A/N: Hey readers. Sorry this chapter took awhile to get out. But with the world how it is, plus being busy with other fics, it took some time. On the bright side, this is a special long chapter. Here we go.

The first round of the Vanguard Invitational Cup was already into its second half. There weren't many fights left for the day. And everyone in the audience was eager to see the next matchup.

"Here we go, cardfighting fans!" Sachi announced. "Time to see who the wheels of fate have chosen!" The monitor shuffled through the remaining numbers before finally stopping on the next set. "And it's Number 5 versus Number 31! Both players please make your way to the field!"

Minutes passed on by as the audience awaited for the next fighters to appear. But before long, they got what they wanted as Sachi called out to them once again.

"Introducing our next two fighters! First up, we have a veteran to the cardfighting community! He currently works as a teacher, but back in the day he was a national-level player in Japan! Does he still have the skills to keep up with the current generation?! Give it up for Azuma Kagaguchi!"

The teacher walked out onto the fighting field. Most of the audience didn't recognize him, but Aurora knew personally just how skilled her homeroom teacher was at the game of Vanguard. This was bound to be a good cardfight.

"And now his opponent!" Sachi spoke. "This one is someone I'm sure you all know! A little bundle of cuteness that has taken the music world by storm! That's right folks! It's Mai of Premium Beauty!"

This time, the crowd went into a frenzy as Mai skipped out onto the field, keeping true to her role as an idol. She waved her arms at the crowd with a smile. "Thank you! Thank you my adoring fans! I'll be sure to do my best!"

Mr. Kagaguchi pushed up on his glasses. "Mai of Premium Beauty, eh? I've heard you're quite skilled, despite primarily being an idol."

"Heh, you better believe it old man." Mai said with a smirk. "You've got no chance against me."

"Is that so? Well then, it seems I will have to educate you thoroughly."

"Bring it on."

The two fighters placed their decks down and drew their opening hands. Together, they began the game with a shout.

"Stand up! Vanguard!"

"Stationery Hero!"

Stationery Hero

Grade 0, Power: 5000

"Maiden of Noisette!"

Maiden of Noisette

Grade 0, Power: 5000

"I'll kick things off. Draw!" Mai said, beginning her turn. "I ride! Maiden of Waterpot!"

Maiden of Waterpot

Grade 1, Power: 7000

"Noisette moves back. Turn end."

[Turn 2. Hand: Mai(5), Kagaguchi(5).]

"Very well then. I draw." Mr. Kagaguchi said as he started his turn. "And I think I'll start off first period with this! I ride Body Faction, Maox!"

Body Faction, Maox

Grade 1, Power: 7000

"Moving Stationery Hero back. And he'll lend his support to my Vanguard in an attack!"

(7000+5000=12000)

"No guard."

"Drive check, no trigger."

"Damage check, no trigger."

[Damage: Mai(1), Kagaguchi(0).]

"Turn end."

[Turn 3. Hand: Mai(5), Kagaguchi(6).]

"My turn. Stand and draw." Mai said. "Ride! Maiden of Damask Rose!"

Maiden of Damask Rose

Grade 2, Power: 9000

"I call Maiden of Glowshine. And she's going to attack your Vanguard!"

(9000)

Mr. Kagaguchi quickly held up a card from his hand. "Guard!"

"Boosted by Noisette, Damask Rose attacks!"

(9000+5000=14000)

"No guard."

"Drive check, no trigger."

"Damage check, no trigger."

[Damage: Mai(1), Kagaguchi(1).]

"Activating skill of Damask Rose! Counterblast! I search my deck for a grade 3 Maiden of and add it to my hand!" Mai declared. "Adding Maiden of Iris to my hand."

Aurora narrowed her eyes as she watched. 'I don't recall that card being in her deck. Is it new?'

"That's it for my turn." Mai said.

[Turn 4. Hand: Mai(6), Kagaguchi(5).]

"Very well then. Time for second period." Mr. Kagaguchi said as he drew for his turn. "And the one teaching this class is Problem Child Graybelly! Ride!

Problem Child, Graybelly

Grade 2, Power: 9000

"Now Graybelly! Attack the Vanguard with a boost from Stationery!"

(9000+5000=14000)

"No guard."

"Drive check, no trigger."

"Damage check, draw trigger. Power to the Vanguard and I draw."

[Damage: Mai(2), Kagaguchi(1).]

"Turn end."

[Turn 5. Hand: Mai(7), Kagaguchi(6).]

"My turn then. Stand and draw." Mai said. "Now get ready for this beautiful flower to bloom! I ride! Maiden of Iris!"

Maiden of Iris

Grade 3, Power: 11000

Mai's new grade 3 appeared on the field, showing the image of a woman with a green plant-like dress. Her long hair was a violet color.

