Anita knew why the comfort zone existed, and deeply respected it. Her mother kept telling her something like, "everything you enjoy now was once new," but she couldn't understand. She was adventurous, borderline reckless- married twice, impulsive, striving for attention. She was more of a big sister than anything. No, she simply didn't get why her daughter struggled so much with the new. Best to stay cocooned…

...at least, that's what she thought before being swept up by Yuri and his gang. Never before had she met such a large group of people she could get along with so easily. Even without being a "band kid," she found herself surrounded by friendly, welcoming people. Not only that, but she had finally picked up a new hobby: Vanguard. Each member of the group played the game with a near-religious zeal, which made it easy to pick up how the game worked.

That said, she was fast running out of worthy opponents. While Reese remained eager for casual matches, and Jesse was as stubborn as ever, without Yuri, she had no physical opponent's that posed a challenge. She didn't want to complain, but for a game that had caught her attention so quickly, she was getting burnt out. Yuri must have picked up on this, because he invited her to go check out one of his regular haunts.

"Lucky Draw?" she read.

"Yep," smiled Yuri. "Tons of players come through here. I'm sure you'll find someone worth fighting."

Anita took a closer look at the brick-and-mortar storefront. The entrance was neatly painted with a red-and-gold color scheme, and was flanked by a pair of windows showing a variety of colorful merchandise. The sign was admittedly adorable- a rotund, white cat with closed eyes coddling a large, green 7. The place was certainly inviting, which was good, since as far as Anita knew, this was foreign territory.

"So it's a game store?"

"Right again. They're big supporters of Vanguard, so naturally, they serve a ton of cardfighers."

Anita paused. "I appreciate what you're doing Yuri, but I'm not sure I'm comfortable playing a bunch of strangers."

Yuri shrugged. "More or less. But I was a stranger at one point too, yeah? Same with the others?"

"You sound like my mother."

"Can't tell if that's an insult or not."

"It's...not important." She sighed. "And you're right. There's no point in coming here if I'm not going inside."

"Then what are we waiting for?" He clapped his hands together. "Shopward, ho!"

For the first time in a while, Yuri felt like strutting. The band actually sounded good today, his history paper got a solid "A," salvaging his grade in the class, and to top it off, Anita had finally begun settling into a comfortable groove. Between his own group and the regular trips to Lucky Draw, her horizons had expanded substantially since he met her. He couldn't take all the credit, of course- Veronica at the shop did a lot of heavy lifting to make sure new customers felt welcomed- but to see such a reclusive girl take flight was heartwarming.

He took a cheerful step into the gang's school hangout, immediately greeted by the familiar sight of Jesse and Carter deep in a cardfight. From a distance, it looked like Carter was in the lead. Yuri smiled- for blokes who weren't terribly good at the game, they sure loved to play it. He would have gotten a closer look at the DP-SB slugfest before he felt Reese's hand on his shoulder.

"You're in a good mood," he smiled weakly.

Yuri's empathy-meter kicked in almost immediately. "What's the matter?"

Reese chuckled nervously. "It's not a huge deal, but, uh…"

"Reese-"

"It's Anita," he relented. "She's in a weird mood. Real sulky. Raven and I tried talking to her, but-"

"She didn't say anything big, is that it?"

The blonde boy sighed. "She listens to you way more than me or her. Can you see what's going on?" He looked down. "I'm worried. I've never seen her like this."

Yuri nodded. "I'll see what I can do. Is she here?"

"In the back." Another weak smile. "You can fix this, right?"

"Depends on how bad we're talking about." Yuri folded his arms. "Cross your fingers for me, will you?" Reese did so, with a good natured shake. "Attaboy." Yuri took a cautious stride to the back of the room, where he found Anita sitting on a stool, hunched over her phone. He carefully picked his brain for some way to approach her. Can't be too casual, because then it would seem like he wasn't taking her seriously. Can't be too concerned out the gate either, since that'd seem cloying. He couldn't take too long to say something, though; silently hovering was rarely comforting.

He cleared his throat. "Hello, Anita. What are you doing back here?"

She didn't look up, or say anything for a few seconds. "It's gone."

Yuri hesitated. "What's gone?"

"Lucky Draw. It's gone. I tried to go there yesterday, and it's completely gone."

Yuri was stunned. "You're kidding."

Anita's face wrenched briefly. "No. Someone else bought them out."

Yuri collected his thoughts. Sure, business was slower than usual, especially after that scummy "live demonstration," but to actually be in dire enough straits to sell out? "I see," he finally said. "Is that what's got you down?"

