Chapter Forty-One: What You Did for Me

"This is it, attack the vanguard!" the voices of multiple fighters exclaimed, the second day continued, players were racking up both victories and defeats, all aiming to grow closer to the summit of points, and their dream of victory.

Back at the stadium, the audience cheered, through the monitors they saw fight after fight and couldn't contain their excitement. Joshua encouraged the crowd as he roared on his microphone, Denton on the other hand, smiled as he looked at the monitor.

"This is great, Team Trinovol is performing excellently, the same can also be said for the teams from France, Japan, and Haiti, but the second day will be ending soon," he thought before hearing a faint ringing sound.

"Oh, it's my phone," Denton said as he saw there was a message from someone, as he read it, his eyes widened in complete disbelief and even some horror.

"Hey, Denton, are you okay?" Joshua asked as he turned to Denton, noticing the look on his face.

The teen flashed a quick smile. "Oh yeah, I'm fine, I'm just a bit hungry," he replied.

"I see, well, it has been some time since breakfast," Joshua said, before looking at the watch on his wrist, he then waited a few seconds before pushing a button to his side, once he did, a loud buzz was heard throughout the forest.

"And the second day has come to an end, if you're in the middle of a cardfight, finish it, everybody else, please make your way to the stadium, good work everybody!" Joshua exclaimed into his microphone.

Minutes passed before players began to arrive at the stadium, and similar to yesterday, they were met with applause from the crowd.

"I did it!" Hayato exclaimed as he made it to the stadium. "I didn't lose another match, I even managed to get another 12 points, now Natsuna won't kill me!" he then felt a hand pull on his ear.

"You might've not lost three matches in a row and I am proud of you for it, but would it kill you to be quiet," Natsuna told him as she continued to pull on her cousin's ear.

"C'mon Natsuna, let him go," Masato said politely as he walked up to them.

Natsuna sighed and did as he said. "Fine, oh and by the way, nice work Masato, I checked your performance on my bracelet, and you didn't lose a single match today, good work,"

Masato's cheeks turned slightly red. "Thanks, I did my very best, for you two,"

"And you made us proud," Hayato smiled as he gave his teammate a thumbs up.

"Hey, it's Team Taiyo-Tsuki," a voice said, and they turned to see Team Trinovol and Team Floral Knights walking up to them.

"Hey guys, how have your fights went?" Hayato asked.

"Not too bad, I managed to rack up a good amount of wins," Joel replied.

"What up everyone," another voice said, as they turned to see where it had come from, they saw Team Unity Force approaching them.

"Ah, Jack, good to see you," Cassandra greeted him. "I haven't seen you in the forest yet, I take it, you and your team is doing well,"

Jack nodded. "That's right, I have yet to lose a match today, and I plan to do the same tomorrow,"

"Well, since we're all here, we should get going," Leroy said as they and the other teams left the stadium and boarded the ship, once they got back to the mainland, they waited for Joshua and Denton to come by with the limo, once it did arrive, they got inside as the limo drove off.

"Tomorrow is the last day of Extreme Cardfight, I can't wait," Jude said as they all nodded.

"That's right, and that means the teams that have made 250 points will move on, I'm pretty sure each of our teams is quite close to that," Naomie added.

"I do hope that we all make it to the second round, I still haven't had a chance to fight some of you yet," Sophie stated.

"Well, once we get to the hotel, we can do some fights with each other," Joel suggested.

This statement from the blond teen quickly captured Hayato's attention. "Hey, wait a minute, that reminds me, didn't we agree that we would all hang out somewhere together once the second day was over, well, it's over,"

"I think that it was just you who agreed," Andrea responded. "But, you do have a point, this would actually be the best time for that, it would give us a chance to unwind from all the cardfighting while getting to know each other,"

"I like the sound of that, and luckily for us, I know a friend who runs a restaurant close to here, hey Joshua, I'll give you the address," Cassandra said as she did so.

"I don't think we should, we should just go back to the hotel," Denton protested, a small look of worry was on his face, he then took out his phone and began typing something before putting it back in his pocket.

"But Denton, didn't you say you were hungry," Joshua politely retorted. "A restaurant would actually be the best place to go right now,"

Denton internally cursed himself for lying about being hungry. "Shit, I should've just told him that I was tired or something," he gave a sigh of defeat. "Alright then, I just hope they have good food,"

"Nice, we're going to have a hangout!" Hayato cheerfully exclaimed.

Ten minutes passed before the limo pulled up at a medium-sized building, Joshua parked the limo and they all got out, walking to the door, but as they looked at the transparent glass windows, they saw the inside was empty, with only a few lights on.

"Um, is the place closed?" Denton asked.

"It shouldn't be, they don't close for another six hours," Cassandra replied as she grabbed the knob and twisted it. "Hey, the door's open, maybe someone is here,"

The blond woman opened the door and they entered the establishment, Cassandra walked up to the long counter at the deep end of the restaurant. "Hello, is anybody here?"

After she said this, the sound of footsteps was heard behind the door next to the counter. "I forgot to lock the door, we're closed right now," a man's voice said as he walked through the door, he was quite tall and looked young, he had short black hair and a black shirt, a white apron was over it, he was going to continue, but stopped once he saw Cassandra.

"It's good to see you, Peter," she greeted.

"Oh, Cassandra, what a pleasant surprise, how are you doing?" Peter asked as he looked behind her. "And it's good to see you two as well, Lucas, Sophie,"

The other two nodded to Peter before Cassandra spoke up. "We're doing just fine, but why are you closed?" she asked.

"Well, since this week is the Titan Cup Internationals, I had the place closed so the cooks and I can watch," Peter replied. "And I'm impressed, you and the rest of Floral Knights have made France proud, just make sure that you win,"

"That was what we were already planning to do," Sophie said.

"Great, but what are you all doing here?" Peter asked.

"Well, we and some other teams are having a hangout, so I suggested that we come here," Cassandra replied.

