A/N: Hi there! This is my first time writing a fanfic for Cardfight! Vanguard. I have been dying to write one, but time was a factor and my ideas were flowing out of hand. I currently don't have a solid update schedule for this fanfic. I will try my best to update as fast as I can, but this fanfic is a lot more work than my other two fanfics. The few things you will notice is that this is a AU with some elements from the anime, but not a whole lot.
There will be chapters with no battles, because it took me almost five hours to write this. It took me literally one hour to write just the battle in this chapter, because of spelling and keeping count on the cards along with damage count. So if you are looking for a heavy battle fanfic, this is not for you, because it will not be Cardfighting centered rather it will center more on the players themselves.
Also I liked to note that this is not Beta at all, so there is a bit of grammar mistakes here and there.
Read and Review. Please no flames or else I will take this fanfic down. I'm a very sensitive writer and I don't like to displease readers.
Everyone knows about the game: Cardfight! Vanguard. Its the most popular thing for kids these days even adults play this game. A fun game that everyone enjoys whether on a rainy day or sunny day. Some play, others chooses to watch the matches. There has been tournaments and competitions all around the world hosting this game even people who are normally couch potatoes enjoy watching them.
Schools have also prepare some classes that is only about Cardfight! Vanguard. They are mostly about how to use your cards to the fullest while maintaining a cool head in the game. It wasn't a class requirement, more of a hobby/club thing, so schools decided to cancel classes with that and allow only clubs. Since there was an extreme number of people wanting to do better in the game, a few schools and colleges were created just for that. The game became parts of people's lives which is saying a lot considering it's a children's card game.
Everyone was starting to forget how fun the game was and many are just playing for the prizes and titles. It wasn't a fun game anymore, now its a competition to fight to the top. It wasn't the same much anymore, no one truly smiled at the fun anymore, now its just an endless stream of victory means everything. Some never forgot about how fun the game was still and how much it can change someone for the good or bad.
For one girl, the game was a step to a greater destiny.
Birds were chirping in the sky, clouds moving slowly and the morning dew was sparkling in the light. Flowers were opening up for the day and people were bustling around.
Sunlight was seeping into a small room through an open window. A body of a girl was sleeping quietly while noises from below was echoing through her house. White walls decorated the room with small posters of random animes and drawings. A bookshelf was placed above a small table that had a laptop on it along with a cup of pencils, a photo and other small items. A small red rimmed coat was laying on the chair with a brown bag over it. The sunlight decided that the girl had enough sleep already and shined onto her face. It caused her to open her crimson eyes and she started to move from under the covers.
The girl was 16 years old. Her long waist length brown hair was a blurry mess and her face was with a frown. Although people claim she is a cute girl, she is often wearing a frown on her face. She started to get up to go the restroom to start her daily routine of going to school. After taking a short shower and brushing her hair straight to not look like a mess, she dressed in her outfit which consist of a yellow short sleeved shirt with a black skirt. Grabbing her coat and bag, she stepped down the stairs to grab her breakfast.
Her little brother was already there. His sharp purple eyes and black short length hair made him a little hard to approach. He is 8 years old and is currently one of the popular boys in his grade. The girls would talk about him from time to time making other boys a little jealous about him. He is generally silent and doesn't talk much unless it was to answer a question. Eating his breakfast quietly, his sister patted him on the head, sitting down to enjoy her breakfast. Their dad was busy making their lunches.
Their dad was of average height for a 33 year old man. He has black hair and purple eyes, so her brother inherited his features from him. He was quite handsome and is very kind to everyone. He was dressed in a plain white shirt and black pants with an apron to shield his clothes from the food.
After finishing their breakfast, they placed their dishes away in the sink. Grabbing their stuff and giving their dad a kiss on the cheek, they went on their way to school.
"Are you going to work today, Izumi?" her brother asked while walking down the path to school. Izumi Hisa looked at her brother at his question and smiled back.
"Yes, of course. I thought you know that already?" she laughed at her little brother.
"Can I come along?" he asked. Izumi tilted her head with a smile.
"Sure, but just stay near the counter okay? I heard that it will be pretty busy today with players wanting to complete or better their chances at winning. Stay out of trouble, okay Hiro. Promise?" she asked him. He nodded back. It was fun having her little brother along with her at work.
"Are you going to playing Cardfight?" he asked her as they walked.
Izumi thought for a moment. She doesn't hate the game. She does enjoy playing it from time to time with trial decks and such, but lately players have been caring more about winning than having fun. Even the players she sometimes see playing against each other were in it for the wins.
"Maybe. I dunno..." she looked down at her feet.
After reaching the intersection, they turned to go their own way to school since they are in different grades.
She was thinking about what to do when she goes to school today. It was Saturday, so classes were cut short and tomorrow was a free day. Hopefully work would not be too much of a hassle today. Usually it isn't crowded, but with the announcements of tournaments often very random at times makes it hard to know when the workload will be either heavy or light. She just hopes there will not be screaming kids everywhere today. She does love children, but they can be a handful.
When she arrived at school, students were all talking about something that didn't interested her. Heading to class, she encountered her somewhat best friend, Haru Leika. She was a petite girl with orange hair and a tiny bow on the left side of it. Her blue eyes shone with kindness and eagerness. Wearing a light yellow blouse and a short yellow skirt to match her sunny personality. Her socks goes all the way up to her shins and there was what appears to be bow on the top part of each of them. She smiled when Izumi came closer.
