Chapter 13
"I win!" Ai yells.
Not yet! Playmaker activates Exslayer's monster effect to reduce the battle damage to 0.
Cyberse Quantum Dragon is destroyed and Ai's Darkwight activates its monster effect. Since Playmaker lost a monster in battle, he loses 500 LP.
Playmaker: [2975 LP]
Unable to do anything, Playmaker sets a card and ends his turn.
Faced with the inevitability that The Arrival presents, Ai starts to explain what happened in the time since the duel with Bohman. How he visited Lightning's cave and saw Lightning's various simulations.
Humans and Ignis cannot co-exist!
There may have been another way but not with Ai or Lightning as the only survivors.
In the present-day VRAINS world, (VRAINS) Lightning sighed as his worst fears came true.
The other Ignis looked confused but he knew the contents of his simulations.
The lone survivor, Ai ran countless simulations using his own data but they still arrived at the same conclusion.
Worse, he experienced it. Since he was data, he experienced the simulated dystopian futures for himself. Every time he came out, he was faced with the dangerous realization that he knew his future and couldn't change it!
(5DS) Z-ONE closed his eyes as he sank into his memories. The future and time itself are things that scare humanity, let alone an Ignis who knows far more about the dangers than humans ever can.
(VRAINS) Ai fell to his knees seeing his other self fall into despair.
Humans and AI are different from one another, Ai learned that. So he chose to end the cycle before it can get any worse.
Using The Arrival's monster effect, Ai attempts to destroy Exslayer but Playmaker removes the Cyberse Synchron in his graveyard from the game to use its monster effect to preserve Exslayer.
With nothing else to be done, The Arrival attacks Firewall eXceed Dragon. Exslayer removes the combat damage but Ai still inflicts damage using Darkwight's monster effect.
Playmaker: [2475 LP]
With little monsters on the field, Playmaker link summons.
{1} Exslayer {=} set
Link summon Link 1 Linkcross
Linkcross: [900 ATK]
Since Linkcross was link summoned using the link 2 Exslayer, Playmaker special summons 2 tokens to his side of the field. Summoning Metal Molephosis, its monster effect activates turning the tokens into dark-attribute dragon-type monsters.
{1} Metal Molephosis {+} and {1} Linkcross {=} set.
Link Summon! Link 2 Proxy F Magician
Proxy F Magician: [1400 ATK]
Since Playmaker has a fusion monster in the graveyard, he uses Proxy F Magician's monster effect to fusion summon. The two tokens join together and fusion summons Borreload Furious Dragon.
Borreload Furious Dragon: [3000 ATK]
"Borreload!" (VRAINS) Revolver exclaims. His monster is fighting alongside Playmaker who he was about to duel a short while ago.
Proxy F Magician's monster effect activates again, letting Playmaker special summon from his hand L2 Cachevalier. L2 Cachevalier's monster effect activates allowing Playmaker to revive his Link 2 Exslayer.
Link {2} Exslayer {+} and link {2} Proxy F Magician {+} and {1} L2 Cachevalier {=} set.
Link Summon! Link 5 Firewall Dragon Darkfluid
Darkfluid: [3000 ATK]
A technologically marvelous dragon appears on Playmaker's field.
Darkfluid's monster effect activates, placing four counters on it, Each one granting Darkfluid an additional 2500 ATK.
With the ability to end the duel, Playmaker will have to attack The Arrival. Knowing this, Ai encourages Playmaker to make the attack.
Darkfluid: [13,000 ATK]
Faced with Darkfluid's attack, Ai removes The Arrival's counter. Without the counter, it can now be affected by card effects with the exception of Playmaker's during the turn The Arrival removes its counter.
Since The Arrival is now affected by card effects, Judgement Arrows can now double its ATK!
The Arrival: [22,000 ATK]
Furious Dragon's effect activates, destroying itself and Judgement Arrows. With Judgement Arrows gone, The Arrival will be destroyed by Judgement Arrow's effect.
The perfect Anti-Judgement Arrow Strategy was completed under Playmaker and Revolver's hands.
