The building was in shambles.

If the "Tatsunagi" sign wasn't in front, Naoki wouldn't have even recognized it as the tower he had traversed so long ago to carry Aichi back to safety.

"There's no way Aichi would be here..." he remarked. Naoki kicked a shard of glass.

All was silent.

Or so Naoki thought until he heard a a voice resounding from deep within the building. It was undeniably Aichi's voice, pleading with something. Naoki followed it, silently traversing into the wreckage, passed obstacles and dead ends. The words became clearer.

"Void! Link Joker!"

Was Aichi speaking with the Void? Perhaps it was still running amuck on Earth. Naoki stopped and listened closer. Aichi was right behind the remains of a flimsy wall.

"Why Kai? Why is Kourin gone too? Where are they?! Give them back! Give back my friends! Take me! Take me instead of them!"

There was no response, which Naoki found strange.

"Or... if you can't do that... Reverse me! Go on! Give me the power and burden!"

Naoki knocked down the wall between them in an attempt to stop Aichi from becoming reversed and repeating the tragedy once more. In the middle of a clearance stood Aichi, surrounded only by shattered mirrors that reflected back only Aichi's exact movements. There was no twist or corruption to them Void was not present. However, unbeknownst to the both of them, it was the same place where Kai's last cardfight occurred before he fell to reverse.

"Aichi! What are you doing alone like this?!"

"It's none of your business..." he replied, turning away. Naoki avoided the shards of glass and grabbed Aichi's shoulders.

"I was always better at the sports festivals than you. Don't try and get away. We're going to fight this out, man to man! Aichi to Naoki! I don't want to talk to some shitty imitation of the guy who spun my best friend into depression. I want to talk to and cardfight and have fun with Aichi! The Aichi who pushed me to actually live! The Aichi who showed me friendship and courage! The Aichi who showed me cardfighting is fun! The Aichi who reached out to me when everyone thought I was a lost cause! The Aichi who I love and hold dear! Where's that Aichi?! Tell me, because you sure as hell ain't him!" Naoki held his fist up, ready to literally beat some sense into Aichi, but Aichi beat him to the punch.

"You don't know anything, Naoki!"

"I know enough!" Naoki shouted, grabbing the other boy's fist in the air. "I know at least you're calling me by my given name again!"

"I-" Aichi shook himself free of Naoki's grip. "Fine then. Let's settle this. If I win, you and everyone else has to leave me alone. Forever."

"Don't you think that's a little childish, Aichi?" Naoki slipped out his deck. "Fair enough. If I win, you have to go back to being the old Aichi."

Aichi stepped back, pressing a button on the floor. It malfunctioned a few times, but a round fight table emerged from the wreckage, fight gloves included.

Both fighters stood on their respective sides. They placed their first vanguard facedown on the vanguard circle and shuffled their deck. After drawing five cards, the two were ready to begin.

"Stand up,"

"The"

"Vanguard!"

Both fighters flipped over their respective grade zeros.

"Lizard Solider, Fargo!"

"Brawler, Fighting Dracokid!"

"My turn!" Aichi drew a card. "I ride, Seal Dragon, Kersey and end my turn."

"Stand and draw! I ride Brawler, Wild Cloak Dragon. I attack!"

"No guard."

"Drive trigger check... No trigger."

"Damage trigger... Gatling Claw Dragon. I draw."

"Turn end."

Naoki thought about the flow of the fight. Aichi was harder to read than ever, but Naoki was convinced he would turn out to be the victor. He remembered the encouragement Aichi gave him. He remembered how much he wanted that Aichi back. Turns passed and Naoki kept focused on the battle.

Until Aichi rode to grade three, that is.

"At the end of an endless quest, you arrive at final evolution! Sublimate your savage soul and show your true form! Dragonic Overlord the End!" Aichi shouted, placing the card over Burning Horn Dragon.

"You... you missed your crossride..." Naoki remarked. Without the 13000 defense that The End usually held, Aichi was at a disadvantage. Aichi ignored his opponent's comment.

"The End attacks your vanguard!"

"Guard! Guld, protect the vanguard!" Naoki discarded a card to pay for his perfect guard's cost. Aichi's twin drive revealed no triggers.

"Dragonic Burnout attacks!"

"No guard!" Naoki damage checked his third damage. "I got one! Heal trigger!" Naoki stared at Aichi's damage. Aichi had four damage. Naoki couldn't use his heal.

"Now, Burning Horn Dragon attacks!"

"Guard!"

"I end my turn."

