"So then I show the kid we rescued a few days a go, Kiri Hyoru, how to play the game at Castle yesterday." Gao said.
"WHoa, did he do good?" Hope said as he and Gao walked together.
"He picked Danger World, and though it was his first time, he was pretty good at the game. He's gonna do fine." Gao said.
"Then there was that white haired guy, huh?" Hope said.
"His name is Rouga Aragami. He's in the 8th grade and the best buddyfighter in it." Gao said. "He uses Danger World too."
"Yeah. He told you winning was everything, huh? Talk about a wake up call for me." Hope said.
"How so?" Gao askee.
"I've been seeing you past two fights and all I wanted was to get better. But I also want to enjoy the game too, not just win." Hope said. "Now that I think of it, I try and win almost every fight I come across. I thought I was skilled in everything, but now I'm thinking...its just pure luck. I can't rely on luck."
"Yeah, youre right." Gao said before a bus zoomed by. "Oh shoot, I missed it!"
"Missed what? Oh, right/" Hope said.
"The field trip to the Photon Metal Mine was today, and I was trying to get Drum to use his Buddy Skill to get me there! I blame you for this, Drum!" Gao said.
"Hey, I'm not even sure that I even want to be your buddy." Drum said.
"Keep talking lizard breath." Gao said.
"You two are such lame os, you and that dragon." Noboru said as he came up with the others, Kiri and Neginoyama included.
"Why dont you say that to my face?!" Gao and Drum both said.
"So youre names Kiri? Nice to meet you. Never introduced myself, I'm Hope. You just transferred, right?" Hope asked Kiri.
"Uh, yes." Kiri said before bowing. "Nice to meet you."
"So you guys are headed to the Photon Metal Mine? Where our core decks came from?" Hope said.
"Yeah, and I know you wanna see it, but you do have to maintain your position as custodian so...no field trip for you!" Neginoyama said.
"It's okay. I'll tell you all about it later. See ya." Gao said as they drove off.
"Its probably better this way. The less they know about my hero identity, the better." Hope said.
Blazer Frill then came out of her card.
"You, a real hero? Yeah, I'll believe it when I see it, loser." Frill said.
"Are you still on me about that fight a few days a go? I know I lost, but right now i…" Hope said before seeing a girl falling from the sky through a magical vortex. She was pink haired with a pink dress of sorts as she was falling to the earth.
"Oh crap!" Hope said running to her position. Without even thinking, he used his powers to leap into the air and grab her, Protecting her from the hard impact against the ground. "Phew…"
Frill ran over to them.
"That jump, and act you did just now...No normal human could have done that." Frill said.
"I told ya I was a hero." Hope said before looking to the girl.
Hope had rushed her to Jexi's ship where Chopper examined her. "It doesn't look like there were any physical injuries. She doesn't have any illnesses either. She'll be fine when she wakes up."
"Thank god." Hope said before he felt an explosion. "What the?"
"Hope, get your butt in gear! We have trouble!" Zephyr said.
"There's been an attack, at the Photon Mines." Yang said.
"Oh no… Gao!" Hope said. "Jexi, we gotta move!"
"Right, I'm coming!" Jexi said.
They flew to the mines and saw a large three headed dog with white fur attacking.
"A buddy monster?" Hope said as Komajiro contacted him.
'Found him. Armorknight Cerberus from Danger World." Komajiro said. "Size 2, Critical 2, 5000 power and defense, Armorknight attribute."
"I see someone else, that must be the fighter and… did he just use a card in reality?" Jexi said as a man with white hair in a dark uniform and masks used a spell as Gao was cornered by him.
"Oh, to hell with identities now!" Hope said. "Hey!"
"Hmm?" the man said.
"Thats my friend you're picking on. Touch him with that drill and you'll get it!" Hope said.
"Who do you think youre talking too? I am Wolf!" the man said launching an orb of darkness at Hope using his spear.
"Yah!" Hope said punching it as Light blasted out and canceled the orb.
"What?" Wolf said.
"Hope, how did you do that?!" Gao said.
"Sorry Gao, but I think this might be the time to tell you. See, my friends and I, we arent youre average guys." Hope said.
Jexi then leaped over him and charged.
"You keep away from my friend!" Jexi shouted as he spun kick, countering Wolf's spear.
'Huh? Your skills are impressive." Wolf said.
"I've been training all my life." Jexi said.
"Hope, wait… are you saying that you and your friends are actually…?" Gao said.
"Yup. We may just travel to look for fun, but deep down, we got a mission to protect places like this. I't might not have been obvious before when I said I related to the monsters in hero world, but… its true, because I am one!" Hope said.
"Well then, you in the rainbow attire! Your name!" Wolf said.
"Its Jexi." Jexi said.
"Jexi...I challenge you….to a Buddyfight!" Wolf said.
"I accept." Jexi said as the two stared each other down.
Tasuku was already on the scene as he saw the action.
"No way, they really are heroes? No, I cant worry about that. I need to stop this , right now! Time to release… the Future Force!" Tasuku said as a light shined down. Tasuku's hair grew long and wild. But he then noticed Jexi's doing the same as he and Rouga looked at each other.
"All over mythology, heroes have been born and worshipped. Luminize, Heroes of Legend!" Jexi said making a sword appear.
"You Are A Fool! Dark Luminize! Savage Steel!" Wolf said as he held his spear.
"Raise the flag!" Both said.
