01x19 - The Lost Incident

[bunniefuu]

[Ai]
Previously on
"Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS"...

There's the grand prize--
SOL Technologies' core.

The whole world's
info's in there.

[Playmaker]
Now I understand
why you're here.

To stop me from
getting access.

[Zaizen]
Before you arrived,
I accessed the databank

and learned what happened
to you ten years ago.

Reliving that tragedy
isn't good for you.

So let me bring the Hanoi and
those in SOL Tech to justice.

I'm willing to risk
everything to get
what I want.

And that even includes
putting Ai on the line
and up for grabs.

Yeah, wait! What?!

But if I win, I get direct
access to the databank.

[both]
Let's duel!

You're not the only one
who suffered a decade ago.

You see, Skye and I
didn't have

such a wonderful
childhood either.

Which I know you
can relate to

because of that...
incident.
[gasps]

What's this?
What incident does he mean?

Let me handle this
so you don't have to.

You want to fight our fight?

[both]
This is not your battle!

[Playmaker]
I Link Summon...

Link 4 Firewall Dragon!

[Zaizen]
That's the monster
you used to defeat Varis,

but you're going
to find, Playmaker,

that I'm no Varis!

♪♪

♪♪

C'mon, Yusaku.
Win this!

Playmaker has
his best monster out.

Now the question is...

Can Akira
find a way to top it?

Because if he can't,

his life points
are hitting rock bottom!

That monster may be tough,
until I cut it down to size!

Tindangle Hound!
Roar!

[roaring]

Blast away

for every monster that
Firewall Dragon is linked to!

[groans]

The only thing worse than
losing those attack points

is that Hound's
halitosis! P-U!

Zaizen! Your maneuver
will not go unpunished

as I activate the
spell card Link Hole!

For every Link 3 or higher
monster I have on my field,

this spell destroys
one of your monsters!

And I just happen
to have two monsters

that meet
this requirement!

Link 3 Decode Talker
and Link 4 Firewall Dragon!

Tindangle Hound and
Tindangle Angel are destroyed!

No! Both of my monsters
are now gone!

Yup! With all your
monsters in the graveyard,

I'd say you're drowning
in doom!

While things are going
swimmingly for us! Ha ha ha!

Because Playmaker's dueling
with actual competence!

Now that your Hound is gone,
so is its special ability,

so my monsters regain
their attack points!

And your monsters

aren't the only ones
that are gone.

So is your trap,
Lemoine Point.

[groans]

Strike Zaizen directly!

Decode Destruction!

[groans]

Akira, no!

You have taken damage
to your life points.
I know!

Ga-zam! One last
attack and Zaizen's
life points are finito!

Oh, that is not happening.

I activate the trap...

Tindangle Delaunay!

This trap card activates when
you receive battle damage

while having three Tindangle
monsters in your graveyard.

A must-have
in any Tindangle deck.

Not only
does this trap card

destroy
your attacking monster,

but it also
allows me to summon

Tindangle Acute Cerberus
from my Extra Deck!

What?

Your Decode Talker
is silenced!

Aah! It went blooey!

Now emerge...
Tindangle Acute Cerberus!

[groans] Oh, wait,
what am I scared of?

It has no attack points.

And that's what worries me.

Why? That pooch is
all bark and no bite!

How wrong you are.
It has plenty of bite!

[Zaizen's Ai]
When both Tindangle Hound
and Tindangle Angel

are in my graveyard,

Tindangle Acute Cerberus
gains 1500 from each.

[electronic beeping]

That's a big number!

Aww... That's what we get for
getting so full of ourselves!

[Playmaker]
It wasn't "we," Ai.
It was just you.

I know better than
underestimating any opponent.

I place one card facedown
and end my turn.

It was a seesaw battle,
but now the elephant's

sitting on Akira's side
of the plank,

leaving Playmaker
hanging in the air.

You may have fought
valiantly, Playmaker...

But ultimate victory...
remains in my grasp!

Acute Cerberus,
destroy Firewall Dragon!

Isometric Inferno!

[Zaizen]
Acute Cerberus,
destroy Firewall Dragon!

If this attack hits,

our life points
will go up in flames!

I'm well aware.

So I activate this...
the trap Doppler
Phase Coating,

which I equip
onto Firewall Dragon!

Try to break through
all you want.

This coating
prevents my Dragon

from being destroyed
in battle!

But you still take damage.

[groans]

[Zaizen]
And that's not
the end of the tale!

[Zaizen's Ai]
After Tindangle
Acute Cerberus att*cks,

you can summon
one Tindangle Token.

Additionally, Tindangle Acute
Cerberus gains 500 attack points

for every Tindangle monster
linked to it.

That big number got bigger!

I can do the math, too, Ai.

I then place
two cards facedown...

and end my turn.

Okay. My turn! I draw!

Stop there!
Before you continue,

I activate my trap card,
Gergonne's End!

[Zaizen's Ai]
By equipping Gergonne's End
on a Tindangle monster,

that monster cannot be destroyed
in battle or by effects.

Additionally, effects cannot
target said monster.

