"Please Ms. President, just give us a little more time!" Tokoha pleads to the student council. The deadline for club applications is near, and the Vanguard Club is still one member short.
A girl with brown hair, tied in braids, and wearing red glasses sits in the center chair as she looks at Tokoha and says, "Sorry Ms. Anjou, but rules are rules. Unless you can find your seventh member by the end of school today, and submit your application, I'm afraid it will be impossible to accept your club." Tokoha sighs as she leaves the student council room.
She returns to the Vanguard Club room where she finds all her friends waiting for her. "W-Well… what did the council say?" Taiyou asks.
Tokoha lets out a big sigh as she explains what the council told her.
"What?!" Luna exclaims with worry.
"But that's impossible," Kazuma says, "we'll never get anyone in that time."
Tokoha puts her hands on her hips and states, "We'll just have to push this club as hard as we can to the student body."
"Even if we did, it won't work." Chrono explains, leaning over in his chair, "Remember? You implemented that rule for Luna, that no one can join unless they beat one of us in a Cardfight?"
"W-Well what if we were to get rid of that rule?" Kumi suggests.
"Bad idea." Tokoha says, "As much of a stupid rule it is, we kind of need it to keep out people who wanna join just to get closer to Luna." Luna blushes as she hears this.
"Then what are we going to do?" Taiyou asks, "I don't want this club to disband, especially after I just joined it."
"W-Well… if anyone has any ideas, please speak up." Tokoha requests, but the entire room is silent as all of the members just awkwardly glance at each other. Tokoha then sighs and says, "Fine, I'm sure I'll think of something."
Chrono looks at Tokoha, concerned about her and losing this club…
Opening Theme – STORY (Luck & Logic OP)
TURN 8 – Last Chance
Later that day, Chrono sits at a table in the school courtyard eating his lunch when he hears someone say "Hello" to him. Chrono looks up to see Shion Kiba standing across from him, who asks, "Would you mind if I sat here?"
"Sure… whatever." He says with a huff.
"Thank you." Shion says as he sits down in the seat opposite Chrono, taking a sip of his tea, and unpacks his lunch.
The two of them sit there in silence, enjoying their lunches when Chrono suddenly chimes in, "So what's your deal rich kid?"
"Pardon?" Shion says.
"Everyday you walk around like you're so perfect." Chrono tells him, "You act like you've above everyone else. It makes me sick."
Shion chuckles a little and says, "I see…"
"Excuse me?"
"I didn't realize you saw me that way." Shion looks down at his reflection in his tea, "It's true, I may be the heir to the Kiba family, but when I'm here, I'm no different than any of you. Just a student going about his daily life. The same goes for Vanguard."
"Huh…?" Chrono interjects.
"When I'm playing Vanguard, my Kiba duties are the last thing on my mind." Shion explains, "Vanguard is something I chose to do myself; it has no relation to my family or my lineage. When I'm fighting, I'm my own person, not Shion Kiba, just… Shion."
Chrono scoffs and says, "Is that so…?"
"You like playing Vanguard too, don't you?" Shion asks, "That's the whole reason you joined that club, isn't it?"
"I didn't join of my own free will." Chrono says, taking a bite of his lunch.
"Oh?"
"Tokoha, the club's president, kinda forced me into this. To be honest, I'd much rather go play at a card shop."
"And why is that?" Shion asks.
"To find more opponents and stronger opponents. I don't even know why she started this club in the first place."
"So strong opponents are what you seek?" Shion asks him.
"Yep…" Chrono says with a nod, "There are a few people in the club who can give me a challenge, but it gets kind of boring when they're the only people to fight. Though I guess I won't have to worry about that for much longer."
"Why's that?"
"The club is gonna get shut down before it's even registered if we can't find one more member."
"And what is the problem with that?"
Chrono hesitates to explain, "Well… recently this big idol joined our club, and since then, we've had floods of applications of people just trying to get closer to her. So Tokoha made the rule that you have to defeat someone in the club to join."
"I see…" Shion thinks for a moment about what to possibly do in this situation, then asks, "How long do you have?"
"Until the end of school today."
