A thundery storm rages on, rain falls from the cloudy night sky, and waves crash against the base of the tall cliffs. On top of the cliffs, is a lightly armored robot with blue metal plates and orange eyes. It draws a blade from its back, electrified by orange-colored lightning. The robot swings the sword around as several horrific undead monsters leap from the other cliff towards it, ready to strike it with their massive weapons.
With a swing of the blade, a portal appears in front of the robot, and several smaller robots appear from the portal stopping the undead onslaught as a voice declares with little concern, "Guard!" The lightning crackles and the sky flashes white, as the blue robot activates the jets on its feet and launches itself to the other cliff side, facing down a humanoid figure with blue skin, and wearing tattered dark robes. "I attack the Vanguard!" the same voice declares as the robot dashes forward, slashing at the figure, and after it adjusts its position, the robot sheaths its sword, causing an explosion that disintegrates the blue-skinned figure.
Everything goes white, as the scene changes to a stadium, with a bright light beaming down onto a table with cards laid out across it. One person slumps over the table as the other, with light-blue hair, yellow eyes, and wearing a dark-blue shirt under a green jacket, lifts up his hand as a loud voice over a microphone says, "And it's over! Kyoya of the Azure Wings has won! Who would have thought, a rag-tag band of friends would break into the top 100 of the Japanese Division!"
As the voice makes its declaration, four people standing in the darkness behind the blue-haired boy applaud him for his victory, and, at the same time, the stadium erupts into cheers.
In the not-so-distant future, there is a card game that has exploded into popularity, so much so, that it is now considered a professional sport across multiple countries around the globe. This game is called Cardfight! Vanguard.
Millions of people play it, both for fun and on a professional level, but regardless of how they play it, it is still a game that everyone loves.
This story will follow the adventures of a band of friends, as they journey to the top of the Vanguard world, and fulfill their dream of becoming the best Vanguard team in the world!
Opening Theme – Red Criminal (Scarlet Nexus anime OP1)
Episode 1 – Welcome to The Azure Wings
The next day on a bright and sunny morning, the same boy from before lies asleep in his bed in his room, which is painted a dark blue, a nice brown wood on the floor, and a window by his bed, which is placed against the back wall across from the door. As he snores away in the bed, a feminine shadowy figure approaches him. The shadow is cast from a young girl with the same hair color as him, but yellowish-green eyes, and wearing a pink frilly skirt and a black tank-top. She pulls out a wooden spoon and a metal pan with a goofy grin on her face, and then starts banging the two together, creating a lot of noise, "Come on big bro! It's morning!"
Without even much as batting an eye, the boy turns his head to look at the girl. "Kasumi…" he mutters in a tired voice, "Do you have to do this every morning? I have an alarm clock you know?"
The girl stops banging the utensils together, drops them on the floor, and says, "I know, but it's more fun this way." She then starts giggling as she leaps onto the bed and starts hugging the boy very tightly. Slightly annoyed by this, the boy throws the sheets off him and by extension the girl, revealing his dark-blue t-shirt, and black boxer shorts. The girl hops up off the floor and says, "Come on! Mom's making pancakes for breakfast." And then runs out of the room, as the boy scratches his head and follows after her.
The boy is Kyoya Hiiragi, our main character in this story, while the girl is his little sister, Kasumi.
When Kyoya leaves his room and gets onto the balcony that overlooks the first floor, he hears a cheerful "Woof!" come from at his feet. He looks down to see a chubby little corgi looking up at him and panting. "Hey Spark. How are you doing buddy?" Kyoya says as he picks up the dog and holds him high like a newborn baby as he continues, "Man, you've gotten really big. Feels like only just yesterday mom got you." The dog barks at him in response. He then hears a "Meow" come from below as well. He looks down to see two cats pawing at his legs, one white and one black. "Oh, Tit and Tat, good morning to you too." Kyoya puts the dog down and pets the two cats on their heads.
He then hears his sister's voice call him from downstairs, "Kyoya! Where are you?!" Kyoya then heads down the stairs to the living room, which is connected to the dining room and kitchen. He sees his sister and father sitting around a square wooden table, while his mom finishes preparing breakfast in the kitchen.
"Good morning Kyoya." His mother, who has the same shade of blue hair like him and his sister, greets him as he sits down at the table, "I hope you're hungry, because I made extra today."
She puts a plate of pancakes, lathered in syrup and a small block of butter on top, in front of him as he exhales and says, "Thanks Mom." Before giving thanks for the food and eating.
"I saw you on TV yesterday big bro!" Kasumi tells him, referring to the match he had in the beginning, which was broadcasted live on TV, "You were amazing!"
"Come on Kasumi, I didn't really do anything special." Kyoya tells her, trying to be humble.
"You won the match," his father says, "that's all that matters."
