Battle Spirits: World of Monsters

by MaxGundam1998

Two worlds are in danger of a new threat. When Florina Rush claims a strange Battle Spirits card, she will have to face many enduring trials alongside with others to come out of this victorious. Claim Victory! Battle Spirits!

4. Ch 4: Braving Insects

Disclaimer: I do not own Monster Hunter or Battle Spirits, and they belong to their respective owners.

Monster Hunter belongs to Capcom

Battle Spirits belongs to Bandai

Battle Spirits World of Monsters

Chapter 4: Braving Insects

(Rush Residence)

"Come forth! King of all animals! Ruler of all flames! Appear before me and burn everything to the ground! I summon The SengokuSixGeneral LeonLancer!"

In Florina's room, both she and Elizabeth were sitting on the floor, in comfortable pajama-onesies, with Battle-Spirits playmats on the ground. Florina had just finished shouting her summoning chant, and slammed down a card onto the field. However, it was just a drawing of a cute lion with a knife attached to his head, and was on fire, which was drawn on a blank fake Battle-Spirits card.

"Um…Florina. What's that?" Elizabeth asked.

"I don't have the actual card, sadly, so I drew this. LeonLancer is a powerful ultimate that can only be summoned with you have three or less lives or less. Here. These are the actual stats of the card." Florina said, showing a picture of the card on her phone.

The SengokuSixGeneral LeonLancer
[Cost: 8] [Reductions: 4 Red]
[Type: Ultimate] [Family: Next Generation, Emperor Beast]
LV 3 (1C): 12000BP
LV 4 (3C): 18000BP
LV 4 (5C): 25000BP
[Color: Red] [Symbols: 1 Ultimate]

"Okay. So, what is that you want to show me, and why can't just tell me?" Elizabeth asked.

"Because it's more fun if I do an actual demonstration. Now I raise, LeonLancer to level 4! And now, I activate LeonLancer's effect when attacking!" Florina shouted.

"An ultimate-trigger?" Elizabeth asked.

"Nope. Something different." Florina said with a menacing smile. She then snatched the Soul-core that was on LeonLancer, and grasped it tightly. "LeonLancer! Burn my soul to ashes along with everything that stands in your way! Soul Drive, ACTIVATE!"

"Florina. Keep your voice down please. I'm right in front of you." Elizabeth said.

"S-sorry." Florina said, lowering her voice. She proceeded to place her Soul-Core into a small box, containing more spare blue cores. "You see, Soul Drive is another skill exclusive to Ultimates. It technically removes the Soul Core from the game to activate a very powerful skill."

"Remove it? Wouldn't that mean you wouldn't be able to use it anymore?"

"Yep. It's like selling your soul to the devil. A once-in-life-time opportunity to win, or lose it all. Some cards rely on the Soul Core to use their best effects. But if you use it in a deck that doesn't rely on the Soul Core, you're just losing one core. BACK TO THE FIGHT!" Florina shouted.

"Please don't yell."

"Sorry. LeonLancer's effect destroys all of yourSpirits and Ultimates with 20000 or less BP! Pew pew pew pew pew! KABLAM! BLAMO!"

"What are you doing?" Elizabeth asked.

"It's his ability. In the battle stadiums, he launches a barrage of missiles and BLOWS UP EVERYTHING! I'm just adding the sound effects with my mouth." Florina said smiling.

Elizabeth merely sighed and rolled her eyes, as she was about to take all the spirits off her board and send them to the trash. However, something caught her eye.

"Wait a minute. Two my cards, the Ichibanspears. They have something called Ultra Armor Red/White/Blue. It says, and I quote, 'This Spirit is unaffected by Red/White/Blue Spirit/Ultimate/Nexus/Magic effects. That means your made up noises don't make them explode. I lose Baragan and my wing Soldier, but I'm okay with that." Elizabeth said.

Ichibanspear
[Cost: 2] [Reductions: 1 White, 1 Red, 1 Purple]
[Type: Spirit] [Family: Clear Machine, Armed Machine]
Level 1: (1C) 3000BP
Level 2: (2C) 4000BP
Symbols: 1 White

Florina smile remained on her face, but it was more a frozen shocked smile, as she slowly looked down on the field to see the IchibanSpear did have immunity to her Fake Drawn Ultimate.

"Oh. S-so, are you going to guard?" Florina asked.

Elizabeth thought about for a moment. While thinking she picked up Florina's phone to read the effect of LeonLancer. "Mmmm, nah. I'll take it from life." She said, moving a core from her life to the reserve.

Florina then ended her turn due to the fact shad had no other attackers. When Elizabeth's turn started, she immediately summoned another Wing Soldier, sending the remaining spirit on Sabrina's board back to her hand. There was also the fact she almost had no cores in her reserve due to summon LeonLancer. She could watch helplessly as Elizabeth attacked with all three of her spirits, depleting all of her lives.

"Quest cleared. Thank you for the game." Elizabeth said smiling.

Florina only sighed, but still smiled. "Well, that's my lost. Even with a fake ultimate, you can still pull out the win."

"It's not enough to have power Florina. You also need to know how and when to use that power. A Hunter could have the mightiest armor, with a bunch of decorations…"

"Decorations?"

"It's for enhancing gear. As I was saying, even with strong armor and weapons, the Hunter can still be bested by the Monster. It works the other way around too. The strongest of monsters can easily be bested a weaker but skilled Hunter." Elizabeth said.

"True, true. You're definitely picking the game up the more we play. Want another go another round?"

"No thank you. I'm a bit *yawn* exhausted right now." Elizabeth said.

"If you say so. I guess I'm a bit tired as well." Florina said stretching her arms.

"Now, is this everything the game has to offer, or are you still hiding more mechanics?" Elizabeth asked with a menacing glare.

Florina's body immediately tensed up from the tone of her voice, as struggled to find her words. "N-n-no! I swear I didn't leave anything else out unintentionally. Of course, they're a bunch of more mechanics that you can learn from the rule book. Like Charge, Rush, Evil-Light, Core-Boost. Cross my heart and swear to die." She paused for a moment. "I actually don't know what that vow means actually. But that's all the mechanics that are in the game. At the moment."

"What do you mean at the moment?" Elizabeth asked, sounding curious.

"Well, the devs are constantly updating the game constantly, meaning they're going to keep introducing new game mechanics, reprint old spirit cards for nostalgia purposes, or fine tune them with the modern day in age of Battle Spirits. You know, I've heard of this new mechanic called Accel! It's apparently a card that acts like a magic card, but isn't a magic card. I guess to sum it up in a nutshell, the card is part magic and part spirit/nexus/brave/…"

"Okay, okay, Florina. I think I get the picture." Elizabeth said, gesturing her hands to tell Florina to slow down.

"Oh, hehe. Sorry about that. I tend to get all riled up. By the way, are there any special cool methods that you Hunters use to hunt monsters?" Florina asked.

"Hmmm. I don't have anything where I live. But my friend who went to the new world has something called a slinger. It's like grappling hook, combined with a high-powered slingshot. Also, I've heard about something called a wirebug, but I'm not that familiar with it." Elizabeth said.

Ooooohh. Sounds fun. By the way. What kind of dangerous monsters have you hunted in your life?" Florina asked.

Elizabeth's gentle smiled then faded, as it then turned into a proud smile, beaming with pride and confidence. She began chuckling, thinking back on her hunts. Florina on the other hand saw her face, and began worrying about what she just unleashed on herself.

"Where do I even begin?" Elizabeth started, which then spiraled into a long, long session of her talking about her glorious hunts, near death situations, and clutched moments. Florina was helpless against her, as she found it impossible to raise her voice, or even say anything as Elizabeth's proudxzA hunter persona overwhelmed her easily.

(Elsewhere)

In an alleyway in the area of the city, we find two men standing in the center of the alleyway, with no other living souls in the area. The first man was wearing a fancy black suit with a white overshirt. He had narrow green eyes, black hair that was short and smooth, and his skin was a bit pale. His face also had a small smile, but wasn't a friendly one. The other man was wearing a black trench coat, which covered his entire body, with gray pants, messy brown hair and an angry scowl on his face.

The two men face each other as there was no one else around, aside from a couple of cars that drove by the area, illuminating the area a bit more. An overhead lamp continuously flickered above them, as some stray animals scampered around. The man in the trench coat slowly slipped his hand into his pocket, and pulled out a collapsible knife, and flipped it open. The man in the suit only scoffed as he continued smirking. His look only made the trench-coat man even angrier. The standoff continued as tensions began to rise.

The light above the began continued to flicker even more, but stopped for a brief moment. It then began flickering even faster, as it then blew a fuse, leaving the area less bright than before. With the main light source out, the trench-coat man let out a barbaric cry, and ran towards the man in the suit. The man had his knife at the ready, and thrusted his arm forward to land the first blow.

The man in the suit only continued to smile, as he quickly stepped backwards, avoiding the first attack with ease. The trench-coat man began swiping his knife, while walking forwards towards his opponent. However, his attacks failed to connect, as the man in the suit continue to dodge each attack effortlessly, while still smiling.

Eventually, the man in the suit got into the rhythm of his attacker's swings, and knew the timing of each swing perfectly in his now after seeing him fail at it several times in a row. In that moment, the trench coatzxzxzAzxxzAz-man, swung his knife again, but instead of dodging it, the suit-man grabbed him by the wrist, and quickly twisted it. The attacker screamed in pain, as he was forced to drop his knife.

"My, my. I can still beat you without a weapon. Don't you find that to be a little bit sad, Peyton?" the man in the suit asked.

"Damn you, Alex!" The man known as Peyton only snarled as he tried to use his free hand to punch Alex in the face. Alex simply moved his head to the side, and quickly move behind Peyton. He then twisted his arm behind his back, and kicked him in the leg, forcing him down on the ground, as Peyton screamed in pain.