"Hey, Izumi. What are you planning to do after school?" she asked as they walked together to class.
"You know I have work today, Haru. I don't have time to do anything today since the shop is very busy today," she told her as they walked inside the classroom.
"Awww...You need to tell me where you work, so that we can talk to each other more better. School and Sundays are just not cutting out," Haru sat down on her seat next to Izumi.
"Maybe one day..." she said to her as they got ready for class. Although they are friends, she didn't like to share her private life with others.
The bell rang and the other students went to their seats. The teacher came in with another person with him. The others were wondering who he was.
"Good morning, class. Today we have a new student joining us today. Why don't you introduce yourself?" he said to the new student.
The new student was a tall male just a bit taller than Izumi by a head so around 5ft 6in. His messy black hair and sharp ocean blue eyes made him seem serious. His handsome features along with his slightly frowning look made him a target for girls for some reasons. Wearing a white short sleeved shirt with a white rimmed dark blue coat over it and a pair of black pants to match. He had an ear piercing on his right ear that is shaped like a rose that is silver in color and a black laced bracelet on his left hand that has a cross, a angel, a demon and card charms attached to it. Everything about him made it clear to the others that he will be a cool guy and very mysterious to boot.
"Hello. My name is Kyousuke Miara. Nice to meet you all and I hope to get to know you," he said in a rather monotone voice. If that was to make an impression on the students, it didn't do much. The teacher pointed to a desk near Izumi and Haru. Kyousuke walked to his seat and sat down with his eyes looking downward.
While the teacher was writing things on the board, Kyousuke was sleeping on the desk. Izumi was busy writing down the things on the board when Haru poked her and pointed to the back. Izumi sweat dropped at what she saw and Haru just laughed quietly.
Izumi was packing up her stuff while Haru waved good-bye to her. Kyousuke was still somewhat sleepy until she shook him awake. He stirred a little and opened his eyes. Rubbing them and yawning off the sleep from his body, he stared up to see Izumi looking at him.
"What?" he asked as he stretched out his limbs.
"Well you somehow slept through class and lunch which is pretty impressive though its bad for you, you know? Anyways, school is over. Time to go home...?" she said as she grabbed her bag. Kyousuke shook his head awake and started to walk out of the room. Students were changing their shoes. Its school rule that everyone would remove their normal shoes and change into shoes that are provided by the school. It was rude to wear your own shoes into school even teachers do it as well.
Izumi was walking to her workplace before that she went to pick up her younger brother to bring him along with her to work. Her boss was a very kind man and allowed her to bring Hiro many times in the past. After picking him up from school, they walked together to the card shop. They arrived outside of C&D card shop of Trades and Sells. Her boss greeted her with a smile and patted Hiro on the head. She went to put on her worker outfit while her brother went behind the counter to play on Izumi's laptop. He rarely do anything other than that.
Izumi came out and stood on her seat at the counter. The shop opens at around 9am and closes around 6pm, so her boss generally have to do all the work by himself. He has two sons, but they were away at college and his wife is a stay at home type. So when Izumi went to find a job, he had a spot open. Seeing the chance, she took it even though she would be surrounded by Cardfight everyday, she didn't mind it as most of them are kids. It was nice to see children enjoy the game while smiling. She was enjoying her time at the shop, making rounds and helping the kids on their decks.
A group of older students came into the shop. Wearing black overcoats, strange hair style with even weirder outfits to boot. They were a bunch of idiots and often play rough against new players. The other kids generally hide behind Izumi a lot when they come over. They didn't like them and find Izumi to be their older sister at times. Although they are rude and such, they are still customers of the shop. The leader approached Izumi.
"Hello, sweetie. Want to go on a date with me?" he asked. The leader was wearing a white shirt with a black coat on, black pants and black shoes. His face was none too pretty, but passable. His haircut was clean shaven and was normal unlike the rest of him. His breath could use a mint and his attitude a wash at that. Izumi turned her head and crossed her arms at his question signaling that she wasn't interested.
"How may we help you today?" said her boss from behind. When her boss smell trouble, he discard his carefree self and go on the defense. He was used to them coming here a lot so it was a routine type of thing.
The leader just huffed while bringing out some bags. The kids are often curious at what the group brings, but are generally too scared to ask. He toss the bags onto the counter.
"I would like to sell these cards please," he told Izumi while waiting for her answer.
She went to grab the bags and opened them to see what he meant. There was loads of cards from all different clans inside, some were even in booster packs that has yet to be opened. She inspects them to see if they are fake or real. She also allowed her boss to see them as well to get a second opinion. Seeing that they were not fake and such, she reached into the register to withdraw the money. Counting the money, the leader and his gang went back to their usual hangout. When they left, the kids went back to battling each other and trading cards with each other.
Izumi went to put the cards on display and such. The booster packs were a little battered and dirty making it hard to display as it would ruin the count of booster packs and be weird looking. So she kept them in another bag for the time being. The day went without an event.
At an alleyway...
The leader and his group was talking to each other about what to do with the money they got.
"It was fun battling for keeps," one grunt said aloud. The others agreed.
"At least the cards were worth something," another said. They were all laughing and patting each other at the back.
