It's a bright Sunday morning. Chrono Shindou lies in his bed and wakes up to the sound of his alarm clock. After turning it off, he stretches his arms to the sky, then looks over at his deck sitting on his bedside desk. He gets out of bed and gets dressed for the day, in a red t-shirt under a gray jacket and black jeans. He checks his phone and notices he has a text message from Tokoha that reads, "Come by the shop at 1pm today. There are some things I want to discuss about the club." It's been about a week since the Vanguard club was made official, thanks to Shion joining at the last minute.
Chrono texts her back with, "Okay, I'll be there." Then, after eating breakfast, he grabs his deck, puts on his shoes, and heads out for the day.
Opening Theme – STORY (Luck & Logic OP)
TURN 9 – The Dominating Dark Dragon
The time has come for Chrono and Tokoha to meet up at Card Capital. Chrono walks into the shop and is greeted by Shin at the front counter. "Oh, hi Chrono." He says, "Enjoying your day off from school?"
Chrono shrugs and says, "Yeah. I guess." He then looks around the shop and notices there's absolutely no one in sight. "Where is everyone?" he asks, "I thought this place would be busier today."
"Well, I'm the only one working today," Shin tells him, "and I closed for a bit to go get lunch. I only just opened it back up. So, no one's probably noticed yet."
"Oh, I see." Chrono mutters.
"So, what brings you here today?"
"Tokoha said she wanted to meet and talk about our Vanguard Club."
Shin's eyes widen as he replies, "Oh? You started a club at school?"
Chrono nods and says, "Yeah, though she kind of roped me into it."
"How are you liking it so far?"
"Well… I didn't want to join at first since I thought the idea was stupid, but… I actually kind of like it now." Chrono smiles when he says this. He was always a loner, but now he feels like he has a place to belong.
Shin smiles back and says, "That's great Chrono. So have you made any friends in this club?"
"Any friends…?" Chrono mutters and scratches his head, "I don't know… I never really thought about it. I mean, I know everyone in the club, but I don't know if I can say they're friends."
"Really?" Shin asks, shocked at the response, to which Chrono nods. "Well, I'm sure you'll get to know them all eventually."
"Maybe." Chrono then goes to find a seat and wait for Tokoha to show up.
Nearly an hour passes by, and Tokoha still hasn't shown up. Chrono slouches on the table as he lets out an annoyed sigh. "This is ridiculous!" he says, "Where is she? It's already half an hour passed the time to meet."
"I'm sure she'll show up Chrono." Shin tells him, "Maybe text her and ask where she is." Then, before either of them could say anything else, Shin hears the front door open. "Welcome to Card Capital." He says, however, the person that stood there was not Tokoha.
It was a man with long white hair, yellow eyes, and wearing a black suit with a red shirt, and white pants with matching shoes. He has his hands in his pockets as he looks up at the ceiling of the shop with a smile on his face.
He turns his gaze to face Shin, to which Shin asks, "How can I help you today?"
There is silence for a moment until the man says, "I heard someone with a very unique clan comes to this shop." The man then puts a finger on his chin as he says, "Hmm… what was it called again? Gear Chronicle?"
Shin raises an eyebrow at the fact that this man knows about Gear Chronicle. At the same time, Chrono lifts his head when he hears his clan being mentioned. "Yes, we do have a Gear Chronicle user here." Shin says and then calls Chrono up to the counter.
"You must be the user of Gear Chronicle." The man says as he faces Chrono.
"Yeah, my name is Chrono Shindou." Chrono tells him.
"I was wondering if you do me the honor of fighting me." The man says with a bow.
"You want me to fight you?" Chrono asks.
The man nods and replies, "Yes. I heard your deck is very unique, and I want to see it in action."
"Sure… I was getting bored anyway." Chrono replies.
"I'm going to take inventory while you two fight." Shin tells him, "So let me know if you need anything." To which Chrono nods.
Chrono and the stranger stand at the fight table as the man says, "Would you mind if I had a look at your deck?" Chrono hands the man his deck. He starts flipping through the cards and says, "Amazing. These cards are real! Your units seem really happy that you're their owner."
"What do you mean?" Chrono asks as he takes his deck back.
"I can hear the voices of the units." The man says, making Chrono raise an eyebrow.
"Excuse me…?" Chrono asks, dumbfounded.
"You might think it sounds silly," the man tells him, "but it's true. Your units have feelings too."
Chrono scoffs at the man's ramblings and says, "Yeah whatever, are we going to fight or what?"
"Oh yes, of course." The man replies as he sets his deck down.
Chrono holds up a fist and says, "Let's play Rock, Paper, Scissors to see who goes first."
"Very well." The stranger accepts. "Rock, Paper, Scissors… Shoot!" Chrono throws Rock, and the man throws Scissors.
