Cardfight! Vanguard: A Tale of Three Shops {IC} [PG-13]

[Justice Master]

The various school bells rang throughout the town, releasing those who had been trapped within. It was a Monday, and if just glanced at, it was any other Monday. However, unbeknownst to the few this would effect in that small city of Masayoshi, this was going to be a special day. Not something outstanding or maybe not even something told in centuries to come. It was special nonetheless. And as the children rushed onto to their various after-school activities, on a less than large porch there stood a man. A man named Daiki Unabara.

 

His stand was short lived, though, as he had work to do. As the owner of a card shop, there was going to be quite the rush once all the kids and teens got out. If one was to take a look at Daiki, it wouldn't be their first thought that he ran a business or was even on his shift. In fact, the only thing that signified his ownership of Card Shop Radiance was a button he chose to wear on the right side of his t-shirt on his upper chest. A calm breeze could be felt this fine spring day. While the breeze took it upon itself to blow some leaves upon the very porch he was sweeping, Daiki wouldn't have it any other day. This was the dream that he was living.

 

It all just seemed a little to good for him. There could probably be an extensive name of people who deserved a card shop more than him, but he still somehow got to where he was. He had even made some good friends with some of the locals who frequented his business. It just seemed odd. This was a common thought that crossed Daiki's mind on countless afternoons, but, like all of those other days, there was no time to take in that feeling. He had customers rushing over to his home away from home and there was no reason to make them wait any longer after that day of intense learning they had just survived. With a quick, swift motion, Daiki opened his shop door and flipped a small sign around.

 

Card Shop Radiance was finally open.

[Super Chaos Sonic]

The bells had rung, class was over. However, one specific individual was out of class already, since he didn't specifically have classes on Mondays (Yay for the college education system). This individual, Shio Kazaki ran down the streets Masayoshi with a huge grin on his face.

 

[url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkHw9qr9nhM]CF!!V OST ~ Aichi no Theme[/url]

 

"'Scuse me! One side! Sorry ma'am!" Shio said as he dodged people left and right. It was days like these that Kazaki was truly happy with. The local card shops opened up specifically around this time each day, meaning fighters would arrive to play against. A challenge like this always put a smile on Shio's face. Aw yeah! Today's the day...the day I get to meet a strong player! I can just feel it! And I know you guys are totally excited about this as I am! he thought, as he skidded to a stop when a light turned to signal not to walk, as he ran in place, looking at his deck box as he pulled out one of his Vanguard cards: Blaster Blade. Heh, thought as much! Either way, let's stop wasting time!! With that, as the light turned back, Shio put the deck box back on his side, continuing to run towards Masayoshi's "Card Shop Radiance".

[DeathSDelano]

Delano looked down at his watch checking the time. "Well its about time for things to get lively in here,"  Delano said flipping the sign over to open, and unlocking the glass door to the shop.Delano quickly walked behind the register in preparation for the way of vanguard players to come in from their long days at school to avoid getting possibly ran over by people coming in.

 

"Alright, time to see what heated games the young and old players will bring today to Ryuugami" Delano exclaimed as he stretched out his arms up and down, then cross his chest each way, finishing up by shaking his head side to side. "And just encase." He kneeled down under the register pulling out his deckbox and placing in the front right pocket of his apron. 

[~Tico~]

Amidst the steady stream of people heading their way up and down the street at a brisk walk, there was one particular fellow who was the only person who seemed to be going at anything below a fast trot. But then again, Yuuichi had always preferred taking things at his own pace. With hands in the pocket of his hoodie and earbuds in his ears (but not blaring music, surprisingly enough), his leisurely walk was gradually leading him down a road he had traveled several times before: that which would take him to Card Shop Radiance. A small smile flickered about his lips at the thought. Hopefully, he'd find an opponent today, as his most recent visits there had ended with him watching a number of Vanguard fights instead, and while that was all well and good. he missed the exhilaration of participating in one himself. 

 

After all, Yuuichi remarked mentally, those who enjoy the greatest liberties don't like being restrained much, do they? Right, you Granblue scalawags? Obvious the cards themselves gave no reply, mentally or otherwise. But if the beings depicted upon his cards had had physical form at that moment, Yuuichi was sure that there would have been a resounding roar of approval from them at his statement. Another smile gracing his features, he continued on his way to Card Shop Radiance.

[Love of Ghibli]

ATTACK WORLD SNAKE, OUROBOROS!!

GUARD!!

 

It was an intense battle with Reese trying to put pressure on his opponent while maintaining a steady lead of 3 damage to 5. What he didn't know is that his opponent was controlling his damage to avoid his Sephirot's Limit Break. But that didn't matter because there was enough cards in his hands to withstand an attack from his opponent on his next turn. 

When the souls of darkness hit their peak they stand and amass the ultimate evil. I Ride Blade Wing, Reijy! Reese's eyes lit up as he actually remembered what this card did. He had actually neglected the need to count his opponents soul. Reese had just committed to memory the fact that three of his opponents heal triggers had went to the soul. Now Reijy's skill activates. I can pick one of my creatures and I can put up to 3 copies of that cards from my deck to my soul. And lucky for me I still have all three of my bikes in my deck. Now with them in my soul I have 16 cards in the soul and that means Reijy's other skill activates. He gets +2 CRITICAL!! This is what Reese had feared. Now he had to guard the center line which adds another pressure to his hand. 