"Where should we hit now?" the others asked their leader. He pondered on this as there were only a few places left. While thinking of an answer, a person appeared to them. They turned to see who that person was.
"What do you want?" one of them asked.
"Are you guys the one who defeated the players over at the nearby park from a block here?" the figure said.
"Who's asking?" the leader said while the figure just smirked at them with his blue eyes glowing.
Izumi was closing up for the day Hiro was sleeping on her shoulder so it made it a little difficult to close the shop, but she always manage to in the end. Her boss came to her looking a little dismay.
"I'm sorry, Izumi. I can't pay you today even though it is the end of the month," he sadly admitted. "The bills are racking up and I can't afford to pay you right now. Business is rather slow today too, so I'm very sorry."
Izumi understands. With his wife and kids busy with their own things, her boss has to manage the shop on his own. It wasn't easy, but it keeps him on his feet. Hearing this, she was disappointed. Life is a roulette at times, you spin it hoping to get a good thing and it ends at a bad thing. Nothing in life is free.
Then she remembered something. She reached before the counter while balancing Hiro on her shoulders, the bag of booster packs that they brought from the gang today. Her boss was confused at what she was doing.
"Well you can pay me with these," she said as she opened the bag with the dirty and slightly battered packs. Her boss thought for a minute, but agreed to it. It was the best he could do at short notice plus Izumi deserves them as she worked very hard at her job. He waved good-bye to her as he closed the shop up for the night.
She was walking down the path to home and thinking about what to do tomorrow. Hiro was still sleeping on her shoulder, moving softly around her shoulder. She smiled sweetly at him and rubbed his back to help him relax. A stranger with an heavy trench coat and a hat was walking down her path. Without any warning, they bumped into each other. Dropping their bags and things on the ground while falling down. Hiro was startled awake when he felt Izumi fell down.
They, then, slowly recovered from the initial shock. Hiro got off of his sister to see if she was okay. She nodded that she was fine.
"I'm so sorry about that," she said to the man as she started to pick up his stuff for him. The man was not answering instead he started to pick up the items on the ground.
He then noticed a black plastic bag on the floor. Reaching for it and opening it, he saw some booster packs in it. The thing was that he could sense something from them as in his eyes, they were all glowing a bright white light. He smiled and without Izumi noticing added an extra something into the bag. After finding all the man's things, she reached out to help him get up. He grabbed her hand and got up.
"This must be your's because I know I wasn't carrying a black bag," he said to her as he handed her the bag. She seemed relief at finding them and bowed to show that she was sorry. He calmly told her that it was fine and continued to walk down the path. She watched him go and wondered who he was. Hiro was pulling her hand signaling that he wanted to be carried. So she bends down to pick him up and continued down their path home not knowing that this encounter will change her life.
Meanwhile Kyousuke was walking down to his home, sporting some bruises on his face. People were avoiding him as he walk. He was thinking of something when a stranger slammed into him. They both fell hard on their bums and was rubbing their heads.
"Hey, man! Watch where you are going!" Kyousuke shouted to him as he was getting up.
The man was not listening to him much, he was looking at a box on the ground. It was glowing bright red and Kyousuke quickly went to grab it back. He was checking if his cards were okay. Seems like this one is another one. Getting up from the ground, he reached into his pocket and pulled a booster pack.
"Here. My apologies to you for bumping into you," he said as he extended his hand to Kyousuke. Seeing that there was no harm done and all, Kyousuke reached for the pack and continued on his way. He didn't see the man smile as he walked away.
"We're home!" Izumi shouted out as she took off her shoes and helped Hiro out of his coat. Her dad was in the kitchen cooking something and didn't noticed his kids coming home. She went to grab a drink from the refrigerator and went to see what he was making. Her dad, seeing her from behind, motioned her away. Sticking out her tongue at her dad as she walked away. He just shook his head back and forth at his daughter's antics.
Hiro was busy with watching TV in the living room so she decided to check out her grab for the day. Reaching her room in record time, she flopped down on her chair and began to count her goodies. There was 11 packs in the bag and she was hoping that she would get some good cards. Although she does play Cardfight, she usually uses a trial deck and its more of a showcase than an actual deck. Secretly she has been making her own deck, but was missing a few key cards. Using a small drawer key, she unlocked her desk drawer and brought out her deck box. She then proceed to organize her deck from the top to bottom.
Her deck was a Royal Paladin deck. She grew up listening to her mother's stories about knights and justice, so she decided this was the clan for her. It remembered her the fond memories of her mother teaching her how to play the game and her crazy stories about the units themselves.
"Then he went to go inside without knowing what he was in for," her mother spoke. Young Izumi listened to her mother's stories with an attentive ear.
"A bucket of water then proceed to drop on him as he opened the door. The other knights jumped up and started to laugh. What they didn't know was that instead of the bucket falling on Prince Alfred, it was actually their vice-captain. Alfred was just behind him, looking shocked at the event," she chuckled out, "When the other soldiers calmed down, they noticed that Alfred was dry as a bone though not the one under the bucket. It took them a good minute to realized who was under the bucket. A dark menacing aura was emitting from the person, making Alfred backed away and the other soldiers cowered in fear. Let's just say they didn't go without punishment." Her mother finished the story with a finger to her mouth sealing the deal.
