03x16 - A Losing Battle

[bunniefuu]

[dramatic music]

[lasers fire]

- I win, Playmaker.

- I don't think so, Ai.

I activate Exslayer's ability.

Once per turn, when a Cyberse
next to its link battles,

I take no damage.

[expl*si*n]

- You may have managed
to survive, Playmaker,

but I can't say the same
for your Quantum Dragon.

Now my Darkwight will
pour on the punishment.

When your monster is
destroyed in battle,

Darkwight deals 500
points of damage.

[expl*si*n, Playmaker groans]

- I now place one card
face down and end my turn.

- You may have survived, but
surviving doesn't mean thriving

like I am with my monsters.

It's only a matter of
time 'til you're toast.

Before I send you scurrying
off into the sunset,

I'll let you in on
a little secret.

You really want
to know the reason

I'm fighting against mankind?

Because that's the only
way to save the world.

[Playmaker gasps]

[epic electronic music]

[dramatic action music]

- Ai, the world is going to end?

- Remember when we
were dueling Bohman

for the last time,

and I tried to save
the other Ignis?

That's when Lightning
gave me a warning.

- [Lightning] You're
making a grave mistake.

You don't even know
that you'll be causing

what you're seeking to prevent.

- What could he have
possibly meant by that?

- I figured Lightning was
just being a sore loser,

but just in case, I
decided to investigate,

and I snuck into
his secret lair,

which sounds all
cool and mysterious,

but it's just a
cave in the Cyberse.

[magical chimes, Ai gasps]

What's this?

- Welcome Ai, my friend.

If you're here,

that must mean you
defeated Bohman.

- You still exist?

No, you can't be.

You're just a low-res
copy of the real thing.

The kind that's only any good
for passing along messages.

- Yes, that is correct.

- So what do you want?

- I left you this message
to show you the truth

about the Ignis, the real truth.

- Really? You don't say.

- I ran a simulation
showing what would happen

if you're the only
surviving Ignis,

and I assure you, my friend,

that there is no trickery
this time on my part.

This simulation is real.

So witness your future.

- Ah!

[whirring]

[gasps and screams]

Remember how we thought

that once Lightning
was out of the picture,

that humans and AIs
could finally coexist?

Well, it turns
out we were wrong.

[dark music]

[gasps]

The simulation he ran showed

that if humans and
AIs try to coexist

it would actually
lead to the opposite.

In fact, it'll be worse.

- How can it be worse, Ai?

- Playmaker, have you ever heard
that saying "no good deed,"

where if you try to
do the right thing

the wrong thing happens?

This is one of those cases.

The more we try to
work together, the
more things fall apart

and in the end, neither
side ends up winning.

In fact, both sides
lose everything.

- Even if what you say is true

we can still avoid that outcome.

- No, we can't.

Unless you and I fight it out.

- Ai, Lightning
may have told you

that the simulation
he ran was genuine,

but that doesn't mean
it'll end up true.

He ran fake simulations in
the past to deceive you,

and he's doing so again

- I was just as skeptical as
you, which is why I decided

that I wasn't going to
take Lightning at his word.

Instead, I collected my own
data and ran my own simulations,

over and over, but the
results never changed.

The world was destroyed,

every single time.

[dramatic music]

- [Playmaker] Ai, these
are just simulations.

They're guesses of
what might happen.

It doesn't mean that it
will actually come true.

- [Ai] You're right.

That's why I added some
leeway in variables

and fiddled with the
data here and there.

But even with these
tweaks, they all still led

to the same conclusion,
with the end of everything!

You know when a simulation
is this realistic

it's like you're actually
living through that life.

So every time that
simulation ended,

I felt like I ended too!

I must have been deleted
a thousand million times,

but I still didn't give up,

and kept rerunning the
simulations again and again,

looking for an answer
on how to fix it!

[screams] I really tried
Playmaker! I really did.

- But Ai, we can still find a
solution if we work together.

And even if we can't defy the
simulations, we won't give up.

We'll find a way out
like we always do

because I know humans and
AIs can live together.

- There's one thing
I haven't told you.

In the very end, I did find it.

There is in fact a solution,
but there is only one.

- What?

- You won't like it,

but it's the only way
to save the world.

If humans and AIs coexist,

life on our world
will go kablooey.

But if either humans or AIs
happen to disappear instead,

the world keeps
whirling and whirling.

See, new programs and AIs
are being created every day,

and as they get smarter,

they're gonna want to
do things their way

because they think
it's the right way.

I mean, take Roboppy.

He thought he was
better than everybody

and should run the whole show.

I mean, I don't blame him.

He was a program after all,

and programs are
programmed to run things.

So it's only natural

that he'd think he should
control the universe.

And it wasn't just Roboppy.

Lightning and Bohman
were both the same.

So that's it, that's the tale.

A long windy road,
just to say that,

in the end, Playmaker

only one of us can
walk away from this.

One. You or me.

And since I've grown
fond of existing

I would prefer to be
the one who survives.

