Equestria Girls: Link the Circuit of Friendship

by Snow Fire

Rating: teen
Tags: Flash Sentry, Alternate Universe, Yu-Gi-Oh, Equestria Girls, Science Fiction, Main 7 (EqG), Adventure, Twilight Sparkle (EqG), Crossover
Length: 17109

When the Cyberse becomes threatened, six AI ally themselves with six unique humans to protect it. Deck set! Into the Vrains!

Duel Monsters.

A card game that has taken the world by storm. Ever since its creation, players of the game, known as duelists, compete worldwide to determine who is the best. As popularity grew, so has the format. What started as tabletop games transitioned to holograms, then AR, and now they've taken over the virtual realm known as Link Vrains.

However, the digital realm has secrets best left untouched. And when they are threatened to be unraveled, the guardians, the Ignis, seek out partners to help protect them. Fate led them to find the Rainbooms and a few others that they found themselves compatible with. With AI and human allied together, they must face the evil that lurks beneath the surface of the virtual world and reality.

It is time to link together and face the future! Deck set! Into the Vrains!

A crossover series combining My Little Pony Equestria Girls and Yu-Gi-Oh! Vrains. The series uses elements from Vrains, but I have taken some liberties to make its own world. Links are prevalent, but other summoning methods like Fusion, Synchro, Xyz, and Pendulum will be included. There will also be different master rules used depending on the format.

This story was inspired by countless Yu-Gi-Oh! fics on and off this site. They include:

Monty Eggman's My Little Pony: Friendship is Numerous

Banchee531's Yu-Gi-Oh! Stories

Drakey C's Yu-Gi-Oh! stories

Brony-wan-kenobi's Yu-Gi-Oh! Stories

Night-Quill's Equestria Girls: Duel Monsters

RitsuD95's Regenesis, A Duelist Story

Darthvalgaav's Dueling Around Canterlot

And additional Yu-Gi-Oh! Vrains fics like Hidden Memories

Special thanks to Monty Eggman and Banshee531 for their help in making this story a reality.

Published 2020-03-06 05:20:01 UTC
Last updated 2020-08-17 07:06:59 UTC

Chapter 1: A Sentinel's Army

Duel Monsters.

A card game that has taken the world by storm. Ever since its creation, players of the game, known as duelists, compete worldwide to determine who is the best.

What started out as a tabletop game evolved into something greater. From the table came holographic projector arenas. From those arenas came duel disks, devices that allowed duelists to duel anywhere at anytime. As time passed, the game expanded and evolved. There was even a time period where there would be duels on motorcycles. Beyond that was augmented reality and holograms with mass.

What started out as a simple card game became revolutionized as technology advanced.

Now, with internet cyberspace evolving at a rapid pace, the card game elevated to a higher plane.

With the advent of a new virtual reality space known as Link Vrains, or the Link Virtual Reality Artificial Intelligence Network System, people were able to take part in virtual reality duels. By converting their consciousness into data, they could leave behind their flesh and blood bodies to roam the Cyber world freely in avatars and identities of their choice.

Furthermore, thanks to the cyberspace phenomenon known as the Data Storm, players are able to take part in a new format of dueling known as Speed Duels.

However, while Link Vrains is a space of freedom, it has its fair share of terrors. Through Vrains, hackers have a new playing field and battle ground to work with. Cyber security becomes threatened by those with the skills to break them down.

It is through these dangers that the Cyber Security company, Codex, thrived. As one of the companies that shared in the conception of Link Vrains, their priority is to ensure a secure cyberspace for everyone to enjoy.

However, no one could have anticipated the events that would change both the real and cyber worlds forever.

Deck set! Into the Vrains!

Within the cyber world, inside Link Vrains, hundreds of people had logged in to view what has been hyped for a wild spectacle. Their avatars were seated within a digital colosseum, eagerly anticipating what is to come.

It was within the crowd that a group of young ladies stood out. In real life, they were known as the Rainbooms, a high school band from Canterlot High. But in Vrains, they were a group of friends who had no idea how the cyber space worked.

“I still can’t believe all of this is digital!” one of them exclaimed with awe. Her avatar was dressed in a black and orange bodysuit that highlighted her curves. On her back was a black leather jacket with an insignia of a red and yellow sun. Her red and yellow hair was long and wavy, tied up into a ponytail. Her blue eyes were wide in wonder as she scanned the surrounding crowd.

“You better believe it, Sunset Shimmer!” An equally, if not moreso, excited voice chirped next to her. The avatar belonged to a girl with floofy pink hair that looked like a mess of zig-zags with a lined visor over her blue eyes. She wore a short, multi-colored dress with leggings and heeled shoes. Around her wrists were fluffy bracelets. At the hem of her skirt was an image of three balloons.

“I thought we were supposed to call each other by our handles, Sprinkles!”

“Oh! Oopsie! Sorry, Racer, sorry Solaire!” Sprinkles, aka Pinkie Pie, apologized.

Racer, or Rainbow Dash in real life, designed her avatar after the Wonderbolts, the best air force unit in the military. She was dressed in a blue jumpsuit with lightning bolt designs. Her rainbow hair was short and spiky. Around her neck were a pair of goggles.

Next to her sat Rarity. She wore an elegant gown that matched her tastes, complete with heels, gloves that stopped mid-bicep, and a masquerade mask to complete the ensemble. She even had butterfly wings sprouted from her back. Her Vrains handle was Gemstone.

Applejack’s avatar was her normal appearance with a cowgirl outfit consisting of spurred boots, jeans, a leather vest over a white shirt, and a bandanna around her neck. On her head was her signature stetson hat. Her alias in Vrains was Orchard.

Fluttershy’s avatar was simple in design. She had a hooded cloak that covered most of her body. Much like her design, her ID was simple: Flutters.

“To think that without the coaxing from Octavia and the others, we never would have thought to come here.”

“I’m just here to see Lyra and Sentinel duel. If he’s as strong as they say, I wanna take a crack at him!”

3 Days ago…

The Rainbooms had just finished a session of rehearsal and were on their way home. But as they crossed the courtyard, they noticed two familiar figures standing across from one another. The girls recognized them as their classmates, Lyra Heartstrings and Flash Sentry. Based on their posture and equipment, they were in the middle of a duel.

Strapped to the duelists’ arms were devices that had boards projected from them. Around their eyes they had what seemed to be mechanical monocles with tinted lenses. These gadgets were known as duel disks and D-Gazers respectively.

Standing off to the side were three more figures; Octavia Melody, Vinyl Scratch, and Bon Bon. They each watched the duel in interest with their own D-Gazers equipped.

“Sweet! A duel!” Rainbow cheered as she reached into her bag and pulled out her own D-Gazer. The girls followed suit.

Once they were activated, the empty space between the two was filled by two figures. One was a lion with a fiery mane and a girl on its back while the other was a purple, armored human with a red D emblazoned on it’s gold faceplate. Lyra also had one card face down on her field while Flash had two.

The D-Gazers also notified them of the duelists’ life points. Lyra currently had 1600 while Flash sat at 2300.

“It’s my turn!” Lyra declared. She pulled the top card from her deck. She then picked out a card from her hand. “I activate Megamorph, and equip it to Ritual Beast Ulti-Apelio!” A stone circle appeared over the lion before it phased into its body, eliciting an empowered roar. “Since my life points are lower than yours, his attack points double!” (ATK: 2600 x 2 = 5200) “And now I attack! Go Apelio! Blazing Pounce!” The beast roared before it charged at the armored monster.

“I activate my face down, Magic Cylinder!” Flash called out. From his field, a card materialized and projected two red cylinders. “Now your attack is negated and you take damage equal to your monster’s attack points!”

“No I won’t! Because I activate this! My Trap Jammer!” Lyra swept out her arm and unveiled her own trap. It was a bear trap within a magic circle. “Now your trap is negated and the attack goes through!”

It went unseen by most, but Flash’s eyes glanced briefly over to the second face down card he had before the attack went through.

“Crap!” Flash yelled as Ulti-Apelio rammed into his Destiny Hero Dystopia, shattering it into pixels and reducing his life points to zero.

Flash LP: 2300 - 2400 = 0

The monitors that displayed their profiles changed as the word WIN appeared below Lyra’s while LOSE appeared below Flash’s.

“Good game, Lyra.” Flash walked over and shook the girl’s hand. “Thought I had you there. Didn’t expect that Counter Trap.”

“Not many people do. But I like to surprise them.” The turquoise girl smiled.

“Nice duel you guys.” Rainbow called out as they approached. “But really Flash? You got out-trapped by a Trap Jammer? You must be slipping.”

“Hey, I’m still human. I’m not a mind reader. Besides, Lyra earned her win. She did well.”

“You know it! I think I’m just about ready to take on Sentinel now!” Lyra said as she became pumped. The Rainbooms however, were confused by the name.

“Sentinel? Who’s that?” Sunset asked.

“You seriously don’t know?” Bon Bon asked. “Sentinel is ranked number one of all of the Charisma Duelist in Link Vrains. He accepts challengers all the time. Lyra is the next one to duel him! Her match is in three days!”

“How did you girls miss something like that?” Vinyl asked.

“We….don’t really use Link Vrains.” Fluttershy admitted. “After learning about the new Master Rule, we prefer to duel IRL.”

After Link Vrains had been established, a new Master Rule came as well. The field became reformatted so that there were Main Monster zones and Extra Monster Zones. In Main Monster zones, duelists can summon any main deck monster they want to the zone of their choice. But the Extra Monster Zone limits each duelist to summon one Extra Deck Monster at a time. These rules were met with heavy criticism as the new field seemed to slow down the game, as numerous decks that use extra deck summons heavily, such as Pendulums, were severely hampered.

The issue was resolved with the creation of a new card type. They were known as Link Monsters. They were an Extra Deck summon mechanic that required specific monsters on the field. The number of monsters needed to summon one depended on the Link Monster’s requirements and Link Rating, which ranged from 1 to 4. With their Link Rating comes a feature known as Link Arrows, which make Main Monster Zones, whether they be the opponent’s or the user’s, into Extra Monster Zones to bring out more monsters from the Extra Deck.

The Advent of Link Monsters had received quite a mixed reception. Some people were interested in the new mechanic and took them up, while others detested the idea, as it made many decks unusable for competitive play.

After long debate and revisions, Codex, Industrial Illusions, and Kaiba Corp. came to a consensus and enacted the following rules.

In reality, duelists can hold duels following the new Link format or pre-link format after both duelists have a mutual agreement.

In Link Vrains, all duels will follow Link format unless specified otherwise for special events.

The rules were met with even more division as many duelists preferred to duel in real life as it was free from the format restriction. But others flocked into Link Vrains as they were drawn to the virtual realm and what it had to offer. Not to mention that the new rules appealed to those who sought a new challenge.

It then became standard for duelists to have two types of decks on hand. One made for pre-Link format and the other made for Link format. It also meant additional profits for the card company.

“Oh, that’s understandable.” Octavia hummed in agreement. “To each their own I suppose.”

“But you’re seriously going to be facing the best duelist in Link Vrains?!” Pinkie asked as she popped up in front of Lyra. “This is BIG news! We gotta celebrate!”