"More mommy, please?" Izumi begged, but her mother only laughed.
"Maybe tomorrow sweetie," she gave a kiss on her forehead and tucked her in for bed.
"Promise?" her daughter whispered back as she fell into a sleep.
"Promise," her mother smiled back.
Tears were starting to fell down, but she quickly wipe them away. She needs to be strong for her family. Looking at her cards, she was missing some Grade 3s and Grade 2s. She just hoped the packs she got from work will help her. Picking one pack up, she carefully open it.
In the end, after 10 packs...nothing. She was able to get a Gallatin, Glancelot, two Wingals, three Marron, two Epona and Flogal. The rest were all mixed clans and were not the ones she was looking for. She frowned at her luck and planted her chin on the desk. If her luck is this bad then she should have gone with buying singles instead. Then again buying singles will hard on her wallet, seeing how the prices on the cards itself is...well if you know this game a lot then you know how hard it is to afford the cards. She reached for the last pack while looking rather sad at her luck. When she looked at the pack, it was different from the ones she opened which was weird as all the others were similar to each other.
Shrugging it off, she opened it anyways. There was only one card in it which was strange as there are normally 5 cards. She didn't really care as her luck will not be changing for a long while or so she thinks.
When she turned it to face her, she was meant with Blaster Blade. Her eyes widened at the sight. He is a rare card to find and even harder to obtain. In fact, there haven't been much of anything about him other than a simple rumor. Izumi couldn't believe her luck. She was smiling on the inside, now her deck is truly complete. Looking silently at her cards, she remembers softly of what her mother told her when she was young.
"If you need someone or anyone at all, the cards will always be there for you. Kinda like me," her mother gently rocked young Izumi.
"Mommy! They are just cards! They aren't real!" she said. Her mother laughed at her sweetly.
"Of course, they are! Every unit is different and they live on a world much like ours," her mother spoke. Izumi was doubtful though at that and had a confused face at her mother.
"You'll see. When you get older, it will all make sense. Trust me," she spoke to Izumi as she patted her head.
She still didn't understand what she meant by that, however, her deck was finished. Putting them in sleeves and carefully counting them to make sure that she has the right amount of cards along with the right cards as well, she placed her deck back into her deck box. Seeing that it was barely 7:45 pm, she headed down to see if dinner was almost ready. Her dad was still in the kitchen. It seems that he is busy with baking something, so she went to the living room to watch some TV with Hiro.
Back at her room, a slight glow was coming from her drawer where her deck now lays.
Their dad walked into the living room and saw his kids being couch potatoes again. He sighed and patted them on the head to signal that dinner is ready. They went to the table and started to eat your dinner. Most of the time, they don't often talk a lot when eating so it was generally quiet. After finishing their dinner, they placed their dishes in the sink. Going to their rooms, Hiro started to do his homework while Izumi was thinking about what to wear for tomorrow. Placing her clothes for tomorrow, she went to go take a shower. When she came out, she was wearing her pj's and was busy drying her hair. Yawning and stretching for a bit, she got ready to sleep for the night. She slipped into her bed and in a few minutes fell into a deep sleep.
The glow from her drawer grew brighter and filled the room in light.
In her dream, she was standing in a green field full of flowers and trees. The grass were littered with wild flowers and the trees were health as a leaf. Butterflies were fluttering near the flowers while birds were calmly chirping in their nests. Next to the field was a rocky plain that was split into a tunnel. The two sides were almost the same except for some rocks near it. She thought this place was so beautiful. She wished it was real though. When she looked up at the sky, she was amazed at what she saw. The sky was clear as day and the clouds were floating quietly in the sky, however, that was not what made her jaw dropped. The sky was fill with planets, big ones and small ones as well. She thought she had seen Jupiter or maybe an undiscovered planet. This dream was getting weirder by the second.
Then the place shattered into pieces and Izumi fell down into a dark tunnel. She closed her eyes, hoping for her to wake up soon. When she opened her eyes, the tunnel was not black anymore instead there were cards flowing freely around her.
"What's going on here?!" she screamed out loud as she suddenly stopped moving. Looking around her for an exit so that she can leave this dream.
"Don't be afraid," a voice called out to her.
She stopped her thinking and listened for a bit. The voice was so familiar somehow.
"Everything will be okay. You'll understand what you have to do," the voice told her gently.
Before she could say anything, she was thrust into a bright light. She quickly shielded her eyes from the light, reaching out with her hand to the light.
Izumi woke up with a jolt. She was panting and sweating a bit from her dream. It seems so real for so reason and she just don't know why. Shaking off the dream, she went to the restroom to get ready for her day off. She came out wearing a light blue blouse with a small blue lace ribbon on her neck, a white sweater was covering her blouse and her white short skirt. She went to her desk to grab her small purse when she saw her charm bracelet. Unlike Kyousuke's one, her's was white laced with a rose, snowflake, sun and moon charms. It was a gift from her mother when she was young, so it was a precious gift then again it would be a waste to not wear it. She decided to wear it on her left arm. She grabbed her white cap to help block out the sunlight.
About to leave her room, she suddenly felt a compulsion to bring her deck along. Opening her drawer, she withdrew her deck. Looking back, she did want to test her deck out though she really had no place to really test her deck. She didn't want to test it against the kids in the cardshop, because they look up to her.