"Oh…" Shion mutters, but before he can say anything else, the school bell rings. "Well, classes are about to start, we should get going. I do hope your club succeeds." Shion gets up from his seat with his empty lunch box and walks away as Chrono lets out a big sigh.
Shion then looks back over his shoulder and waits for Chrono to leave. Once he does, Shion pulls out his cellphone and dials some numbers. When the receiver picks up, he says, "Hello, Iwakura, I need a favor…"
Later that day, the members of the Vanguard club gather at the school sports field, all of them are hesitant to meet with the council president about not having all 8 members. Tokoha quivers where she stands as Kumi says, "So is this it?"
"Looks like it…" Kazuma says, nonchalantly, with his hands behind his head.
"And after all the hard work I put into this club…" Tokoha says, looking like she's about to cry to which Chrono looks at her with concern.
Just then, they see a shadowy figure coming from the school building. The figure walks closer to them, and they can already see it's the council president. Tokoha takes a big deep breath as she braces for the inevitable.
The president stops as she puts her hands behind her back as she looks at the 7 fighters standing in front of her. "Is this all of your members?" she asks.
Tokoha doesn't know what to say, so she panics and says, "N-No! Our final member isn't here yet." Everyone in the club then gives her a strange look.
"Oh, and who is this final member?" The president asks.
Tokoha doesn't know who to say, so she just says, "Th-They'll be here soon, I know it."
"Alright, then we'll wait." The president says as all of them wait in the field for the final non-existent member to show up. Several minutes pass, and eventually, those minutes turn into hours, as the sun gets lower and lower in the sky.
The president looks over the horizon, watching the sunset before checking the clock on her phone. "It's almost 7pm, the school will be closing soon. So where is your last member?"
"Uhh… I…" Tokoha says, but Chrono places a hand on her shoulder.
"Just give it up Tokoha, we failed." He tells her as Tokoha hangs her head in despair.
"Hey there! Sorry if I'm late." They all hear a voice call out from the other side of the field. They look over to see a figure walking closer to them, and when it gets closer, they can see a boy with blonde hair, blue eyes, and a big smile on his face.
"S-Shion?!" Chrono and Tokoha exclaim in shock.
Everyone is speechless as Shion stops by the other members and looks at the president. "I'm their final member." He tells her.
The president then gets herself back from shock and adjusts her glasses, saying, "Well… Mr. Kiba, I didn't expect you to be their eighth member." She then looks over at Tokoha. "Is he truly your eighth member?"
Tokoha refocuses herself and nervously says, "Y-Yes! He is!"
The president smiles and replies, "Very well, then I guess this makes the Vanguard Club an official club." Everyone smiles at these words and begins cheering, except Chrono, who glances over at Shion. "The school will be closing soon, so you can finish your club's application and hand it in tomorrow morning." The president tells Tokoha who nods in excitement.
"Okay! Thank you, Ms. President!" she says with a big smile of joy.
The president then turns around and says, "I'll see you all tomorrow then." As she walks off.
Once she's out of earshot, Shion turns around to face the other club members as Tokoha asks him, "Not that I'm complaining, but why are you here Shion? I thought you were busy with your family."
Shion smirks and says, "Yeah… my family still takes priority, but… Vanguard is something I chose to do for myself. It wasn't handed to me like everything else in my life. So, I wanted a place where I can explore that side of me more, the side that enjoys Vanguard. Not Shion Kiba, just Shion."
Everyone smiles at his words, "That's great! We're happy to have you." Kumi says before looking at Tokoha, "This is so amazing Tokoha! We finally have a full club!"
"Yeah…" Tokoha says as a tear falls from her eye, making her wipe it away, "I'm so glad…"
"However… I lied to the president when I said I was part of your club." Shion explains.
"Oh that's right!" Luna says, "In order to join, you have to defeat one of us in a cardfight."
"N-No, I say we can let it slide just this once." Tokoha says nervously, "I-It was a dumb rule anyway."
"Hang on a minute." Chrono says as he walks up close to Shion. "So, you really do want to join this club huh?"