 

Flash forward to after school Reese had the cartoonish slump and depression that typically comes with defeat as that is what happened. He lost. This was the typical day in the life for him. He was trying hard to gain some form of position in his schools vanguard club but nope he just did not have what it took to fully achieve his vision. He felt he needed to do more practice, maybe outside of the school and somehow able with a different crowd of people so they wouldn't know his playing stars. He had some free time before he was comfortable going home and practicing there. Well there were these popular card shops that the kids in his class were talking about and apparently there were three neighboring shops. As he approached the shops there was one obvious one that caught his eye. It had a seemingly English name the GameStor. Sure the English was...off but at the very least he had to give that one a shot.

[Super Chaos Sonic]

After running through a bunch of traffic, even dodging a couple cars, Shio finally arrived in front of Card Shop Radiance. He put his hands on his knees, as he panted quite a bit. "Oh wow, t-that was...a-a lot of running just to get here..." he said, as he finally stood up and ran his hand through his hair. Shio's eyes shifted toward the shop's sign: Open. That was all Kazaki needed to see, as he opened the door to the shop. "Shohyo Tencho!" he said, as he waved with a great smile on his face. Shio had been going to Card Shop Radiance for a number of weeks now, knowing the Shop Manager from his many visits. "Already prepared for another great business day I see! It's always good to see!!" Shio said, as he walked by a table and quickly sat down.

 

*Shohyo means "Sup" & Tencho means Shop Manager

[~Tico~]

Having walked for about another 5 minutes, Yuuichi finally stood at the stoplight across the road from Card Shop Radiance. While he waited for the light to change, he pulled the earbuds from his ears and stuffed both them and the music player he held in hand into one of the pockets of his cargo pants. There was a bit of a clog up at the intersection after the light changed (no thanks to some stubborn drivers who insisted on turning despite the red light) and so Yuuichi crossed the road with only seconds before the pedestrian light returned to red. Some steps later and Yuuichi stood in front of Card Shop Radiance. It was open of course, but he still paused for a moment to glance up at the sign declaring the shop's name before setting his sights back onto the door. Smiling, he stepped inside.

 

The shop was orderly as usual, and despite his somewhat slower pace, there weren't as many people in the shop as of yet. He knew it'd eventually be full, though. Hopefully, he could get a seat or even a Vanguard fight going by that time, as he didn't quite fancy being squashed in a corner by the usual crowds. Noticing the manager, Mr. Unabara, at the counter, Yuuichi made a respectful bow. "Good afternoon, Unabara-tencho," he said, "I trust you're doing well?" As he spoke, his eyes made a quick scan of the room again, hoping to see a potential opponent. He noticed a boy sitting at one of the tables, but after a moment, determined that he wasn't an acquaintance and moved further into the shop. 

[~British Soul~]

As the end of school bells rang and everyone was milling out of their respective classes, Yuja Crosstar held his back pack above his shoulder and looking up trying to take no notice of the other students. His friend James exited class not long after and decided to chase him to find out where he was going whilst swerving out of the way of the other students.
"So where are you headed?" James asked deciding that he wanted to hang around with him because otherwised he would be heading home.
"Well, I'm headed to the nearest card shop for a cardfight. I sense powerful fighters today." Yuja replied looking at the ceiling initially giving no notice of James believing he was another guy in his class, it wasn't until he recognised his voice that he opened up around his close friend.

~#~#~#~

Walking down the streets of Masayoshi, Yuja and James looked around for the nearest card shop. It was obvious that they weren't headed for their usual hangout spot otherwise they would have reached their destination by now, but Yuja's senses of powerful fighters are leading both the boys. Moving out of the way of the Masayoshi citizens whilst not losing their way, it was clear to see that Yuja was focused and that James was just baggage following Yuja around with nothing else to do.
About 10 minutes later, Yuja stopped dead in his tracks and turned to his left and looked to the skies for a brief moment, they had reached the doors of Card Shop Radiance. "Well here we are, time for some cardfighting."

[宇佐見 蓮子@C94]

"Yahoo! Finally got a level up. Now that dungeon boss will get owned."  Yumemi's voice echoed through her room. Today was yet another usual day in her life. No school, no responsibilities, just nothing at all to do other than play and have fun and she has been playing her game console all day long. Due to this, her room is an absolute mess with numerous CD cases and manga titles just spread to every inch of her room. Just as the boss battle was about to start, Yumemi looked to her right and saw her deck box. "Maybe later." She thought to herself. 

...

"Tch... I'll definitely get that stupid snake next time..." Yumemi muttered to herself as she walked down the street to Card Shop Radiance, who was just a few blocks away from her house. Needless to say, she lost the battle and decided to go to Card Shop Radiance like she would every other day. After an uneventful trip, Yumemi arrived at the front of Card Shop Radiance. Even though she noticed someone else at the door, she just went and ignored him, after all, they're probably going to enter anyway. "Lovely weather we're having, yes?" Yumemi said as she walked through the door. "Yumemi-sama! You're actually here!" Said a man sitting at the table near the counter.

 

"Please battle with me, Yumemi-sama!"

"Could you please look at my deck?"

