Under the Rain [Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS]

S2-36✩ Meeting of Two Lights

"I will handle this by myself. Aqua... I'm so glad to have found you. Alright, I will see you later, soon enough!"

When Earth muttered those words for Aqua, he had only one belief: that she shouldn't be put at risk after just being rescued and that he would protect her at all costs, even if that would mean he must defeat GO Onizuka in a duel. But although he was confident in his skills as a duelist, he admitted that since he didn't have enough data of Onizuka, he couldn't be 100% sure he would win. Hence, he had to take drastic measures to ensure Aqua's safety, and that was pushing her out of harm's way... literally.

"Earth!!!" Aqua cried out his name as being caught off guard had made her unable to resist gravity. But once she had regained her composure, she used her ability to control a small data storm to help her escape, all while tearfully wishing for Earth's victory.

Now there were only Earth and Onizuka left, standing on their D-Boards. After making sure Aqua had successfully escaped, Earth held his head high and got ready to engage Onizuka in a duel.

At the same time, Playmaker appeared on his D-Board, a little too late to the duel stage and as a result could only watch from the sidelines with Ai. When Onizuka mocked him for being late, he paid no mind to his mockery because something else had caught his attention; it was how the bounty hunter's eyes that once were brimming with confidence during his days as a charisma duelist now looked dull and empty as he kept glaring at him in disdain. He looked like a completely different person and in fact, Playmaker couldn't find any traces of the old Onizuka on him anymore, making him frown. "GO Onizuka... just what the heck has happened to him?"

Playmaker wasn't the only one who witnessed that speed duel. Aside from Kusanagi and Soulburner who arrived even later than him, a certain pale-blonde boy also watched the duel on his laptop, with his silver-haired young master idly standing by behind him and crossing his arms. Spectre and Ryoken had been watching over that exact spot in LINK VRAINS from their headquarters since the moment they picked up two Ignis signals appearing simultaneously right there but instead of interfering like what Playmaker tried to do, they decided to just wait and see, since no matter what the result would be, it wouldn't harm them.

Ryoken silently observed how Earth dueled and immediately noticed the similarity between him and Spectre. He knew Spectre was the origin of the said Ignis all along, but didn't expect his dueling style would closely resemble his. After all, Earth never made contact with Spectre in the last 10 years because he knew that Spectre now belonged to the Hanoi. That meant Earth had perfectly adapted Spectre's dueling style as a kid while the boy never changed his way, as it was the core of his personality. Ryoken wondered if this trait was shared among the Ignis; knowing it could greatly help them in future duels.

The footage continued to play as the duel was nearing its climax. "I tribute Trilithon to equip Gravity Protection to Crystal Heart!" Earth declared, activating his Trap Card in response to Onizuka's card effect that would destroy his monsters. When Earth successfully negated it and reinforced Crystal Heart, he boasted, "How's that?! I protected Crystal Heart!"

Ryoken didn't react at all when Onizuka used his anti-skill to cancel out Earth's skill, but now, his eyebrows furrowed as he impatiently tapped his crossed arms in irritation. He could already see the result of the duel the moment Earth declared that move of his. He scoffed, "Arrogant Ignis. He seals his own fate in a trap that he set himself."

Upon hearing him, Spectre slowly nodded in agreement. "Yes. He chose to keep the 0-ATK monster Crystal Heart on the field instead of the more powerful Trilithon. That can't mean good."

"Exactly. Onizuka just needs to destroy Gravity Protection, cancelling the effect on Crystal Heart, and win the duel by attacking it next."

"But I sort of can understand that Ignis' reasoning," Spectre interjected. His voice was barely audible, but it still managed to reach Ryoken's ears and make him glance at him. At that moment he witnessed how Onizuka's Dinowrestler mercilessly shattered Crystal Heart to bits and dust, just like what Ryoken had predicted, yet he couldn't seem to look away from it as he continued mumbling, "I agree that Crystal Heart must remain protected on the field, no matter what."