"I win, so I'll go first." Chrono says as he draws his hand, however, the man just sits there, looking at his scissors.
"I never win at Rock, Paper, Scissors." He says in a solemn tone, "I'm not very good at it."
"I'm sure you'll get better." Chrono replies, "Okay, let's start."
"Very well." The two of them then declare in unison, "Stand up… VANGUARD!"
In a cherry-blossom forest, during a dark night, two figures emerge.
"Chrono Dran (G0/6000)!" Chrono declares.
"Evil Stealth Dragon, Ushimitsumaru (G0/6000)!" the man declares. The little dragon is dressed in armor reminiscent of old Japanese ninjas from long ago.
Chrono's eyes widen when he sees the clan and asks, "What's this clan?"
"Nubatama." The man replies, "A clan of dragon warriors, skilled in martial arts."
"I… see." Chrono says and then begins his turn, "Ride! Steam Breath Dragon (G1/8000)! With his skill, I add a grade 3 card to my hand."
"My turn." The man states, "Ride! Stealth Rouge of Apportion, Sadamune (G1/8000)! Using his skill, I can look at the top seven cards of my deck, and add a specific grade 3 to my hand. I attack the Vanguard."
"No guard." Chrono declares.
"Drive check (Draw). Oh, look a Draw Trigger. Add 10000 power to my Vanguard and draw (8000-18000)." Sadamune disappears, confusing Chrono at first, but then it appears behind him and strikes him in the back before he even has a chance to react (Chrono: []).
"Ride! Lost Break Dragon (G2/10000)! With his skill, I bind one card in my hand and draw. Next I call Steam Mechanic Nabu (G2/10000) and Steam Fighter Memenne (G1/6000)! Lost Break attacks your Vanguard (13000-19000)!" Lost Break fires its beam cannon at Sadamune, causing an explosion on impact (?: []). "Nabu attacks the Vanguard!"
"I guard with the Quick Shield." The man declares, causing a shield to appear in front of his Vanguard before Nabu's attack could connect. He then begins his turn. "Ride! Stealth Dragon Fuurai (G2/9000) and activate his skill. Pick a card in your hand and discard it, then you get to draw one card."
Chrono looks through his hand and says, "I discard Steam Hunter Lippett."
"Next, I call Stealth Beast, Gyumadou (G2/9000) and activate his skill ([X]). Call a card from your hand, but it's AUTO abilities cannot be activated."
Chrono grunts as he says, "I call Steam Breath Dragon (G1/8000)."
"Next I call Stealth Rouge of the Night, Sakurafubuki (G1/8000) and activate his skill. I discard one card and add 3000 to himself (8000-11000), then I can Counter Charge and draw ([]). Now, I'll have Gyumadou, with a boost from Sakurafubuki, attack your Vanguard (9000-20000)."
"No guard… (Chrono: [][])
"Now Fuurai will attack your Vanguard." Fuurai then leaps into the air spinning its chakras around ready to strike, however (G2/9000).
"It doesn't have enough power!" Chrono states.
"I use Fuurai's skill ([X]), I return Gyumadou to my hand and add 6000 power (9000-15000), then I can draw one card."
Chrono looks at his hand and declares, "I guard (SLD: 15000)!"
"I end my turn." The man declares.
"This guy is good…" Chrono says to himself, but why can't I shake the feeling there's something off about him?" Chrono shakes his head, trying to ignore those thoughts so he can focus on the fight, "Alright, it's my turn! Ride! Chronojet Dragon (G3/13000)! Imaginary Gift, Force I (13000-23000)! Using Memenne's skill! I discard a card and draw, then I call Steam Scara Irkab (G2/10000), and activate his skill ([X][])! I add one drive to my Vanguard (23000/drive 2-3)!"
Chrono's Board State
(G2/10000) (G3/23000) (G2/10000)
(G1/13000) (G1/6000) (XXXX)
"Irkab attacks your Vanguard!"
"I guard (SLD: 15000)."
"Boosted by Memenne, Chronojet attacks (23000-29000)! With Chronojet's skill, you can't guard this attack with Sentinels ([X][X])!"
"Then I don't guard." The man tells him.
"Triple Drive (none/none/Critical)! Critical Trigger! I give the power to Nabu (10000-20000) and the Critical to Chronojet (23000/Crit 1-2)!" Chronojet flies forward and punches Fuurai straight in its face, causing it to fly back into a tree.
"Damage check (none/Critical). I got a Critical Trigger. Add 10000 power to my Vanguard (9000-19000) (?: [X][][])."
"Boosted by Steam Breath, Nabu attacks the Vanguard (20000-33000)!"
"I guard (SLD: 15000)."
Chrono clicks his teeth upset that he didn't do more damage. "Only three damage…" he says to himself.
