NOTE: This chapter felt very long to me, and there was a bit more I wanted to add in, but it felt long enough. This chapter also contains the first cardfight of the series, so tell me what you think of it. Enjoy the chapter and review.
I do not own Cardfight! Vanguard.
Chapter 4: Emi's Test
"With the support of Bravery Seeker, Mar! Seeker, Sacred Wingal attacks your vanguard!" Emi declares at her opponent. The young man across from her looks at his hand, before sighing in defeat. "No guard."
"Twin drive check(Critical Trigger/Critical Trigger). All power to my vanguard!" Emi smiles in victory as her opponent flipped over his sixth damage.
"And that match concludes the finals of Card Capital's Shop Tournament! Our champion is Emi Sendou!" Shin announces as everyone in the shop claps in celebration. Emi blushes bashfully from all the attention.
"I knew you'd do it!" Rekka shouts among the crowd.
"Congrats Emi." Misaki smiles and claps her hands.
"T-thank you!" Emi says to the crowd as Shin hands her the prize.
"And for winning our tournament our lovely champion gets 100 card packs for free!" Shin exclaims in excitement as the three females gape in shock.
"A HUNDRED!?"
The other contestants and patrons looked on in amazement, envious of the Sendou girl for winning all of those cards. A certain employee didn't feel the same.
"Shin! I didn't approve of that reward! What is she supposed to do with 100 random card packs!" Misaki berates him. Shin backs away from his niece's temper in fear. "Well, we can give her 100 Royal Paladin packs or even Bermuda packs."
"We don't have that many! Stop trying to waste our stock!"
Emi intervenes before Misaki decides to attack her uncle physically. "It's ok Misaki! I can just give my prize to everyone else, but instead how about each get 5 free packs of their choosing?" Emi suggests to them. Thinking it over, Misaki agrees with those conditions and Shin sighs in relief, silently thanking Emi for being his savior.
All of the patrons cheer and thank Emi for her kindness. Each of the males describing her as an angel sent from Heaven, making Emi sweatdrop in deja vu. As Misaki and Shin begin to hand out card packs to the patrons, Rekka strolls over Emi.
"So? You think it's time to explain the situation to them?" Rekka asked.
"I don't know. Are you sure we should drag them into something like this?" Emi answered, nervously. She didn't want to cause anymore issues for Misaki than what she was already dealing with.
Rekka sighed at her friend's worries. "Misaki has already dealt with situations involving Cray. You need someone who's older and has more experience with this," Rekka bonked Emi softly on the head.
"You're right. After everyone leaves, we can explain everything," Emi said.
"Explain what?"
Both girls jump and turn to see Misaki standing behind them with her arms folded. "We have something to tell you guys," Emi's fingers touched each other nervously.
"Like, why you're using Royal Paladin instead of Bermuda, right?" Misaki raised her eyebrow. Emi nodded her head "yes".
"Alright, we'll just wait for Shin to close up shop."
Sitting at one of the tables in the shop, Emi proceeded to explain the situation to Shin and Misaki. The uncle/niece duo were both surprised by Emi's involvement in a battle for Planet Cray's and Earth's survival. Placing a hand up to his chin, Shin nods his head in understanding. "So, that's why you were so concerned about getting stronger. You need to be able to beat this threat."
"Yeah, and I don't even know who this threat is or when they'll appear. Just that I need to be ready by the time they do," Emi plopped her face onto the table.
"That's why we need all the help we can get. Any powerful fighters as allies or training partners would be nice," Rekka brought up. Misaki looked at Rekka for a moment before deciding to ask her a question. "Rekka, something has been bothering me since you and Emi got here." Misaki says to the young idol.
"Hm? If it's about how someone as wonderful as me could stand helping out this shop the-"
"Where's Kourin?"
Rekka's breath hitched at the question and her eyes were covered by her bangs. "I don't want to talk about Kourin."
"How come? Wouldn't Kourin be in way more emotional turmoil than me? I thought you guys woul-"
"I DON'T want to talk about Kourin!" Rekka's fist slams onto the table. Her mouth trembles with emotion as a memory flashes through her mind.
