A/N: Hey readers. Another week means another chapter. This one has a face that some of you may recognize. And it may or may not be a trend for the next few chapters (hint hint).

"Woah- Oof!"

Dan didn't really know what to expect when it came to intergalactic travel due to some weird magic. But he had not been expecting to suddenly wind up crashing into the ground. Picking himself up off the ground, he brushed the dirt off him. "Well that could have been worse… maybe."

"Well you certainly know how to make an entrance."

The sudden voice caused Dan to jump in surprise. Standing before him was a blonde female elf. What had surprised Dan was how closely she was invading his personal space.

"Woah!" Dan exclaimed, jumping back.

"So you're one of Earth's humans, huh?" she said.

"Come on, Elen. Give him some space." another voice said.

Looking past the female elf, Dan noticed another person in the room. He looked human, considering his ears weren't pointy like Elen's. It wasn't long before Dan recognized who the two of them were.

Spotlight Star, Elen and Miracle Juggler, Lance.

"Elen… Lance…" Dan said in surprise. He was really there. On the planet, talking with they very same units he used in Vanguard.

"Huh? You know our names?" Elen asked. "Wow! You must have like, some sorta psychic power or something!"

Lance let out a sigh. "Elen, do not remember the explanation we were given. Humans from Earth play that Vanguard game with cards depicting us."

"Oh right…" Elen said, remembering what she had been told. "I guess I forgot."

Lance shook his head. "What am I going to do with you?" He walked over to the two of them and looked at Dan. "I apologise for my associate's rudeness. As you just said, I'm Lance and this is Elen."

"Right…" Dan said. "Sorry, it's just… this is all so crazy. I'm not used to all this magic and elves and… well, everything."

Elen widened her eyes. "Seriously?! You don't have magic on Earth."

"Elen. The briefing."

"I'm sorry okay! But information meetings are so BORING!" Elen whined. "You can't blame me for falling asleep during them when it doesn't involve a performance."

As the two of them argued, Dan looked at their surroundings. They seemed to be in a temple of some kind. "So where exactly are we?"

"This is one of the ruins within the Dark Zone nation." Lance explained. "It's a sacred place to those of us on Cray. Beings like Atmos use it for rituals and other things. We used it like a homing beacon when you came from Earth, making you arrive here."

Dan widened his eyes, realizing that the others weren't with him. "That's right! I came with four others! Do you know where they are?!"

"I'd assume they were summoned to the ruins of the other nations." Lance explained. "You should have each arrived at places close to the clan you are close to. You are the Pale Moon user, correct?"

Dan nodded. "That's right?"

"That's good. It would be a total pain if we summoned the wrong guy." Elen said. "So let's get going!"

"Y-Yeah…" Dan said. "And… where exactly are we going?"

"Where else?" Elen said. "To the Pale Moon Circus."


Dan knew that Pale Moon was a clan of circus performers, but it truly surprised him when he laid eyes upon their home base. There were tents everywhere. And there were all kinds of humans and creatures walking around. He recognized several of them from the Pale Moon units in the game of Vanguard. He also couldn't help but be a bit off put by the dangerous looking beasts he saw everywhere. And him being a complete stranger caused many of the Pale Moon units standing around to look his way too.

"What do you think? Looks pretty cool, right?" Elen grinned.

"Y-Yeah…" Dan said.

"The Pale Moon circus performs all over Cray. But our home base is here in the Dark Zone nation." Lance explained.

"Aren't there also supposed to be assassins in Pale Moon?" Dan asked, remembering the Vanguard lore he had learned about through his years of playing the game.

"Yes, but that part of business isn't as focused on as much anymore." Lance told him. "Most of us are just performers. But don't mistake that as not being able to fight."

"Lance's psychic powers can help him skewer an enemy a hundred yards away with his knives." Elen said. "But it's got nothing on me and my pyrokinetic magic."

"You mean like when you set fire to the head tent?"

"That was ONE time!" Elen argued. "... Okay three times. But I'm a lot better at controlling my explosion magic now!"

"In any case, most of the members you'll find around here are our performers." Lance said. "And speaking of which… here's the troupe Elen and I are a part of."

Dan took a look at the tent they were walking up to. It was rather large compared to the other tents he saw. If this was the tent were the troupe that Lance and Elen were a part of was, then that meant only one thing.