The man smiles as he holds up a card, "Ride!" the air in the forest goes cold as a mist surrounds Fuurai, and when it fades, a large blue dragon with white horns appears, and a sinister blue glow emits from its eyes. "Stealth Dragon Shiranui (G3/12000)! Imaginary Gift, Protect II."
Chrono looks up at the ominous dragon, stunned by the amount of fear it invokes in its foes. "Stealth Dragon… Shiranui?" he mutters its name.
"I activate Shiranui's skill. I discard one card from my hand." The man then looks up at Chrono with an innocent, yet sinister-looking smile on his face. "A void within the darkness, where all light is shattered! Generation Ride! Demon Stealth Dragon, Shiranui Oboro (G3/12000)! Once again, Imaginary Gift, Protect II. I activate Shiranui Oboro's skill ([X][X][])!"
At that moment, Chrono, as Chronojet, looks up to see a floating Hannya mask with a pink mist emanating from it. The mask flies down and attaches itself to Irkab, who screams in pain from wearing the mask before falling silent. The unit then flies over to the other side of the field, behind Shiranui."
"What?! You took my unit?!"
"Yes." The man explains, "You see Shiranui Oboro can bind one of your rear-guards, and then I get to call a Mask of Domination token (G0/0)."
"A token…?"
"When it's called, this mask can attach itself to the unit I bound, and gain its grade, power, critical, and abilities (G0-2/0-10000/Crit 0-1). In addition, it can also attack from the back row."
"No way…" Chrono states.
"I activate the skill of Steam Scara Irkab, who is possessed by the Mask of Domination ([X][X][X]). I now add one drive to my Vanguard (12000/drive 2-3). Next, I call Shiranui (G3/12000-17000), Stealth Dragon, Genkai (G2/9000-14000), Stealth Beast, Katarigitsune (G1/8000). Using the skills of both Genkai and Katarigitsune, if I have a token unit, I add 5000 power to them both (14000-19000) (8000-13000), in addition, Genkai also adds 5000 power to my token (10000-15000). Also, my token gains boost thanks to Genkai's other skill, and I Soul Charge (Soul 4-5)."
Stranger's Board State
(G3/17000) (G3/12000) (G2/19000)
(G1/8000) (G2/15000) (G1/13000)
"Boosted by Katarigitsune, Genkai attacks your Vanguard (19000-32000)."
"No guard…" Chrono declares (Chrono: [X][X][])
"Boosted by Steam Scara Irkab, Shiranui attacks the Vanguard (12000-27000)!"
Chrono grunts as he looks around the board, trying to formulate a strategy. He then declares, "No guard…"
"Triple Drive (none/Critical/?). Critical Trigger! I give the power to the original Shiranui (17000-27000), and the Critical to Oboro (27000/Crit 1-2)! Third check (Draw). Draw Trigger. Again, add 10000 power to the original Shiranui (27000-37000)." Shiranui holds up two fingers in front of its face, before grasping the katana on its hip. Then, in a flash of light, faster than the eye can see, Shiranui slices through Chronojet, causing Chrono to feel immense imaginary pain.
"AHHHHHGHHH!" Chrono screams as he almost collapses to his knees from the intense imagery he's seeing (Chrono: [X][X][][][]).
"Boosted by Sakurafubuki, Shiranui attacks! Using his skill, since I have a Shiranui Vanguard, add 10000 power (37000-45000-55000)."
"Complete Guard!" Chrono declares, followed by heavy panting, having narrowly escaped defeat.
"Not bad." The man tells him, "At the end of the battle, Shiranui goes to my soul (Soul 5-6), return Steam Maiden Memenne to your hand, and then discard one card of your choosing."
Chrono does so, discarding Memenne.
"Finally, at the end of the turn, the Mask of Domination token is removed." The Mask detaches itself from Irkab before they both vanish into particles.
"This guy is really good…" Chrono says to himself, "He has to be a professional fighter or something." Chrono looks at his board and declares, "Even still, I won't give up! Stand and draw! I activate Chronojet's skill! I discard Bearing Rover from my hand, which counts as a grade 3. Let's do it! Show me the future I truly desire! Generation Ride! Chronodragon NEXTAGE (G4/25000)! I call Stroboscope Dragon (G2/10000) and activate his skill (Soul 4-3)! Retire Katarigitsune! Then I get to draw one card because my Vanguard is grade 4."
Chrono's Board State
(G2/10000) (G4/25000) (G2/10000)
(G1/13000) (XXXX) (XXXX)
"Boosted by Steam Breath, Nabu attacks the Vanguard (10000-23000)! Using Nabu's skill! I bind a card in my drop zone, and you can't call grade 1 or higher units to guard!"
