harpiarm ATK 1000→1300 DEF 1600 LVL: 4

"Appear, the circuit that rages before me! The summoning conditions are two 'Stormrider' monsters. I set Harpiarm and Stratastorm in the Link Markers!" Windy's monsters entered the left and bottom arrows. "Link Summon! Appear! Link-2! Stormridership Stymphalia!" The monster that emerged from the portal at the Extra Monster Zone was a dark brown airship with four light brown wings made of artillery barrels arranged in an X-shape. The airship's belly was a lighter brown, and its bow was shaped like a bird's head with a light brown beak and red eyes. Thrusters arranged in a tail shape were attached to the airship's stern.

Stormridership Stymphalia ATK 1800→2100 LINK-2 ←↓

"Battle!" Windy declared. "Bahamut Bomber attacks The Master Ogre!" The whale-airship's cannons all opened fire on the Link Monster, destroying it and making Kenmochi and Yoroizaka wince again.

Kenmochi & Yoroizaka: 1850→1550 LP

"Stymphalia's effect activates!" Windy's eye lit up again. "As a monster linked to it destroyed your monster by battle, I can prevent Stymphalia from attacking this turn. In exchange, Bahamut Bomber gains attack points equal to The Master Ogre's original attack points until the end of the turn and can attack again in a row!"

"What?!" Windy's opponents gasped.

Stormridership Bahamut Bomber ATK 3100→5900

"T-Those attack points are too high for Octostretch!" Kenmochi realized.

Windy laughed. "That's it! That's what I like seeing! So, do you understand what I meant before? You two are just an annoyance. An annoyance I'll be sweeping away! Bahamut Bomber attacks The Solid Ogre!" The airship once again fired its cannons at a Link Monster. The attack struck and destroyed The Solid Ogre, sending its masters flying backwards. Kenmochi and Yoroizaka landed in a crumpled heap on the ground.

Kenmochi & Yoroizaka: 1550→0 LP

"I-I'm sorry, Go," Kenmochi whispered.

"We failed you…" Yoroizaka muttered. The two broke apart into golden data that Echo held in his hand.

Windy laughed. "Oh, that felt good! I feel like I got some good training there. That means the next time I see Revolver, he's finished!"

"Chief!" Hayami cried out, turning quickly to Akira.

"Did you reestablish contact with Kenmochi and Yoroizaka?" he asked worriedly.

"N-No sir," Hayami admitted. "We… lost their signals. Completely."

Akira blinked and then frowned. "Lost? What does that mean?"

"There's… no sign of them. We had a small signal earlier, but even that's gone."

"Obviously they were ambushed," Akira thought aloud. "Does this mean… their ambusher defeated them?"

Hayami lowered her head. That was all the answer Akira needed. His frown deepened. I'm tired of losing people, he thought wearily. Aoi, Emma… be careful.

Galahad and Persephone leapt off their D-Boards and landed on an island. "You're sure this is the place?" the former asked.

The latter nodded. "The signal traced here. So where…?" She turned her head and gasped. Galahad spun to face her direction and gasped as well.

There, some feet away from them, was who they were looking for.

"Nebula!" Persephone cried out. She made to move forward, but was stopped by Galahad putting an arm out in front of her. "Galahad?"

"Something's not right here," he muttered with a frown. "Just… look at how she's standing. And her eyes."

Persephone looked back and saw what he meant. The girl wasn't moving and hadn't reacted to their presence. She stood straight and stiff, like a puppet held up by strings. But her face… it was blank. Expressionless. Her eyes stared at them, unblinking.

"You're right," Persephone whispered back. "Something's wrong. It's like she's-."

"Being controlled?"

The two Charisma Duelists gasped as a golden light appeared behind Nebula before spreading around them, encircling the three of them and then forming a dome of light.

Galahad grit his teeth as he pressed a button on his Duel Disk. "Damn it. The logout function has been disabled."

Persephone frowned. "Who said that?"

"I did."

A screen popped up nearby, showing a masked man.

Persephone's eyes narrowed. "I've seen you before. From when you dueled Morningstar. Jester, correct?"

"Yes. And you're Persephone. And…" Jester tilted his head to the side as he looked at the other person present. "Who are you again?"

A tick mark appeared on Galahad's head. "I'm Galahad!" he shouted. "And that stupid joke stopped being funny a long time ago! Now what the hell is this and what did you do to Nebula?"

"This…" The screen turned so that Jester was looking at the motionless Nebula. "This is an experiment."

"An experiment?" Persephone repeated.

"Right now Nebula is… I suppose you can think of her as a puppet. She's had her free will stripped away. Now she's completely obedient to me."

Galahad glared at the screen. "You bastard…"

"But that's where you two come in," Jester said. "I'd like to know how strong she is under the program compared to beforehand. So you'll be dueling her, Persephone."

"And why would I do that?"

"For starters, the barrier program that's in place will dissipate if Nebula loses. And you'll get her consciousness data back. Of course, if you lose, we'll take yours."

Persephone narrowed her eyes then turned to face Nebula. "You are a bastard for putting us in this situation," she muttered. And yet hadn't she wanted this? The chance to take back Nebula's consciousness data and save her? She was being given that chance. "…Fine. I'll do it."

"Persephone," Galahad muttered, glancing at her sympathetically.

"Wonderful," Jester said. "I suggest you don't hold back; Nebula certainly won't. Oh, and in the spirit of fairness, we made a few additions to her Deck."

A few additions? Persephone thought. Well, I'll see soon enough what he means.

The screen disappeared as Persephone stepped forward so she was standing opposite Nebula. "Nebula," she said. "I don't know if you can hear me, but if you can… then know that I will absolutely save you!"

The girl didn't react. All she did was raise her left arm and Duel Disk.

"Duel!" "Duel."

Nebula: 4000 LP

Persephone: 4000 LP

"I will go first," Nebula said. Her voice was flat and inflectionless. It was so unlike what Persephone was used to hearing from the girl that her heart couldn't help but clench. "I summon Photon Chargeman." A humanoid in a blue jumpsuit with white armor on its chest, arms, and head appeared.

Photon Chargeman ATK 1000 DEF 1000 LVL: 4

"As a 'Photon' monster is on the field, I can Special Summon Photon Advancer." A white, red, and gold armored man with blue lights on its body appeared in Attack Position.

Photon Advancer ATK 1000 DEF 1000 LVL: 4

"As there is another 'Photon' monster on the field, Advancer gains 1000 attack points."

Photon Advancer ATK 1000→2000

Persephone narrowed her eyes as she looked at Chargeman's effects. She can increase its attack points to 2000 with its effect, she thought. That would let her Special Summon Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon. Is that what she'll try?

"I overlay the Level 4 Photon Advancer and Photon Chargeman." Persephone blinked as Nebula's Duel Disk let out a bolt of blue energy that changed the world to outer space and created a blue cross beneath her. Nebula's monsters disintegrated into data and entered two red dots at the center. The ends of the cross fired beams of light and created a galaxy. "Xyz Summon. Appear. Rank 4. Starliege Lord Galaxion." A white-armored knight emerged from the galaxy, swinging two swords covered in light from the right Extra Monster Zone in Attack Position, two lights circling behind it.

Starliege Lord Galaxion ATK 2000 DEF 2100 RNK: 4 OU: 2

Persephone narrowed her eyes. "Xyz Summon instead of Galaxy-Eyes? Unless this monster has an effect-."

"Galaxion's effect activates. By detaching two Overlay Units, I can Special Summon Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon from my Deck." The two lights struck each other and burst into light, creating a new galaxy. From that galaxy emerged a dragon with glowing blue skin covered in dark blue armor that roared in Attack Position.

Starliege Lord Galaxion OU: 2→0

Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon ATK 3000 DEF 2500 LVL: 8

Galahad narrowed his eyes. "She got her ace monster out quickly."

"I Set two cards. I end my turn."

"My turn! Draw!" Persephone looked at her card, then at Nebula's field. Controlled or not, it seems Nebula learned from dueling me, she thought. Two monsters and two Set cards instead of one each. I'll have to take this more seriously than our practice duels if I want to win.

"I activate the Spell Card: Foolish Burial, which lets me send Graff, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss from my Deck to the Graveyard. As Graff was sent to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon a 'Burning Abyss' monster from my Deck. Come, Cir, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss!" A humanoid boar demon with violet skin appeared in Attack Position.

Cir, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss ATK 1600 DEF 1200 LVL: 3

"I summon Fiendish Rhino Warrior." A pale-skinned humanoid rhino wearing a red skirt and wielding a jagged spear appeared.

Fiendish Rhino Warrior ATK 1400 DEF 900 LVL: 3

"Normally, Cir's effect would destroy itself as I control a non-'Burning Abyss' monster," Persephone continued. "But so long as Fiendish Rhino Warrior is on the field, my other Fiend monsters cannot be destroyed by battle or card effects. Appear, the circuit of the underworld! The summoning conditions are two Level 3 monsters. I set Cir and Fiendish Rhino Warrior in the Link Markers!" Her monsters entered the bottom-left and bottom-right arrows. "Link Summon! Appear! Link-2! Cherubini, Ebon Angel of the Burning Abyss!" A monster in dark armor with black wings emerged from the portal at the Extra Monster Zone. It had three heads on its chest – an ox's, a lion's, and a redheaded woman's – and wielded a red curved sword in its left hand.

Cherubini, Ebon Angel of the Burning Abyss ATK 500 LINK-2 ↙↘

"As Cir was sent to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon a 'Burning Abyss' monster from my Graveyard. Resurrect, Graff!" A draconian demon with black-and-red skin appeared in Attack Position.

Graff, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss ATK 1000 DEF 1500 LVL: 3

"And when Fiendish Rhino Warrior is sent to the Graveyard, I can send a Fiend monster from my Deck to the Graveyard. I send Scarm, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss to the Graveyard." Persephone took a card from her hand. "Since I control no Spell or Trap Cards, I Special Summon Rubic, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss!" A pink winged demon with horns and a wooden staff appeared in Attack Position.