"It's not fair," she grumbled. "It was such a wonderful place. It didn't deserve that. Veronica didn't deserve that."

He sensed a spiral coming on. "We can find another place, don't worry."

"It's not about that." There was a pause. "It's...more than a place for me." She adjusted her hand to show him what was on her phone- a picture of her, flanked by a jubilant Yuri and congratulatory Veronica, back when she won the shop tournament. It clicked with Yuri instantly- she had put down roots there, finally able to crawl out of her shell, only to be punished by an exile. It must have been devastating for someone who wasn't as outgoing as he was.

"I see." He sighed knowingly. "It's...like that for me too." He took a seat. "Alright, no replacements for now."

"It's not fair," she repeated.

"I know. But I don't think moping about it will help. The best thing you can do is hold those memories as close as you can. No matter what, never forget. They can buy out the shop, but they can't take how you felt."

"...Yeah."

"Do you mind me asking who bought them out?"

"Card Shark."

Anita shook her head as she shuffled her deck. That had all been months ago, and the sight of the former Lucky Draw storefront, stripped and barren, was still seared in her consciousness. She and Yuri really did give Card Shark a fair shake, but that had proven itself to be a massive mistake. The atmosphere was far more oppressive than Lucky Draw's, the players were far more cliquish and hostile, and the amount of investment it demanded to have any semblance of fun wasn't worth it.

But that's why we're here, right? she reminded herself. Putting them in their place? Veronica hadn't worded it quite so darkly, but that was more or less what she meant. She looked up at her opponent- a girl about her size, with sharp, competitive eyes. And if she's going to stand in our way, then I have no choice.

Sal noticed the other player's fixed on her. She looked up, making eye contact. "What's up?"

"It's nothing," Anita responded. She paused. "I'm sorry about your friend."

"It's not that bad," Sal shrugged. "We've got our top expert handling it. Besides, if you guys came at us with anything less, this wouldn't be fun."

"Then I take it there's no hard feelings? I'm here to win, too."

"Sure. To be honest, I don't mind losing to you if it means watching you guys clobber Juggernaut."

"But I take it you're not just going to roll over."

"Heck no. We don't have as much on the line, but I'll be damned if I don't go out swinging."

"It's about time to get game two of this matchup started! We're looking at a showdown between two combo queens- both made a splash in previous rounds by showing off intricate skill chains. It's Ursula Mendez from Team Villager squaring off against Anita Kumar of Team Miracle!"

"Team Miracle is going into this matchup with one over their opponents. If Team Villager doesn't find a way to reverse their fortunes, we'll be moving onto the other semifinal match sooner than expected."

"Come on, Sal!" Adam cheered. "Show 'em what you got!"

"She better not make us go home early," grunted Nat.

"Even if she loses, I'm not going anywhere," Carlos admitted. "If the rest of Team Miracle is as god as that Yuri guy, the finals would be interesting at least."

Sal stretched. "Well, fortune favors the bold and all that. You ready to get this show on the road."

Anita looked at her starting hand. "Very well. Good luck and have fun."

"If both fighters are ready, let's play Vanguard!"

"Now stand up, Vanguard!"

With both players flipping over their starting vanguard, the console under them fired up like a jet engine, sketching out a new scene for both cardfighters. It was a moonlit castle courtyard, surrounded by swirling black clouds, golden statues of various demonic deities, and distant spiring towers. The ground itself was covered with cobblestones, with an odd character etched on every fifth or sixth stone. A bolt of lightning struck one end of the courtyard, the one nearest the gate, heralding the arrival of a diminutive dragon. "I ride!" began Sal. "Detonix Rivet Dracokid!"

Detonix Rivet Dracokid- Grade 0/5000 Power/10000 Shield

"I ride," Anita said, following suit. A puff of white smoke plumed up from the stony ground, across from the dragon. Emerging from this blast of smoke emerged a large owl, garbed in navy robes etched with silver figures. It's wings were reinforced with iron knives, and gripped tightly in its talons was a brass spyglass. "Stealth Beast of Far Sight, Teisatsu Zanzo."

Teisatsu Zanzo- Grade 0/5000 Power/10000 Shield

"Oh hey, it's one of those ninja clans," Erica observed. "Is that a Nubatama or a Murakumo unit?"

"Don't ask me," chuckled Adam. "Carlos, you're our resident card expert."

"I heard 'Zanzo,'" Carlos said. "Zanzo is a Murakumo archetype. That means Sal has to worry less about hand control and a lot more about field flooding."

"More rearguards just means more binding," Nat shrugged.

"It also means she'll have to spend more time binding than building Power," Midori corrected. "And full offensive pushes from her opponent."