"*sigh*. You do understand why this was reason why you were let go by the boss. You're incapable of controlling yourself. Letting even letting tiniest of emotions phase you. Be it anger, some excitement, and even a bit of greed. In my personal opinion, I think it's a shame we have to let you go. Despite your attitude, you got your work done properly." Alex said, while still smiling.

"L-like I need your sympat…AAAAAGGGGGGGGGHHHH!" Peyton screamed as Alex continued to twist his arm, and step on his leg.

"You are in no position to make any remarks. I suggest you listen carefully to what I'm about say next. Under normal circumstance, I would've…taken care of you, to put it nicely. Fortunately for you, the boss also shares are exact sentiments. In short, she's giving you the opportunity to walk away. No one will hunt you, and you live in peace." Alex said. He then grabbed Peyton by his hair, and pulled back his head, and whispered into his ear.

"Just don't comeback for petty vengeance. You will regret for very short amount of time." Alex then let go of Peyton and threw him to the floor. He then readjusted his tie and sleeves and walked away.

Peyton was struggling to recover from the pain, and saw his knife on the ground. He reached out towards it, picked it up and stared at it. His gazed then turned towards Alex who had his back turned, and then back at the knife.

"Peyton. We both know you're not that stupid." Alex said, with his back still turned.

Peyton only scowled as Alex had a point. After sometime had past, Alex had disappeared from the area, leaving Peyton on the ground, bitter and angry. He wanted vengeance and payback. But what could he do? Alex and the Boss were too powerful for him. At the moment, he then heard footsteps from behind. He quickly raised his arm, with knife in hand and pointed behind him. To his surprise, he saw a cloaked man wearing a black cloak with purple accents. At the moment, he could only see the lower part of his face.

"That guy was a jerk if you ask me. He definitely deserves what's coming to him, don't you agree?" the cloaked man said.

"Why do you care?" Peyton asked with venom in his voice.

"Believe me, sir. I do care in a way. I want you to have your justice, and I have something that might help you with that. Everyone deserves a second chance. Why not you? Of course, you can walk away. It's ultimately your choice after all."

Peyton only sat in silence on the ground, contemplating the cloaked man's words. Right now, the only thoughts in his head were vengeful ones, and Alex's stupid smirk. He didn't care about anything else. He just wants revenge on Alex.

"What can you do for me?" Peyton asked.

The cloaked man chuckled sinisterly, as he smiled showing his teeth. "Oh, I have just the thing for you." He said, pulling out a Battle Spirits deck.

"Battle Spirits? What am I supposed to do with a card game? Give him paper cuts. Scare him with VR monsters?" Peyton said.

The cloaked man simply laugh. "I know, I know. It doesn't seem like much, but trust me on this one." He then took out a Battle spirits card from his pocket that had a purple glow to it. "You're going to enjoy every moment of this." He said as he threw the card at Peyton.

(The Next Day)

It was around noon that day, and Florina and Elizabeth were walking down the road enjoying the scenery. Florina was humming a little tune to herself, while Elizabeth was reading from her notebook, where she jotted down the rules of Battle Spirits and card combos of her deck.

"Ah. Nothing like a relaxing walk to Bob's place to start off the day." Florina said.

"I heard he his parents run a restaurant. Is that true?" Elizabeth asked.

"Yep, yep. The food there is SO good! Every time I go there, I usually get the Hainanese Chicken. Other times I like to gun for…um…the soy sauce chicken. Oh, oh! And there's the roasted pork with crispy skin! Aaahh. I'm drooling just thinking about it." Florina said, imagining all the tasty food in her head.

"Great. Now I'm starting to get hungry. Are we there yet?" Elizabeth asked.

"Almost. Just got to take a turn her- MADRE DE DIOS! Correr! Correr!" Florina screamed as she dashed off in the opposite direction. She then dived into some nearby bushes, concealing herself.

Confused. Elizabeth looked past the corner, to see a man walking multiple dogs of different breeds. The man and the dogs then turned the corner, with some of them sniffing or pawing at her, eventually leaving the area.

"Hm. Adorable. You can come out now, Florina. The threat moved to another area." Elizabeth said.

"I can't. I think I'm stuck." Florina said from the bushes, as she raised her right arm into the air from said bush, and began waving it. "Help me, por favor!"

Elizabeth only let out a sigh, as she rolled her sleeves and marched over to help Florina out of her bind. Several minutes later, Florina and Elizabeth were back on track to the restaurant. Although it was mostly unpleasant for the rest of the trip, as Florina's hair was a mess, with multiple twigs and leaves sticking out of her hair, and Elizabeth having to pull them out.

"I understand you're slightly traumatized by dogs of all things. But did you really have to jump into the bush like that? You have to admit, those pups weren't that big of a deal." Elizabeth said, sounding annoyed.

"Sorry. I can be a bit of a nutcase sometimes. I don't know why. My brain just sends out a weird command and I follow it. I also can't stay still, like I got to be constantly moving." Florina said, as she was being a bit jittery.

"*sigh* Just try to act out weirdly." Elizabeth said.

"Like you're one to talk. You flip out the moment when someone says something about your age." Florina retorted.

"It's a sensitive subject! Youth doesn't last forever you know. I have to make the most of it." Elizabeth said, defensively.

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever. We're here by the way." Florina said.

Elizabeth then looked up at where they both had stopped at. It was a small two-story building that had an average look to it and was next to a couple of other buildings. The writing on the outside was written in Chinese, that said 'Hong Kong Streets', but she couldn't read it. Upon entering the establishment, she saw that the interior was small, with a couple of empty tables. There were some people in the restaurant. However, they were all mostly male, with some looking unfriendly than most. There was also a woman with blonde hair, styled in a pony tail, wearing a red long sleeve shirt with a white shirt underneath, along with black pants and black high heels, sitting in the corner reading a newspaper.

"Um…Florina. Are you sure this is a nice place to eat at? The people here look, unwelcoming to put it nicely. There's not a lot of people here either." Elizabeth said with a worried look.

"Hm? Oh, don't worry about these guys. They're regulars here. I see them all the time. Just…don't look at them in the eye. Trust me on that one." Florina said, who seems unfazed by the environment.

"What about the lack of customers?" Elizabeth whispered.

"This place is reservation only. I don't know why, but these guys are still in business even before I was born. The food is pretty good here, so that's a reason." Florina said, still smiling.

Elizabeth was still unsure about the place, but decided to take Florina's word at heart. The two then reached the counter, as Florina rung the bell multiple times. From the back of the area, Elizabeth felt a cold chill run down her spine. She didn't know why, but she felt a menacing aura radiating off of whoever was coming from the kitchen. The door to the kitchen then opened up revealing a man who had narrow green eyes, black hair that was short and smooth, and his skin was a bit pale. His face also had a small smile, that appeared to be friendly. He was wearing a white chef attire with a chef hat, had a knife in hand, and his name tag said Alex Oliver.

The man walked towards the counter and looked at the two girls, still smiling. Florina was smiling back, while Elizabeth was shaking a little with a nervous look on her face.

"Ah. Ms. Rush. A pleasure to see you again." Alex said.

"Hi, Mr. Oliver. The restaurant doing, okay?" Florina replied with a cheery look.

Alex let out a small chuckle. "As well as it can. Now then. Are you here for my son, or for a meal?"

"Can't I do both?"

"No one is stopping you. So, go ahead." Alex then turned his head towards the woman in the corner. "Jing. Florina is here. Want to say hello?"

The woman then lowered her newspaper and looked up and smiled as well. "My word. If it isn't dear Florina. Sorry I didn't notice you sooner. I was busy reading an interesting article here." Jing said.

"Hi, Mrs. Oliver. Bob's home, right?"

"I haven't sent him on any errands. So, he should be here. By the way who's the lady next to you?" Jing asked, curious.

"Oh, this is Elizabeth Crescent. She just came from out of town, and is bunking with me for a while. Real nice gal, I tell you." Florina said, as she grabbed Elizabeth by the shoulder and pulled her closer, catching Elizabeth off guard.

"Ah! Um…hello. A pleasure to meet you. Heh heh." Elizabeth said, with a nervous chuckle obviously intimidated by both of Bob's parents.

Jing remained silent. She got up from her seat and walked straight up to Elizabeth. Without warning, she grabbed her the sides of her face, with her right hand and began examining her in more detail, turning her face from side to side. Elizabeth was too scared to do anything, paralyzed by fear of the woman. Jing then let out a small chuckle.

"You're a cute lass. I see you take the time and effort to make yourself elegant. Beauty requires work. You could learn a thing or two from her, Florina." Jing said.

"Meh. As long as I take a shower, comb my hair, wash my face and brush my teeth, that's good enough for me." Florina said, shrugging off the suggestion, as she wasn't really the type to care about that much about her appearance.

Elizabeth meanwhile was trying to regain control of the situation. "W-w-w-well. Thank you very much, Mrs. Oliver. I-I think it's t-time to see Bob. Right, Florina?" Elizabeth said. She then grabbed Jing's wrists with her hands and lifted them away from her face. Jing's expression changed slightly as she was surprised by something, but was unnoticeable to the two girls.

Elizabeth nervously smiled and waved to Jing, while Florina carried on with a carefree smile.

"That was too intense for me." Elizabeth said.

"Don't sweat it. She did that to me the first time we met. She's what you call a beauty aficionado. She takes outer and inner appearances pretty seriously." Florina said.

Elizabeth took Florina's word at heart, as the two of them went upstairs. Jing on the other hand just looked up at the two girls with interest.

"Is something the matter, Jing? You seem lost in thought." Alex asked, preparing to chop a salted chicken.

"That girl. Elizabeth. It's her hands." Jing said, sternly.

"What about her hands?"