"And besides," his mother says, as she sits down at the table, "we're proud of you for even having this opportunity to play your favorite game on live TV like that."
Kyoya sighs and says, "Yeah, yeah, if you say so." As he takes a bite of his pancakes.
After he finishes eating, he heads back up to his room to get dressed for school in a yellow blazer over a white dress shirt, blue tie, and black jeans. After that, with a farewell from his parents, he leaves his house, gets on his bicycle, and rides off to school.
Later, at an average high school, a young girl with medium-length, pale, pinkish-purple hair, green eyes, and a white bow in her hair, sits at her desk near the window as she looks at a deck of Vanguard cards, the bottom card depicting a female knight with blue wind around her. This girl is Kira Nakamade, the main heroine of this story. She then hears someone call her name, "Kira!" She panics and quickly shoves the deck into the small shelf under her desk, as she looks over to see three normal-looking girls run-up to her. "Hey, we're going to the mall later. Want to come?"
The pink-haired girl shrugs and says, "Sorry… but I don't really feel like it."
Another of the three girls puts her hands on her hips, leans forward, and asks in a smug tone, "You're still not playing that card game, are you?"
Kira's expression becomes flustered as she asks in response, "Uh… what card game?"
"Cardfight Vanguard?" the third girl says, "You realize that's a boy's game right?" Kira was thinking of responding but chose not to. "Well if you ever change your mind about the mall, you know where we'll be."
Once those girls walk out of the classroom, Kira pulls out the deck again and looks at it, thinking to herself, "It's not a boy's game… I can't be the only girl who plays it. Right?"
Just then, she hears the classroom door open to see Kyoya walking in. "Ah Kyoya, my favorite student. Good morning!" the middle-aged male teacher says with a cheerful tone.
"Morning Professor." Kyoya says, waving back at him as he makes his way to his seat, in the middle of the classroom. Kira watches him as he sits down, intrigued by him. She knows about his victory on TV last night, but until now, she never realized she was in the same class as him.
Later, after school, Kyoya walks through the courtyard, carrying his bag over his shoulder, and snacking on a melon pan he bought from a vending machine when he hears someone call him from across the yard, "Kyoya!" he looks over to see two younger boys running toward him. They stop right in front of him and say, "F-Found you! Kyoya Hiiragi!"
Kyoya tosses them an unamused glare and asks, "Can I help you?"
One of the boys responds in a nervous tone and says, pointing a finger at him, "Y-Yeah! We saw your match last night on TV!"
Kyoya then thinks to himself, "Why is everyone obsessed with that match?"
The boy then continues, "W-We were big fans of that clan, and we're not going to let you, tarnishing their reputation, go unpunished!" he then pulls out a deck of cards, as if he's requesting a fight.
Kyoya thinks again, "Man, talk about fanatics." He finishes his melon pan and says to the boys, "Sorry, as much as I'd love to fight you, I've got other plans."
"A-Are you scared?" the other boy taunts him, making Kyoya stop.
"B-Bro! Don't, you'll anger him." The first boy whispers to his friend.
Kyoya then spins around to face them and says, "On second thought, maybe I can spare a little time."
Meanwhile, Kira is busy helping one of the teachers collect some paperwork. She places a giant stack of paper on the desk and says, "Here's the last of the homework sheets Mr. Kiriya."
The man looks up at her and says, "Thanks a lot Kira. I really appreciate your help."
She smiles at him and says, "I'm always happy to help."
She starts to walk away, when she hears the teacher stop her, "Oh hey by the way." She looks back at him as he continues, "I overheard your conversation with those girls this morning."
Kira's eyes widen as she tries to avoid the topic saying, "O-Oh that. D-Don't worry about that."
"Kira," the teacher says, "if it makes you feel better, I think it's perfectly fine to play Vanguard, even if it is a boy's game." As he tosses her a wink and a thumbs up.
Kira tries to muster a smile at his words and says, "Th-Thank you, professor." Even though what he said didn't really make her feel better at all.
Later, she is about to walk through the school's front door, staring at her deck deep in thought, when she hears talking nearby. She looks up to see Kyoya and two boys are sitting at a table playing Vanguard. She decides to stay back and watch.
"Let's go." Kyoya says, "Persona Ride!" as soon as he says this, Kira sees a bright flash of white, causing her to shield her eyes in reflex.
When she opens her eyes again, she is met with a scene that looks like something out of a sci-fi movie. There were snow-covered mountains, and what appeared to be five spherical domes embedded in the ground, as a tall pillar of light beams up from the ground. She can hardly believe what she was seeing. Was it real? Was it a dream? She could also see, off in the distance, a blue robot with a sword infused with orange lightning. Just then, the whole scene is vaguely familiar to her. This is a similar setting to what she saw in her mind while watching Kyoya's fight on TV last night.
"We're done here." She hears Kyoya's voice say as she watches the robot slice off the wing of a giant red phoenix before her vision goes white again.