"Looks like I'm up first," Sal said. "I draw, then ride Detonix Wrench Dragon." Another bolt of lightning struck the battlefield, squarely on the smaller dragon. In its place blossomed a large specimen, who slammed his namesake squarely into the cobblestone.

Detonix Wrench Dragon- Grade 1/8000 Power/10000 Shield

"When rode on, Rivet lets me draw...and that's it. I'd rather have gone second, but whatever. You're up."

End of Turn 1

Hand Count- Sal 6, Anita 5

Damage Count- Sal 0, Anita 0

"I draw, then," Anita began. "I ride...Stealth Fiend of Wave Tactics, Jujun Zanzo." Another smoke bomb was dropped, the smoke from this one swirling quickly in a tall column of winds. Each puff scattered, revealing an ogre-like demon in loose-fitting robes, similar in color to his predecessor. Holding a thin shortsword in each hand, the soot-skinned demon smirked, revealing a few of his sharp teeth to his opponent. Holding back his silver hair was a steel headband, decorated with the characters for his name.

Jujun Zanzo- Grade 1/8000 Power/10000 Shield

"Thanks to Teisatsu, I draw a card, and since your vanguard is grade 1, I also add a Quick Shield to hand. Next, I activate Jujun's ride skill- I can check the top seven cards of my deck for a Zanzo unit, then add it to my hand." She fanned out seven cards, then quickly ran a finger across them. "I'm adding Covert Stealth Rogue of Marshalling, Mienaiha Zanzo. The rest are shuffled back into my deck."

"Already she's plussing like crazy," Lucas grumbled. "Sal's got a lot of cards to shred if she's going to land a single attack."

"Well, the Quick Shield is just 5k," Tyler said. "That shouldn't be too hard to force out. And she just added a grade 3, which can't defend at all. I don't think it'll be that hard to ramp up pressure against that."

"Next," continued Anita, "I call Stealth Rogue of Silent Sabotage, Haikyo Zanzo to my back row." Behind Jujun emerged another column of smoke, this one spawning a haggard stalk of a demon, mouth covered by a piece of cloth and eyes smothered with a black sash. His person was decorated with bandoliers of black powder bombs, and in each cadaverous hand he held a throwing knife with serrated edges.

Haikyo Zanzo- Grade 1/8000 Power/10000 Shield

"Good move," Carlos murmured. "Most of Sal's stuff only cares about the front row, so he should be safe back there for now."

"With a boost from Haikyo, Jujun attacks your vanguard." The ninja at the forefront gritted his full set of knife-like teeth, spinning both of his weapons until the blades pointed earthward.

Strength- 16000

Sal nodded. That rearguard in the back was probably just there for future turns, since there didn't seem to be any reason to boost an easy hit. "I don't guard."

"Drive check...no trigger." Jujun took a single step before flickering, his image completely vanishing for a second. As quickly as he disappeared, he appeared inches in front of his opponent, quickly slashing twice with each weapon. As Wrench recoiled backwards, he took a step back, vanished again, and reappeared back where he began.

"Damage check...no trigger for me either."

"I'll leave it there for now. It's your turn."

End of Turn 2

Hand Count- Sal 6, Anita 8 (7 cards, 1 Quick Shield)

Damage Count- Sal 1, Anita 0

"The plays have been pretty standard so far," Nat observed.

"Yeah, except for getting all those free cards off of one ride," Adam said. "Let's see if Sal can make some headway against that."

"It's still early in the game," Midori said. "It'd be foolish to guard against too many attacks so soon."

"I draw," Sal began. She pulled back her hand a bit, then smirked. "You said you didn't want me holding back, yeah? So no complaining when I go off."

Anita blinked. This level of confidence on just her second turn? Either she was delusional, or this was a signal.

"To start, I ride Detonix Pile Dragon." This time, a rippling column of thunder struck her side of the field. Unfurling from the smoke and debris was a dragon twice the size of Wrench, wielding a pair of his namesakes, crackling with stray sparks of electricity.

Detonix Pile Dragon- Grade 2/9000 Power/5000 Shield

"Wrench has a skill I can use when I ride on him, but since your front row is a ghost town, I'm not using it." She plucked a card from her hand. "But that won't stop me from calling Thunder Halberd Wyvern Knight." A rattling shriek rang out from the skies, as a red-uniformed soldier darted in from the night sky. His person was at first only illuminated by his weapon, before touching down onto a moonlit spot next to Pile.