"Yes." Shion says with a nod, "I know you probably bare some hatred against me for my lineage, and that I'm a 'spoiled rich kid', but here, in this club, I want to put all that aside. When I'm here in his club, I'll be no different than all of you, someone who loves Vanguard from the bottom of his heart. I will put all I can into this club."
Chrono smiles and then chuckles, "I guess I misunderstood you. Maybe you're not a lousy rich kid after all." Chrono then pulls out his deck and says, "However, I won't be satisfied until I've beaten you in a cardfight! You and me! Right here, right now!"
Shion smirks and pulls out his deck, saying, "Very well. Let's fight."
"Are you sure you wanna do this now Chrono? It's getting late, and the school will be closing soon." Tokoha asks him.
"Don't worry, this will be quick." He says, and she nods back.
They all gather at a table near the field, as the sun fully sets, and the sky turns a beautiful dark blue. The giant lights that surround the field turn on lighting up the stage for the epic rematch. Chrono and Shion nod at each other, then place their hands on their starters and declare in unison, "Stand up… VANGUARD!"
In a beautiful city under the night sky, two figures emerge.
"Shining Knight, Millius (G0/6000)!" Shion declares.
"Chrono Dran (G0/6000)!" Chrono declares.
"I'll take the first turn," Shion states, "Ride! Laural Knight, Sicilus (G1/8000)! Using his skill! I look at the top seven cards of my deck and add Blue Sky Knight Altmile to my hand, then I discard one card."
"My turn!" Chrono declares, "Ride! Steam Breath Dragon (G1/8000)! Using his skill, I look at the top seven cards of my deck and add Chronojet Dragon to my hand. Then I discard one card. I call Steam Fighter Memenne (G1/6000)! Memenne boosts Steam Breath and attacks your Vanguard!" On Cray, Chrono, through Steam Breath says to Memenne, "Let's go!"
To which she replies, "You got it my Vanguard!" as they both lunge at Shion.
"No guard." Shion declares as Steam Breath fires an energy beam from its mouth at Sicilus, followed up by Memenne with a round-house kick. (Shion: [])
"My turn! Ride! Absolute Blade Knight, Livarot (G2/10000)! Using his skill ([X]), I superior call another Livarot from my deck (G2/10000)! I use the skill once more, and since I have no face up cards in my damage zone, I can pay the cost with 1 Soul Blast (Soul 2-1). From my deck, I superior call Counteroffensive Knight, Suleiman (G2/10000)! I call Starlight Violinist, and with his skill, if there are no face up cards in my damage zone, all of my grade 2 rear-guards gain boost! My rear-guard Livarot attacks!"
"Guard with the Quick Shield!" Chrono declares.
"Boosted by Starlight Violinist, I attack the Vanguard! On Cray, Shion shouts to Starlight, "Give me strength!"
To which he replies, "Yes, my Vanguard!" he plays a melody on his violin, empowering Shion as he leaps for the attack (10000-20000)!
"No guard."
"Drive check (Critical). Critical Trigger! I give the power to Suleiman (10000-20000), and the Critical to Livarot (20000/Crit 1-2)! HAAAAAAAA!" Shion swings his blades twice at Steam Breath, causing Chrono to scream in pain.
"Damage check (none/Draw). Draw Trigger! I draw one card and add 10000 power to my Vanguard (8000-18000)." (Chrono: [][])
"Suleiman, attack!" Shion orders.
"You got it boss." Suleiman replies as he throws himself at Chrono.
"With Suleiman's skill (Soul 1-0), I return Starlight Violinist to my hand and add 5000 power (20000-25000)!"
"I guard (10000)!" Now it's Chrono's turn. He draws a card and shouts, "Ride! Smokegear Dragon (G2/10000)! Using Memenne's skill. I draw one card and discard a card. I call Steam Mechanic Nabu (G2/10000) and Steam Breath Dragon (G1/8000)! With Steam Breath's skill, add 5000 power (8000-13000)! Memenne boosts Smokegear and I attack the Vanguard (10000-16000)! With Smokegear's skill, add 5000 power (16000-21000)!"
"Guard (15000)!" Shion declares.