"A person's hands can tell a lot about their character. For one, yours are that of chef, or a butcher, showing dexterity with a knife. Hers however, they're the hands of a survivor, and those of a fighter. There's more to her I tell you." Jing said.

"Hmph. No use thinking about it now. If Bob says she a friend, then she's friend. Besides, if she does decide to inflict harm on our son willingly." Alex then brought down his cleaver knife down on to the whole chicken splitting it half, as the chopping sound echoed through the restaurant. "I'll just be a good father and do my job."

Jing smiled sinisterly. "Yes. You are good at your jobs."

(Upstairs)

Florina and Elizabeth had finished their hike up the stairs, and were in front of the door that led to Bob's room. Florina happily knocked on Bob's door multiple times, and continued to do so for a while. Bob still wasn't answering, prompting Florina to switch from knocking to pounding on the door. There was still no answer, causing Florina to scream real loudly.

"BOB! THIS IS THE FBI! OPEN UP!" Florina screamed.

The door then slowly opened, showing Bob on the other side, with headphones hanging around his neck and his stoic expression.

"Sorry. I was listening to music…at max volume." Bob said.

"How are your ear drums still intact, buddy?" Florina said, smiling.

"I don't know. Hi, Liz." Bob said, waving at Elizabeth.

"Hello. Thank you for inviting us." Elizabeth said.

"I didn't invite you guys. You invited yourselves over. Or to be more accurate, Florina invited herself here and dragged you along with her." Bob said.

"You're not wrong there." Elizabeth said.

"Eh. Nothing I can do about it. Florina is customer here, and pays. She just pays me a visit when she can." Bob said.

"Because we're pals." Florina said.

Bob didn't say anything. "Come on in. Have a seat, um…anywhere, I guess. But NOT on my bed. I just finished cleaning it."

"So, I call dibs on your bed." Florina said. Bob only gave her the stink eye and a more expressive frown. "I'm joking! Joking! Hehehe. I'll just sit on the floor." Florina then marched into Bob's room while patting him on the shoulder.

Elizabeth didn't know what to say to Florina's attitude and actions.

"That's what you're going to be living with for the rest of your stay here in this world." Bob said plainly.

"Can I relocate here, please?" Elizabeth asked.

"No."

Soon after, everyone was in Bob's room. It was a standard room, with white colored wall, a ceiling with a spinning fan, a small desk with a chair to do work on, a small TV with a gaming console and a nice clean bed. The accessories were a bunch of posters of different music artists, being either pop, rock, metal, jazz or orchestra.

"So, what do you want to talk about today?" Bob asked awkwardly.

"Our battle plans." Florina said seriously.

"Our what?"

"Battle plans. Liz said that the George Mandala-."

"Gore Magala." Elizabeth corrected.

"-is responsible for the crazy monsters in her world, and causing you to go crazy as well." Florina said.

"How crazy was I back then?" Bob asked.

"Eh. Nothing too dramatic. You kept repeating the word 'erase' over and over again. It was starting to get annoying."

"Erase. Erase. Erase." Bob repeated.

"Very funny, Bob. Very funny." Florina said, unamused.

Bob said nothing, but his small smirk said it all.

"As I was saying, we need to come up with a battle plan." Florina said.

"And that is?"

"I…don't know actually. Do you, Liz?" Florina asked.

"Well, for starters. We should find the Gates I lost. They're the devices used to engaged the possessed people in Battle Spirits. Still trying to wrap my head around that concept. It's fun, but there has to be a deadlier way to do stuff, right?" Elizabeth said.

"My theory is that whatever evil threat or whatever is doing this, is using the card game as a conduit to easy use their powers. As this is a pretty bland world, it may not be easy to control all those powers. So, by using Battle Spirits, it's acts as a buffer to use the powers of the monsters and frenzy virus with more ease." Bob said.

Elizabeth and Florina only stared at Bob in silence, not knowing what to think of his logic. "It makes sense to me."

"Okay then. So, how do we find these gates?" Florina asked.

"Um…I actually don't know. Magisa said that the gates find whoever they seek. I'm not entirely sure what she meant by that though." Elizabeth said.

"Alright. I have a Ruby gate. That means there's five more gates to find." Florina said.

"Four actually. I still have one other gate with me. It's the White one. That means, we're just missing the green, purple, yellow and blue gates. Not to mentions there's also the crystals I lost. I don't even remember what Monsters were contained within them. *sigh* This is such a pain." Elizabeth said.

"I can believe that." Bob said. He then got up and walked to his deck, to pick-up a soda can on his desk that was placed on a coaster.

However, when Elizabeth saw it, she realized it wasn't a coaster. "HOLD ON! That's the gate!" she shouted.

Bob only looked down at the gate with a blank look, not looking surprised at all, while Florina gasped dramatically with her hands on her cheeks.

"Oh." Bob replied, as he took a sip from his soda can.

"Why is the gate in your room? And why did you put that beverage on top of it?" Elizabeth asked confused about the situation.

Bob then yawned, feeling a bit tired, smacking his lips before thinking about what to say. "I was walking back home yesterday, after your crushing defeat, when I stepped on something being that thing. I thought it looked neat, so I decided to take it home and made my personal coaster. For my desk." He replied calmly.

Elizabeth only had a shocked look on her face while Florina didn't seem to care. "You found one of the most important items to saving the worlds, and you decided to make it a beverage coaster?"

Bob only looked at the gate for a brief moment of silence before responding. "Yes. Yes I did."

"To be fair, Bob doesn't technically pay attention to the small details like that. Sometimes, he's in his own little world." Florina said.

"Are sure you aren't talking about yourself?" Elizabeth asked. Florina didn't say anything.

Just then there was a knock on the door. It then swung open showing Alex peeking through the door. "Hello, everyone. Bob. Are you treating your friends well?" he asked.

Elizabeth and Florina immediately tensed up as they slowly turned to see Alex standing between the doorway, smiling.

"Hi, dad. You need something?" Bob replied.

"Yes. I was wondering if you can help take out the garbage now? It's starting to get really full now." Alex said.

"Sure. I'll do it…"

"Later?" Alex asked in a more threatening tone, but still smiling.

Bob paused for a moment, staring blankly at his father. "…Now. I'll do it now."

"Good. Thank you very much. I love you." Alex said, as he slowly closed the door.

There was a moment of awkward silence in the room, with Elizabeth and Florina a bit unhinged at what just happened, while Bob maintained his neutral expression. Bob then got up and walked out of the room to take care of the trash problem. However, just as he left, he quickly peered through the doorway.

"Don't touch my stuff. Please. I'll know." He said, and then slammed the door.

"BOB! BE GENTLE UP THERE!" Jing yelled from below.

"Yes, mom." Bob replied.

Elizabeth then quickly turned to Florina. "Okay, Ms. Rush. I'll just say it. Mr. Oliver's family creeps me out."

"Yeah. They do leave strange impression on everyone they meet. When my uncle met them for the first time, he told me he had the strangest urge to shrivel up and cry. And that was before he met Bob's mom." Florina said.

"I-is that so? And about Bob. Are you sure he's a good friend? He doesn't seem that friendly. He seems, how to say this nicely, um, indifferent." Elizabeth said.

"Oh, he's always like that. He's a good guy. Sure, he struggles to say a couple of words time from time, but he means well. Now then, I'm going to look around and see if there's anything interesting here." Florina said.

"Didn't he say not to touch anything?" Elizabeth asked.

"He didn't I can't look at his stuff. So, as long as I don't touch anything, it's all good." Florina said, with a mischievous grin.

"I'm starting to think you have some sort of death wish." Elizabeth said.

"I'll be fine. Now then, I wonder if Bob has updated his clothing sense." Florina said as she walked towards the closet. Elizabeth only shook her head, as she decided to see how things play out.

"She's just like a Jaggi."

"Nowwwwww, open sease-, OH MY GOODNESSS!" Florina shouted.

"What? What is it?" Elizabeth asked.

"It's this jacket!" Florina then pulled out a jet-black jacket that looked pretty fashionable. "I'm seeing Bob in a whole new light now. I better put this back now, before…Hey, Liz! You may want to see this."

Elizabeth only sighed, and walked up to see whatever Florina found. However, what she saw, surprised her. It was a green gem, that had the image of a monster within it. Elizabeth and Florina immediately knew what it was.

"What are you two doing?"

"GAAH!"

Florina and Elizabeth jumped and turned around to see Bob standing at the doorway with a blank, but slightly annoyed expression, on his face. Florina slowly got up and smiled sheepishly.

"You got a real nice jacket here. I do mean it by the way." Florina said, holding up Bob's jacket.

"It's actually a hand-me down from my dad, back from when he was a teenager. Gave it to me not too long ago." Bob said

"Oh. It's a real nice jacket." Florina said.

"Put it back, please." Bob said blankly.

"Okay, okay. Sorry." Florina said, putting the jacket back.

"Um, Bob. Why do you have these Battle Spirits Crystals?"

"Huh?" Bob then walked over to the closet and peered over the two girl's shoulders and saw the two glowing crystals. "Those two things? Oh, yeah. I was taking out the trash the yesterday, when I saw them in the big garbage bin. I thought they look too clean to be thrown away. So, I went dumpster diving, fished them out, brought them back into the house, gave them a good scrubbing and threw them into the closest. Honestly, I forgot all about them. I was planning on just putting them on my self for display. Although they were a bit shiny so, maybe I would have pawned them off."

Elizabeth only turned her head, looking at Bob with a flabbergasted look. Her face had a 'why?' expression. Bob only shrugged as he didn't really have a good explanation for his actions. He just did it on a whim.

"Alright. Regardless of how you got them, lets unlock them! Come to mama!" Florina shouted, as she thrusted out her deck towards the gems. Nothing happened. Florina then reeled back her arm and thrusted it out again. She then began making weird hand signs and thrusted out her arm. When that failed, she did a little tap dance for a moment, and finished with a dramatic pose, with her gate pointed towards the crystals. Still nothing.