Thinking too much, she didn't realize that she would be late. Not looking at what she was doing, she ended up putting her deck in her purse and walked out of her room. Hiro was waiting downstairs for his sister to come down. He was dressed in a small white T-shirt that was covered over by his brown coat with a pair of shorts. Izumi has to bring Hiro along a lot of times, because her dad was too busy at his work to take care of them at times so she ended up having to take care of him since he was little. Izumi went to grab her shoes and checked to see if she had everything.
"Shoes...purse...sweater...cap...little brother.." she turned to see Hiro looking at her funny. Seeing that she had everything, she opened the door to start her day. Walking down to the station to meet up with Haru and go to their favorite snacking place. She just hope that Haru wasn't mad at her being slightly late.
Haru was looking at her watch while waiting for her best friend to come over with her little brother. She was wearing a white blouse and a short skirt with a purse on her shoulder. Her hair had a little bow on the left side and has a small necklace around her neck. Izumi ran over to Haru with Hiro right behind her.
She was breathing heavy from the running. Hiro was too, but was greeted with a hug from Haru who picked him up.
"So sorry for that! I was doing something and didn't notice the time," Izumi explained to her friend.
"If you say so," Haru rolled her eyes at her friend, "Let's go before they run out of strawberry shortcakes!"
They spent the entire day shopping and eating. Hiro ended up falling asleep a while later, so they took turn carrying him around. They didn't find much that suited their tastes these days. There was a couple of sales, but they didn't want to talk about it...lets just say that it involved pulling and stomping.
"Look at this, Izumi. There seems to be something interesting happening later this month," Haru said as they ate their ice-cream cones. Izumi was handing Hiro his ice cream cone while turning to see what Haru was talking about. It was a poster of a Cardfight! Vanguard tournament that is upcoming in the next five months. She was interested, but with school is that really an option?
They ended up walking to the park where they sat down while watching Hiro play around the playground.
"Whew! What a day today! Man, I haven't be this active since middle school!" Haru shouted as she sat down with a sigh.
Izumi was watching Hiro as he played in the sandbox while listening to Haru. "At least we are enjoying the day," she said, "Hopefully something new comes up." Haru nodded in agreement. There was nothing going on in this town other than some random thieves and accidents even then it was just a small thing. People tend to forget about things like that.
A bunch of yelling can be heard from a distance, making it hard for Haru to relax. She was feeling a need to shout at some kids. She never yells at Hiro, because he is young and cute. Other kids...not so much. She got up and started to walk to the commotion while Izumi went to grab Hiro so that she could follow her. There was a group of kids yelling at a older kid.
"No fair! You never said anything about keeping cards!" one kid shouted.
"Well sorry if I left it out! Come on, now gimme your card! I won fair and square!" the older kid said.
"You never said that we're playing for keeps!" the kid declared back.
"Hey! What's the big idea yelling in the middle of the park!? I can hear from a mile away!" Haru shouted at them with an pissed off face.
"Actually Haru, we were about 7 feet away..." Izumi whispered to her from behind.
One of the kids ran up to Izumi and started to pull on her. The child was a young girl with orange pigtails and wearing a small yellow dress.
"Izumi onee-chan, can you help us?" she asked with a sad face.
"On what, Hana?" Izumi said to her while patting her head. She was used to calming down the kids in the shop all the time plus having a younger sibling helps with knowing about what to do with other kids.
"This boy is a meanie. He said that he was playing for fun, but was actually playing for keeps. He lied and that's bad," she said with a cute pout on her face.
Izumi sweat dropped at this. "Oh boy..." she muttered quietly. The other kids gathered around her and started to tell her to teach the boy a lesson. Haru was quietly snickering to herself at her friend.
Such a mother hen, but I wouldn't mind having a older sister like her she thought to herself.
"Hey! Are you going to ignore me here?" the boy asked. He looked to be just 10 years old and was wearing a yellow t-shirt along with pant shorts.
Izumi sighed and decided that she needed to take care of this before it goes out of hand. She approached them.
"Hi. From what I can gather, it seems that you should follow your rules and you can't have this kid's cards," she said as politely as she can.
"No way! We fought on a fairground and rules are rules," the boy said. Then Hana ran up to him.
"That's not fair! We heard you say that you were going to play for fun," Hana said.
"Well I changed my mind," the boy said.
"Well then Onee-chan here is a much better fighter than you!" she declared to him. That made everything worse to say the least and that is just being honest here. Izumi groaned while Haru perked up in interest.
"I didn't know you play Vanguard..." she said to Izumi.
"Its a complex thing right now...," Izumi answered back.
"Fine then I challenge you to a fight. If I win, I get his cards. If I lose, I'll allow him to keep his cards. Deal?" he said to Izumi.
This is not what I had in mind today she thought in her head. Seeing no choice, she nodded and went to stand at the table.
The young girl went up to her. "Do you need a deck? I know you usually play a trial deck, but you can borrow one of ours. We don't mind," she said to her. Izumi was about to say something when she felt an impulse from somewhere around here. She looked at her purse and went to search inside it. Her deck was inside her purse the whole time and she didn't even noticed.
"Thanks, but I think I will use my own deck. Don't worry I won't lose," she said to her. The little girl hopped down to the others while waiting for the match to begin. Hiro was sitting on Haru's lap while she was holding on to him as he was falling asleep.