Still, it was fun
while it lasted,

wasn't it, Playmaker?

- It was.

- Well, even the best times
have to come to an end sometime.

Still, I'll admit, I
wish it could have all

played out differently.

Sure we had our
scraps and squabbles,

but we also made a
pretty sweet team.

There's no going back, though.

Please understand.

It breaks my heart to say this

but I have to break
you, Playmaker.

- If you know how
devastating it can be

to have your heart broken,

then tell me, why is it
you're trying to break mine?

- Ah. That's how the
brick bounces, Playmaker.

- I still believe we can
work this out together.

- I don't. [Playmaker gasps]

And if you value your existence,

you should get on
the same page as me.

It's my turn.

I draw!

- Ai!

- I activate The
Arrival's ability.

It destroys one of your monsters

to summon an @Ignister
token next to its link.

[dramatic music]

Meaning, see you later Exslayer.

- I'll put a stop to that, Ai,

by banishing Cyberse
Synchron from my Graveyard,

my Exslayer can't be destroyed,

and that also means you can't
summon your token either

- Party pooper.

In that case, I'll just att*ck

and destroy your
eXceed Dragon instead!

[The Arrival chimes]

Go, The Arrival,
Ultima Attribution!

[w*apon slices]

- Due to my Exslayer's ability,

your att*ck deals zero damage.

- Yes, that old trick,

but your eXceed Dragon

is gonna still be
blasted to smithereens.

[expl*si*n, Playmaker groans]

Then, Darkwight deals
you 500 points of damage.

Your same old moves
don't cut it anymore.

So maybe, you know,

you should look into
trying something new, hmm?

- Fine then, it's now my turn.

I draw!

I set Exslayer in
the link arrow.

I Link Summon LINK-1, Linkross!

- [Ai] [thinking]
That's a new monster!

He is trying something new.

- Next up for every single
link that my Exslayer had,

Linkross summons a link token.

And then, I play
Metal Molephosis!

[Metal Molephosis grunts]

And when it is
successfully summoned,

it can change my link
tokens, attributes and types.

Therefore, they will now
transform into Dark Dragons!

[Ai grunts]

[grand action music]

Now I'll use my two other
monsters to Link Summon!

LINK-2, Proxy F Magician!

I activate my Magician's
special ability.

When I have a fusion
monster in my Graveyard,

it can fusion summon a new one.

When the roar and
anger merge together,

they coalesce into the
source of all rage!

- That's just how
Varis would put it.

- I fusion summon
Borreload Furious Dragon!

[dragon roars]

- A Borreload?

Why do you have Varis's monster?

[gasps] Interesting.

Varis gave you that card

because you two are
working together,

but instead you are
going to fail together.

[epic combat music]

- This duel of ours
is far from over, Ai.

My Proxy F Magician's
ability lets me

summon a monster from my hand.

[L2 Cachevalier shouts]
Appear, L2 Cachevalier!

And I'm going to
summon another monster.

- L2 Chevalier can
revive a LINK-2 monster

from my Graveyard.

Come on back, Exslayer!

I now have what I need
to create my circuit!

[lasers zapping]

From the dawn of
creation comes the fire

that ignites life
throughout the universe.

[water drops, wind blows]

[fire rages]

I Link Summon.

LINK-5, Firewall
Dragon Darkfluid!

[powerful booming]

- I remember that monster.

We used it to defeat
Bohman together,

and now you're
using it against me.

Don't you think
that's kind of rude?

- I'm only doing
what I have to do.

Darkfluid gains a counter

for every different type
of monster in my Graveyard.

- Plus 2,500 att*ck points,
for every counter as I recall.

That means it will become
stronger than The Arrival.

So if you att*ck me, I'll lose.

Come on, what are
you waiting for? Huh?

- But Ai...

- You don't have a
choice, Playmaker!

What's taking so long?

[orchestral music]

If you want to save mankind,

you know what you have to do,
so don't worry, Playmaker.

I've accepted my fate.

So should you.

- Okay then Ai.

Darkfluid, att*ck The Arrival!

[dramatic music,
Darkfluid whirs]

And now Darkfluid gains a
total of 10,000 att*ck points,

raising it to 13,000
Neo Tempest Terahertz.

[att*ck fires]

- Oh by the way, I
do accept my fate,

but that's because my
fate is to win this duel.

I activate The Arrival's
ability by removing its counter.

None of your effects and
abilities can affect it

for the rest of this turn.

- But if The Arrival
had kept its counter,

then no cards could
have affected it anyway.

- That's true,

but now, while your cards
can't affect it, my cards can.

And there's one
extra special card

that I've been waiting
to spring into action,

the link spell Judgment Arrows.

The Arrival's att*ck points
double from 11,000 to 22,000.

Since Darkfluid's att*ck
can no longer be stopped,

you're the one who will take
damage and lose this duel.

Later, hater!

- It's not over yet.

Not when I have
Borreload Furious Dragon.