"Other teams?" he looked behind her again and saw the others. "Well, why not, friends of yours are friends of mine," he said. "Alright then, what does everyone want?"

The others looked dumbfounded, they weren't really sure what to order, Leroy was the first to speak up. "Um, I don't know, we've never been here before," he turned to the French trio. "What do you all recommend?"

"Personally, I would recommend everything, Peter is one hell of a cook," Sophie replied with a small grin.

"Um, I have an idea," Peter spoke up. "Since you're unsure of what you want, and there are 14 of you, why don't I just serve some of everything on platters for everyone to enjoy,"

"That works just fine, but the question is, who's going to pay for it," Joshua said.

"Don't worry, it's all on the house, I owe Cassandra a favor," Peter answered. "All you have to do is enjoy yourself,"

"Thank you, Peter," they all thanked him.

Peter went back into the kitchen and called to his assistant chefs to start making some of everything, an hour passed before he and the others came out of the kitchen, multiple platters of food were in their hands, they set them down on the long counter, beside it was a pile of plates, napkins, and utensils.

"This is it everyone, eat to your heart's content," Peter said, pointing to the steaming dishes behind him.

"Alright, I've never had authentic french cuisine before," Joel mused as he took a plate, then turned to a platter. "Um, is that pie?"

Lucas walked up to him and took a slice of the pie-looking dish. "Nope, this is salmon and spinach quiche, a savory tart,"

Joel took a slice as well, he grabbed a fork and dug into the tart. "Wow, that tastes great,"

"Here, everything tastes great," Cassandra said as she grabbed a pastry and bit into it. "Ah, and the gougѐre tastes as good as always,"

The others got plates as well and helped themselves to the array of dishes, and it was easy to see from their faces that they enjoyed it.

"Hey everyone, since we're doing a hangout, do you mind if I sing for you," Natsuna suggested.

"Of course, I want to hear you again," Andrea replied, the others nodded in agreement, wanting to hear how good of a singer the teen was.

"Wait a minute, if she's going to sing, you better believe I'm going to join in, and luckily, I got something for that," Hayato said as he pulled out a deck of regular playing cards from his pocket, as Natsuna began singing, he split the deck in two and used his hands to shoot them into the air, using them to form a variety of shapes.

Naomie smiled as she and the others cheered the cousins on, but at the corner of her eye, she saw Masato, sitting at a faraway table, looking at the performing duo from afar. Naomie's smile slightly faded as she began to slowly approach the green-haired teen.

"Hey Masato," she softly greeted, Masato's face showed some shock and timidity.

"Oh, h-hello Naomie, do you need anything?" he shyly asked.

"No, I saw you by yourself and wanted to know what you were up to," she replied before leaning her back on the table, looking at Hayato and Natsuna. "You know, they're really good,"

"I know, they've been doing that since they were kids, now they want to begin a career back in Japan, that's the dream I want to help make true for them, no matter what," Masato said, Naomie could feel the slight tone of determination in his voice, she then thought back to their cardfight earlier that day.

"Me too," she said.

Masato looked a little confused. "I'm sorry, what?"

"Me too, I too want to make someone's dream come true, that's why I'll fight with everything I have as well," she clarified. "Team Unity Force will be the champions,"

"No," Masato replied. "I won't let you, it's my team that will win,"

"You speak with more confidence when it's for the sake of those two, I like that, they're your driving force," she said as she turned to him and smiled.

His cheeks became a light shade of red. "Y-Yeah," he muttered before showing a smile of his own.

Denton wanted to try to enjoy the hangout with everyone else, but he couldn't, the text he had received earlier worried him greatly, and despite sending a text back, he still couldn't help but be concerned, he broke off from the group and walked to the glass window, looking at it intently.

The American trio were the only ones who seemed to notice Denton walking away from the rest of them, worried for the teen, they too broke off from the group to check on him.

"Hey, Denton, is everything alright?" Leroy asked. "You've been giving off a different vibe since the second day ended,"

"It's nothing much to worry about," he responded, not turning around to face them.

"I doubt that, something that can worry even you can't be some little thing," Joel said.

Andrea nodded. "He's right, we know something's wrong, why don't you want to tell us?"

Denton sighed and turned to face them. "I can't, at least, not right now, I don't want what this is about to distract you, especially since tomorrow is the last day of Extreme Cardfight, once the tournament is over, and we return to New Jersey, I'll tell you,"

"Alright then, but there is one more thing we were wondering," Andrea began. "We weren't able to find any leads on who the remaining chosen ones are, but you can see a lot more fights than we can, have you seen anything that has caught your eye?"

The purple-haired teen shook his head. "Not to my knowledge, nobody has shown any Azrith Titans either, I'm beginning to grow worried that they might not be in this tournament, but only time will tell," he replied.

"Well, now's not the time to worry about that, this is a hangout, we should just have some fun, including you, Denton, you may be the guardian of Earth and Cray, but you're still a teen like us, you should try to enjoy yourself too," Joel said with a grin.

Denton smiled. "I guess you're right, it's not the worst thing Hayato did by suggesting this," he said as he and the other three walked back to join in the festivities.

Cassandra took another bite of food as she looked around, seeing all the people she's met only this week, laughing with each other, and having a good time, she smiled, glad that she had a chance to be a part of it and enjoy it with everyone.

"Something on your mind?" Cassandra snapped out of her thoughts as Lucas walked up to her and rested his hand on her shoulder.

"Oh, I was just thinking of how great it was that I could be here with everyone," she replied before reaching one hand into her pocket and pulling out D'artagnan, she then smiled. "Vanguard is such a cool game, it can bring people together, and help forge bonds between them,"

She then reached out for some more food, but as she did, the card slipped out of her hand and fell to the ground. "Darn it," she muttered as she was about to bend down to pick it up.