"Let's grow this battlefield a bit more, shall we? I call Maiden of Gladiolus and Maiden of Rambler to rear guard!"

"Glowshine will start things off! Attack!"

(9000)

"Guard!"

"Boosted by Noisette, Iris attacks!"

(11000+5000=16000)

"No guard."

"Twin drive! First check, no trigger. Second check, critical trigger! Power to Gladiolus and critical to the vanguard!"

"Damage check." the teacher said. "First check, no trigger. Second check, heal trigger! Power to the vanguard and I recover one damage."

[Damage: Mai(2), Kagaguchi(2).]

"Gladiolus attacks with a boost from Rambler!"

(9000+5000+7000=21000)

"No guard. Damage check, no trigger."

[Damage: Mai(2), Kagaguchi(3).]

"That's my turn. Show me what you've got, old man."

[Turn 6. Hand: Mai(7), Kagaguchi(5).]

Mr. Kagaguchi stood his units and drew for his turn. "Old man, eh? Young lady, it seems you need a bit of a lesson in proper manners." He held out a card from his hand. "Thankfully, I have the perfect teacher for you right here. Ride! Amazing Professor, Bigbelly!"

Amazing Professor, Bigbelly

Grade 3, Power: 11000

"And now Stride Generation! Apex Science Dragon, Managarmr!"

Apex Science Dragon, Managarmr

Grade 4, Power: 15000+

"Stride skill! I call Artistic Ocelot and have it gain 4000 power in exchange for being retired at the end of the turn! Next, I call Crayon Tiger and Maox! Now I activate the skill of Managarmr! I counterblast and send the top four cards of my deck to the drop zone! For every normal unit among them, one of my rear guards get 10000 power! For every trigger unit, my Vanguard gains plus one drive!"

"Oh my goodness! It seems this teacher has a true gambler's spirit!" Sachi announced. "What will these four cards be?"

Kagaguchi turned over the cards one at a time. "The first card is a normal unit. I'll be giving the 10000 power to Ocelot. The second is also a normal unit. That's another 10000 power to Ocelot. The third card is a trigger, so my Vanguard gains a drive. And finally, the fourth card is a normal unit, giving 10000 power to Crayon Tiger."

Mai grit her teeth. 'Damn. That's gonna be annoying to deal with.'

"Ocelot has over 20000 power so Maox's success is achieved. This allows me to use Sationery's skill to send it to the soul and draw. In addition, I use Ocelot's skill to give Maox 4000 power in exchange for retiring it at the end of the turn." Kagaguchi explained. "And now I'll start things off with an attack from my Vanguard!"

(26000)

"Tch, no guard."

"Quadruple drive. First check, no trigger. Second check, critical trigger. All effects to Ocelot. Third check, no trigger. Fourth check, draw trigger. Power to Ocelot and I draw."

"Damage check, no trigger."

[Damage: Mai(3), Kagaguchi(3).]

"Ocelot attacks next, boosted by Maox!"

(9000+20000+4000+10000+7000+4000=54000)

"No guard." Mai said. "Damage check. First check, no trigger. Second check, heal trigger! Power to the Vanguard and I recover one damage!"

[Damage: Mai(4), Kagaguchi(3).]

"Crayon Tiger attacks next. Using his skill, I counterblast to restand Ocelot and give it 4000 power."

(9000+10000=19000)

Mai wasted no time holding up a card from her hand. "Guard!"

"Ocelot will attack once again!"

(9000+20000+4000+10000+4000=47000)

"As if I'm letting that hit! Perfect guard!"

"At the end of the turn, I retire Artistic Ocelot and Body Faction, Maox. I then draw a total of four cards."

"Oh my! In the blink of an eye, this cardfighting veteran increased his hand size up to a whopping ten cards! Will Mai be able to deal with this?"

Up in the stands, Madoka watched with interest. "Mr. Kagaguchi is just as amazing as when he fought you, Aurora."

Aurora nodded her head in agreement. "Yeah. He's really good. I have no trouble believing he was a national level player back in the day."

[Turn 7. Hand: Mai(4), Kagaguchi(10).]

"Stand and draw." Mai said as she began her turn. "You put up a pretty decent fight. But an idol like me knows how to rise to the occasion. Stride Generation! Maiden of Fertility Governing Lily!"

Maiden of Fertility Governing Lily

Grade 4, Power: 15000+

"Stride skill! I counterblast and look at the top 5 cards of my deck and call a Maiden of unit among them to rear guard! I choose Maiden of Glowshine! She gains 5000 power and a skill! If her attack doesn't hit, I can stand another one of my Maiden of rear guards! Next, I activate Glowshine's skill to rest Noisette and give both Glowshines on my field 6000 Power and Boost! I then swap the position of my two Glowshines and activate Noisette's skill to counterblast and send her to the soul! I give a skill to my Vanguard and my front row Glowshine! If either of their attacks hit, I get to draw! Finally, I call Maiden of Beedrain!"