"Danger World!" Wolf said as a red flag with drills and weapons and a wolfs head on it.
"Legend World!" Jexi said as a royal looking flag appeared behind him.
"Legend World, huh?" Gao said.
"Its a powerful world with monsters and mythological beasts. MOst players who use it rely on item cards." Hope said.
"I start! I call Fairy Knight, Daoine Shee to the right!" Jexi said two fairies appeared on the right. "And attack!" Jexi said as the two fairies pieced Wolf.
108
End of Move
"Now its my turn! I call Armorknight Eagle to the right. And then I buddy call Armorknight Cerberus to the center!" Wolf said.
89
"And now Cerberus, absorb Eagle!" Wolf said as Cerberus destroyed Eagle.
"I get it. He has Soulguard." Jexi said. "And it only adds when he destroys a monster."
"I equip Hysteric Spear! Then I call Armorknight Ogre for a link attack!" Wolf said.
104
End of Move
"Jexi's got 4 life left, not good." Hope said before seeing tasuku. "He cant do anything while theyre fighting. Guess I'll let this play out.
"My turn. I equip, Legendary Hero Blade Raijin!" Jexi shouted. "When I choose to equip this, I destroy all monsters on the field!"
Ligting strike as Ogere and Cerberus were defeated.
"Now I call Hazel Emperor Jailer, Alking to the right!" Jexi said. "And when he comes out, I can discard three cards to destroy any spell or item. And the one I pick, is Hysteric Spear!" he said as the spear was destroyed. "Next, I call Great Magician Merlin! Now I check the top five cards for spell and items. The rest go in the bottom. And now, we link attack!"
The three of them attacked.
103
"Now...its time for an impact!" Jexi said as a blank card he pulled glowed. "Let's go! A gift from someone I met!" he shouted as the clouds turned dark as a godly figure made of lightning was on top of it. "A gift from the lightning god! Lightning….Punisher!" Jexi shouted.
"Jexi the Hunter… i will seek revenge until my last breath!" Wolf said. Just before the fist hit him, however…
"Blackout Cannon!" a voice shouted as a black bolt hit jexi as he screamed and fell to the ground.
"JEXI!" Hope said.
"Who fired that?" Gao said.
"I can only think of one person having hardware like that…" Hope said. "You never give up, do you Flux?!"
A large black ship then flew out of the clouds above them.
"You never cease to be an annoyance brat. Here I thought you wouldn't come to this place." Flux said. "Wolf, I've been asked to be your escort."
"Grr. We'll finish this another time, Jexi the Hunter." Wolf said as he was beamed up with Cerberus.
Hope ran over to Jexi.
"Jexi! You okay?" Hope said.
"Of course I am." Jexi said getting up. "Not the first time I've been hit with a lightning bolt. Just wish we could have finished the match."
"I dunno who he was, but he is a criminal." Tasuku said. "But how did you master future force when I activated it?"
"Future what?" Jexi asked raising an eyebrow. "Never heard of it."
"So is it true?" Gao said.
"I cant deny it any longer. We are." Hope said. "You can come out now, guys!"
The ships appeared in the sky.
"The only reason I covered myself until now with that Janitor thing was to blend in, knowing you and others wouldn see me or the others as who we really are. I know this may seem a bit strange to you, but…" Hope said.
"Its not strange." Gao said. "Its okay with me. Never heard of any of you guys before, but you look fun."
"Huh?" Hope said.
"Hope, you gotta remember, not everywhere is gonna hear of us." Jexi said.
"Oh, right." Hope said.
It was later in the evening that Hope looked at the girl he saved, still asleep on the bed.
"Who are you? Where did you come from?" Hope asked.
The girl was peaceful before she began struggling in her sleep.
"Are you waking up?" Hope asked as she was speaking.
"Crecaceous...Flux." she muttered. "Uni...versal...core."
"Universal core? And whos this Crecaceous guy?" Hope said.
"I know." Damien said arriving. "Hope, Crecaceous...he's the name of our dad."
"Your dad?" Hope said.
"Yeah. A well known scientist and assassin. He taught our brother everything he knew. He was the one who sent me and Annette to live with him." Damien said.
"I guess he didnt expect you all to be evil, huh?" Hope said.
"Hope, he was the one who warned big brother about the demon lords before you showed up." Damien said.
"He...he did?" Hope asked.
"Our dad had powerful connections with scientists as well as powerful villains. But for some reason, he hasn't spoken with big brother in ten years. It was something to do...with a Universal Core." Damien said.
"That item again." Hope thought. "What is it that makes it so secret?"
Meanwhile, in another location, Wolf, who in reality was Rouga Aragami, trashed the office of student council president Magoroku Shido as Flux was close by.
"Rouga, please calm down! You did get the photon metal, right?" Shido asked.
"Yeah, but he almost got handed down by my enemy." Flux said.
"I would have taken the hit...and gotten an even harsher revenge." Rouga said as three dark dragon heads appeared.
"There is another. One you can take the anger out on instead." the dragons said.
"If I challenged him, yes! He must be his friend, I beat him, he will come forth. Tell me his name!" Rouga said.
"Gao...Mikado." the dragon said.
"Then I will battle him and make Jexi fight!" Rouga said.
Flux just silently walked out of the room as he looked at a picture of an old set of ruins. "Hard to believe, its been 10 years since my last crusade for that thing. But now, I know that one of its keys ...is here."