((AN: You can probably tell that I'm not very good at writing cardfights))
"Flame of apocalypse that burns away everything in this world! Ride the Vanguard! Dragonic Overlord!" Aichi seemed to have a burning aura about him as he slammed down the grade 3 Kagero. His expression immediately brought parallels of Kai to Misaki's mind. She glared at him.
"Aichi. This isn't you."
"People can change, Tokura."
Aichi never used Misaki's last name before. This confirmed it for her.
"Aichi, stop trying to be Kai! He's gone!" She slammed her hand on the table. Her opponent just blinked before calling Burning Horn Dragon to the rear guard.
"I attack with Dragonic Overlord!"
"I guard with Witch of Pots, Laurel and Witch of Cats, Cumin!"
"Check the twin drive... no trigger. Burning Horn attacks Jupiter!"
"No guard." Jupiter fell into Misaki's drop zone. It was Misaki's turn next.
"Stand and draw! Goddess who appears in response to the call of the regalia of wisdom! Use your sword of intelligence and foresight to cut through the tangled skein of fate! Break Ride! Cross Breakride! Omniscience Regalia, Minerva! Break ride skill!" She soul blasted 3 cards and drew one. "Witch of Raven's skill!" She flipped over one damage and placed the card from the drop zone to her rear guard circle. Call! Witch of Cats, Cumin! I soul charge one card! Now I call Goddess of Trees, Jupiter!" She rested Minerva. "Boosted by Cinnamon, Minerva attacks Overlord!"
" No guard."
"Twin drive!" She drived checked a draw trigger and gave all of the power to Minerva. Aichi damage checked a Embodiment of Armor, Bahr. "Cinnamon's skill!" She then placed Cinnamon into the soul and soul charged two cards. "And now, limit break!" Misaki paid the cost for her Vanguard's limit break and Minerva stood once more. "Witch of Frog's skill!" She flipped over one card in her damage and placed the soulblasted card behind Minerva. She attacked once more.
"Guard! Dragon Dancer, Maria!" Aichi discarded a Dragonic Overlord to pay for the perfrct guard's cost. Misaki pursrd her lips in minor frustration.
"Twin drive!" A critical trigger that she gave to Jupiter. "Witch of Ravens attacks Burning Horn!"
"Guard with Seal Dragon, Artpique!"
"Jupiter, finish off his Vanguard!"
"Guard with Dragon Dancer, Barbara and Embodiment of Spear, Tahr!"
"I end my turn."
Aichi looked Misaki in the eye.
"Tokura... I'm only doing what I feel is right." He stood all of his cards and drew from his deck. "And you shouldn't try and change that!" Aichi lifted a card from his hand. "At the end of an endless quest, you arrive at final evolution! Sublimate your savage soul and show your true form! Cross Breakride! Dragonic Overlord, The End! Breakride skill! Power plus 10000 to The End, and since he's a crossride, he gets an additional 2000 power." Aichi moved Lizard Soldier, Fargo into the soul. "When any of The End's attacks hit, I get to retire one of your rear guards. I call Dragonic Burnout! I soulblast one card and place Dragonic Overlord from my drop zone to the bottom of my deck! Jupiter is retired!" He filled up his rearguard circles. "Overlord attacks Witch of Ravens, Chamomile!"
"N-no guard."
"Check the twin drive... first check: Critcal trigger! All effects to The End. Second check... no trigger." Misaki moved the rearguard to her drop zone. "Not so fast," Aichi said, "Rememer Fargo? Retire Melissa too." The clerk reluctantly moved Melissa on top of Chamomile. " Breakride skill! I counterblast one and discard a card to restand The End who attacks your vanguard, This time boosted by Heatnail Salamander!"
"Quintet Wall!" Misaki paid the counterblast and the top five cards of her deck filled her guardian circle, however it still wasn't enough to guard the attack. "I also guard with Cider!" After the attack, the cards on the guardian circle would be soul charged instead of placed in the drop zone. Aichi glared at Misaki, his former actions against Kai echoing in his mind. He had made almost the exact same move against Kai, and that had cost him the game.
"I'll show you... Twin drive! First check, draw trigger! Power to The End!" Aichi gloated. Misaki cringed. She was at four damage and The End had a critical on him. "Second check... no trigger."
"D-damage check..." her second check was a heal trigger, allowing her to heal a damage and give 5000 power to Minerva.
"Cumin is retired because of Fargo's skill. Witch of Oranges, Valencia is retired because of Heatnail." Misaki's once full field was decimated in only one turn. "But The End isn't finished yet." Counter blast 2. Persona blast. Dragonic Overlord The End stood once more. Aichi declared another attack with The End. Misaki looked at her hand. Even if she successfully guarded The End's third attack, she would still be vulnerable to the rearguard attacks.
"No guard..." She didn't have enough heal triggers to save her from The End's attack. Misaki had lost.
Aichi stood from his seat, trying to hide the fact that he was proud of his accomplishment. Misaki just stared at him in silence. As she thought, Aichi had been taking the exact opposite course of Miwa. Miwa was trying to push Kai out of his mind and suppress the fact that his best friend even existed. Aichi was trying to emulate his fallen hero since there was no one to look off of anymore. Both were unhealthy was of coping. Misaki clutched the key that was chained around her neck. The loss of a loved one was painful. She knew that as well as anyone, but she also knew that better ways to cope exist.
The blue haired boy stood from his seat and began to walk away, ignoring his friends while they just stared at him.
"I need to get stronger..." he whispered to himself, "I need to make sure no one forgets Kai. I need to make sure no one makes the same choice as him. And..." he squeezed the Kagero deck in his hand, "I need to get him back."