"I want your autograph!" 

 

Several people walked over to Yumemi and began their daily routines of annoying her with useless requests. "Haah... This is why I sometimes hate this place." 
 

[Justice Master]

It didn't take much time for Daiki's little card shop to pull in the customers. It was nice to see the faces, mainly because many of them were shop regulars and they had all become friends of his. Sitting from behind his counter,he watched as the customers slowly gathered within his store. The majority of his sales were made when the customers first rushed in, but it had calmed down enough to allow for a little relaxing. Using the second stool behind the counter, he propped his feet up and gazed upon the several cardfights. They were entertaining, but the more exciting players had yet to appear. That's when he heard a familiar voice fill his ears. 

 

"Shohyo Tencho!" greeted the boy. It was a customer of Daiki's that had only been coming to the store for a few weeks. The kid was quite the ball of energy and they'd both consider the other a friend, at least, that's what Daiki assumed. "True," remarked the owner on Shio's comment, "but I'm just happy we have quite a few people here having fun. Money is really an afterthought." In a few short minutes after his little statement, another exciting card fighter walked in, Yuuchi Wanizuka. The boy gave a bow. "I'm doing fine," the owner responded, "just another day. I suppose that some of our other regulars have yet to come." After that statement, a silhouette appeared in front of the doors, just standing there. It was odd, but there were probably thinking of something. It was a few short seconds before the "great and famous" Yumemi entered, the silhouette still standing there.

 

Yumemi was arguably the most famous person there, having gathered quite a few fanboys. Immediately as her presence was realized by the people of the shop, she was predictably harassed by some of her fans. Daiki, with his amazing slightly louder voice, had to announce(again) a warning. He moved his legs off of the stool and stood up. "Look guys, I understand Yumemi-san's a sort of an idol to you guys, but you need to seriously lay off the obsession with her. If you don't, than I'll have to take action," the manager declared, quickly sitting down again. He never liked those moments, but they were necessarily. Either way, he could tell that there was going to be an entertaining cardfight. With some of the best players there present, he'd be surprised if it turned out boring.

[Super Chaos Sonic]

Shio smiled as he nodded at Daiki's response, then watched Yumemi's fanboy army appear. It was like this most of the time he was here, a scene like that never got old. Though now, Kazaki's eyes shifted to another customer that entered the shop: Yuuichi. That was a face he'd seen around, but never truly got the chance to play...well that was gonna change. "Excuse me! Yeah you with the earphones!" Shio said in a happy tone, as he stood up, waving. Soon he gave a small smirk and took removed the deck from the deck box on his side. "I've decided that your the one I want to fight today! Dunno why, but I can really tell your a pretty strong player. That and I haven't had the chance to play against ya yet! Oh, sorry...almost forgot...my name is Shio Kazaki!" Shio said, smiling.

[~Tico~]

The moment Yumemi had come in, Yuuichi had braced himself for a wave of noise. It soon came as expected from the usual source: the army of fanboys that always seemed to be lurking in wait for her to show up. To be honest, Yuuichi was a little bewildered by the whole "fanboy" thing. While he would agree that Yumemi was certainly attractive enough (not that he'd ever say it aloud), he doubted that was really all it took to garner as large a legion of admirers as she had. There had to be something more, something he wasn't aware of, that could cause such mass idolization...

But that train of thought would have to wait until another time, for Yuuichi was snapped out of his moment of contemplation by the voice belonging to that one guy he had noticed when coming into the shop. Shio, as he had introduced himself, challenged Yuuichi to a cardfight on the grounds of his intuition about Yuuichi being a strong player and, of course, a unknown opponent.

"A cardfight, huh?" Yuuichi replied, a grin spreading across his features. "Fine by me! I've been eager to take on another Vanguard fighter for a while. And while it might be just a wild guess, I'd be willing to wager that you're a pretty strong opponent yourself. So to put it in other terms," he said while drawing his deck out from the deck box strapped to his belt, "I, Yuuichi Wanizuka, accept your challenge! Bring it on, Shio Kazaki!"

[Super Chaos Sonic]

"I, Yuuichi Wanizuka, accept your challenge! Bring it on, Shio Kazaki!"

 

This reply was all that Shio needed to hear. He took one card from the deck box and smiled, as he saw it only. Wingal Brave, his chosen starting Vanguard. Hell, it was always his starting Vanguard. "Guess we got ourselves a good match today!" he said, as he took his place at a table, sitting down and placing Wingal Brave face down on the Vanguard circle. As that was done, he began to shuffle his deck, smiling as he waited for Yuuichi to take his seat and prepare for the match. Wonder what clan he'll be using. Depending on clan and abilities he'll have...will determine how he's master them. Shio thought, as he placed his deck in the deck zone. "So, which would you prefer Yuuichi, going first or second?"

[~Tico~]

As Shio moved over to the table, Yuuichi reached into a pocket of his deck box, a pocket he had added solely as a special place for his starting Vamguard. Extracting said card, he held it up and looked at the card that had been both the first Vanguard card he had ever owned and the one that had drawn him toward the usage of the clan he now favored. Captain Nightkid. It was just a Grade 0; a useful one, yes, but nothing extraordinary. And yet the very fact that the boy depicted had had the tenacity of spirit to abandon regular life and depart on the path of a pirate spoke volumes to him.

