Science was not Sean's strongest subject, but from what he knew, black holes were so powerful that they slowed time around them. That also seemed to apply to Mr. Black's World History course. It was so dense, so meandering, so indescribably boring that time slowed to a staggering crawl. It was so bad, Sean took to calling his room the "Black Hole."
He thought it was apt, even if his friends didn't get it.
"Of course, one of the biggest misconceptions of this period was the life expectancy of your average peasant. Most hold the belief that their lives were as short as 25 years, but that's only if you factor in the high infant mortality rate," Mr. Black rambled. "Though I suppose that's the danger of averages, as Ms. Moore can tell you." He chuckled to himself before flipping the slide.
Sean glanced at the clock above the blackboard. Five more minutes.
Hearing something coming from behind him, Sean turned his head to investigate, and wasn't surprised in the slightest to see Lucas impatiently drumming his fingers on his desk. With his head resting on one hand, the other drumming on the desk like a cheap drum, head facing the window, the boy with the blond crew cut could not have looked more disinterested unless he was asleep. He probably would have been, was he not a human dynamo, Sean chuckled to himself.
"While the age tidbit might have surprised you, what's not surprising at all is that most peasants still worked in agriculture. Most kingdoms didn't have a significant middle class to speak of, leaving most to work on farms to feed themselves and their lords. Even with this massive agrarian workforce, however, these kingdoms could barely produce enough to feed themselves, and when famine came, it was the workers who starved, not their employers. A running trend in human history, as I hope you've noticed."
Four more minutes.
Lucas's drumming was starting to affect Sean. Fully disengaged from the lesson, he peered to his left to check on Sal. The raven-haired girl was busy with something on her phone; Sean's angle wasn't good enough to catch what. She was scrolling, so it was probably something like Reddit; he reasoned Sal wasn't the type to concern herself with Instagram or Snapchat or whatever his classmates where using.
"That isn't to say everyone was a farm worker. This era also saw the rise of guilds. Tradesmen banded together in an effort to bring more clout to their trade. There was a guild for most major trades: weavers, cobblers, masons, blacksmiths, tailors, carpenters, bakers, brewers, millers, and vintners all formed guilds across the continent. Guilds drove the development of towns and cities, including new settlements in-between. After all, why trek to the city for a nail when you can just take a trip to the nearby village?"
Three more minutes. Come on, its Friday…
Sean eyes continued to peruse the room. In the corner, Carlos was doing...something with his pencil. Drawing? Writing? His viewing angle was obstructed. A few desks away, Midori had buried herself in a thick, nondescript tome of a book. Her "neighbor," Adam, had fallen asleep after a whole period of drifting in and out. Not a single student was paying attention to a word of the lecture. Not that Mr. Black has any intention of stopping.
"Regardless whether you were part of a guild or not, the dominant social system on the continent was feudalism. In feudalism, tenants would provide labor services for a feudal lord. In return, the lord was expected to provide his tenants protection and access to justice. Of course, the tenant was expected to provide far more than the lord ever did for him; they would provide portions of their harvest to them, provide military services, and pay taxes. This is what we professionals call a 'raw deal,' but it served as the primary social structure for centuries."
Two more minutes. Just a bit further…
Lucas drummed, and Sal scrolled. Carlos scratched, and Midori read. Adam slept, and Sean swiveled. The Black Hole was in full effect.
"Feudalism applied as much to lords as it did for peasants, though they had a much better deal. In theory, monarchs would give loyal nobles land, titles, and power. In return, the nobles would govern in the monarch's place, and collect revenue for the royal government. The consequence of this system was that it paled in comparison to ancient governments in terms of central power. Turns out that when you outsource governance, rebellion becomes much easier. Who knew?"
One more minute. So close…
For the first time in nearly an hour, Mr. Black looked up from his slideshow and glanced at the clock. "One minute?" He furrowed his brow a bit. "We're not even halfway done. Well, never mind. Make sure you read Chapter 7, sections 2 through 6 this weekend. Remember to take notes. You can leave a little early today. My treat."
Thirty seconds early. How generous.
Without another second's thought, Lucas catapulted himself out of his desk and bolted for the door. As Sean packed, he hear Sal ask, "He does realize he's left his stuff here, right?"
"Give him time," Sean answered without looking up. He heard Midori nudge Adam awake, as Carlos crept out with his head down. "It's a habit, at this point."