"Don't worry, I'll get it," Lucas said as he kneeled down and picked the card up, he still kneeled as he lifted the card in the air for Cassandra to take. "It's okay, here you go," he said as Cassandra's eyes suddenly widened.

"Fear not m' lady, I will protect you," a memory flashed in her mind of a boy kneeling to her, she then took the card from Lucas' hand.

"O-Oh, thank you," she stuttered.

"No problem," he said.

"Thank you, everyone, I hope you enjoyed our performance!" Hayato and Natsuna said together as they finished their duo act, the others clapped and cheered, filling the cousins with joy.

"That was quite good, if we ever do one of these hangouts again, I'll look forward to this," Denton said, shocking the American trio a bit, they weren't ones to think Denton of all people would ever say something like that.

"I guess he's taking Joel's advice and is starting to enjoy himself," Leroy thought with a smile.

"Thank you, Denton, once we win the tournament, we'll begin a career in Japan," Natsuna said.

"That's right, I want to see a smile on everyone's faces," Hayato added.

"As much as I would love for you to do that, our team will be the victors of this tournament," Jude said. "We too want to put smiles on people's faces, but just in a different way,"

"He's right, we're not going down that easily," Jack added.

"Hey, don't forget about us," Sophie stated. "We'll be one of the teams to get through Extreme Cardfight and into the second round, if you want to win, you'll have to do the same,"

"And we will!" the other participating teams said in complete unison, they then began laughing.

A few more hours passed as they ate and hung out, time really flew by, the next thing they knew, the sun had long since set.

"Ah, well, this has been a lot of fun, but I think it's about time we get back to the hotel, we all need a good night's rest for tomorrow," Joshua said as he walked to the door. "I'll go start the limo,"

"He's right, I for one have to take a nap to rest off all this food," Joel said before turning back to Peter. "Thanks again for the food, everything was delicious,"

Peter smiled. "No problem, and good luck to all of you, I wish that each of you do your very best,"

"We will. See you some other time," Cassandra said as they all exited the restaurant, the limo drove up and they all entered before it drove off.

Ten minutes passed before they arrived at the hotel, the limo parked in the parking lot and everyone got out, clearly in a good mood after the hangout, once they entered the hotel, they said their goodnights to each other and went to their hotel rooms.

"What a day," Sophie said in the hotel room of the Floral Knights, she was dressed in red two-piece pajamas, Lucas and Cassandra wore similar kinds, but Cassandra's was yellow, and Lucas' was brown. "I almost fell like I can't move, I guess I ate quite a lot at Peter's,"

"Would you like it if I carried you to your bed, Sophie," Lucas offered.

Sophie groaned. "Lucas please, I don't have the time or the energy for your gentleman antics right now, in fact, I don't have the time or energy for it at any point in the day," she slowly walked to her bed and laid down. "One of you make sure to close the lights,"

Cassandra watched as her sister closed her eyes and fell asleep, she then turned to Lucas who was looking over his deck.

"Sometimes, I don't get her," Lucas spoke. "I just offered to help her to her bed, she doesn't have to get all offensive on me,"

Cassandra giggled. "You know that's how she is, even when you two first met, it's been like that," she said before stopping, a sad look came to her face.

"First met?" She thought about those two words intently before turning to Lucas. "Hey, Lucas,"

"Yeah,"

"Let's have a cardfight,"

"Woah, where'd that come from?" He asked.

"I just want to do one right now," she replied.

"Well, okay, but won't we wake up Sophie," Lucas said.

Cassandra shook her head. "No, my sister is a pretty heavy sleeper, but for the sake of the people in other rooms nearby, we should try to use our inside voices,"

Lucas nodded as he walked over and grabbed a small fight table, he placed it between two chairs, Cassandra was already sitting in one chair, he sat at the other chair, they each then took out their decks and prepared their field.

"You know, it has been some time since we last fought," Lucas mentioned.

"You're right, even when preparing for the internationals, we didn't face off against each other," Cassandra said back.

"I'm ready when you are," Lucas said as Cassandra nodded.

"Stand up my, Vanguard,"

"Calluna Musketeer, Elma," Cassandra said in a normal voice.

Calluna Musketeer, Elma

Grade 0, Power: 5000

"Baby-blue-eyes Musketeer, May Len," Lucas said in a normal voice.

Baby-blue-eyes Musketeer, May Len

Grade 0, Power: 5000

"I'll take the first move," Cassandra said.

Turn 1: Hand[Cassandra(5), Lucas(5)]

"Draw, I ride Bliss Flower Musketeer, Moxy,"

Bliss Flower Musketeer, Moxy

Grade 1, Power: 7000

"Elma moves down, with Moxy's skill, look at the top two cards of the deck, superior call Amaryllis Musketeer, Tatiana, I end my turn,"


Cassandra

[R] [Bliss Flower Musketeer, Moxy (1)] [R]

[R] [Calluna Musketeer, Elma (1)] [Amaryllis Musketeer, Tatiana (3)]

Lucas

[R] [Baby-blue-eyes Musketeer, May Len (1)] [R]

[R] [R] [R]


Turn 2: Hand[Cassandra(5), Lucas(5)]

"Draw, I ride Water Lily Musketeer, Ruth,"

Water Lily Musketeer, Ruth

Grade 1, Power: 7000

"May Len moves down, I call Black Rose Musketeer, Verneri, Verneri attacks the vanguard,"

(7000)

"I guard,"

"With a boost from May Len, Ruth attacks the vanguard,"

(7000+5000=12000)

"No guard,"

"Drive check,"

[Drive Check - Rindo Gentian Musketeer, Antero(G2)]

"Damage check,"

[Damage Check - Lily of the Valley Musketeer, Rebecca(G1)]

Damage: [Cassandra(1), Lucas(0)]

"I end my turn,"


Cassandra

[R] [Bliss Flower Musketeer, Moxy (1)] [R]

[R] [Calluna Musketeer, Elma (1)] [Amaryllis Musketeer, Tatiana (3)]

