01x30 - Under VRAINS

[bunniefuu]

[gasps]

♪♪

I'm extremely pleased to report
that my upgraded Artificial Army

has cleaned LINK VRAINS
of the Knights of Hanoi.

Excellent work,
Kitamura.

Just doing my job, sir.

Though I doubt I need to remind
you that we wouldn't

have had these problems
if you did your job properly
in the first place.

The past is the past.

I assure you
it won't happen again.

As you can see for yourself.

They have LINK VRAINS covered
like fur on a grizzly.

There's not a single
hacker out there

who could penetrate
this gauntlet!

Or so you claim.

Do not worry,
your wiseness.

With the network secure,
I shall redouble our efforts

in capturing and delivering
the Ignis to you

on a silver platter.

Very well.

'Cause when I succeed,
they'll line that silver platter

in gold and platinum
and diamonds galore!

Even Monster Reborn couldn't
resurrect my career like I did.

[Kitamura humming]

We have big problems, Chief!

Like double code red!

Calm yourself.

It can't be that bad.

The Artificial Army's
getting knocked offline!

Ahh... Oh!

Say what!?

That's impossible!

Our sensors must
be malfunctioning.

[man]
It's no malfunction, sir.

The AI units are
definitely being erased.

Being erased!?

Just like my career!

[woman]
What are your orders, sir?

Umm... Ohh...

My orders are to fix this!

Or you're fired!

Right, sir.

But can you be more
specific on the how?

Ohh... You can
figure it out.

Ohh...

Here ya go.
Two hot dogs
with everything.

Do they have
marshmallows on them?

Uh... nope.
No marshmallows.

Then technically they don't
have everything.

Touché, my man, you got me there
but still, they're delish!

I've been tallying your sales,
Kolter, they're impressive.

You just sold two dogs
to that guy, so that makes
a total of... two.

Pretty nice, right?

Um, yeah, I guess...
Better than one.

Twice as better.

Technically true.

Yusaku, how's
LINK VRAINS lookin'?

No one has seen a single Knight
of Hanoi in the past few days.

So duelists are feeling
safe to return.

Looks like life in LINK VRAINS
is finally back to normal.

Or it could be the calm
before the storm.

It's true that Varis
is still out there.

And out for payback!

That's right.

I don't know which is actually
worse though,

hearing that Varis
is up to something

or not hearing a single
thing from Varis at all.

But if my suspicions
are correct...

Uh, you okay?

Yusaku, was your Link Sense
workin' OT like mine?

Yeah, I saw some kind
of sphere with tentacles.

That's called an octopus.

Kolter, it wasn't an octopus.

Whatever it was, it's bad news
and I'm not squidding!

Let's gear up.
We need to go find out

what that sphere is.
On it.

[Zaizen]
SOL Technologies sent out
a press release stating

that they've completely
eradicated the Knights of Hanoi.

So LINK VRAINS
is perfectly safe.

[Emma]
Everything sounds peachy,
so why did you drag me here?

[Zaizen]
Though, that was the official
word from Sol Technologies,

I heard that the company logs
state that we're secretly

staffing up on security
coders and programmers.

[Emma]
Doesn't hurt to be careful.

Or it could mean
that the Knights of Hanoi

aren't actually gone.

And I would like you
to find out what
they may be up to.

Interesting.

I believe that Ghost Gal
can make a quick jaunt

into LINK VRAINS as long
as the check clears, Akira.

It will.

Report what you
find only to me.

Of course, darling.

Can't let your bosses know

you're snooping
behind their back.

Don't worry,
just our little secret.

We've reached
a crisis point.

Losing Faust,
Baira and Dr. Genome

is a major setback
for the Hanoi,

but a greater
tragedy for me.

They would not have fallen
if I had simply carried out

our mission instead of obsessing
over defeating Playmaker.

But I shall stray no longer.

My sole focus now is to carry
out our master plan.

[Spectre]
Are you sure, Varis?

Once you launch the program,

that means you will never get to
avenge your loss to Playmaker.