“I have a better idea.” Bon Bon suggested. “Why not join us in Link Vrains to show your support for Lyra? The event is free for everyone to attend. While seats in the stadium are limited, the duel will be broadcasted all over Vrains.”

“Ya sure? But we don’t have any avatars or accounts set up for that.” Applejack pointed out.

“Don’t worry. We can help you out with it.” Lyra said. “The cool thing about Link Vrains is that you can be anything you want to be.”

Now…

After spending a few days creating their accounts, customizing their avatars, and getting used to the virtual world, the Rainbooms now sat inside the Vrains Colosseum.
“So what deck do you think Sentinel will use?” Pinkie asked in curiosity.

“Well, I’ve been searching through the forums and asking people. It seems that Sentinel, as the Defender of Link Vrains, uses a Hero Deck, just like Flash.”

“So that’s why Lyra was dueling Flash? As practice for Sentinel?” Flutters questioned.

“Seems to be the case. But I don’t think it was a good indicator of what she’ll be facing. I mean, Flash is a good duelist, don’t get me wrong. But can he really match a pro in skill?”

“Shh! It’s starting girls!” The lights died down until the arena was shrouded in darkness. Then a single spotlight turned on and trained on the suited man in the middle of the field. With a microphone in hand, the man spoke.

“Ladies and gentlemen, are you ready?!” The announcer screamed. The crowd screamed back in response. “Tonight we have another Challenge night!”

A challenge night is what people call events when any of the top ten members of the Charisma Duelists accept challengers from the local populace. They were mainly used to determine the skill of oneself, or to have a duel with their duelist of choice. They were also good publicity for Charisma Duelists, who were professional duelists in the Vrains circuit that were the equivalent of duel monster super stars.

“Now, I know we all get challenges by the dozen every day, but this one is new! We have a challenger pining for the top dog here in Vrains! Here, we have the ranked one Charisma Duelist, Sentinel!!!!”

The MC gestured to his right, where a figure appeared through the entrance. His avatar was a figure clad in futuristic armor. The plating was dark silver and covered most of the body while a black bodysuit underneath covered the rest. The outfit was lined with orange, circuit-like lines that glowed.His helmet was equally futuristic, composed of intricate metal plating that looked like it came from a sci-fi live action show. The only discernible features were two glowing eyes that had circuit lines that spread around the helmet at each of the corners.

The duelist, Sentinel, raised his arm to the crowd. The masses cheered from his acknowledgement.

“Whoa….that guy looks awesome!” Racer said in awe. “I wonder how he got his avatar like that….now I kinda wanna redo mine…”

“He certainly knows how to design a suit of armor.” Gemstone agreed. “If only he added more color to it. And why must he use orange? It clashes with the aesthetic!”

“So this is the number one duelist of Link Vrains…” Solaire murmured as her eyes were locked onto him.

“Hear that applause folks! And now, let’s introduce our challenger! With an impressive win ratio of 80%, she is a master of contact fusion and a tamer of mythical beasts! Give it up for Mystic!” He gestured to the opposite end.

Running out from the door onto the field was an avatar that greatly resembled Lyra Heartstrings. Her attire consisted of a short dress and leggings and a large, tanned jacket. Her hair was much longer, tied into a high ponytail. She waved wildly to the crowd as they cheered. Off to the opposite end of the arena, she saw her friends cheering their support as well. She soon took her spot across from Sentinel, a grin of determination on her face.

“You ready everyone?!” She yelled out to the crowd, eliciting another round of cheers.

“Hiya Lyra!” Pinkie waved from her seat.

“Good luck, Mystic!” Not too far away from the Rainbooms were four girls. The first was a girl with long black hair and a charcoal complexion. She wore a maestro suit and a masquerade mask over her face. While she was known as Octavia Melody in real life, she was known to many as Maestra within the virtual world as another pro duelist. Next to her was Vinyl Scratch in her IRL appearance. Due to her stage name as DJ PON3, she used Link Vrains as a means to help drum up publicity for her gigs. She also had good business in the Virtual scene as well. On her left was a third figure who just cheered. It was Bon Bon wearing a black, three piece suit and tie and a pair of sunglasses. She looked like a secret agent. Her handle in Vrains was Sweetie Drops.

Mystic smiled at her friends’ support and glared determinedly at her opponent. Sentinel’s avatar betrayed no expression due to his helmet. But his stance dictated his preparedness.

“Alright, ladies and gents, the moment you all have been waiting for!” The announcer yelled as both duelists readied their duel disks. “Let’s get this show on the road! Duelists! Ready?!” A platform materialized under his feet before it carried him into the air and away from the playing field.

“DUEL!”

Sentinel LP: 4000

Mystic LP: 4000

“Challenger’s first!” Mystic yelled excitedly before she picked out one card from the five in her hand as it dispersed and rematerialized onto the field. “I’ll start by playing Ritual Beast Tamer Elder!” On her field appeared an enderly man with long green hair, wearing a set of robes that resembled what Mystic wore.

(Ritual Beast Tamer Elder / Wind / Psychic / Effect / Level 4 / ATK 200 / DEF 1000)

“Once he’s normal summoned, I can special summon another Ritual Beast Tamer from my hand, and I choose Ritual Beast Tamer Lara!” She selected another card, and on the field materialized a blonde girl wearing green garments and a cape. In her hands was a wooden staff.

(Ritual Beast Tamer Lara / Wind / Psychic / Effect / Level 1 / ATK 100 / DEF 2000)

“Appear! Circuit of the unknown!” A square gate appeared above her. At each of the corners and sides was a dulled out arrow. “The summoning conditions are two Ritual Beast Monsters! I set Elder and Lara as the link markers. The two monsters transformed into spiral winds that flew into the bottom left and bottom right arrows of the gate, turning them red. “Rider of the winds, descend with the majestic bird and rally the mythical beasts! Link Summon! Link 2! Ritual Beast Ulti-Kimunfalcos!”

From the portal appeared a massive green bird clad in armor. On its back was a young girl with green hair and brown robes.

(Ritual Beast Ulti-Kimunfalcos / Wind / Winged Beast / Link / Effect / ATK 1800 / Link Arrows: Bottom left, Bottom right / Link-2)

“Now I activate Kimunfalcos’ effect. I can banish two Ritual Beast monsters from my graveyard to special summon another from my hand! I banish Elder and Lara to special summon Ritual Beast Tamer Wen from my hand!” The two cards vanished from her graveyard as another figure materialized onto the field next to Kimunfalcos’s bottom left arrow. It was another young girl with blonde hair tied into a bun. She wore a short purple dress and had a staff in hand with a blue gemstone in the head.

(Ritual Beast Tamer Wen / Wind / Psychic / Effect / Level 3 / ATK 1500 / DEF 1000)

“Those Ritual Beasts of hers are mighty tricky.” Orchard stated. “All that banish and graveyard recursion is mighty difficult to keep track of, especially with a solid engine like hers.”

“You’re one to talk. I can say the same about you and your Sylvan deck.” Racer prodded. “But yeah. I getcha. Lyra’s the only one I know that can make that deck work while using the sole archetype.”

“Now when Wen is summoned, I can special summon one of my banished Ritual Beasts! So come back, Elder!”

Elder appeared next to her Link monster’s bottom right arrow in defense position. “And now Kimunfalcos’s other effect! It gives each Ritual beast monster it points to 600 attack and defense points!”

(Ritual Beast Tamer Wen / ATK 1500 + 600 = 2100 / DEF 1000 + 600 = 1600)

(Ritual Beast Tamer Elder / ATK 200 + 600 = 800 / DEF 1000 + 600 = 1600)

“Now I set one card and end my turn.” She placed one card face down on the field.

“And would you look at that folks!” The announcer cried. “Mystic set up her field with a strong defense! Can Sentinel break it down?”

“Let’s just see. My turn! Draw!” Sentinel declared as he pulled the top card from his deck. He placed it in his hand as he reached for another card.

“So what do you think he’ll do?” Racer whispered to Solaire.

“Well, based on what I know of, some of his strategies involve an immediate fusion summon, or special summoning Heroes to get more onto the field and link summon. It can be either-”

“I summon Armatos Legio Gradius in attack mode!” Sentinel slapped the card onto his board. On his field, a statue of a Roman gladiator with a gladius in hand appeared. It stood on a marble podium and glared at its foe.

(Armatos Legio Gradius / LIGHT / Cyberse / Effect / Level 2 / ATK 0 / DEF 800)

His first move shattered any and all expectations the audience had. Gasps of surprise aired out from the crowd. That wasn’t a Hero monster. What kind of monster was that?!

“Oh my! It seems like Sentinel decided to play a different deck for the event! And it’s a Cyberse Monster to boot!”

“Cyberse? What’s that?” Racer wondered. It was a sentiment shared by many. They haven’t heard of such an archetype. But given how Sentinel played it without issue meant it was perfectly legal.

“I’ve heard about them.” Solaire replied. “Apparently, they are a new type of monster that appeared with the advent of Link Vrains. But the strange part is that Industrial Illusion hasn’t officially released any cards like that. It was like they appeared out of nowhere.”

“But how can that be?” Flutters asked. “I thought only Industrial Illusions can only produce Duel Monster cards.”

“Ooh! What if they actually came from the cyber world? Like, they are actually sentient creatures made of data that made contact with humans and joined them when Link Vrains came online?” Sprinkles suggested.

Her friends looked at her strangely in disbelief. Monsters from the digital world? Surely that wasn’t possible.

“You...you’re not playing Heroes?” Mystic questioned. “Why?!”

“I’m sorry for disappointing you.” He apologized. “But I have my reasons for using this deck. If it makes you feel any better, you have the honor of being the first to duel against the Cyberse.”

Mystic had no idea what to say to that. But her expression grew determined and nodded. She was prepared to take on anything that could come at her.

“Then I shall continue. Since I summoned Gradius, I can add Armatos Colosseum to my hand! Then I play it.” from his deck, a single card stuck out. He grabbed it then played it onto the field.

The surrounding area of the arena became pixelated before the graphics reconstructed into a massive, Roman Colosseum.

“So this is how field spells work in Vrains.” Solaire whispered in awe.

“So magnificent!” Gemstone swooned at the beautiful architecture. “Such splendor!”

“With Colosseum activated, I can add one Armatos Legio monster from my deck to my hand. I choose Armatos Legio Scutum.” he added the card to his hand. “Appear! Circuit that guides the light!” Sentinel called out as his own Link Gate appeared. “The summoning condition is one level 4 or lower Armatos Legio monster! I set Gradius into the Link Marker!” Gradius flew into the bottom arrow of the gate.

“Appear! Link 1, Armatos Legio Decurion!”

A gladiator with a silver, head crested helmet appeared. Its armor pieces had a gold pointed cross emblazoned on it. Around its shoulders was a red cape. In its hands was a sword.

(Armatos Legio Decurion / Light / Cyberse / Link / Effect / ATK 1000 / Link Arrows: Bottom / Link-1)

“Colosseum’s effect! I can send one Armatos legio from my hand to the graveyard to special summon another from my graveyard to the link marker of one of my Link monsters. I discard the Scutum I just added to revive my Gradius!”