"Is this thing broken?" Florina asked.

"I'm not sure. I don't really know how they work that well." Elizabeth said.

Bob then walked between the two girls, and they saw that he was holding the green gate in his hands. He then held the gate up to the crystals without saying anything. A flash of green light then erupted from the crystals, as the gate in turn shined as well, enveloping the entire room.

(Bob's Mind)

Within Bob's own mind, he opened his eyes and found himself in a dark space. He was unfazed by the sudden change in scenery. He then turned around to see a hulking behemoth of behind him. He could only see the silhouette, but it was a massive quadrupedal insect like creature with orange eyes. The bug let out a massive screech as the wind blew against his body, causing him to lean back and close his eyes. After the screech died down, Bob reopened his eyes and stared back at the monster, unaware of another one flying around the area.

"Huh. Neat." Bob replied.

(Reality)

Bob's mind immediately snapped back to reality, as Florina and Elizabeth were both staring at him. He then looked down and saw that in his left hand he was holding two cards. Without saying anything, he took a brief look at them, and placed them into his deck. Afterwards, he then headed towards the door.

"I'm going to get some lunch. You can join if you want." Bob said, as he exited the room.

Florina and Elizabeth didn't know how to respond to what just happened. Elizabeth only turned her head towards Florina with a confused look. Florina gathered her thoughts and sighed. "It's just how Bob works. Marching to his own tempo."

"Like you're one to talk. Although, he's more of an offbeat, while you're a quick tempo." Elizabeth said.

"That's a fair comparison."

(Outside)

From the outside of the restaurant, everything seemed peaceful at first. However, a single man was stumbling towards the restaurant. It was none other than Peyton, but his eyes were glowing red, and a black vapor spilled from his mouth. He then raised his head and saw the Hong Kong Streets restaurant. Peyton's face then twisted into an evil smile.

"You're dead, Alex. You and your stupid smile."

(Inside)

Here, we find the entire Oliver family, along with Florina and Elizabeth having a simple lunch within the living room. Jing had decided to make noodles, but just the instant kinds that you boil for three minutes. She of course decided to add her own toppings into it, such as fish cakes, vegetables and some beef. Florina was struggling a bit to pick up a fish cake with the chopsticks, and eventually resorted to stabbing it. Elizabeth had the bowl in one hand and had it up to her mouth slurping down everything. It was currently her second bowl. Bob was still on his first but eating at a normal pace.

"Is the food good, girls?" Jing asked.

Florina nodded, while Elizabeth held a thumbs up in the air. After she finished her bowl, she placed it on the table looking satisfied. "Can I have another bowl, please?"

"Sorry, dear. First two are free. If you want more to eat, you have to order from our menu. Here you go." Jing said, handing Elizabeth the menu.

Elizabeth immediately grabbed it and began skimming through. She brought out her wallet and took out some money. "I'll take twenty-four Shanghai dumplings."

Jing was a bit shock by the response, as she was expecting a more stunned or reclusive response. After blinking a couple of times, she composed herself. "ALEX! Start making some dumplings."

"Okay, okay." Alex said calmly. He then looked up realizing something. "Oh. I think I forgot to put up the lunch break sign. Bob."

"Yes, dad." Bob said as he got up, as he walked downstair. Florina then got up as well, and decided to follow.

"Save some dumplings for me she said."

Bob arrived downstairs, and began walking towards front door. He was a bit surprised when he saw someone standing at the front door, doing nothing.

"Excuse me, sir. I hate to inform you that we are close for the moment. Can you wait outside, please?" Bob said.

No response. Bob then took a closer look at the man and narrowed his gaze. He saw the black vapor pouring out of his mouth and the faint red glow in his eyes. He sensed malice. Peyton then reached into his pocket to pull out the Nyctgem gate. His eyes however widen when he saw that Bob was running towards him. Bob then jumped into the air, and perform a dropkick on the man, sending him flying out of the door, that was fortunately still open at the time. Florina, who had just come down stairs, saw the whole thing, and her jaw dropped from what she saw. Without saying anything, Bob readjusted his jacket, and walked out of the door. He saw that Peyton was slowly getting up, a bit angrier than usual, but armed with his gate now. Bob maintained his calm, but serious expression on his face, with both hands in is pockets.

As Peyton got up, he snarled. "I wanted to look him in the face, and use this power right up in front of him. Oh well. Sometimes you have to compromise."

Peyton then held up his gate and prepared to power up from it. However, it's glow began to die down. He then held it up, and shook it, wondering if it was broken. He then looked forward to see a small light coming out of Bob's pocket. Bob then pulled gate, halfway out of his pocket, before putting it back in.

Florina then rushed out of the restaurant and immediately understood what was happening. "Oh. Another Frenzy-dude. Guess it's time to strut my stuff." Before Florina could take out her gate, Bob raised his hand in front of her.

"I'll take care of him. Make sure my parents don't know about this." Bob said.

"W-what? Don't get me wrong Bob, but can I…" Florina's words were cut off, and Bob immediately turned around. She saw that his eyes were more sinister than usual.

"I'm serious, Florina. It's a personal matter."

Seeing the resolve in his eyes and hearing his voice, Florina decided to back down. "Think you'll be, okay?" she asked.

"Trust me. I'll obliterated whoever this man is." Bob said. Without saying anything else he walked towards his opponent.

Peyton and Bob then stood face-to-face with each other. "Who the hell are you?" Peyton asked.

"Bob. But, I'm also the guy you have to go through if you want to get to that restaurant."

"Ah, so you're Alex's kid. Heh. Hurting you should hurt him. Using this thing is amazing. I feel much more alive. I suppose a little card game can be a nice warm-up for the main attraction. Ready to die?"

"No."

"Scared?" Peyton asked in a more condescending tone.

"No."

Peyton realized that Bob wasn't going to say anything else. He'll just try and get into his head in the match. Both players readied their gates, and held them forward.

"Gate Open! Release!"

A bright light then enveloped both players transporting to the battle field. Bob found himself in a bright rainbow-colored area. The gate within his hand then dispersed into wind as began surrounding his body, donning him in green robes. Wind then surrounded all of his limbs, armoring him with green colored armor, similar to Florina's. Wind surrounded his main body, armoring him light green armor, with five blue gems on the center. Wind then surrounded his ears, as green sharp ear pieces appeared on them. Bob then descended from above and landed on the platform. In front of him he saw his board and his deck. On the other side of the field, he saw Peyton suited up in jet-black armor.

Bob took a look at his outfit and thought it looked nice. What really interested him were the items covering his ears. Giving a light tap, he heard music coming through them. Another tap, changed the tune, and a quick double-tap turned it off. "Not bad. I suppose it's time to jam." Bob said.

(Inside the restaurant)

Just as the fight was about to begin, Florina made her way back upstairs. At that moment, Alex had just put a huge plate onto the table, with a metal cover on it. Lifting it up revealed a bunch of small dumplings, in tin-foil holders. Elizabeth licked her lips and immediately used her chopsticks to pick one up and popped it into her mouth. Her face then contorted to pain, as she opened her mouth and began exhaling out of her mouth, due to the heat, before eventually swallowing the whole thing.

"Was there soup in that dumpling?" Elizabeth asked.

"Of course. It's a Shanghai Dumpling, which is filled with soup and filling. The common way to eat it is to poke a hole into the dumpling and drink to the soup from the dumpling, and then eat whole thing. You'll enjoy it. Everyone does." Alex said, grinning.

Elizabeth then tried the method that Alex proposed and her face lit up. "My god. This is amazing." After that, she proceeded to devour them one by one.

Alex chuckled. "Another satisfied customer. Now then, I need to head downstairs to mop the floors."

"WAIT!" Florina shouted.

Everyone then turned their attention towards Florina, giving her confused looks. Florina merely blinked before realizing that her outburst was a bit much. "*ahem* Sorry. Force of, um, behavioral stupidity habits. That's not even a real thing! Um. Anyways. I was…uh…well, ummmmmm…I can some dumplings too please?"

"Now, now dear. You may be Bob's friend. But we are a restaurant establishment. If it on the menu, you have to pay for it." Jing said.

"Indeed. Making the fresh dumplings and soup takes time and effort."

"I'll take twenty-five." Florina said, as she reached into her pocket and pulled out cash from her wallet.

"Twenty-five?" Jing asked.

"Yep. I'm so starving now. Really, really starving."

"Didn't you have two peanut butter sandwiches ago?" Jing asked.

"Uh huh. But, I'm very hyperactive girl, with hyperactive metabolism, which caused me to instantaneously digest the food." Florina said, smiling nervously.

Jing and Alex looked at each other for a moment. Alex merely shrugged as he didn't really think much of it. Jing on the other hand thought something was off giving Florina a serious glare. Florina kept on smiling, as sweat ran down every part of her face.

Alex kept his smile and chuckled. "Well. It's like they say. The customer is always right. Dear. Can you help me out with this one?"

Jing's guard didn't lower as she got up as she walked towards her husband. "Very well. A good wife does help out after all."

Alex only replied with a kiss on the cheek, earning a smile from Jing, as the two walked into the kitchen. Florina then quickly sat down, next to Elizabeth and placed her money on the countertop.

"These are really good, Florina. I can see why you would want twenty-five of your own. There's no need to be embarrassed about it." Elizbeth said, eating another dumpling.

"Bob's fighting against a frenzy dude outside." Florina said.

Upon hearing her words, Elizabeth tried to speak but immediately choked on her food. Florina screamed in fear, worrying if she should perform the Heimlich maneuver or not. Elizabeth proceeded to pound on her chest multiple times, and then chugged down a glass of water, before exhaling.

"*phew* That was a close one. Anyways, is what you're saying true?"