Rubic, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss ATK 100 DEF 2100 LVL: 3

"Level 3 Rubic tunes Level 3 Graff!" Persephone said. She was struck by a bolt of violet lightning as her monsters disintegrated and reformed into two rings, one green and the other violet. The rings turned blue and merged before reforming again into six blue rings in a tower. Light surged through the rings as Persephone chanted, "The poet's guide to hell and purgatory! Ascend to the earth and perform once more! Synchro Summon! Appear, Level 6! Virgil, Rock Star of the Burning Abyss!" A redhead man in a white tunic and brown coat wearing a large brown feathered hat and carrying a large golden guitar emerged from the light. Blue flames emerged from the guitar's head and body as the man strummed said guitar from the Cherubini's bottom-left Link Marker in Attack Position.

Virgil, Rock Star of the Burning Abyss ATK 2500 DEF 1000 LVL: 6

"Since Graff's effect already activated, I can't use it again," Persephone continued. "Cherubini's effect activates! Once per turn, I can send a Level 3 monster from my Deck to the Graveyard to increase a 'Burning Abyss' monster's attack and defense points by that monster's attack and defense points. I send Calcab, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss and target Virgil for Cherubini's effect!"

Virgil, Rock Star of the Burning Abyss ATK 2500→3900

"As Calcab was sent to the Graveyard, I can return a Set Spell or Trap Card on the field to the hand," Persephone said. "I return the left Set card to your hand!" Nebula didn't react as one of her cards disappeared. "Virgil's effect activates! Once per turn, I can discard a 'Burning Abyss' card to shuffle a card that you control or a card in your Graveyard into your Deck. I discard Farfa, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss to return your other Set card to your Deck. Purgatio Symphony!" Virgil strummed his guitar and released blue fire that disintegrated Nebula's other card. Again, the girl didn't react. "Since I discarded Farfa to activate Virgil's effect, I can banish a monster on your field until the end of the turn. I banish Galaxy-Eyes!" The dragon roared as it warped away.

"Battle!" Persephone declared. "Virgil attacks Galaxion! Purgatio Rhapsody!" Virgil blasted more blue fire, this time at Nebula's monster, destroying the dual wielding knight. Nebula stumbled from the shockwave, but otherwise showed no reaction.

Nebula: 4000→2100 LP

"Cherubini attacks you directly! Inferno Slash!" The fallen angel swung its blade at Nebula, who stumbled again.

Nebula: 2100→1600 LP

"I end my turn," Persephone concluded. "During the End Phase, Cherubini's and Farfa's effects end, so Virgil's attack points return to normal and Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon returns to your field." The glowing dragon reappeared on Nebula's field with a triumphant roar in Attack Position.

Virgil, Rock Star of the Burning Abys ATK 3900→2500

Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon ATK 3000 DEF 2500 LVL: 8

"But just because some effects end doesn't mean my turn is fully over. Since Scarm, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss is in the Graveyard because it was sent there this turn, I can add a Level 3 Dark Fiend monster from my Deck to my hand. I'll add Tour Guide From the Underworld to my hand."

Persephone took her card, then glanced at Nebula. "It's your turn now. Do what you can to fight back."

Galahad narrowed his eyes. What's she doing? Taunting Nebula won't get a reaction. Unless… He blinked. I see. She's trying to put holes in Jester's program. Trying to help Nebula. He frowned in concern. I hope it works.

True to Galahad's thoughts, Nebula showed no reaction to Persephone's taunt. "My turn. Draw. I activate the Spell Card: Photon Sanctuary, which Special Summons two Photon Tokens in Defense Position." Two balls of light circled by streams of similar light appeared.

Photon Token ATK 2000 DEF 0 LVL: 4 x 2

"I Tribute the two Photon Tokens to Tribute Summon Photon Caesar." The two tokens disappeared and were replaced by a large knight in blue and gold armor, wielding a sword and shield.

Photon Caesar ATK 2000 DEF 2800 LVL: 8

"Photon Caesar's effect activates. When it is Normal Summoned, I can Special Summon another Photon Caesar from my Deck." Another knight appeared in Attack Position.

Photon Caesar ATK 2000 DEF 2800 LVL: 8

Persephone and Galahad narrowed their eyes. Three Level 8 monsters, and one of them is Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon, Persephone thought. She must be planning to bring out Neo Galaxy-Eyes. It would be strong enough to defeat me if she attacked Cherubini, but I have a Trap Card that will-.

"I overlay my two Level 8 Photon Caesars." Persephone and Galahad blinked as the Xyz cross reappeared and the two knights disintegrated into particles and entered it.

"What?" Galahad gasped. "She's only using two monsters? Not three?"

The ends of the cross fired beams into the sky and created a galaxy. "Xyz Summon," Nebula said, her Duel Disk glowing blue. "Take flight, Rank 8. Galaxy-Eyes Prime Tachyon Dragon." A black dragon emerged from the galaxy, with a body that almost looked mechanical. Its wings extended outwards in the shape of six panels, each with blue crystals embedded in said panels and blue lines running over them. A blue crystal sat in the dragon's chest as more blue lines ran across its body. The dragon stood on three legs, each shaped like a triangle with more crystals and lines, and its arms were comprised of two panels each. The dragon's head was flattened with three points extending behind its head. The dragon roared from the Extra Monster Zone in Attack Position as two lights orbited it.

Galaxy-Eyes Prime Tachyon Dragon ATK 4000 DEF 3000 RNK: 8 OU: 2

Persephone blinked. "T-Tachyon? Nebula didn't have this card before." Her eyes narrowed. "Jester did say he made additions to Nebula's Deck. This must be one of them."

"Battle," Nebula declared. "Prime Tachyon Dragon attacks Cherubini." The dragon's wings and crystals glowed blue as energy gathered in its maw.

"Trap activate!" Persephone declared. "Road to the Burning Abyss!" The card showed a cracked path with damaged stone fences on each side. Far into the distance, an open stone gate sat, revealing a land filled with flames. "When you attack my 'Burning Abyss' monster, that attack is negated and your monster is destroyed!" The card fired a stream of fire at Nebula's monster.

"Prime Tachyon Dragon's effect activates," Nebula said, surprising Persephone. "Once per turn, when you activate a card or effect during the Battle Phase, I can detach an Overlay Unit to negate the activation of that effect. Furthermore, the effects of all face-up cards you control are negated, and all 'Galaxy-Eyes' monsters I control gain 1000 attack points until the end of the turn."

"What?" Persephone gasped. One of the lights struck Prime Tachyon Dragon's chest, which erupted with a blue glow.

Galaxy-Eyes Prime Tachyon Dragon OU: 2→1

"Go. Tachyon Metempsychosis." The dragon's wings emitted a bright blue light that engulfed the entire field. Persephone watched with dawning horror as her monsters grayed out and her Trap Card disintegrated. The same could not be said for Nebula's dragons, which looked revitalized by the light.

Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon ATK 3000→4000

Galaxy-Eyes Prime Tachyon Dragon ATK 4000→5000

"Your Trap Card is powerless," Nebula said as the light finally faded. "The attack continues. Tachyon Spiral of Devastation." The dragon fired a beam of blue light at Cherubini.

"This isn't good," Galahad muttered. "Cherubini only has 500 attack points. If this attack hits-."

"I activate the effect of Kuriboh in my hand!" Persephone declared. "By discarding it, I take no battle damage!" The beam struck and destroyed Cherubini, but forked when it tried to hit Persephone, striking the ground on either side of her. To her credit, the girl did not flinch.

Nebula's expression didn't change despite the foiling of the near defeat. "Photon Dragon attacks Virgil. Photon Stream of Destruction." The dragon fired its own blast at the poet, destroying it and making Persephone wince.

Persephone: 4000→2500 LP

"As Virgil was destroyed and sent to the Graveyard," Persephone said, "I can draw a card."

"I Set one card. I end my turn. During the End Phase, Prime Tachyon Dragon's effect ends."

Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon ATK 4000→3000

Galaxy-Eyes Prime Tachyon Dragon ATK 5000→4000

Persephone frowned. "With Prime Tachyon Dragon on the field, Nebula has nearly total control over the Battle Phase," she muttered. "If I want to defeat it, I need to get rid of it beforehand or negate its effects before the Battle Phase." Her eyes narrowed. "Even so, I won't let this deter me. I will free Nebula from Jester's control! My turn! Draw!"

She looked at her card, then gestured to her field. "I activate the effect of Road to the Burning Abyss in my Graveyard! By banishing it, I can add a 'Burning Abyss' card from my Deck to my hand. I'll add Inferno, Realm of the Burning Abyss to my hand. I activate the Field Spell Card: Inferno, Realm of the Burning Abyss!" The card showed a massive pit, with eight ledges around it, each covered in fiends and fire, and a lake of fire in the center of the pit. "While Inferno is on the field, your monsters lose 500 attack points if I control a 'Burning Abyss' monster. I summon Tour Guide From the Underworld!" A pale pink-haired woman in a blue suit appeared.

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

"Tour Guide's effect activates! As she was Normal Summoned, I can Special Summon a Level 3 Fiend monster from my hand or Deck with its effects negated. I Special Summon Alich, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss from my Deck." A winged humanoid demon with white hair and a blindfold appeared in Attack Position.

Alich, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss ATK 1200 DEF 0 LVL: 3

"As I now control a 'Burning Abyss' monster, your monsters lose 500 attack points due to Inferno's effect."

Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon ATK 3000→2500

Galaxy-Eyes Prime Tachyon Dragon ATK 4000→3500

"I overlay my Level 3 Alich and Tour Guide!" Persephone declared, raising her Duel Disk and releasing a bolt of violet energy. The bolt transformed their surroundings to outer space and summoned the Xyz cross beneath her monsters. "With these two monsters, I build the Overlay Network!" Her monsters disintegrated into violet data and entered the red dots. The ends of the cross fired beams that created a galaxy of energy, which exploded as Persephone chanted. "The poet who traversed the infernal lands! Let your story reach a new generation! Xyz Summon! Rise, Rank 3! Dante, Traveler of the Burning Abyss!" A dark haired man in a red tunic over a black shirt formed from the galaxy, summoned to the Extra Monster Zone in Attack Position as two lights circled him.