Rekka lays down on the floor holding her hurting cheek with her hand. Tears threatened to spill from her eyes as she stared in terror at the frightening green orbs glaring down at her.
Emi sat in extreme nervousness at the tension that had appeared between her elder sister and friend. "H-how about Kai! He's super strong and can totally help us!" Emi quickly suggests. Her suggestion worked as all the pain on Rekka's face vanished, being replaced with excitement. Grasping Emi's hands into her own both girls jumped up.
"Yeah! The broody angsty Kagero user would be great training! Do you guys know where he lives?" Rekka asked.
"Sadly, the only ones who know where Kai lives were Aichi, Kamui(Followed Kai home once), and Miwa," Shin answered, sadness evident in his voice. His words make the girls frown in disappointment.
Misaki snapped her fingers in realization of something important. "Ren and Tetsu are close to Kai. We can go to Fukuhara High and ask Tetsu about Kai's address," Misaki suggests. Her explanation brings hope back into the girls' eyes.
"Then we need to go right now! C'mon Emi! I know the way!" Rekka starts dragging Emi out of the shop.
"W-wait Rekka! We gotta wait for Misaki!"
Misaki only sighed and got out of her seat to follow after the two. "I'm going, Shin." Misaki said, softly to her uncle.
"Just be safe, ok," He hugs her and she returns the hug, before sprinting after the pre-teens. Shin walks up to the open door as watches his niece disappear in the distance. His thoughts drift back to what Emi said about being chosen by the Royal Paladins.
"Do they really see Emi as a chosen Vanguard? Or just as Aichi's replacement? I can only hope that this doesn't end hurting Emi more than the world already has. Please stay safe girls."
Fukuhara High stood tall in the sunlight. Emi shielded her eyes from the sun as she tried to look up at the building. Looking at the doors in front of her she nervously approached them. "So, do we ring some type of door bell...or…"
Rekka and Misaki walked into the building.
"Or just walk right in. That works too." Emi shrugged and followed her female companions.
Emi's face lit up in wonder at the high class high school they entered. Having this be her first time ever seeing the school, Emi couldn't believe it could be this high tech. "Huh? There are still students here?" Emi asked, surprised by the student body.
"Of course, there are those who are emotionally stable enough to start attending school once more or their parents allowed them to return. So, why aren't you three in school?" Tetsu Shinjou answered, as he descended the stairs.
"Work," Misaki shrugged as she waved to Tetsu. The pre-teens both side-glance each other before whistling an innocent tune to avoid the question. Sighing at them, he motions for the girls to follow him.
Walking through the building he turns his head to them. "So, what brings you to Fukuhara?"
Emi steps up to answer the question. "Um, do you know where Toshiki Kai lives?" Emi asked.
"I do, but why do you want to know?" He asks back. Emi hesitates a bit to answer, something Tetsu notices. Rekka decides to answer in Emi's place. "We just need his help! So, if you don't mind answering the question!"
Rolling his eyes at the girl's rude tone, Tetsu answers her. "Sorry to say, but even if I told you, you wouldn't find him." The girls' all react in shock to the news.
"What!? What do you mean we wouldn't find him!?" Emi grabbed Tetsu's arm, stopping his walk. Tetsu looks down at Emi's desperate eyes. A feeling of sadness washed over him.
"I've been visiting his place for the past two weeks to see how he's been holding up, but every time I go he isn't there. And none of his neighbors have seen or heard of him since that day," Tetsu explained.
"W-what are you saying?" Misaki asked, fear crawling up her spine.
"I'm saying that Toshiki Kai has gone missing."
Emi's face showed obvious distress and Rekka slammed her fist into the wall in anger. "GREAT! Just GREAT! When ya need the guy he's just never around huh!?"
Tetsu raises an eyebrow at the show in front of him. "What did you require Kai for anyway?"
"That's none of your busin-"
"TOKURA!"
"Huh?"