Lucas

[R] [Water Lily Musketeer, Ruth (1)] [Black Rose Musketeer, Verneri (3)]

[R] [Baby-blue-eyes Musketeer, May Len (1)] [R]


Turn 3: Hand[Cassandra(4), Lucas(5)]

"Draw, I ride Cyclamen Musketeer, Favila,"

Cyclamen Musketeer, Favila

Grade 2, Power: 9000

"I call Acacia Musketeer, Nora, with a boost from Tatiana, Nora attacks Verneri,"

(9000+7000=16000)

"Nah, I don't think so, I'll guard that one,"

"Okay then, with a boost from Elma, Favila will strike your vanguard,"

(9000+5000=14000)

"No guard,"

"Drive check,"

[Drive Check - Stokesia Musketeer, Daphne(G1)]

"Damage check,"

[Damage Check - White Rose Musketeer, Alberto(G2)]

Damage: [Cassandra(1), Lucas(1)]

"I end my turn,"


Cassandra

[R] [Cyclamen Musketeer, Favila (1)] [Acacia Musketeer, Nora (3)]

[R] [Calluna Musketeer, Elma (1)] [Amaryllis Musketeer, Tatiana (3)]

Lucas

[R] [Water Lily Musketeer, Ruth (1)] [Black Rose Musketeer, Verneri (3)]

[R] [Baby-blue-eyes Musketeer, May Len (1)] [R]


Turn 4: Hand[Cassandra(4), Lucas(4)]

"Stand and draw, I ride Rindo Gentian Musketeer, Antero,"

Rindo Gentian Musketeer, Antero

Grade 2, Power: 9000

"Verneri moves down, and I call Ruth, with Verneri's boost, Ruth attacks the vanguard, with her skill, add 3000 power,"

(7000+7000+3000=17000)

"No guard, damage check,"

[Damage Check - Roselle Musketeer, Randy (Draw Trigger)]

"I got a draw trigger, I draw, the power will obviously go to my vanguard,"

Damage: [Cassandra(2), Lucas(1)]

"That just made things a bit difficult, okay May Len, lend your support to Antero and attack the vanguard,"

(9000+5000=14000)

"I guard," Cassandra threw down a grade 2.

"Only a trigger, drive check,"

[Drive Check - Lantana Musketeer, Rozeeta(G3)]

"Nice, I got through it,"

Lucas nodded. "I end my turn,"


Cassandra

[R] [Cyclamen Musketeer, Favila (1)] [Acacia Musketeer, Nora (3)]

[R] [Calluna Musketeer, Elma (1)] [Amaryllis Musketeer, Tatiana (3)]

Lucas

[R] [Rindo Gentian Musketeer, Antero (1)] [Water Lily Musketeer, Ruth (3)]

[R] [Baby-blue-eyes Musketeer, May Len (1)] [Black Rose Musketeer, Verneri (3)]


Turn 5: Hand[Cassandra(4), Lucas(4)]

"Stand and draw, you've done well Lucas, but luckily for me, I've only been pushed to two damage,"

"That's right, but it won't be like that for long," Lucas politely retorted.

"True, but the best I can do is just take the lead and then widen the gap," she said as she raised a card into the air. "Mighty soldier, loyal through thick and thin, let your soul resonate with the passion that's in my heart. I ride. Ever Faithful Musketeer, D'artagnan."

Ever Faithful Musketeer, D'artagnan

Grade 3, Power: 11000

Lucas stared at the card on the table "D'artagnan," he simply thought.

"I don't call anything nor do I use D'artagnan's skill, with a boost from Tatiana, Nora attacks the vanguard,"

(9000+7000=16000)

"I guard,"

"With a boost from Elma, D'artagnan attacks the vanguard,"

(11000+5000==16000)

"No guard,"

"Twin drive,"

[Drive Check #1 - Gardenia Musketeer, Alain (Critical Trigger)]

"I got a critical trigger, all effects to D'artagnan,"

[Drive Check #2 - Pansy Musketeer, Sylvia(G2)]

"Damage check,"

[Damage Check #1 - Prunus Serrulata Musketeer, Tessa(G2)]

[Damage Check #2 - Rookie Bud Musketeer, Cyrus(G1)]

Damage: [Cassandra(2), Lucas(3)]

"Well, I took the lead, but I couldn't widen the gap, I end my turn,"


Cassandra

[R] [Ever Faithful Musketeer, D'artagnan (1)] [Acacia Musketeer, Nora (3)]

[R] [Calluna Musketeer, Elma (1)] [Amaryllis Musketeer, Tatiana (3)]

Lucas

[R] [Rindo Gentian Musketeer, Antero (1)] [Water Lily Musketeer, Ruth (3)]

[R] [Baby-blue-eyes Musketeer, May Len (1)] [Black Rose Musketeer, Verneri (3)]


Turn 6: Hand[Cassandra(5), Lucas(3)]

"Stand and draw, you weren't able to widen the gap, but if you did, you would lower the number of cards in your hand, and that wouldn't be smart seeing that I'll be the first to stride," Lucas commented. "But you could've gotten a rear-guard for free with D'artagnan's skill,"

Cassandra smiled. "Yeah, and although the Musketeers specialize in superior calling, that's usually when I stride, as for your second point, I have a reason for not using his skill, just wait and see,"

Lucas nodded. "Correct, so get ready, my turn will begin," he said as he raised a card into the air. "Unbreakable steel which seeks to protect, undying loyalty that shall not yield, draw your blade, and defend with all your might. Ride. Lantana Musketeer, Rozeeta."

Lantana Musketeer, Rozeeta

Grade 3, Power: 11000

"And now, I liberate the generation zone," he continued. "Generation Stride. Honorary Flower Bud Musketeer, Cyrus."