"Drive check (none)." Chrono clicks his teeth in annoyance, "Boosted by Steam Breath, Nabu attacks (10000-23000)!" Steam Breath fires its energy beam into the back of Nabu's cannon, energizing it before Nabu fires it at Shion's Vanguard.
"No guard." The attack hits, sending Shion flying. (Shion: [X][])
"Grr… that's it? Only 2 damage?" Chrono mutters.
"Chrono…" Tokoha mutters, putting a hand on her chest.
Shion smirks and says, "This is where I defeated you last time, let's see what you can do this time."
"Here it comes…" Chrono says to himself.
"Knight of Justice, my valued partner, let us ride into battle together! Ride!" On Cray, a light surrounds Shion, and once it fades, he is clad in white and blue armor, carrying a sword and shield. He raises his sword to the sky and declares the name of his avatar, "Blue Sky Knight… Altmile (G3/13000). Imaginary Gift: Force II! (13000/Crit 1-2)"
Chrono smirks and says, "Bring it on rich kid! I'm ready this time!"
Shion smiles back and declares, "Activating Altmile's skill ([X][X])(Hand 7-6), I can search my deck for two grade 2 units and put them into my hand. Livarot moves back. I call Blue Sky Knight Altmile (G3/13000), Starlight Violinist (G2/10000), and Counter Offensive Knight Suleiman (G2/10000). With the skill of both Altmiles, if there are no face up cards in my damage zone, add 15000 power (13000-28000) (13000-28000)!"
Shion Board State
(G2/10000) (G3/28000/Crit 2) (G3/28000)
(G2/10000) (G2/10000) (G2/10000)
"Shion's board is full…" Luna exclaims.
"Come on Chrono!" Tokoha pleads.
"With the help of another Suleiman, Suleiman attacks Steam Mechanic Nabu (10000-20000)."
"No guard." The two Suleimans attack Nabu relentlessly, making her vanish into light particles.
"Boosted by Starlight Violinist, Altmile attacks the Vanguard (28000-38000/Crit 2)."
"No guard…" Chrono declares.
"Twin Drive! First check (Critical). Critical Trigger! I give the power to my rear-guard Altmile (28000-38000), and the Critical to my Vanguard! Second check (Heal). Heal Trigger! Once again, add 10000 power to Altmile (38000-48000), and heal one damage. (Shion: [X]) HAAAAAAAAA!" Shion swings his sword down, cutting off one of Smokegear's wings.
"GWAAAAAHHHH!" Chrono screams in pain as he imagines the pain from the attack (Chrono: [][][][][]).
"Chrono's already at five damage!" Taiyou exclaims.
"This guy is strong…" Kazuma states.
"And he still has another attack to go!" Luna says while Tokoha looks worried.
"Boosted by Livarot, Altmile attacks the Vanguard (48000-58000)! You fought a good fight Chrono, but I'm afraid it's over!" The rear-guard Altmile leaps into the air prepared to divebomb Smokegear, however, Chrono pulls two cards from his hand, puts one in the drop zone, and calls the other one, declaring, "Complete Guard!"
Shion is stunned by the perfectly timed guard, while Chrono pants heavily, having narrowly escaped defeat.
"He blocked it!" Luna exclaims in joy.
"Not bad Chrono." Shion tells him, "I didn't get to see your true self last time, so why don't you show it to me now?"
"You want it, you got it! Stand and draw!" Chrono pulls a card from his hand and chants, "Open up the world! Lead me to the future! Ride!" Smokegear vanishes, and in its place, a blue mechanical dragon appears, "Chronojet Dragon (G3/13000)!"
Shion looks at the dragon and smiles. "So this is your Vanguard." He says.
"Imaginary Gift: Force I (13000-23000)! I activate Chronojet's skill! I discard cards from my hand with their grades totaling 3 or more." Chrono discards one card, "Soar to new heights, for brand new futures to explore! Generation Ride!" Chronojet flies into the sky before being engulfed in a red Vanguard circle and coming out as a larger version of itself with a red cape and cannons on its shoulders. "Let's go! Chronodragon NEXTAGE (G4/25000)!"