"Impressive! We're seeing some masterful play of the Neo Nectar clan by Mai Tatsunagi!" Sachi announced. "Can she break through the iron wall that is her opponent's hand?!"

With her field set up, Mai began her assault. "My two Glowshines will start things off for us! Attack!"

(9000+6000+5000+9000+6000=35000)

"Generation guard! Head of the Bastion, Ardillo!"

Head of the Bastion, Ardillo

Grade 4, Shield: 15000

"Skill of Ardillo! Since I have at least three open rear guard circles, it gains 10000 shield!"

"Since the attack didn't hit, I stand the Glowshine in the back row! Next up, I attack with Maiden of Gladiolus, boosted by Rambler! Gladiolus's skill! Counterblast! I search my deck for a copy of Glowshine and call it to rear guard!" Mai called the new Glowshine over the one in her front row, giving herself a fresh column to work with. "Glowshine's skill! I rest Beedrain and have both Glowshines get 6000 power and Boost!"

(9000+7000=16000)

Mr. Kagaguchi quickly held up a critical trigger from his hand. "Guard!"

"My Vanguard attacks next! Activating skill!" Mai flipped a copy of her Vanguard face up. "There are currently a total of 7 Maiden of units face up on my field and G Zone! Therefore, I get to look at the top 7 cards of the deck and call up to five cards with the same name as any of my Maiden of units!" As Mai looked at the cards that came to her, a smirk came to her face. "Lucky me. I call Iris and Rambler!"

(26000)

"No guard."

"Fine by me! Triple drive! First check, critical trigger! Power to Iris and critical to the Vanguard! Second check, no trigger. Third check, no trigger."

"Damage check. First card, no trigger. Second card, stand trigger. Power to the Vanguard and I stand Crayon Tiger!"

[Damage: Mai(4), Kagaguchi(5).]

"Since my Vanguard's attack hit, I draw one card." Mai explained. "And now Iris attacks with a boost from Rambler! Go get his Crayon Tiger!"

(11000+5000+7000=23000)

"No guard. Crayon Tiger retires."

'Great. He must have another copy of it in his hand then.' Mai realized as she clicked her tongue. Crayon Tiger was too important of a rear guard to not defend when he had such ample hand. "Here's a double Glowshine attack coming your way!"

(9000+6000+9000+9000=33000)

"Perfect guard!"

"Turn end. Activating the skill of Maiden of Beedrain. I send the Glowshine in my drop zone to the bottom of the deck and retire Beedrain. I then look at the top 5 cards of the deck and call any Beedrains to rear guard. There are none this time however, so instead I get to draw a card."

[Turn 8. Hand: Mai(8), Kagaguchi(6).]

"Very well then. I believe it's time for me to begin my final lesson for you. Stand and draw." Mr. Kagaguchi said as he started his turn. "Generation Zone, release! Now come forth, ultimate bringer of knowledge! Stride Generation! Sage-saint Professor, Bigbelly!"

Sage-saint Professor, Bigbelly

Grade 4, Power: 15000+

"Stride skill! I call Problem Child, Graybelly! It gets 4000 power! Next, I call Crayon Tiger, Mikesaburo, and Traveling Momonga! With Mikesaburo's skill, I give a skill to Graybelly! Finally, I activate my Vanguard's skill! Counterblast! Graybelly gains 4000 power for every face up card in my G Zone, for a total of 16000 extra power! In addition, if an attack from Graybelly succeeds, I can stand my other rear guards up to the number of face up cards in my G Zone!"

Mai grit her teeth. 'Damn. And that's going to be at least two attacks from it thanks to Crayon Tiger.'

"Boosted by Momonga, Graybelly attacks! Activating skill of Graybelly! I soul blast and give 4000 power to Crayon Tiger and Momonga in exchange for retiring them at the end of the turn!"

(9000+4000+16000+7000+4000=40000)

"Generation guard! Bond Protector Musketeer, Antero!"

Bond Protector Musketeer, Antero

Grade 4, Shield: 15000

"Skill of Antero! Soul blast! Since I have at least 4 rear guards, add 20000 to the shield!"

"Very well then. Bigbelly will attack next!"

(26000)

"Not happening! Perfect guard!"

"Triple drive. First check, heal trigger. Power to Graybelly and I heal a damage. Second check, no trigger. Third check, stand trigger. Power to Graybelly and stand it."