Before Misaki knew it, Asaka Narumi sprinted towards her. Grabbing the surprised Miyaji student by her wrist, Asaka dragged away a confused Misaki. The other three blinked in surprise at Asaka's speed. "Uh, what was that about?" Emi asked, the adult next to her.
"I-I'm not sure, that's the first sign of life Asaka has shown since Ren died," Tetsu explained, regret evident in his voice. He wished he could've done more for her, though her sudden readiness for Misaki might be able to help her.
"That reminds me. How are you guys holding up after that "Dust Incident"(Only Shin was referring to it like that. Emi is just naive enough to follow him), Emi asked. Tetsu sighed once more. "It was tough...it's still tough to think about. As the only other adult she trusts, I knew I needed to stay strong for Asaka. Though, I wasn't able to do much for her," Tetsu explains to them both.
"I'm sorry about all of it," Emi tells him. He smirks before patting her head.
"It's fine, you aren't at fault for what happened. Though, what will you two do now that you got your answer about Kai?" Tetsu asked. Both girls pondered his question and looked at one another.
"Well, we'll have to wait for Misaki before we can leave," Emi says to Rekka.
Rekka thinks for a minute before snapping her fingers at her idea. "Hey! How about you two have a cardfight! The old man there("Old man?" Tetsu sweat drops) is pretty strong and you need to fight strong opponents! I see it as a win-win!" Rekka smirks at her own genius.
"Hmmm...that sounds like a good idea. If that's ok with you ?" Emi asked him.
"I don't mind at all, follow me you two," Tetsu motions for the two girls to follow him.
"This might be a good opportunity to see what Aichi's little sister is capable of. Since those two are obviously hiding something, I'll just fight it out of them."
The three of them arrive at Fukuhara's Vanguard training area. Rekka stands on the side in the spectator's area. She looks down at the two standing at a Motion Figure System table. Once both fighters were equipped and cards placed properly on the table they looked at one another.
"You remember that I don't go easy on my opponents, Ms. Sendou?" Tetsu smirked.
"I remember how you fought my brother and Kamui, Mr. Tetsu. You don't have to worry about me not taking the fight seriously," Emi bowed to him before placing her hand on the card.
"Stand up! Vanguard!"
"Ride! Bravery Seeker, Marc(G0/6000)!"
"Ride! Devil in Shadow(G0/4000)!"
Tetsu widens his eyes a bit at Emi's usage of Royal Paladins. Adding further to the questions he holds about the girl's visit today. "I'll take the first turn! Draw! Ride! Righteousness Seeker, Gangaren(G1/7000)! Marc moves to the back row! I end my turn." Emi finishes her turn. Tetsu
"Draw! I ride Dimension Creeper(G1/7000)! Devil in Shadow moves to the backrow! Dimension Creeper attacks your vanguard!" Tetsu declares.
"No guard!"
"Drive check(No trigger)!"
Emi flips over the damage to reveal no trigger.
[Emi Sendou: Damage: 1/Hand: 5] [Tetsu Shinjou: Damage: 0/Hand: 6]
"Draw! Ride! Bladgal Seeker(G2/8000)! Call! Natural Talent Seeker, Valrod(G2/10,000) and Seeker, Rune Eagle(G1/6000)!" Emi placed the cards down to the rear guard circles.
"Now, Bladgal attacks your Vanguard!"
"No guard."
"Drive check(Critical Trigger)! I give the power to Valrod and the critical to Bladgal!"
"Damage check(No trigger/Draw Trigger)! I give the power to my vanguard and draw a card."
"With the support of Rune Eagle! Valrod attacks your vanguard!"
"Guard(20,000)!"
"I end my turn. Good, I got him to two damage! Just need to keep up this pace!" Emi thinks to herself.
"Don't lose focus, Emi. Dark Irregulars get their power from soul charging. The old man is just getting started," Rekka says."