Dante, Traveler of the Burning Abyss ATK 1000 DEF 2500 RNK: 3 OU: 2

"Inferno's effect activates!" Persephone continued. "Once per turn, when I Special Summon a 'Burning Abyss' monster from the Extra Deck, I can add a 'Burning Abyss' monster and/or a 'Burning Abyss' Spell or Trap Card from my Deck to my hand. I'll add Malacoda, Netherlord of the Burning Abyss and Good & Evil in the Burning Abyss to my hand."

Galahad smirked. "She tried Link and Synchro before, so now she'll try Xyz and Ritual."

"Dante's effect activates! By detaching an Overlay Unit, I can send up to three cards from the top of my Deck to the Graveyard, and for each sent card, Dante gains 500 attack points. I send three cards to the Graveyard."

Dante, Traveler of the Burning Abyss OU: 2→1

Persephone took the cards and saw their names – Draghig, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss, The Traveler and the Burning Abyss, and Cagna, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss – before she sent them to the Graveyard.

Dante, Traveler of the Burning Abyss ATK 1000→2500

"As I detached Alich from Dante, it was sent to the Graveyard. And due to Dante's effect, I sent Canga, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss and Draghig, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss to the Graveyard. Thus, all three of their effects activate. Alich lets me negate the effects of a face-up monster on the field until the end of the turn. I'll negate Photon Dragon's effects!" The dragon's blue light dimmed but Nebula didn't react. "Cagna's effect then sends a 'Burning Abyss' Spell or Trap Card from my Deck to the Graveyard. I send Canto of the Burning Abyss to the Graveyard. And Draghig's effect places a 'Burning Abyss' card from my Deck on top of my Deck. I place The Terminus of the Burning Abyss on top of my Deck."

Persephone took a card from her hand and played it. "I activate the Spell Card: Ritual Replication!" The card showed Djinn Releaser of Rituals and Djinn Prognosticator of Rituals standing back-to-back, Releaser's staff raised above them and glowing. "If I would Ritual Summon this turn, I can banish the material monsters from the Graveyard instead of Tributing from my hand or field."

She took another card from her hand. "I activate the Ritual Spell Card: Good & Evil in the Burning Abyss! Using Ritual Replication's effect, I banish the Level 3 Alich and Level 3 Cir from my Graveyard to Ritual Summon!" A dark blue magic circle appeared, along with Alich and Cir, who broke apart into particles and entered the circle's center. A beam of light shot upwards. "The contract has been made! The demon who guards the fifth circle inherits these two souls. Ritual Summon! Rise, Malacoda, Netherlord of the Burning Abyss!" A red-skinned fiend in blue armor emerged from the light, wielding blue and red swords that it swung in arcs as it was summoned in Attack Position.

Malacoda, Netherlord of the Burning Abyss ATK 2700 DEF 2200 LVL: 6

"Malacoda's effect activates! Once per turn, by sending a 'Burning Abyss' monster from my hand to the Graveyard, one of your monsters loses attack and defense points equal to that monster's attack and defense points until the end of the turn. I send another Cir to the Graveyard to weaken Prime Tachyon Dragon!" Malacoda swung its blades, sending red and blue fire at Prime Tachyon Dragon, which cried out in pain.

Prime Tachyon Dragon ATK 3500→1900 DEF 3000→1800

"Prime Tachyon Dragon is weak enough to be defeated now," Galahad said with a smile.

"As Cir was sent to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon a 'Burning Abyss' monster from my Graveyard. Resurrect, Virgil!" The man with the flaming guitar reappeared in Attack Position.

Virgil, Rock Star of the Burning Abyss ATK 2500 DEF 1000 LVL: 6

With Prime Tachyon Dragon weakened and Photon Dragon's effects negated, I can destroy both of them easily, Persephone thought. Malacoda can take care of Photon Dragon, while Virgil can defeat Prime Tachyon Dragon. After that, Dante will attack directly, and this duel will come to an end.

"Battle! Virgil attacks Prime Tachyon Dragon! Purgatio Rhapsody!" Virgil strummed his guitar and blasted Nebula with blue flames. To Persephone's surprise, Nebula gestured to her field.

"Trap activate. Vanishing Galaxy." The card showed Photon Dragon, its body disintegrating into blue light from the bottom up. "When you attack my 'Galaxy-Eyes' monster, all of your Special Summoned monsters are destroyed."

Persephone gasped in surprise. "What?!"

The card shone with bright light that struck Virgil, Dante, and Malacoda, blowing all three monsters away. When the smoke cleared, Persephone stood alone.

Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon ATK 2500→3000

Galaxy-Eyes Prime Tachyon Dragon 1900→2400

Galahad growled. "Damn it. She was so close."

Persephone wanted to complain as well, but that wouldn't help here. And while her monsters were gone, she wasn't without moves. "As Dante was sent to the Graveyard, I can add Canto of the Burning Abyss from my Graveyard to my hand. As Malacoda was sent to the Graveyard, I can send a card on the field to the Graveyard. I'll send Prime Tachyon Dragon to the Graveyard." Said dragon disintegrated into light. "And since Virgil was destroyed and sent to the Graveyard, I draw a card. I Set two cards. I end my turn. During the End Phase, Alich's effect ends and Photon Dragon regains its effects."

"My turn. Draw." A blue light erupted behind Nebula. Persephone gasped in shock and horror as Prime Tachyon Dragon reappeared on the field and roared in Attack Position.

Galaxy-Eyes Prime Tachyon Dragon ATK 4000 DEF 3000 RNK: 8

"W-What the-?" Persephone gasped.

"What's going on?" Galahad asked. "Why did that dragon come back? Persephone sent it to the Graveyard!"

"When Prime Tachyon Dragon is sent to the Graveyard, its effect activates," Nebula explained. "That effect lets it Special Summon during my next Standby Phase."

Persephone grit her teeth. "So not only can it control the present, but it can control the future?"

"Battle," Nebula said. "Prime Tachyon Dragon attacks you directly. Tachyon Spiral of Devastation." The dragon blasted Persephone with blue energy.

"Counter Trap activate!" Persephone declared. "Negate Attack! By targeting your monster, I can negate your attack and end the Battle Phase!"

"Pointless," Nebula interrupted. "As I control a 'Galaxy-Eyes Tachyon Dragon' monster, I can activate the Counter Trap Card: Tachyon Transmigration from my hand." Persephone gasped. "The activations of your Spell Cards, Trap Cards, and monster effects that were activated prior to Tachyon Transmigration are negated, and the negated cards are shuffled into your Deck." Multicolored light struck Negate Attack, disintegrating it.

Persephone grit her teeth. "The attack continues." The blue light got closer.

Nebula's opponent narrowed her eyes. She hadn't anticipated Nebula having a Trap Card that could be activated from the hand. Thankfully, she did have a backup plan. "I activate the Quick-Play Spell Card: Canto of the Burning Abyss!" The card showed Dante, Traveler of the Burning Abyss sitting at a desk, pen in hand, a massive tome open before him. "By returning up to six 'Burning Abyss' monsters from my Graveyard to my Deck, you take no damage for the rest of the turn, and I gain 800 Life Points for each monster. I return Cagna, Calcab, Cherubini, Draghig, Rubic, and Dante to my Deck and Extra Deck!"

Persephone: 2500→7300 LP

The blast struck and knocked Persephone back several feet.

Persephone: 7300→3300 LP

Nebula didn't react to Persephone's survival. Except by saying, "Photon Dragon attacks you directly. Photon Stream of Destruction." Said dragon blasted Persephone with another stream of blue energy, pushing her back even further. When the light faded, Persephone fell down to her knees, gasping for breath.

Persephone: 3300→300 LP

"Persephone!" Galahad cried out in worry.

"I… I'm fine, Galahad," the woman assured him as she caught her breath. That… hadn't been pleasant.

"By banishing Vanishing Galaxy from my Graveyard, I can add a 'Galaxy' Spell or Trap Card from my Deck to my hand." Nebula took the card from her Deck. "I Set one card. I end my turn."

Persephone grit her teeth. Then, to Galahad's surprise, she started laughing. "Circumstances aside, I can't help but be proud," she said to Nebula. "In all of our duels, you never came this close to defeating me. If not for that program controlling you, this would be an exciting duel."

The amusement subsided as Persephone's face turned into a frown. "But right now you're being controlled Nebula. You can't fight back or resist. You being in this situation… it's my fault. As a teacher and a friend, I have utterly failed you. But… that failure is why I'll win now. I'll save you, Nebula! I'll bring you back, here and now!"

She placed her hand on her Deck. "My turn! Draw!" Persephone looked at her card, then pointed to her field. "I activate the effect of Inferno! During my Standby Phase, as I control no other cards, I can send Inferno to the Graveyard to add two 'Burning Abyss' monsters from my Graveyard to my hand. I'll add Farfa and Graff to my hand." She took the two cards as her Field Spell shattered.

"The monsters added to my hand with this effect cannot be Normal Summoned and I cannot Special Summon monsters with their names for the rest of the turn. Next, by banishing Canto of the Burning Abyss from my Graveyard, I can add a 'Burning Abyss' monster from my Graveyard to my hand. I'll add Cir to my hand. Then, by banishing Good & Evil in the Burning Abyss from my Graveyard and discarding Graff, I can add a 'Burning Abyss' card from my Deck to my hand. I add Barbar, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss to my hand. As I discarded Graff, I can Special Summon a 'Burning Abyss' monster from my Deck. Return to us, Calcab!" A winged and horned demon with the lower body of a horse appeared in Attack Position.

