Alright, Tomorrow's Hero is here with a new story! I've always been kind of a Future Card Buddyfight! fan. Sure, it's corny and wacky, but I think that's what makes it so entertaining, not to mention the card game itself is awesome. Anyway, I'm not sure where I came up with this concept, but I'm kinda glad I did, it's fun to write about. Enjoy!

Future Card Buddyfight! is owned by Bushiroad.

The Buddy Experiment

It was such an innocent question. She certainly didn't mean anything big to come from it; she knew that, and so did they. Still, that's the thing about questions – the right one at the right time can create a whole new world of possibilities... good or bad.

The usual gang had been hanging out at Hobby Shop "Castle," as they were want to do. It was nothing special; Baku wanted to pick up some new cards for his reserves, Gao, Tetsuya, and Drum wanted to do some friendly Buddyfighting, Kiri and Kazane were hoping to amp up their decks with some new cards, and Kuguru, as usual, was along for the ride.

At the time, a Buddyfight had just concluded between Tetsuya and Kazane with Kazane's victory (although it was a very close match, no one could deny). Naturally, Asmodai had chosen to leap on that fact and do a little playful teasing. "Close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades," were his exact words. After Bladewing had finished chewing Asmodai out for his "contemptful" attitude toward his buddy, Kazane tossed away his plumage and cheerfully started to list plenty of other things that "close" counted in, like blackjack, knife throwing, and government work (needless to say, she received some very strange looks off of that last one).

Shortly after that, Axia had appeared out of nowhere (he'd been following Gao and Drum, and the latter had tried to shake him off a few blocks back) and rushed up to Drum with tears leaking out of his eyes as he gave his 'buddy' a hug. Drum, of course, had immediately starting freaking out and screaming at the Dragowizard to leave him alone for once.

Secretly, Gao and his friends all thought there was something... strange about their relationship, but they weren't about to judge.

It was then that Kazane, struck by sudden inspiration, chose to ask the great question. It was a simple question that surprisingly no one had really bothered to ask before, but for all they knew would lead to a whole new relationship between humans and monsters. Only time would determine just how great an impact it would prove to leave on both worlds.

"Hey, if Drum's got a Buddy, does that mean he can fight, too?"

The rest of the group had a surprisingly similar reaction; they all opened their mouths as if to answer, but finding none, their mouths just kind of hung open for a couple of minutes. It was a stroke of sheer good luck that none of them swallowed any flies... or maybe even birds (their mouths were open pretty wide). The friends all looked at each other, hoping someone would be able to answer Kazane's question, and then in an amazing feat of synchronicity they all turned as one to look at Gao ("How would I know? Ask Drum!"), and then Drum ("Stop staring at me!"), and finally Baku ("Hey, I'm just a deckbuilder. If they don't know, I don't know!), before finally looking at each other once more, defeated.

"I... I don't see why it wouldn't be possible," Gao tried to answer, but everyone agreed that it wasn't concrete enough. So they just kept staring at each other in confusion.

But not for long, fortunately, because not long after the Castle Store Manager came by and noticed them all.

"Hey, kids. What's up?"

"We were just wondering, can monsters Buddyfight?" Kuguru asked. "None of us know, but we thought that you might." Everyone else nodded in assent. The manager put his hand on his chin, deep in thought, and the kids and their buddies waited desperately in anticipation for his answer. Sadly, it didn't pay off.

"Sorry, guys. No idea," the manager replied, smiling apologetically. "I mean, there's not really any reason it shouldn't be possible, but... I just don't know."

Tetsuya groaned. "Ah, that's just what Gao said! Doesn't anybody know?"

"Yeah, you'd think somebody would've thought of this before," Asmodai chimed in.

"There's gotta be some way to figure it out. Maybe we can do some research or something," Baku added.

"Uh, I don't think that's really necessary," Kiri spoke up at last. Everybody's heads turned to him, and the boy continued. "I mean, this shop's got a Buddyfighting arena in it, so we can just test it out for ourselves. If it works, it works, and if it doesn't, then it doesn't."