This was where Harri was.

Lance and Elen walked into the tent, followed by Dan. "We're home everybody!" Elen called out. "And we brought a special guest!"

As Dan walked in, he was greeted by a rising cloud of mist. Dan quickly found himself surrounded by it, unable to see more than a couple feet in front of him. Soon, it began to clear but Dan was then met by a gigantic scary looking demon.

"Who dares to enter this tent uninvited?"

"Wh-What?!" Dan exclaimed. "But I was-"

"Pft… Snrk… Hehehehe…. Bwahahahahaha!"

Dan blinked his eyes in surprise as he heard the sudden laughter. The mist cleared further until both it and the demon were gone. In their place was Harri on the ground, kicking his legs up as he laughed.

"Hahahahahaha! Y-You… you should have seen your face! Oh boy, that was hilarious!" Harri said as he laughed. "Ow! Ow, my sides! Hahahahaha!"

Lance groaned as he shook his head. "Harri, did you really have to scare him half to death for your first meeting?"

"Oh come on, Lance! You have to admit, that was pretty funny!"

"That…" Dan's voice brought everyone's attention to him. "That was awesome! You've gotta show me how you did that!"

Harri showed a big grin as he got to his feet. "See? He liked it." He walked over to Dan. "He's got good taste in entertainment. Not that I'd expect anything less from the human I'm connected to on Earth." He showed a smile to Dan. "I like you. What's your name?"

"Dan. Dan Kisha." he answered.

"Nice to meet ya, Dan. I'm-"

"Harri. I know who you are." Dan told him.

"Right you are." Harri said. "So then, we'd best get prepared. Now that you're here, we need to get together with the other clans and prepare for our attack on Conquest Empire."

"I'm a bit out of the loop here, so what exactly is our plan of attack?" Dan asked. "Whatever it is, you can count me in if it'll help rescue Aurora."

"Aurora? Who's she?" Harri asked. "Oh, you must mean the Star Chaser Vanguard that came to Cray last month!"

"That's her." Dan nodded.

"Well don't worry. Rescuing her and Hikari are on our list of priorities too." Harri told him. "First let's introduce you to our leader. Luquier. We can head over to her tent now."

"No need for that." a new voice spoke.

All heads turned to the entrance of the tent, where a female elf walked in. she had long black hair with a few streaks of red hidden in it. She wore a black outfit that left little to the imagination for her upper body. Hooked at her waist was a long sharp whip. Her left eye was a blue color, but her left eye was bright red. Dan recognized her right away as Silver Thorn Dragon Tamer, Luquier.

"Considering the huge commotion you were making, I take it our guest has arrived?" Luquier said.

"Yes ma'am." Lance said. He gestured over to Dan. "This is him."

"N-Nice to meet you! I'm Dan Kisha!" Dan said politely, yet nervously. If the stories about this unit from Vanguard lore were true, then Dan knew one thing very clearly. This was NOT someone he wanted to piss off.

"Hmm… So you're the human that will act as our Vanguard?" Luquier asked. "You certainly don't look like much."

Dan couldn't very well deny that. Compared to the deadly assassins and performers of Pale Moon, he wasn't much in terms of combat ability.

"Come on, Luquier. You remember what we were told." Harri said. "The humans of Earth aren't here to fight on the front lines on their own. We're supposed to combine their power with ours."

"I remember. Atmos said as much."

"It'll be fine." Harri said, throwing an arm around Dan's shoulder. "We've got Pale Moon's greatest magician, aka me, and the best Pale Moon user on Earth. It's the perfect combination."

"Hmm…" Luquier looked at Dan. "And you, human? Are you prepared to fight, even if it means risking your life?"

"I am." Dan nodded. "Vanguard is important to me. You guys have helped me become stronger through Vanguard. And even more than that, someone important to me is in trouble. If there's any way I can help, I'll do it."

Luquier stared at Dan for a few moments before cracking a small smirk. "Good eyes. You have determination." she said. "That said… I'm not sure how I feel about entrusting my precious little Harri's safety with you."

Harri frowned as he looked at Luquier. "Luquier, how many times do I have to tell you to stop treating me like a little kid! I can handle myself!"

"Now, now, you're like a little brother to me." Luquier said with a doting expression. "How can I not worry about you?"

"Well I bet me and this guy together could beat you no problem!" Harri told her.