A black void opened up on the ground before him. A card that had the image of a Roman Warrior holding a shield on a pedestal crumbled into black pixels as it fell through. From that void shot out golden particles that revived Gradius to the zone right below Decurion.

“Appear! Circuit that guides the light!” Sentinel called out again. “The summon conditions are two Armatos Legio monsters including a Link Monster! I set Gradius and Decurion into the Link Markers!”

Both monsters flew into the portal and lit up the bottom left and to arrows. “Appear! Armatos Legio Primi Ordines!”

From the portal appeared another Roman warrior with gray armor. It had a red helmet, blue cape and held a spear in its hands.

(Armatos Legio Primi Ordines / Light / Cyberse / Link / Effect / ATK 1800 / Link Arrows: Bottom Left, Top)

“I activate Primi Ordines effect! Once per turn, I can target one level 4 or lower Armatos Legio Monster and special summon it! Revive, Scutum!” In the zone directly below Ordines, the shield bearing statue appeared.

(Armatos Legio Scutum / LIGHT / Cyberse / Effect / Level 3 / ATK 0 / DEF 1800)

“Now I discard a second copy of Scutum from my hand to special summon the level 5 Armatos Legio Speculata!” Scutum fell to the void as a pillar of light appeared to the zone where Ordine’s lower Link arrow pointed to. The monster summoned was another statue of a Roman Warrior in mid-run.

(Armatos Legio Speculata / LIGHT / Cyberse / Effect / Level 5 / ATK 0 / DEF 1800)

“I...don’t understand. Why did he summon Speculata there? Wouldn’t he need that zone to summon another monster from the Extra Deck?” Gemstone asked.

“Under normal circumstances, yes.” Solaire explained. “But something’s telling me that Speculata must have some strong effect when linked.”

“Now I battle!” Sentinel declared. “I attack your Ritual beast Tamer Elder with Primi Ordines!” The spearman twirled his weapon as he charged at the elderly man. “Speculata’s effect activates! If an Armatos Legio Link monster that points to this card attacks, you can’t activate any spell and trap cards until the end of the damage step.”

“Wait, what?!” Mystic cried as Ordines stabbed his spear into Elder’s chest. The monster cried in pain before it broke apart into pixels.

“Well, looks like that was the reason.” Sprinkles stated.

“How violent…” Flutters shivered.

“I set two cards and end my turn.” The Defender said as two cards appeared facedown.

“Look at that folks!” The announcer yelled. “Sentinel set up a powerful formation on his first turn. The Romans have always been a force to be reckoned with. Can Mystic overcome their unity and attain victory?”

“Of course I can!” Mystic declared as she drew her card. “My turn! I summon Spiritual Beast Apelio!” A red lion cub with wooden horns and a fiery mane appeared to the zone that was previously occupied by Elder.

(Spiritual Beast Apelio / Wind / Pyro / Effect / Level 4 / ATK 1800 / DEF 200)

“How adorable.” Flutters cooed at the lion.

“Now I activate his effect! I banish Ritual Beast Tamer Elder from my graveyard to give all Ritual Beast Monsters I control an extra 500 attack points!” A red aura surrounded Kimunfalcos and Wen as they became empowered.

(Ritual Beast Tamer Wen / ATK 2100 + 500 = 2600)

(Ritual Beast Ulti-Kimunfalcos / ATK 1800 + 500 = 2300)

“Now I attack with my monsters! Wen, take down his Primi Ordines!” Mystic ordered. The girl with the staff raised it high into the air before shooting bolts of blue energy at the spear bearer.

“Nicely played. But not enough! Go Negate Attack!” The armored duelist activated one of his face down cards. It depicted a spiraling vortex that appeared and sucked up the energy bolts into the void.

“Oh! So close! Despite her strong vanguard, Sentinel not only stopped the attack, but ended the battle phase altogether with Negate Attack! He must really want to keep his field for something. What it is, I’m sure we will find out soon!”

“Grgh! Fine then! If I can't destroy them, then I’ll do this! I banish Apelio and Wen to perform a contact fusion!” Both aforementioned monsters broke apart into light particles before they spiraled and converged to a single point. “Beast of the forest, Tamer of the springs! Join together and call forth the duo of the skies!” Mystic clasped her hands together as the vortex lit up brightly. “Fusion summon!”

A pillar of light appeared as a winged figure spread its wings to reveal itself. It was a large bird that crackled electricity along its wings, tail and head. On its back was Ritual Beast Tamer Elder. “Descend! Ritual Beast Tamer Ulti-Cannahawk!”

(Ritual Beast Tamer Ulti-Cannahawk / Wind / Thunder / Fusion / Effect / Level 6 / ATK 1400 / DEF 1600).

“And since Kimunfalcos points to it, it gains another 600 points.”

(Ritual Beast Ulti-Cannahawk / ATK 1400 + 600 = 2000)

“I end my turn.” Mystic finished before turning it over to Sentinel. “Make your move.”

“Very well, I draw!” Sentinel added his second card to his hand. “I summon my third copy of Armatos Legios Scutum.” Another shield bearer statue appeared next to Speculata.

“Appear! Circuit that guides the light! I set Speculata and Link 2 Ordines in the Link Markers!” Ordines and Speculata turned into lights before lighting up the left, right, and bottom arrows of the gate. “Rally the forces and grasp victory! Shine on everything and create the path! Link Summon! Link 3, Armatos Legio Legatus Legionis!”

An armored figure on horseback charged through the portal. It’s form fully materialized before stopping in front of Sentinel. It was another gladiator. He wore minimal armor with greaves, shoulder pads, and a helmet. In his hands was a sword. His horse, however, was fully clad in white armor. The steed reared on its hind legs and whinnied.

(Armatos Legio Legatus Legionis / Light / Cyberse / Link / Effect / ATK 2400 / Link Arrows: Left, Right, Bottom / Link-3)

“I take it this is your new ace?” Mystic questioned.

“Maybe he is. But more on that later. Colosseum’s effect; I discard Armatos Legios Galea from my hand to summon the Scutum I used as material before.” The shield statue appeared in Legionis’s bottom marker.

“Appear once more! Circuit that guides the light! I set both Scutum in the Link Markers!” Both shield statues entered the portal and lit up the left and right arrows. “Charge forth! Link 2, Armatos Legio Centurion!” An armored figure ran out of the portal before it skidded to a stop. It was another warrior fully clad in silver armor. Its helmet had two golden horns and a green cape flowed from its back. It twirled its spear before pointing it at Mystic’s field.

(Armatos Legio Centurion / Light / Cyberse / Link / Effect / ATK 1700 / Link Arrows: Left, Right / Link-2)

“Enter Battle Phase! I attack Kimunfalcos with Legionis!” The mounted warrior charged at the armored bird.

“Activate trap!” Mystic declared and revealed her facedown. “Waboku! Now I take no battle damage and my monsters won’t be destroyed this turn!” A group of robe men appeared before Legionis before it could cut down Kimunfalcos. The warrior backpedaled before it returned to Sentinel’s field.

“I see...I end my turn then.” The Defender called out.

“Then it’s my move!” Mystic cheered as she drew. “I’ll start by playing my Pot of Desires!” Another card materialized on her field. The image depicted a literal, two-faced pot. One side was purple and encrusted with gems while the other was green and smiling. “With it, I banish the top ten cards of my deck face down to draw two cards!” The remaining cards of her deck were reduced by ten before she drew another pair.

“Pot of Desires...talk about a double edged sword.” Gemstone said.

“I agree. In exchange for a fraction of the deck, you draw for two. I can;t believe so many people run it in their decks.” Racer said.

“Whaddaya expect? Pot of Greed is banned and Pot of Extravagance is like a hundred bucks a pop! It’s the only card that gives duelists draw power for cheap!” Sprinkles argued. “Seriously! We need a reprint, Konami! Give it to us and stop reprinting cards no one wants! And stop the short prints too! There’s a limit to how greedy you can get!”

“....Who are you talking to? And what’s Konami?” Racer questioned.

“Nothing~!”

“Now I Normal summon another Elder!”

Elder appeared on the field next to Cannahawk. “And with his effect, I can normal summon again. Come on out Spiritual Beast Pettlephin!”

A pool of water manifested before a pink dolphin wearing silver armor jumped out onto the field.”

(Spiritual Beast Pettlephin / Wind / Aqua / Effect / Level 4 / ATK 0 / DEF 2000)

“Oh! It’s so cute!” Flutters squealed.

“And now I activate his effect!” Mystic declared. “Once per turn, I can banish a Ritual Beast card from my hand to return one card you control back to yours!”

“Say what?!” Sentinel was taken aback.

“You heard me! I banish a copy of Wen from my hand to return Legionis to your hand. Well, in this case he goes back to your extra deck.” Her last card dissipated from her hand before Pettlephin jumped into the air before splashing back to the ground. A wave of water was kicked up before swallowing the mounted gladiator. It broke apart before the particles flew to his Extra Deck.

“And with him out of the way, time to bring out the big guns! I use Elder, Pettlephin, and Cannanhawk for a contact fusion!” The three monsters broke down into particles before converging into a pillar of light.

“Almighty Beast of the world! Gather the forces of nature, and let no one stop you from crushing your foes! Fusion summon! Ritual Beast Ulti-Gaiapelio!”

The light dissipated as a massive, lion-like creature took its place. On its back was what appeared to be an island. Sprouting from either side of its body were ethereal wings. On its back was the Beast tamer Lara. It roared once it fully manifested.

(Ritual Beast Ulti-Gaiapelio / Light / Psychic / Fusion / Effect / Level 10 / ATK 3200 / DEF 2100).

The crowd went wild once the massive beast appeared.

“That’s the top monster of the Ritual Beast archetype.” Solaire said. “I faced it when I dueled Lyra before. Not only is it a powerhouse, it’s effect is nothing to sneeze at.”

“Oh my. What is it?” Flutters asked.

“We’ll soon see it in action.”

“I don’t believe it folks! Not only has Mystic removed one of Sentinel’s strongest monsters, but she also brought out her most powerful card! How will our Defender get past this?!”

“He can’t!” Mystic said confidently. “Especially since Kimunfalcos points to him!”

(Ritual Beast Ulti-Gaiapelio / ATK 3200 + 600 = 3800)

“Now Gaiapelio! Take down Centurion! Gaia Impact!” The lion roared before it stomped over to the warrior.

“I activate my trap card!” The armored duelist declared. His face down revealed itself. It depicted a number of Armatos Legios warriors carrying shields in a Phalanx formation. “Armatos Phalanx! As long as it is face up, once per turn, if an Armatos Legios monster would be attacked, the attack is negated and the attacking monster is destroyed and you take damage equal to half its attack points!”

“Nice counter...but too bad it falls short!” The mythical duelist smirked as her last card in her hand vanished. “Gaiapelio’s effect activates. During either of our turns, if you activate a spell, trap, or monster effect, I can banish one Ritual Beast monster to negate the activation and destroy it!”

Gaiapelio roared, dulling the once vibrant colors of Armatos Phalanx before it crumbled. Next, the massive Lion blasted a plume of fire that incinerated Centurion and burned Sentinel with damage. The armored duelist stood his ground as he shielded himself with his duel disk.

