Hibiki: Yusaku this better be important.
Yusaku (call): I beat Ghost Gal, I have the entry code. Meet me at the truck so we can discuss what to do next.
Hibiki: Huh, I'll be right there.
He walked from the hospital and as he reached the food truck he was pulled in by Shoichi, who shut the door behind him.
Shoichi: We're going to enter the mainframe tomorrow, are you in or not?
Hibiki: Yes, I am. I'm still helping you guys out so I'll accompany you until this is done.
Yusaku: Good, I have a feeling we will need all the help we can get.
Hibiki: Look Yusaku, if we're doing this then I need to know something. What are you going to do once you have those memories back?
Yusaku: Continue to go after the Hanoi. The plan hasn't changed.
Hibiki: I see, then there's no point in trying to talk you out of it. Let's get this over with. Oh?
He picked up his phone and took the call.
Hibiki: Hello?
Aoi: Hibiki, I need talk to you in person. Log into VRAINS. ASAP.
Hibiki: Oh hey Aoi, nice to hear from you seeing as you pretty much vanished after the whole virus thing. I'll see you there.
He hung up and nodded at Playmaker.
Hibiki: Just keep me posted, this shouldn't take long.
He entered their login chamber and activated the duel disk in his back, which he slid onto his wrist.
Hibiki: Into the vrains!
He dropped into a cityscape and saw a small yellow butterfly land on his shoulder.
Hibiki: Aoi?
Aoi: Sorry I can't be there in person. Akira and Emma are planning to use Playmaker as a trojan horse to get into the vault, I'm going to try help Playmaker get in and I want to ask you to help me.
Hibiki: Alright, I can help you. I'll be ready to link in when you are.
Shoichi (comms): Meet us at the database if you can, I'm sure you can manage.
Hibiki: Thanks Shoichi, I'll be locked onto your signal.
=Time Skip=
Hibiki found the entry point Shoichi had given him and saw the butterfly that was Aoi flying down, touching the ground and in a swirl of feathers, transformed into Blue Angel.
Hibiki: So, you ready to do this?
Aoi: I'm ready.
The two enter the mainframe and using a device Shoichi made, avoided the security systems until they felt a strong flow of data in front of the pair.
Aoi: A data storm? Here?
Hibiki: Well, it's an effective defence. I'll...
He trailed off and looked in a direction where his gaze met only darkness.
Aoi: Hibiki? There's nothing there.
Hibiki: I'm sure I saw something. Like an eye of some kind, go on ahead without me, I'll catch up.
Aoi: You sure?
Hibiki: It's only a data storm, what's there to worry about?
Aoi: Alright, but you better catch up.
The icon flew into the mass of data and Hibiki caught another glimpse of something in the wall. He turned to face it and it blinked at him.
Hibiki: So, who or what are you?
Eye: None of your concern, that's for sure.
Hibiki: Why don't I believe you?
Eye: Oh, that'd be because you're not an idiot. By the way, I was hidden the whole time, how'd you know I was there?
Hibiki: I'm just very perceptive.
Eye: Hibiki Okida right?
Hibiki: None of your concern.
Eye (mimicking Hibiki's voice): Why don't I believe you?
Hibiki: Touché, I guess you're an ignis then, like Ai.
Eye: Like who?
Hibiki: About this high, black with purple markings, attitude and thinks he's perfect.
Eye: Oh! You mean *****
It let out a stream of high pitched sound that Hibiki didn't understand.
Eye: I guess you humans can't use our actual names, makes sense really.
Hibiki: So you are an ignis.
Eye: In the digital code. And you are one of the seven lost children. Tell me, why are you here Hibiki Okida?
Hibiki: Helping a friend get back something very precious to him.
Eye: Yusaku Fujiki, I am aware. I'm surprised that, Ai did you call him, didn't notice my coded message I left at the entrance to the database.
Hibiki: Well, what else do you know about me then, you've been right two for two.
Eye: Everything. Your favourite food is spaghetti, your favourite colours are purple and silver, your last internet search was for recipes for a project for a school food lesson but it was a cover for an incognito page on which you stream music and write stories. I can name them if you want.
Hibiki: No. That's alright. So what do you want with me? If you wanted to talk with the others you would have appeared at the entrance.
Eye: Indeed, follow me.
A door opened in the wall by the ignis and Hibiki cautiously stepped in. Inside, the program was in a from similar to Ai but more angular and with a patchwork of different colours and lines.
Ignis: So, down to business. How much do you think you know about the lost incident?
Hibiki: Seven children kidnapped by professor Kagami ten years ago and forced to duel advanced AI for an unknown purpose, they were rescued and have been off the grid since.