As if on cue, Lucas darted back in, weaving between the leaving students, shoveled his things into his bag, and made a second beeline for the door. Like clockwork, every Friday.
"Dude, calm down," Sal chided. "You're going to hurt someone."
"Probably yourself," Sean added. "Be careful."
Lucas ground himself to a halt. He looked over his shoulder, flashing a toothy grin. "You guys worry too much. It's Friday! I'm trying to make up for lost time!"
Sal arched an eyebrow while Sean chuckled. "Lost time?" she asked.
"I mean, yeah," Lucas said. "Every minute in that boring-as-hell class is a minute I could be spending at the Village."
"I know how you feel," Sean said. "I'd rather be at home playing Total Chaos than spending an hour in the Black Hole."
Sal sighed. "Well, you two have fun making up for 'lost time.' Ms. Knox wants me for extra practice."
"Really? She feels you need extra practice?" Sean asked. "You guys are on fire."
"Damn right," Lucas added. "You guys smoked Fremont. How much more practice do you need?"
Sal shrugged. "Who knows? Knox is never happy. She called Fremont a 'bunch of lillies,' so our win doesn't count, or something." She slung her backpack over her shoulder. "See you guys next week."
"Have fun," said Lucas.
"Stay safe," said Sean. He picked up his bag and turned to leave as well, only to be stopped by Lucas.
"Where are your going, mister?" Lucas asked, putting his hand on his shoulder.
Sean blinked. "Same place I go every Friday: home. Pizza and Total Chaos. You know, the perfect Friday."
"Sean, that's how you spend every Friday."
"Because it's perfect. How else would I spend my time?"
"Dude, you've spent the last billion Fridays eating pizza and playing games. Don't you think there's more to life?"
"Not really?"
Lucas huffed. "Tell you what, why don't you come with me to the Village? I'm going to show you there's more things to do than Total Chaos."
Sean looked down, scratching the back of his head. "I dunno…"
"Come on," Lucas groaned. "What's one night away from your PlayStation?"
"I mean, I've never been to this 'Village' place."
"You'll love it! Come on, get out of your room for once."
Sean thought. A perfect Friday, blasting baddies with ridiculous weapons, eating a delicious greasy pie, or being dragged to a place he's never heard of? The choice should have been clear, but given how Lucas was tapping his foot, practically scowling at him, Sean figured he'd probably never hear the end of it if he said no. And Lucas never forgot a slight, real or imagined.
"Okay," Sean sighed. "I'll come with. For half an hour."
"Finally!" Lucas roared. "This is going to be the best damn half-hour of your life. Trust me."
Why do I doubt that? Sean thought.
The drive to "the Village" was not the best of experiences. Between Lucas's reckless driving and the lack of conversation, Sean felt like he was being shot through a rifle, multiple times (a machine gun?). Sean wasn't exactly bitter about being pried from his PlayStation, as he was in constant fear of being flung through the windshield. When Lucas finally skidded into a parking space, it took nearly a minute for Sean to collect himself.
When Sean finally collected his senses, he realized that Lucas had pulled his shoddy sedan into some sort of shopping center. It was fairly high-end place, with neatly painted walls, clean walkways, and a variety of colorful storefronts, each with some cute or kitschy name. There was a Thai place, a pizza joint, some sort of comic store, and right in front of where Lucas parked was-
"Meeple Village?"
The storefront stood out a bit from the others, with a faux brick-and-mortar wall instead of the clean sky blue the others had. In the display window stood various figures and cutouts, several of which he recognized from the books and comics he read, all of which were "dressed up" for the fall weather. A small sign by the glass door detailed upcoming game nights, with pastel pink and blue chalk in small, neat handwriting. Above the storefront, "Meeple Village" was displayed in red, cutesy letters, bookended with what looked like a game piece on one side and a playing card on the other. It didn't exactly stick out, but it did stand out in a warm, local way.
"Yep, the Village!" Lucas responded. "Best game shop in Argo City by a landslide! You'll love it, they got everything."
"Looks pleasant enough," Sean admitted quietly. "Still, you got me for just a half-hour. I'm setting the timer now."
Lucas rolled his eyes as Sean pulled out his phone. "Sure thing, buddy. 30 minutes. Not that you'll wanna leave."