Honorary Flower Bud Musketeer, Cyrus

Grade 4, Power: 15000+

"I don't use stride skill, instead, I'll use Cyrus' skill," Lucas said as he paid the cost. "I look at the top six cards of the deck, superior call Black Lily Musketeer, Hermann, as well as Rookie Bud Musketeer, Cyrus, with the skill of Cyrus, soulcharge two cards, then add 2000 power to them for every other Musketeer, so that's 6000 power, then add 5000 power to Verneri,"

Cassandra's face tensed. "This isn't going to be easy,"

"With a boost from Verneri, Ruth attacks Nora,"

(7000+12000=19000)

"No guard, Nora retreats,"

"With a boost from May Len, Cyrus attacks the vanguard,"

(26000+5000=31000)

"I don't guard,"

"Triple drive,"

[Drive Check #1 - Red Rose Musketeer, Antonio(G1)]

[Drive Check #2 - Blue Rose Musketeer, Ernst (Stand Trigger)]

"I got a stand trigger, all effects go to Ruth,"

[Drive Check #3 - Dandelion Musketeer, Mirkka(G1)]

"Damage check,"

[Damage Check - Bliss Flower Musketeer, Moxy(G1)]

Damage: [Cassandra(3), Lucas(3)]

"Ruth attacks the vanguard now, with her skill, add 3000 power,"

(7000+5000+3000=15000)

"I guard,"

"With a boost from Cyrus, Hermann attacks the vanguard, with his skill, add 2000 power,"

(10000+6000+2000+7000+6000=31000)

"No guard, damage check,"

[Damage Check - Ever Faithful Musketeer, D'artagnan(G3)]

Damage: [Cassandra(4), Lucas(3)]

"I end my turn,"


Cassandra

[R] [Ever Faithful Musketeer, D'artagnan (1)] [R]

[R] [Calluna Musketeer, Elma (1)] [Amaryllis Musketeer, Tatiana (3)]

Lucas

[Black Lily Musketeer, Hermann (2)] [Lantana Musketeer, Rozeeta (1)] [Water Lily Musketeer, Ruth (3)]

[Rookie Bud Musketeer, Cyrus (2)] [Baby-blue-eyes Musketeer, May Len (1)] [Black Rose Musketeer, Verneri (3)]


Turn 7: Hand[Cassandra(4), Lucas(5)]

"Stand and draw, liberating the generation zone," Cassandra said. "Generation Stride. Honorary Flower Bud Musketeer, Cyrus,"

Honorary Flower Bud Musketeer, Cyrus

Grade 4, Power: 15000+

"I use stride skill, Tatiana goes to the bottom of the deck, I then look at the top seven cards of the deck, superior call Acasia Musketeer, Nora, and Water Lily Musketeer, Ruth, add 5000 power to them both, with Nora's skill, countercharge and draw, I then use the skill of Cyrus, look at the top six cards of my deck, superior call Rookie Bud Musketeer, Cyrus, and Rindo Gentian Musketeer, Antero, add 6000 to them both, with Cyrus' skill, soulcharge two cards," she said.

"I see, so that's why you didn't use D'artagnan's skill last turn," Lucas spoke up. "If you called a card to the front row, it would've been open to an attack, if you called it to the back row, on this turn when you used your stride skill, you would've only had one open rear-guard circle available, meaning you could only call one card to receive 8000 power instead of two cards receiving 6000 power,"

Cassandra nodded. "That's right, with a boost from Ruth, Antero attacks the vanguard,"

(9000+6000+7000+5000=27000)

"No guard, damage check,"

[Damage Check - Lily of the Valley Musketeer, Kaivant(G2)]

Damage: [Cassandra(4), Lucas(4)]

"Now, with a boost from Elma, Cyrus attacks the vanguard,"

(26000+5000=31000)

"Complete guard with Antonio,"

"Triple drive,"

[Drive Check #1 - Artemisia Musketeer, Kiara(G1)]

[Drive Check #2 - Anthurium Musketeer, Nikla (Heal Trigger)]

"I got a heal trigger, recover one damage, the power goes to Nora,"

[Drive Check #3 - Lisianthus Musketeer, Loraine(G3)]

Damage: [Cassandra(3), Lucas(4)]

"Now with a boost from Cyrus, Nora attacks the vanguard,"

(9000+5000+5000+7000+6000=32000)

"I guard with three cards," Lucas said.

"Okay then, I end my turn,"


Cassandra

[Rindo Gentian Musketeer, Antero (2)] [Ever Faithful Musketeer, D'artagnan (1)] [Acasia Musketeer, Nora (3)]

[Water Lily Musketeer, Ruth (2)] [Calluna Musketeer, Elma (1)] [Rookie Bud Musketeer, Cyrus (3)]

Lucas

[Black Lily Musketeer, Hermann (2)] [Lantana Musketeer, Rozeeta (1)] [Water Lily Musketeer, Ruth (3)]

[Rookie Bud Musketeer, Cyrus (2)] [Baby-blue-eyes Musketeer, May Len (1)] [Black Rose Musketeer, Verneri (3)]


Turn 8: Hand[Cassandra(7), Lucas(2)]

"Stand and draw, you haven't left me with many hand cards, and by attacking just the vanguard, most of my superior call skills won't be as effective seeing that my board hasn't decreased," Lucas said.

"That's right, the question now is, how are you going to react?"

"Luckily, I know just what to do, I use Rozeeta's skill, I counterblast and send two normal Musketeer cards from my drop zone to the bottom of my deck, now I can stride on a Musketeer without paying the cost," Lucas explained. "Generation Stride. Rubellum Lily Splendorous Musketeer, Myra,"

Rubellum Lily Splendorous Musketeer, Myra

Grade 4, Power: 15000+

"I use Myra's skill to have her obtain a skill, I then use stride skill, look at the top four cards of my deck, superior call Cyclamen Musketeer, Favila, Ruth retreats, due to the skill obtained by Myra, Favila gains 8000 power, with a boost from Verneri, Favila attacks Nora,"

(9000+8000+7000+5000=29000)

"No guard, Nora retreats,"

"Now with a boost from Cyrus, Hermann attacks Antero, Hermann's skill, add 2000 power,"

(10000+7000+2000=19000)

"Um, no guard, Antero retreats," Cassandra said, placing her second rear-guard in the drop zone.