Sentinel LP: 4000 - 2100 = 1900

“Now I attack with Kimunfalcos! Gusto strike!” The bird flapped its wings and unleashed a blustery tornado that moved towards the Defender and swallowed him. He grunted as his life points took a dive.

Sentinel LP: 1900 - 1800 = 100

“And with that, I end my turn.” Mystic said. While she didn’t finish him off, she felt proud of herself for getting to this point. Just one more turn, and victory was hers!

“Inconceivable! It’s only been the fifth turn, but Mystic just flipped the tables onto our Defender! In a well executed strategy, she cleared his field and took out most of his life points! Can Sentinel stand strong and turn things around? Or will he finally fall?!”

“GOOOO Mystic! You can do it!” Sprinkles cheered while wearing foam fingers with Mystic’s face on them.

“You got this!” Sweetie Drops shouted.

“Then...it is my turn. I draw!” Sentinel took the next card from his deck.

“I suggest you throw it in, Sentinel. I pretty much cleared your board and you have no cards in hand. All I need to do next turn is finish things with Gaiapelio. No one’s gonna fault you for giving up now.” Mystic proclaimed with a confident smirk.

“Heh. Maybe if I was someone else. But I’m not one to give up that easily. Besides, last I checked, I have cards left to play...like this!” He raised his hand as Armatos Phalanx reappeared on his field.

“What?! But I destroyed that last turn!”

“You did. But because you did it with a monster effect, Phalanx’s second effect activates. During my next standby phase of when this card is destroyed, I can special summon as many Armatos Legio monsters from my graveyard to the field. However, their effects are negated and are destroyed during my end phase. Rise again, my loyal soldiers!”

Centurion, Gradius, Legiones, Speculata, and Scutum rematerialized before him. Unlike before, however, their armor is dulled.

“So this is it? One last stand? Even if you manage to Link Summon a monster, I doubt it will be enough to beat Gaiapelio.”

“We’ll see. Next I activate the one card in my hand, Legion Call!” He slapped the card on his duel disk. The card materialized and displayed an image of a troop of Decurions rallying to Legiones’ side. “This card lets me excavate cards from my deck equal to the number of Armatos Legio monsters I have on the field. If there are any of said monsters in the cards I excavated, I add them to my hand while the rest get shuffled back to the deck.”

“Now you’re basing your turnaround on a gamble?” Mystic asked with disbelief. Was he really resorting to this?”

“Hey, it worked for many duelists. As for me...I feel like the goddess of victory is on my side! Draw!” Sentinel removed the top five cards of his deck and revealed them.

Three of them were Armatos Legio Speculata, Galea, and Sica. The other two were Mirror Force and Armatos Colosseum. “I got three monsters, so I add them to my hand and shuffle the other two.

“Appear again! Circuit that guides the light! I set Scutum in the Link Markers!” Scutum spiraled into a glowing twister before entering the gate, lighting up the bottom arrow of the gate. “Armatos Legio Decurion.” The armored Link 1 charged to the field.

“Now I Link summon again! Circuit that guides the light! I set Legiones, Centurion, and Gradius in the Link Markers!” The three monsters turned into lights before lighting up the left, right, top, and bottom arrows of the gate.

“He’s seriously summoning a Link 4?”

“Given what he has on the field, I suppose it was obvious.”

“The summoning conditions are three Armatos Legio monsters.” Sentinel chanted. “Appear! The commander that charges on the chaotic network battlefield! Link Summon! Link 4! Armatos Legio Magnus Dux!”

The gate glowed brightly before a massive figure shot out. Once the light faded, it was revealed to be a white war elephant plated in golden armor. On its back was an armor clad, roman general seated atop a throne. On the beast’s back were two cannons. In sheer size, it rivaled Gaiapelio.

(Armatos Legio Magnus Dux/ Light / Cyberse / Link / Effect / ATK 3000 / Link Arrows: Left, Right, Top, Bottom / Link-4)

The newly summoned monster stomped its feet and roared. It’s cry was loud, forcing those too close to the ring to cover their ears.

“Wowzers! It’s starting to be a clash of the titans now!” Sprinkles exclaimed.

“I’m not done yet!” The champion declared. “Now I normal summon Armatos Legio Sica!” Another Roman warrior statue appeared next to Magnus Dux’s left Link marker. In its hands was a dagger. “And by discarding Galea, I special summon Speculata!” The running statue appeared again.

“Appear once more, circuit that guides the light!” The gate shimmered into existence again. “I set Speculata and Scutum to the Link Arrows!” The statues flew into the gate, lighting up the left and right arrows! “Charge! Link 2, Armatos Legio Centurion!”

The spear wielding warrior stopped its charge next to the Link 4’s right marker. “Now, with my forces assembled, Magnus Dux’s effect activates!”

The Elephant reared onto its hind legs before stomping the ground. The tremors shook the stadium. The shockwaves struck the two monsters on Mystic’s field.

“Wh-what’s happening?!”

“Magnus Dux’s effect! Once while this card is face up on the field, I can target cards on the field and/or graveyard equal to the number of monsters co-linked to this card and bounce them back to the hand.”

“What?! But, that means!” Mystic stammered, realizing how many were now co-linked with the Elephant rider.

“That’s right! Magnus Dux, force Kimunfalcos and Gaiapelio off the field! Earth Shaker!” The shockwaves intensified as both Ritual Beasts dissipated into particles, returning to the duelist’s extra deck. Now Mystic was wide open. No spells or traps. No monsters. Not a single card in hand. “No...no way!”

“You fought well.” Sentinel complimented her. “Had I not drawn Legion Call, I probably would not have gotten this far. But now, it’s time to end this! Centurion! Magnus Dux! Attack her directly!”

Centurion led the charge and slashed Mystic with his spear.

Mystic LP: 4000 - 1700 = 2300

Magnus Dux stood back and aimed its cannons. Once they were aligned, lasers shot out of the barrels and impacted the ground in front of the female duelist. She shielded herself as the dust kicked up.

Mystic LP: 2300 - 3000 = 0

Sentinel: WINNER!

Mystic: LOSER!

“And there you have it folks! The winner, making a stalwart comeback, is Sentinel!” The crowd roared in cheers. Despite the virtual nature of the stadium, the girls could feel it shake from the patrons jumping and stomping excitedly.

“Ah can’t believe it. He didn’t just beat Lyra, he really stomped her down with that one turn!” Orchards voiced.

“Stomped? More like a full on beat down. He broke her defenses and crushed her in a single comeback.” Racer added.

“He truly turned it around with that card he drew.” Gemstone agreed.

“Maybe. But I feel like even if he hadn’t, he still would’ve found a way to win…” Solaire informed. Her eyes were locked onto the field, the roman colosseum dissipating.

The winner walked over to the defeated duelist on the ground. Once he stood before her, he offered his hand. Smiling gratefully, Mystic accepted the help and stood up. “That was a good match.” The Defender complimented. “If you had one more Ritual Beast card in your hand, you could’ve stopped my entire play.”

“Yeah. Guess that means I’ll just have to try harder next time. Just wait, Sentinel, you’re going down!” The female duelist declared with a grin.

“We’ll see. I’ll be waiting. Until next time.” The duelist nodded before he turned and walked away. After the clamor had died down, the audience members slowly trickled out of the stadium. Once the number one duelist of Link Vrains was out of sight, he logged out.

Inside a darkened bedroom, a single figure sat up from the bed. Flash Sentry rubbed his eyes and stretched. “Whew...that was an intense match...Lyra definitely didn’t hold back.”

“While I can definitely say she did duel with the full extent of her ability, I can’t quite say the same for you.” A new voice rang out. The musician frowned as he lowered his arm to stare at his duel disk. A small figure rose from the circular screen. It was a yellow and gold humanoid that was only a few inches tall. Based on the slender physique and masculine voice, he was presumed to be male. His head was oval in shape with two spikes jutting from his head, one at the bottom pointed to his right while the other pointed to his left on the top, resembling the letter S. His eyes were diamond shaped and glowed yellow.

“During your duel, I noticed that you left quite a few openings. During your second turn, you could’ve easily Link Summoned into Magnus Dux and returned her link monster or set card to her hand.”

“Sorry. I’m still trying to get a hang of this deck. I’m just not used to so many link tactics. You know I’m better with fusions.”

“I suppose that’s understandable. At least I was able to acquire sufficient data from your match. I still need to work further on the Armatos legios. They are still far too incomplete.”

“Was that why you insisted on having me use them for tonight’s match, even when I could’ve used my Hero deck? They seem pretty strong to me.”

“I apologize, Sentry. But based on what I’ve seen, there were just too many openings within the Armatos Legios that can be exploited. They may rely on link climbing and unity, but outside of Magna Dux, they lack a means to deal significant damage to secure victory. Not to mention that they expend resources too quickly to build up the field. There is always room for improvement. Eventually, the Armatos Legios will be the perfect archetype. I just need to figure out the cornerstone.”

“You and your perfectionist ways. You do realize you kinda come off as a bit too controlling, right?” Flash replied.

“Call it what you will. I just want to account for all variables and pursue the best possibility.” the AI crossed his arms.

“Sure. Whatever you say, Lightning.”

“Still...I hope the appearance of my designed archetype was a sufficient enough message for the others.”

“To your friends, right? The ones you got separated from?”

“Indeed. I don’t know where they are currently. We got separated after we locked down the Cyberse. I’m still working on locating them, but this duel will hopefully catch their attention.”

“And catch the attention of the ones that are after you, you know.” The musician replied with a half-lidded glare.

“I’m not too worried.” Lightning waved off his concerns. “Your skills are top notch. I’d expect no less from my partner.”

To Be Continued...

Next time...

Chapter 2: Ai have Arrived!

Author's Note

This is my first time ever making a Yu-Gi-Oh! story. I never realized how much time and work are spent on writing the duels. To the authors mentioned within the title, and the writers of the show, you have my deep respect for all of your hard work. I hope to improve as time goes on as well.

I realize that not everyone likes Link Monsters and/or Vrains because of either the new format or how the show seemed inconsistent at times. Personally, I enjoyed Yu-Gi-Oh! Vrains. It helped me get back into the game and after reading so many other Yu-Gi-Oh! fics like the ones previously mentioned, I was inspired to make one.

As for those familiar with Vrains and know Lightning...let me just say...this is a different Lightning. He and the other Ignis AI will be slightly different in the story due to their different origin story. More details will be revealed later on. Rest assured, this Lightning is not the villain we all know and hate.

Original Cards:

Armatos Phalanx.

Continuous Trap.

Once per turn, if an Armatos Legios monster would be attacked, the attack is negated and the attacking monster is destroyed. Inflict damage to an opponent equal to half of the destroyed monster’s attack points. If this face up card is destroyed by the result of a monster effect, during your next standby phase, special summon as many Armatos Legios monsters as you can from your graveyard. But their effects are negated and are destroyed during the end phase of your next turn.

Legion Call

Normal Spell

Excavate a number of cards from the top of your deck equal to the number of "Armatos Legio" monsters you control. Add any excavated "Armatos Legio" monsters to your hand and shuffle all other cards excavated by this effect into your deck. During the End Phase, banish all cards in your hand. You can only activate 1 "Legion Call" per turn.