"30 minutes, starting...now," Sean said, ignoring his friends jab.
"Then let's get going! The best parts are inside." Lucas almost yanked Sean's arm out of his socket dragging his friend into the store.
Lucas was rarely right about what was fun. Roller coasters? Terrifying. Action movies? Predictable as a children's story. UFC? Pointless as just about any other conflict. But when Lucas was right, he was right; the best parts were inside.
The store had a much bigger interior than he expected. Shelves and cases lined the store, each polished and arranged with precision and care. On one end, there was a litany of board games, all wrapped in plastic and arranged by genre. On the other was library of comic books, graphic novels, and manga books. Throughout the store were glass cases of more detailed figures, as well as islands stacked with blind boxes, figurines, and even model kits. For such a standard store, the view was pretty impressive.
"See, what'd I tell ya? You'd love it! Nerd heaven!" Lucas patted a stunned Sean on his back.
"Nerd-vana, more like," Sean said.
"Huh?"
"Like nirvana, but, you know, nerd-vana."
"I don't...whatever. Your jokes never make sense." He grabbed Sean's arm again. "Come on, you can browse any time. You haven't seen the best part yet."
Lucas didn't have to drag Sean this time. He took him to the very back of the store. There was a counter there, with displays filled with card game products and whole shelves of supplies. The Most of the back, however, wasn't filled with products. It was filled with rows of tables- large, flat, whiet tables, surrounded by patrons and topped with dozens of cards.
Sean blinked. "This is the best part?"
Lucas turn. "Yep, this is where the magic happens!"
"At tables?"
"Where else would we play?"
"Play? You play card games?"
"Yep. Well, actually, just one."
"Which one?"
"Give me a second, and I'll show you." Lucas swiveled his head from side to side. "Now where is he...ah!"
Sean adjusted his head to look towards where Lucas was pointing. At the tail end at one of the back tables sat a lone boy, head down, shuffling a deck of cards repeatedly, occasionally check the top and either smiling or scowling. He looked familiar, but before Sean could identify him, Lucas had begun a casual canter towards the occupied table. The boy looked up, then put on a less-than-intimidating grimace when Lucas entered view.
"Lucas Robertson," he growled, "you have a lot of nerve being this late."
"Pretty sure you're just freakishly early, Nathaniel," Lucas responded.
The other boy began to simmer as Sean finally caught up to Lucas. "Hold on. Nat? Nat comes here?"
Nat cooled slightly as he stood. "Sean? Well, nice to see you out of the house for a change. I guess Robertson brought you?"
Lucas crossed his arms. "Don't call me Robertson, Nathaniel."
"Then don't call me Nathaniel. It's Nat. Sean gets it, why can't you?"
"I'll call you that when you beat me. So never. Sorry, Nathaniel."
Nat began grimacing again, practically boiling. "Trying to rile me up? I'll have you know that won't work this time."
I don't know what's worse: that he's this angry already or if this isn't the first time this has happened…
Nat shoved his hand into his jacket. "You're about to get thrashed, Robertson," he growled.
"Nat!" Sean yelped, hastily and jerkidly stepping between the two antagonists. "You don't have to hurt anyone! Just calm down, and I'll get Lucas to apologize, alright?"
Nat's face began to cool to a perplexed stare. Lucas shot his friend a confounded glance, before blinking. "Oh, right," Lucas said, clearing his throat. "You've, uh, never been here. This isn't a fight club. He's talking about a card game."
Nat, chuckling heartily, nodded. "Yeah, sorry 'bout that. Guess I got a little heated, huh?" He reached back into his jacket, rummaged, and pulled out a small, pine-green box. "We're talking about having a cardfight."
It was Sean's turn to bear a confused look. "Cardfight?"
Lucas pulled a similar sized, burnt orange box from his jean pockets. "Uh huh," he confirmed. "We're about to play a game of Cardfight Vanguard. Well, 'game' is a bit generous," he smirked. "You're about to witness the shellacking of the century."
Nat's smile faded, and he began to simmer again. "Sit down, Robertson. Time to put up or shut up." He firmly placed his box on the table. "I'm going first this time."
Lucas shrugged. "Fine by me. A win's a win, either way." Opening his own box, he pulled out a bulky stack of cards, leafed through the deck quickly and expertly, and placed a single card face down. Nat did the same. Whatever Vanguard was, Sean thought, they've been playing it for a while, given how they handle the cards.