"Stand and Draw! I ride Gwynn the Ripper(9000)! Activating Dimension Creeper's skill, I can send him to the drop zone to soul charge(2)!" Tetsu places the top two cards of his deck into his soul after putting Dimension Creeper into the drop zone. "Next, I call Werwolf Sieger(G2/10,000) and Demon Bike of the Witching Hour(G1/6000)! Then, I'll pay the cost(2) to activate Ripper's skill to retire your Valrod." Emi flinches as Vlarod is destroyed by Ripper.
"With the support of Devil in Shadow! Ripper attacks your vanguard!"
"Guard(15,000)!"
"Drive check(Draw Trigger)! I give the power to Ripper and draw a card!"
"Ugh! Damage check(Critical trigger)! I give the power to my vanguard."
"With the support of Witching Hour! Sieger attacks your vanguard!"
"No guard! Damage check(No trigger)."
"I end my turn." Tetsu settles down.
[Emi Sendou: Damage: 3/Hand: 3] [Tetsu Shinjou: Damage: 2/Hand: 6]
"Stand and Draw! I need to get more on the offensive for him to waste those cards. Fighting for his comrades this dog bares his fangs and sharpens his blade! I ride! Seeker, Sacred Wingal(G3/11,000)! Call! Full Bloom Seeker, Cerdic(G2/9000)!"
"With a boost from Rune Eagle! Cerdic attacks your vanguard! His skill also activates, when I have a Vanguard with "seeker" in its name, he gets +3000 power!"
"Guard(20,000)!" Tetsu stopped her attack, but she made him waste his hand some.
"With support from Marc! Wingal attacks your vanguard! Wingal's skill activates, when he attacks a vanguard he gets +2000 power!"
"No guard!"
"Twin drive check(No trigger/Critical trigger)! All effects to Wingal!"
"Damage check(Heal trigger/No trigger)!"
"I end my turn. I was only able to put him at three damage. I gotta hold out until my next turn, then I can surprise him for sure!"
"Hmph, you'll need to put in more effort than that if you want to win Sendou!" Tetsu told her with a glare. The young heroine gulped at Tetsu's seriousness.
"Stand and Draw! Awakening from his slumber to reign terror on his foes! Ride! Blade Wing Reijy(G3/11000)!" He soul charges(3) Witching hours into the soul and he gains +1000 power! Call! Another Witching hour and Demon Chariot of the Witching Hour(G3/10,000)! Demon Chariot's skill activates! The three cards that were soul charged at the start of the turn were Demon Chariots, so with three Demon Chariots in the soul he gains a +1 Critical!"
"With the support of Devil! Reijy attacks your vanguard!"
"Perfect guard!"
"Twin drive check(Critical trigger/Draw trigger)! I give the critical's effects to Demon Chariot and the Draw's to Demon Bike of the Witching Hour."
"Demon Chariot attacks your vanguard!"
"Not enough to guard. Should've saved that perfect guard. No guard! Damage check(No trigger/Heal trigger)."
"My Demon Bikers attack next!"
"N-no guard…Damage check(Draw trigger). I draw a card."
"Hmph, I end my turn," Tetsu finished.
Emi shifted nervously on her side of the table. She had barely gotten out of that turn alive if it wasn't for her heal. Her confidence took a blow from Tetsu's strength, not expecting to be too overwhelmed by him. "Is this how Kamui felt every time he fought, ."
"Emi…" Rekka whispered in concern for her friend.
"Is this all you can do, Emi Sendou!?" Tetsu yelled out. Emi paused her thoughts to look at Tetsu.
"IF THIS IS WHAT YOU CALL YOUR BEST THEN I'M DISAPPOINTED! YOU ARE DOOMED TO FAIL IF YOU CAN'T EVEN KEEP UP WITH THIS! NO OPPOSITION WILL EVER FALL TO SUCH A WEAK HEART! AND YOU WANTED TO FIGHT KAI WHEN YOU'RE THIS PATHETIC!? HE WOULDN'T GIVE YOU THE TIME OF DAY FOR A FIGHT THIS PATHETIC!"