Dan, Elen, and Lance all widened their eyes as Harri said this. Dan felt a nervous sweat go down his back from this. He wasn't even entirely sure yet how he was supposed to empower the units of Pale Moon. And now he was being expected to fight one of the most powerful members of the Pale Moon circus?

"Oh? Is that so?" Luquier asked. A grin came to her face. "Very well then. We can have a little trial to see what this human is capable of."

"Trial…?" Dan asked. "What kind of trial?"

"Oh you'll see." Luquier said. "Come to the head tent in one hour. I'll have things set up for you then."

With that, Luquier turned around and walked out of the tent. Once she was gone, Lance shook his head. "Harri, what were you thinking?"

"Yeah." Elen agreed. "Luquier's gonna destroy you! You know how strong she is!"

"Sorry, but I can't stand being treated like a child! It's so annoying!" Harri told them. He looked at Dan. "You're with me, right Dan? We can beat her, I know it!"

"Well… There's no way out of this I guess." Dan said. "And if we can't even beat Luquier then we have no chance at taking down Conquest Empire. Let's do this, Harri!"

"Yes! I knew you'd be on my side!" Harri grinned. "Alright, this is gonna rock!"


One hour passed by fairly quickly. Before long, Dan and Harri made their way to the head tent. If Harri's tent was big, then this one was gigantic. It was easily twice the size of what Dan had been expecting.

"You ready to do this, partner?" Harri asked.

Dan nodded his head. "Yeah. Time to show Luquier our power."

With that, the two of them walked into the head tent. They were both surprised by the audience they had. There were so many members of the Pale Moon circus sitting in the stands, cheering loudly as they walked in.

"Wow. Guess Luquier really wanted to put on a show." Harri said.

"I'm glad you didn't chicken out."

Luquier's voice brought both of their attention to her as she stood at the other end of the tent. She had her whip out, ready to unleash her full power.

"Of course we didn't." Dan said. "We'll handle whatever you throw at us."

"Big words. But can you back it up?" Luquier asked. She cracked her whip, the sound echoing throughout the tent. "Cause I won't be holding back."

"Uhh… Luquier? You're not seriously expecting him to fight, are you?" Harrii asked. "I mean, he's not exactly trained for real combat."

"Of course not. What point would there be in such an easy victory for me." Luquier told him. "We won't be fighting the regular way. We'll be doing it how they do it on Earth."

Dan widened his eyes. "Wait. You mean… a cardfight?"

"That's right." Luquier said.

"Ok, but how will we do that? You don't have a deck."

"I won't be your opponent." Luquier told him. "Just as you are Harri's other self, I also have my own other self."

'Wait. Does she mean… a human from Earth?!'

"I suppose I should explain something first. My Vanguard isn't from your world." Luquier said. "Or to be more precise… they aren't from this universe."

"What do you mean?" Dan asked.

"It's the same principle with striding. There are an infinite number of futures. In other words, an infinite number of futures and timelines." Luquier explained. "The human I will summon is the strongest candidate for my Vanguard throughout all the universes. Unlike you however, they will appear as an astral body."

Before Dan could ask anymore questions, Luquier cracked her whip against the ground. An azure light emanated from her. "Now come to me! My Vanguard! Across the widest spans of the universe!"

Dan and Harri shielded their eyes from the bright light that appeared. When it finally died down, a new person was standing in the tent at Luquier's side. It was a girl with long blue hair and eyes of the same color. She wore a dark blue outfit with a belt around her waist that had two pink bows tied to it.

"Thank you for coming." Luquier told the girl.

"Of course. I couldn't very well refuse your call, Luquier." the girl said. "And for such an interesting event like this too."

As Dan looked at the girl, there was one thing that was certain in his mind. He definitely didn't recognize this girl. He was expecting some kind of famous cardfighter that used Pale Moon, but he had never seen this person.

"So you must be my opponent." she said. "My name is Asaka Narumi. And yours is?"

"Dan Kisha." he answered. "Member of Team Cosmic Trio."

"Cosmic Trio? Can't say I've heard of you." Asaka said.

"Really? Didn't you watch the Vanguard World Tournament?"

"Vanguard World Tournament? I didn't hear of any event like that happening. And if it had, Team Asteroid would have easily won it."

"Asteroid? Haven't you of you either." Dan told her.