"Now," Nat said, "let us imagine."
Lucas rolled his eyes. "This again? Can't we just get started?"
"Imagination is a crucial part of Vanguard," Nat shot back. "A cardfight without imagination is like a game of football with no quarterback."
"Pretty sure a cardfight without imagination is just a cardfight. Imagination doesn't win games, skill does." Lucas turned to Sean, who was watching this whole exchange with a polite but bemused smile. "Sorry 'bout this. Nathaniel is a little too into the game."
"Too much of a good thing is never a bad thing, Robertson," Nat growled. "Now get ready."
"Fine, fine."
Both players reached for their own face down card.
"Now stand up, my vanguard!"
Both players flipped their cards face-up.
"Muscle Babyface, Kid Stern!"
"Larval Mutant, Genius Form!"
Both cards were...interesting, at least in terms of illustrations. Lucas's card seemed to be a squat, musclebound luchador with blue skin, piercing red eyes, and blade-like fingernails. Nat's card was some sort of humanoid insect, with spectacle like eyes, an ornate handgun in one hand and a riding crop in the other. Sean had seen bizarre things before, but these beat them all out by a mountainous margin.
"Wrestlers? Insects? What kind of game is this?" Sean thought aloud.
Nat glanced up. "Oh yeah, you've never played before. Vanguard may seem strange to someone on the outside, but I wouldn't have it any other way." He returned his attention to his hand. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a jackass to stomp."
"Ooh, you kiss your mother with that mouth?" quipped Lucas.
"Bite me," Nat shot back. "I draw, and ride Antisocial Odonata." He firmly placed another card on top of the one he began with. The placed card resembled glangly humanoid dragonfly, with two pairs of crossed arms and mechanical wings. "Thanks to Genius Form's skill, I draw."
"Uh, 'ride?'" ask Sean.
"I can explain it all later," Lucas offered. "For now, pull up a chair yourself comfortable. This'll be hilarious." Sean accepted the offer and took a seat next to his friend."
"Your turn, Robertson."
"Alright, I draw." Lucas smiled before pulling a card from his hand. "And now, I ride Muscle Kilo, Bursting Serr." Like Nat, he placed the new card on top of the older one. The new card also depicted a wrestler, but this one was larger, with a lopsided muscle build and a more ragged costume, as if it was shredded suddenly and violently. "Since I rode on Kid Stern, I get to draw a card. Then I call Muscle Kilo, Counterpunch Arti to rearguard."
Lucas placed a card to the right of Serr, depicting a green, cyclopean alien with boxing shorts and large, piston-like arms.
"Now for the battle phase," grinned Lucas. He reached for Arti, and turned it ninety degrees to the right. "Arti attacks your vanguard with 8000 attack power!"
"I don't guard," said Nat. "Checking for a damage trigger." He flipped the top card of his deck, revealing another humanoid insect, then placed it on his far left sideways.
"8000 power only deals one card of damage?" Sean asked.
Lucas chuckled. "Well, Vanguard doesn't really have life points or whatever. We just have to hit each other until we deal six cards worth of damage. Since my attack power matched his vanguard's current power, and he didn't guard, I dealt damage. Make sense?"
"I thought you'd explain later, Robertson," Nat interrupted. "As nice it is that you're explaining the rules to a new player, we're still in the middle of a cardfight."
"Sorry, Nathaniel," Lucas replied. "Back to our regularly scheduled ass-kicking." He turned Serr the same way he did Arti. "Serr attacks your vanguard next!"
"I don't guard," Nat repeated.
"Drive check," Lucas said, flipping over the top card. Apparently he was expecting something, because he gave a slight scowl. "No trigger," he said, adding the card to his hand.
"Checking for another damage trigger," repeated Nat, performing a similar action. The flipped card, however, was markedly different from the last; its border was a bright yellow, and there was a red, boxy symbol in the upper right corner. "A Draw Trigger. I give the power to Odonata, and I draw." He placed the flipped card on the far left like the last one, then drew a card.
"Oh, so the little symbols are Triggers?" Sean inquired.
"A quick learner as always, Sean," praised Nat. "But please refrain from interrupting again."
"Don't see why your in such a good mood, mister Thesaurus," quipped Lucas. "I just dealt you two damage, and that trigger you got was wasted."