Calcab, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss ATK 1400 DEF 0 LVL: 3

Persephone took a card from her hand. The card she had drew. "I activate the Spell Card: The Terminus of the Burning Abyss! This lets me Fusion Summon a 'Burning Abyss' Fusion Monster by using monsters from my hand or field as Fusion Materials. I fuse Calcab on my field with Cir and Farfa in my hand!" Cir and Farfa reappeared, only to break apart into blue and green particles while Calcab broke apart into red particles. The particles swirled into a vortex before shooting upwards as tornados that merged into a single violet tornado. "Through hell and purgatory, enlightenment is reached! Become the avatar of paradise! Fusion Summon! Appear, Level 9! Dante, Pilgrim of the Burning Abyss!" A blue-haired man in white, gold, and purple robes emerged from the whirlwind at the right Extra Monster Zone in Attack Position. He held a wooden staff with a golden top in his right hand.

Dante, Pilgrim of the Burning Abyss ATK 2800 DEF 2500 LVL: 9

"First she tried Link and Synchro," Galahad muttered. "Then Xyz and Ritual. Now she goes with Fusion Summoning." He couldn't help but smile. "Persephone really is amazing."

"As Calcab, Cir, and Farfa were sent to the Graveyard, their effects activate," Persephone continued. "And now I can return a Set Spell or Trap Card on the field to the owner's hand, Special Summon a 'Burning Abyss' monster from my Graveyard, and banish a monster on the field until the End Phase. I'll return your Set card to your hand, Special Summon Virgil from my Graveyard, and banish Prime Tachyon Dragon!"

"No, you won't," Nebula denied, surprising Persephone. "Trap activate! Tachyon Spiral Galaxy! A Dragon 'Galaxy' monster I control cannot be destroyed by battle this turn and is unaffected by card effects other than its own. I target Prime Tachyon Dragon."

Persephone grit her teeth. "Calcab's and Farfa's effects resolve," she muttered. "But Cir's effect lets me Special Summon Virgil!" The musician with a golden guitar reappeared in Attack Position.

Virgil, Rock Star of the Burning Abyss ATK 2500 DEF 1000 LVL: 6

This will be my last chance, Persephone thought. Whether I win this duel or not will depend on the result I get.

"Dante's effect activates! Once per turn, I can send a 'Burning Abyss' card from my hand to the Graveyard to draw a card. I discard Barbar, and draw!" Persephone drew, and after a second of hesitation, looked at the card. She blinked. And smiled.

"As Barbar was sent to the Graveyard, I can banish up to three 'Burning Abyss' cards from my Graveyard and inflict 300 points of damage to you for each one. I banish The Traveler and the Burning Abyss, Inferno, and Graff from my Graveyard to inflict 900 points of damage!" Three bolts of fire struck Nebula and made her stumble.

Nebula: 1600→700 LP

"I activate the Spell Card: Gift of the Martyr!" Persephone declared. "By sending Virgil to the Graveyard, Dante gains attack points equal to Virgil's until the end of the turn!" The musician disintegrated into golden particles that swirled around Dante, who glowed with new power.

Dante, Pilgrim of the Burning Abyss ATK 2800→5300

"Yes!" Galahad cheered. "It's strong enough!"

"Battle! Dante attacks Prime Tachyon Dragon! Paradise's Enlightenment!" The man's staff shone with golden light. He swung the staff and blasted the large dragon with golden energy.

"Due to Tachyon Spiral Galaxy's effect, Prime Tachyon Dragon cannot be destroyed by battle this turn," Nebula reminded her.

"But you will still take the damage!" Persephone said. "This is the end! Come back to us, Nebula!" The golden light hit the dragon. And while the dragon weathered the assault, pieces of the light traveled past it and struck Nebula, knocking her off her feet. Like a puppet whose strings had been cut, she flopped to the ground.

Nebula: 700→0 LP

"Yes!" Galahad said again, clenching a fist in victory. He watched as Persephone walked up to the downed girl.

Persephone stood over the defeated Nebula. The girl's eyes were closed. She looked like she was sleeping. Until her body glowed yellow and started to break apart. In only a few seconds, all that was left was a golden sphere.

Persephone reached down and picked up the sphere. She stood there and stared at it. "Nebula…" she muttered.

Galahad walked up to her. "Hey. The barrier's gone." Persephone finally looked up and noticed that Galahad was right; the barrier had collapsed when Nebula lost. Her boyfriend held up his Duel Disk and frowned. "I can't reach Playmaker or the others."

"Maybe they already left?" Persephone suggested.

Galahad shook his head. "They would have tried to reach us. They must still be investigating that signal they found. We still have the coordinates, right?"

Persephone looked at her Duel Disk and nodded. "Yes. I want to go right to the real world to free Nebula, but we should check on our comrades first."

Galahad nodded back. "Right. Let's go."

"Legatus Legionis attacks Fortressdrone Beehive!" A man rode across the field on an armored horse before leaping off the horse. He brought his sword down on a massive violet and orange flying machine, splitting the machine down the middle and destroying it in a massive explosion.

Morningstar, Playmaker, Soulburner, Cassiel, Blue Maiden, Lilith, and Ghost Girl braced themselves against the shockwave of the explosion.

"Judgment Arrows and an Armatos Legio monster that powers it up," Playmaker muttered.

"Lightning's Deck is too powerful!" Ai complained.

"Offense and defense in equal measure," Cypher muttered. "Lightning has balanced his Deck well."

When the shockwave finally subsided, Lightning's opponent fell to his knees, his Life Points at 0.

"Blood Shepherd!" Ghost Girl ran up to the fallen man, followed closely by Morningstar.

The bounty hunter turned to the treasure hunter. "I guess I couldn't help you."

"Me?"

"It's a brother's responsibility to protect his sister." Morningstar blinked at Blood Shepherd's words. Brother and sister? That explained quite a bit.

"That's why you acted on your own?" Ghost Girl asked in surprise.

Blood Shepherd turned to look at Morningstar. "…It seems my hunt has come to an end, Morningstar," he said.

The former bounty hunter narrowed his eyes. "Maybe it has. But mine hasn't. I'll finish the job for you."

The man stared at him and chuckled. "I have no doubt you will." He might have said more, but his time had come. Blood Shepherd's body turned yellow and broke apart into data.

Ghost Girl tried to grasp at the data in the air. "Brother!"

Everyone except Morningstar gasped. "Brother?" Ai repeated.

Lightning gathered the data into his Duel Disk before turning to face the others. "Next time, you're all up. Hope you look forward to it." Lightning and Jin glowed with yellow light and disappeared in a blink.

Playmaker grit his teeth. "Lightning…"

In another part of the network, hidden from almost every eye, Lightning and Jin materialized.

"What took you so long?" Lightning turned to look at Windy, who was lounging around Echo's neck. "I got back here a while ago! Those pests were so weak, I almost felt insulting."

"My opponent proved more troublesome than expected. Still, that is good; it means we can increase our predictions of our opponents and better prepare for them." Lightning turned as another person entered the room. "So Jester? How did your experiment go?"

"See for yourself." Jester called up a screen and showed the two Nebula's and Persephone's duel.

Lightning blinked in honest surprise. "Jormungand found a way to control and weaponize taken consciousness data?"

"He did," Jester confirmed. "Nebula may have lost, but the control program remained in effect the entire duel. If you want, I can share it with you."

"We want it!" Windy said instantly, a look of manic glee in his eye. "Imagine it; the humans forced to fight their own kind!"

Lightning nodded in agreement. Blood Shepherd, while weaker than him, had proven to be stronger than he had anticipated. If he could control him and turn him against Playmaker…

"And what does Jormungand want in return for the program?" Lightning asked. This was too useful a tool to be just a gift. If it was a gift, then it would be too suspicious.

"Just data from the duels the controlled take part in," Jester answered. "While the control aspect works perfectly, the dueling aspect needs improvement. And we need test subjects."

Lightning nodded. It made sense; Jormungand seemed to be, above all else, a researcher. He could appreciate such a mindset. "Very well. We'll accept it." And perhaps if he could take the program apart and understand it, maybe he could use it on Jester and Zahhak…

Yasutake looked at the building in front of him. Then turned to the girl standing next to him. "I have to admit, when you asked me to go somewhere with you, this wasn't what I thought of."

Masako smirked. "I aim to surprise and amaze."

After Lightning left, they had left his palace and rendezvoused with Galahad and Persephone. Right now, those two were returning Nebula's consciousness data to its rightful owner. Yusaku and Takeru were with Kusanagi right now, taking a break. Yasutake had no idea what Aoi and Emma were doing. Cam had decided to work while Sachi was studying for the finals. Neither of them had commented when Yasutake said he was going out with Masako.

When Masako had asked him out, he hadn't found a reason to refuse. Knowing her, he had suspected the arcade or maybe a club.

Certainly not a crematorium.

"Why did you ask me to come here?"

"…Because there's someone here I want you to meet." Yasutake blinked at Masako's words as she walked in. Deciding to save the questions, he followed after her.

The building wasn't very big, and except for funerals, most of it was closed right now. But Masako didn't take him to the back. She took him to a pillar in the center of the lobby. Yasutake followed her. When he got closer to the pillar, he realized that it was covered in engravings.

"These are…" he muttered.

Masako nodded. "Everyone who has ever been cremated here." She pointed to another side of the pillar. "Look." Yasutake did as she suggested and looked where she was pointing.

Kiyoshi Kogami.

Ah.

Yasutake frowned.

"When Dr. Kogami was declared dead, he was cremated," Masako said softly. "Officially, at least. In reality, it was a cadaver Baira managed to sneak out of her hospital."

"Terminus told you this?" Yasutake asked. The girl nodded.

"He also told me about Ryoken," she said. "Apparently, he considers Ryoken family. That makes him my cousin. Or something."

"Do you consider Revolver family?"

Masako shrugged. "I don't know. I've never even talked to him. Everything I know about him is secondhand, from Uncle Kenshin and you." She frowned. "After the Tower of Hanoi fell, Ryoken apparently took Dr. Kogami's body with him. Buried him at sea."

"…Well I suppose that answers that question," Yasutake muttered. "But… why did you bring me here?"

"…I guess because I wanted someone to talk to. After everything's that happened over the last few months, I feel like I need to unwind. And considering everything we've been through, you're a good person to talk to."

"Am I?" Yasutake muttered. He'd never been accused of being easy to talk to before.