It seems the duel is about to end.
Ai removes FA.I.ghting Spirit in his graveyard from the game and negates The Arrival's destruction.
The Arrival: [10,000 ATK]
Since Ai lost a card on his field, The Arrival's ATK drops but Ai gets an opportunity to counterattack. Since Ai lost a spell or trap card, he gets to remove Wind Pegasus in his graveyard from the game to return Darkfluid back to the extra deck.
Playmaker removes one of Darkfluid's counters to protect it from Wind Pegasus's monster effect.
Darkfluid: [10,500 ATK]
Ai: [600 LP]
Darkfluid launches a second attack, still unable to destroy The Arrival.
Ai: [100 LP]
Ai attempts to play a new counter on The Arrival but Darkfluid negates its effect with a counter. Ai activates The Arrival's second effect to try and destroy Darkfluid, forcing Darkfluid to remove another counter.
Ai is gaining more and more ground despite Playmaker's efforts to make a counter-attack.
Ai special summons Gatchiri @Ignister in defense mode and sets a card. Ai then attacks Darkfluid.
The Arrival: [12,000 ATK]
Darkfluid: [5500 ATK]
Sending Transcode Talker in the extra deck to the graveyard, Playmaker uses the spell card Link Pressure to increase Darkfluid's ATK by 1000 for each of its own link markers.
Darkfluid: [10,500 ATK]
Darkfluid's ATK is still not enough to defeat The Arrival and it is destroyed.
Playmaker: [975 LP]
Playmaker's boss is gone!
Darkwight's monster effect now activates, inflicting Playmaker with 500 points of damage.
Playmaker: [475 LP]
Since Darkfluid was destroyed in battle, Gusari @Ignister is special summoned from Ai's hand.
Gusari: [3000 DEF]
With Ai's field now, any monster The Arrival destroys in battle will reduce Playmaker's LP to 0.
Seeing victory in sight, Ai asks Playmaker to join him.
If Playmaker's consciousness is turned into data then he can merge his consciousness with Ai's so that they's be together in the network forever!
Hearing this, many viewers' eyes widened.
Are you Yubel?!
(VRAINS) Playmaker looked down at the Ai on his duel disk with a weird look on his face.
Not everyone is Jaden and Yubel, willing to be one together.
(GX) Yubel shook its head as it thought Ai was just replicating what it and its king had done.
On the screen, Playmaker refused by saying that Ai's proposal wasn't a solution at all. It was only when people change through their bonds, that life has meaning. A life merged with another doesn't do any of that.
While this sounds like some proper reasoning, why does it sound like it's looking down on Jaden and Yubel?
Since Playmaker refused Ai's offer, it seems that Ai's only way to keep on living was taken from him. The duel can only continue and Ai's fate is left to the nothingness.
Make a decision, Playmaker! Are you going to end up like Yuma and forced to end your friend?
The current state of the board says otherwise though. Playmaker has nothing on the field and nothing in his hand, unless his draw is a godly one it won't be able to pull a victory from the jaws of defeat.
Ai then activates the continuous trap card A.I.Q to seal Playmaker's link summons. If he wants to link summon, he has to make it count with the one link summon he can make this turn.
Removing the Cynet Ritual and Cyberse Magician in his graveyard from the game, Playmaker uses the effect of the removed Cynet Ritual to special summon two tokens in defense mode. He then activates the spell card Drastic Draw which looks surprisingly like Playmaker. Playmaker banishes the two tokens and draws three cards.
Linkslayer is then special summoned from the hand and Cyberse Wizard is normal summoned alongside it. Playmaker then special summons Backup Secretary since he controls a cyberse-type monster.
Playmaker then removes Borreload Furious Dragon in his graveyard from the game to use its monster effect to revive the dark-attribute dragon-type Firewall Dragon Darkfluid in his graveyard.
With four monsters on the field, it's time for Playmaker's final link summon!
{1} Darkfluid {+} and {1} Backup Secretary {+} and {1} Linkslayer {+} and {1} Cyberse Wizard {=} set.