"An extra card is never wasted," returned Nat. "Now then, it's my turn. I draw, and ride Miss Guiding Light." He placed a new card on Odonata; this one resembled a firefly with an overtly feminine form, holding an oversized lantern in one hand and a megaphone in the other. "And I use her on-place skill. I Counter Blast one," he said, turning a card on his far-right face down, "to look at the top six cards of my deck, and add a Grade 3 from among them to my hand." After leafing through the top six, he smirked and revealed a card depicting an intimidating beetle before adding it to his hand. "I'm shuffling the rest back."
Sean had lost track at this point. Counter Blast? Grade? If it didn't mean being scolded again, he would have asked a torrent of questions. But instead he nodded along with Lucas, who looked unfazed at the adding of another card to Nat's growing hand.
"Next up, I call Needling Culicyclo," Nat said, placing a card to the left of Miss Guiding Light. This one was a sickly looking humanoid mosquito with a dagger-sized syringe in each of its four hands. "I Soul Blast a card," he said, moving a card from the stack under Miss Guiding Light to behind his deck, "to add 6000 power to him."
"Alright," Lucas dully acknowledged.
"I Call Flannel Megalomaniac next," Nat continued, placing another card, this time to the right of Miss Guiding Light. Yet another insect, it was large and fuzzy, like it was wearing a fur coat, and held vials of purple liquid in between its spindly fingers. "I Counter Blast to use his skill, and now Arti can't stand during your next turn!"
Stand? How many terms did this game have?
"OK," Lucas said, continuing to sound disinterested.
"Don't act so cool. That's one less boost you have to work with next turn. And since its a Grade 1, Flannel's skill kicks it; you can't retire it next turn," Nat countered.
Retire? Sean was thoroughly lost. All he knew was that Nat was putting Lucas in a bad spot...or maybe not, given Lucas's aloofness.
"Finally, I call Bomber Jacket," Nat continued, placing a card behind Miss Guiding Light. It was (surprise!) another insect, this time a humanoid hornet in an aviator jacket, donning goggles and wielding a massive rifle resembling an anti-aircraft gun. "I use his skill- by dropping a card, I can draw a new one."
Lucas shrugged. "Decent formation, I guess. You ready to attack yet?"
"You act all tough, but you're about to face the full brunt of a Megacolony assault," Nat declared. "First up is Flannel Megalomaniac, attacking your vanguard with 9000 attack power."
"No guard," said Lucas, already flipping the top card. "No trigger either." He slid the card to his far-left side.
"Now, with a boost from Bomber Jacket, Miss Guiding Light attacks your vanguard with 17000 power." Both cards in the column were turned sideways this time.
Boost? Sean thought. Add it to the list…
"No guard," repeated Lucas.
"Alright, drive check time," Nat said. He flipped the card, with no trigger showing up. Lucas flipped a second card, sliding it to his left again.
"Finally, Culicyclo attacks your vanguard. Thanks to his skill, he's coming in with 15000 power!"
"That, I'm guarding," Lucas interrupted, placing a card sideways in between Bursting Serr and Miss Guiding Light. "Muscle Kilo, Jobber Poll will make my shield 18000," he explained, before placing that card behind his deck.
Nat scoffed. "So you blocked it. Big deal. Got you tied for damage."
"Not too worried 'bout that. I stand and draw." Lucas turned Serr upright, leaving Arti sideways. He grinned. "You may have stunned my rearguard, but the real show is just starting. I ride Muscle Mega, Showboat Anco!" He placed a new card on top of Serr. This was another wrestler, this one in a gaudy black and red costume, with a spangled cape and blue colored briefs, striking a pose and sporting a pearly smile and egg-shaped, solid red eyes.
"Serr's skill states than when he's ridden on, I can call him from soul to rearguard," Lucas said, sliding Serr out from under Anco and to its lower-right.
Soul? How many terms does this game have?
"Now I move Arti back," Lucas said, sliding it back to the same row as Serr, "and now I call Muscle Mega, Windmill Fraspi and Muscle Mega, Rocksteady Iliac!" To Anco's left, Lucas placed Iliac, a hulking tower of a wrestler with cyan, rock-like skin, a jagged mouth, and what looked like twelve-pack abs. To Anco's right, another wrestler was placed, this one with lime-green skin, four snake-like eyes, and three arms sprouting from each socket.