"Stand up, Vanguard!" both shouted out loud.
"Lizard Runner, Undeux!"
"Stardust Trumpeter!"
Two units are on the battlefield. On side, a young red haired girl wearing light white clothes appeared with a trumpet in her hand. The opposite side had a tall red winged lizard wearing light armor plates appeared.
"Lady's first," the boy said at her. Drawing her card and looking at her hand, she grabbed one.
"I ride Little Sage, Marron!," the young girl disappeared from the field and now a young boy giant wearing a red rimmed glasses with a book in his hand appeared on the field, "I end my turn."
The boy drew his card and placed a card on the field as well. "I ride Embodiment of Armor, Bahr!", the lizard disappeared and now a demon with a red armor was in it's place. It looked very menacing, but that would not make a difference. "I call another one to the right and Flame of Hope, Aermo behind my vanguard Bahr. Now I attack with my rearguard Bahr to your Marron!"
Bahr launched himself up and slashed down on Marron causing boy pain. Izumi checked for her damage, revealing a Knight of Convictions, Bor to the damage zone.
"Now I attack with my vanguard Bahr boosted by Aermo!" He turned over the top card of his deck to check for trigger and it wasn't a trigger, but Dragon Monk, Goku. Once more again, Marron was attacked by the sword leaving him in scratches from the battle that unfolded. Izumi revealed Knight of the Harp, Tristan into the damage zone. "I end my turn," the boy said.
Battle report:
Boy: 0 damage Hand: 4
Izumi: 2 damage Hand: 5
Underturned, Izumi draw a card adding it to her hand. "I ride Knight of Silence, Gallatin!" A bright blue aura surrounded Marron and out appeared a dark skinned soldier with a blindfold to this eyes, he took a stance to signal he was ready to fight. "I ride another Gallatin and Tristan!" Another Gallatin appeared to the left of the vanguard with Tristan appearing to the right.
"I attack your rearguard Bahr with Tristain!" Tristan took his stance and slashed Bahr across his body. Bahr disappeared, but not before letting a growl. Tristin retreated back to his position on the battlefield. "Then I attack your vanguard with my rearguard Gallatin!"
"No guard," the boy muttered.
The right Gallatin reached for his sword and like his title said was silent when he slashed Bahr.
"Tck. Damage check," the boy reached his top card and revealed Wyvern Strike, Tejas.
"I attack with my vanguard Gallatin!" she turned the card on its side and Gallatin went to battle again. She revealed her top card which was Solitary Knight, Glancelot and placed him in her hand. A deep growl can be heard from Bahr as he sustained more damage.
"Damage check," the boy revealed Wyvern Strike, Jarran to the damage zone.
"I end my turn," she said with sigh.
Battle report
Boy: 2 damage Hand: 4
Izumi: 2 damage Hand: 4
The boy stand his cards and draw a card to add to his hand. "Why do you even have such a weak card in your deck? Strong cards are the way to go and with such weak cards in your deck you can't go far in this game," he asked.
Izumi looked up in surprise. "Well they may be weak cards, but that doesn't mean anything at all. It just makes them a little different from the rest," she said to him.
"You talk as if they were real people which they are not. Its just a game and the cards themselves are only useful if they are powerful anyways," he said to her.
"Well they may be fake to you, but there are some that believe that they are real. At least to their hearts they are. Being powerful doesn't make any difference when it comes to strength and numbers," she muttered out. Her deck glowed a slight bright aura without her noticing.
The boy payed no attention to her. "I ride Dragon Knight, Nehalem!" Bahr disappeared into a red light and a giant armored dragon came out. A man wearing a blue outfit, holding a shield on one hand while holding his sword in another. "I call Berserk Dragon and behind him I also call Dragon Monk, Gojo!" Two other units appeared to the left of Nehalem. A two-headed fire breathing dragon appeared spouting fire all over and a lizard like human appeared in the back of the dragon. "I active Berserk Dragon's counterblast and retire your rear Gallatin," as he flipped two damage in his damage zone. The dragon spits out a stream of heat flames and it devoured Gallatin up making him disappear from the field. Izumi placed the card into her dropzone.
"I attack your vanguard with my Berserk boosted by Gojo!" he declared as he turned the cards to its side. "No guard," Izumi muttered. The dragon once again blasted a stream of blood red fire engulfing Gallatin from head to toe. Izumi winced at this and checked her damage: another Tristan.
"Then I attack with Nehalem to your vanguard. Drive check," he revealed Demonic Dragon Mage, Rakshasa. "Hm. A critical trigger that means I do two damage to you." Izumi gritted her teeth at this sudden turn of events and the others were worried.
Nehalem brought his sword up and lighting came from it, striking Gallatin straight on. Izumi did not show fear and reveal the two cards from her deck: Wingal and Sunlight Unicorn to the damage zone.
"I end my turn," he said.
Battle report
Boy: 2 damage Hand: 3
Izumi: 5 damage Hand:4
She stand her cards and drew her card. She looked to see Blaster Blade in her hand. She looked at her hand and decided to end this battle quickly.