"What?!" Asaka gasped. "We were winners of the national tournament for two years in a row! And our leader Ren Suzugamori is branch chief of United Sanctuary in Japan."

"Branch chief?" Dan questioned. "What's that?"

"If I may interrupt." Luquier said. "You both come from different Earths. As such, there are probably several facts that are different throughout your timelines. You may not even exist in each other's world."

"I see." Asaka said. "Well then, I suppose I'll just have to show you the might of Team Asteroid's assassin personally."

"Bring it on." Dan said. "Cause I'm not losing."

"Aw yeah! Now we've got ourselves a party!" Harri grinned. "Let's do this, partner!"

Suddenly, Harri transformed into light. That light went into Dan's deck, making it glow. Luquier did the same, joining herself with Asaka's deck.

Two sheets of light appeared in front of them. Both fighters placed their decks down and drew their opening hands.

"Show me what you're made of." Asaka told him.

"That's my line." Dan said.

"Stand up! Vanguard!"

"Happiness Performer!"

Happiness Performer

Grade 0, Power: 5000

"Silver Thorn Beast Tamer, Emile!"

Silver Thorn Beast Tamer, Emile

Grade 0, Power: 5000

"I'll start." Dan said. "I ride Miracle Juggler, Lance!"

Miracle Juggler, Lance

Grade 1, Power: 7000

"Turn end."

[Turn 2. Hand: Dan(5), Asaka(5).]

"Stand and draw." Asaka said. "Now, members of the Pale Moon Circus, please help me in the start of act one! I ride Silver Thorn Assistant, Irina!"

Silver Thorn Assistant, Irina

Grade 1, Power: 7000

"Irina's skill. I look at the top 2 cards of the deck, add up to one Silver Thorn among them to the soul, and send the rest to the bottom of the deck." Asaka explained. "I send Silver Thorn Masher Dragon to the soul. Next I call Emile out from the soul with forerunner. But she won't be staying long, because now I use her skill! I send her to the soul and look at the top five cards of my deck. Then I add up to one grade 1, 2, and 3 each with Silver Thorn in their names among them to the soul." Asaka looked at her cards and smirked. "Lucky me. I add Silver Thorn Clown, Cernay, Silver Thorn, Upright Lion, and Silver Thorn Dragon Tamer, Luquier."

'It's her first turn, and she's already got so many cards in the soul!' Dan thought with widened eyes. 'She really is good.'

"Now then, Let's have Irina go in for an attack on Lance!"

"No guard." Dan said.

"Drive check. Critical trigger. All effects to the Vanguard."

"Damage check. First check, no trigger. Second check, no trigger."

[Damage: Dan(2), Asaka(0).]

"Turn end."

[Turn 3. Hand: Dan(5), Asaka(6).]

"Stand and draw." Dan said. 'She's already off to a good lead. Unlike my deck that has to wait until I stride to really get going, she seems to be able to go off right away. I'll need to be careful.'

"I ride! Spotlight Star, Elen!"

Spotlight Star, Elen

Grade 2, Power: 9000

"Elen attacks!"

(9000)

"No guard."

"Drive check, no trigger."

"Damage check, no trigger."

[Damage: Dan(2), Asaka(1).]

"That's it for my turn."

[Turn 4. Hand: Dan(6), Asaka(6).]

"My turn then. Stand and draw." Asaka said. "Get ready for act 2! I ride Silver Thorn Magician, Clemens!"

Silver Thorn Magician, Clemens

Grade 2, Power: 9000

"I also call Silver Thorn Beast Tamer, Maricia and Silver Thorn Assistant, Zelma." Asaka said. "Zelma's skill. I send Maricica to the soul. Then I call Silver Thorn, Masher Dragon from the soul. With its skill, I look at the top three cards of the deck and send any among them to the soul, provided they each have different grades. I send Silver Thorn Beast Tamer, Ana and put the other two on the bottom of the deck. Masher Dragon gets 2000 for each card added."

"You're quite impressive, putting cards into your soul so quickly."

"You haven't seen anything yet." Asaka smirked. "Masher Dragon attacks!"

(10000+2000)

"Guard!" Dan said, holding up a grade 1.

"Boosted by Zelma, Clemens attacks!"

(9000+7000=16000)

"No guard."

"Drive check. Draw trigger. Power to the Vanguard and I draw."