Who draws these things? Seriously!
"Here comes the storm!" Lucas declared. "With a boost from Serr, Fraspi comes swinging in at your vanguard!"
"17000 power is nothing," Nat answered, pulling a card from his hand. "I guard with Silent Lox, bringing my shield to 18000."
"That's just the start! Iliac charges at your vanguard!"
"Culicyclo will intercept," Nat declared, moving the card from his field to between Miss Guiding Light and Anco, before putting it on the pile behind his deck.
Intercept is a new one. How many terms is that, now?
"Now Anco attacks your vanguard! With his skill, I Counter Blast to restand Iliac and give him 3000 more power until the end of this turn." Lucas turned Iliac rightside up again.
He got another attack? Maybe Nat's the one in trouble…
"I don't guard," Nat responded.
"I'm checking for a drive trigger," Lucas said, flipping over a card. He grinned. "Booyah! A Draw Trigger! That's one more card for me, and 10000 power to Fraspi!"
Hold on, don't you have to turn a card to have it attack? Why give points to something already sideways?
"Iliac is back at it, now with 12000 power! And since I stood him with a card effect, I can Counter Blast 1 to stand another rearguard and give it 5000 extra power! I stand Fraspi, and now his skill kicks in- when Fraspi stands during my battle phase, he gets an additional 5000 power!"
Nat clenched his teeth. "In that case, I'll guard against you with a Miss Guiding Light from hand! That brings my shield to 14000"
"Suit yourself, but I doubt you can stop Fraspi's next attack, coming in at 29000!"
"No guard. Come on, I need a Trigger…" Nat flipped another card, with nothing to show.
Lucas smirked. "I think I'll end it there. Your turn."
Nat's voice trembled. "You're all talk! Five attacks and you only got two through! I stand and draw!" He paused and ran his fingers along his hand. "I gotta win this here and now, so I'll hit you with everything! I ride Toxic Blade Mutant, Dorcas Zwei!"
Nat practically slammed the card on top of Miss Guiding Light. Sean had gotten a glimpse of the card before, but now saw it in its full, intimidating force. It was a massive humanoid stag beetle, with one of its pincers snapped and scarred. It's carapice resembled a full suit of medieval armor, with a glistening black finish. In each hand it gripped a blade nearly as tall as it was, each serrated and dripping with a purple toxin.
"And with that, I gain an Imaginary Gift! Protect I!" Nat snatched a card from a pile of cards in front of his damage cards, and added it to his hand. "With this, I gained a Perfect Guard for my next turn!"
The terms start coming and don't stop coming…
"Not only that, but with Zwei's skill, I can choose two of your rearguards, and they can't stand next turn! I'm stunning both Arti and Serr! With that, your attacks will wiff!"
Lucas blinked. "I mean, alright. I woulda gone for Iliac and Fraspi, but-"
"Stop telling me how to play my deck! I call a second Zwei to rearguard, along with Silent Lox and Antisocial Odonata!"
Nat placed the cards so rapidly and aggressively they nearly flew off the table. The only one Sean hadn't seen was Lox, a humanoid spider with fine, silky white skin and thin, dangling arms.
"Now for Zwei's skill! I can Soul Blast 1, and it gains 5000 power for each rested rearguard. That's 20000 extra power! And since there were four or more rested rearguards, it gets an extra Critical too! I use the same skill for my rearguard Zwei! Get ready for an unstoppable assault!"
Lucas leafed through his hand before smiling. "I think I can take it."
"With a boost from Lox, Flannel attacks your vanguard! He's coming in at 21000!"
"Alright, then I guard with Muscle Babyface, Chuckin' Rhom! That should buff me to a shield of 24000!"
"Your wasting cards! Bomber Jacket lends his support to my vanguard Zwei! With 40000 power and 2 Critical, he'll cut your Anco to pieces!"
"Sorry, but your attack is going nowhere! I guard with Muscle Babyface, Unflappable Pyra! Since its a Sentinel, I can discard a card to completely shut down the attack!"
Nat growled. "O-oh yeah? Let's check my twin drive! The first-" nothing, "and second…" This time, Nat managed to flip a card with a bright yellow symbol in the corner. "A Critical Trigger! I give the 10000 power and plus one critical to my rearguard Zwei! Now with Odonata lending his power, my rearguard Zwei attacks with 50000 Power and 3 Critical!"