Yuuichi looked up when Shio posed a question about his preference of turn order. "To be honest, either first or second would be all the same to me. But, as you were the one to initiate the challenge, I feel that it'd be only right to respond in kind by taking the initiative for our battle. That is to say," he said as he placed Captain Nightkid face down on the Vanguard circle and his deck into the deck zone, "for this one occasion, I'd like to take the first turn, if I may."

[Super Chaos Sonic]

Shio drew his five cards, but he wasn't exactly happy with the results: Gallatin, Elaine, Soul Savior Dragon, Margal, and Alabaster Owl. Huh...guess your not in this draw...in that case! he thought as he took one of the five cards, and kept it off to the side, as he took the other four and shuffled them back into the deck. "I'll just redraw four." Shio said, as he drew the new four cards. A small frown appeared on his face, he still didn't see the card he was looking for. BUT, this hand did look better than the last one. ""Well...time to start this game off. STAND UP! MY VANGUARD!"

 

[url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSCymq85wg4]CF!!V OST ~ Stand Up, Vanguard![/url]

 

"Go on Wingal Brave!" he said, as he flipped the card over, smiling as he just imagined the small armored bat/dog appear on the battlefield. "Alright Yuuichi, show me and my clan what you got!"

[~Tico~]

Yuuichi also drew his initial hand of five cards. A disappointed frown came to his face as he looked at them. They weren't bad, per se, but in this particular arrangement and on the first turn, it was less than favorable. Thus, he placed one to the side while shuffling the rest back into his deck before redrawing. His next hand was much better, and he closed his eyes as he placed his hand on his face down starting Vanguard before flipping it face up. "Stand up, MY Vanguard!" he declared. "Rise forth, explorer of the ghastly currents...Captain Nightkid!"

In his mind's eye, he could see the red-haired youth in a sailor's outfit, standing tall (or as tall as the kid could get) with a spyglass in hand and a mischievous smirk on his face. Across the field was Shio's Wingal Brave, the winged dog/bat hybrid of the Royal Paladins. Royal Paladins, huh? This should be a fun match.

"Alright, my turn!" he said as he drew his next card. Barely glancing at it, he smiled. "and I Ride the Grade 1 Evil Shade!" As he spoke the words, Captain Nightkid's appearance shimmered with light before dissipating and revealing a new figure. This one was also clad in a sailor's outfit, but his skin was black as ebony and he lacked any facial features save a nose and his two menacing red eyes. In his left hand was a small cutlass.

Yuuichi continued. "Now, with Captain Nightkid's skill, I can move him to a rear guard when I Ride a Granblue unit on top of him. So I'll be moving him over to the back row." As he spoke, he moved the card from the Soul to the left circle of the back row. "Furthermore, I also Call this unit. Come, Rough Seas Banshee!" Another unit appeared upon the field, this one a girl with a tangled mess of golden hair and wearing a black dress with white frills and puffy cuffs. Over her right eye glinted a silvery eye patch. Yuuichi smiled. "You might be wondering just why I'd Call a Grade 0 unit and to the front row no less. Well, this lady here won't be staying for long because I now place her into the Soul," and here he slid the card under the Evil Shade in his Vanguard Circle even as the mental image of the Banshee disappeared, "and with that done, I can draw a card." Slowly reaching for the top card, he picked it up and looked at it. His smile broadened for an instant before he added the card to his hand.

"Well, that's about all I can do this turn," he said cheerfully. "I declare turn end. So now then," he exclaimed, pointing dramatically at Shio, "it's your turn, Shio-san, to show me just what you and your chosen clan are capable of!"

Hand count: 5
Damage: 0
Field: 2 (Vanguard, 1 back row rearguard)

[Super Chaos Sonic]

Yeah, Shio was definitely right to choose this guy for a fight, he seemed to know what he was doing. Evil Shade, Nightkid in rear, and Banshee...not a bad start off. Alright, guys...time to show him what we got!! he thought, drawing his next card. He drew and sighed again. "Well that's not the card I was hoping for, but it was good nonetheless!!" Shio looked at the six cards in his hand and nodded. "Alright then, here's my move! I ride Little Sage Marron!"

 

[url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1Cig1X_UPw]CF!!V OST ~ Fight 1[/url]

 

Within Shio's mind, Wingal Brave shined bright, as Marron appeared...with the face and hair of himself. "Wingal Brave's skill activates! It moves to the rearguard whenever I ride a Royal Paladin unit on top." he said, quickly moving Wingal behind Marron. "Can't do much of anything else...so I suppose I'll attack! With support from Wingal Brave, Marron attacks your Vanguard!"

 

Wingal Boosts Marron

5000 + 8000 = 13000

 

"I'll check for the drive trigger!" Shio said, looking at his top card: Little Sage, Marron. "No trigger. But, it'll still do a damage to ya!"

[~Tico~]

At Shio's command, his Little Sage, Marron released a blast of magical energy that was launched toward Evil Shade. The undead pirate grunted as it exploded against his chest, and Yuuichi checked for a damage trigger accordingly. "No trigger, but it'll take more than one damage to stop me." Yuuichi said as he placed the card revealed from the Damage Check into the Damage Zone. "And since Marron was your only unit that could attack, it's my move now." With a flourish, he drew his next card. A sigh of exasperation escaped his lips as he saw it. It could have been more useful earlier, but there was no sense getting worked up over something that couldn't be changed, so he merely added it to his hand.