"Yep. Also, Bob wants us to try and keep this a secret from his parents. Can you do that?" Florina asked.

"Y-yeah. I can do that. Also, take out your gate. I've been told that we can view another gate-user's fight with it." Elizabeth said.

"Really? Well, that's pretty convenient. A little too convenient."

"I heard that activate certain conditions, like range for example, but I think we're good."

With that said, Florina immediately grabbed her gate, and started tapping it. After a few seconds have passed, the gate then emitted a blue screen showing the current fight in the Extreme Zone.

(Extreme Zone)

It was the start of the match, and Bob is up first.

Turn 1: Bob
Bob Life: 5 vs Peyton Life: 5
Bob Hand: 4+1 vs Peyton Hand: 4
Bob Reserve: 3C, 1S vs Peyton Reserve 3C, 1S
Bob Trash: 0 vs Bob Trash: 0

"Draw. I summon Kacchumushi and I'll deploy a Nexus. Fruit of the Wise Tree. Turn end."

Kacchumushi
[Cost: 0] [Reductions: None]
[Type: Spirit] [Family: Shell Insect]
LV: 1 (1C): 1000BP
LV: 2 (3C): 3000BP
[Color: Green] [Symbols: 1 Green]

Fruit of the Wise Tree
[Cost: 4] [Reductions: 2 Green]
[Type: Nexus]
LV 1: 0C
LV 2: 3C
[Color: Green] [Symbols: 1 Green]

Kacchumushi (1S): LV1 [1000BP]

Bob Reserve: 3C, 1S – 3C, 1S = 0

Bob Trash: 3C

On Bob's field, the small shell insect appeared on the field and behind him, a massive tree with yellow bark, with green leaves, containing big yellow fruit. And with that Bob's turn was over.

Turn 2 Peyton
Bob Life: 5 vs Peyton Life: 5
Bob Hand: 3 vs Peyton Hand: 4+1
Bob Reserve: 0 vs Peyton Reserve: 3C+1C, 1S
Bob Trash: 3C vs Peyton Trash: 0

"My move. Start step. Core step. Draw Step. Main step. I summon Kacchumushi and Shinobikogane to the field, each at level 1." Peyton said, as the two insects appeared.

"Green mirror match? Too earlier to say." Bob thought to himself.

Shinobikogane
[Cost: 4] [Reductions: 1 Green]
[Type: Spirit] [Family: Ninja Gale, Blade Insect]
LV 1: (1C) 2000BP
LV 2: (3C) 3000BP
[Color: Green] [Symbols: 1 Green]

Peyton Reserve: 0C

Peyton Trash: 2C, 1S

Kacchumushi (Peyton) (1C): LV1 [1000BP]

Shinobikogane (1C): LV1 [2000BP]

"With Shinobikogane's ability, I add one from the void to itself. Also, the soul core was use as the cost, allowing to place another core onto other spirit. I'll then move all those cores to Kacchumushi. I'll set a Burst. Turn end." Peyton said.

Extra cores appeared on the opposing spirits powering up Kacchumushi.

Kacchumushi(Peyton) (1C+2C): LV2 [3000BP]

(Outside)

"He's not attacking?" Elizabeth asked.

"It's because of Bob's Nexus. Any time he loses a life or lives from an attack, he gains one core. Because of that, it's even more dangerous to attack Bob since lost lives are sent to the reserve." Florina said.

(Extreme Zone)

Turn 3: Bob
Bob Life: 5 vs Peyton Life: 5
Bob Hand: 3+1 vs Peyton Hand: 2
Bob Reserve: 0C + 1C + 3C vs Peyton Reserve: 0C
Bob Trash: 0C vs Peyton Trash: 2C, 1S

"My turn. Draw." Bob looked at the field for a moment wondering how to control the flow of the field. "I'm not going to get core if he doesn't strike me. In that case, I should start playing the heavy hitters now."

After putting the card, he drew into his hand, he narrowed his gaze at Peyton, prepared to strike. "Behold the sickle of darkness rules the dark and cuts down the light! I summon The BlackInsectDemonLord Diabolica-Mantis at Level 1! I use core from Kacchumushi to ensure the cost!"

The BlackInsectDemonLord Diabolica-Mantis
[Cost: 6] [Reductions: 3 Green]
[Type: Spirit] [Family: Parasite]
LV1: (1C) 6000BP
LV2: (3C) 10000BP
[Color: Green] [Symbols: 1 Green]

Bob Reserve: 4C – 4C = 0C

Bob Trash: 4C

The BlackInsectDemonLord Diabolica-Mantis (1S): LV1 6000BP

Kacchumushi(Bob) (0C): Depleted

The ground then began to crack, as a sickle-like appendage erupted from the ground. The glint of a bug's eye shown through the ground, as the Mantis lord arose from the ground, landed on the field ready for combat. At the same time, the only core from Kacchumushi was taken away for Diabolica-Mantis, causing the tiny bug to disappear.

"Attack step. Diabolica-Mantis. With its effect, I exhaust Kacchumushi." Bob said.

The Mantis Lord then began running across the battle field and charged towards the opposing side. He then swung out its arms, creating gusts of air, that forced Kacchumushi to lie down on the ground.

"Life." Peyton said.

The Mantis Lord ran past all of the spirits as it jumped up into the air, and slashed the barrier that appeared around Peyton, destroying it.

Peyton Life: 5 – 1 = 4

Peyton Reserve: 0C + 1C

As Peyton recovered from the attack, he smirked. "When my life is decreased, my burst activates."

"Huh?"

The card on Peyton's table then jumped up revealing the card, depicting a Black Hercules beetle with six legs with multiple spears protruding from its open shell. "Grant-Benkei!"

"Snap." Bob replied with annoyed face.

Grant-Benkei
[Cost: 5] [Reductions: 2 Green]
[Type: Spirit/Burst] [Family: Supreme Hero, Shell Insect]
LV 1: (1C) 4000BP
LV 2: (3C) 8000BP
[Color: Green] [Symbols: 1 Green]

The cards in Bob's hand then began to glow as they hovered in front of him. "With Grant Benkei's Burst ability, my opponent chooses a card from their hand and discards. So, go on. Pick. We don't have all day." Peyton said cynically

Without saying anything, Bob took one of the cards and placed it into the trash, and grabbed the remaining cards.

"Good. Furthermore, Grant-Benkei returns to my hand. What now, boy?"

"Turn end."

Turn 4: Peyton
Bob Life: 5 vs Peyton Life: 4
Bob Hand: 2 vs Peyton Hand: 3+1
Bob Reserve: 0C vs Peyton Reserve: 1C + 1C + 2C, 1S
Bob Trash: 4C vs Peyton Trash: 0C

"My turn now. Core Step. Draw Step. Refresh Step. Main Step. I summon Straw Puppet and Dark-Swordoll from my hand." Peyton said.

Straw Puppet
[Cost: 0] [Reductions: None]
[Type: Spirit] [Family: Evil Shadow]
LV 1: (1C) 1000BP
LV 2: (3C) 2000BP
LV 3: (4C) 3000BP
[Color: Purple] [Symbols: 1 Purple]

Dark-Swordoll
[Cost: 3] [Reductions: 1 Purple]
[Type: Spirit] [Zombie]
LV 1: (1C) 1000BP
LV 2: (2C) 2000BP
LV 3: (5C) 5000BP
[Color: Purple] [Symbols: 1 Purple]

Peyton Reserve: 4C, 1S – 4C, 1S = 0C

Peyton Trash: 0C + 3C = 3C

Straw Puppet (1S): LV1 1000BP

Dark-Swordoll (1C): LV1 1000BP

On the field, a darker and purple colored version of Swordoll appeared, along with the Straw Puppet appeared on the field. "Swordoll's ability when summoned. I draw one card. I set a burst. Attack Step. I attack with Dark-Swordoll and Shinobikogane."

Both Dark-Swordoll and Shinobikogane began charging across the battlefield, and with no blockers to protect him, Bob could only brace for the attacks.

"Take it from life."

Both Spirits then jumped into the air as they each shattered a green sphere that protected him.

"Due to my Nexus' ability, I gain a total of two extra cores."

Bob Reserve: 0C + 4C = 4C

"I end my turn."

Turn 5: Bob
Bob Life: 3 vs Peyton Life: 4
Bob Hand: 2+1 vs Peyton Hand: 2
Bob Reserve: 4C +1C + 4C vs Peyton Reserve: 0C
Bob Trash: 0C vs Peyton Trash: 3C

Without saying anything, Bob drew his card, performed the necessary steps, and began his main step. "I summon Dark DioMantis at level 1, and raise Diabolica-Mantis and Fruit of the Wise Tree to Level 2."

DarkDio-Mantis
[Cost 3] [Reductions: 2 Green]
[Type: Spirit] [Family: Parasite]
LV 1: (1C) 3000BP
LV 2: (3C) 5000BP
LV 3: (6C) 7000BP
[Color: Green] [Symbols: 1 Green]

Bob Reserve: 9C – 7C = 2C

Bob Trash: 1C

DarkDio-Mantis (1C): LV 1 [3000BP]

The BlackInsectDemonLord Diabolica-Mantis (1S, 2C): LV 2 [10000BP]

Fruit of the Wise Tree (3C): LV 2

"Next, I'll set a burst.Attack Step. I attack with Diabolica-Mantis. With its ability, I exhaust Kacchumushi again."

"Life."

"Again?"

The Mantis Lord then swung out its arms, unleashing a gust of wind, exhausting Kacchumushi. After that was done, it ran past all of the spirits and brought its sickle appendage onto the sphere.

"Diabolica-Mantis' Level 2 effect now activates. Whenever it deals damage, it moves a core from your life to the reserve." Bob said. Diabolica-Mantis then walked up to the platform that Peyton was on, and sprayed acid from its mouth, destroying another barrier.