His words repeated themselves in Emi's head. She placed a hand on her heart and mulled over his words. "He's right, how can I defeat that approaching evil if this much is standing in my way. Kamui and Aichi both managed to overcome opponents with such strength for as long as they've been playing Vanguard. I can't let them down! I WILL WIN! STAND AND DRAW!"
Emi released a breath of air, closing her eyes she allowed her hidden power to flow through her body. Opening her eyes, she stared Tetsu down with a fierce glare. The older man widened his eyes in shock as an image of both Aichi and Ren appeared in front of him. "She has Psyqualia…"
"SEEK THE MATE!"
Snapping back into reality as Emi's deck, vanguard circle, and drop zone shined in a blue radiant light. Suddenly four cards from the drop zone lad onto the top of the deck. Next, a card flies out of the deck and into Emi's hand. "Stand up, my avatar! The knight that inhibits my soul and showers my enemies with justice! Join and fight on our behalf! LEGION! BLASTER BLADE SEEKER(G2/9000)!" The light shining off of the vanguard encapsulated the entire room, making those inside to turn away from the light.
A young man in a Fukuhara uniform was walking by when that blue light appeared. He looked inside of the room with curiosity and when the light died down he smiled at what he saw.
"LET'S GO EMI!" Rekka shouted with pure delight!
Tetsu Shinjou opened his eyes and his face turned into one of pure surprise. "I had heard rumors of new rules soon being added to Vanguard regarding two units on the Vanguard Circle, but for the younger sister of Aichi Sendou to be using it and have Psyqualia...something bigger is at play here."
Emi pointed her finger directly at Demon Chariot. "Blaster Blade Seeker's skill activates. I counter blast(1) and retire one of my opponents G2 or higher rearguards." Demon Chariot was retired from the battlefield. "Next I call, Secret Sword Seeker, Vortigern(G3/10,000) and Honest Seeker, Cynric(G1/7000)."
"With a boost from Rune Eagle! Cerdic attacks your vanguard! His skill also activates, when I have a Vanguard with "seeker" in its name, he gets +3000 power!"
"Guard(20,000)!"
"My Legion attacks! When the Legion ability is active it gains +20,000 power! I can see it! My image of victory!"
"Perfect guard!"
"Twin drive check(Critical trigger/Stand Trigger) I give the critical's effects to Vortigern and the Stand's effects to Cerdic!"
"Now Cerdic attacks again!"
"No guard!" Tetsu's check didn't reveal a trigger. He looked back at Emi and smiled. "Every time I've seen a Psyqualia user their eyes are filled with darkness and anger, but you Emi Sendou...you are different…"
"With a boost from Cynric! Vortigern attacks your vanguard! This is my image of victory!" Emi shouted as her units rushed across the room towards Tetsu.
"No guard."
The units struck his vanguard. "Damage check(No Trigger/Draw trigger) and with that is my sixth damage. Congratulations, Emi Sendou," Tetsu smiled in defeat.
Her eyes turned back to normal, her face betrayed the achievement she just made. Before she could say anything else, Rekka tackled her to the ground, laughing in victory. Tetsu smiled down at the two girls below him, closing his eyes.
"Emi Sendou, your eyes are filled with nothing, but hope."
CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP
The sudden clapping drew the attention of the three and they turned to see the student walking towards them. "Nice fight! Nice fight! Really, what a spectacle that was!" He said.
"Um? Who are you?" Rekka asked, rudely.
"Rekka! You can't keep being rude to people!" Emi chasated. "Sorry about her," Emi apologized.
"Don't worry, I'm not upset," The young man replied. Tetsu walked to stand next to the young man.
"Girls, this young man just joined our school. His name is…"
"Ah! Tetsu, I can introduce myself." He walked up to Emi and held out his hand. She took his hand without hesitation.
"My name is Emi Sendou, nice to meet you." As she stared into his eyes, she felt a chill run up her spine. As if warning her that the man in front of her was a snake staring at his prey.
"Mine is Ibuki Kouji and it's a pleasure to meet you, Emi Sendou."
Chapter End