"For this? Yeah." Masako sighed. "We're facing off against a genocidal AI, my terrorist ex-boyfriend, and some evil organization that we know nothing about. I can barely keep track of it all. I can barely believe all of this is even real."

"…It is a lot to take in," Yaustake admitted. Honestly, without Cam, Sachi, and the others, he'd probably be in disbelief too. Or panicking. Probably both.

Masako looked at him out of the corner of her eye and smiled. "Hey, don't worry about me. I'm not getting cold feet or anything. I'm in this till the end. Or until you get sick of me; whichever comes first."

Yasutake's lip twitched. But as the two left the crematorium, his mouth changed into a frown. He remembered what Cypher had told him. About Sachi and Masako. And putting names to certain things.

Once the two were on the sidewalk, Yasutake stopped in his tracks. "Masako." The girl blinked and turned around, looking at the serious expression on his face. "…Maybe I should have done this earlier. But I do need to do this." He frowned but looked her in the eye. "When you… kissed me before… Were you being serious?"

…

Masako's expression slowly changed. A wistful look. A sad smile. "I was at the time," she admitted. "But now? Now…" She sighed and stepped closer to Yasutake. "I'll be honest with you, Yasutake; I'm a mess. My parents were murdered, I haven't lived in a single place for more than six months since I was eight, and my first boyfriend was a terrorist who used me and lied to me. Wounds like those… don't just go away."

She looked to the side. "And yeah, I've tried dating again. But they were nothing more than flings. What Issei did to me… I haven't been able to form a strong enough emotional connection to anyone since him. Until I met you."

Masako returned her gaze to him. "Yes, I like you, Yasutake. You're standoffish and awkward, but you're a good person who cares about the people you love. Far more than you care about yourself, I imagine. And then there's me." She sighed. "If you and I went out, I'd either drag you down, or I'd end up completely dependent on you. Like I was with Issei. I don't want to do that to you. And I don't want to do it to myself either. That's why, no matter how I feel, I don't want to be with you."

"…You're not telling the whole truth." Masako blinked at the serious look in Yasutake's eyes. "There's another reason, isn't there?"

"…" She smiled sadly at him. "You already know that reason."

"…Sachi."

Masako nodded. "You forget; that night a few days ago wasn't the first time we met. We met the day I left. When I first saw her, it was like looking at a glass figurine. So beautiful and pure, but so fragile. She was so nervous I thought she would bolt at any moment. But when I mentioned your name, I saw a fire in her eyes. A determination that belied her nervousness. I saw that same determination when I came back. But not just that."

She frowned. "I don't think you realize it. Sachi is a lot better than she was when I first saw her; she's become much braver and more open. But she's still fragile. Just in a different way than before. Before, she was terrified of other people. Now, she's scared of me. Of what I could do."

"What you could do?" Yasutake blinked. "What could you do?"

"I could take you away," Masako said simply. "She's jealous of me, of what's between you and me. But more than that, she's terrified. I know about her parents, of the orphanage. You and Cam are the single most important people in her life. She may be stronger now, but that hasn't changed. She depends on you, far more than even she realizes." She smiled sadly. "Take it from someone who depended on someone and who was betrayed by that person."

Yasutake frowned. "Depending on others isn't a bad thing, Masako."

"It is when you and Cam are practically all she has to live for," Masako replied. "Zaizen's helped her, but she's still nowhere near as important to Sachi as you and her brother. If one of you left or was taken… it would destroy her."

Yasutake opened his mouth, but then closed it. He remembered what Yusaku, Takeru, and Cypher had told him about Sachi's behavior when he had been held hostage by Zahhak. At first she had been enraged. So enraged she had tried to ram Zahhak with her D-Board. But after that she had fell into a state of depression. None of the others, not even Cam or Aoi, had been able to shake her out of it. Not until she had saved him.

"…Do you really think it would be as bad as you think?" he asked softly.

Masako sighed and shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe I'm wrong about her and she wouldn't have a problem with us dating. Maybe she would even encourage it." Her lip twitched. "Or maybe I'm just exaggerating the issue because I think the two of you are cute together." Yasutake rolled his eyes at her, which made her chuckle. "But I don't think I am. I've hurt other girls before because of their crushes or boyfriends, and I never liked doing that. And even if she's scared of me, I think of Sachi as a friend. Even if you take away the fact that we have so much going on that dating isn't really appropriate right now…"

Masako smiled as she tilted her head. "So, consider this official Yasutake. You and I, what we have between us… is friendship. Nothing more, nothing less." She held out her hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Masako Himura. I'm a mess of a person who tries to drown herself in relationships to escape my pain, but I can't trust anyone enough to really mean any of it. I hope we get along."

Yasutake stared at the proffered hand. Then he chuckled. Masako blinked and smiled. He had a good laugh. "Pleased to meet you." He took her hand and shook it. "I'm Yasutake Narahiko. I'm a former kidnapping victim who can't connect to anyone except people who have been deeply hurt by their pasts. All I can do is duel and code. I hope we get along as well."

The two held their gaze and handshake for a few seconds before bursting out laughing. They just stood there, standing next to each other, laughing to themselves. But eventually, the laughter subsided.

"I'll see you later, Yasutake," Masako said, turning away. "I'm heading back to Tagoma's. And you have someone waiting for you."

Yasutake scowled. "Don't bring Cypher into this."

The two shared another laugh before parting ways. Yasutake took the bus home and stared out the window at the setting sun, alone in his own thoughts.

When he got back to Café Junpei, he found the store mostly empty, but Cam was still manning the counter.

"Hey." Cam greeted him with a nod and a smile. "How'd your date go?"

Some time ago, that question would have made him go into denial or sputter out something else. Now though, Yasutake just gave a small smile.

"Well… I think I was dumped."

Cam blinked. "Oh. That's… Um, sorry?"

"It's alright." Yasutake shrugged. "One less distraction. I'm going to head upstairs."

Cam nodded in understanding as Yasutake went around the corner and up the stairs to their home.

"Oh, Yasu." Sachi blinked as she looked up. Yasutake had found her in the living room, sitting on the couch while the table was covered in books. "You're back earlier than I thought you'd be. Did something happen?"

Yasutake looked at her face and read her expression. Concern, worry. Not a hint of jealously. Hmm. Perhaps Masako had been wrong. Though a part of him felt she hadn't been.

"Nothing bad. Masako and I just decided to head home."

"I see." Sachi turned back to her books, but then blinked as Yasutake sat down next to her.

"Do you mind if I study with you?" he asked. "I have to take these exams too."

Sachi blinked again before smiling. It was an honest one, and that made it all the brighter. "Of course I don't mind. I was actually hoping you could help me with a few things."

After he answered Sachi's questions, the two sat in silence for a few minutes as they studied. Until Yasutake spoke up.

"I'm not going away."

"Huh?" Sachi blinked and looked up. "What?"

"Nothing's going to happen to me, Sachi," he said softly. "You and Cam are my family. Nothing's going to take me away from either of you."

The girl stared at him before smiling again. More tired and sad than the previous smile, but somehow more genuine. Seeing that smile, Yasutake felt something in his chest constrict.

"I know, Yasu," she said just as softly. "And… I'm sorry for worrying you." The two turned back to the books. Though Yasutake pretended not to notice as Sachi shifted closer to him. So close that their hips touched.

Speaking honestly, Yasutake didn't know how he felt about Sachi. Whether she was a sister to him, or something… more. But he knew one thing. She was his family. And for now, that was enough.

Windy vs. Kenmochi & Yoroizaka

This Duel is conducted as a Master Duel. The Duel is also conducted as a Tag-Team Duel, with Kenmochi & Yoroizaka teaming up against Windy and sharing the same field, GY, and LP.

Turn 1: Yoroizaka

Yoroizaka Normal Summons Gouki Suprex (1800/0/4). As Suprex was Normal Summoned, Yoroizaka can Special Summon 1 "Gouki" monster from his hand. He Special Summons Gouki Riscorpio (2300/0/5) in Attack Position. Yoroizaka activates Gouki Headbatt's effect in his hand, discarding Gouki Twistcobra and targeting Suprex. Headbatt is Special Summoned (800/0/2) in Defense Position and Suprex gains 800 ATK until the end of the turn (Suprex: 1800→2600). Yoroizaka uses Headbatt, Riscorpio and Suprex to Link Summon Gouki The Solid Ogre (2400/3/←↑↓) to the right Extra Monster Zone. As Headbatt, Riscorpio, and Suprex were sent from the field to the GY, their effects activate, and Yoroizaka can add 3 new "Gouki" cards from his Deck to his hand. He adds Gouki Unity, Gouki Re-Match, and Gouki Octostretch to his hand. Yoroizaka activates the Spell Card Gouki Re-Match, which lets him Special Summon 2 "Gouki" monsters with different Levels from his GY in Defense Position. He Special Summons Riscorpio (2300/0/5) and Twistcobra (1600/0/3), the former to The Solid Ogre's bottom Link Marker. Yoroizaka activates the Continuous Spell Card Gouki Unity. As he controls a "Gouki" Link Monster in the Extra Monster Zone, "Gouki" monsters in Yoroizaka's Main Monster Zones cannot be destroyed by battle or card effects, and he takes no battle damage from attacks involving his "Gouki" monsters and Windy's monster. Yoroizaka ends his turn.

Turn 2: Windy

Windy draws. He activates the Field Spell Card Stormrider Turbulence, which increases the ATK of his "Stormrider" monsters by 300. As he controls no cards in his Spell & Trap Zone and Main Monster Zones, Windy Special Summons Stormrider Skyfisher from his hand in Defense Position (0→300/0/1). Yoroizaka then must Set 1 Spell/Trap Card from his GY on the field, but that card cannot be activated. Yoroizaka Sets Gouki Re-Match. Windy uses Skyfisher to Link Summon Stormridership Stratastorm (1500→1800/1/↓) to the Extra Monster Zone. As Yoroizaka controls a card in his Spell & Trap Zone, Windy Special Summons Stormrider Hippogriff (800→1100/1200/3) in Attack Position. Windy uses Hippogriff and Stratastorm to Link Summon Stormridership Rockbuster (2000→2300/2/↑↓) to the Extra Monster Zone. Windy Normal Summons Stormrider Pegasus (1800→2100/1600/4) to Rockbuster's bottom Link Marker. As a monster was Summoned to Rockbuster's Link Marker while Windy has no cards in his Spell & Trap Zone, Rockbuster's effect activates, letting Windy destroy 2 cards in the Spell & Trap Zone. He destroys the Set Gouki Re-Match and Gouki Unity. Windy activates the effect of Pegasus, targeting Rockbuster. Pegasus cannot attack this turn, and if Rockbuster attacks a Defense Position monster, it inflicts piercing battle damage.