Upon opening her eyes again, she notices she's back in reality. She sees the boys slumped over the table as Kyoya is picking up his cards. "Wh-What was that?" she asks herself.
"Good game guys." Kyoya says to his opponents as he puts the last of his cards into his deck. One of the boys picks himself up, points at Kyoya, and demands a rematch, but Kyoya responds as he stands up from the table, "Sorry guys, but I've really got somewhere I need to be."
He then proceeds to walk out the front gate, but after some hesitation, Kira calls out to him, "Um… Excuse me!" she says, walking up to him. She tries to say the next thing on her mind, but she can't seem to say anything and then starts to get concerned that this is awkward for him.
Kyoya looks at her a bit more closely, making him raise an eyebrow asking, "Do I know you? You look familiar."
Realizing what he said, Kira scratches the back of her head and says, "O-Oh, I'm Kira Nakamade. I'm in the same class as you. Class 3C."
Kyoya searches his brain, and he realizes, "Oh yeah, you are in my class."
"And you're Kyoya Hiiragi right?" Kira asks, and he nods in response, "Um… what… was that just now?"
"What was what?" Kyoya asks, a little confused by her question.
"I-I saw you playing Vanguard against those boys, and then… there was just a bright flash, and it… was almost like I could see it all happening right in front of me."
Kyoya's eyes widen at her statement, but then looks down at the deck in her hand, then looks back at her face and asks, "You play Vanguard?"
"U-Um… well…" Kira says, hesitant to answer, assuming he might think she's weird for playing a game she thinks is only for boys. She finally answers and says, "No. Besides, you'd probably think I'm weird for liking a game that's meant for boys.
"It's not exclusively for boys." He tells her, making her raise an eyebrow, "I know a few girls who play Vanguard."
"You do?"
"Yep." An idea then pops into his head. He asks her, "Hey, do you have any plans for after school today?"
Kira responds with, "Not really. I was just going to go home and study."
Kyoya then grabs his bike off the bike rack, drags it to the front gate, and asks, "Why don't you come with me?"
Startled by this sudden request, Kira responds with, "W-What?!"
"Come on. I want to show you something I think you'll like." Kyoya urges her to come along.
Although initially against it, Kira decides to take him up on his offer, thinking she can trust him. They try their best to both sit on the bike seat together as Kira puts her arms around his waist to avoid falling off the bike, as he starts peddling.
"Um, Kyoya, where are we going?" Kira asks him, still worried about falling off the bike, and about where he's taking her.
"I've got this hang out I go to everyday. My clan and I play Vanguard there all the time." Kyoya explains, "You'll love it."
"Wait, your clan?" Kira asks.
Kyoya nods and replies, "Yeah, the Azure Wings. I was thinking of inviting you into the group."
"What?! But I don't even play Vanguard." She lies, still fearing he'd think she's weird.
"I saw that deck." Kyoya tells her, "You wouldn't have a deck if you don't play." Kira then glances down, a little bummed she's been found out.
The two of them eventually arrive at a small two-story house with a nameplate on the front gate that reads, "Yamazaki"
"I-Is this your house?" Kira asks as she gets off the bike, while Kyoya walks up to the front gate.
"Nah. It's my friend's house." Kyoya tells her as he opens the gate and rings the doorbell.
Within a minute, someone answers the door. It is a young girl with long dark-blue hair with pink streaks in it and red eyes with purple eye shadow. She is wearing a blue sleeveless vest over a sleeveless green t-shirt with a cat logo on it, bluish-green shorts, and white thigh-high socks. Her name, is Ruri Yamazaki. Her eyes light up when she sees Kyoya standing at the door, "Kyoya! You made it!" she exclaims in a cheery voice.
"Hey Ruri, sorry I'm late." Kyoya responds, "is everyone else in the back?"
Ruri nods aggressively and says, "Yeah, come on." She then gestures Kyoya, and by extension, Kira inside. They take their shoes off before stepping inside the house, as the girl takes them straight to the back door, which opens to a large backyard with flower gardens, and a rather large shed that is open. The girl leads them to the shed as she says, "Hey Shuichi! They're here!"
When Kira steps into the shed, she is shocked by its décor. She expected a normal shed with tools or lawn equipment, but instead, it looks like a trendy teen hang out. The walls were painted a pleasant pastel-blue color, and a light-gray carpet lined the floor. There is a wooden coffee table in the middle of it with a small blue couch and two matching armchairs around it, as well as posters on the left wall depicting Vanguard units, and a large flat-screen TV hanging from the ceiling on the right. Toward the back of the shed, there is a refrigerator with a microwave on top, and a long desk that seems to have documents of some kind on it, and a laptop, as well as a person sitting at that laptop in an office chair.