It was a simple idea, for sure. And yet, and the gang turned to look at each other once more, they couldn't help but all feel the same way; that Kiri's idea was, well, good.

It was the manager who broke the silence, even as an excited grin crept up on his face. "Kiri, I think you may just be onto something! We can test it out here, make an event of it! It'll be great!" Slowly everyone else started to smile too. The thought was just too intriguing to ignore.

"Hang on, you really think people will want to see it?" Gao asked.

"You kidding? This is a once-in-a-lifetime event! I can't think of anyone who wouldn't!" The manager cheered, and that was that. It wasn't much longer before the kids and their buddies wandered out of the store, joyfully chattering about the event to come. The manager saw them leave with a smile, then slipped into a more business-like manner and turned away. "Ginga!" He called out to his buddy. "Wherever you are, meet me in my office at the end of the day! We've got a big event in a few days, and there's no time to waste!"

"Ah, come on, Drum! Give him a chance!"

"For the last time, no! I'm not Buddyfighting with that weirdo of a dragon!"

It was nighttime now, and Gao and Drum were sitting upstairs in Gao's room having an important discussion. As it turned out, Drum was looking forward to the big fight... just not with Axia by his side. In the heat of the moment, he wound up saying a few things he shouldn't have, which made Axia cry and run off to sulk in the bathroom. So now Gao was stuck trying to convince his unflinching buddy to go kiss and make up with the other dragon... preferably metaphorically.

"Look, why can't I just Buddyfight with the Thunder Knights?" Drum complained. "I love those guys!"

Gao sighed. "You know how much Axia's looking forward to this, Drum! You letting him stand by you as your buddy would be a dream come true for him!"

"Then he can get a new dream!" Drum shot back.

Gao growled, but kept his temper down. "Look, Drum. I'm not asking you to only fight with Axia from now on. If we go through this and it winds up working I promise I'll never make you fight with Axia again. But I am asking you to fight with him just this once. So do it for his sake, if not mine."

Drum was quiet for a minute, then groaned deeply and glared daggers at Gao. "Alright, fine," the dragon conceded. "But it's gonna cost you!"

Gao smiled slightly. "I'm listening."

Drum thought for a moment, then went on. "I want all of your octopus dumplings for the next month."

"A month?!" Gao shouted. "Forget it!"

"Then I'm not fighting with Axia!"

Gao gritted his teeth. What did he do in some other life to end up with this guy? "Three weeks! I'll give you my dumplings for three weeks!"

"A month," Drum repeated obstinately.

"Three weeks!"

"Fine, three weeks," Drum ceded. "But then I get your pudding for two!"

"Hey, don't drag my pudding into this!"

"Too late! Dumplings for three weeks, pudding for two!"

Gao thought quickly. "Both for two!"

"Dumplings for two weeks, pudding for one!"

"Pudding for one week, dumplings for... ten days."

"Deal!" Drum extended a claw, and they shook on it.

"And you have to talk to Axia!" Gao added swiftly as their hands were locked.

"DAMN YOU!" Drum roared as Gao tore out of his room, with Drum in hot pursuit, Axia already long forgotten.

A few days later...

Coming up to Hobby Shop "Castle" on the day of the big fight, Gao, Baku, Kuguru, and Drum all couldn't help but realize the same thing; when the manager had said everyone would come to watch, he wasn't kidding.

The store was packed. Everybody they'd ever met, and a ton of people that they hadn't, seemed to be crammed into a giant, amorphous crowd of people that filled the shop in its entirety. The foursome could barely breathe as they forced their way through the crowd like water into the ground. After a nerve-wracking fifteen minutes they were finally able to find a patch of open area to escape into.

"You guys okay?" Gao shouted over the crowd.

"We're fine!" Kuguru shouted back. "But there's so many people here!"

"One word, made up: Nerdpocalypse!" Drum chimed in.

"...Uh, I think someone's already using that!" Baku replied.

"Hey, guys!" shouted a new voice from the crowd. Gao and his friends turned to see the manager riding above the crowd on Ginga's shoulder and waving to them. "Ginga, go get 'em!" In a stunning display of acrobatics for something so massive, the giant robot leaped up and over the crowd and landed deftly next to the kids. Scooping them up in one arm, Ginga surged through the crowd and vaulted over the second-floor railing down to the ground level, whereupon he surged across the store and finally ducked into a door marked "Employees Only."