Lucas sighed. "Welp, guess I'll take that. I'm checking for three Damage Triggers. First up-" nothing. "Second-" nothing again. "Now the third-" this time, he flipped a card with a verdant green symbol in the corner. "Well, how about that? A Heal Trigger. I give the 10000 Power to my vanguard, and recover one point of damage."
Nat groaned. "You mean I only did two damage that turn?!"
"Oh, quit whining, you wouldn't have won anyway. I stand and draw. Now I ride the champion of the cosmos, the lord of the ring, Muscle Ultima, Undefeated Brach!"
If Dorcas Zwei was truly intimidating, then Brach was truly inspiring. His costume was a power-clashing red and white, covering a mountainous, finely sculpted body with what looked like a Silver Age superhero. His belt was a shining platinum, reminiscent of the glory days of wrestling. With four massive arms, he struck a pose that, while flashy and obviously showboating, gave hope and awe. His skin was a burnt orange, much like Lucas's box, and he donned a crested gladiator helm. He was a warrior to admire, Sean thought.
"By riding him, I get an Imaginary Gift! Accel II! With this, I get an extra rearguard circle, and I draw!"
Lucas took from his own pile above his damage cards, and placed a horizontal card to the left of Iliac. "Next up, I call Muscle Mega, Spirited Longi to the Accel circle!"
Longi was probably the most absurd card Sean saw that day. He was a wrestler, just like the rest of Lucas's cards, but instead of dressing in spandex, this mint-green alien dressed more like a stage magician, complete with a shimmering tuxedo, top hat, and cane. He was built like his other cards, but was probably the gaudiest thing Sean had seen for a good while.
"Now for Brach's first skill! By Soul Blasting 2 cards, I can give my entire front row 5000 extra power! Don't need grade 1s to boost my attacks to pummel your Zwei!"
Nat caramel skin began to fade to a sickly pale. "Aw, crap…"
"Time for my battle phase! Longi attacks your vanguard! Since he's on an Accel II circle, he gets 5000 extra power, and since my vanguard is a grade 3, I can give two other units 2000 power! Iliac and Fraspi are getting pumped up!"
"I-I guard with Syphon Terror! Your power is only 19000, but my shield is 27000! I'm safe!"
"Oh, I'm just starting! Iliac, get in there!"
"I-intercept with Flannel Megalomaniac! 17000 to your 16000!"
"Fraspi, break through!"
"Guard with Culicyclo from hand! 17000 to your 16000 again!"
"Now it's time for the reigning champ to defend his title! When Brach attacks, I can Counter Blast 1 and discard a card to give him an extra drive check and stand a rearguard! I stand Iliac, and boost his power by 3000!"
"I'll use my Protect Gift to nullify the attack!"
"Fine by me! Time for Brach's triple drive! The first-" nothing. "The second-" nothing again. "And finally…" Lucas flipped the third card, revealing one with a purple symbol in its upper-right corner. "Aw yeah, a Front Trigger! All of my front row units just got a 10000 power bonus! You may have stopped the champ, now Iliac is back for round 2! With his skill, I can restand Fraspi, and give him an additional 5000 power, on top of the 5000 power from Fraspi's own effect!"
Nat stammered. "He's coming in at 31000?! At a time I have no cards left for defense?!"
Lucas put on the biggest smirk Sean had ever seen. "Come on, Nathaniel, do your damage check."
Nat complied, and got nothing.
"And for the win, Fraspi comes in with a whopping 36000 power! Too bad you can't guard this one, huh?"
Nat sputtered. "I-I can stay in if I get a Heal Trigger! Please…" But the top card had nothing to offer. Nat sank in his chair. "I-I got crushed…"
"Damn, I'm good! Hey, Sean, did you see me smoke this clown?" Sean didn't answer; he was transfixed on the table currently covered in a litany of cards. "Uh, Sean?"
Unceremoniously, Sean's timer began to ring, bringing him back to reality. After silencing it clumsily, Sean turned to his friend. "I…" he began, stuttered, and finally took a deep breath to compose himself. "I have so many questions. And I need to know the answers."
Lucas blinked. Then smiled. Then let out a loud, boisterous laugh. "I'd be happy to answer them, buddy." He slapped his hand on Sean's shoulders. "What's up first?"