Peyton Life: 4 – 2 = 2

Peyton Reserve: 0C + 2C = 2C

"When my life is decreased, my Burst activates!" Peyton shouted.

"Hm? I don't think it's Benkei again." The card on Peyton's board then jumped up, revealing a different Burst. "Burst Wall! With the burst effect, I add one core from the void to my life. Then, by paying for the flash effect, I immediately end the battle phase. I'll use core from Kacchumushi to ensure the cost."

Kacchumushi (1C): LV1 1000BP

Peyton Life: 2 + 1 = 3

Peyton Reserve: 2C – 2C = 0C

Peyton Trash: 3C + 4C = 7C

A white barrier appeared in front of Peyton, as icy wind around him, restoring life. "Tough luck, kid. What now?"

"Turn end."

"That's what I thought."

Bob didn't reply.

Turn 6: Peyton
Bob Life: 3 vs Peyton Life: 3
Bob Hand: 0 vs Peyton Hand: 2+1
Bob Reserve: 2C vs Peyton Reserve: 0C + 1C + 7C
Bob Trash: 1C vs Peyton Trash: 0C

"My turn." When Peyton saw the card he drew, he began laughing uproariously.

"It can't be that funny." Bob said.

"Of course, you wouldn't find it funny. This is what's going to bring you down. I summon Yang-Ogre to field at Level 3! Since I have two purple symbols and two green symbols on my field, I can summon him at not cost!"

Yang-Ogre
[Cost: 4] [Reductions: 2 Green, 2 Purple]
[Type: Spirit] [Family: Shellman]
LV 1: (1C) 3000BP
LV 2: (3C) 4000BP
LV 3: (4C) 5000BP
[Color: Green] [Symbols: 1 Green]

Peyton: Reserve: 8C – 4C = 4C

Yang Ogre (4C): LV 3 [5000BP]

On the field, a dark-green humanoid dragon-fly creature appeared on the field, and descended onto the field.

(Extreme Zone)

"Oh no! If he's summoning Yang-Ogre like that, that means he's going to do a Life Charge combo!" Florina screamed.

"A what?" Jing asked. Florina and Elizabeth looked up to see Jing peeking through the door way.

"Um…my life…is charged up! Because…I'm going to eat some really good food!" Florina said, nervously.

Jing didn't say anything, as she just stared at Florina blankly. She then went back inside to assist her husband. Florina let out a sigh of relief. She then turned her attention back to the match.

"Um…Florina. What's wrong with that dragon-fly creature?" Elizabeth asked.

"That thing…is a core producing monster!"

(Extreme Zone)

Peyton laughed, as he took another card from his hand. "I play the Magic card, Life Charge. It destroys one spirit on my field and grants me three cores. I destroy Yang-Ogre!"

Life Charge
[Cost: 4] [Reductions: 2 Green]
[Type: Magic] [Color: Green]

Peyton Reserve: 4C – 2C = 2C

Peyton Trash: 0C + 2C = 2C

Yang-Ogre's body then began to glow green, as it writhed in pain before exploding. "As for the cherry on-top, whenever Yang-Ogre is destroyed, for each level it had, I gain one core. It was at Level 3. So, combining that amount with Life Charge's effect, I gain total of six cores!"

Peyton Reserve: 2C + 4C + 6C = 12C

(Restaurant)

"Six cores!? That's insane!" Elizabeth said.

"That's a green deck for you. Pumping out cores like a factory. Let's hope that Bob can keep up."

"What does my son need to keep up with?" Alex asked, smiling.

Florina and Elizabeth turned around to see Alex peaking out of the doorway, with his face and hands covered in flower.

"My…legs. We've been…jogging lately, and my gluts are in way better form than Bob's." Florina said. "Even Liz's."

"T-that's right. I exercise on a daily basis…it's the equivalent of fighting a gigantic monster…not that I've ever fought a monster."

Alex continued to smile, as he stared at the two girls. "Hmm. If you say so. By the way, the dumplings are almost ready. Would you like some signature sauce?"

Florina and Elizabeth both nodded in response. Alex said nothing as he walked back into the kitchen.

(Extreme Zone)

"So, what do you think of that? Trembling in your fancy suit I take it." Peyton said.

"I didn't pick the outfit. Also, extra core is only useful if you have an abundance of cards." Bob said.

"Heh. Says the man with only two spirits and one card in hand. How about I changed that for you? I summon Grant-Benkei to my field at Level 2!"

Peyton Reserve: 12C – 6C = 6C

Peyton Trash: 2C + 3C = 5C

Grant-Benkei (3C): LV 2 [8000BP]

A white summoning circle appeared on Peyton's side of the field. From it, a gigantic six-legged black Hercules beetle arose from it. It was wearing a white cloth around its body.

"With his when summoned effect, I force you to discard the remaining card in your hand!"

Bob said nothing, as he merely discarded the last card.

"Now you have nothing. With a full assault, I can wipe out your lives without worrying about a counter attack."

"Hold your horses. I still have a play. Your Grant-Benkei's when summoned effect triggered my burst."

"Huh!?"

Bob's board then turned red, as the burst jumped up into the air and landed back on the field.

"Burst Draw. With the burst I draw two cards. Then by paying flash effect using core from my tree and reserve, I can draw two extra cards." Bob said calmly, as he drew a total of four cards.

Burst Draw
[Cost: 4] [Reductions: 2 Red]
[Type: Magic/Burst] [Color: Red]

Fruit of the Wise Tree (0C): LV 1

Bob Reserve: 2C – 1C = 1C

Bob Trash: 1C + 4C = 5C

"Thank you for changing the situation. Now then, you still want to do that full assault with the risk of a counter attack. You don't have any cards in your hand to defend yourself with. Choose wisely." Bob said with a blank expression.

Peyton only growled in spite, as he tapped the board with his finger. Looking at the field, he may have more Spirits, but there was the chance Bob drew something to change the tides. Also, the Wise Tree would ensure he would have enough cores to play it.

"I raise Swordoll to Level 3 and Shinobikogane to level 2. Turn end." Dark-Swordoll and Shinobikogane received power as the raised their arms or appendages into the air readied for battle.

Peyton Reserve: 6C – 6C = 0C

Dark-Swordoll (1C + 4C): LV 3 [5000BP]

Shinobikogane (1C + 2C): LV 2 [3000BP]

Turn 7: Bob
Bob Life: 3 vs Peyton Life: 3
Bob Hand: 4 + 1 vs Peyton Hand: 0
Bob Reserve: 1C + 1C + 5C vs Peyton Reserve: 0C
Bob Trash: 0C vs Peyton Trash: 5C

"Start Step. Core Step. Draw Step. Refresh Step. Main Step." Bob looked at the cards in his hand, and the cards on his opponent's field. "I deploy Stronghold of the Demonic Insect and raise Fruit of the Wise tree to Level 2. I'll also exchange the soul core with Diabolica-Mantis and the Wise Tree." A demonic looking tree appeared behind Bob, while the other tree glowed brightly again.

The Stronghold of the Demonic Insect
[Cost: 5] [Reductions: 2 Green, 1 Blue]
[Type: Nexus] [Color: Green/Blue]
LV 1: (0C)
LV 2: (2C)

Bob Reserve: 7C – 6C = 1C

Bob Trash: 0C + 3C

Stronghold of the Demonic Insect (0C): LV 1

The BlackInsectDemonLord Diabolica-Mantis (3C): LV2 [10000BP]

Fruit of the Wise Tree (1S, 2C): LV 2

"Alright! Bob's signature rush is coming in!" Florina said from the kitchen.

"Burst set. Attack Step. Diabolica-Mantis attacks. With its ability, I exhaust Grant-Benkei. My Stronghold is also on my field, so I activate its Rush effect. I draw two cards, then discard two."

"Block with Kacchumushi!"

As the gusts of wind forced Benkei onto its knees, Kacchumushi flew up into the air and charged forward into battle without hesitation. When the two spirits got close to each other the Kacchumushi attempted to ram itself into the giant Mantis, but was immediately cut down by the mantis, causing an explosion.

Peyton Reserve: 1C

"DarkDio-Mantis attacks. Activating Rush. It's treated at its highest Level." Bob said.

"Life!"

DarkDio-Mantis (1C): LV 3 7000BP

A blue aura surrounded DarkDio-Mantis, granting it more power. DarkDio-Mantis jumped into the air and smashed it's venus-fly trap claw onto the sphere breaking it.

"End Step. Activating Fruit of the Wise Tree's level 2 effect. Both of my Spirits are refreshed."

At this point, Peyton was starting to feel frustrated. Seeing the two bugs getting up again and again made him boil with anger. But what mostly made him angry was Bob's blank face. No emotion, no expressions. Just that blank face staring at him. It reminded him of Alex.

Peyton Life: 3C – 1C = 2C

Peyton Reserve: 1C + 1C = 2C

"You're just like your old man." Peyton growled.

"Dad? Uhhh…not really. Dad's dad and I'm me. It's your turn now by the way."

Turn 8: Peyton
Bob Life: 3 vs Peyton Life: 2
Bob Hand: 3 vs Peyton Hand: 0+1
Bob Reserve: 1C vs Peyton Reserve: 2C + 1C + 5C
Bob Trash: 3C vs Peyton Trash: 0C

"Just shut it. Mani Step. Magic, Fatal Draw! I draw two cards, and since my life is less than three, I can draw one extra card. I then summon two Shikitsurus to my field, and with their effects I draw a card for each."