Ginga gently deposited the four onto the ground of the storage room, and the manager followed suit. "God, it's crazy out there! You guys alright?"

"Y-yeah, we're good," Baku stammered. "You weren't kidding when you said everyone would come."

"Yeah, how're we gonna find everyone else?" Gao complained.

"Oh, there's no need for that," chimed in a familiar voice. Gao, Kuguru, Baku, and Drum all turned to see...

"Zanya?"

Sure enough, the ninja boy strode toward them calmly, Tsukikage following as always. And he wasn't alone.

"Hey, c'mon, guys! Don't ignore us like that, it ain't cool!" Tetsuya whined from farther back.

"Gotta say, this is pretty low, guys," Asmodai added with a face of playful disapproval.

"Hey, it's okay! They're here, right?" Kazane cheered.

"And about time, too. We were getting worried!" finished Jin, flanked on both sides by Megumi and Yamigitsune, who were both just as stoic as ever.

The sight of their friends brought a smile to the four newcomers. "Thank God you're here! We were wondering how we'd find you!" Gao cheered.

"Oh, I gave 'em all a call," the manager responded. "I told them to meet up somewhere else so I could pick them up and get them here. And with this many people around, it looks like I made the right call."

"Amen to that. It's a madhouse out there!" Baku sighed.

"Hey, guys! Where's Axia, yo?" Tetsuya asked.

Right here! A voice chimed as a sparkle of light emerged from one of Gao's decks and materialized into the Dragowizard. "Did you all miss me?"

"Absolutely not!" Drum shouted back. "And what are you doing out?! We had a deal! No coming out until the fight!"

"But I wanted to meet Gao-Wow's friends!" Axia pouted. "You don't mind, do you, Gao-Wow?"

"Uh, not really," Gao replied, perplexed immensely. He certainly liked Axia, but he could be downright weird at times.

"Well then, it seems there's no need to wait any longer," the manager clapped his hands. "Gao, Drum, Axia, come with me! Ginga, lead the others to their seats, if you would."

"Yes sir," Ginga saluted and turned to the others as the manager ushered Gao and his two Buddies out another door and into a well-lit maintenance hall.

"It's gonna be busy out there for a while longer, guys," the manager warned. "So we're gonna have to take the long way to the fight stage."

"As long as I get my time with Drumkins, that's fine with me!" Axia cried happily, to Drum's chagrin.

"So since Axia's here, I'm guessing Drum's using a Magic World deck?" the manager questioned.

Gao nodded. "That's right. We figured since Axia's technically Drum's real Buddy that it'd just feel right to use his world."

"Hey, leave me out of this!" Drum ranted as Axia tried to glomp him. "You decided this all on your own, not me!"

"It's a great deck. Baku and Kuguru spent nights on it," Gao continued as though Drum hadn't said a word. "I can't wait to show it to so many people."

"Well, I'm sure people will be happy to see it," the manager assured the boy. "C'mon, we're almost there."

As it turned out, when the manager had said "seats," he'd meant a long ring of folding chairs set up around the center edge of each floor of the complex – Hobby Shop "Castle" was built in a bunch of rings, one atop the other, all surrounding the center, where the aquarium and the fight stage (when it was in use) were located, so it was probably a matter of convenience... no matter how tacky it may have been.

"Folding chairs? Really?" Jin mused with a raised eyebrow. "You know, given the size of this thing I was expecting something a little, I don't know... more."

"It's not that bad!" Kazane cheered, sliding into a seat. "It's kinda like watching a concert!"

"Those chairs usually have cup holders, kid," Jin replied in his usual playful smugness as he took a seat with everybody else.

"You know, don't take this the wrong way, Jin, but I was kinda surprised to see you here," Baku looked over at his old friend. "I didn't strike you as the kind of guy who'd go for this kind of thing."

Jin gasped, once again in jest. "Oh, Baks, how could you say that?! You know I'd never miss an opportunity to support a friend's endeavors!"