"Now with May Len's boost, Myra attacks the vanguard,"

(26000+5000=31000)

"I complete guard that attack with Kiara,"

"Triple drive,"

[Drive Check #1 - Blue Rose Musketeer, Ernst (Stand Trigger)]

"I got a stand trigger, all effects go to Favila,"

[Drive Check #2 - Baby-blue-eyes Musketeer, May Len(G0)]

[Drive Check #3 - Anthurium Musketeer, Nikla (Heal Trigger)]

"I got a heal trigger, recover one damage, the power goes to Favila again,"

Damage: [Cassandra(3), Lucas(3)]

"The Favila that stood attacks the vanguard,"

(17000+10000=27000)

"Generation guard, Bonds Protector Musketeer, Antero."

Bonds Protector Musketeer, Antero

Grade 4, Shield: 15000

"With Antero's skill, add 5000 to his shield,"

"I end my turn,"


Cassandra

[R] [Ever Faithful Musketeer, D'artagnan (1)] [R]

[Water Lily Musketeer, Ruth (2)] [Calluna Musketeer, Elma (1)] [Rookie Bud Musketeer, Cyrus (3)]

Lucas

[Black Lily Musketeer, Hermann (2)] [Lantana Musketeer, Rozeeta (1)] [Cyclamen Musketeer, Favila (3)]

[Rookie Bud Musketeer, Cyrus (2)] [Baby-blue-eyes Musketeer, May Len (1)] [Black Rose Musketeer, Verneri (3)]


Turn 9: Hand[Cassandra(4), Lucas(6)]

"Stand and draw, this is it, Lucas, I'm going to finish you off this turn," Cassandra said.

Lucas turned to Cassandra's G Zone and saw that there were three face-up cards. "She's going to stride on that card," he mentally deduced.

"Get ready, I use D'artagnan's skill, superior call Blue Rose Musketeer, Ernst, I then liberate the generation zone," she dropped a card. "Knight of the flower, bloom proudly and awaken, purging the sins out of my enemies. Generation Stride. Aster Flower Musketeer, Damnatio."

Aster Flower Musketeer, Damnatio

Grade 4, Power: 15000+

"Stride skill, Ernst goes to the bottom of the deck, look at the top seven cards of the deck, superior call D'artagnan and Hermann, add 5000 power to them both, I then use Damnatio's first skill, look at the top three cards of the deck, superior call Moxy behind D'artagnan, Ruth retreats, add 3000 power to Moxy, now I use Damnatio's Generation Break 4,"

Lucas braced himself. "Here it comes,"

"Add 6000 power to the front row and their attacks can't be guarded by sentinels, now with a boost from Cyrus, Hermann attacks the vanguard, with his skill, add 2000 power,"

(10000+6000+5000+7000+2000=30000)

"I guard with two cards,"

"With a boost from Elma, Damnatio attacks the vanguard,"

(26000+6000+5000=37000)

"I don't guard, even if you pull a critical, I'll be fine,"

"Let's see, triple drive,"

[Drive Check #1 - Cyclamen Musketeer, Favila(G2)]

[Drive Check #2 - Calluna Musketeer, Elma(G0)]

[Drive Check #3 - Gardenia Musketeer, Alain (Critical Trigger)]

"Now we'll see how fine you'll be, the power goes to D'artagnan, the critical stays with Damnatio,"

"Damage check,"

[Damage Check #1 - Red Rose Musketeer, Antonio(G1)]

[Damage Check #2 - Rindo Gentian Musketeer, Antero(G2)]

Damage: [Cassandra(3), Lucas(5)]

"It's almost over, with a boost from Moxy, D'artagnan attacks the vanguard,"

(11000+5000+6000+5000+7000+3000=37000)

"Not bad, you would've beaten me if I didn't have this card," Lucas dropped a card. "Generation Guard. Bonds Protector Musketeer, Antero."

Bonds Protector Musketeer, Antero

Grade 4, Shield: 15000

"With his skill, add 5000 to the shield, since I have four or more rear-guards, add another 15000,"

"Shit, I forgot you pulled a heal trigger in your drive check, well, that's the end of my turn,"


Cassandra

[Ever Faithful Musketeer, D'artagnan (3)] [Ever Faithful Musketeer, D'artagnan (1)] [Black Lily Musketeer, Hermann (3)]

[Bliss Flower Musketeer, Moxy (2)] [Calluna Musketeer, Elma (1)] [Rookie Bud Musketeer, Cyrus (3)]

Lucas

[Black Lily Musketeer, Hermann (2)] [Lantana Musketeer, Rozeeta (1)] [Cyclamen Musketeer, Favila (3)]

[Rookie Bud Musketeer, Cyrus (2)] [Baby-blue-eyes Musketeer, May Len (1)] [Black Rose Musketeer, Verneri (3)]


Turn 10: Hand[Cassandra(7), Lucas(3)]

"Stand and draw, hey Cassandra, you mind telling me something," Lucas said.

"Sure, what is it?" the blond-haired woman asked.

"Why did you challenge me to a cardfight?"

Cassandra was a little taken aback. "What do you mean, I already told you that I just wanted to have a fight,"

"But is that the only reason?" he asked, raising his brow.

"I already told you it is," Cassandra slightly raised her voice, but Lucas' suspicious glare remained steadfast, looking into her eyes.

The woman sighed. "Fine, you got me, it isn't the only reason, if you really want to know, we've fought so many times before, but this is the first fight we've had in a while where I think back to the time when we first met, what you did for me that day, and why I'll always be grateful to you. Do you remember that day?"