"Damage check, no trigger."

[Damage: Dan(3), Asaka(1).]

"Turn end." Asaka said

[Turn 5. Hand: Dan(5), Asaka(8).]

"Stand and draw." Dan said. 'This girl is clearly a Pale Moon master. My regular tricks won't cut it, I need to take my game to the next level.'

"The moon is your spotlight! Take to the stage! Bring forth an illusion that will be talked about for generations! Ride! Masked Illusionist, Harri!"

Masked Illusionist, Harri

Grade 3, Power: 11000

With that, Harri appeared onto the field. He twirled his staff in his hand as he grinned. "Looks like it's finally my turn to shine. Let's wow the crowd."

"Yeah. Let's do it, Harri." Dan said. "Attack the Vanguard!"

(11000)

"No guard." Asaka said.

"Twin drive. First check, no trigger. Second check, heal trigger. Power to Harri and I recover one."

"Damage check, no trigger."

[Damage: Dan(2), Asaka(2).]

"Turn end."

[Turn 6. Hand: Dan(7), Asaka(8).]

"Stand and draw." Asaka said. She took a card in her hand and held it out.

'It's coming.' Dan thought.

"With a crack of her whip, even the mightiest of dragons bow to her whim! Ride! Silver Thorn Dragon Tamer, Luquier!"

Silver Thorn Dragon Tamer, Luquier

Grade 3, Power: 11000

"Get ready. Because you haven't even seen the best part." Asaka said. "Stride Generation! Silver Thorn Dragon Master, Mystique Luquier!"

Silver Thorn Dragon Master, Mystique Luquier

Grade 4, Power: 15000+

"Stride skill! Now whenever I call a Silver Thorn this turn from the soul, that unit gains 3000 power." Asaka explained. "Next I use Mystique Luquier's skill! I send Zelma and Masher Dragon to the soul! Then I soul charge two cards and call up to two Silver Thorns from the soul! Come! Silver Thorn Magician, Clemens and Silver Thorn Beast Tamer, Maricica! They both gain 3000 with the stride skill! Then I activate Cernay's skill from the soul! I counterblast and call him behind my Vanguard since I called a card from soul! And finally, I call Silver Thorn Beast Tamer, Ana behind Clemens!"

'She's got four rear guards out. And she still managed to hold onto most of her hand.' Dan thought. 'On top of that, three of her rear guards have skills that can call out another unit from soul if their attacks hit. This is the tricky part of playing against Silver Thorns.'

"Ana, lend your support to Clemens to start us off! And Clemens gains 2000 power with his skill!"

(9000+3000+2000+7000=21000)

"Guard!" Dan said, holding up two cards from his hand.

"Boosted by Cernay, Luquier is coming in!"

(26000+7000+3000=36000)

"No guard."

"Triple drive." Asaka said. "First check, critical trigger. Critical to Luquier and power to Maricica. Second check, draw trigger. Power to Maricica and I draw. Third check, no trigger."

Dan and Harri braced themselves against Luquier's attack as another two cards fell into Dan's damage zone.

[Damage: Dan(4), Asaka(2).]

"Skill of Cernay. After an attack ends where he boosted the Vanguard, I can discard a card and send him to the soul. Then I call a Silver Thorn from soul to rear guard." Asaka explained. "I call Zelma behind Maricica. And with Zelma's skill, I send Clemens to the soul and call him back out in the same place where he was!"

"No way!" Dan gasped.

Asaka smirked as she looked at Dan. "I was known as Team Asteroid's Assassin for a reason, boy. I never let my prey escape. And right now, the prey I'm after is you! Get him Clemens!"

(9000+3000+2000=14000)

"Guard!"

"Maricica! Attack with a boost from Zelma!"

(9000+3000+10000+7000+3000=32000)

"Generation guard! Chainsaw Megatrick, Furnival!"

Chainsaw Megatrick, Furnival

Grade 4, Shield: 15000

"Furnival's skill! I look at the top three cards of the deck. Adding Cutie Paratrooper to the soul. Since she's grade 1 or higher, add 5000 to the shield! Then I guard with Lance from my hand!"

"Not bad. You managed to block all my rear guard attacks." Asaka said. "But you have yet to show me any real offense. Turn end."

[Turn 7. Hand: Dan(2), Asaka(10).]