Fatal Draw
[Cost: 4] [Reductions: 2 Red]
[Type: Magic] [Color: Red]

Shikitsuru
[Cost: 3] [Reductions: 2 Purple]
[Type: Spirit] [Family: Evil Shadow]
LV 1: (1C) 1000BP
LV 2: (3C) 2000BP
[Color: Purple] [Symbols: 1 Purple]

Peyton Reserve: 8C – 8C = 0C

Peyton Trash: 6C

Shikitsuru1 (1C): LV 1 [1000BP]

Shikitsuru2 (1C): LV 1 [1000BP]

On the field, two purple skeletal cranes appeared on the field, with lanterns on their backs. As Peyton drew his cards, a small smirk appeared on his face. "I set a burst and end my turn."

Turn 9: Bob
Bob Life: 3 vs Peyton Life: 2
Bob Hand: 3+1 vs Peyton Hand: 2
Bob Reserve: 1C + 1C + 3C vs Peyton Reserve: 0C
Bob Trash: 0C vs Peyton Trash: 6C

Bob said nothing, as he drew his card. There was a brief moment of silence where Bob just looked at everything on the board, and the card in his hands. So far, to summarize: Peyton has Grant-Benkei (LV2), Dark-Swordoll (LV 3), Straw Puppet (LV 1), Shinobikogane (LV2) and two Shikitsurus (LV1) and one unknown burst. Bob has Diabolica-Mantis (LV2), DarkDio-Mantis (LV1), Fruit of the Wise Tree (LV2), Stronghold of the Demonic Insect (LV 1) and a burst of his own.

"I'll raise my Stronghold to Level 2, and proceed to my Attack Step. Diabolica-Mantis will attack. With its skill exhaust Grant-Benkei, and with Rush, draw two and then discard two."

"I'll block with Shinobikogane!" Peyton said. As the two insects fought it out, a smirk appeared on Peyton's face. Bob notices it and narrows his gaze, wondering what he was thinking.

Bob Reserve: 5C – 2C = 3C

Stronghold of the Demonic Insect (2C): LV 2

Shinobikogane and Diabolica Mantis duked it out, as they clashed claws with one another. Growing tire of the fight, Diabolica Mantis flew into the air and then immediately stomped onto his opponent, letting out an insect victory screech.

Peyton Reserve: 0C + 3C = 3C

Peyton's smirk son turned into a wide wicked grin. "When my spirit is destroyed, my Burst activates!" The card on Peyton's board then jumped up revealing itself. "Double Blaster! The Burst Effect lets me draw two cards from my deck. Then, by paying for the flash effect, I can destroy your Nexus!"

Double Blaster
[Cost: 3] [Reductions: 1 Red]
[Type: Magic/Burst] [

Peyton Reserve: 3C – 3C = 0C

Peyton Trash: 6C + 3C = 9C

Two pillars of fire then erupted from the ground, and flew across the field towards Bob's side, striking the tree. The Fruit of the Wise Tree caught fire, and was burned to the ground.

Bob: Reserve: 3C + 1S, 2C = 1S, 5C

Peyton began chuckling as he smiled sadistically. "What a shame. Your tree is nothing but a pile of ash now. No more core, no more re-."

"Attacking with DarkDio-Mantis. With its skill, I move two cores from Diabolica-Mantis to my reserve. Also, activating Rush to treat at its highest level."

"Wha…Uh…Block with Shikitsuru."

The BlackInsectDemonLord Diabolica-Mantis (1C): LV1 [6000BP]

Bob: Reserve: 1S, 5C + 2C = 1S, 7C

DarkDio-Mantis (1C): LV 3 [7000BP]

Diabolica-Mantis drooped its body after being weakened, as DarkDio-Mantis jumped into the air and grabbed Shikitsuru in the air. The smaller mantis then used its body to push the skeletal bird down, and crashing it into the ground.

Peyton Reserve: 0C + 1C = 1C

"Turn end." Bob said.

(Extreme Zone)

"What's Bob thinking? He's left himself with no blockers!" Elizabeth said.

"Hmmm. I don't know. But hopefully, he has a plan." Florina said.

"Can't you tell what he's thinking? You fought him last time."

"Well, that was when he was crazy. Here, he just has a face you can't read. Like I said before, he moves and listens to his own tune. And no one else. Just his own tempo." Florina said.

Elizabeth remained silent, as she turned back to the gate to watch the fight.

(Extreme Zone)

Turn 10: Peyton
Bob Life: 3 vs Peyton Life: 2
Bob Hand: 4 vs Peyton Hand: 2+1
Bob Reserve: 1S, 7C vs Peyton Reserve: 1C + 1C + 9C
Bob Trash: 0C vs Peyton Trash: 0C

"Hey, kid. You do realize you're about to lose, right?" Peyton asked.

Silence. Nothing but silence filled the air.

"Too scared to talk?"

Bob didn't say anything. He only had a blank un-changing expression on his face.

"SAY SOMETHING DAMMIT!" he yelled.

At that point, Bob responded. "Can you stop yapping, and play the game?"

After hearing that, Peyton became furious. "That. Does it! I'll have your head. Start step. Core step. Draw Step. Refresh step. Main step! I first exchange the Soul Core from Straw Puppet to use this Magic Card! Hand Reverse! By discarding my entire, I can draw cards until I have the same amount as you. In addition, Since I use the soul core for the cost, I draw an extra card!"

Hand Reverse (Revival)
[Cost: 5] [Reductions: 2 Green]
[Type: Magic] [Color: Green]

Straw Puppet (1C): LV 1 [1000BP]

Peyton Reserve: 1S, 10C – 1S, 3C = 7C

Peyton Trash: 1S, 3C

Peyton took a look at the five new cards in his hand, and smirked. "I'm going to wipe off that stupid grin off your face!"

"I'm not grinning." Bob replied, as he was in fact not grinning. Although, Peyton felt like he was.

"This is the end! Behold one of the Nether World giants! A ruler over a realm of death! I summon The NetherThreeGiants Baroque-Bordeaux!"

The NetherThreeGiants Baroque-Bordeaux
[Cost: 8] [Reductions: 4 Purple]
[Type: Spirit] [Family: Evil Deity, Zombie]
LV 1: (1C) 6000BP
LV 2: (3C) 8000BP
LV 3: (5C) 13000BP
[Color: Purple] [Symbols: 1 Purple]

Peyton Reserve: 7C – 6C = 1C

Peyton trash: 1S, 3C + 5C = 1S, 8C

The NetherThreeGiants Baroque-Bordeaux (1C): LV 1 [6000BP]

The sky's colored turned into that of a dark purple hue. A purple smog began cover the ground. Three purple eyes began glow within the smog. Suddenly, six white armored hands emerged from the smog, raised the full body of the monster. It was a skeletal giant, donned in white armor, with gold accents. Each of it's six hands held a weapon, being a sword, axe, or a lance. Its head was that of a three-eyed skull, with two golden arcs, sticking out from the back side of its head. The zombie giant towered over almost ever spirit on the field, aside from Diabolica, and let out a vicious roar cry.

Bob only narrowed his eyes at the new spirit, being cautious of its appearance. Meanwhile, Elizabeth and Florina were speechless and slightly terrified of the spirit.

"Bordeaux effect activates! I take two cards from my hand, and place them under him face-down! Then I lower Sword Doll to level two, and raise Bordeaux to level 2!" Peyton said.

"Only two? Bordeaux lets you place up to three. Guess he wants to keep that last card in his hand." Bob thought.

The NetherThreeGiants Baroque-Bordeaux (3C): LV 2 [8000BP]

Dark-Swordoll (2C): LV 2 [2000BP]

Peyton Reserve: 1C + 1C = 2C

"Attack Step! Crush him Bordeaux! I activate its Level 2 and 3 effect when attacking! By placing the Kacchumushi from my trash underneath this spirit, I can destroy one spirit you control! How about I get rid of that overgrown Mantis!?"

Bordeaux let out a hellish scream as he ran across the battle field. He then raised his weapons and fired a stream of purple energy towards Diabolica-Mantis, zapping him of his energy destroying him.

"Furthermore, more, one core from that spirit is sent to the void!"

(Restaurant)

"The void? Doesn't that mean he loses a core?" Elizabeth asked.

"Yep. It's a skill that depletes your opponent's resources." Florina said.

"What a terrifying ability."

(Extreme Zone)

"Looks like your ace is gone." Peyton said.

"Only a fool relies on one strategy for victory." Bob said.

"Huh?"

"Whenever my spirit is destroyed, my burst activates." The card on Bob's board then sprung up, as he then caught it and held it up. "The EarthShinobi Daibeat. With the Burst Effect, I add one core to DarkDio-Mantis. Then, I summon him at no cost at Level 2."

The EarthShinobi Daibeat
[Cost: 8] [Reductions: 3 Green]
[Type: Spirit/Burst] [Family: Ninja Gale, Shellman]
LV 1: (1C) 6000BP
LV 2: (3C) 12000BP
[Color: Green] [Symbols: 1 Green]

DarkDio-Mantis (2C): LV 1 [3000BP]

The Earth Shinobi Daibeat (1S, 2C): LV 2 [12000BP]

Bob Reserve: 1S, 7C – 1S, 2C = 5C

The earth beneath the ground at Bob's field began to crack as two gigantic fists arose from the ground. Lifting itself from the ground, the spirit revealed itself to be a gigantic humanoid stag beetle with massive arms, and stag horns on its knees. Daibeat position itself in a fighting position, ready for combat.

"Come at me. If you dare." Bob said.

"Heh. You think you're such a wise guy summoning a spirit like that. Too bad you're aren't that smart. Since you added core outside of your core step, I can summon a spirit of my own at no cost! Come forth! The DragonMaskOgre Biranba!" Peyton said.