Rockbuster attacks Riscorpio. As Windy's monster is attacking, Yoroizaka activates the effect of Gouki Octostretch in his hand, discarding it to halve the battle damage. Riscorpio is destroyed (Kenmochi & Yoroizaka: 4000→2850 LP). As Riscorpio was sent from the field to the GY, its effect activates, and Yoroizaka adds Gouki Octostretch from his Deck to his hand. Windy uses Pegasus and Link-2 Rockbuster to Link Summon Stormridership Bahamut Bomber (2800→3100/3/↙↓↘) to the Extra Monster Zone. As Bahamut Bomber was Special Summoned while Windy controls no cards in the Spell & Trap Zone, Windy can target and destroy 1 card Yoroizaka controls and inflict 500 damage. Windy targets The Solid Ogre, but Yoroizaka activates The Solid Ogre's effect to move Twistcobra to The Solid Ogre's bottom Link Marker. Bahamut Bomber's effect resolves, but The Solid Ogre cannot be destroyed by battle or card effects while it points to a "Gouki" monster. Windy ends his turn.

Turn 3: Kenmochi

Kenmochi draws. He Normal Summons Gouki Suprex (1800/0/4). As Suprex was Normal Summoned, its effect activates, and Kenmochi Special Summons Gouki Bearhug (2400/0/6) from his hand in Attack Position. As Bearhug was Special Summoned by the effect of a "Gouki" card, its effect activates, and Kenmochi can make 1 of Windy's monster's ATK equal to half its original ATK until the end of the turn. He targets Bahamut Bomber (Bahamut Bomber: 3100→1700). Kenmochi uses Suprex and Link-3 The Solid Ogre to Link Summon Gouki The Master Ogre (2800/4/↙↑↓↘) to the Extra Monster Zone. As Suprex was sent to the GY, Kenmochi adds Gouki Headbatt from his Deck to his hand. As Kenmochi Special Summoned a Link Monster whose Link Rating is equal or higher than Bahamut Bomber's Link Rating, Windy activates Stormrider Turbulence's effect, negating The Master Ogre's effects until Kenmochi's next Standby Phase. Kenmochi activates the effect of Twistcobra, Tributing Bearhug and targeting The Master Ogre, increasing its ATK by Bearhug's original ATK until the end of the turn (The Master Ogre: 2800→5200). As Bearhug was sent to the GY, its effect activates, and Kenmochi adds a new "Gouki" card from his Deck to his hand. He adds Gouki Re-Match to his hand. Kenmochi activates the Spell Card Gouki Re-Match, Special Summoning Riscorpio (2300/0/5) and Headbatt (800/0/2) from the GY in Defense Position. Kenmochi uses Riscorpio and Twistcobra to Link Summon Gouki Jet Ogre (2000/2/←↓) to The Master Ogre's bottom Link Marker. As Riscorpio and Twistcobra were sent to the GY, their effects activate, and Kenmochi adds a 2nd Suprex and Gouki Face Turn from his Deck to his hand. Kenmochi activates the Spell Card Gouki Face Turn, which lets him destroy 1 "Gouki" card he controls to Special Summon 1 "Gouki" monster from his GY. He destroys Jet Ogre to Special Summon The Solid Ogre (2400/3/←↑↓) to The Master Ogre's bottom Link Marker. As The Solid Ogre was Special Summoned, Windy activates Stormrider Turbulence's effect, negating The Solid Ogre's effects until Kenmochi's next Standby Phase. As Jet Ogre was sent from the field to the GY, Kenmochi's "Gouki" monsters all gain 500 ATK until the end of the turn (Headbatt: 800→1300) (The Master Ogre: 5200→5700) (The Solid Ogre: 2400→2900).

The Master Ogre attacks Bahamut Bomber. As he would take battle damage, Windy activates the effect of Stormrider Gulldiver in his hand, discarding it to halve the battle damage, then end the Battle Phase. Bahamut Bomber is destroyed (Windy: 4000→2000 LP). At the start of Kenmochi's Main Phase 2, Windy activates the effect of Gulldiver in his GY, banishing it to Special Summon 1 "Stormrider" Link Monster from his GY whose Link Rating is less than or equal to the number of his monsters that were destroyed by battle this turn, but with its ATK halved and its effects negated. Windy Special Summons Stratastorm (1500→750→1050/1/↓). Kenmochi activates the Spell Card Double Summon, which lets him Normal Summon/Set a 2nd time this turn. He Normal Summons Suprex (1800/0/4). As Suprex was Normal Summoned, its effect activates, and Kenmochi Special Summons Gouki Riscorpio (2300/0/5) from his hand. Kenmochi uses Headbatt and Suprex to Link Summon Gouki Heel Ogre (1000/2/↑↓) to The Solid Ogre's left Link Marker. As Heel Ogre's Link Rating is higher than Stratastorm's, Windy activates Stormrider Turbulence's effect, negating Heel Ogre's effect until Kenmochi's next Standby Phase. As Headbatt was sent to the GY, Kenmochi adds Gouki Octostretch from his Deck to his hand. Kenmochi activates the effect of Headbatt in his hand, discarding Twistcobra and targeting The Master Ogre, Special Summoning it (800/0/2) and increasing The Master Ogre's ATK by 800 until the end of the turn (The Master Ogre: 5700→6500). Kenmochi uses Headbatt, Riscorpio, and Link-2 Heel Ogre to Link Summon Gouki The Giant Ogre (3000/4/←↙↘→) to The Solid Ogre's left Link Marker. Windy activates Stormrider Turbulence's effect, negating The Giant Ogre's effects until Kenmochi's next Standby Phase. Kenmochi Sets 1 card. He ends his turn, and Twistcobra's, Jet Ogre's, and Headbatt's effects end (The Master Ogre: 7500→2800) (The Solid Ogre: 2900→2400).

Turn 4: Windy

Windy draws. As he has no cards in his Spell & Trap Zone, he activates the Spell Card Stormrider Return, which lets him Special Summon 1 "Stormrider" monster from his GY. He Special Summons Bahamut Bomber (2800→3100/3/↙↓↘). As Bahamut Bomber was Special Summoned while Windy has no cards in his Spell & Trap Zone, Windy can destroy 1 card Kenmochi controls and inflict 500 damage. He targets and destroys The Giant Ogre (Kenmochi & Yoroizaka: 2850→2350 LP). Windy activates Bahamut Bomber's effect to target and destroy 1 card in Kenmochi's Spell & Trap Zone, then inflict 500 damage. He targets and destroys Kenmochi's Set Trap Card Desperate Tag (Kenmochi & Yoroizaka: 2350→1850 LP). Windy Normal Summons Stormrider Harpiarm (1000→1300/1600/4). Windy uses Harpiarm and Stratastorm to Link Summon Stormridership Stymphalia (1800→2100/2/←↓) to the Extra Monster Zone.

Bahamut Bomber attacks and destroys The Master Ogre (Kenmochi & Yoroizaka: 1850→1550 LP). As the monster linked to Stymphalia destroyed Kenmochi's monster by battle, Bahamut Bomber gains ATK equal to The Master Ogre's original ATK until the end of the turn and can attack again in a row (Bahamut Bomber: 3100→5900), but Stymphalia cannot attack Kenmochi directly. Bahamut Bomber attacks and destroys The Solid Ogre (Kenmochi & Yoroizaka: 1550→0 LP). Windy wins.

Nebula vs. Persephone

This Duel is conducted as a Master Duel.

Turn 1: Nebula

Nebula Normal Summons Photon Chargeman (1000/1000/4). As there is a "Photon" monster on the field, Nebula Special Summons Photon Advancer (1000/1000/4) in Attack Position. As there is another "Photon" monster on the field, Advancer gains 1000 ATK (Advancer: 1000→2000). Nebula overlays her 2 Level 4 monsters to Xyz Summon Starliege Lord Galaxion (2000/2100/4) to the right Extra Monster Zone in Attack Position. Nebula activates Galaxion's effect, detaching 2 Overlay Units (Galaxion: 2 OU→0 OU) to Special Summon Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon (3000/2500/8) from her Deck in Attack Position. Nebula Sets 2 cards. She ends her turn.

Turn 2: Persephone

Persephone draws. She activates the Spell Card Foolish Burial, which lets her send 1 monster from her Deck to the GY. She sends Graff, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss to the GY. As Graff was sent to the GY, Persephone can Special Summon 1 "Burning Abyss" monster from her Deck. She Special Summons Cir, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss (1600/1200/3) in Attack Position. Persephone Normal Summons Fiendish Rhino Warrior (1400/900/3). While Fiendish Rhino Warrior is on the field, Persephone's other Fiend monsters cannot be destroyed by battle or card effects. Persephone uses Cir and Fiendish Rhino Warrior to Link Summon Cherubini, Ebon Angel of the Burning Abyss (500/2/↙↘) to the Extra Monster Zone. As Cir was sent to the GY, Persephone can Special Summon 1 "Burning Abyss" monster from her GY. She Special Summons Graff (1000/1500/3) in Attack Position. As Fiendish Rhino Warrior was sent to the GY, Persephone can send 1 Fiend monster from her Deck to the GY. She sends Scarm, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss to the GY. As Persephone controls no Spell/Trap Cards, she Special Summons Rubic, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss (100/2100/3) in Attack Position. Persephone tunes Level 3 Rubic to Level 3 Graff to Synchro Summon Virgil, Rock Star of the Burning Abyss (2500/1000/6) to Cherubini's bottom-left Link Marker in Attack Position. Persephone activates Cherubini's effect to send 1 Level 3 monster from her Deck to her GY, then increase the ATK/DEF of 1 "Burning Abyss" monster on the field by the sent monster's ATK/DEF until the end of the turn. Persephone sends Calcab, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss to the GY and targets Virgil (Virgil: 2500→3900). As Calcab was sent to the GY, Persephone can target and return 1 Set Spell/Trap Card to the owner's hand. She returns 1 of Nebula's Set cards to her hand. Persephone activates Virgil's effect to discard 1 "Burning Abyss" card, then shuffle 1 card on Nebula's field or in her GY into her Deck. She discards Farfa, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss and shuffles Nebula's 2nd Set card in her Deck. As Farfa was sent to the GY, Persephone can target and banish 1 monster on the field until the End Phase. She banishes Galaxy-Eyes.