"I ride Solitary Knight, Gancleot!" Gallatin disappeared into the blue aura, allowing him to rest for duration of the battle. A white pegasus came out with its proud wings spread. A silver armored knight was riding this beautiful steed, his face was stern but gentle. "I call Marron to the back of Tristain" Marron once again took his stance in the battlefield once. "I also call...Blaster Blade!" she placed the card to the left of Gancleot. A white armored knight appeared out from the left. His sharp green eyes survey the field and took his stance, ready for the battle. When it comes to battles, no must not lose their cool and show fear to your opponent.
The kids and her opponent were all amazed at her having Blaster Blade while Haru was confused. Hiro was just passively looking ahead with a blank expression.
"Wow! I didn't know Izumi had Blaster Blade before," Hana said.
"What's so great about him? Its just a card," Haru muttered out.
"Its not just a card. He is one of the rarest cards in the game," a young boy said to her. Haru tilted her head sideways with a blank expression.
"I active Blaster Blade's effect," she flipped two damage from her damage zone," I retire Berserk Dragon!" Blaster Blade raised his sword and crushed it down on the ground creating a ripple of blue lighting that creeped up to Berserk Dragon. The dragon howled before disappearing from the field. "I also call Sunlight Unicorn and use it's effect to add 2,000 power to Gancelot." A bright flow of power entered Gancelot making his attack power 11,000.
"I attack your vanguard with Tristan boosted by Marron!" Izumi shouted. Tristan drew his sword while Marron flowed his power to him.
"No guard," the boy said and damaged check a Nehalem to the damage zone as Tristan striked at Nehalem with his sword while balancing his harp in his other hand.
"I attack with my vanguard to your Nehalem," she turned Gancelot to the side and he prepared himself for flight.
The boy thought for a moment. I can let this go and get myself a damage, but if she gets a critical then that would do me no good. On the other hand, I can block her attack and allow Blaster Blade to do one damage to me. That would leave me at 4 damage and she has one card in her hand currently so with Twin Drive that would leave her at three cards, making it harder for her to block my attacks. If she gets double triggers that could be a problem, but it wouldn't matter in this case since double triggers are almost impossible to happen.
"I guard with Rakshasa!" he shouted and laid said card onto the guardian circle. A demon like creature appeared in front of Nehalem. He quietly smirking at his opponent, but Gancleot paid no heed and ready his flight.
The boy smiled. At least this way I can last for a bit longer.
Izumi frowned. "Twin Drive. First check," she said as she revealed Weapons Dealer, Govannon, "Draw trigger! I add 5,000 power to Gancelot and I draw a card." A light blue glow flowed into Gancelot and he ready his steed for fight.
Hmmm she is planning to bet everything on Twin Drive. It will be a miracle if she is able to get another trigger.
"Second check," she slowly revealed Bringer of Good Luck, Epona and she smiled, " I add all the effects to Gancelot!" as she placed the card into her hand.
Gancelot charged onto the battlefield, slashing Rakshasa with his sword. Rakshasa let out a cry before leaving the battlefield. He then charged at Nehalem and slashed at the dragon itself causing pain to it while almost throwing Nehalem off.
"Tck. Damage check," he revealed another Nehalem and Aremo to the damage zone.
"I attack with Blaster Blade boosted by Sunlight Unicorn attack your vanguard," she turned both cards to their sides. A flow of power entered Blaster Blade, taking a stance he lifted his sword up.
"I guard with Lizard Soldier, Ganlu!" dropping the card into the guardian circle. A bulky brown dragon appeared with a cannon his shoulder appeared in front of Nehalem. Blaster Blade lowered his sword down.
Battle report
Boy: 4 damage Hand: 1
Izumi: 5 damage Hand: 4
"Didn't think you would get a double trigger," the boy muttered out.
"When to comes to Vanguard, "luck" is a factor in this game. Sometimes it just happens," Izumi smiled at him.
The boy groaned at her. "I stand and draw!" He looked at his hand and field. There was only his Vanguard on his field and Izumi had almost a full field, he needed to do some damage before her turn.
"I ride Dragon Monk, Goku!" slamming the card on top of Nehalem. Nehalem and his dragon disappeared into a bright red light, out came a monkey with a stick. He was grinning madly. "I also ride Barh in front of Gojo." Another Barh came into the fight to revenge his brethren.
"I attack your Vanguard with Bahr boosted by Gojo," Bahr lifted his black rigged sword that glowed a bright orange up, ready to strike his enemy.
"I guard with Wingal and Govannon!" placing the two cards in the guardian circle. A blue winged ear dog appeared in front of Gancelot along with a ignore wearing a light blue and white armor. Bahr withdraw from the battle and they disappeared from the field.
"I attack with Goku boosted by Aremo!" turning the cards to their sides. Goku lifted up his stick and started to make his way across the field.
"I guard with Epona!" Izumi shouted. A young girl wearing a blue armor appeared on top of a giant golden mechanical beetle.
The boy laughed, "You know I only need a single trigger to break that guard?"
"So? I can get a heal trigger or you don't even get a trigger at all," Izumi chuckled out.
The boy glared at her. "Twin Drive!" he revealed his two cards which were Flame of Hope, Aermo and Demonic Dragon Madonna, Joka.
"Oh well, no triggers for you. I guess luck is not on your side," Izumi smiled.
"Whatever your turn," he huffed.