 

"Now then," he said, twirling his next card on the tip of his finger before slamming it down onto the Vanguard Circle, "I Ride Deadly Spirit!" Evil Shade vanished, and in his place was a new figure. The body was comprised of medieval-seeming armor with gold trim, while a longsword brimming with a blue glow was grasped in its right hand. From under its horned helm and other gaps in the armor, hellfire burned; crimson, ominous, and unceasing. "And with that out of the way, I also Call to the front row Three Star Chef, Pietro!" Yet another member of the Granblue appeared, this time a skeleton wearing the outfit of a cook. It was almost comical to see the immaculate white outfit, as it contrasted sharply with the bony face of the skeleton wearing it. In his hand, he carried a platter whose contents were obscured by a metal covering.

 

"Since I've assembled these units here, I might as well use them to pay you back with interest for your attack last turn." Yuuichi said with a grin. "Captain Nightkid shall boost Pietro. Now attack!" The bony chef cackled as he charged across the field and directed a sharp kick toward Marron's torso. (9000 + 5000= 14000 total Power) [Response? If not -->] "That won't be all, though," Yuuichi added, "Pietro's only delivered an appetizer. Deadly Spirit, go! Now for the Drive Check," As the knight of the abyss jumped forward as well, Yuuichi took a look at the top card. The instant he flipped it over, in his mind's eye, the card let off a golden light. "And jackpot. Critical Trigger, get!" He held up a second Rough Seas Banshee. "Now Deadly Spirit gets a 5000 power up and an extra critical." (9000 + 5000= 14000 total Power, 2 Critical (Critical Trigger Boost)) [Response? If not -->]

 

With his sword glowing brighter than ever, Deadly Spirit struck at the Royal Paladin Marron, delivering a powerful horizontal slash. If the attack had gone through, Shio would now have 3 damage, and so Yuuichi was reasonable satisfied as he ended his turn.

 

Hand count: 5

Damage: 1

Field: 3 (Vanguard, 1 front row rear guard, 1 back row rear guard)

[Super Chaos Sonic]

"No guard for Night Kid. Damage check..." Shio said, flipping over his top card: Palamedes. One damage...and now Yuuichi's Vanguard had an extra Critical and 14000 attack power. However, this worked in his favor right now. "Would be a bad attack on my part! But...I guard with Flash Shield, Iseult!" he said, placing the card in the guardian circle. "With her skill, I drop Sharon to the Drop Zone and my Marron is protected from your attack!" With that, he placed Iseult in the Drop Zone, smiling. "Wow, almost had three damage...wouldn't be good for me. You really seem to know what your doing, Yuuichi-san!" He looked at his deck and drew his next card, as a smile appeared across his face. "Finally got you! Time to finally bring you out!"

 

CFV ~ Track 2

 

"Raise your blade and claim victory in the name of your king! Strike, the embodiment of my soul!! RIDE!! Blaster Blade!!" Shio declared, as he set the drawn card onto Marron. Within his mind, Blaster Blade had appeared, smiling at the fact that he was brought out. "And now...I call to rearguard, Knight of Silence, Gallatin." He looked at his hand: Two left...so nothing else he could do now. "Now! Gallatin will strike your Vanguard!" Shio said, turning the card sideways, launching the attack.[RESPONSE?? -> None, then] Slashes struck Deadly Spirit, as the attack was carried out...one damage so far. "Now, Blaster Blade will strike Deadly Spirit with a boost from Wingal Brave!"

 

BOOST FROM WINGAL BRAVE!

5000 + 9000 = 14000

 

"Time for the Drive Trigger check..." he said, drawing the top card: Alabaster Owl...Critical Trigger. "YES! I add all effects of Alabaster Owl to Blaster Blade!"

 

CRITICAL TRIGGER BOOST!

5000 + 14000 = 19000

+1 Critical = 2 Criticals

 

[RESPONSE? IF NOT ->] Blaster Blade swung all 19000 attack at Deadly Spirit, dealing two damage to Yuuichi. "Turn end!"

 

Hand: 3

Field: Gallatin (R), Blaster Blade (V), Wingal Brave (R)

Damage: 1

Drop Zone: 2

[~British Soul~]

As the boys entered Card Shop Radiance, they noticed an intense aura emanating from one of the nearby fight tables, there was a cardfight going on.
"Looks like a face-off between Royal Paladins and Granblue." James said as he walked over to the crowds watching. Meanwhile Yuja was looking around for someone that he can have an exciting cardfight with. As he was about to stroke his fingers across his chin, a voice from one of the other nearby tables shouted.

"Hey kid, you wanna cardfight?" The boy who introduced himself as Desu Shinji said with a smirk on his face. Yuja paused for a moment and then smirked himself. "Sure, you're on."

Both boys got into their fighting stances and prepared to place their starting vanguards onto the table. "You're going down!" Desu said confidently. "Not a chance." Yuja replied as he started to shuffle his deck whilst Desu done the same. Yuja looked at his starting hand and thought hard before putting 2 cards back into his deck, and Desu wasn't happy with his hand either but he didn't want to show it and he put 3 cards back into his deck.