This will protect
my Acute Cerberus
from anything you can do!

That takes care of my defense,
but on the offensive side,

when all of Acute Cerberus's
links are filled,

I can send the linked
monsters to the graveyard

to deal you damage equal
to its attack points!

[Playmaker's Ai]
You kiddin' me?

That's like the perfect
offense and defense!

It's not fair!

Fair or not, this is
the reality we face.

Simply complaining
is pointless

and a waste of
everyone's time.

Don't you get
philosophical on me!

Besides, all of
Cerberus's links

must be filled to
activate his effect,

but one arrow points
to my field.

And I don't intend to
summon a monster there.

Okay but still, you only
have 1500 life points left...

And Acute Cerberus is 1000
attack points stronger

than Firewall Dragon.

If tuxboy there summons
another Tindangle,

that mongrel will
gain 500 attack points

and we're dog chow!

Then it's my job
to not let that happen.

Alert Lancer!

This spell allows
my Firewall Dragon

to deal you damage

even if your monster
is in defense mode.

Oh! I get it!
His Tindangle Token

has zero defense points,

so he'll take the full
pummelin' and lose!

Ha ha!

[Playmaker]
Firewall Dragon attack!

Tempest Terahertz!

For the win!

I activate my trap card...

Morley's Shield!

Once per turn, when you
battle my Tindangle monster,

I take no damage!

So go ahead and
destroy my Token!

My life points still remain
safe and sound, Playmaker!

I hate when they do stuff
that makes me look dumb!

But one less monster
means your dog

sheds 500 attack points,
so it's not all bad... sorta.

[Playmaker]
I end my turn.

You had a chance to win,
but you squandered it.

And you won't
get a second chance!

And this card that I just
drew all but confirms it.

I now activate the spell card,
Nagel's Protection!

As long as I have
this card on my field,

Tindangle monsters
in my Main Monster Zone

can't be destroyed in battle
or by your effects!

So your invincible monsters are
now, like, super invincible?

That's right!

Tindangle Acute Cerberus,
attack Firewall Dragon!

[roars]

Our monsters are
no pushovers either!

Firewall's equipped with
Doppler Phase Coating,

so it can't be destroyed!

But your life points can be.
I activate Nagel's Protection!

[Zaizen's Ai]
Once per turn, when
a Tindangle monster battles,

Nagel's Protection
doubles the battle damage.

How dare you!

[groans]

Once the battle's over,
Acute Cerberus

summons one Tindangle Token
next to its link.

And that restores Acute Cerberus
with 500 attack points.

My defense is impenetrable.

Nooooo!
No no no no no no no!

He built a wall behind
a wall behind a wall,

a whole haul of walls!

Morley's Shield?
No damage.

Nagel's Protection? No
destroying monsters never.

Back that up with getting
a Tindangle Token every turn

and that adds up to a
confounding conundrum

because if he fills up
all of Acute Cerberus's
links with monsters,

his trap Gergonne's End
is guaranteed to end us

like a period
of a sentence!

I don't think you need to worry
about that happening,

because his Acute Cerberus
can attack

and eliminate all
my life points anyway.

You wanna put some more
fear into that voice?

Because I find your lack
of concern concerning!

Why should I? It's not like that
would help me win the duel.

Are you even trying?

You know what's gonna
happen if you lose?

Zaizen gets to
take me from you!

And I won't be around to
give you positive vibes,

you mindless meatbag!

If that's your idea of words
of encouragement, Ai,

I'm more than willing
to help you pack.

[groans] So not cool! After
everything we went through?

The millions of times
I saved you?

You'd abandon
your bestie like that?

Whoever said
we were besties?

How can one noun, two verbs,
and two pronouns hurt so much?

I can't allow my emotions
to cloud my thinking.

That will only
lead to mistakes

during the crucial
juncture of this duel.

Well, you're doing
a good job of that!

You're more of an Ai
than I!

Processing... Calculating...
Click clack click...

Win probability at 5%.

Actually, my odds
are less than that.

[groans]

But.. despite that
being the case,

I am determined
to win this duel.

And whatever I set
my mind to, I will accomplish.

I spent a decade building
my deck just for this moment.

It all comes down
to this one draw...

But I believe in my deck!
I draw!

So tell me, Playmaker,
did your trust pay off?

Well?

I place this card facedown.
And end my turn.

Clearly not the card
you were hoping for.

Because miracles
don't happen in real life.

So you'll lose this duel

and lose
your one opportunity

to uncover the mysteries
of your past.

But you have won
something in exchange.

Your freedom. The past
is a ball and chain.

It keeps you from
moving forward in life.

But now, at long last,
you will finally be able to.

I know what they did
to you was horrendous.

But I'll take care
of your problem.

So go make new friends,
be adventurous.

You can do anything

when you're no longer
consumed with revenge.

Your future is right
before your eyes.

Right before our eyes?
I don't see anything.

[Blue Angel]
So it's all peaches
and cream, huh?

[groans]

[Zaizen]
Skye?

[Playmaker]
Blue Angel...