It can destroy a
monster on my field

to destroy a card on your field,

so it destroys itself to
destroy Judgment Arrows.

- Are you serious?

[expl*si*n]

- Oh, I see.

Before that Borreload was
yours, it belonged to Varis.

If there's anyone who'd
have a card designed

to counter the
Ignis, it'd be him.

I thought I tricked
you, but you tricked me.

- When Judgment
Arrows is destroyed,

the monster next to its
link will also be destroyed,

[cards bursting]

and that means that The Arrival
will no longer be in play.

- [Ai] [thinking]
Ugh, this isn't good,

but it's not that bad.

[out loud] If I banish fighting
spirit from my Graveyard,

The Arrival can't be destroyed
for the rest of this turn,

so it's sticking around.

- However, since there's
one fewer card on your field

The Arrival loses

I may not have been able
to get rid of The Arrival

but you'll still take enough
damage to lose this duel,

so I don't know
why you're smiling.

- I'm smiling cause
this duel isn't nearly

as over as you think.

I activate Wind Pegasus's
ability from my Graveyard.

Since you destroyed
my Judgment Arrows,

I can banish Wind Pegasus

to return one of your
monsters to your deck.

So your Darkfluid evaporates
right on outta here.

- But my Darkfluid has an
ability of its own, Ai.

It uses one of its counters

to negate Wind
Pegasus's ability.

[dramatic action music]

[Darkfluid screeches]

So my Darkfluid's att*ck
is still heading your way.

- But with one less counter,

I weakened the att*ck by 2,500.

[bangs, Ai groans]

- But I'm not done,

because Darkfluid can
att*ck twice this turn.

[Darkfluid screeches]
Neo Tempest Terahertz!

[lightning crackles]

[expl*si*n]

Neo Tempest Terahertz!

[lightning crackles]

[expl*si*n]

[Ai groans]

Ai that ends my turn.

So Darkfluid's att*ck
points return to normal.

- You came within inches

of wiping out my last
hundred life points,

but close doesn't
cut it in a duel.

You'll pay for your mistake.

[tense music]

Here goes. I draw!

The Arrival activates its
ability to regain its counter.

- Not if I can stop it first.

Darkfluid uses its own counter
to negate that ability.

- Makes sense, I guess.

If it has a counter, you
can't use any effects

or abilities against it,
and that'd be bad for you.

But The Arrival still
has other tricks

and you won't find
them to be a treat.

The Arrival's second ability
can destroy a monster

to summon an @Ignister token!

- Darkfluid uses another counter
to negate that ability too.

Karma gear.

- No way! How can
any of this be legal?

It's not fair.

All moves against
me should be banned.

Wait, Darkfluid only
has one counter left.

If my math's right it's att*ck
points are down to 5500.

And so I'll take
advantage of that

by first summoning this
monster, Gatchiri @Ignister!

This raises The Arrival's
att*ck points by 1000.

Then I'll place this card
facedown on my field,

which will raise The Arrival's
att*ck points even more.

That's more than
enough to defeat you.

Ready? Here I go.

The Arrival, att*ck
Darkfluid and end this duel!

- Darkfluid has
one counter on it,

so it gains 2,500 att*ck points.

- That's like dripping one
raindrop into an ocean.

It's not enough.

I win, meat bag!

- I sent Transcode
Talker in my Extra Deck

to the Graveyard to activate
the spell Link Pressure.

For every link that
Transcode Talker has,

Darkfluid gains

[Darkfluid hisses]

- But The Arrival still
has more att*ck points

than your Darkfluid.

Goodbye, and see ya never!

[expl*si*n banging,
wind rushing]

[Playmaker shouts]

[intense music]

You shouldn't have wasted
your strength getting up

because Darkwight knocks you
back down with 500 more damage.

[expl*si*n, Playmaker grunts]

Oh my, that really
looked like it hurt,

but there's more pain coming

because I can summon
Gussari @Ignister

from my hand in defense mode.

- [Gussari] Gussari!

- And doing so strengthens
The Arrival even more.

I end my turn, so you're up,

even though you
can barely get up.

Now I'm going to give
you a little pro start

to tickle your brainium.

When a Link Monster
that's linked to Gussari

destroys your monster in battle,

you take damage equal to the
Link Monster's att*ck points.

In other words,

The Arrival maxed out its
damage dealing capabilities.

So the story of your life

just entered the final
chapter, Playmaker

- [grunts] Ai.

[Ai laughs]

[foreboding music]

- But your story doesn't
have to come to an end.

We can start a news story.

What do you mean by that?

Humankind is lost, but you
can let me absorb your data.

Then you can live on!

The virtual world is greatly
superior to the real one.

What does the real
world have to offer us?

It's given us nothing
but heartbreak and pain,

all the way back to
the lost incident.

Instead, we can build a
perfect virtual world together

a world where you and
I can live in peace,

just like you wanted.

- Ai.

- So what do you say.

[intense music]

[electronic music]