Lucas chuckled. "What kind of question is that, how could I ever forget, it's the whole reason we're friends," his eyes then grew serious. "Despite the circumstances,"

[Flashback]

Five Years Ago. Marseille, France.

The sun shone brightly across the French city as it approached the afternoon, birds were chirping, the sound of people talking and moving was heard everywhere.

"Pass it over here Cassandra!" a young girl exclaimed, she had short black hair and wore a red shirt, a good few yards away from her was a 15-year-old Cassandra, her hair was long and blonde and she wore a yellow shirt.

"Alright, take it, Sophie!" Cassandra exclaimed back as she kicked a ball over to her younger sister.

The two girls had come to the open park next to their house every day, just kicking the ball to each other, enjoying each other's company, a few hours passed by before they stopped and rested on the grass.

"That...was...fun," Sophie said between breaths.

Cassandra caught her breath before speaking up. "Of course it is, is there anything more fun than playing with your favorite sister,"

"Caz, I'm your only sister," Sophie said back.

"I know, and what did I say about calling me Caz," she fired, her sister would never use her real name very often, usually calling her Caz.

"What, I think it sounds cute," Sophie replied before getting up. "Well, we should be heading back home,"

"You can go, I was planning on buying something first,"

"Are you sure you want to go by yourself?"

"Of course, I do it all the time, I know my way back home, trust your big sister," she replied.

"Okay, I'll see you at home," Sophie said before walking away. "Oh, and you don't have to worry about buying me anything,"

Cassandra waited for five minutes before getting up and walking to a store to pick up a soda, upon exiting the store, she made her way home.

"Ah, Sophie doesn't know what she's missing, this soda brand tastes great," she said, taking a deep swig of the beverage, relishing in its flavor.

"I wonder if I should go back and buy one for her, she might've said she didn't want anything, but she'll forgive me after she tastes it," Cassandra thought with a smile before stopping suddenly.

At the corner of her eye, she saw a large man, his clothes were dirty and he had a large bottle in his hand, presumably alcohol.

"Is that guy...following me?" she asked herself, she began moving again and noticed the man moving as well. "Oh shit, he is, well, the last thing I want to do is lead him to my house, and I don't have my phone on me either, the best thing to do is keep walking and hope I lose him,"

With her plan set, she began walking around, as she expected, the man wasn't far behind, she walked through street after street, diverting him to routes she recognized in an attempt to give him the slip while not getting herself lost.

"Okay, I'm not too familiar with this street, but I should make a left turn over there, if I'm not mistaken, it should lead to an open crowd, I should be able to lose him there," Cassandra thought, getting close to the turn, preparing to run the minute she did.

"C'mon, just a little bit closer, and...now!" she thought, sprinting and making the turn, she looked behind her and saw the man wasn't there, but then she bumped straight into something, she looked in front of her and gasped in shock: the turn didn't lead into a crowd, but a dead end.

"No, that can't be, I might not be too familiar with this route, but it should've been here, it should-," she said, but was interrupted as she felt a strong grip from behind, she slightly turned her head and saw the man, with one hand, he twisted both of her arms and pressed them against his chest, effectively stopping her from moving them.

"How'd he do that, I didn't even hear his footsteps," she thought.

"Finally..got ya, thought you could..give me..the slip," the man said between hiccups, Cassandra looked down to see the bottle he was holding earlier on the ground.

"Please stop sir, you're drunk, let me go!" she exclaimed before feeling something cold on her neck, she looked down and saw a switchblade touching it, she gulped in fear.

"No more..talking out of you," he threatened before a sick look came to his face. "You know, you're quite pretty, I wonder how you are down there,"

"Down there, what is talking about-," Cassandra thought frantically before her blood ran cold as the man dug his available hand into her pants, feeling her around. "No, please don't,"

"Don't..worry, this won't..hurt a bit," the man hiccuped again.

"Please, Sophie, mom, dad, someone, anyone, help me!" she internally screamed.

"Unhand her now!" she heard a voice exclaim, the man turned her along with himself and they both saw a boy around Cassandra's age, he wore a green shirt, on top of his head was a tricorn hat, and in his hand was some kind of tube.

"Huh," the man said.

"You heard me, unhand her, or you shall pay," the boy said, getting into a sword-fighting stance.

"Oh, the boy..thinks he's a musketeer," he hiccuped, releasing Cassandra, imitating the boy's stance with his knife. "Alright, en garde,"

The boy and the man charged at each other, the man swung his knife, but the boy dodged and smacked the man's hand with his tube.

"Ah, what is that!" the man exclaimed, dropping to the ground and holding his hand, he then looked at it and recognized what it was. "An..iron pole,"

"That's right," the boy said, walking to Cassandra, the girl was obviously shaken and didn't move, but she saw the boy walk up to her and kneel on one knee.

"Fear not m' lady, I will protect you," he said, Cassandra began to calm down.

"Um, thank you," she said back.

"I'm starting to get sober," they turned to see the man get up. "Now you're going to regret what you've done, little musketeer," he said before running at them.

"Don't worry, I won't let him touch you," the boy said, charging at the man, swinging his pole at his leg.

"Damn it," the man said, kneeling down.

"Take this!" the boy exclaimed before smacking the man in the head, knocking him out.

"There we go," the boy said, catching his breath, he turned to Cassandra. "Are you alright m'lady?"

"Yes, I am," she replied, walking over to the man, aggressively kicking him in the crotch multiple times, she eventually stopped before dropping to the ground, crying. "I was so scared,"

"It must've been, but you're alright now," the boy said.

"Thanks to you," she said. "Who are you, and how did you find me?"

My name is Lucas Armel, as for how I found you, I noticed that man behind you, I wasn't sure if he was following you or not, so I followed him, and it seems I made the right decision," Lucas explained.

"I see, thanks once again Lucas, my name is Cassandra Pierre," she said. "There has to be something I can do to repay you, I'll do anything,"

"Anything? Then I know exactly what I want," Lucas said, taking out something from his pocket, Cassandra saw it was two pair of cards. "Do you want to play this game with me?"