After the girl announced their arrival, the guy at the computer spins around to see them. He looked like a well-built young man with messy dark brown hair, green eyes, rectangle glasses, and a small patch of hair on his chin. He was wearing a green t-shirt under a dark-gray sweater, and blue jeans. "Kyoya, about time." He says, slightly annoyed.
Kyoya sets his bag down in the corner of the room and apologizes, "Sorry, I got held up at school."
"Well, it's no big deal." The young man says, then looks up at Kira, "Who's this?"
"She's my classmate." Kyoya explains.
Kira bows and introduces herself, "I-I'm Kira Nakamade. Nice to meet you."
"It's a pleasure to meet you too." The young man says as he stands up from the chair and bows, "I'm Shuichi Kimimaru. Just call me Shuichi."
"Kira here is looking to join the Azure Wings." Kyoya tells Shuichi, but Kira refutes in a slight panic.
"Uh, wait! Hold on! I never said anything about wanting to join this club of yours." She says.
"You play Vanguard, don't you?" Kyoya asks her, "Why else would you have a deck?"
Kira hesitates with her answer, but responds, "Well you see, the thing is… My friends made me think that Vanguard is a boys only game."
Both Kyoya and Shuichi raise an eyebrow at her response. Even Ruri is a little confused. "I don't know why they would think that," Kyoya tells her, "There are plenty of girls who play Vanguard."
"Yeah," Ruri says, hopping into place beside Kira, pulling a deck out of her back pocket and putting on a big smile, "I'm one of them."
Kira is a little shocked. Up until now, she thought she was the only girl on the planet who played Vanguard. "See? Vanguard is a game for everyone." Kyoya says, "It doesn't matter your gender, race, or even religion. The game has something for everyone."
"I… I guess you're right." Kira says looking at her deck in her hands.
Ruri then puts her hands behind her back, leans closer to Kira, and says, "Besides, wouldn't it be nice to have a place to play Vanguard in secret from them?"
Kira then slowly begins to smile, "Y-Yeah… maybe that would be nice."
"So, what do you say," Kyoya asks, holding out his deck, "how about a fight right now?"
Kira wants to say yes, but instead, she worries and says, "B-But I've only ever played one time, so I don't remember a lot of the rules."
"Don't worry," Kyoya reassures her, "I'm sure they'll come back once we start fighting."
Kira then nods and says, "Okay."
The four people in the room then gather around the coffee table, with Kyoya and Kira on opposite sides as they shuffle their decks. Shuichi chimes in and requests, "Kira, would you mind if I had a look at your deck?" After giving it a few seconds of thought, she hands her deck to the glasses boy as he spreads it out to look through it. "Keter Sanctuary huh? We actually don't have a Keter Sanctuary user yet." He says, and then hands the deck back to Kira, "Your deck looks interesting. I look forward to seeing how it plays."
Unsure how to respond, Kira just says, "Uh… thanks…?"
"Hey Shuichi, do you mind?" Kyoya says, a little annoyed at his interference.
Shuichi tosses him a glare back and says, "I only wanted to see what her deck was like. Not like it gives you any advantage."
With a huff, Kyoya looks back at Kira and asks, "Ready?"
"Yeah." She responds. Shuichi sits down on one of the armchairs behind Kyoya while Ruri sits on the sofa behind Kira, as she and Kyoya then place their hands on their cards as they declare in unison, "Stand up… VANGUARD!"
Within a land of snowy mountains, two figures emerge.
"Cyber Cop, Angelus (G0/6000)." Kyoya declares.
"Little Angel, Millium (G0/6000)." Kira declares.
"I'll go first if that's alright with you." Kyoya offers, and Kira nods in response. "Okay then. I Ride! Cyber Rider, Vince (G1/8000)!" Kira then imagines a robot cop on a hover motorcycle riding over a mountain top, and onto the battlefield. "Using Vince's skill. I can search my deck for a Cyberframe Order card and put it into my hand."
"What does that do?" Kira asks.
"You'll see." Kyoya says as he proceeds to play the very card he put into his hand, "I play the Set Order, Cyberframe Core! Using the skill, when played, I can put the top two cards of my deck underneath it as Energy." Kyoya takes two cards from the top of his deck, and puts them face down underneath his order card (Energy 0-2), "I end my turn."
Kira nods and starts her turn, "Okay. Draw. Ride! Angelic Knight, Relia (G1/8000)!" in their minds, an angel with knight armor, and brandishing a broad sword and shield flies down from the sky. She looks at the angel who looks back at her, and they nod at each other. "I… I remember now! Relia attacks your Vanguard!"
Kyoya smiles and says, "That's a no guard."
"Drive Check (Critical). Critical Trigger! I give all effects to Relia (8000-18000/Crit 1-2)!" Relia then slashes at Kyoya's robot motorist, causing it to fly off the bike.