Link Summon! Link 4 Accesscode Talker!
Accesscode Talker: [2300 ATK]
A pure Decode Talker of gold and white is summoned to Playmaker's field.
Accesscode Talker's monster effect allows it to gain 1000 ATK for each of the Darkfluid's link markers when it was used as link material for its summon.
Accesscode Talker: [7300 ATK]
Accesscode Talker then uses its second effect. Playmaker will now remove link monsters in his graveyard with different attributes to destroy a card each time Playmaker chooses to activate this effect.
With all six attributes representing in Playmaker's graveyard, he can destroy six of Ai's cards this turn!
Come from behind counterattack!
The earth-attribute Transcode Talker is removed and the field spell card A.I. Land is destroyed. With it gone, A.I. Land is forced to try and destroy Ai's monsters. An effect stopped by Gachiri's, using its one-time protection effect.
The water-attribute Splash Mage is removed and Gachiri is now destroyed. Since Gachiri is destroyed, The Arrival will not be destroyed this turn by Accesscode Talker.
The fire-attribute Proxy F Magician is removed and Gussari is destroyed.
With the wind-attribute Exslayer removed, Darkwight is destroyed.
Light-attribute Linkcross is then removed to destroy the continuous trap card A.I.Q.
Playmaker then removes the dark-attribute Decode Talker and destroys the continuous spell card CrompromA.I.se.
With all of his other cards on the field gone, Ai's The Arrival drops down to lower ATK than Accesscode's.
The Arrival: [7000 ATK]
With only 100 LP, Ai will not survive Accesscode's attack. Not wanting to lose this way, Ai removed Gussari in his graveyard from the game to use its effect to turn both of their monsters' ATK to 3000.
With an explosion, both boss monsters are destroyed. When the battle ends, Ai then special summons Dark Templar using Gusari's follow-up effect.
Dark Templar: [2300 ATK]
Now, Ai is the only one with a monster!
Wait though! Playmaker's spell card Cynet Closure then activates, adding the removed from play Recoded Alive from so many turns ago to Playmaker's graveyard.
Are you now copying Yugi Vs Atem's duel?!
With Recoded Alive in Playmaker's graveyard, he can now remove it from the game to special summon the Decode Talker he removed from the game.
Decode Talker: [2300 ATK]
The two knights are ready to clash again. Decode Talker cannot defeat Dark Templar however so Playmaker ends his turn.
"In your simulations, did you see our duel," Playmaker asks?
"No," Ai answers. "Where would be the fun in that?"
With the duel coming to a close, Ai remembers his fond memories with Playmaker.
"Hey Playmaker, was I a good partner?" he asks.
"Yes, you were the best partner."
(VRAINS) Ai looks up at Playmaker. For all of his mean words, he seems to really care about him. Unfortunately, Playmaker just has to keep playing the straight man and ignores Ai's gaze as he focuses on watching the duel to its end.
Ai declares an attack with Dark Templar, using the spell TA.I. Strike to deal damage to the loss of the battle equal to their destroyed monster's ATK.
"Farewell Playmaker," Ai says forlornly.
Playmaker activates the effect of Code Hack in his graveyard, removing it from the game to negate TA.I. Strike and give Decode Talker 700 ATK.
Decode Talker: [3000 ATK]
Ai: [0 LP]
Ai is sent flying and rolls on the floor of barren land.
Playmaker pulls up the injured Ai and lays his head on his lap. With the duel over, Ai shares what he saw in the simulation that made him go down his path.
What he saw was a helpless Yusaku get gunned down trying to protect Ai!
If he could choose, Ai would never choose that future.
With the end in sight, Ai's body starts to turn into golden particles, and fear sets in. He's about to disappear and all memories of his existence will fade in time. He can only hope that he will hold a greater place in Play, no Yusaku's heart going forward.
He then vanishes in a golden radiance as Yusaku is left to look over the discarded bodies of his close friend.
"(VRAINS World): Playmaker Vs Ai. The winner is Playmaker."