"What is it?" Cassandra asked.

"The game is called Vanguard, I've been playing it for a few years, but none of my friends can meet me today, so do you want to play, I can teach you," Lucas replied.

"Okay," the girl replied, the two of them then walked back to the park and found a desk, they sat down and Lucas went over the rules.

"You ready?" he asked.

"I am," she replied.

"Stand up my, Vanguard!" they both exclaimed.

"Now you're done, Favila attacks the vanguard!" Lucas exclaimed.

"Um, no guard, damage check, no trigger," Cassandra said. "Let's go again,"

The two had fought almost eleven times, but the girl just couldn't win.

"Attack was Cecilia," Lucas said, defeating Cassandra again.

Cassandra sighed. "I just can't beat you,"

"What do you expect, you just started today, you'll get better," Lucas told her. "Tell you what, you can keep that deck,"

"Really, thank you," Cassandra thanked him. "Hey Lucas, just asking, do you like musketeers?"

"Where did that come from?" he asked back.

"Well, you look like a musketeer, that man called you a little musketeer, and your cards have musketeer in their names," she elaborated.

"Oh, well yeah, I really admire them, they're a part of our country's history, as well as admiring them, I love this game, I strive to be the best in the whole world,"

"The best in the world, okay then," Cassandra began. "I'll join you, we'll become the best in the world together, it's the least I can do, and besides, I have to beat you eventually,"

Lucas grinned. "Nice, well then, let us both reach the top,"

Cassandra grinned as well. "Yeah,"

"Caz!" Cassandra turned to see Sophie running to her, hugging her the minute she got close enough. "Where were you, I was so worried?!"

Cassandra stroked her sister's head. "I'm sorry, I was in great danger, but luckily, I was saved by Lucas," she said, turning to him. "Lucas, this is my little sister, Sophie,"

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Lady Sophie," Lucas said.

Sophie looked at him a bit weirdly, obviously taken off guard by the added title. "Um, it's nice to meet you," she turned to her sister. "Well, let's head home, and this time, we're going together,"

"You got it, see you around Lucas," Cassandra said.

"Okay, see you," he waved.

The two walked out of the park and made their way home.

"He's pretty odd," Sophie mused.

"I don't think so, I think he's cool," Cassandra said back. "And one day, we'll be the best cardfighters in the world,"

[End Flashback]

"I see, even back then, your sister didn't really like me," Lucas chuckled.

"True, but after I told my family what happened, she was beyond grateful to you, so don't let what she says get to you, she's happy you're here," Cassandra said to him.

"That's nice to know, but we better get back to this fight, it's my turn, I'd better finish it on this turn,"

"You're welcome to try, but I won't lose," Cassandra said, determined.

"I doubt that, when I fought with Natsuna, I used my trump card too early, but now, everything has been set up, this game is mine, liberating the generation zone," he dropped a card from his hand. "Gracious flower, it's time to bloom into the world, letting your strength and beauty stun your enemies, draw your blade, and strike swift. Generation Stride. Maiden Lily Musketeer Captain, Virginal Cecilia."

Maiden Lily Musketeer Captain, Virginal Cecilia

Grade 4, Power: 15000+

Cassandra's body tensed, she looked at Lucas' G Zone. "Shit,"

"I use Cecilia's skill, all of my rear-guards retreat, I then look at the top seven cards and call five to rear-guard," he said as he did so. "Wow, nice, nearly the exact same cards, I call Hermann, Cyrus, Verneri, Rozeeta, and Ruth, with Cyrus' skill, soulcharge two cards, then 3000 power is added to them for every face-up Musketeer in my G Zone, I have six cards face up, so that's 18000 to all of them,"

"I hate it when you do that," Cassandra pouted.

"Well, you can't deny it's effective, with a boost from Cyrus, Rozeeta attacks the vanguard,"

(11000+18000+7000+18000=54000)

"No guard, damage check,"

[Damage Check - Roselle Musketeer, Randy (Draw Trigger)]

"A draw trigger, draw, the power goes to my vanguard,"

Damage: [Cassandra(4), Lucas(5)]

"Now, with a boost from Ruth, Cecilia attacks the vanguard,"

(26000+7000+18000=51000)

"I guard with six cards," Cassandra retaliated, D'artagnan's power rising to 61000.

"Triple drive,"

[Drive Check #1 - Pansy Musketeer, Sylvia(G2)]

[Drive Check #2 - Lily of the Valley Musketeer, Rebecca(G1)]

[Drive Check #3 - Cirsium Musketeer, Umbra (Critical Trigger)]

"A critical trigger, all effects go to Hermann, now with a boost from Verneri, Hermann attacks the vanguard, with his skill, add 2000 power,"

(10000+18000+2000+5000+7000+5000+18000=65000)

"No guard, damage check,"

[Damage Check #1 - Stokesia Musketeer, Daphne(G1)]

[Damage Check #2 - Black Rose Musketeer, Verneri(G1)]

Damage: [Cassandra(6), Lucas(5)]

"Darn it, you beat me again, despite beating a player like Jack as well as most of France, I can't ever seem to win against you, sometimes I wonder why you aren't the leader of Floral Knights," she said.

"It's best if you're the leader, I may be stronger, but I can feel potential in you, even after we both become the best in the world, you'll eventually be able to surpass me," Lucas replied.

"You're just saying that, but thanks anyway," Cassandra said as she gathered up her cards. "Well, we should be heading off to bed, we have to be at our best for tomorrow,"

"You're right, Team Floral Knights will win, we'll beat them all, Taiyo-Tsuki, Trinovol, Unity Force, then Sophie and the two of us will become the best in the world, and our dream will become a reality," Lucas said with a nod.

With that, the two teammates closed the lights and laid on their beds, ready for the day that lay ahead.