"Stand and draw." Dan said. "Don't get the wrong idea that I can't launch a real attack. I just can't do it without the star of my show."

"That would be me." Harri smirked as he pointed to himself. "I am the greatest illusionist ever after all."

"How about you stop gloating and start fighting, Harri?" Luquier said.

"Careful what you wish for." Harri told her.

"Here we go!" Dan yelled. "Stride Generation! Melodious Megatrick, Lyrica!"

Melodious Megatrick, Lyrica

Grade 4, Power: 15000+

"Stride skill! I soul charge and call Cutie from the soul! Add 3000 power! Since she has magia, I countercharge! Then I use her magia and call Spotlight Star, Elen! Add 5000 power! After that, I use Happiness Performer's skill to call herself behind the Vanguard. I draw since Lyrica has magia. Then I use her magia to call out Lance. He has magia so I draw. And with Lance's magia, I call Crescent Moon Juggler!"

"Interesting. So you were able to get a full field simply by striding." Asaka realized with a raised brow.

"Get ready for the Pale Moon Circus's magia illusion." Dan said. "Crescent Moon Juggler attacks with a boost from Lance!"

(9000+7000=16000)

"Guard!" Asaka said, holding up a critical trigger.

"Elen is up next, with Cutie's boost!"

(9000+1000+5000+7000+3000=25000)

"Generation guard! Doting Harlequin, Maja!"

Doting Harlequin, Maja

Grade 4, Shield: 15000

"Maja's skill. Since I don't have a Vanguard that has magia, I soul charge 3 cards." Asaka said.

"Using Elen's skill. I counterblast and send her to the soul. Then I call out Masked Illusionist, Harri. And I'll have him attack Clemens!"

(11000)

"Oh no you don't! I guard!" Asaka said.

"Lyrica attacks. With her skill, I send all my rear guards to the soul. Then she gains 3000 power for each one. And since four or more were sent, she gets drive plus one."

'I have 2 damage. He'll need three critical triggers to finish me off.' Asaka thought. "No guard."

"Quadruple drive! First check, stand trigger. Power to Lyrica. Second check, grade 2. Lyrica's skill. I draw, soul charge, and call Happiness Performer. Happiness Performer's skill. Call Elen. Third check, heal trigger. Power to Elen and recover one. Final check, critical trigger. Power to Elen and critical to Lyrica."

"Damage check." Asaka said. "First check, no trigger. Second check, heal trigger. Power to Luquier and I recover one."

[Damage: Dan(3), Asaka(3).]

"Boosted by Happiness Performer, Elen attacks!"

(9000+1000+10000+5000=25000)

"No guard. Damage check, no trigger."

[Damage: Dan(3), Asaka(4).]

"Skill of Elen. Counterblast and send her to soul. Then I call Crescent Moon Juggler. With his skill, I call Purple Trapezist. And with Trapezist's skill, I send Happiness Performer to the soul and call it back out where it was. Using her skill to call out Elen in front of Purple Trapezist. Then I draw." With his field built up, Dan continued his assault. "Elen attacks with a boost from Trapezist!"

(9000+1000+6000+2000=18000)

"Guard!" Asaka said, holding up a trigger with 10000 shield.

"Crescent Moon is up next with a boost from Happiness Performer!"

(9000+2000+5000=16000)

"Guard!" Asaka said, using two cards from her hand.

"Turn end."

[Turn 8. Hand: Dan(11), Asaka(4).]

"Stand and draw." Asaka said. "Impressive. It's no surprise you and your team won that world tournament thing you mentioned. I'd even go so far as to say you had a good chance of winning this fight." A smirk came to her lips. "If you weren't facing me that is."

Everyone watched as Asaka held up a card from her hand. Dan could see she was planning on ending things this turn. "Generation Zone, release! Now, witness my grand finale. A performance that will be talked about for years to come. Stride Generation! Silver Thorn Dragon Goddess, Luquier Rosé!"

Silver Thorn Dragon Goddess, Luquier Rosé

Grade 4, Power: 15000+

Asaka's new G Unit was a new form of Luquier. She still had her majestic long black hair and long thorny whip. One main difference though were the two dragon-like wings sprouting from her back, allowing her to hover in the air.