Special thanks to Donjusticia for their help with creating Legion Call

Chapter 2: Ai Have Arrived!

You Lose.

The words blinked over and over in front of the dejected girl’s eyes. She removed the virtual reality helmet from her head. She was frustrated and resigned. She had just had a simulated match against the school’s Duel AI at its Intermediate Level, and she just lost...for the third time in a row.

The girl, Twilight Sparkle sighed and cleaned her glasses. She had no idea why Crystal Prep emphasized on student duel skills and records. It was school. Why didn’t they focus on scholastics and athletics? Why put so much effort into a simple card game?

She didn’t understand it. Why did the school curriculum change to include such an emphasized focus on this? Sure the game is popular, but was that good enough reason to disrupt everything she had come to learn about school?

And because of these changes, her grade in her new Duel Monsters Application class was in jeopardy. Her GPA was in danger because of these stupid changes! If she can;t raise her score by beating the simulators at higher difficulty, factoring her lackluster Win/Loss record, she could end up failing!

“...can this get any worse?”

“Will Twilight Sparkle please come up to the Principal’s Office? I repeat, will Twilight Sparkle come up to the Principal’s office?” The voice spoke over the announcement.

“...that’s what I get for tempting fate.” With a sigh, Twilight packed up her cards from the simulator and exited the room. She walked down the hall with her head lowered, not wanting to make eye contact with anyone at the moment.

As she walked, she didn’t notice a student with tanned skin and white hair turning his head. His icy blue eyes lift a brow at her retreating form in confusion.

Twilight Sparkle stood with trepidation in front of the Principal’s office. Hesitantly, she rapped on the door twice.

“Come in.” The crisp tone of the Principal spoke.” Gulping, Twilight entered the dimly lit room. Seated at the desk was a middle aged woman with pale skin and glasses. Her purple hair was tied up into a tight bun. Her demeanor was serious and gave her the chills.

“Have a seat, Ms. Sparkle.” She ordered curtly. Twilight sat in front of her. “I don;t believe I have to explain to you why you’re here?”

“Is it because of my scores in Duel Monsters Applications?” She visibly winced.

“Correct. Ms. Sparkle, I understand your...reluctance in regards to the changes of our curriculum. But please understand that Duel Monsters has become so widespread and a prevalent part of our society that it is now being treated as professional competition.” Cinch explained. “As such, we also need to adapt to these changes and ensure that we are the best that we can be. We do have a reputation to uphold.”

“Yes, Ms. Cinch.” She could only nod in dismay. Cinch was dead set on this stance.

“Now I expect you to improve your duel scores to an acceptable level by the time the Friendship Games start, or I may have to reconsider your recommendation to Everton.”

“Wh-what?!” The girl snapped to attention. “But Ms. Cinch, why?”

“Why, it’s to be expected. Failing in your Duel Monsters Application Course would drastically lower your GPA. As a result, your qualifications would reduce as well. I cannot accept a student of ours to go through with their application to Everton if said qualifications fall for any reason. Do I make myself clear?”

“Y-yes ma’am…” She answered with dejection.

“Very well. You’re dismissed.” The woman returned to fill out paperwork, prompting Twilight to leave. As she closed the door, her face was set in sheer anxiety and misery. She slid down the wall after turning the corner. “...what am I going to do…?”

Meanwhile...

Deep within the realm of Cyberspace, Link Vrains is bustling with various duelists and/or users. The digital realm was much more fantastical than the real world, as there were streams of data that decorated the sky for people to ride or duel on, floating buildings, and advanced structures that seemed to come from a sci-fi movie. It was a realm that anyone could make what they wished or be who they wanted to be. To those who wanted an escape from reality, it was simply paradise.

Further within the marvel that is Link Vrains, a single entity seemed to be gliding across the ground beneath a stream of data.

“Ahhh~! What another beautiful day in the virtual world.” The strange being hummed happily. At first, glance, it seemed to be no more than a glowing purple eye.The eye closed as it basked in the quiet atmosphere. But it all came to an abrupt end when a loud roar cut through the air and shook it. “H-Hey! What’s the big ideaaaaaAAAAAGGGHHHH!!!!”

The disturber was a Duel Monster, a massive one. It was a giant mechanical dragon made out of diamond-shaped segments and green lights along its body. The eyeball recognized it immediately. It belonged to the group trying to catch him.

“C-Cracking Dragon?! Yipes!” The Eye immediately fled further into the network, not recognizing the threats that were present alongside the dragon in the form of three avatars of similar appearance. They each wore white, hooded clothes with metal masks.

One of them, presumably the leader, sat atop Cracking Dragon while the other two people with him rode on D-Boards. “Spread out! It’s gotta be here somewhere!” The leader of the group said before the group of three split off to cover more ground.

Later...

Twilight Sparkle sighed as she sat at the living room table. School had ended an hour ago, and she had already finished her homework. Both disheartened by what happened earlier and bored, she took out her deck and decided to go through it. She just didn’t know why she kept losing to the simulators. She thought this type of deck was powerful based on the recipes she’s seen online. She constructed it to make up for her lack of practical skills. But it didn’t seem to help. She studied her cards' effects and tried to play the optimal strategies she had with what she drew at the time. Yet it doesn’t seem to be enough.

She picked up the ace card of her deck. Endymion, the Mighty Master of Magic. She wondered if she made the wrong deck choice. The Endymion deck was known for its complex effects and strategies. But it also ate up cards in her hand early on to set up her field. All it took was a disrupter or board clearer card used at the right time and she was a sitting duck.

“I’m home!” Her brother called out as he entered the room. “Hey Twily. What’s up?”

“Hi Shiny.” Twilight greeted back. “Just...trying to organize my deck a bit.”

“I see. I take it you had bad luck with the simulators at school again?” She had explained to him about the curriculum change a while ago. While he was confused about it, he was somewhat envious that Duel Monsters was a part of a school work. He wished he had that when he was in school.

“...yeah…” She sighed dejectedly. “I just don’t know what I’m doing wrong! I can’t even get past the intermediate levels of the simulators!” She thumped her head on the table. “Now my GPA is in danger of dropping and I could lose my Everton recommendation.”

Shining Armor frowned. He wished he could help his sister out. But she only got into the game recently, and barely has time to help due to his work. Suddenly, he got an idea. “Say Twily, why not have a few duels online in Link Vrains?”

“Link Vrains?” She turned her head to face her brother. “Why would I do that? Who knows what sort of crazies are out there on the Internet?”

“While that may be true, Link Vrains has security patrolling at regular intervals to prevent cyber criminals from running amok. Plus, there are practice centers for duelists to use. They have duel quizzes to help critical thinking and strategy, and there are other duelists to test your skill against.” He explained.

“So I can just lose again and again, great.” She murmured sarcastically.

“Twilight, I know you’ve been through a rough patch in dueling, but it won’t stay that way forever.”

“Easy for you to say. You’re actually great at dueling. I just suck.”

“Hey now. I wasn’t always this good. It just takes practice and learning. It took a while, but I finally reached the skill I’m at today.” He reasoned. “Just please try it out at least. Who knows? Maybe something good will happen.”

Twilight weighed the prospects in her mind. On one hand, she’d be susceptible to further losses in a different place while she could get the same results at school. On the other hand, maybe the change in location can bring about a change of pace. Who knows? Maybe she can learn a few things as a lot of the students refuse to duel with her due to her low scores. They would rather duel stronger opponents to hone their skill. After much debate, she made a decision.

“...alright. I’ll try it at least.”

“Great. Let’s get an account set up for you.”

After she and her brother set up her account, Twilight decided to spend an hour in Vrains to at least get used to it before dinner while Shining took care of leftover work documents. She laid on her bed with her glasses by her bedside.

“Alright, here goes. Deck set. Into the Vrains.” Twilight announced. The access code took immediate effect as he consciousness slipped away into the virtual world.

Once she opened her eyes again, she found herself in a plaza of some sort. She heard rumors of Link Vrains, but she was genuinely impressed by how...real everything looked. She looked over the attire of her chosen avatar. She was dressed in a sleeveless maroon bodysuit with a hooded black jacket over it. She had a pair of goggles wrapped around her eyes to replace her glasses. Fortunately, Link Vrains had the option of inputting an eyesight prescription for those who needed glasses or contacts, so she was able to see just fine. She also had a pair of boots that went up to her knees and her hair was more akin to a night sky littered with stars than simply midnight blue with a magenta streak. It was also tied up in a ponytail.

She patted herself down, making sure everything made it through. She noted how her sense of sight, touch, and hearing worked, so nothing was amiss. “Okay...so far so good. Now for movement.” She tentatively lifted her right leg then brought it forward. Her first step in virtual reality...successful.

“Alright!” Twilight, or rather Nebula, smiled, satisfied by her performance. Now, to the duel practice center. She looked around, but saw no indication of where it might be. Not even a sign. She thought about asking directions. However…

“AAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!” Screams of terror snapped her out of her thinking process. She turned around to see a massive crowd of people screaming and fleeing in terror. She was woefully unprepared and was tossed around by the crowd as they rushed past her. After getting her bearings back, she grabbed another person and asked.

“Wh-what’s going on? What’s everyone running from?!”

“It’s the Knights of Hanoi! They’re attacking! Run!” The avatar she grabbed then dashed off somewhere. Her grip had slackened as terror filled her being.

The Knights of Hanoi. A name she was familiar with. How could it not be? They were practically all over the news pertaining to Link Vrains. They were a group of hackers that were essentially cyber terrorists. They would attack and forcibly duel other people in their search for something called the Cyberse and Ignis, whatever those were. When they defeat them in a duel, they would delete the victim’s account. Their attacks were not focused on duels alone. Sometimes, using the free nature of the virtual plane, they summoned duel monsters and somehow gave them the ability to attack and cause lasting damage in Vrains.

How? She had no idea. But she did not want to stay and find out. She was about to follow the fleeing masses, but something wrapped around her wrist and stopped her. Her eyes snapped to her right wrist, taking note of the red band of energy around it. She followed the band’s length to see it connected to the hand of a Knights of Hanoi member, evident by his mask and cloak.

Now fearing for her life, Twilight opened up her menu and tried to log herself out. The issue? The logout button was grayed, and no matter how many times she pressed it, nothing happened. She was hyperventilating at this point.

“You’re not going anywhere.” The man answered. “With that data anchor I used, you’re not logging out or escaping unless we duel. But should you lose, your account will be mine.”

Twilight felt her heart beat rapidly. If she lost, her account and her info will be stolen? That was terrifying! She didn’t even have a choice in the matter. She had to duel.

“Wh-why? Why are you attacking me? I never did anything to you!” She exclaimed, hoping to buy time for security to reach her.

“That’s true. Honestly, I would’ve just ignored you, but you have something we Knights want based on the data signature we traced back to you. You’re affiliated with the Cyberse and Ignis, aren’t you?”

“C-Cyberse? Ignis? I have no idea what you’re talking about!” She yelled in honesty.