[Varis]
Like how these three sacrificed
themselves for me,

we all must make sacrifices
for the greater cause, Specter.

And there is no greater cause

than the complete and utter
destruction of LINK VRAINS.

[Kolter]
Check this out, Yusaku.

I present to you the LVSS!

LVSS? Is that the new name
for your food truck?

The Low Visitor Sandwich Stand?

Not a sandwich.
It's actually stands

for the Link Vrains
Search System.

You see, it's a tracker
I cooked up that detects

even the smallest
abnormalities.

How small?

As tiny as you.

Rude!

Plus, it also pings your
location in real time,

so I'm your eye in the sky
whenever you're in the network.

And I'm also working
on a few other upgrades,

but they're not
quite working yet.

Think of it as post-release
downloadable content, but free.

[gasps]

What is it, pal?
Sensed something?

Bingo.
The LVSS is detecting that one

of LINK VRAINS'S structural
programs is being overwritten.

Whoa!

You logging in, Yusaku?

Just for the record,
I think it's abnormal

that you wanna check out
an abnormality.

I don't have a choice.

There are three reasons why
I must go and investigate this.

One: 'Cause you're the real
abnormality?

Number one: The Knights of Hanoi
may be behind this

and they
must always be defeated.

Number two: Even if it's not
the Knights of Hanoi,

the very infrastructure
of LINK VRAINS

is in serious jeopardy
if this is left unchecked.

True...

And three: If Varis sees that
I'm logged into LINK VRAINS,

it may entice him
to emerge from hiding.

It's time to link
into the VRAINS!

[Ghost Gal]
Everything sure looks
peaceful to me.

But if Zaizen's right, this is
just the surface of the onion.

You never know what you'll find
when you pull a few layers back.

That's why I never leave home
without my toolkit.

[beeping]

Lock into anything
out of the ordinary, okay?

Happy hunting, my fireflies.

[Kolter]
How's it goin, bud?

The target should
be straight ahead.

And straight up dangerous.

[Kolter]
What's wrong?

[Playmaker]
It's fine,
nothing to worry about.

Really? Nothing to worry about?

It's true.

Um, you just put yourself
in the spin cycle 'cause
your brain glitched!

If the blasts
are getting stronger

it means we're closing
in on the source.

[AI]
Looks like we're not
the only ones.

Let's follow 'em.

Whoa!

Why'd they stop
on this rooftop?

[Ghost Gal]
Well, well, fancy
meeting you here.

Not that I'm that surprised.

It's Gore Gal!

Eh, close.

Anyway, if the problem's
big enough to attract

the both of us, it must
be worse than I expected.

Will you share
what you know?

Yeah, spill it lady!

Since 50% of you
asked so nicely,

SOL Tech thinks
there's trouble brewing.

SOL Tech, huh?

Uh-huh, so I figured

I'd come here for
a little looky loo.

Along with a swarm of fleas?

They're fireflies,
silly.

Or nano drones if you
want to be technical.

I've programmed them to find
anything out of the ordinary.

Because non-ordinary
usually means big money.

And they hit the jackpot.

Well, if you're tracking
the same thing I am,

you'll be much safer
if you log out.

I'm sure you're right.

But unless you're the guy
who invented the seat belt,

no one ever made
a profit off of safe.

Ciao!

Wow, she just jumped
towards danger

without a second thought.

She's everything
I hope I'll never be.

What do you think
she'll find?

The same thing we will.

Here we go Ai.

Who knew LINK VRAINS
had its own sewer system?

It's how they dispose
of corrupted data.

Have you been
down here before?

I get around.

In fact, I've infiltrated
more virtual worlds

than you can name, Playmaker.

And it makes sense that you
gotta run through the sewers

if you wanna
do your dirty work, uch!

[Ghost Gal]
This path leads
to a processing center

where old data is deleted.

Did you mean "Path"
or did you mean "paths"?

'Cause, you know,
the one little "S"
makes all the difference.

Details, lady, details.

My fireflies headed
down the right tunnel.