"A grade 4 unit?!" Shion exclaims.
"Activating Memenne's skill! I discard Bearing Rover and draw one card. Since Bearing Rover counts as a grade 3 when discarded, Memenne adds 5000 power to three of my units (25000-30000) (6000-11000) (8000-13000-18000)! I call Steam Scara Irkab, and with his skill ([X][][][][])(Hand 1-0), my Vanguard gets plus 1 drive!"
Chrono Board State
(XXXX) (G4/30000) (G2/10000)
(XXXX) (G1/11000) (G1/18000)
"Triple Drive?!" Shion exclaims.
"Let's do it! Boosted by Memenne, Nextage attacks the Vanguard (30000-41000). Memenne hops on Nextage's back as it charges up the cannons on its shoulders.
Shion looks at his hand and damage and declares, "No guard."
"Triple Drive (none/Critical/?)! Critical Trigger! I give the power to Irkab (10000-20000) and the Critical to Nextage (41000/Crit 1-2)! Third check (Draw)! Draw Trigger! I give the power to Irkab (20000-30000) and draw one card. Let's GOOOOOOO! Rigid Breakthrough!"
Nextage fires the energy beams at Altmile, making Shion scream in pain from their impact, and when it fades, the ground around Altmile is destroyed, leaving only a crater, yet he can still stand (Shion: [X][][]).
"I'm not finished yet! I activate Nextage's skill! I discard two cards (Hand 4-2). Then I retire Nextage, and ride Chronojet Dragon from my soul! Add 15000 power, then I get another Imaginary Gift Force! (23000-38000-48000)!"
Shion smirks and says, "So this is your true power."
"You bet! Now, boosted by Steam Breath, Irkab attacks the Vanguard (30000-48000)!"
"I guard and Suleiman in the back row intercepts (15000+20000+5000)!"
"Chronojet Dragon, attack the Vanguard!"
"No guard."
"Twin Drive (Critical/?). Critical Trigger! I give all effects to Chronojet (48000-58000/Crit 1-2)! Second check (Heal). Heal Trigger!"
Shion steps back, amazed by the string of triggers he's pulled.
"Once again, all effects to Chronojet (58000-68000/Crit 2), and I heal one damage! (Chrono: [][][][])
Chronojet revs up the wheels on its legs and delivers a swift, but powerful punch to Shion's face. (Shion: [X][][][][])
"Five damage!" Kumi exclaims with excitement.
"And with that Heal Trigger, Chrono's in the lead!" Luna adds.
"I knew he could do it." Tokoha says.
"Not bad Chrono. I guess maybe I went a little too quick in our last fight." Shion says.
"Yeah, defeating me before I even got to grade 3, it was pretty embarrassing." Chrono replies.
"But now that you've shown me your true power, I think it's only fair I show you mine." Shion says with a smirk on his face. "Stand and draw!" He holds up a card in his hand and chants, "Knight of holy light, let us ride into our future! Generation Ride!" on Cray, Altmile raises his sword as he is then surrounded by a blue Vanguard Circle and immersed in light. Then, with a swing of his sword, the light fades, and he now stands there with more king-like armor and twin swords in his hands as Shion calls out his name, "Aerial Divine Knight, Altmile (G3/13000)!"
"Shion's going all out…" Tokoha states.
"They're both so cool!" Luna exclaims with a gleam in her eyes then cheers, "Go Chrono! You can do it!"
Kumi then shouts, "Do your best too Shion!"
"Come on Shion, kick his butt!" Kazuma exclaims, followed up by Taiyou who cheers on as well.
"Go Chrono! You can win this!"
Chrono looks over at the other club members and smiles, then turns back to Shion and says with a flourish of his fist, "Alright, I'm ready! Bring it on!"
Shion smirks and says, "Very well, you asked for it." Shion continues his turn, with much passion, "Imaginary Gift: Force II! I give this one to my rear-guard Altmile! (13000/Crit 1-2). Next, I activate Aerial Divine Knight Altmile's skill ([X][X][][][])(Soul 2-1)! I superior call two Grade 2 units, one from my deck, and one from my drop zone."