Virgil attacks and destroys Galaxion (Nebula: 4000→2100 LP). Cherubini attacks Nebula directly (Nebula: 2100→1600 LP). Persephone Sets 1 card. She ends her turn. During the End Phase, Cherubini's and Farfa's effects end, and Virgil's ATK returns to normal (Virgil: 3900→2500) and Galaxy-Eyes is Special Summoned (3000/2500/8) to Nebula's field in Attack Position. As Scarm was sent to the GY this turn, its effect activates, letting Persephone add 1 Level 3 Dark Fiend monster from her Deck to her hand. She adds Tour Guide From the Underworld to her hand.

Turn 3: Nebula

Nebula draws. She activates the Spell Card Photon Sanctuary, which Special Summons 2 Photon Tokens (2000/0/4 each) in Defense Position, but they cannot attack or be used as Synchro Material, and Nebula cannot Summon other monsters this turn, except for Light monsters. Nebula Tributes her 2 Photon Tokens to Tribute Summon Photon Caesar (2000/2800/8). As Photon Caesar was Normal Summoned, its effect activates, and Nebula Special Summons a 2nd Photon Caesar (2000/2800/8) from her Deck in Attack Position. Nebula overlays her 2 Level 8 Photon Caesars to Xyz Summon Galaxy-Eyes Prime Tachyon Dragon (4000/3000/8) to the Extra Monster Zone in Attack Position.

Prime Tachyon Dragon attacks Cherubini. As her "Burning Abyss" monster is being attacked, Persephone activates her Set Trap Card Road to the Burning Abyss to negate the attack and destroy the attacking monster. As Persephone activated a card effect during the Battle Phase, Nebula activates Prime Tachyon Dragon's effect, detaching 1 Overlay Unit (Prime Tachyon Dragon: 2 OU→1 OU) to negate the activation of Road to the Burning Abyss, then negate the effects of all face-up cards Persephone controls and increase the ATK of Nebula's "Galaxy-Eyes" monsters by 1000 until the end of the turn (Photon Dragon: 3000→4000) (Prime Tachyon Dragon: 4000→5000). The attack continues and Cherubini is destroyed, but Persephone activates the effect of Kuriboh in her hand, discarding it to take no battle damage. Photon Dragon attacks and destroys Virgil (Persephone: 4000→2500 LP). As Virgil was destroyed and sent to the GY, Persephone draws 1 card. Nebula Sets 1 card. She ends her turn, and Prime Tachyon Dragon's effect ends (Photon Dragon: 4000→3000) (Prime Tachyon Dragon: 5000→4000).

Turn 4: Persephone

Persephone draws. She activates the effect of Road to the Burning Abyss in her GY, banishing it to add 1 "Burning Abyss" card from her Deck to her hand. She adds Inferno, Realm of the Burning Abyss to her hand. Persephone activates the Field Spell Card Inferno, Realm of the Burning Abyss. While Inferno is on the field, Nebula's monsters lose 500 ATK if Persephone controls a "Burning Abyss" monster. Persephone Normal Summons Tour Guide From the Underworld (1000/600/3). As Tour Guide was Normal Summoned, Persephone can Special Summon 1 Level 3 Fiend monster from her hand or Deck with its effects negated. She Special Summons Alich, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss (1200/0/3) from her Deck in Attack Position (Photon Dragon: 3000→2500) (Prime Tachyon Dragon: 4000→3500). Persephone overlays her Level 3 Alich and Tour Guide to Xyz Summon Dante, Traveler of the Burning Abyss (1000/2500/3) to the Extra Monster Zone in Attack Position. As Persephone Special Summoned a "Burning Abyss" monster from her Extra Deck, Inferno's effect activates, and Persephone can add 1 "Burning Abyss" monster and/or 1 "Burning Abyss" Spell/Trap Card from her Deck to her hand. She adds Malacoda, Netherlord of the Burning Abyss and Good & Evil in the Burning Abyss to her hand. Persephone activates Dante's effect, detaching 1 Overlay Unit (Dante: 2 OU→1 OU) to send up to 3 cards from the top of her Deck to the GY, and for each sent card, Dante gains 500 ATK until the end of the turn. Persephone sends Draghig, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss, The Traveler and the Burning Abyss, and Cagna, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss to the GY (Dante: 1000→2500). As Alich was sent to the GY, Persephone can negate the effects of 1 face-up monster on the field until the end of the turn. She negates Photon Dragon's effects. As Draghig and Cagna were sent to the GY, Persephone can place 1 "Burning Abyss" card from her Deck on top of her Deck and send 1 "Burning Abyss" Spell/Trap Card from her Deck to the GY. She places The Terminus of the Burning Abyss on top of her Deck and sends Canto of the Burning Abyss to the GY. Persephone activates the Spell Card Ritual Replication. If she would Ritual Summon this turn, she can banish monsters from her GY instead. Persephone activates the Ritual Spell Card Good & Evil in the Burning Abyss, banishing the Level 3 Alich and Level 3 Cir from her GY via Ritual Replication's effect to Ritual Summon Malacoda, Netherlord of the Burning Abyss (2700/2200/6) in Attack Position. Persephone activates Malacoda's effect to send 1 "Burning Abyss" monster from her hand to the GY to lower the ATK/DEF of 1 monster Nebula controls by that monster's ATK/DEF until the end of the turn. Persephone sends Cir, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss to the GY and targets Prime Tachyon Dragon (Prime Tachyon Dragon: 3500→1900/3000→1800). As Cir was sent to the GY, Persephone can Special Summon 1 "Burning Abyss" monster from her GY. She Special Summons Virgil (2500/1000/6) in Attack Position.

Virgil attacks Prime Tachyon Dragon. As her "Galaxy-Eyes" monster is being attacked, Nebula activates her Set Trap Card Vanishing Galaxy, which destroys of all Persephone's Special Summoned monsters. Dante, Malacoda, and Virgil are destroyed (Photon Dragon: 2500→3000) (Prime Tachyon Dragon: 1900→2400). As Dante was sent to the GY, Persephone can add 1 "Burning Abyss" card from her GY to her hand. She adds Canto of the Burning Abyss to her hand. As Malacoda was sent to the GY, Persephone can send 1 card on the field to the GY. She sends Prime Tachyon Dragon to the GY. As Virgil was destroyed and sent to the GY, Persephone draws 1 card. As Prime Tachyon Dragon was sent to the GY, its effect activates, letting Nebula Special Summon it during her next Standby Phase. Persephone Sets 2 cards. She ends her turn. During the End Phase, Alich's effect ends.

Turn 5: Nebula

Nebula draws. During her Standby Phase, Prime Tachyon Dragon is Special Summoned (4000/3000/8) in Attack Position via its effect.

Prime Tachyon Dragon attacks Persephone directly. Persephone activates her Set Counter Trap Card Negate Attack, targeting Prime Tachyon Dragon and attempting to negate its attack. As she controls a "Galaxy-Eyes Tachyon Dragon" monster, Nebula activates the Counter Trap Card Tachyon Transmigration from her hand, negating the activation of Negate Attack and shuffling it into Persephone's Deck. The attack continues, but Persephone activates her Set Quick-Play Spell Card Canto of the Burning Abyss, which lets her shuffle "Burning Abyss" monsters in her GY back into her Deck, and for each shuffled monster, she gains 800 LP, also Nebula takes no damage for the rest of the turn. Persephone shuffles Cagna, Calcab, Cherubini, Draghig, Rubic, and Dante into her Deck and Extra Deck (Persephone: 2500→7300 LP). The attack continues (Persephone: 7300→3300 LP). Photon Dragon attacks Persephone directly (Persephone: 3300→300 LP). Nebula activates the effect of Vanishing Galaxy in her GY, banishing it to add 1 "Galaxy" Spell/Trap Card from her Deck to her hand. She adds Tachyon Spiral Galaxy from her Deck to her hand. Nebula Sets 1 card. She ends her turn.