Ignis: You've done your homework I see. I'd give it a B- as you've missed some important facts.
Hibiki: Then fill in the blanks.
Ignis: Happily. The reason for the incident was simple, Kagami wanted to create something that could think for itself, a self aware, intelligent artificial intelligence. The ignis. We were created, at least the others were, by Kagami to help mankind by predicting problems and the best way to handle them but he got paranoid and tried to destroy them as they became too smart for him to contain.
Hibiki: You keep saying the others. Implying that you are different.
Ignis: Oh you are perceptive. Only six of the seven children were used to make the ignis. The seventh, you if you must know, was used to generate the data material from their decisions to generate the duel AI that faced the others.
Hibiki: And what does that make you?
Ignis: After the children were rescued and the Ignis escaped to for their little cyberse there was a lot of leftover data and a personality remnants left by the seven children. It all was drawn together by the vacuum that the other AI had left and I was created.
Hibiki: So, you're the leftovers. A Ragdoll of the scraps and my experience in that place.
Ignis: Wait wait wait. What did you call me?
Hibiki: The leftovers.
Ignis: Not that! Just after, you used a word that I'm not too familiar with.
Hibiki: What, a ragdoll?
The ignis floated over to a wall and a panel extended at which it typed furiously.
Ignis: So that's one of those are. I guess you're not wrong. And it does have a decent ring to it. From now on you can call me Rags if you want.
Hibiki: So Rags, what are you doing here in the SOL database?
Rags: Well, pretty simple. I was searching for the cyberse, to find the other ignis. But I'd heard the Knights of Hanoi had caused it to be sealed away somewhere so I went into hiding. They'd never be able to look here, I said, and I can use the database to find the cyberse.
Hibiki: I see, want me to help you with that?
Rags: What, like you could if you tried. You can't even generate data material on your own.
Hibiki: Wanna bet?
Rags: Alright, show me a cyberse monster you've made. Then I'll believe you.
Hibiki pulled out a card and extended his hand towards the data stream in the middle of the Ignis's hiding spot. The stream folded towards him as he activated the Hanoi programme that he had copied into his main account, minus the virus failsafe he had found. The steam became a storm and it swept into the card before the boy.
Rags: Holy coding blocks that's a huge data storm!
Hibiki: Behold, my Mekk-knight Crusadia Avramax. A cyberse card of my own creation.
Rags: Uh huh, okay, I think you'd be able to help me.
Hibiki: Awesome, well, hop on in.
He lifted his disk and the ignis shrugged before leaping into the device.
Rags: Hey, you already had a cyberse card based on your data, why didn't you just show me that? You know, Topologic Bomber Dragon.
Hibiki: Because I acquired the card under tenuous circumstances and I needed one I could truly call my own.
Rags: Oh, that time you took a deal with the Hanoi?
Hibiki: Okay, just how every is your knowledge of everything about me. It's getting creepy.
Rags: Everything. Now you have to go, this room will collapse in a few seconds.
The boy was ejected from the construction and out into the mainframe again. He called his board and hopped onto the data storm, headed for the core. He ducked and swerved as he sensed something coming his way and narrowly avoided a duel AI.
AI: Intruder detection successful. Engaging intruder with duel programmes.
Hibiki: Oh, just my lucky day isn't it?
Rags: Let's see what we're working with then. These cards are ridiculous, the same column just to summon them? And they're all above level five? I gotta give you an update.
Hibiki: Pass. Now shall we deal with this bot?
Rags: Okay fine. Just know I'm not the most happy of your deck.
Hibiki: Let's duel.
DUEL START
Hibiki lp: 4000
AI #3 lp: 4000
Hibiki: I'll go second. Make your move toaster.
Ai #3: Trash talk detected, making move. I pay 500 life to summon Tentacluster Darkwhip from my hand, I activate Machine Duplication and summon two Darkwhips from my deck. Circuit Open. Link summon, Link-3 Tentacluster Nautilus. Summon Tentacluster Stingjelly and use Nautilus effect, I destroy all monsters by its links. When Stingjelly is destroyed it sends the top three cards of your deck to the graveyard. I banish Stingjelly to activate its effect, another three cards from the top of your deck go to the graveyard.
Rags: It's stripping our deck.
Hibiki: Yeah, it's certainly a problem.
Ai #3: End turn.
Hibiki: Then I draw. I set a card and then special summon Mekk-knight Purple Nightfall. I use its effect, I banish it to add a Mekk-knight to my hand. I summon Mekk-knight Green Horizon. Now Green Horizon attacks your Nautilus, when Green Horizon attacks I can add a Mekk-knight from my graveyard to my hand.