“You say that...but the signals are as clear as day. Guess I’ll have to beat the answer out of you through a duel.” He pressed a button on his duel disk, and hers forcibly accepted a duel from him.

She had hoped to get away or buy some time for help to arrive, but now it seemed she had no other choice but to duel...something she was bad at! Still, if it is her only chance to survive...she had to do it.

“...alright, fine!” Begrudgingly, she drew five cards.

“Duel!”

Nebula LP: 4000

KoH(Knight of Hanoi) LP: 4000

“I’ll start things off!” The Knight of Hanoi selected a card and played it. “I play Double Summon!” On the field appeared a spell card that depicted a spellcaster and a beast surrounded by lightning. “This let’s me perform two normal summons instead of one for the turn. I’ll use my first summon for Double Coston!”

He slapped another card to the board. On his field appeared a ghost-like entity consisting of two identical beings.

(Double Coston / DARK / Zombie / Effect / Level 4 / ATK 1700 / DEF 1650)

“This little guy counts as two tributes for a Dark monster.” The Knight informed. “Which is what I’ll do for my next summon. I release Double Coston.”

The monster split into two glowing balls of light before rising and combining higher in the air. “Strike down your foes and instill in them terror. I summon Cracking Dragon!”

The light expanded and changed shape. When it faded, a dragon-like creature was in its place. It appeared to have been made out of diamond-like segments and green lights. The mechanical dragonoid let out an earth shaking roar.

(Cracking Dragon / DARK / Machine / Effect / Level 8 / ATK 3000 / DEF 0)

“A monster like that...already?!” Twilight backpedaled in shock.

“Don’t be too surprised. Things will only get worse for you from here.” The Knight said. “Now I place one card face down and end my turn.”

Her opponent only had one card left in hand, but now he had a strong monster and a face down on the field. She didn’t know if the card was a bluff or a counter for what she had in hand. Nonetheless, she had to keep going.

“Alright, it’s my turn. I draw.” Her hand size increased to six before she selected a card. “I play the field spell, Magical Citadel of Endymion!” She slapped the card onto her duel disk. The area around them turned into a wall-enclosed city littered with towers. At the center of it was a tower above all others glowing with magic power.

“Next, I’ll summon Magical Exemplar in attack mode!” On her field emerged a young priestess with long, black hair and green robes.

(Magical Exemplar / LV 4 / Earth / Spellcaster / Effect / Level 4 / ATK 1700 / DEF 1400)

But as soon as she appeared, Cracking Dragon shot a beam of energy at her, causing the spellcaster to cry out in pain while energy bolts flew and impacted Nebula as well.

(Magical Exemplar / ATK 1700 - 800 = 900)

Nebula LP: 4000 - 800 = 3200

“Gyagh! H-Huh? How did...my life points…?”

“It’s because of Cracking Dragon’s ability.” The Knight said smugly. “Whenever you summon one monster at a time, that monster loses attack points equal to its level times 200. And you take damage equal to the loss.”

“So that’s what it’s capable of…” She murmured. Truly a dangerous effect. She considered her next move carefully. If she played this wrong, she’d lose much more lifepoints. So for now, she’d play defensively. “For now, I’ll set my Scale 2 Reflection of Endymion and Scale 8 Magister of Endymion in the Pendulum Scale.”

Two spell casters appeared in pillars of light on either side of Twilight. The one on the left was a male figure in green robes. The one on the right was a blonde woman in white robes with green orbs and markings decorating the outfit.

(Reflection of Endymion / Light / Spellcaster / Pendulum-Effect / Level 7 / ATK 1850 / DEF 2700 / Scale 2)

(Magister of Endymion / Earth / Spellcaster / Pendulum-Effect / Level 3 / ATK 1500 / DEF 900 / Scale 8)

“A Pendulum deck? Don’t see a lot of those anymore. Interesting.” The Knight mused. Ever since the advent of Master Rule 4, Pendulum decks were hit the hardest as the Pendulum Scale was integrated in the main Spell and Trap Zones instead of separate ones. And unless you had a Link Monster with multiple arrows, you could only special summon one Pendulum Monster from your Extra Deck to the Extra Monster Zone at a time. In short, the ‘immortality’ of Pendulums was significantly reduced.

“I activate the Spell card, Spell Power Grasp!” Another card appeared. This one depicted a magician cloaked in black raising a scepter imbued with power. “With this, I target my Citadel and place a Spell Counter on it. After that, I can add one Spell Power Grasp from my deck to my hand.” She pulled another card from her deck. “And since a Spell was played and now resolved, all of my cards get a Spell counter while Exemplar gains two.”

(Magical Exemplar / SC: 2)

(Reflection of Endymion / SC: 1)

(Magister of Endymion / SC: 1)

(Magical Citadel of Endymion / SC: 2)

“Finally, I set a card face down. My turn ends.”

“Then it’s my turn. Draw.” The hacker drew his next card. He hummed, not finding any use for what he drew but shrugged. I’ll summon my Jack Wyvern.” Another monster appeared next to Cracking Dragon. It was significantly smaller, about half the size, but similar in design.

(Jack Wyvern / DARK / Machine / Effect / Level 4 / ATK 1800 / DEF 0)

“Battle! Jack Wyvern, attack and wipe out her Magical Exemplar!” The smaller dragonoid unleashed a green laser that cut through the spellcaster with ease, shattering her into fragments before pelting Nebula with them.

Nebula LP: 3200 - 900 = 2300

“Guh. With Exemplar destroyed, her Spell Counters transfer over to my Citadel.”

(Magical Citadel of Endymion / SC: 4)

“Doesn’t matter now that the game is over. Cracking Dragon, wipe her out! Traffic Blast” The massive Dragon charged a beam of energy before shooting it from its maw.

“I activate my trap card, Defense Draw!” Her facedown revealed itself. It depicted a duelist surrounded by a barrier. “With it, I can negate one instance of battle damage at zero and draw a card.” She pulled out the top card of her deck.

“So you survived…” The hacker sneered. “No matter. You’re only delaying the inevitable. I end my turn.”

“Then it’s my turn. Draw!” Nebula added another card to her hand.

“I’ll activate my second Spell Power Grasp and add its Spell Counter to my Citadel, and add another copy to my hand. Now that it resolves, all my cards get another counter.”

(Reflection of Endymion / SC: 2)

(Magister of Endymion / SC: 2)

(Magical Citadel of Endymion / SC: 5)

“Next I set a monster, and then I’ll set a card.” Nebula placed two cards on her board, leaving a lone Spell Power Grasp in her hand. “My turn is over.”

“Back to me again, I draw!” The hacker added another card to him, giving him a total of three. “First I’ll summon a second Jack Wyvern to the field.” Another one appeared next to the first. “Then I play the Equip Spell Fairy Meteor Crush onto Cracking Dragon.”

The Dragon roared as the image of a falling meteor phased into its body. “Now he can do piercing damage.”

“But since your spell resolves, my cards gain more counters.”

(Reflection of Endymion / SC: 3)

(Magister of Endymion / SC: 3)

(Magical Citadel of Endymion / SC: 6)

“Doesn’t matter, because it’s over! Cracking Dragon, Traffic Field!” Cracking Dragon fired an energy blast at the face down monster. The monster flipped itself up, revealing to be Marshmallon, a marshmallow-like monster with an upside down smile on its head with its eyes right below it.

(Marshmallon / Light / Fairy / Effect / Level 3 / ATK 300 / DEF 500)

The energy beam struck through the marshmallow’s body and impacted Nebula, causing her to scream. “Haha! Game over! Now your account’s mine!”

“I-It’s not over yet!” She yelled. The smoke soon cleared, revealing her avatar unharmed and her life points untouched and her monster intact.

Nebula LP: 2300

“What? Why haven’t you taken damage?!” He snapped angrily.

“It’s because of my trap card, Impenetrable Attack!” Her revealed trap showed a heroine blocking a stream of flame to protect another hero behind her. “It has two effects, and I chose the second one; I take no battle damage during this battle phase. And because Marshmallon got flipped face up, it deals you 1000 points of damage.” The marshmallow opened its mouth and shot a bolt of electricity at the Knight.

KoH LP: 4000- 1000 = 3000

“Furthermore, Marshmallon can’t be destroyed by battle. So you’re other monsters won’t be able to do anything.” Nebula declared.

“Tch. I end my battle phase. But now I’ll play Burden of the Mighty to reduce your monsters’ attack even further; by 100 times its level.” The next card he played was a continuous spell depicting a birds’ nest made within a helmet and a hand gingerly reaching toward it. “And I’ll end my turn with that.”

(Marshmallon / ATK 300 - 300 = 0)

She was confused. Why would he play that if her monster was in defense mode? Something was fishy.

“My turn, draw.”

“I activate my trap card, Battle Mania!” During her standby phase, the Knight revealed the face down card he set on his first turn. It revealed a trio of students covered in energy as they faced off against a long-haired martial artist.

“Oh no!” Nebula paled.

“That’s right! Now all of your monsters are shifted to attack position, and must fight my monsters during the battle phase! So whatever you try to summon, it won’t be enough to take out my monsters, and you’ll lose!”

Nebula felt her arms tremble. The situation was turning bleaker with each passing turn. She needed a miracle or something! She looked at her drawn card and despaired. It was Cup of Ace. Just a gamble card. If she had drawn something like Endymion, Master magician instead, she could turn the duel around in her favor. But now she had nothing left. She was done for. It was the same type of helplessness she felt earlier at school...

Earlier…

Twilight Sparkle just sat there, slumped up against the wall. She had not moved from her spot for several minutes. She had still been trying to process the ultimatum Abacus Cinch gave her. Increase her duel score or lose her recommendation? Just how was she supposed to do that? The Friendship Games were about a month away! How was she going to boost her score high enough to satisfy Cinch's expectations if she wasn't even good at dueling?!

"Hey." A voice interrupted her downward spiral. "Are you alright? You haven't moved from that spot for some time."

Twilight looked up at the speaker. He was a student her age with tanned skin. His hair was white with blue highlights. His eyes were also an icy chase of blue. He was about a few inches taller than her, and wore his uniform with the sleeves rolled up. Around his shoulder was a filled bookbag while he closed his locker door.

"Uh...who are you?" She asked, not recognizing him in the slightest.

"My name is Varis Rifle. I'm in the same Duel Monsters Application course as you." He answered bluntly.

"Oh...you are?" Twilight didn't recognize him. Then again, she didn't pay much attention to her classmates' faces in a class she wasn't too crazy about.

"Yeah. And are you doing okay? You've been sitting there for a while." He frowned in concern.

"Y-yeah. I'm fine. Don't worry about it." She didn't know why he was concerned about her. Maybe he pitied her or something? Her thoughts were interrupted as Sol sat down next to her.

"I get the feeling that's not the whole truth." He shook his head. "Let me guess...it had something to do with your talk with Cinch?"

"How did you…?"

"You may not recognize me, but I see you around in class. So when the announcement came, I put two and two together." He then spoke in a whisper. "Given how our principal is...I don't blame you for being upset."

Twilight had to fight to keep a smile from gracing her lips. She wouldn't deny that last part. But she quickly returned to the matter at hand. "Why are you even talking with me about this?"