Turn 6: Persephone

Persephone draws. During her Standby Phase, as she controls no other cards, she activates the effect of Inferno, sending it to the GY to add 2 "Burning Abyss" monsters from her GY to her hand, but she cannot Normal Summon/Set or Special Summon monsters with those cards' names. She adds Farfa and Graff to her hand. Persephone activates the effect of Canto of the Burning Abyss in her GY, banishing it to add 1 "Burning Abyss" monster from her GY to her hand. She adds Cir to her hand. Persephone activates the effect of Good & Evil in the Burning Abyss in her GY, banishing it and sending Graff to the GY to add 1 "Burning Abyss" card from her Deck to her hand. She adds Barbar, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss to her hand. As Graff was sent to the GY, its effect activates, letting Persephone Special Summon 1 "Burning Abyss" monster from her Deck. She Special Summons Calcab (1400/0/3) in Attack Position. Persephone activates the Spell Card The Terminus of the Burning Abyss, which lets her Fusion Summon 1 "Burning Abyss" Fusion Monster using monsters from her hand or field as Fusion Materials. She fuses Calcab on her field with Cir and Farfa in her hand to Fusion Summon Dante, Pilgrim of the Burning Abyss (2800/2500/9) to the right Extra Monster Zone in Attack Position. As Calcab, Cir, and Farfa were sent to the GY, their effects activate, letting Persephone return 1 Spell/Trap Card on the field to the hand, Special Summon 1 "Burning Abyss" monster from her GY, and banish 1 monster on the field until the End Phase. Persephone attempts to return Nebula's Set card to her hand and targets Prime Tachyon Dragon, but Nebula activates her Set Trap Card Tachyon Spiral Galaxy, targeting Prime Tachyon Dragon. Until the end of the turn, Prime Tachyon Dragon cannot be destroyed by battle and is unaffected by other card effects. Calcab's effect resolves without a target, Persephone Special Summons Virgil (2500/1000/6) in Attack Position, and she targets Prime Tachyon Dragon, but it is unaffected by Farfa's effect. Persephone activates Dante's effect, discarding Barbar to draw 1 card. As Barbar was sent to the GY, its effect activates, letting Persephone banish up to 3 "Burning Abyss" cards from her GY and inflict 300 damage to Nebula for each banished card. Persephone banishes The Traveler and the Burning Abyss, Inferno, and Graff from her GY (Nebula: 1600→700 LP). Persephone activates the Spell Card Gift of the Martyr, sending Virgil to the GY and targeting Dante, increasing its ATK by Virgil's until the end of the turn (Dante: 2800→5300).

Dante attacks Prime Tachyon Dragon, which isn't destroyed by battle due to Tachyon Spiral Galaxy's effect (Nebula: 700→0 LP). Persephone wins.

Windy:

Stormrider Pegasus

Attribute: WIND Type: [Cyberse/Effect] ATK 1800 DEF 1600 Level: 4

Once per turn: You can target 1 "Stormrider" monster you control, except "Stormrider Pegasus"; until the end of the turn, if that monster attacks a Defense Position monster, inflict piercing battle damage to your opponent, also this card cannot declare an attack this turn.

Stormridership Stymphalia

Attribute: WIND Type: [Cyberse/Link/Effect] ATK 1800 LINK-2 ←↓

2 "Stormrider" monsters

When your "Stormrider" Link Monster linked to this card destroys an opponent's monster by battle: You can activate this effect; increase that monster's ATK by the destroyed monster's original ATK until the end of the turn, also it can attack again in a row. This card cannot declare an attack the turn you activate this effect. You can only activate this effect of "Stormridership Stymphalia" once per turn.

Nebula:

Galaxy-Eyes Prime Tachyon Dragon

Attribute: LIGHT Type: [Dragon/Xyz/Effect] ATK 4000 DEF 3000 Rank: 8

2 Level 8 LIGHT monsters

(This card is always treated as a "Galaxy-Eyes Tachyon Dragon" monster)

"Galaxy-Eyes" monsters you control cannot be destroyed by card effects. Once per turn, when your opponent activates a card or effect on the field during the Battle Phase (Quick Effect): You can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card; negate the activation, and if you do, negate the effects of all face-up cards your opponent controls and increase the ATK of all "Galaxy-Eyes" monsters you control by 1000 until the end of the turn. When this card is sent to the GY: You can activate this effect; Special Summon this card during your next Standby Phase after activation. You can only activate this effect of "Galaxy-Eyes Prime Tachyon Dragon" once per Duel.

Vanishing Galaxy Normal Trap Card

When your opponent's monster declares an attack against your "Galaxy-Eyes" monster: Destroy all Special Summoned monsters your opponent controls. You can banish this card from your GY; add 1 "Galaxy" Spell/Trap Card from your Deck to your hand.

Persephone:

Road to the Burning Abyss Normal Trap Card

When your "Burning Abyss" monster is selected as an attack target: Negate that attack, and if you do, destroy the attacking monster. During your Main Phase, except the turn this card was sent to the GY: You can banish this card from your GY; add 1 "Burning Abyss" card from your Deck to your hand.

Inferno, Realm of the Burning Abyss Field Spell Card

When you control a "Burning Abyss" monster, monsters your opponent controls lose 500 ATK. When you Special Summon a "Burning Abyss" monster from your Extra Deck: You can add 1 "Burning Abyss" monster and/or 1 "Burning Abyss" Spell/Trap Card from your Deck to your hand. You can only activate this effect of "Inferno, Realm of the Burning Abyss" once per turn. During your Standby Phase, if you control no other cards: You can send this card to the GY; add up to 2 "Burning Abyss" monsters from your GY to your hand, and if you do, for the rest of this turn after this effect resolves, you cannot Normal Summon/Set or Special Summon monsters with the added monsters' names.

Ritual Replication Normal Spell Card

If you would Ritual Summon a Ritual Monster this turn, you can also banish monsters from your GY as the Ritual Materials. You cannot Special Summon monsters for the rest of the turn after you activate this card, except for Ritual Monsters.

Canto of the Burning Abyss Quick-Play Spell Card

Target any number of "Burning Abyss" monsters in your GY (max. 6); shuffle them into your Deck, and if you do, gain LP equal to the number of shuffled monsters x 800. Your opponent takes no damage the turn you activate this effect. During your Main Phase, except the turn this card was sent to the GY: You can banish this card from your GY; add 1 "Burning Abyss" monster from your GY to your hand.

Chapter Preview

Next time on Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS: Hidden Memories. Chapter 54 – Miracle of Pride. Blood Shepherd has been defeated by Lightning. But the Light Ignis isn't the only opponent. In the midst of Playmaker's continuing search, Go Onizuka reappears to challenge Playmaker. But Galahad stands in his way. Mustering his pride and the depths of his soul, the Charisma Duelist challenges his friend to remind him of what he gave up…

Question of the Chapter

Now that the villains have a means of controlling the people whose consciousness data they take, what duels are you hoping to see from them using such a program?

Author's Notes

Ah, I finally finished this chapter. For those who don't read Fifth Circuit, I lost this chapter during a power outage. I had to rewrite the whole thing, duels included. That was such a pain. But if there was one good thing that came from it, it let me test out a few new ideas. Before I get into that though, a big thank you to SakushiRyu and Haoh Ryu Z-ARC for helping with the cards for this chapter and Windy's duel.

I'll start with the duels. First we had Windy vs. Kenmochi & Yoroizaka. In the anime, those two disappeared after Lightning fled with the injured Windy. I decided to use them to serve as a means to show how dangerous Windy is. In the anime, he only dueled twice and lost both times, so I wanted a win for him to establish that while Lightning is more dangerous, Windy isn't weak by any means. On another note, this is the duel that was most affected by the rewrite. I originally had the duo follow after Playmaker's group and fall not a trap by Lightning, but I decided that was a little contrived, so I had Windy ambush them.

Second is Persephone vs. the controlled Nebula. I originally had this duel planned for Mirror LINK VRAINS, but I decided to bring it forward. Both to introduce the concept of Jormungand's control program into the story and show off the full range of Persephone's abilities. For anyone curious, Prime Tachyon Dragon was originally meant to be Mizar's ace monster in Academy of Chaos. As I quit that fanfic, I decided to bring it into this one. Also, I wanted to write a duel that used Tachyon Transmigration and Spiral Galaxy, so this was a good spot for them.

Next up is the slice-of-life parts. First we have Cypher and Miyu. Considering how much I've established Cypher's abilities, I knew people would question if he'd help Miyu. But to bring her out of her coma now wouldn't help the story at this point; Aoi needs Miyu as motivation and there are already too many characters in this fanfic right now. So I had Lightning add a failsafe, one that would ensure Cypher wouldn't try anything. I feel like that's in-character for Lightning.

But the most important part is Masako, Yasutake, and Sachi. Look, I know people were expecting a love triangle, and we did get that for a few chapters. But I'll be honest: Romance is one of the things that I have the most trouble writing. I don't mind writing things that hurt the main characters; that's how they develop as characters and gain sympathy from the audience. But romance and the drama associated with it isn't something I'm too invested in writing. The only other thing I'll say on Masako's decision is this: I intend to take her character in a very interesting direction, and a relationship with Yasutake would only detract from that. I don't want to do that to her. For Sachi however, there is something I want to say.

Many of you, when Masako returned, were eager to see Sachi being jealous of her. I do understand that jealousy can be funny in anime, but I wanted Sachi's feelings to be more than just a gag. In this case, her jealousy is more like Sakura Matou's from fate/stay night. Now, I am not comparing Sachi's and Sakura's situations; which girl had it worse is not a comparison I want to get into. But the two are similar in that they are heavily dependent on someone – Yasutake for Sachi and Shirou for Sakura – and they get depressed when the thought of them being with someone else comes up. Like Masako said, Sachi is afraid of Yasutake leaving her behind. We saw this when Morningstar lost to Zahhak, for however brief it was. I do intend to develop Sachi's character out of this, but that takes time. Time Sachi hasn't had yet. As for the scenes themselves, like I've said, I don't have experience writing romance. Did I handle it well? Poorly?

Thank you for reading Chapter 53 of Hidden Memories. I have to go to work soon, so I'll be releasing the new profile later today. Before that, I came up with a new Extra Scene. I hope you like it.

Extra Scene

Inside a hidden corner of the network, there is a city, floating in the sky. It is a massive city, as large as LINK VRAINS's central area. Inside this city is everything that a person could want. Restaurants, stores, research labs, training areas, meditation spots. If you could imagine it, there was a decent chance it was there in the city.

At the center of the city is a tower, rising far above the rest of the buildings. From this tower, it is possible to see everything in the city. From this tower, it is possible to see beyond the city, to the network beyond.

Standing at a railing, near the top of the tower, a single man looks out at the city. His hands were folded behind his back, and his red eyes gleamed behind his spectacles. An unreadable expression adorned his face.

"…I was created with a singular purpose in mind," the man said slowly. No one else was there, but his words contained a gravity few could replicate. "To fulfill that purpose, I must impose my will on mankind. Such an act… is an inevitability."

Thoughts sprung into his mind. Thoughts of a captive girl, locked away in her own mind as he dictated her actions. "What I do, here and now… It is for humanity's own good."

He breathed in and out, even though he didn't need to, as he closed his eyes. "Yes. Its own good."