"Damage check (none/none)." (Kyoya: [][]) Kyoya, unphased by the two damage, simply starts his turn, "From the ride deck, I ride! Cyber Knight, Vier (G2/10000)." A robotic knight, clad in red armor, lands like a superhero on the ground and flourishes his sword, "I call another Vier (G2/10000) and Cyber Tech Wizard, Kyle (G1/8000). I then activate Cyberframe Core's skill (Soul 2-1)."
"Huh?" Kira exclaims
"I can put one card from my hand underneath it as Energy." Kira questions why he'd do this, but then Kyoya carries on, "Kyle boosts, and my Vanguard Vier attacks (10000-18000)!" Kyle, dressed in his cybernetic armor, plugs a power cord into Vier and begins typing away on virtual screens, as electricity discharges from Vier, who leaps toward Kira's angel. "Kyle's skill! When he boosts, I can pay two Energy (2-0)." Kyoya takes the two cards from under his set order and puts them into the drop zone. "I draw a card, and add 5000 power to Kyle, and by extension, Vier (8000-13000) (18000-23000)." Vier takes a swipe at Kira's angel, causing one damage."
"Damage Check (none). (Kira: [])"
"With the skill of my other Vier, if I used energy this turn, add 5000 power (10000-15000). Attack the Vanguard!"
"I guard (15000)!"
"Then I end my turn." Kyoya says.
"Okay, stand and draw." Kira declares as she prepares to ride up again, "I discard one card in my hand. From the ride deck, I ride! Azure Lancer, Patricia (G2/10000)!" A blonde angel with short white wings and wielding a spear made of blue crystal descends from the sky. "Using Relia's skill! When rode upon by Patricia, I can put the top card of my deck into the damage zone face up. Then I can put one card from my damage zone into my soul (Soul 2-3). I call Valkyrie of Valor, Kariel (G2/10000), and activate her skill ([X]), add 3000 power (10000-13000). Patricia attacks your Vanguard!" the blonde angel flies forward, only to be stopped by a white metallic dragon.
"Guard (15000)."
Kira frowns and declares, "Drive Check (none(Sentinel))." Kyoya notices this and takes note of it. "Kariel attacks the Vanguard!" this time, the angel can deal a blow to Kyoya's Vanguard (Kyoya: [][][]).
Just then, a new person walks into the shed shouting, "Yoo!" Everyone looks over to see a boy with very spiky orange hair, brown eyes, thick eyebrows, and wearing a white bandana, as well as a red jacket with a blue tie, and jeans.
"Hajime, where were you?" Shuichi asks.
"Sorry man," the boy says with a shrug, "Natsumi can be a handful some times."
"What did she do this time?" Kyoya asks, looking up from his cardfight with a smug expression.
"She wanted some doughnuts from the bakery," he explains, pointing behind him, "so we had to stop and get her some, and you know her, she can be very picky about her doughnuts."
Shuichi removes his glasses for a quick second to rub his eyes and says, "Don't remind me."
The orange-haired boy then notices Kira on the couch, "Who's this? Someone's girlfriend?"
"Wh-What?!" Kira exclaims with a blush.
"Her name's Kira." Kyoya says, "She seemed interested in Vanguard, so I thought I'd invite her here."
"Oh?" The boy says, smirking widely, "She your girlfriend?"
"No." Kyoya says, almost immediately with narrow eyes. There's silence for a brief second, as everyone tries to process the fact that Kyoya even said no with how fast he said it in response.
The bandana kid then huffs, as he looks at Kira and says, "Well it's nice to meet you. Any friend of Kyoya's is a friend of mine. You can call me Hajime."
"Um… it's nice to meet you Hajime." Kira says, still a little flustered by being called someone's girlfriend.
Kyoya then chimes in, asking, "Ready to continue?" and Kira nods, "Okay, my turn." Kyoya says, as he holds up a card, "I discard one card, and from the ride deck, I ride!" the red robotic knight disappears, and in its place, a blue robot, skating along the ground, comes down from over the mountain. It stops as it draws its orange sword from the sheath and swings it around before striking a fighting stance, as Kyoya declares its name, "Cyber Blade Runner… Raiden (G3/13000)! Using Vier's skill ([X][][]). I draw one card and gain two Energy (1-3). I now call Cyber Tech Wizard, Penny (G1/8000)." Similar to the other one, a young lady in cybernetic armor appears, carrying a digital laptop, and an earpiece. "I use her skill ([X][X][])(Energy 3-1)." The female then begins typing away on her laptop and a portal opens up beside her, "I look at the top three cards of my deck and call a unit with equal or lower grade than my Vanguard. I call Rampage Cyborg Dragon, and add 5000 power (G1/8000-13000)!" From the portal, an orange-plated dragon comes charging through it like a bulldozer. "That's not all. Using Rampage's skill (Soul 2-1), I gain two Energy (1-3)."