Thunder Halberd Wyvern Knight- Grade 1/8000 Power/10000 Shield

"When he's placed, I can bind a card from my hand to check the top seven for a grade 1 or 2 unit, and call it." Like her opponent before her, she fanned out the top several cards of her deck. "I superior call Thunder Mallet Ogre, and shuffle my deck." Another lightning strike, this one spawning a musclebound ogre in monk's robes.

Thunder Mallet Ogre- Grade 2/9000 Power/5000 Shield

"And check out what I bound- Detonix Wrecker Dragon. When he's bound from hand, I can call him straight to RC, and if I do, I can counter blast one to draw a card." Yet another heavy bolt struck the ground, this one behind Pile, revealing a third heavyset dragon with a construction themed weapon.

Detonix Wrecker Dragon- Grade 1/8000 Power/10000 Shield

"Now that's a combo!" Adam grinned. "Three units just like that!"

"And she's just grade 2," Erica added. "Man, I can't wait to see what she can do at full power."

"You got that all off of one skill?" Anita asked, impressed. "It seemed you had a reason to be as confident as you were."

"Well, if you're going to get two cards and a Quick Shield off of one ride, I gotta bring my A-game too. There's one more thing- as long as I have more rearguards than you, Thunder Halberd gets a 3k boost. And with that, he's attacking Jujun." The soldier tugged on his reins, and by habit, his mount lowered its head. His weapon crackled, glowing fiercely before shooting a thin stream of lightning towards his target.

Strength- 11000

Anita didn't hesitate. "I use my Quick Shield to guard." Jujun crossed his shortswords in front of him and lightly tapped them together. With the resonating sound of ringing steel, a glistening barrier appeared before him. It stopped the oncoming bolt like it was a lawn dart before fading away into nothing.

Defense- 13000

"For the big swing, I'm having Wrecker boost Pile for another attack on Jujun." Snarling, the lead dragon cocked both his drivers, each clunking into place with a hollow thunk. In the distance, a clap of thunder could have been heard by an observant viewer.

Strength- 17000

"I don't guard."

"Thought so. Drive check...no trigger." With a deep roar, Pile took a leap towards the enemy formation, firing both of his weapons as soon as he landed. There was a surging quake, picking up cobblestones and sending sparks flying. Jujun himself was more stunned than hurt, coughing through the dust, and getting back up to his feet with a scowl.

"Damage check...no trigger here."

"Last but not least, Thunder Mallet attacks, who else, Jujun." As soon as the command was given, the great ogre bolted forward, winding his weapon back for a smash. "Since you have no rearguards in your front row, I can add 3k to this attack."

Strength- 12000

"I guard with Stealth Dragon of Sudden Advance, Shikko Zanzo." With a warcry, Thunder Mallet wildly swung his eponymous weapon into Jujun. The impact caused a huge eruption of smoke. When it settled, Thunder Mallet did not find the crumpled body of his victim, but instead a splintered log in his target's carb. Grumbling foreign curses, he retreated, and when the coast was clear, Jujun reappeared in a puff of smoke, cackling mockingly.

Shikko Zanzo- Grade 2/9000 Power/5000 Shield

Defense- 13000

"Log substitution," Tyler chuckled. "Old school."

"I end my turn," Sal said. "Now show me what you can do."

End of Turn 3

Hand Count- Sal 6, Anita 6

Damage Count- Sal 1, Anita 1

"I stand and draw," Anita started. She paused- if that last turn was any indication, her opponent was quite skilled. She certainly earned her swagger, and the grade 3 turn would be something special. Still, she had a ton of cards in her hand, and really, she just needed two of them. "First, I ride Stealth Rogue of Doubling Blades, Shinrai Zanzo." Jujun sheathed his blades, reached into a pouch on his belt, and threw down a marble-sized smoke bomb. When the smoke vanished, an entirely new figure stood in his place- a pale-skinned ninja warrior in silver robes, ornamented with golden wolves. His back held two holsters, each holding a cold steel katana. He leaned forward in an offensive crouch, holding up two fingers in a classical gesture.

Shinrai Zanzo- Grade 2/9000 Power/5000 Shield

"When Shinrai is placed from my hand, if I have a 'Zanzo' vanguard, I can counter blast one to superior call another Shinrai from my deck or drop zone."

"Wait," said Nat. "Isn't Shinrai already a 'Zanzo?' Doesn't that mean-"

"She gets two copies of Shinrai from a call and a counter blast," nodded Erica. "Very nice."