[Damage: Mai(4), Kagaguchi(4).]

"Incredible! With a stand trigger, Graybelly now has yet another chance to attack! Can Mai of Premium Beauty survive this overwhelming study session?!" Sachi declared.

"Graybelly attacks!"

(9000+4000+16000+10000=39000)

"Tch, no guard. Damage check, no trigger."

[Damage: Mai(5), Kagaguchi(4).]

"Crayon Tiger attacks with a boost from Mikesaburo! Crayon Tiger's skill! I restand Graybelly and add 4000 power!"

(9000+4000+7000=20000)

"Guard!" Mai called out as she held up a critical trigger.

"Graybelly comes in once again!"

(9000+4000+16000+10000+4000=43000)

Desperate to defend herself, Mai held up all of the cards in her hand. "Protect me, maidens! Zephyranthes! Two Morning Glory units! And finally, Damask Rose! I guard!"

"Amazing! Mai survives by the skin of her teeth with a desperate guard that uses up the rest of her hand!"

"Not bad. I commend you for surviving that turn." Mr. Kagaguchi said. "However, my turn now ends and as a result, Graybelly, Momonga, and Crayon Tiger all retire. I then draw 4 cards. Additionally, due to Mikesaburo and Momonga, I add Amazing Professor, Bigbelly and Crayon Tiger from my deck to my hand."

[Turn 9. Hand: Mai(0), Kagaguchi(11).]

"Stand and draw." Mai said. She looked at the one card in her hand. It was only a grade 1, not enough to stride with. However, that didn't matter to her. "Activating skill of Maiden of Iris! Since I have at least four Maiden of rear guards, I can send one of them to the bottom of my deck as an alternate stride cost!"

"What?!"

"Aw, what's wrong? Do you need a hearing aid, old man?" Mai smirked. "Let me show you! I send Iris to the bottom of my deck! Generation Zone, release! Watch as this tiny flower blooms into a beautiful maiden! Stride Generation! Maiden of Amaryllis!"

Maiden of Amaryllis

Grade 4, Power: 15000+

"Stride skill! I look at the top five cards of the deck and call Maiden of Gladiolus! It gains 5000 Power and a skill!"

"She's got both her side columns filled up." Aurora noted. "But the question is will it be enough to finish Mr. Kagaguchi."

"Here we go! Boosted by Rambler, Gladiolus attacks! Activating skill! I call a copy of Glowshine behind the Vanguard! Using its skill, I rest it and give a total of 9000 power to my Glowshines, as well as the ability to boost!"

(9000+5000+7000=21000)

Mr. Kagaguchi quickly held up a pair of cards from his hand. "Guard!"

"Get ready, cause my two Glowshines are up next!"

(9000+9000+9000+9000=36000)

"No guard. Damage check, no trigger."

[Damage: Mai(5), Kagaguchi(5).]

"Go Amaryllis! Attack the Vanguard!" Mai called out.

(26000)

"Skill of Amaryllis! Generation Break 3! Counterblast! I target two of my Maiden of units, in this case Gladiolus and my Vanguard, and search my deck for up to two copies of cards with either name and call them to rear guard! So I call Maiden of Gladiolus and Maiden of Iris!"

"Impressive. But two more units won't make much of a difference."

"That's where you're wrong, teach! Because the units called with this skill get 10000 power and an extra critical!"

"What?!"

Mai showed a smirk on her face. "So? You guarding or not?"

Not having much choice, Mr. Kagaguchi discarded his heal trigger. "Generation guard! Head of the Bastion, Ardillo!"

Head of the Bastion, Ardillo

Grade 4, Shield: 15000

"Skill activated! Adding 10000 shield!" Mr. Kagaguchi declared. "I also add on Watering Elephant!"

"Triple drive! First check, no trigger! Second check, critical trigger! All effects to Gladiolus! Third check, stand trigger! Power to Gladiolus, and I stand Glowshine!"

"Unbelievable! A last second stand trigger by Mai Tatsunagi! Who would have guessed such a thing would happen?!" Sachi called out.

"Hey old man! Here's my answer for your little exam!" Mai said. "Boosted by Glowshine, Iris attacks!"

(11000+10000+9000+9000=39000)

Kagaguchi looked at his hand and let out a sigh. "No guard. Damage check… no trigger."

[Damage: Mai(5), Kagaguchi(6).]

"And that's that! The winner of this match is Mai Tatsunagi of Premium Beauty!" Sachi announced. "It seems in this case, it was beauty before age!"

Mai waved out to the crowd cheering for her. "Thank you! Thank you! I couldn't have won without the support of all my adoring fans!"