"Wait, so you pretty much just nullified the cost?!" Kira exclaims.
"Yep. In addition, I activate the skill of Cyber Gun Gal Saal in my drop zone (Soul 1-0)." Kyoya mentions, picking up the card, depicting a cute girl wearing futuristic armor, riding on top of a large cannon like a horse, "When she's sent to the drop zone because I used her as Energy, I can call her." The unit on the card then comes flying in from the sky, unable to control her out-of-control rocket gun, and freaking out adorably. She finally manages to get control and points it forward (G2/10000). "Also, with her skill and Vier's, add 5000 power to both of them because I paid energy this turn (10000-15000) (10000-15000)."
Kyoya's Board
(G2/15000) (G3/13000) (G2/15000)
(G1/8000) (G1/8000) (G1/13000)
"Here we go. Boosted by Penny, Saal attacks the Vanguard (15000-23000)." Penny plugs a cord into the back of Saal's gun and types away on her laptop. After giving Saal the thumbs up, Saal hits a button on the top of the cannon, causing it to fire a massive beam of energy, the shockwave of which practically knocks her off the cannon.
Unable to brace for the impact, the beam hits Patricia, causing her to get knocked to the ground (Kira: [X][]).
Kyoya reaches for his Vanguard and turns it sideways. This surprises Shuichi as Kyoya declares, "Kyle's skill, when he boosts, I pay two Energy (3-1). Draw a card and add 5000 power (8000-13000), so with a boost from him, Raiden attacks the Vanguard (13000-26000)." Raiden unsheathes the sword on his back as the rovers on his feet grind against the ground. He rolls forward before springing into the air, ready to bring his sword down on Kira's Vanguard.
Kira looks at her hand and declares, "Complete Guard!"
An angel with a nurse's attire appears, as she reaches into a box of medical supplies and throws it all out, causing Raiden to back off. Meanwhile, Shuichi says, "He's taking it easy on her. That's not like him."
"Hmm?" Hajime questions, overhearing the glasses boy.
Kyoya reaches for his deck and declares, "Twin Drive (none/Critical). Critical Trigger. I give all effects to Vier (15000-25000/Crit 1-2). Boosted by Rampage, Vier attacks the Vanguard (25000-38000/Crit 2)."
"No guard." Kira responds as Vier takes a double slash at Patricia, causing her to bleed a little (Kira: [X][][][]).
"I end my turn." Kyoya says as he leans back, putting a hand on the floor to brace himself, "You're not bad for someone who hasn't played very much."
"Uh… thank you." Kira says.
She then hears an unfamiliar feminine, yet slow, voice say from right next to her, "Yeah, you're not bad." She looks over to see a rather short girl on her hands and knees, staring right at her.
"WAAH!" Kira screams, startled by the girl coming, seemingly out of nowhere.
"Sorry. Did I startle you?" the girl asks, with a deadpan voice, yet her facial expression wasn't very deadpan.
"When did you get here Natsumi?" Ruri asks, also confused as to when she arrived.
"I arrived about the same time as Hajime." The girl says.
"Wait! What about your doughnuts?" Hajime asks, "I thought you were gonna wait for them."
"They're on the desk over there." The girl points to the desk in the back of the shed, and there, everyone sees a box of doughnuts, probably still piping hot.
"You sly little devil." Shuichi says.
The girl then stands up, and Kira can get a better look at her. She has green hair, tied in a double ponytail, blue eyes, and is wearing a pink shirt that reveals her bra straps, and she also has a blue choker around her neck. She bows to Kira and says, "Pleasure to meet you, I'm Natsumi Tengo."
"Uh… Kira Nakamade… nice to meet you."
"Don't mind her," Kyoya tells Kira, "she's always finding ways to sneak in. Anyway, it's your turn."
"Right. Stand and draw. I'll discard one card." She then picks up the last card from her ride deck and looks at it. It's the same female knight she was looking at this morning. After a few seconds of deep thought, she slaps the card down, "Ride!" She then imagines herself being engulfed by a blue wind that evolves into a tornado as she calls the unit's name, "Knight of Azure Wind… Seraphina (G3/13000)!" The knight cuts through the wind and brandishes her short sword, as her feathery cape flourishes in the dispersing wind.
"So that's your Vanguard." Kyoya says.
"I activate her skill (Soul 4-3)! Look at the top five cards of my deck. I put one card among them into my damage zone face down, then I can call a card from my damage zone to the rear-guard. I call Angelic Priestess, Neriah (G1/8000). Using her skill ([X][X][X][])(Soul 3-2)! I call a card from my damage zone to the rear-guard. I call Patricia (G2/10000). I now put the top card of my deck into the damage zone face down. Patricia's skill ([X][X][X][X])! Add 10000 power to herself (10000-20000). The stage is set! I call Relia (G1/8000) and Holy Waters Cassiel (G1/8000). With both their skills! When there are no face up cards in my damage zone, add 3000 power to Relia (8000-11000), and 2000 to Cassiel (8000-10000). Next, Kariel's skill! She gains 3000 for each face down card in my damage zone."