"You just looked like you were having some trouble. Thought I'd try and help." He shrugged.

"Why? We're not even friends. We barely know each other." She retorted.

"Maybe. But I can't really turn away from someone who was depressed for like you. Wanna talk about it?"

"Why?"

"I learned from my father that sometimes talking about it can help. It gets that weight off your chest. I won't talk. Just listen, alright?"

Reluctantly, she explained what happened in the office. She could have sworn Varis' eyes grew intense for a second.

"So the issue was that you have to bring your DMA scores up to keep your Everton recommendation?"

"Pretty much. And it's pretty much impossible for me since I can't even get past the second level on the simulator!" She hung her head.

"Don't you think it's a bit too soon to give up?"

"You don't know what you're talking about."

"Maybe not. But it seems you worked hard to get into Everton. But now you're just going to let everything you worked so hard towards fall apart? Just like that?" Varis questioned.

"What can I do? I can't improve my duel scores! No matter how hard I try, or how much effort I put it, it's never enough!" Twilight snapped emotionally. His words hurt. He had no idea how much she tried, studied, or practiced through duel quizzes to improve herself. "Every time, it's either I play the wrong thing at the wrong time, or I never draw what I need! It's all just luck that determines whether you win or lose!"

"...Well, I won't deny that luck is a factor. However, it's not the only one. It also comes down to experience, skill, and strategy. Drawing what you need is only part of it, the rest is knowing how to play what you have to turn the duel in your favor. Sure it may be fine to give up. But when your back is against the wall and you can't risk defeat, is resignation even an option? No, it's not. No matter what, you need to gather up all your might and skill to break through that wall. So when things may seem bleak, always think of three things."

"Three things?" She asked.

"Three. Think of Three Things. Three things to live. Three things to go home. Three things to defeat the enemy. By thinking, you can still live." He told her.

"...Do you always say such dramatic, yet inspiring stuff?" Twilight questioned after processing his words. Despite her initial confusion, she felt a bit better from hearing them nonetheless.

"Actually, I just quoted from my father. He was the one who taught me it." Varis spoke before he got back up. "In the end, it's all up to you to take that first step. By the way, here." He pulled out his deck box and handed her three cards. "I saw your duels in the simulator. Thought these could help you out, especially with that deck of yours."

"But, I can't take them." She shook her head, but Varis just pressed it into her hand.

"These will serve you better than me. I pulled them from a set a while back, but haven't been able to use them. Maybe they'll work for you better." The girl then got a good look at the cards in her hand. Her eyes widened so much that almost rolled out of her sockets.

"Th-this is…!" She stammered. But before she could get her retorts out, he was already near the end of the hall.

"I gotta go...see ya around." With a wave goodbye, he turned the corner.

"W-wait!" She quickly chased after him. She couldn't accept them. Not cards this rare and valuable! But when she turned the corner, he was already gone.

'...why am I recalling this now?' Nebula thought. Although she did admit it was something she needed. How could she give up now of all times? Especially since her internet safety and identity were on the line. If there was any time to take a risk, no matter how ludicrous it may be, now was the time!

"I play Cup of Ace!" The next card on her field was one of a gold chalice. "With this, I flip a coin. If it's heads, I draw two cards. If it's tails, you draw two."

"...Really? That's the best you can do now? A gamble? You're seriously willing to risk it all on a single coin toss? You do realize that there's a 50/50 chance of it benefitting me instead." The Knight goaded.

"At this point...I have nothing left to lose. Because I have three things riding on this duel!" Nebula raised a finger one by one. "One: my account information and security are on the line. Two: This is the first serious duel I have been in in a long time, and I just can't give up here. And three: I really want to win and wipe that smug grin off your face!" She pressed a button on her duel disk, and a digital coin appeared in front of her. It flipped over and over. Her heart thundered against her chest from the suspense. Finally, the coin stopped and landed….on heads!

(Reflection of Endymion / SC: 4)

(Magister of Endymion / SC: 4)

(Magical Citadel of Endymion / SC: 7)

“Tch. Lucky toss. But two cards won’t help you here.”

She frowned. He might be right. It might not be enough. But even so, she needed to turn this duel around. She looked to her deck for help. Her next draw would decide the outcome. “I draw!”

She pulled the top two cards off her deck. Her eyes widened upon what it was. It was one of the cards Varis gave her.

Earlier…

While at school, Twilight had placed the gifts Varis Rifle gave her in her deck box, having no other means of storing them safely and securely until she came home. Due to her lack of drive for Duel Monsters, she hadn’t invested in many containers or binders for her cards. The most she has are a couple of deck boxes from her structure decks she purchased and the hand me downs Shining Armor gave her.

When she finished her account and got her deck ready for Link Vrains, he debated about keeping them in her main deck. They weren’t hers. She didn’t feel like she deserved them.

She pursued through her deck until she found the cards in question. “Next time I see him, I’ll be sure to give them back to him.” She nodded. But before she could set them aside, at her feet, a purple and green puppy nudged her leg for attention.

“Hm? What is it, Spike?” She set her deck down and tended to her pet. It wasn;t until later, after feeding him, that she had forgotten about setting the cards aside.

“So I did add it in after all…” She murmured. While she was reluctant to use cards that didn’t rightfully belong to her, she needed the edge to win this duel. And this was the ticket to victory. “Alright Nebula...let’s do this!”

“Are you done talking to yourself? Or has the prospect of defeat made you lose your mind?” The Knight mocked.

“I’m perfectly sane. And I just drew what I needed!” She retorted. “From my Pendulum Zone, I activate the effect of my Reflection of Endymion!”

The white robed spellcaster raised her staff as three lights rose from the head. “By removing three Spell Counters, I can special summon her from my Pendulum Zone, and a monster I can place Spell Counters on from my hand!”

(Reflection of Endymion / SC: 1)

“So with that, I special summon from my hand, Mythical Beast Master Cerberus!” Along with the spellcaster, another monster appeared. It was a humanoid beast-like creature with flowing blue fur. It wore purple pants with black armor plating and a purple cape. In its left hand was a blue scepter that had a beast head-shaped ornament. The monster roared loudly.

(Mythical Beast Master Cerberus / Light / Spellcaster / Pendulum-Effect / Level 8 / ATK 2800 / DEF 2800)

“Grr...even if you summoned a strong monster, Burden of the Mighty weakens them!”

(Reflection of Endymion / ATK: 1850 - 700 = 1150)

(Mythical Beast Master Cerberus / ATK: 2800 - 800 = 2000)

“Maybe so. But thanks to Reflection’s effect, both of them gain a Spell Counter.”

(Reflection of Endymion / SC: 2)

(Mythical Beast Master Cerberus / SC: 1)

“Like that will do you any good, since they’re still too weak to beat my Cracking Dragon. Thanks to its ability, it can’t be destroyed by battle by monsters with a level less than or equal to it. And even if you still attack, your Cerberus will be toast next turn!”

“There won’t be a next turn!” Nebula yelled, ceasing the man’s gloating. “Because I activate Master Cerberus’ special ability! Once per turn, I can remove 4 Spell Counters from anywhere on the field, like my Citadel.”

(Magical Citadel of Endymion / SC: 3)

“And when I do, I can target one monster you control...and banish it face up!”

“Wait, WHAT?” The Knight paled when Cerberus pointed his staff at Cracking Dragon and fired a bolt of lightning. The Dragon roared as its body faded to dust. “NO!”

“And when Cerberus banishes a monster, he gains attack points equal to the monster he banished.”

Cerberus roared as his muscles bulged from the increase in power.

(Mythical Beast Master Cerberus / ATK: 2000 + 3000 = 5000)

If the Knight hadn’t been scared earlier, he definitely was now. “...Mercy?”

“...Are you serious?” Nebula raised a brow. “You’re a hacker that forced me into a duel over something I have no idea about, stopped me from logging out, threatened to steal my info, and you expect MERCY?”

“....ah, crap.” The Knight realized where this was going.

“Battle! Master Cerberus! Attack Jack Wyvern!” The monster roared before pointing its scepter at the mechanical dragon. Instead of lightning, a blast of blue fire shot out and burned through the Wyvern before striking the Knight of Hanoi. The force of the attack sent him flying off his feet before landing on the ground in an unconscious heap.

KoH LP: 3000 - 3200 = 0

Nebula sighed as the duel field faded away. It had been a nerve-wracking experience. But she actually won. Then the prospect connected in her mind. She...won...she won an actual duel that wasn’t from a simulator or duel quiz. She actually beat an opponent!

Her surge of excitement deflated when she heard the Codex Security Drones that patrolled Vrains hone in on their location. They must have found the source of the disturbance and closed in. Not wanting to be taken by the authorities for questioning or being involved with anything from a hacker that forced her into a duel, she made the first sensible option resulting from fear.

“I’m out of here!” She quickly pressed the logout button and left Link Vrains.

However, she did not realize she had picked up a hitchhiker.

Meanwhile…

Sentinel turned to the direction of an explosion going off. “Looks like a Knight of Hanoi is attacking over there.”

“Interesting. That’s the general location where I’ve picked up the signal we’re looking for.” Lightning mused from the duel disk.

“So we should head over and check things out?”

“Perhaps...as soon as you deal with our little stalker.” Sentinel quickly spun and blocked a glowing red tendril with his arm. The cord ensnared his wrist before fading and caused his wrist to glitch. “A Duel Anchor? So this is how the Knights of Hanoi force people into duels. Isn’t that right?” He spoke to the spot where the Knight walked into view.

“You...knew I was here?” The hacker questioned.

“Naturally.” Lightning stated from the duel disk. “In fact, we’ve been counting on it. Sentinel’s debut with the Armatos Legio was perfect bait to draw you in.”

“An Ignis? So it was true.” The Knight growled and pointed accusingly at the Charisma Duelist. “You came into contact with the Ignis and obtained the Cyberse, haven't you?”

“Don’t know where you heard that from, but you’re right.” Sentinel shrugged. “But what’s it to you? I know you Knights go around harrassing other people about the Cyberse, even going as far as to delete the accounts of anyone who has an inkling of knowledge. But what’s your beef with it?”

“It doesn’t matter!” He snapped as he readied his duel disk. “Because I’ll beat you and destroy your Ignis and Cyberse cards to boot!”

“He’s not serious, is he?” the Ignis appeared to be frowning. “A mere grunt thinking he can take you down?”

“Well, let’s see if he’ll actually put up the effort. We gotta stop him and press him for answers anyway.” The Defender of Link Vrains readied his own duel disk.

“Very well, let’s make this quick.”

“Duel!”

Sentinel LP: 4000

KoH LP: 4000

“I’ll take the first move!” The hacker first selected two cards from his hand. “Since I don’t control any monsters, I special summon my Steelswarm Cell!”

A black, armored bug appeared on his field.

On his field, two mechanical worms appeared.

(Steelswarm Cell / Dark / Fiend / Effect / Level 1 / ATK 0 / DEF 0)

“Next I play the spell card, Double Summon. This lets me normal summon twice. I’ll first normal summon my Steelswarm Genome to the field."

Next to Steelswarm Cell, a dark plated, pupa-like monster appeared.