The older man watched his opponent get caught up in the cheers of the audience. 'That kid… She may act all cute and innocent, but she's sharper than she looks.' He showed a small smile as he turned and walked away. 'It seems this new generation of cardfighters really knows what they're doing.'

With the fight over, Sachi wasted no time in moving onto the next match. "Here we go folks! Time for the next pair of numbers! Who will it be?!" The monitor shuffled through the remaining numbers before finally landing on a set. "Number 7 and Number 14! You're up!"


Mai walked through the halls connecting the field to the rest of the stadium. As she walked along, one of the fighters for the next match was coming in the opposite direction towards her.

Raising her hand up to offer a high five, Mai smirked at her fellow idol. "Knock 'em dead."

"You know I will." the other girl replied as she high fived Mai and continued walking towards the field. "You won't be the only member of Premium Beauty to make it to the next round."


"Here we go, everybody! Both fighters are now ready to make their appearance!" Sachi called out. "First up, I hope you weren't sick of Premium Beauty yet! Cause we've got the final member of the hit idol trio here! With her fiery beauty, here's Keiko Tatsunagi!"

Just like before with Mai, cheers erupted as Keiko walked onto the field. It came as no surprise that each member of the idol trio had tons of fans. And Keiko's were cheering with passion.

"Now let's move onto her opponent! The tactical fighter of Genius Prodigy here in Japan! Give it up for a player I'm sure all of you who watch the national tournament have heard of! Kenta Iragaki!"

Although not as loud as Keiko's, there were still a fair amount of cheers for the member of the national champions as Kenta walked out onto the field.

"You better win this Kenta! I won't forgive you if you make us look bad!" Akari shouted from the stands.

Kenta let out a small chuckle from his teammate's comment. He had every intention of winning this fight. That said, he had seen all of the members of Premium Beauty in action and knew that they were not to be taken lightly. He was going to have to bring his best if he was going to win.

"Let's do it everybody! You know the words!" Sachi shouted.

"Stand up! Vanguard!"

"Dragon Dancer, Mira!"

Dragon Dancer, Mira

Grade 0, Power: 5000

"Outstanding Mutant, Promularva!"

Outstanding Mutant, Promularva

Grade 0, Power: 5000

"I suppose I'll start things off for us." Keiko said as she started her turn. "I ride! Dragon Dancer, Erica!"

Dragon Dancer, Erica

Grade 1, Power: 7000

"Mira moves back with forerunner. Turn end."

[Turn 2. Hand: Keiko(5), Kenta(5).]

"My turn. Stand and draw." Kenta said. "Ride! Flowing Mutant, Twilight Madder!"

Flowing Mutant, Twilight Madder

Grade 1, Power: 7000

"Promularva moves back. And with its boost, Twilight will attack!"

(7000+5000=12000)

"No guard."

"Drive check, no trigger."

"Damage check, no trigger."

[Damage: Keiko(1), Kenta(0).]

"That will end my turn."

[Turn 3. Hand: Keiko(5), Kenta(6).]

"Stand and draw." Keiko said. "Ride! Dragon Dancer, Fiona!"

Dragon Dancer, Fiona

Grade 2, Power: 9000

"Activating the skill of Fiona! I rest Mira, and retire Promularva!"

Kenta watched as his rear guard burned to a crisp and was sent to the drop zone. He had expected as much fighting a Kagero deck, so it was within his expectations.

"Fiona attacks!"

(9000)

"You may have retired one of my units, but you weakened your offense to do it!" Kenta said as he held up a critical trigger from his hand. "Guard!"

"Drive check. No trigger." Keiko said. "Turn end."

[Turn 4. Hand: Keiko(6), Kenta(5).]

"My turn. Stand and draw." Kenta said. "Ride! Light Horn Mutant, Dangerous Horn!"

Light Horn Mutant, Dangerous Horn

Grade 2, Power: 10000

"With its skill, I reveal Gredora in my hand. As a result, there's no power loss." Kenta explained. "No go! Attack her Vanguard!"

(10000)

'I can't afford to fall behind too early in damage.' Keiko thought silently as she held out a trigger from her hand. "Guard!"

"Drive check, no trigger." Kenta said. "That's it for my turn."

[Turn 5. Hand: Keiko(5), Kenta(6).]

"My turn then. Stand and draw." Keiko said. "Bear witness to her dance, in gratitude to the dragons of flames! Ride! Dragon Dancer of the Sacred Flames, Selena!"

Dragon Dancer of the Sacred Flames, Selena

Grade 3, Power: 11000

"Calling Dragon Dancers Daniella and Morgan to rear guard! And I'll have them attack!"

(9000+7000=16000)

"Not happening! I guard!"

"Boosted by Mira, Selena attacks!" Keiko declared.

(11000+5000=16000)

"No guard."