"Stand up the Vanguard!" The boys shouted in unison to being the cardfight.

"Spark Kid Dragoon!" "Black Dragon Whelp, Vortimer!"

"I draw. I ride Desert Gunner, Raien! (7000) Spark Kid Dragoon moves to rear guard. Your turn."
Desu draws for his turn and looks to his hand. "Nice, I ride Scout of Darkness Vortimer (7000) and thanks to the Grade 0s skill, I get to look at the top 7 cards of my deck and add either the Grade 2 Vortimer or Spectral Duke Dragon to my hand." Desu looked at the top 7 cards and tried to hide his emotions from his opponent. "Neither of them are there, but it doesn't matter." He shuffled all 7 cards into his deck.
"So he didn't get either of the cards he's looking for, this has gotten more interesting." Yuja thought glancing at his hand before turning back to Desu.

"Also, because I have the grade 0 Vortimer in the soul, Scout of Darkness gains +1000 at all times. (7000 +1000 = 8000) I call Dantegal and with a boost from Dantegal, Scout of Darkness attacks your vanguard" Desu called out. (8000 + 5000 = 13000) "No guard!" Yuja replied shaking his arms. "Drive trigger check. Critical Trigger! All effects go to my vanguard." Vortimer struck Raien putting Yuja at 2 damage.

Yuja had a frustrated look on his face, albeit a brief moment of frustration as he drew a card from his deck. "I ride Demonic Dragon Berserker, Garuda! (9000)" The human standing in Yuja's vanguard circle morphed into an orange dragon. "Spark Kid Dragoon's counterblast, moving him into the soul and I get to look at the top 5 cards and see if I can find a Grade 3." Yuja looked at each card 1 by 1, each card not being a grade 3, until he turned over the 5th card trying to not look nervous. "I add this Dragonic Kaiser Vermilion to my hand. Now Garuda attacks your vanguard."

"I'm not gonna guard." "Drive check, no trigger." "Damage check."
(Yuja damage = 2, Desu damage = 1)

"Stand and draw. I ride Black Dragon Knight, Vortimer! (9000 +1000 = 10000) Thanks to his skill, when I ride him above the grade 1 Vortimer whilst the grade 0 is in the soul, by killing off a rear guard, I can look at the top 2 cards and call them to the rear guard circles." Dantegal howled as he went to the drop zone, then Desu looked at the top 2 cards of his deck. "I call Falcon Knight of the Azure (4000) and Sleygal Dagger! (7000) Since I called Falcon Knight to rear guard from my deck, I give 2000 power to any unit, and I choose Black Dragon Knight, Vortimer. (10000 +2000 = 12000) With a boost from Dagger, Vortimer attacks! (12000 +7000 = 19000)" Yuja looked to his hand and declared, "No guard" "Drive check." "Damage check."
(Yuja damage = 3, Desu damage = 1)

"Stand and draw. Break through the cage that imprisons your power, I ride Dragonic Kaiser Vermilion! (11000)" Yuja shouted with such enthusiasm as he was enjoying the cardfight. "I call a second Vermilion, Dusty plasma Dragon (9000) and Red River Dragoon (8000) to rear guard." Yuja's field started to grow with strong units ready to strike down at Desu's field, but Desu wasn't worried at all. "My rear guard Vermilion strikes your vanguard!" (Desu damage = 2) "With a boost from Red River Dragoon, my vanguard Vermilion attacks your vanguard!" (11000 +8000 = 19000) "Elixir Sommelier will guard!" (10000 +10000 = 20000) "Twin drive. First, and second, a Heal trigger! So that's 5000 power to my vanguard and I heal 1 damage. So much for your early advantage."

Desu started to get frustrated at the sight of the heal trigger and Wyvern Guard Guld because he knew that Yuja will be able to safely guard through the next turn. (Desu damage = 3) "Looks like this critical trigger has thwarted your attack (Desu's vanguard = 15000). I now stand and draw."

"The memories of the fallen will not be in vain as I ride the vanguard. Rise Spectral Duke Dragon! (10000 +1000 = 11000)" Desu called out with such flair. "Not only does he gain +1000 power because the grade 2 Vortimer is in the soul, but since the grade 1 exists in there as well, by sending Falcon Knight to the drop zone, I get to superior call up to 2 units from my deck." Desu looked at the top 2 cards of his deck and instantly glanced at the field. "I call Gareth (8000) and Beaumains (10000), then I call another Spectral Duke Dragon and a Halo Shield Mark (6000) to rear guard, and then counterblast. Since I have at least 4 Gold Paladin rear guards, Sleygal Dagger gains +2000 power. (7000 +2000 = 9000)"

"It's a good thing he can't limit break this turn, but there's no doubt he will limit break next turn." Yuja thought looking at his hand. "with a boost from Mark, my rear guard Spectral Duke attacks!" (Yuja damage = 3, Vanguard = 16000) "With a boost from Dagger, my Vanguard takes aim." "Yellow Gem Carbuncle will guard, you need 2 triggers to break through." "Twin drive, first, second, a critical trigger, all effects to Beaumains (10000 +5000 = 15000, Critical = 2), and with a boost from Gareth, Beaumains attacks." (Yuja damage = 5) "Looks like he's preparing for my limit break." Desu wondered as he ended his turn.