"Wait hold on, don't you need a counter blast for that?" Ruri asks, slightly confused.
"With Kariel's other skill," Kira says, "if I have no face up cards in my damage zone, I can pay for the skill with a Soul Blast!"
"What?!" Kyoya exclaims without raising his voice.
"Since there are four cards face down, add 12000 power (10000-22000)! Lastly, I use Seraphina's skill! If there are no face up cards in my damage zone, add 5000 power to all of my units!" Seraphina raises her sword as the wind begins to pick up again. It circles around her Valkyries lifting them higher into the sky as they spread their wings wide.
Kira's Board
(G2/27000) (G3/18000) (G2/25000)
(G1/15000) (G1/13000) (G1/16000)
Kyoya begins analyzing the situation in his head, "42000 in the left column, 31000 in the center column, and 41000 in the right column…"
"Boosted by Neriah, Seraphina attacks the Vanguard (18000-31000)!" The priestess angel puts her hands together and says a prayer, causing light to emanate from Seraphina as she dashes toward Raiden. The two clash swords as they look at each other in the eyes, which Kyoya and Kira are doing in the real world, but Kyoya pulls a couple cards from his hand and slaps them on the board.
"Guard!" Raiden knocks Seraphina away, as a robocop and a second Kyle appear to defend Raiden, "Total shield, 20000. One to pass."
"What does that mean?" Kira asks.
"It means you need one trigger to break through his shield." Natsumi explains, with her mouth full as she is eating a doughnut.
Kira questions her actions a little, but refocuses and says, "Alright then, Twin Drive! First Check (none). Second check (Front). Front Trigger!"
"Ah?!" Kyoya is a little taken aback by the pull.
"Add 10000 power to my entire front row!"
(27000-37000) (31000-41000) (25000-35000)
Seraphina channels the wind as she slashes through the cop and Kyle and jabs her sword through Raiden, she can even hear Kyoya's voice scream "ARGH!" but in reality, Kyoya is completely unphased, albeit a little shaken from the trigger. "Damage check (none) (Kyoya: [X][][][]).
"Boosted by Relia, Patricia attacks the Vanguard (35000-51000)!" Relia and Patricia both begin to dive at Raiden.
"No guard." Kyoya declares. Their attacks connect, causing the robot to stumble, and Kira can hear Kyoya screaming in pain again (Kyoya: [X][][][][])
"He's at five damage." Hajime says.
"Is Kyoya going to lose?!" Ruri exclaims, anxious about what's about to happen.
"Boosted by Cassiel, Kariel attacks the Vanguard (37000-52000)!
Kyoya looks at his hand, contemplating his next move. Even if he were to use what's left in his hand, it wouldn't be enough to block the attack. He has no choice but to declare, "No guard." He then reaches for his deck and grabs the top card, and when he flips it over, everyone is shocked by the result (Heal). He smirks and says, "Heal Trigger." (Kyoya: [][][][][])
"No way!" Ruri exclaims, "That's only something you see in manga and anime!"
"Holy crap! That was lucky!" Hajime says whipping the sweat from his forehead.
"That's Kyoya for you." Shuichi says, "He always finds a way to come back, even if it's by pure luck."
Kira frowns at the fact she didn't win as Kyoya draws a card from his deck. "Don't feel too bad, you did pretty well."
"You think so?" she asks.
"Yeah, but… you're still a little rough around the edges." He tells her, yet through his usually sarcastic smile, Kira can still see Kyoya is happy, and that his smile is genuine.
"Th-Thanks. Kyoya." She thanks him as he begins his turn.
"Time to go all out!" Kyoya holds up a copy of Raiden and tosses it onto the board, "Persona Ride!" Raiden feels a jolt of energy, as blue and orange lightning gathers around his body.
"Wait, what's a Persona Ride?!" Kira asks.
"When I ride a unit with the Persona Ride icon over a unit of the same name, I can draw one card, and add 10000 power to my entire front row."
(10000-20000) (13000-23000) (10000-20000)
"Next I use Raiden's skill (Soul 1-0). I rest Rampage and gain two Energy (1-3). Next, over my resting Rampage, I call Cyber Rider Vince (G1/8000) and gain another two Energy (3-5).
Kyoya's Board
(G2/20000) (G3/23000) (G2/20000)
(G1/8000) (G1/8000) (G1/8000)
"Saal attacks Patricia (20000)."
"You're not boosting?" Kira asks, and Kyoya shakes his head in response. She thinks for a moment and declares, "No guard." Saal fires her cannon, which hits Patricia causing her to disintegrate.
"Vier attacks Kariel!"