I've been listening to you two
jabbering about the past this

and past that, and the one
thing I really don't like,

Akira, is my own brother
keeping secrets.

Playmaker, what my brother's
offering, to be honest,

it doesn't sound bad.

I mean, who wouldn't
want to be free,

Believe me, I know.
Ahem... Akira...

But listen, the fact that
you're fighting so hard

tells me that it's not
that easy for you.

That your past is not
something that you
can just let go of.

So Playmaker,
what happened?

Akira, you care to share?

Skye, I...

Ya know, half the folks here
already know what's up,

so it ain't much
of a spoiler to fill in

the rest of the g*ng,
right?

I mean, how interesting can
Playmaker's past be anyway?

Very well then, Skye...
I'll tell you what I know.

Story time!

There was an incident

known among inner circles
as the "Lost Incident."

Six children went missing,

mysteriously vanishing
one-by-one.

Because a secret
organization took them.

Took them?

And one of the six
children was Playmaker.

You were?!
No way. I'm sorry.

That would certainly
sour one's attitude.

Yusaku...

That's enough, Zaizen.

If my story
is going to be told,

I will be
the one to tell it.

Playmaker...

It's true
that I was taken...

But that was only
the beginning of things.

Once I was, the next thing I
knew, I had been locked away.

[groans]

Where am I?

I found myself
alone in an empty room.

Except for one thing.

A single piece of VR tech.

The headset
showed a duel field...

where I was forced to duel.
And win.

Because if I didn't...

[computer voice]
You lose!

[groans]

I was punished
for my failure.

♪♪

It was
a tedious existence...

[groans]

[eating]

Eat, sleep and duel.

That's all I was
permitted to do.

Eat, sleep and duel.

[computer voice]
You lose!

And when I lost, the "eat"
portion went away.

So I had to improve
as a duelist to win.

[groans]

Duel after duel
after duel,

hour after hour,
day after day...

Wondering why I'm here,

wondering why
life dealt me this hand,

wondering when this
would end,

if it would
ever end at all...

Oh, man...

What a nightmare
it must have been.

[Playmaker]
No, Blue Angel,
it was much worse.

For, you see, nightmares
end when you wake up.

I never knew when this

was going to end,
and then one day...

[groans]

it just... did.

[computer voice]
Good, you never gave up.

You may go home now.

[groans]

[groans]
[door opens]

[Zaizen]
You were rescued, but
the culprit was never found.

In fact, the whole Lost
Incident was covered up,

so the public never
knew it even occurred.

Do you happen to know
the identities of
the six children?

No. For a crime such as this,
the state spared no expense

at protecting
their identities.

The data files here
contained much information,

but not the names
of the children,

so Playmaker, your true
identity's still a mystery.

Phew! That was a close one.

Zaizen... You said that those
rescuers saved me that day.

But I wasn't saved at all!

There are three reasons
why I must learn

the motive behind
the Lost Incident.

One: I can only
move past my suffering

when I know why I had to
suffer in the first place.

Two: To save those
who are still afflicted

from the ramifications
of what we had to endure.

And three: When I was
about to give up back then,

one voice kept me going.

[voice]
Hey. Hey.
C'mon, you gotta get up.

I can't do it.

You can
make it through this.

You just have to always
remember these three things...

One: If you give up now,
there won't be a next time.

Two: You can't win if you
don't believe you can win.

And three: Just because
it's tough now

doesn't mean it
will always be.

Who are you?
Where are you?

[voice]
Three, that's all you need.

Are you locked up too?

Just three simple reasons
can get you through anything.

Okay, three things.

That's right.
Just don't give up hope.

The reason I'm here today
is because of that voice.

And whoever that was
was not among the rescued.

So if he's still captured,
I must rescue him!

Zaizen, you speak
of the Lost Incident

as if it was something
that was ended a decade ago.

But for me,
it still hasn't ended!

I wrestle with
the past every day

as I try to move
forward and start over.

Many people did try
to help me readjust

back to a normal life.

My teachers and classmates
treated me no different,

just another normal kid.

Deep down inside though,

I was still struggling
through the pain...

And this pain would only
grow as I grew older...

[groans]

[computer voice]
You lose!

[groans]

The nightmares would
come every night.

It was if I was falling

into a bottomless
chasm of despair...

but I realized that if
I didn't want to break,

I had to
climb out on my own.

Instead of
trying to avoid it,

I decided to confront
the demons that haunt me.

So I started to
investigate every detail

about the Lost Incident,

looking for
any bit of information

that might prove useful,
no matter how insignificant.

Then one day I collected a
piece that was indeed useful.

I learned that
the Lost Incident

went by another name:
The Hanoi Project.

The Hanoi Project?

So then are you saying
that the Knights of Hanoi

had something to do
with the Lost Incident?

That's why I fight against
the Knights of Hanoi.

Circumstantial but logical.

I see...

But if that's the extent
of your knowledge,

you're missing
one crucial detail.

What do you mean?

Within the database,

I found the name
of the mastermind

behind the Hanoi Project.

The name?
[gasps]

Mastermind?

♪♪

Zaizen...

Who is it?

♪♪

♪♪