"Obviously, I call the Shinrai from my deck," Anita continued. Hopping out of his crouch, Shinrai folded his hands into a parade of gestures, rapidly revolving through various symbols. When he finished, his body flickered, and his shadow darted from under him to his right flank. An identical figure popped from the shadow like it was a portal from the netherworld. "Next, I call Stealth Beast of Undying Allegiance, Kosai Zanzo." The vanguard Shinrai snapped his fingers, and on command, another plume of smoke emerged. From it, a lupin warrior stalked out, clad in ninja kit, and bore a black eyepatch alongside a wooden arm. He was covered in scars and missing patches of fur, and seemed to have been horned at one point, as sported one whole one across from a broken stump.

Kosai Zanzo- Grade 2/9000 Power/5000 Shield

"With him, I can soul blast one to choose one of my other units on my RC or in my drop zone, and call another copy of it from my deck. I choose Haikyo." Kosai let out an echoing howl, summoning another haggard demon, identical to the one called last turn. "Teisatsu's skill kicks in- when he's moved from my soul to the drop zone, I can call him to an open RC." Behind a settling Kosai, a gale of feathers and steel scraps began to coalesce, eventually scattering to reveal the owl from before.

"Woof, this girl's good," Lucas said. "With a ride and a call, she completely filled up her board."

"If Sal's not careful," Tyler added, "you may not get to play game three."

"Don't joke about that. Getting shut out before even getting to see Buzz squirm-"

"Sorry, just trying to lighten the mood."

Sal smiled. "That's what I'm talking about. Using two cards to get a full formation is some good stuff. I'm guessing you're about to put it to work?"

"Of course. And for the first attack, Teisatsu will boost Kosai to attack your vanguard." Growling in a bass tone, Kosai reared back his dominant arm, pulling out a handful of paper bombs. With a quick toss, he slung them all at Pile.

Strength- 14000

"A nice magic number. But I'm guarding with Detonix Wrecker Dragon from hand." A new dragon landed onto the battlefield, instantly bombarded by the paper bombs. While the guardian was vaporized by the explosions, there wasn't a scratch on Pile.

Defense- 19000

"For the next assault, my first Haikyo will boost my vanguard Shinrai. They're battle skills are now active- if Haikyo's boost is unsuccessful, I can move him to my soul to spin one of your rearguards; and if Shinrai's attack doesn't hit, I can return one of my rearguards to my hand." The lead Shinrai unsheathed his blades, crouching down in a prepared stance. His entire body began to glow with a hellish blue flame.

Strength- 17000

"Morton's Fork," Midori murmured. "If she guards the attack, Anita can activate a potent duo of skills. If not, she takes damage."

"That's a toughie," Adam agreed. "If I were here, I'd just take the damage."

"That'd work here," Carlos said, "but she has the same units in a rearguard column. Meaning that she's probably going to get that chain off once."

"That's Murakumo for you," Nat groaned. "Sneaky saboteurs, all of them."

"A tight combo," Sal said, "but I'm not guarding anyway."

"Then I check the drive trigger," Anita continued. "Let's see...Stealth Dragon, Eclipse Wing- a critical trigger! The critical effect goes to my vanguard Shinrai, and the other Shinrai will get the Power!" The vanguard Shinrai flickered, then swung both his blades. In seconds, Pile was rushed by a whole squad of shadowy doubles, each cutting into the dragon like a serrated knife.

"Ouch. Checking for damage...first...second...nothing for either."

"For the final attack, my other set of Haikyo and Shinrai comes in. Remember what happens if they don't hit." The subordinate Shinrai began a swift dash towards his opponent, unsheathing his own set of swords along the way.

Strength- 27000

"This isn't good," Lucas sighed. "If she let's this through, the score'll be 4-to-1. But if she guards-"

"She might lose a rearguard," Tyler responded, "but giving up that big a lead would be way worse."

"I guard with Ancient Dragon Shaman," Sal said. A gangly, decrepit dragon appeared through a flash of lightning. Using his spindly fingers to create a magic circle, he managed to create a shining shield between him and his attacker. The rearguard Shinrai clashed repeatedly against the barrier, but his blades were useless, more like safety scissors than tools of war. The ninja retreated as the shaman taunted cheekily.

Ancient Dragon Shaman- Grade 1/8000 Power/10000 Shield

Defense- 29000

"Since the attack doesn't hit, I have two skills to resolve. First, Shinrai's- I discard a card to return Teisatsu to my hand. Second, Haikyo- I move him to the soul to return Thunder Mallet to the bottom of your deck." Haikyo, Teisatsu, and Thunder Mallet all got swallowed by a flurry of black fire, wiping them away to some unknown location without a trace. "And I'll think I'll leave my turn there."

End of Turn 4

Hand Count- Sal 4, Anita 6

Damage Count- Sal 3, Anita 1