"Twin drive. First check, no trigger. Second check, heal trigger! Power to the Vanguard and I recover one damage!"

"Damage check, no trigger."

[Damage: Keiko(0), Kenta(1).]

"Turn end."

[Turn 6. Hand: Keiko(5), Kenta(5).]

From the stands, Akari watched the fight with Yuma. "It's been a pretty defensive game so far. Neither of them has much damage."

"That's about to change though." Yuma noted. "The question is can Kenta's opponent deal with what he has planned."

Down on the field, Kenta held out a card from his hand. "Prepare to be ensnared in the web of the queen of Megacolony! Ride! Evil Governor, Darkface Gredora!"

Evil Governor, Darkface Gredora

Grade 3, Power: 11000

"Stride Generation! Dazzling Mutant Deity, Waspy Tail!"

Dazzling Mutant Deity, Waspy Tail

Grade 4, Power: 15000+

"Stride skill! I choose your empty column! Until the end of your next turn, you can't call units to that column!" Kenta said. "Additionally, I activate Waspy Tail's skill! Soul blast! Now all of the rear guards in the same column as Daniella can't stand during your next stand phase!"

"Oh my! Kenta is showing the tricky maneuvers the Megacolony clan is infamous for!" Sachi announced. "Not only has Keiko lost out on a column, her other rear guard column won't be of any use to her next turn!"

"Calling Punish Stag, Twilight Madder, and Bolg Wasp. Dark device of Punish Stag and Black Spear Mutant, Bolg Wasp. They each gain 2000 power. In addition, I target your rear guard Morgan and gigaparalyze her."

'Great. So now if Morgan's rested at the end of my next turn, he gets to draw.'

"I attack your Vanguard with Bolg Wasp."

(9000+2000=11000)

"Intercept with Daniella."

"My Vanguard will attack next."

(26000)

"No guard."

"Triple drive. First check, no trigger. Second check, critical trigger. Power to Punish Stag and critical to the Vanguard. Third check, no trigger."

"Damage check." Keiko said. "First card, no trigger. Second card, no trigger."

[Damage: Keiko(2), Kenta(1).]

"Boosted by Twilight Madder, I attack with Punish Stag. Twilight Madder's skill. Dark device. Add 3000 power."

(9000+2000+7000+3000=21000)

"No guard. Damage check, no trigger."

[Damage: Keiko(3), Kenta(1).]

"Due to using Twilight's skill, it goes to the soul and I draw." Kenta said. "Turn end."

[Turn 7. Hand: Keiko(5), Kenta(5).]

"Stand and draw." Keiko said. "Here we go! Stride Generation! Flare General! Dumjid Valor!"

Flare General, Dumjid Valor

Grade 4, Power: 15000+

"Stride skill! Counterblast! I retire Punish Stag and grant a skill to the Vanguard! Next, I activate the skill of Dumjid Valor! Counterblast and retire Bolg Wasp!" Keiko declared, removing both of Kenta's rear guards in the blink of an eye. "Next I call Dragon Dancer, Fiona! Next, I use Mira's skill! Counterblast and send her to the soul, and stand all of my Dragon Dancer rear guards! Now activating skill of Fiona! Rest Morgan, and in exchange Morgan's power is added to Fiona's for the rest of the turn! Up next, the skill gained from Selena! Once per turn, when a Dragon Dancer rests due to a skill, I can stand it and add 5000 power! So I stand Morgan! And since Morgan rested during the main phase, draw 1 card!"

"Here it is folks! The fiery play of Keiko Tatsunagi's Dragon Dancers! Get too close to their beautiful dance and you're gonna get burned!"

"I call Dragon Dancer, Erica! And with her support, my Vanguard attacks!"

(26000+7000=33000)

'If I try to guard this with a sentinel or G Guardian, she'll be able to restand her Vanguard. I can afford some damage right now.' Kenta thought silently. "No guard."

"Triple drive! First check, no trigger! Second check, critical trigger! All effects to Fiona! Third check, no trigger!"

"Damage check. First card, no trigger. Second card, stand trigger. Power to the Vanguard."

[Damage: Keiko(3), Kenta(3).]

"Boosted by Morgan, Fiona attacks!"

(9000+7000+5000+7000+5000=33000)

"Generation guard! Feather Wall Mutant Deity, Morphosian!"

Feather Wall Mutant Deity, Morphosian

Grade 4, Shield: 15000

"Skill activated! Since the opponent has 2 or less standing rear guards, add 10000 to the shield!"

"Turn end."

"Indeed it is. And since Morgan is rested, I'll take the extra card to my hand."