"From the drop zone?!" Chrono exclaims.
"I superior call Suleiman (G2/10000) and Hopesong Angel (G2/10000)! Next, I call Melodious Angel (G1/6000) and use her skill ([X][X][X][X][]), to draw one card. Then, using Hopesong Angel's skill ([X][X][X][X][X]), I superior call Starlight Violinist from my deck (G2/10000)." Finally, to replace Melodious Angel, I call another Hopesong Angel (G2/10000)."
"Amazing…" Tokoha mutters, "they're both so amazing!" She then cheers them both on with all her might, "Go Shion! You too Chrono!"
Both of the boys look over and smile before facing each other again. "With Aerial Divine Knight Altmile's skill, if I have no face up cards in my damage zone, all of my grade 2 units gain 10000 power, and if there's an Altmile card in my Soul, also add 1 Critical!"
Shion's Board State
(G2/20000/Crit 2) (G3/13000/Crit 2) (G3/28000/Crit 2)
(G2/20000/Crit 2) (G2/20000/Crit 2) (G2/20000/Crit 2)
"All of his attacks have 2 Critical!" Taiyou exclaims.
"If Chrono gets hit by even one of them…" Kumi mutters.
"He'll lose…" Tokoha finishes.
"You've put up a good fight Chrono, but I think it's time we ended this." Shion tells Chrono with a face of determination.
"I agree!" Chrono replies with the same face. The two of them stare each other down, like a tiger versus a dragon.
"Boosted by Hopesong Angel, Suleiman attacks the Vanguard (20000-40000)!"
"I guard (20000+15000)!"
"Boosted by Starlight Violinist, Aerial Divine Knight Altmile attacks the Vanguard (13000-33000)!"
Chrono looks at his hand and considers his options. He has a perfect guard, but if he uses it, he won't be able to defend against Shion's final attack. Chrono then simply closes his eyes and accepts his fate, "No guard…" everyone is then stunned by this declaration.
"Twin Drive (none/Critical)! Critical Trigger! I give all effects to Aerial Divine Altmile (33000-43000/Crit 2-3)! HAAAAAAA!" then, with a flash of light, Altmile ends up behind Chronojet Dragon. Everything is still for a mere moment until Chronojet starts to static up before bursting into flames and exploding.
"GUWAGHHHHHH!" Chrono screams as his Vanguard is destroyed… (Chrono: [][][][][][]).
There is silence on the field for a moment, as everyone takes in the fight that just concluded. Shion and Chrono both pant in exhaustion from the adrenalin rush they experienced.
"Chrono… lost…?" Tokoha mutters.
Chrono groans before ruffling his hair in frustration, shouting, "RAGGHHH! I can't believe I lost again!" He then reclaims his composure and walks over to Shion. "Well, fair is fair… looks like I'm gonna have to step up my game against you." He says with a grin as he holds out his hand.
Shion smiles back and says, "Then I look forward to our next fight… in the Vanguard Club." He takes Chrono's hand, officially confirming their friendly rivalry.
"So, I guess this makes you part of our club officially now." Luna says. Shion glances over at her and nods his head.
"This is so great Tokoha, we finally have a full club!" Kumi exclaims with great joy.
"I know…" Tokoha says as a tear falls from her eye, "Thank you… everyone. I just know this year in the club is going to be amazing!"
Everyone then cheers, acknowledging the beginning of a new venture for them all, but their celebration is cut short by a security guard showing up and kicking them off campus, but starting the next day, the Vanguard Club is officially established.
Ending Theme – Days of Dash (Sakurasou no Pet na Kanojo ED)
[Next Time]
Kumi: I'm so glad we finally have our entire club together!
Tokoha: I know right? And it only took getting Chrono and Shion to play nice.
Chrono: *huff* I still don't really like him.
Taiyou: Oh, come on Chrono, you can't fool us. You two are friends now.
Shion: We are not… We just have a friendly rivalry.
Chrono: Y-Yeah, what he said.
Tokoha: This year is about to get interesting.
NEXT TIME on Vanguard GV: "The Dominating Dark Dragon" don't miss it!