"Or miss out on free prizes and food," Megumi added, deadpan. Yamigitsune nodded in agreement.

Jin just winced playfully. He'd been the target of enough of Megumi's snark to build up a pretty solid immunity to it. "That hurts, Megumi, it really does. But in all seriousness, this is big, very big. No Buddyfighter worth their salt would miss out on this."

"He's right," Zanya chimed in suddenly. "A Buddyfighting monster is something that's never happened before, it's completely unprecedented. It's only natural that so many people would come out to watch."

When does it start? Tsukikage's scroll read.

"I think it should be a matter of time now," Kuguru placed her hand on her chin in thought. "I mean, it's been a good twenty minutes since we got here. I can't imagine it would take much longer-"

And then, as though unseen forces had heard the girl, the building began to tremble. The cries of the spectators were almost deafening in their number and intensity.

"The place is comin' down! Everybody scatter!" Tetsuya shouted, leaping out of his seat only to be stopped by Asmodai.

"Chill, Tets. The fight stage is just opening up. Look!" The Demon Lord pointed out to the aquarium, which even then was starting to separate and recede as the castle tower-like center stage rose out from underneath the floor. Before long, the stage had risen to its apex, and on the opposite-most towers three figures stood.

On the left tower stood Gao, arms folded with his usual determined but cocky grin already plastered on his face. His gaze cut across the stage to the other tower, occupied by Drum and Axia. The two monsters were already in their normal sizes, and Drum was already decked out in his Dragowizard garb, violet wizard's hat perched on his head and drill-like scepter clenched in his claws. As Axia continued gasping in awe and looking up at the massive crowd watching, Drum's eyes locked onto Gao as a grin not unlike Gao's cut his face in twain.

The human boy was powerful, Drum had no doubts about that. He'd been able to see that for himself many times already. A very small part of Drum was scared, already convinced that he stood no chance of victory, but it was easily ignored. He was no ordinary Armordragon, no! He was Drum Bunker Dragon Fang Slade Terrestrial XIII, damn it! He was the son of his tribe's chief, and any attempts to run from this fight would be a disgrace to him and his name. Even if he was doomed from the start, he would stand and fight, even against a friend like Gao!

"Ladies and gentlemen!" the manager announced from a side tower, dressed once more in his green dragon warrior attire. "It's time for the event of a lifetime to beg-"

"HOLD IT!" The voice pierced through the air. Almost unanimously the heads of the crowd jerked up to the ceiling. They recognized that voice.

And the UFO descending from the open ceiling.

And the pink octopus alien piloting it and holding a camera.

And the – okay, I think you get the point.

Paruko Nanana floated down to the arena with her Buddy Takosuke in tow, and those who could see her clearly could tell she was not pleased. "What do you think you're up to?! Trying to steal my racket, you should be ashamed! I'll have you know I'm the announcer around these parts and I'm certainly not going to miss the opportunity to commentate a match like this, understand?!"

"Yes, ma'am!" the manager whimpered and retreated, his platform lowering back underground.

"Now, then..." Paruko grabbed her mic and pointed to the sky. "Is everybody ready for the greatest, most legendary fight ever?!" The crowd roared in assent. "On one side, we've got this year's ABC Cup Champion, the Mighty Sun Fighter, Gao Mikado!" Gao pumped his fists into the air as the audience – and surely his friends – cheered. "And in the other corner, the monster that will make history as the first ever Buddyfighting monster! It's the mighty Drum Bunker Dragon!" Drum grinned and pointed into the air with one finger, sending off a blast of magic that exploded like a firework. The cheers, if possible, seemed to grow even louder, and Drum had to admit it was immensely satsifying.

"Now without further ado, it's time for action! Say it with me, everybody!" Paruko continued, thrusting her hand into the air. "Buddyyyyyyyy-"

"FIGHT!"

And Gao and Drum spoke as one.

"Time to raise the flag!"

And that's the end of this chapter. Actually, this was just gonna be a one-shot, but it was getting pretty long so the actual fight comes next chapter. Look forward to it!

Tomorrow's Hero, signing out.