"Perhaps, but I also have a skill to activate." Keiko added. "Selena's Generation Break 2. At the end of my turn, if I have 3 or more rested Dragon Dancer rear guards, I can soul blast and add a normal unit with Dragon Dancer in its name from my drop zone to my hand. I choose the Mira I just soul blasted."

[Turn 8. Hand: Keiko(8), Kenta(5).]

"Stand and draw. Skill of Gredora. I soul blast in order to counter charge while you turn a card in your damage zone face down." Kenta said. "And now I'll truly bring you into despair! Generation Zone, release! Struggle and squirm all you like, for there is no escaping the web that has now been spun! Stride Generation! Guilty Empress, Darkface Gredora!"

Guilty Empress, Darkface Gredora

Grade 4, Power: 15000+

"Stride skill! Once again, your empty column cannot have units called to it until the end of your next turn! But now for the real fun! Skill of Guilty Empress! Counterblast! Now, none of your units can stand in your next stand phase, and until the end of your next turn, you can't call units except from your hand!"

"And with that, Keiko finds herself in a tricky situation! With this skill active, even her attempts to use G Guardians this turn have been cut off! What will she do?!" Sachi exclaimed.

"Call! Dangerous Horn! Bolg Wasp! Vulcan Lafertei! Bolg Wasp's dark device adds a total of 7000 power to it!" Kenta declared. "Now go, Dangerous Horn! Attack the Vanguard! With dark device, add 6000 power!

(10000+6000=16000)

Keiko quickly held up a critical trigger from her hand. "Guard!"

"Boosted by Vulcan Lafertei, Bolg Wasp will sting next!"

(9000+2000+5000+7000=23000)

"Guard!" Keiko said, holding up a heal trigger and a grade 1.

"Gredora attacks! With its skill, I soul blast and superior call Darkface Alicides from the deck! On top of that, Alicides gets 10000 power!"

(26000)

"No guard."

"Triple drive! First check, no trigger! Second check, no trigger! Third check, stand trigger! All effects to Bolg Wasp!"

"Damage check, critical trigger! Power to the Vanguard!"

[Damage: Keiko(4), Kenta(3).]

"Bolg Wasp, attack!"

(9000+2000+5000+5000=21000)

"Not happening! I guard!" Keiko said, holding up a pair of units.

"Alicides, get her!"

(11000+10000+10000=31000)

"No guard. Damage check, no trigger."

[Damage: Keiko(5), Kenta(3).]

"Turn end."

[Turn 9. Hand: Keiko(3), Kenta(5).]

"My turn. Draw." Keiko looked at her rested units. Left as they were, she had no chance of winning this.

'But my Dragon Dancers aren't done yet. They're about to burn away these webs.'

"Here we go! I ride Selena once again!"

Dragon Dancer of the Sacred Flame, Selena

Grade 3, Power: 11000

"Generation Zone, release! Dragon of legend, appear before me! Guided by the rhythm of this dance for you and you alone! Stride Generation! Worshipped Dragon, Blazing Ritual Dragon!"

Worshipped Dragon, Blazing Ritual Dragon

Grade 4, Power: 15000+

Akari widened her eyes slightly. "I don't recall her using that G Unit before."

"Kenta could be in trouble here." Yuma commented.

"Stride skill! Counterblast! I retire your Dangerous Horn and grant a skill to the Vanguard!" Keiko declared. "Calling Dragon Dancers Sasha and Erica over Morgan and my other Erica! Next, I use Fiona's skill to rest Erica and add her power to Fiona's this turn! With Erica's skill, I countercharge since she was rested due to a skill! Next, I rest Sasha with her skill to retire Bolg Wasp! Then, I stand Sasha with the stride skill and add 5000 power."

"Call all the units you want! They won't matter!"

"I have to disagree with you there. As does my Vanguard!" Keiko told him. "Skill of Blazing Ritual Dragon! Generation Break 3! I counterblast two cards and rest him to stand all of my Dragon Dancer rear guards!"

"You're resting your Vanguard?"

"That's right! Because, in exchange for this, my Dragon Dancers get 10000 Power and the ability to attack from the back row! In addition, they perform a drive check during the first battle each of them attack this turn.

"What?!"

"Erica is up first!"

(7000+10000=17000)

'Even if she gets a critical here, it won't finish me.' Kenta thought. "No guard."

Keiko smirked as she performed her drive check. "Drive check, no trigger."

"Damage check, no trigger."

[Damage: Keiko(5), Kenta(4).]

"Activating the other skill of Blazing Ritual Dragon!" Keiko declared. "When an attack by a Dragon Dancer rear guard hits the Vanguard, if the opponent has one or less rear guards, the Vanguard stands with Drive -2!"

"What?!"

"Don't be too surprised just yet! Sasha's attacking next!"