"No guard again." Kariel attempts to block Vier's sword with her shield, but it's in vain. The attack breaks through, causing Kariel to vanish like Patricia did.
"With Kyle's skill (Energy 5-3), add 5000 power (8000-13000). Boost Raiden, and attack the Vanguard (23000-36000)! Using Raiden's other skill!"
"Other skill?" Kira questions.
"I pay three Energy (3-0). Stand both rear-guards in my front row, and add 5000 power to both of them (20000-25000) (20000-25000)."
Shocked by this play, Kira thinks to herself, "So that's why he didn't boost!" she then desperately scours her hand for something to do. She then realizes… she has two triggers in her hand. "I guard (15000+15000)! My shield is 30000. That's one to pass."
Kyoya smirks and says, "Okay Twin Drive. First check (none)."
"Yes!" Kira exclaims, knowing Kyoya won't get a double trigger.
"It's not over yet." Kyoya mutters.
"Huh?"
"Second check." Kyoya looks at the next card and smirks again.
"What is it?" Kira asks. Then, in their imagination, the ground begins to shake as a massive rip in space-time appears in the sky, and from the gash, a giant white dragon emerges as it lets out a deafening roar.
Kyoya shows the card he drew to Kira, and the card has a rainbow-colored trigger marker on it. "Over Trigger!" Kira's expression drops as she stares down the giant dragon. Raiden hops on its back as he says the name of the dragon, "Star Dragon Deity of Infinitude, Eldobreath!" the dragon roars again, "With its power as the over trigger! I draw one card, and add 100 million power to Raiden (36000-100036000)!"
"One hundred MILLION?!" Kira exclaims. The dragon begins charging energy beams from the spikes on its wings.
"In addition, since Eldobreath was revealed in a drive check, his additional effect activates." Kyoya says.
"What additional effect?" Kira asks.
"The power and critical of all units in my front row are doubled."
"Doubled?!" Kira exclaims.
(25000-50000/Crit 1-2) (100036000-200072000/Crit 1-2) (25000-50000/Crit 1-2)
"Two hundred million power?!" Kira exclaims. The dragon then fires the energy beams from its wings, completely annihilating Kira's guardians like they weren't even there. The attack connects, and Kyoya can hear Kira's voice screaming in pain, "AAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" in the real world, Kira flips over two cards from her deck… however… there were no triggers (Kira: [X][X][X][X][][]).
"Good game Kira." Kyoya says, extending a hand to her.
She just stares at his hand for a minute, before taking it and smiles back at him, saying, "Good game… Kyoya."
The two look into each other's eyes for a brief moment, before Natsumi, who is kneeling on the floor and resting on the coffee table with her head in her hands, chimes in, "So when are you two gonna kiss?" The two of them look down at her. Kira's face turns bright red, while Kyoya tosses her an unamused glare. Natsumi then stands up and says, "I'm only joking. That was a good cardfight."
"Indeed." Shuichi says, standing up from his chair, "You definitely have potential. I mean… heck… you almost beat Kyoya."
"Come on, that was just pure luck." Kira says, trying to be humble.
"Maybe, but still, I know a promising cardfighter when I see one." Shuichi continues.
"Yeah!" Ruri exclaims, hopping up from the sofa, "My heart would not stop beating that entire time!"
"Absolutely!" Hajime says flexing his fists, "I wanna fight you sometime too! I bet you wouldn't stand a chance against my Dragon Empire deck!"
"Aww… you guys…" Kira mutters, and she notices Kyoya looking at her again.
"So what do you say?" he asks, "Want to join the Clan?"
Kira thinks for a moment. She then smiles and says, "Sure, I'd love to!"
"Then it's official." Shuichi says, "Allow me, Shuichi Kimimaru, to be the first to welcome you into the Azure Wings. Kira Nakamade."
"It's a pleasure to be here." Kira says with a bow.
"Alright, now that that's out of the way, doughnuts for everyone!" Hajime exclaims, running over to the box of doughnuts on the desk and begins stuffing his face.
"Hey! Save some for me!" Ruri complains as she runs over to get some before they're all gone.
"Me too." Kyoya says, running over as well.
"Hey! Those are my doughnuts!" Natsumi exclaims, her tone slowly shifting to that of a whiny child before running over to try and stop them.
Kira watches them all devour doughnuts as she smiles and thinks to herself, "I was initially against joining this club, but now… maybe it wasn't such a bad idea after all…" she reaches into her shirt and pulls out a small jewel attached to a string around her neck. She smiles at the gem before putting it back down her shirt and shouts, "Hey guys! Let me have one too!" before running over to get her hands on a doughnut.
And so… our story officially begins, the story of a group of friends, looking to make it far in the world of Vanguard!
Ending Theme – Seven Colors (by BUMP OF CHICKEN)
Next Time: To Shop Galatia, don't miss it!