"Stride skill. All Silver Thorns called from the soul this turn gain 3000 power." Asaka explained. "Next I call Silver Thorn Assistant, Dixie. With her skill, I send her back to the deck and call Emilie from the soul."

'She's got a full field out. Whatever she's planning, it's gonna be big.'

"Clemens attacks first, with a boost from Ana!"

(9000+2000+7000=18000)

"Guard!" Dan said, holding up a critical trigger.

"Maricica is up next with a boost from Zelma!"

(9000+7000=16000)

'She's attacking with her Vanguard last?' Dan noticed. "No guard. Damage check, no trigger."

[Damage: Dan(4), Asaka(4).]

"Luquier Rosé takes flight!" Asaka declared. "Skill of Luquier Rosé! When she attacks, I send all my rear guards to soul! Then I can call out Silver Thorn units from the soul up to the number I sent! They each gain the ability to attack from the back row!"

Dan widened his eyes. "What?!"

"Witness the ultimate technique of the Silver Thorns! Silver Thorn Bloody Rose!" Asaka said. "I call Maricica, a pair of Clemens, Luquier, and Masher Dragon! They each gain 3000 from the stride skill! In addition, Luquier Rosé's Generation Break 3! Whenever a Silver Thorn is called from soul, both she and it gain 5000 power!"

Dan could hardly believe what he was hearing. "But that's 25000 to your Vanguard alone!"

"That's right! And she's coming straight for you!"

(26000+25000=51000)

"Perfect guard!"

"Triple drive." Asaka said. "First check, critical trigger! All effects to my rear guard Luquier! Second check, another critical trigger! All effects to Masher Dragon! Third check, no trigger!"

Dan grit his teeth. He was at four damage. If either Luquier or Masher Dragon hit, he'd be finished. And if he let Clemens or Maricica hit, Asaka would be able to use their skills to call out another Silver Thorn. She had him cornered.

"You put up a good fight. But this is the end." Asaka said. "Luquier attacks!"

(11000+3000+5000+5000=24000)

"Guard!" Dan said, holding up two cards from his hand. "I already told you. I'm not losing this fight. There's too much riding on it."

"Masher Dragon attacks!"

(10000+3000+5000+5000=23000)

"And guard!" Dan yelled.

"Clemens attacks!"

(9000+2000+3000+5000=19000)

'This Clemens is in her back row. That means the unit she calls out won't be able to attack. It'll only be able to boost.' Dan thought. "No guard. Damage check, no trigger."

[Damage: Dan(5), Asaka(4).]

"Skill of Clemens. Since the attack hit, send him to the soul and call out Zelma." Asaka said. "With Zelma's skill, send Masher to the soul and call out Ana."

'She got boosters for both her remaining attacks.' Dan realized. 'Either way, I have to block them no matter what.'

"Clemens attacks with a boost from Zelma!"

(9000+2000+3000+5000+7000+3000+5000=34000)

"Generation guard!" Dan called out. "Doting Harlequin, Maja!"

Doting Harlequin, Maja

Grade 4, Shield: 15000

"Skill of Maja! I call Flying Peryton from the soul! Then with its magia, I call Purple Trapezist! With Purple Trapezist's skill, I send Happiness Performer to the soul, then call it back out. Magia of Happiness Performer. I call Crescent Moon Juggler! I draw, since it has magia!" Dan drew his card and felt relief wash over him when he saw it. "I also guard with Darkside Swordmaster!"

"Boosted by Ana, Maricica will attack!"

(9000+3000+5000+7000+3000+5000=32000)

"Masquerade Bunny and two Cutie Paratroopers! I guard!" Dan called out. "I also intercept with Peryton and Crescent Moon Juggler!"

'He actually survived it.' Asaka thought with widened eyes. "I'm impressed. But you have no more cards in your hand. How do you plan on making a comeback like that?"

"Well if I told you, then I wouldn't be much of an entertainer, now would I?" Dan smirked.

Asaka let out a small chuckle. "Well this should be interesting. Turn end."

"All my rear guards except Happiness Performer return to the soul from being called out by magia." Dan explained.

[Turn 9. Hand: Dan(0), Asaka(7).]

"Stand and draw." Dan said. "Skill of Masked Illusionist, Harri. At the beginning of my ride phase, I can soul blast and add a magia unit from my soul to my hand. Adding Masked Phantom, Harri."

'Securing the cost to stride.' Asaka realized.