(9000+5000+10000=24000)

"Guard!" Kenta called out, holding up a pair of cards from his hand.

"Drive check, no trigger." Keiko declared. "Blazing Ritual Dragon, burn him to a crisp!"

(26000)

"I don't think so! Perfect guard!" Kenta called out.

"Drive check, no trigger." Keiko said. "Fiona attacks!"

(9000+7000+10000=26000)

"No guard!" Kenta called out. 'As long as she doesn't pull a stand or critical trigger, I'm safe.'

"Drive check…" Keiko said. A smirk came to her as she looked at the card and revealed it. "Stand trigger. All effects to Fiona."

'No!'

Fiona slammed into Gredora, dealing a damage to Kenta. Keiko went right in with a second attack that Kenta had no way to guard against, causing Fiona to deliver a powerful kick to the unit once again and deal the decisive sixth damage.

[Damage: Keiko(5), Kenta(6).]

"That's it, everyone! The winner of this nail biting fight is Keiko Tatsunagi!" Sachi announced.

Kenta picked up his deck and let out a small sigh. 'It seems I still have much to learn. But next time I won't let this result repeat itself.' He walked away back to the stands. 'I will be the best of the Asia Circuit one day. I swear it.'

"Phew, that was one crazy fight, wasn't it everyone?" Sachi asked. "But we've still got a few more fights left! Just wait and see what the first round still has in store!"

Aurora: Premium Beauty sure doesn't mess around.

Dan: You can say that again. They're as strong as ever.

Akari: Whatever. Can we just get on with it? I'd like to finally get my turn to fight.

Anthony: For once I agree with you. I want to get out there too.

Yuma: Looks like you're both about to get your wish it seems. This should be interesting.

Next Time: Sparking Rematch

Card Gallery:

Maiden of Iris
Grade 3
Power: 11000
CONT VC GB1: If you have four or more rear guards with "Maiden of" in their name, you may pay [Send one of your rear guards to the bottom of the deck] as the cost to STRIDE.
AUTO VC: CB1. When your G-Unit with "Maiden of" in its name STRIDE, you may pay the cost. If you do, look at the top five cards of your deck, choose a card with "Maiden of" in its name, and call it to RC. Then, that unit gets +5000 power and (AUTO RC 1/Turn: When this unit's attack does not hit, choose another one of your rear guards with "Maiden of" in its name and Stand it.) until the end of the turn.


Maiden of Amaryllis
Stride
Power: 15000+
AUTO VC GB3: [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, choose up to 2 of your units with "Maiden of" in their name. Search your deck for up to two cards with the same name as the chosen units and call them to RC. They both get +10000 power and +1 critical.


Dragon Dancer, Erica
Grade 1
Power: 7000
AUTO RC GB1 1/Turn: When this unit is rested during your main phase,if you have a Flame Dragon Vanguard, CC1 or SC1.


Dragon Dancer, Fiona
Grade 2
Power: 9000
ACT VC/RC 1/Turn: [Choose one of your other rear guards with "Dragon Dancer" in its name and rest it.]. Until the end of the turn, this unit gets Power equal to the original Power of the rested unit.
AUTO RC GB1: [CB1] When this unit rests during your main phase, if you have a Flame Dragon Vanguard, you may pay the cost. If you do, choose one of your opponent's rear guards and retire it.


Dragon Dancer of Sacred Flames, Selena
Grade 3
Power: 11000
AUTO VC: [CB1] When your Flame Dragon G-Unit STRIDE, you may pay the cost. If you do, retire one of your opponent's rear guards. Then, choose your Vanguard and it gets (AUTO VC 1/Turn: When your rear guard with "Dragon Dancer" in its name is rested due to your card effect, stand it and it gets +5000 power until end of turn.).
AUTO VC GB2: SB1. At the end of your turn, if the number of rested "Dragon Dancer" rear guards you have is three or more, you may pay the cost. If you do, choose a "Dragon Dancer" normal unit from your drop zone and add it to your hand.


Worshiped Dragon, Blazing Ritual Dragon
Stride
Power: 15000+
ACT VC GB3 1/Turn: [CB2 & Rest this unit]. Stand all of your Dragon Dancer rear guards and until end of turn those units get +10000 Power, (CONT RC: This unit can attack from the back row.), and (AUTO RC: this unit performs a drive check for the first battle it attacked this turn.).
AUTO VC: When an attack from your rear guard with "Dragon Dancer" in its name hits a Vanguard, choose one of your opponent's rear guards and retire it.
AUTO VC 1/Turn: When an attack from your rear guard with "Dragon Dancer" in its name hits a Vanguard, if your opponent has one or less rear guards on their field, Stand this unit and it gets Drive -2.