Ai browses through the Internet, and discovers some mysterious messages relating to the Ignis. In order to confirm whether they are true or not, Playmaker and Ai head into LINK VRAINS. They then run into the Earth Ignis...
This episode contains the following tropes:
- Armor-Piercing Question: Earth questions Ai's motivations for siding with humanity; not that Ai made that decision for himself in the first place. Ai claims his reason for doing so is because he and Playmaker share a strong bond together... which Playmaker doesn't reciprocate.
- Blatant Lies: Earth assumes Ai was given his current name because he's an AI, but Ai dismisses the assumption, not wanting Earth to know that Yusaku did in fact name Ai on the same basis.
- Can't Kill You, Still Need You: Downplayed. While Queen has not yet dismissed Akira and his team of bounty hunters for failing to acquire Ai and Flame, she warns him that SOL Technologies won't be so generous as to allow him and the bounty hunters to continue serving under the organisation for failing to achieve results.
- Cassandra Truth: Both Kusanagi and Hayami brush off the Earth Ignis's comment as a hoax, claiming that a real Ignis wouldn't post as an Ignis on an anonymous forum. After Playmaker arrives at the coordinates given by the Earth Ignis, however, he does indeed encounter said Ignis.
- Freeze-Frame Bonus: Ai's Ignis-incrypted message to Earth includes the English flavor-text for Evilswarm Heliotrope: Read backwards, it says "Eliminate! Eradicate! Exterminate! These are the thoughts of lingering Steelswarm souls, yearning for a body so that they might make their dream a reality."
- Giver of Lame Names: Ai suggests that the absent WATER Ignis be named "Leaky" or "Drippy".Earth: Those are… terrible names.
- Scenery Porn: Invoked by Earth. After he Link Summons "G Golem Crystal Heart", the Field transforms into a lush landscape full of green, accompanied by a waterfall.
- Trial by Combat: Earth challenges Playmaker to a Duel to verify whether or not humanity is as malicious by nature as they are made out to be.