Yuja considered his options and he knew that he had to end it this turn or risk Desu's limit break, fortunately he had the unit he needed in his hand. "I stand and draw. Watch as my Vermilion reaches his final form, I crossride the vanguard. Dragonic Kaiser Vermilion THE BLOOD! (11000 +2000 = 13000) Since Vermilion is in the soul, THE BLOOD gains 2000 power at all times, then I call another Dusty Plasma to rear guard." Yuja's face then turned into a malicious smile. "Then I declare use THE BLOOD's ultimate limit break, counter blast 3, and not only does THE BLOOD gain 5000 power, he also gets an extra critical and he can attack the entire front row! (13000 +5000 = 18000, critical = 2) Finally I call a Guld (6000) and Old Dragon Mage (5000) to rear guard. With a boost from Red River, THE BLOOD attacks with Vermilion Catastrophe! (26000, 2 Crit)"

"Not so fast, Mark will nullify your attack!" "Twin drive, the first... Critical trigger, that's all effects to the left-hand Dusty Plasma (14000, 2 crit), the second... ahahaha another Critical, that's..." As he tried to focus all his strength to the same unit, Yuja remembered that Desu still had at least 2 10000 guards in his hand from previous drive checks, thus. "I give everything to my other rear guard. (14000, 2 crit) with a boost from Guld, Dusty Plasma attacks and he gains 3000 power because my vanguard has vermilion in its name! (14000 +3000 +6000 = 23000)" (Desu damage = 5, Vanguard = 16000) "My other Dusty Plasma atta-" "Dantegal will guard."

Desu started to shiver with fear as the previous turn had put Yuja in a stronger position. "Stand... and... draw. I'm going to have to go all out and hope for the best. I call Gareth and Flame of Victory (4000). With its skill by putting him into the soul, my vanguard gets 3000 power. (14000) then I call Azure to rear guard." Desu still wasn't sure if it'd be enough, but he decided to keep on trucking. "Counterblast for Dagger and then Mark will attack Dusty Plasma! Then with a boost from Dagger, Spectral Duke will attack your-"

"Wyvern Guard Guld will nullify your attack!" With the revelation of Yuja having another perfect guard all this time, Desu knew that he had lost even though he didn't want to admit it. "Twin Drive! Fine, then I'll limit break, killing the 3 rear guards that are resting, Spectral Duke stands back up and he attacks your-" "Malevolent Djinn will guard." "With a boost from Gareth, Gareth will-" "Guard"

"Final turn!" Yuja called out in confidence, just because he could. "I call Malevolent Djinn (4000), and he has the same skill as Flame of Victory, giving 3000 power to THE BLOOD (16000), and with a boost from Red River, THE BLOOD strikes your vanguard." Even though Desu had enough to block the attack, he decided to let the attack through because if he drew a Heal Trigger, he'd still be in the fight. (Desu damage = 6)

Even though Yuja had won, he felt bad for scaring Desu into submission and offered Desu a handshake. Desu paused for a moment and accepted the handshake before going to watch the action going on at the other tables.

[宇佐見 蓮子@C94]

Hearing Daichi's voice is enough to calm Yumemi's fanboys down and made them continue about their business before Yumemi arrived. She let out a sigh and walked over towards one of her fans, ignoring Yuuichi and Shio's duel, after all, they're just another regular like she is. She then challenged the guy, who appeared to have generic shonen hairstyle and an even blander white t-shirt and almost no values that made him noticeable at all. The man seemed excited about the prospect of dueling his idol, and Yumemi pulled out her Shadow Paladin deck. 

 

"Stand up, the Vanguard!"

"Stand up, my Vanguard."  

The two began their Cardfight.

...

"Phantom Blaster Dragon attacks your Vanguard. Drive check; Critical Trigger, Darkness Maiden, Macha." A titanic dragon swung its equally large spear down at it's opponent. "That's six damage. Go home and be family man." Yumemi said rather anti-climatically. The guy was at first surprised he was defeated so quickly, but his expression was soon changed to a "what did I expect" one. The guy than left his seat and went to challenge another of Yumemi's fanboys. "How dull.. How boring... He only dealt 3 damage to me and went down in less than 10 turns." Yumemi looked at the table and saw her cards still in their respective positions when the Cardfight ended. She sighed yet again before putting her cards back in her deck box. She then looked at the opposite of her table and saw Yuuichi and Shio's duel, however, unlike before, she seems interested in the fight and used her augmented vision to see their battle more closely. 

[Premier Alexander Romanov]

Hideki grinned as his flunkies opened shop, the large red and white sign proclaiming "GameStor" out front of his property lighting up to indicate its availability. The yakuza thugs, mainly indicated by the red store aprons over their white polos, their tan khakis with fashionable loafers, various degrees of musculature and tattoo artistry, and not-at-all-shifty polarized sunglasses, went about their business, making sure the store was in tip-top shape while keeping an eye on the little brats browsing through the merchandise. Hideki, on the other hand, was a very odd creature with a short, stocky stature, a shaved head, and an almost piggish face, though the various rings on his sausage-like fingers indicated that he might have some wealth to him. He sat in front of a small personal fan at the front of the store, waiting to ring up anything his customers wanted. However, Hideki had been getting reports that some players simply bought cards from his store, but frequented, and stayed allied with the other two stores in town. It wouldn't matter. It was basic economics. He offered a commodity in high demand at a lower price and with a greater and higher-quality supply, thanks to his...connections...The other establishments would soon fold, and GameStor would run this town...and then the next...and then the one after that! It was foolproof! Nothing could stop him! However, Hideki was able to contain himself when a strange young man entered, and the proprietor grinned and leaned over the counter. "Welcome to GameStor! What can we interest you in today?"