"No guard." (?: [X][X][X][])
"At the end of the battle, Nabu goes to my soul and I draw a card (Soul 3-4). Nextage attacks your Vanguard (G4/25000)!"
"I guard, and intercept with Genkai, add 10000 shield with the effect of Protect II (SLD: 25000)."
"Twin Drive (none/Critical). Critical Trigger! I give all effects to Stroboscope Dragon (10000-20000/Crit 1-2)! I activate Nextage's skill! I discard two cards. I retire Nextage, and ride Chronojet from my soul (G3/23000)! Imaginary Gift, Force I (23000-33000)! Stroboscope attacks your Vanguard!"
"Guard (SLD: 15000)."
"Chronojet attacks your Vanguard, and with his skill ([X][X][X][][]), you can't guard this attack with sentinels!"
"I guard (SLD: 35000)."
Chrono's pupils shrink in fear, if he doesn't draw two triggers, he won't get through. "Twin Drive (none/none)." The situation was worse than he could have imagined. Not only did he not draw any triggers, but he drew two cards he can't even guard with. Chronojet's fist was stopped by two units, which throw him back. Chrono slams his fist down on the table and yells, "Darn it! I was so close!"
The man smirks and says, "You fought well Chrono Shindou, but I'm afraid it's time for this fight to end. Once again, I ride, Demon Stealth Dragon Shiranui Oboro (G3/12000)! Imaginary Gift, Protect II. Next, I activate Shiranui's skill ([X][X][X][X])! This time, I choose the Chronojet Dragon in your drop zone."
"My drop zone?!" Chrono exclaims as he watches the Mask of Domination pull another Chronojet Dragon out of the ground. Chrono watches in horror as his own unit is being turned against him. The corrupted Chronojet leaps to the space behind Shiranui (G0-3/0-13000-18000/Crit 0-1/drive 1-2). Now, with Shiranui Oboro's other skill, if I have two or more cards in my soul with Shiranui in their card names, add 15000 power to Shiranui Oboro (12000-27000), in addition, my Mask of Domination tokens can perform drive checks."
"They can?!" Chrono exclaims.
"Next I move Sakurafubuki to the front (G1/8000-13000)."
Stranger's Board State
(G1/13000) (G3/27000) (XXXX)
(XXXX) (G3/18000) (XXXX)
"It's time to end this. Sakurafubuki attacks."
"Stroboscope intercepts (SLD: 5000)!"
"Chronojet Dragon… attacks!" the man declares. Chrono watches as he sees his own unit fly up, ready to strike him, however, he declares, "Guard (SLD: 20000)!"
"Twin Drive (none/Critical). I got a Critical Trigger. All effects to Shiranui Oboro (27000-37000/Crit 1-2). Now Shiranui Oboro… end this battle!" Shiranui prepares to draw its sword as he flies toward Chronojet at break-neck speeds, but just before the impact, Chrono closes his eyes as there is a flash of white light.
When he opens them, he is both shocked and confused by the image he sees. He appears to be in outer space, but his body is transparent. As he's trying to figure out where he is, he turns around and is stunned to see a large planet, that does not look like Earth… but is somehow, familiar.
"So, you can see this image too?" he hears the man's voice call out to him. He looks down to see the stranger looking up at him, "Maybe you are the chosen one."
"Wh-What do you mean?!" Chrono asks, but before he could even get an answer, everything fades to white again, and when it fades back, Shiranui is behind Chronojet with its sword drawn. The dark dragon sheaths its sword, causing an explosion on Chronojet, and making Chrono scream in pain. "AAAAGGGHHHH!" (Chrono: [X][X][X][][][]).
Chrono falls to his knees as the stranger walks past him, and up the stairs, towards the front door. "Thanks for the fight." He says, hands in his pocket as he prepares to leave the shop. Chrono runs up the stairs after him, hoping to catch him, but the man stops in the doorway and looks back, saying, "Oh yeah, I never told you my name. I'm Kazumi Onimaru." And then leaves the shop.
"Kazumi… Onimaru…?" Chrono mutters the name, still trying to process what just happened, but before he could ask any more questions, the man was gone. Who was he, and what did he mean by "the chosen one"?
Ending Theme – Days of Dash (Sakurasou no Pet na Kanojo ED)
[Next Time]
Tokoha: Chrono! You're here early? Good for you.
Chrono: I'm not early, you're late!
Tokoha: No, I'm not. I said we were meeting at 2pm didn't I?"
Chrono: No, you texted me this morning saying we were meeting at 1!
Tokoha: Oh… I must have mistyped the key and didn't notice it.
Chrono: *grumbles* Fine… I forgive you. Can we just get this meeting over with?
Tokoha: Is everything okay Chrono?
Chrono: I… I don't know…
NEXT TIME on Vanguard GV: "Fukuhara's Challenge!" don't miss it!