Battle report
Boy: 4 damage Hand: 3
Izumi: 5 damage Hand: 1
"I stand and draw," turning all her cards and drawing a card, "I attack with Tristan boosted by Marron to your vanguard." Tristain lifted his sword with the support of Marron's power, striked Goku straight on.
"Damage check," the boy revealed Berserk Dragon to the damage zone.
"I attack with Gancelot!" the unit took flight to strike the enemy down.
"I guard with Aermo and Joka!" the cards dropped into the guardian circle. A copy of an demon creature that is red in color with hair like flames along with a snake like creature with lots of decorated things on its body appeared to protect Goku.
"Twin Drive," she revealed another Bors and Yggdrasil Maiden, Elaine. "Hmmm...a heal trigger. I heal one damage and add the power to Blaster Blade."
Gancelot struck down Aermo and Joka, but retreated due to him not having enough power to attack.
"I attack your vanguard with Blaster Blade boosted by Sunlight Unicorn," turning the cards onto their sides.
The boy, seeing nothing he can do, let the attack go. He revealed a Nehalem to the damage zone.
Blaster Blade lifted his sword and rushed at his foe, striking Goku down from his stance and with that the battle was over.
Battle report
Boy: 6 damage Hand: 1
Izumi: 4 damage Hand: 3
"Whew, that was an exciting battle. Haven't had one in awhile," she said with a smile. The boy looked in surprised. She walked over to the boy to shake his hand, the boy was confused at that action.
"I just want to shake hands with you to say that was a great fight," she told him with her hand out in front of her. The boy smiled and shook her hand in agreement.
"You can always come over to C&D card shop of Trades and Sells. You are always welcome there," she said to the kid as she walked over to her friends. The boy thought about it for a bit and smiled. It has been a while since he had any fun with the game.
"That was a cool match, Izumi! Can you teach me to be like you?" said Hana.
"I can help you, but I can't teach you everything. You have to learn on your own and don't always count on others to help you. One day you will find your calling," she said to Hana as she patted on her hand, messing it up a bit.
"We better go home, Izumi. It is getting late," Haru said to her friend as she balanced Hiro her shoulders.
"Alright. Be careful while walking home, alright?" she said to the kids. They nodded and waved good-bye to Izumi.
They were walking home, when Haru asked, "So when did you take up Cardfight? I known you since middle school, so don't try to lie to me."
Izumi looked at her friend, "I have always loved Cardfight, but things changed over the course of the year since it was released so I only play when I can."
"I guess school was the factor, huh?" Haru said as they walked down the street.
"You can say that. There isn't much of any fun these days, now its just tournaments and prizes that makes the game so popular."
"I thought that made the game more better, doesn't it? I mean you spend money making your decks and practicing everyday to perfected your playing why bother doing all that when you gain nothing?"
"I used to think that, but now players aren't playing for fun. Now its just fame and money for them," Izumi said as she rubbed Hiro's back to make sure he is comfortable in her arms.
"Hmmm...well whatever you say," Haru stopped and waved goodbye as she walked to the other direction to her home, "Just don't over think things, you always have that problem."
Izumi waved goodbye as she saw her friend go. Yeah I'm probably over thinking things these days. Oh, I better start studying before the test on Tuesday!
She started to run a little faster to her house while keeping Hiro steady in her arms. When she reached home, she shook Hiro awake so that it would be easier to remove his clothes. After removing their sweaters and shoes, she went to the living room with Hiro sleeping on her arms still.
"Man today was a weird day. I just hope nothing crazy happen next," she said. She lifted Hiro up and laid stretched out on the couch while placing Hiro on her body to nap on. She brought out her deck from her purse and stared at the cards for a bit.
"For a pretty crappy deck, it sure does well. Well then again, there is no such thing as a crappy deck, just a crappy player. I better try to find better cards for my deck," she chuckled silently. She placed the deck on the table and closed her eyes for a nap.
In her dream, she was back to that place once more again. This time, it seems to be at night. The sky was dark, say for some giant outlines of planets and clouds, it was a normal night sky. She started to wonder around a bit, seeing that if she was going to have this dream again, she might as well get used to the terrain. Walking around the field, she saw some everyday stuff like flowers, bugs and trees.
"This is place is like Earth, but different. Not much of a difference, just enough to say that it's not Earth. At least this place is relaxing," she whispered as she scrolled into the forest.
She stumbled upon a pond in the center of the forest. The pond was glowing a slightly blue tint with fireflies surrounding it. The trees were tall and a health green. The animals were quiet as she silently walked in from the bushes. It was such a pretty sight. Then she heard a noise from the bushes and retreated to hide behind a tree.
She saw a young tall man walked out from the opposite direction of the way she took. He has light beige colored hair and has bright crimson eyes, he was wearing a light white armor with what appears to be a blue undershirt. There was also a long slender sword with a decorated hilt which means that he is probably of important status. He sat down near the pond with his legs up and his arms on them. His face showed that something was bothering him for some reason though Izumi can't see much from her angle.
Something brushed against Izumi making her squeal in horror. The man jumped up from where he was sitting and his hand was on his sword.
"Who's there?" he asked while scanning his surrounding.
Aww man what should I do? Izumi thought as she panicked.
Fin~
This was my longest chapter to date: over 9k words and that is even before the whole A/N up on top and this little note.