Naoki gazed at Aichi's hand. Because he missed the crossbreak ride, Aichi didn't gain the drive check. That in addition to his lack of the crossride 2000. power bonus allowed Naoki to set up his winning image.

" Scorching soul! Smash everything with your steel fists! I ride Brawler, Big Bang Knuckle Buster!" Aichi took a step back.

"That card's name... One of your earlier drive checks was a card with a similar name... Brawler, Big Bang Knuckle Dragon, was it?" Aichi smirked, "You missed your crossride too, Naoki!"

"But unlike you, I can fix mine!"

"What?!"

"Brawler dragons! Crash through even the heavens with your combined strength! Legion! Brawler, Big Bang Knuckle Slasher!" Four cards returned from Naoki's drop zone to his deck. The mate then flew out at him from the deck. He placed Big Bang Slash Buster beside his vanguard.

"Legion... Two cards on the vanguard circle?" Aichi half asked.

"Mhm! Unlike yours, my vanguard is never alone! They have each other's backs. They fight together and use their skills together, as you're about to see! Legion skill!" Naoki flipped over a damage and showed a card to Aichi. It was the original Big Bang Knucle Dragon. "I counterblast one card and place one card with 'Big Bang Knuckle' from my hand into the soul."

"What?!"

"With that, my vanguard gets 5000 power in addition to the 2000 power crossride bonus! I also get to attack four of your units!"

"Four?!" Aichi's cocky expression transformed into a grimace. He clutched the cards in his hands.

"Aichi, I'm sorry, but you suck at Kagero. Big Bang boosted by Rising Phoenix attacks your entire back row and your vanguard for 33000 power!

"I perfect guard the vanguard with Dragon Dancer, Maria!" Aichi discarded a Dragonic Overlord The End from his hand to pay for the cost.

"Twin drive! First check... No trigger. Second check... Critical Trigger! I give the effects to my rearguard Slash Buster!"

"Grrrr..." Aichi pushed the lower half of his field to the drop zone.

"Now, Slash Buster attacks!"

"Guard!" Aichi placed half his hand into the drop zone.

"Skyhowl dragon attacks!"

"N...no guard." Aichi took his fifth damage. "Stand and draw... I call Seal Dragon, Artpique behind Overlord and I attack."

"...I knew it. That perfect guard was your only grade one."

"That has nothing to do with it."

"Sure it doesn't. Guard!" Naoki placed a critical trigger on the guardian circle. "And I intercept with Skyhowl. Two triggers should do it for you."

"I'll show you, Naoki! Twin drive! First check... Critical Trigger! All effects to my vanguard! Second check..." Aichi drew a Dragonic Overlord the End. "That's not all! I attack with... with..."

"Aichi... Without a booster, not even Burning Horn can touch my vanguard-"

"Shut up! Burning horn attacks Slash Buster!"

"Guard.

"Now Burnout will-"

"Wildfist will block that!"

"I... Turn end."

New footsteps resounded in the area. Miwa and Misaki ran in together from opposite ends of the building, having heard the ruckus from the cardfight.

"Aichi!" Miwa called.

"Aichi... Naoki! Do your best!" Misaki shouted.

"Stand and Draw! I call a second Slash Buster and use my vanguard's skill once more!" Naoki flipped over one card and slipped a Big Bang Knuckle Buster into the soul. "I attack Burnout, Burning Horn, Artpique, and your Vanguard in a single blow! I'mm show you the power of friendship by knocking down your fake walls! Attack!"

"N-no guard!"

"Twin drive! First check... no trigger. Second check... Draw trigger!"

"D-damage check..." Aichi flipped over the top card of his deck. Judging by the scratches and even the small dots of blood on the face of the card, Naoki could tell it was the Dragonic Overlord that Kai gave to Aichi.

Aichi held the card and dropped to his knees.

"Brother!" Kamui moved past a fallen beam. "Your safe..."

"I shouldn't be... I..." Aichi held the Overlord to his chest. Naoki stepped up to Aichi and tossed the card out of his hands.

Everyone stared at Naoki.

"You don't need that. You already have that card from him. That card... Blaster Blade. You're you. Kai'd want you to be happy."

"But Ren said-"

Crack.

A crack echoed from the air. It sounded much like the crack of the gate that killed Kai.

And it was right above Aichi. Aichi, however, went wide eyed, as memories of Kai's bloody suicide overcame him once more.

"Get out of the way!" Naoki slammed into, Aichi pushing him away the path of a large beam. However, Naoki was now in its way.

And it fell with a bloody crash.