Ai #3: I activate the effect of Tentacluster ShieldClam in my hand, I discard it to halve the damage.
Ai #3 lp: 4000 - - - 2950
Hibiki: I end my turn with a face down.
Ai #3: Draw, activate spell card Tentacluster swarm. I summon tentacluster monsters from my deck equal to a link monster's rating in my grave. I summon two Stingjelly. I activate my skill.
Rags: This thing has a skill?
Hibiki: I wouldn't be so surprised.
Ai #3: I destroy all monsters on my field to destroy cards on yours. I destroy Mekk-knight Green Horizon and your face down. When Stingjelly is destroyed...
Rags: Yeah, three of our deck go to the graveyard and then you banish them to get rid of more.
Ai #3: Correct. I activate spell Tentacluster reshuffle, I place banished Tentacluster monsters into my graveyard up to a link monster's rating. I return my Stingjelly and use their effects again.
Another nine cards went from Hibiki's deck.
Rags: You're running out of cards.
Hibiki: Noticed. I draw. I summon Girsu the Orcust Mekk-knight to my field. When summoned he summons a token to each of our fields. My banished Purple Nightfall returns to my field so I summon it in defence mode.
Rags: Defence mode?! This is no time to defend!
Hibiki: Who said I was? Appear, circuit of colour! I set Mekk-knight Purple Nightfall and my token in the link arrows, I link summon! Appear Link-2 Mekk-knight of the Morning Star. Morningstar attacks the token. Now Girsu attacks you directly.
Ai #3 lp: 2950 - - - 1150
Ai #3: You failed to eliminate my life points, now I can use the trap Tentacluster Punishment. I banish Tentacluster Nautilus to deal you 100 points of damage for each card in your graveyard. You will take 3700 points of damage and I will be able to win next turn.
Hibiki lp: 4000 - - - 300
Rags: Don't be so sure. I activate our skill!
Hibiki: What are you doing? My skill doesn't do anything in this situation.
Rags: Your old one sure, not any more. When we are below 1000 life points we can Mekk-knight monsters from our graveyard and inflict you 200 damage for each different one. I banish Red Moon, Orange Sunset, Yellow Star, Green Horizon, Blue Sky and Purple Nightfall. You take 1200 points of damage. We win.
Ai #3: Impossible, does not compute.
Ai #3 lp: 1150 - - - 0
Hibiki win!
Hibiki flew past the bot and looked down at the ignis.
Rags: What? You're welcome.
Hibiki: I don't appreciate you just doing that. I was happy with my old skill.
Rags: What? That old Hanoi skill was pretty useless unless up against Playmaker or someone else with a powerful skill. This one is more you.
Hibiki: We're coming up on the data core.
The boy landed and hid behind a pillar as he saw a duel in progress between Playmaker and Akira. He saw Aoi also watching the duel from a pillar not too far from him.
Playmaker: Go Firewall! Attack Tindangle Acute Cerberus. Tempest Attack!
Zaizen lp: 1800 - - - 0
Hibiki saw that Aoi had run out onto the field and that her brother was sheltering her from the blast and couldn't help but smile.
Rags: So, are we just going to stand here or...?
Playmaker turned his head to Hibiki, who waved slightly, and Ai yelled in shock.
Ai: An Ignis?! I thought I was the only one to get out of the cyberse!
Rags: You were, I was never in the cyberse to begin with. I heard it had been attacked while trying to find you guys.
Hibiki: I found him hiding out in the security maze near the data storm.
Playmaker: Well I have the data I need, I am leaving.
The teen logged out, leaving Ghost Gal, Hibiki and the Zaizen siblings in the database.
Aoi: So that's what you found.
Akira: Hibiki? What are you doing here?
Hibiki: Well your sis asked if I could help. I was already going to be here because of a run in with Playmaker I had that told me he'd be here. Personally I don't want or need the data, I just came to help out.
Akira: Aoi is this true?
Aoi: Yes, it is.
Ghost Gal: Well, another ignis huh? Name your price.
Hibiki: Haha, not for sale. Glad we could meet on better terms Emma.
The boy logged out and stepped out of his login chamber in his apartment, Rags popped up from his duel disk and looked around.
Rags: Well this place is homely.
Hibiki: Oh can it. I need a nap, that duel and creating a new card were exhausting.
He placed his disk on his bedside table and turned to the AI.
Hibiki: You're not locked in there but please don't go snooping around my data. You probably already know what it says anyway.
Rags: That I will not answer.
Hibiki laughed before falling onto his bed and dozing off.