(Steelswarm Genome / Dark / Fiend / Effect / Level 2 / ATK 1000 / DEF 0)

But they won’t be staying for long, because I sacrifice them!” The two monsters then vanished, with Genome splitting into two entities before they were absorbed into another, larger entity. “Genome can count for two tributes, so I tribute for three to advance summon Steelswarm Hercules!”

(Steelswarm Hercules / Dark / Fiend / Effect / Level 10 / ATK 3200 / DEF 0)

“Now I’ll end my turn with one card face down.” He set the last card from his hand and the turn shifted over to Sentinel.

“Then it’s my turn. Draw!” Sentinel pulled the top card of his deck before playing it. “First I play the spell, Fusion Destiny.” The card depicted Destiny HERO Dogma and Destiny HERO Plasma facing each other with a silhouette of their fused form behind them. “With this, I can special summon a fusion monster that lists a Destiny HERO as material by sending the cards from my hand or deck to the Graveyard. So from my deck, I send Destiny HERO Drilldark and Destiny HERO Malicious to the grave.”

A swirling vortex appeared behind him. The image of a hero wearing red and brown with a drill on its arm and drill bits for fingers appeared. Next was a demonic-looking hero with a D on its chest.

“Hero of the underground, heroic demon! Unite to usher in the Dystopic savior! Fusion Summon!” From the vortex emerged a new figure. It was a muscular purple figure with a golden mask. “Rise up, Destiny HERO - Dystopia!”

(Destiny HERO - Dystopia / Dark / Warrior / Fusion / Effect / Level 8 / ATK 2800 / DEF 2400)

The Hero touched down on the ground and roared. “Next, I use my normal summon to summon Elemental HERO Stratos!” Another figure appeared below Dystopia’s zone. It was a blue-skinned figure garbed in blue and white armor. Silver wings with hovercraft thrust fans were attached to his back while his face was shielded by a visor. “Stratos’ ability! When he’s summoned, I can destroy spell and trap cards on the field equal to the number of Heroes I have aside from him. Right now, I have Dystopia, which evens up with the one card you have. Gale Break!”

The Elemental Hero’s wings whirred to life before shooting off twin twisters that blew up the Knight’s face down card, revealed to be Sakaretsu Armor, and broke it. “No! My trap!” He cried.

“Now that that’s settled, appear! The heroic circuit!” A Link Gate appeared above Sentinel. “The summoning conditions are two warrior monsters. I set Stratos and Dystopia into the Link Arrows. Circuit combine!” The monsters turned into data streams before shooting up to the lower left and lower right markers. “Appear and start the crusade of justice! Xtra HERO Cross Crusader!”

From the gate appeared a man in gray armor with a black bodysuit underneath, He also had red spikes all over his armor, and giant cross-shaped blades on his gauntlets.

(Xtra HERO Cross Crusader / Dark / Warrior / Link / Effect / ATK: 1600 / LA: Bottom Left, Bottom Right, Link-2)

“Since Cross Crusader is summoned, I can target one Destiny HERO in my graveyard and special summon it. Return to the fray, Dystopia!” The purple-suited Hero appeared once more. “Now I activate Malicious’ effect. By banishing him from the Graveyard, I can special summon another one from my deck. “Manifest, Malicious!”

A copy of Malicious fell into the digital void before another one appeared next to Dystopia. The Destiny HERO looked closer to a typical demon than a human, with the bat wings, horned helmet, forked tail and fur-covered arms and legs. The HERO roared upon his appearance.

(Destiny HERO - Malicious / Dark / Warrior / Effect / Level 6 / ATK: 800 / DEF: 800)

“So you have three monsters. Big whoop. None of them are as powerful as my Hercules, though. And come next turn, you can say goodbye to all of them!” The Knight exclaimed.

“Why would we say goodbye when his turn’s not even over?” Lightning asked rhetorically. Sentinel nodded.

“Now I activate Dystopia’s effect. Once per turn, I can target one level 4 or lower Destiny HERO in my Graveyard and deal damage equal to its attack points to you. I choose the level 4, 1600 attack point Drilldark. Go, Squeeze Palm!” The HERO’s hands began to radiate a purple glow. The Knight of Hanoi screamed as if he was being crushed by some invisible force.

KoH LP: 4000 - 1600 = 2400

“And that’s not all. I activate the spell card, Polymerization!” The next card depicted two orange shapes, a devil and a dragon, falling down a swirling vortex. “With it, I fuse all three of my Heroes together!” One by one, Dystopia, Malicious, and Cross Crusader fell down into the vortex.

“Heroes of the Day and Night, join forces and bring forth the trinity of justice! Fusion Summon!” From the spiral emerged a tall figure clad in red armor. “Strike down all evil, Vision HERO Trinity!”

(Vision HERO Trinity / Dark / Warrior / Fusion / Effect / Level 8 / ATK 2500 / DEF 2000)

The Vision HERO stood dauntingly. His entire body was covered in red armor with silver trims. His tri-horned helmet had a single circular visor that matched the circles on his torso and knees.

“So you made another Hero. One that’s weaker than your Dystopia, and still too weak to beat my Hercules!”

“I wonder if the rest of your comrades are aware of how naïve you are.” Lightning mocked.

“What was that?!” The Knight snapped angrily.

“You put too much value on monsters in face value based on their stats. Did you ever think our latest summon had a powerful effect?”

“Huh?”

“My partner is right.” Sentinel interjected. “You see, when Trinity is fusion summoned, his attack points double for the rest of the turn.”

(Vision HERO Trinity / ATK 2500 x 2 = 5000)

“F-Five thousand?” The white-cloaked man gaped.

“Battle!” The Defender of Link Vrains declared. “Trinity, attack Steelswarm Hercules!”

The red-armored HERO began charging up power through his visor. His shoulder pads also shifted forward, revealing themselves to be laser cannons. Despite the fact his monster would be destroyed and he would take damage, the Knight of Hanoi steeled his nerves. “E-Even so, it’s still not enough to take me out. And I can still turn things around next turn.”

“That is where you are mistaken.” The Ignis’ eyes narrowed. “There is no next turn for you.”

To support his partner’s statement. Sentinel played another card. It depicted two warriors fighting, with one wielding a sword with blue energy. The Knight recognized it and immediately paled.

“Th-th-th-that’s…!”

“Battle Fusion.” Lightning finished. “Since our fusion monster is attacking yours, it can be activated. As a result our monster gains attack points equal to yours.” A blue aura enveloped Trinity, further charging him with power.

(Vision HERO Trinity / ATK 5000 + 3200 = 8200)

“Trinity, finish this! Trinity Crush!” Three laser beams, one from each shoulder and one from the eyepiece, exploded forward and tore through Steelswarm Hercules as if it were paper. The blast continued and knocked the Knight of Hanoi member into the air screaming.

KoH LP: 4000 - 5000 = 0

The grunt crashed onto the ground before he rolled to a stop. Shakily, he lifted his head to look at the victor. “You….you’re a monster…!” The Knight of Hanoi member sputtered before he passed out. But before anything else could happen, his avatar dissipated into static.

“...his account has been deleted.” Sentinel deduced. He had seen this before. Apparently, Hanoi had the ability to forcibly delete the accounts of their grunts if they failed.

“Well, that was rude. Just because he was too weak to put a decent fight, doesn’t make you a monster.” Lightning crossed his arms. “Still, would’ve thought he’d be more of a challenge. And you didn’t even use the Armatos Legio.”

“What do you expect? I’m still learning how to use them. To beat Hanoi quicker, I’d stick with Heroes. On another note, are you sure you traced the signal of your friend here?” Sentinel asked.

“I’m positive. But it disappeared during our duel. He’s gone now.”

“With how everyone panicked and ran, I don’t doubt it. Still, sorry about this. You almost found one of your friends and he slipped through our fingers.”

“It’s fine. Truthfully, him fleeing is preferable to getting captured by the Knights of Hanoi, for whatever reason why they want him.” Lightning sighed. “It seems we’re done for now. Let us return home. I devised some more duel quizzes for you.”

“Again? We just did some before we left! Can’t we take a break?”

“And let your skills get rusty? I think not!” Lightning closed his eyes with a smile.

When Twilight woke back up in reality, she breathed a sigh of relief. She sat up from her bed and put on her glasses. That duel in Link Vrains had been intense. She hadn’t been pushed to the bring before pulling out a victory like that before. Despite it being exhausting...she felt relieved. But that relief was quick to turn into disappointment.

Her victory only came about because of the cards she was given. Not her own deck and skills. Did she really deserve that win from borrowed cards?

“...If you’re worried about the duel. Don’t sweat it. I thought you did great.” A voice chirped out.

“Yeah. But only because of cards that weren’t even mine. If I didn’t draw them, I likely would have lost.” She argued.

“But you did draw them. That’s because you had faith in your deck, and it just returned the favor. Whether you like it or not, those cards are yours now. And they will help you out.”

“That is the most illogical…” Then she blinked. Wait. Who was saying that? She looked around her room, only to find no one else.

“Down here.” The voice pointed out. She blinked again and turned her gaze to her duel disk. On the digital display...was a yellow and purple eye surrounded by black with purple outlines.

“Hi there!” The eye smiled happily in greeting. “The name’s Ai! Nice to meet ya!”

“....KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!!!!”

To be Continued...

Next Time...

Chapter 3: Burning My Soul!

Author's Note

H-Ai Everyone!

I'm back with another Circuit of Friendship chapter. And I will admit, it was pretty stressing to make this, even after so long. The duels took some time, going back and forth and rewriting. The other half was rewriting the character interactions because of revisions for the future plot. I was debating on who to appear in the cameo this chapter to help out Twilight, and how it would affect future events. I'd like to think I figured it out, but I also tend to second guess myself.

I'm going to be honest. When I first started this story, I only had a vague and incomplete idea of how to flesh out the story, the plot, the conflict, the characters, etc. It took some time for me to sit down and really think about how to develop it. Admittedly, I was inspired by Friendship is Numerous, but I'm afraid I ended up pulling too much from it, particularly the Yu-Gi-Oh! lore continuity, with all of the characters and all, and it bled into this story with the same organization names.

I thought about adding more Vrains characters to give that legacy mesh, but I felt that if I did that, I'd bleed too much of the Vrains plot and origins into this story, where the Ignis Origins are different and such. For sure though, the endgame for this story and Vrains are different. So after much debate and council from various authors and fellow writers, I decided to retcon the use of actual characters from Vrains(as in the end, not many, aside from the Ignis, and Bohman, would appear and make significant impact). Instead, there would be expys to fit the role of particular organizations, and I'm sure you'll be able to figure out who is based on who.

But as I said, the origins of the Ignis are different from the Vrains series and will be revealed in the future, as well as the origins of the Knights of Hanoi. So I decided to just make it an EQG timeline with Duel Monsters and Vrains elements. I apologize to those who were looking forward to actual Vrains characters, but this is not that story. There are expys based on the characters, but not actual characters because frankly, the ones I want to include won't actually fit well due to the different Ignis origins. This is my first Yu-Gi-Oh! story to write and I'm still not sure if I can balance the two worlds properly.

Anyway, I digress. Apologies for this long rant. I'm just grateful for all your support to help keep this going.