"Generation Zone, release! Now let the spotlight shine on the future that leads to the shining stage! Stride Generation! Masquerade Master, Harri!"

Masquerade Master, Harri

Grade 4, Power: 15000+

"Stride skill. Calling Flying Peryton. With its magia, I call Purple Trapezist. Trapezist's skill. I send Happiness Performer to the soul and call it back out. With magia, I call Spotlight Star, Elen in front of it. And since I have a face up copy of Dragon Masquerade, Harri in my G Zone, all my magia rear guards gain 3000 power."

Luquier narrowed her eyes. 'This boy. His determination is incredible.'

"Elen attacks with a boost from Happiness Performer!"

(9000+1000+3000+5000+3000=21000)

'He might truly be able to help us defeat Conquest Empire.'

"No guard." Asaka said. "Damage check, no trigger."

[Damage: Dan(5), Asaka(5).]

"Flying Peryton leaps in with a boost from Purple Trapezist!"

(9000+3000+3000+6000=21000)

"Guard!" Asaka said as she held up two cards from her hand.

"Masquerade Master, Harri attacks!" Dan called out. "Harri's skill! I send Purple Trapezist and Flying Peryton to soul. Then I call Purple Trapezist and Spotlight Star, Elen. Using Trapezist's skill to send Happiness Performer back and call out Lance. Lance's magia. I call Masked Illusionist, Harri."

(26000)

"Perfect guard!"

"Triple drive. First check, no trigger. Second check, critical trigger. All effects to Ellen. Third check, no trigger." Dan said. "Harri attacks with a boost from Purple Trapezist!"

(11000+6000+6000=23000)

Asaka let out a sigh. "No guard. Damage check… no trigger."

[Damage: Dan(5), Asaka(6).]

Asaka showed a satisfied smile as the final card fell into her damage zone. "You've defeated me. Well done." Suddenly she noticed her body begin to fade away, getting more and more transparent. "That was a fun cardfight."

"Thank you for joining me in this fight, my Vanguard." Luquier told her.

"Anytime." Asaka said. "Farewell."

With that, Asaka vanished from the Planet Cray. Cheers were heard from the audience of Pale Moon members for the exciting cardfight.

"Woo! Did you see me in there! I totally kicked butt!" Elen cheered.

"So that was a cardfight. Very interesting." Lance said.

Dan's cards returned to him. Harri grinned as he and Dan shared a fist bump.

"Nice job out there, Harri." Dan said.

"We make a pretty good team." Harri told him.

"Indeed." Luquier said, gaining the attention of both Dan and Harri. "That was an exciting battle. And it's clear your bond has become even stronger after this."

Dan widened his eyes in realization. "Wait a minute… Was this your plan all along?"

"Of course. I could see the hidden strength within you right away." Luquier said with a chuckle. "But I wanted you two to draw out your combined power to its max for the coming fight."

"Geez Luquier, you coulda just told us this from the start." Harri complained.

"Oh sweet little Harri. When you've lived for as long as I have, you get a few quirks." Luquier giggled. She looked at Dan. "I'm sure every member of Pale Moon knows now that they can trust you. Our Vanguard."

Dan looked around, seeing the entire Pale Moon clan cheering for him. It was honestly a bit overwhelming.

'Guess they really are counting on us to save Cray.' Dan thought. "Alright then! Let's give Conquest Empire a show it'll never forget!"

The response Dan got was a loud collection of cheers and applause.

Anthony: So things seem to be going well for you.

Dan: I guess so. I've earned the trust of the Pale Moon clan.

Anthony: Well then it's my turn next. Bet you Narukami won't make me have to go through some weird cardfight like you had to do.

William: I wouldn't be so sure of that.

Next time: Thunder Break Time

Card Gallery:

Silver Thorn Dragon Goddess, Luquier Rosè
Stride
Power: 15000+
AUTO VC: CB1 & Take a face down card from your G Zone with the same name as this card and flip it face up. When this unit attacks, you may pay the cost. If you do, send all your rear guards to the soul. Call out cards with "Silver Thorn" in their name from your soul to RC up to the number of cards you sent. They each gain (CONT RC: This unit can attack from the back row.) until the end of the turn.
AUTO VC GB3: When a unit with "Silver Thorn" in its name is called to RC from soul, that unit and this unit gain +5000 power.