Well?
Which way, Magellan?

Beats me, I'm afraid
we'll have to split up.

I'll let you take the left
while I take the right, 'kay?

Or, on the other hand,

how about you take the left
and we take the right?!

What? How adorable!

You little suspicious
so-and-so!

Uh, yeah, look, lady.

It's not that I don't trust
you, but I don't trust you.

And you shouldn't.
You're so smart!

Playmaker is lucky
to have you.

A compliment?
No meatbag's ever said

anything nice to me before!

I don't know
how to process this.

Then how about a game?

Let's each draw a card.

And whoever draws
the prettiest one

gets to choose
which way to go.

It is on!

I can outdraw any duelist,
analog or digital.

But how do you know
I won't try to cheat?

Don't be so modest.

We both know it's impossible
to cheat an A.I.

that's as intelligent as you.

Huh, true.

[laughs]

Pick a card.

Huh?

[groaning]

Right arm energized for maximum
draw efficiency!

Switching over
to card selection mode!

Deck analysis program
optimized and engaged!

Commence processing!

Heart of the cards, guide me!

I draw!

Um... is this pretty?
Uh...

Well, pretty ugly.

It's the least attractive
card in my deck.

It's not your day.
Which means I win

without even
having to draw!

I'll take the right tunnel,
so you take the left.

Toodles.

How could I lose?
Oh, ohh...

You failed to notice
that all the cards in her deck
were exactly the same.

What!?
Ya mean she schemed me?

Clearly.
And using the easiest
trick in the book.

Does that mean
I'm gullible?

I thought that word didn't
exist in the dictionary.

Be that as it may,
we won't get anything

accomplished
by remaining here.

Let's get moving
and see what lies ahead

down this tunnel
on the left, Ai.

Sorry, Playmaker,
I don't feel

like letting you share
in my profits.

[AI whispers]
Psst... In the water!

Yeah.

Eh, it swam away.

[screaming]
Or not!

[growls]

[roars]

[roars]

Faster, Playmaker! Faster!

I know!

There's the processing center.

A security shield, huh?

Nothing I can't hack...
literally.

So this is what
my fireflies detected.

Just a tad bigger than
the usual treasures I find,

but a lot creepier.

What is that thing?

Yusaku! I'm pickin' up
some crazy energy spikes.

Fireflies, do me a favor
and analyze that blob.

Good.
The data's flowing in.

Hmm.

[growls]

It's getting stronger
and faster!

It's not like
I'm trying to run slow!

No way.

These energy readings
are off the charts.

As if this blob is absorbing
all the data energy

that's flowing into this room.

Return to me, fireflies!

Where are you going?

Huh?

Tsk-tsk, you should have
never come here, Ghost Gal.

Varis.

You know what they say about
the cat who got too curious

for her own good,
don't you?

Um... Nope!

But maybe you can enlighten
me some other day.

I'm free February 30th.

I'm afraid I can't
allow you to leave

after you've seen
what's going on here.

I don't need
your permission.

You can't run.

Listen, Varis, I don't even
know what I'm looking at.

But someone that
you tell might.

You got me there.

But if you won't let me
go around you,

I'll just go
through you.
Go ahead.

I have a few new cards
in my deck I want to test out.

And it would be
my pleasure to allow you

to be the first
duelist to see them.

You're such
the gentleman, Varis.

But you don't
intimidate me.

Ready to duel?

Hmm.

Oh, it seems you are.

But... I'm not! Later!

[Varis]
Shutting all corridors.

But I can still log out.

[beeping]

Not if I jam
the signal, Ghost Gal.

Ahh...

[Varis]
Any more tricks up your sleeve?

Just one.

It's time
to Speed Duel.

It's time to
speed duel.

I'll go first!

I begin by summoning
Altergeist Marionetter.

And her special ability
lets me take a trap card

from my deck
and place it facedown.

Then I'll place another
card from my hand facedown.

[AI]
Can't you churn
your legs any faster?

[roars]

[AI screams]

I don't wanna be a sewer snack!

♪♪