[~Tico~]

Yuuichi didn't blink as Gallatin's blade cut into Deadly Spirit. After all, it was just a single damage. After three would be when things could start to get dangerous. "Damage check," Yuuichi called and flipped over the top card. Knight Spirit, a critical trigger. Not that the critical would help much, but the extra power sure would. [9000 + 5000 = 14000 (Critical Trigger Boost)]

 

Then as Shio declared an attack with his Blaster Blade, Yuuichi decided to act. It would probably come back to bite him later, but he didn't mind. "Not gonna happen, I'm afraid. Guard! Doctor Rouge!" He placed the card into the Guardian Circle and the female vampire that served as the 'doctor" of the undead Granblue appeared, raising her hands even as a green aura surrounded Deadly Spirit, further increasing its power. [14000 + 10000= 24000 (Shield Boost)] 

 

Apparently, it was well he took the precaution. When Shio checked for a Drive Trigger, he drew Alabaster Owl, a Critical Trigger. Had he not decided to shield when he did, Yuuichi would have been facing 1 damage on Shio to his own 4. 

 

Breathing a sigh of relief, Yuuichi drew his next card. Finally, something a bit more useful. Turning back to the cards in his own hand, he picked one and placed it onto his Vanguard. "Ride! Grade 3, Spirit Exceed!" he called. Like Deadly Spirit before it, this new unit wore armor, but of a vastly different variety. The left half was also knightly in origin; polished, majestic, and impressive. The right side, however, bore the ragged armor of what appeared to be a samurai. The armor was more sparse compared with the left side and looked chipped in some places. The spirit had no true head, merely a mass of writhing blue flames above the neck area. In the warrior's hands were a longsword and katana respectively. 

 

"Now for the back row. Call! Dandy Guy, Romario!" For the first time, a 'true" zombie rose to the field. Clad in a almost impeccable white suit, clutching a rose within the fingers of his right hand, and a gaping grin revealing missing teeth and orange hair that clashed horribly with the rest of him, the so-called dandy appeared behind Spirit Exceed and gave an elegant bow.

 

"Dunno why he insists on acting like a gentleman even when he looks like that," Yuuichi remarked, "but then again, I suppose manners matter even after death. But moving back to the subject at hand," he said, "now it's time for something else. I activate Captain Nightkid's Counterblast!" Flipping over one of the cards in his damage zone, he then placed Nightkid into his Soul. "With this done, I can now look through the top ten cards of my deck, select one Granblue, and put it into the drop zone. While this might seem a little odd, death is but a tiny obstacle for the valiant sailors of the Granblue. And so..." he looked through the ten cards as he had said before plucking one out with a triumphant smile, "I'll send this Master Swordsman, Nightstorm to the drop zone. But you can be sure you'll see him again." Dropping the card into the drop zone, he shuffled his deck and placed it back onto its designated spot. 

 

"Well then, since there isn't much left to do with this turn, time to attack. So Pietro," Yuuichi said, looking at the card, "if you don't mind, take on Blaster Blade." The skeleton chef cackled and jumped forward toward the indomitable knight that was Shio's Vanguard.

 

Hand: 3

Damage: 2

Field: 3 (Vanguard, 1 front row rearguard, 1 back row rearguard)

[Super Chaos Sonic]

Spirit Exceed made Shio grin widely. "Oh wow! Spirit Exceed! Sorta feel honored that you've brought this out to the field!" he said with a chuckle, suddenly feeling all giddy. Then he watched Yuuichi's complicated looking Granblue combo happen...and before he knew it...Pietro was attacking Blaster Blade. He had stuff to do this with...but wasting it on the rearguards wouldn't be his best bet...just wasn't how he played. "No guard!"

 

With that, Pietro's attack hit Blaster Blade, as Shio checked for the damage trigger: none...it was Gallatin. "No trigger...two damage right now..." he said, as he placed Gallatin in the damage zone. "What's next, Yuuichi-san?"

 

Hand: 3

Field: Gallatin ®, Blaster Blade (V), Wingal Brave ®

Damage: 2

Drop Zone: 2

[Love of Ghibli]

Oh did this look shady. Reese walked into the store and he could see the tattooed minions walking about fixing the store. Unfortunately he didn't really care. This would just go down as another culture lesson. One in which he hopefully didn't die or be indebted to someone somehow. Upon entering the building he realized he may have been the first customer actually there. Well that is quite telling that the local students don't check this place out. Though it could be that this place was recently open and his academic schedule allowed him to be out earlier. The owner looked quite...strange. Well he was certainly human just more shady. 

 

"Um hello, I was simply wondering was this a place that people come to play vanguard. He said trying to hide his skepticism.