The DragonMaskOgre Biranba
[Cost: 10] [Reductions: 5 Purple, 1 Ultimate]
[Type: Spirit] [Family: Vassal, Ogre Wizard]
LV 1: (1C) 8000BP
LV 2: (3C) 13000BP
LV 3: (5C) 18000BP
[Color: Purple] [Symbols: 1 Purple]

Peyton Reserve: 2C – 2C = 0C

Dark Swordoll (1C): LV 1 [1000BP]

The DragonMaskOgre Biranba (3C): LV 2 [13000BP]

Purple electricity gathered above the sky, and sent down a bolt of purple lighting onto the ground. From the energy, a black armored, iron masked wizard emerged from the vail and held up its hands, shooting conjuring magical lighting.

"After Biranba is summoned, for every core you added, I send two cores from opposing spirits, TO THE VOID! I SEND THE TWO CORES FROM DAIBEAT TO THE VOID!" Peyton shouted.

"You don't have to shout. Also, I'll take it from life." Bob replied.

Bordeaux finally reached where Bob was standing, as he raised his weapons and smashed the barrier that surrounded Bob. Meanwhile, Biranba fired a stream of energy at Daibeat, sending his core to void, weakening him in the process.

The EarthShinobi Daibeat (1S): LV 1 [6000BP]

Bob Life: 3 – 1 = 2

Bob Reserve: 5C + 6C

(Restaurant)

"He just lost more core! On the other hand, his opponent has been out-resourcing him with cores and draws." Elizabeth said.

"Uh-huh. It's getting a bit dicey for Bob. That guy still has…um…one, three…five attacks left!" Florina said.

(Extreme Zone)

"I'm not done yet! I attack with Grant-Benkei!"

"Life." Bob replied.

Grant-Benkei ran forward into combat. The back of its shell then opened up, revealing multiple spears, tridents and naginatas, as it then fired a spear from its back, destroying the barrier that surrounded Bob, bringing him down to his last life.

Bob Life: 2 – 1 = 1

Bob Reserve: 6C + 1C = 7C

"Keh heh heh. Time to end it. Biranba attacks!"

Biranba clasped its hands together as it fired a blast of electrical energy from its hands straight at Bob.

"My Stronghold's level 2 effect activates. Once per turn, I can swift summon without paying the cost. I swift summon Saberhornet from my hand at level 2. Block."

Saberhornet
[Cost: 3] [Reductions: 2 Green]
[Type: Spirit] [Family: Blade Insect]
LV 1: (1C) 2000BP
LV 2: (2C) 3000BP
[Color: Green] [Symbols: 1 Green]

Bob Reserve: 7C – 2C = 5C

Saberhornet (2C): LV 2 [3000BP]

On Bob's field, a small green hornet, with red eyes, and multiple sharp daggers for legs appeared on his field. The small bug flew headfirst into the attack without hesitation, sacrificing itself, as it was destroyed in an explosion.

Bob Reserve: 5C + 2C = 7C

"Saberhornet's level 2 effect activates. When destroyed, choose a spirit you control to exhaust." Bob said calmly.

"Argh. I exhaust Dark Swordoll. It's not over yet. I still have two spirits I can attack with." Peyton said.

"I know. I only have one blocker on my field. You may be able to sneak one attack depleting all of my lives. Want to try it?" Bob asked.

Peyton scowled, but took a moment to calm down and look at the field. "The kid only has three cards in hand. However, he's been drawing cards with his Diabolica-Mantis' effect. He still has Daibeat on the field, with 6000BP. If I attack now, there's a chance he'll swift summon a spirt with at least 2000BP. The rest of my spirits only have 1000BP. If that happens. I'll lose two spirits for nothing. Eh. Doesn't matter. I still have a one more trick up my sleeve. Turn end."

Turn 11
Bob Life: 1 vs Peyton Life: 2
Bob Hand: 3+1 vs Peyton Hand: 1
Bob Reserve: 7C + 1C vs Peyton Reserve: 0C
Bob Trash: 0C vs Peyton Trash: 1S, 8C

Before Bob began his turn, Peyton stopped him. "You do realize you're at an overwhelm-."

"Disadvantage. I know."

"Stop interrupting me!"

"Strong or weak, anyone is capable of achieving victory. Whether it by luck, skill, intelligence or proper planning. As for me, every move was leading to this moment. It's my last turn. So, regardless if this ends with my victory or defeat, I'll strike you with everything I have." Bob said, with a more serious look.

Peyton said nothing, as he couldn't but feel intimidated. He didn't know why…no. He knew exactly why. It was same presence he felt from Alex when he goes for the final blow.

"Start step. Core Step. Draw step. Refresh step. Main step." Bob took a deep breath and re-examined his hand and trash, ready to execute his plan. "Shake the earth to its core. Shatter the heavens themselves as the grand empress! I summon The HeavyArmorBug Seltas Queen!"

The HeavyArmorBug Seltas Queen
[Cost: 8] [Reductions: 4 Green]
[Type: Spirit] [Family: Grand Monster, Parasite]
LV 1: (1C) 4000BP
LV 2: (3C) 12000BP
LV 3: (6C) 22000BP

Bob Reserve: 8C – 8C = 0C

Bob Trash: 0C + 5C = 5C

The HeavyArmorBug Seltas Queen (3C): LV 2 [12000BP]

Tremors began to occur as the ground began to shake with each passing second. Behind Bob, the sounds of something heavy could be heard walking towards the battle field. Suddenly, a gigantic green tail with orange pincers arose from behind the battlefield, as two massive insect legs climbed out from behind. Raising its body from behind, the Seltas Queen walked towards the battle field, each step causing a massive thud. It finally reached the other spirits and let out a loud insect-screech.

(Restaurant)

"Madre de dio. That bug is a tank on legs." Florina said, in disbelief of what she was seeing.

"Indeed. The Seltas Queen is one of the most massive land monsters you can encounter. Each step it takes causes the ground to shake, and it hits really hard." Elizabeth said, as she was speaking from experience. "And if the Seltas Queen is here, then that means…"

"Heavy Armor Bug does sound like an accurate title for it."

(Extreme Zone)

(Insert BGM: MH4 Heavy Armor Bug)

"I activate the Seltas Queen's when summoned effect. For every green symbol on my field, I get add one core from the void to my reserve. I have DarkDio-Mantis, DaiBeat, Stronghold of the Demonic Insect, and Seltas Queen herself. That's a total of four cores add to the reserve."

"Four cores!?" Petyon yelled.

"Shame. If you just used Biranba's effect to deplete my other mantis instead of Daibeat, you would have been able to return it to the hand during your last attack step." Bob said.

"Grrr."

Bob Reserve: 4C

"Next, I'll exchange the Soul Core from Daibeat to Seltas Queen, and I'll raise Daibeat to level 2, using one spare from DarkDio-Mantis and one from the reserve. Attack Step. Starting with Daibeat. Since Daibeat is at level 2, if you want to guard this attack, you have to use two spirits, and I get to pick which one to fight."

DarkDio-Mantis (1C): LV 1 [3000BP]

The EarthShinobi Daibeat (3C): LV 2 [12000BP]

The HeavyArmorBug Seltas Queen (1S, 2C): LV 2 [12000BP]

Bob Reserve: 4C – 1C = 3C

"Fine. I'll block with Straw Puppet and Shikitsuru."

"Okay. I'll fight Shikitsuru. Now for Flash Timing."

"There's more!?"

"I swift summon DarkMachG from my hand. Activating Rush. Since there's a blue symbol on my field, I can destroy a cost 2 or lower spirit. Straw Puppet." Bob said.

Bob Reserve: 3C – 2C = 1C

Bob Trash: 5C + 1C = 6C

DarkMachG
[Cost: 2] [Reductions: 1 Green]
[Type: Spirit] [Family Parasite]
LV 1: (1C) 2000BP
LV 2: (2C) 3000BP
[Color: Green] [Symbol: 1 Green]

DarkMachG (1C): LV 1 [2000BP]

The tiny little dark green bug appeared on the field and immediately flew across the battlefield, ramming into the Straw Puppet, successfully destroying it. Meanwhile, Shikitsuru flew towards Daibeat, swooping in from multiple directions. Eventually, Daibeat grabbed the skeletal bird and slammed it into the ground destroying it.

Peyton Reserve: 2C

"Now, I attack with Seltas Queen. I activate its effect, when it attacks, I can add a spirit or brave with the Swift ability from my trash to my hand. However, if my Seltas Queen has the Soul Core, I can add two instead. I add Saberhornet and Seltas Drone to my hand." Bob said. Two cards from Bob's trash then materialized and flew straight back into his hand.

"Seltas Drone? When was that there!?" Peyton asked.

"I've been drawing and discarding for this entire game. It was bound to end up there eventually. Also, Seltas Queen's rush activates! My Stronghold is still on the field, so I can destroy one opposing with a cost equal or less than her. Grant-Benkei!"

A blue aura then surrounded the Seltas Queen as some liquid began building up in her mouth. She then shot it out, as the liquid projectile zoomed across the field, and slamming into Grant-Benkei, destroying him.

Peyton Reserve: 2C + 3C = 5C

"Argh! Flash Timing! White Wings Sword! I give Bordeaux 3000BP and the ability to block while exhausted. Bordeaux blocks!"

Light Wings Sword
[Cost: 3] [Reductions: 2 White]
[Type: Magic] [Color: White]

Peyton Reserve: 5C – 3C = 2C

The NetherThreeGiants Baroque-Bordeaux (3C): LV 2 [8000BP + 3000BP = 11000BP]

Bordeaux charged towards the Seltas Queen, letting out a fierce roar. The Seltas Queen the raised its pincer and attempted to ram it into the zombie. Bordeaux used its open hands to grab the orange pincers. The Seltas Queen began pushing forward, while Bordeaux began slamming its weapons onto the shell.

"For the record. It doesn't matter if you slay my creature. It'll just come back again. For you see-."

"You can send one of the face-down cards underneath Bordeaux to the trash and it remains on the field in the refresh state. Also, with White Wings Sword…wait…my mistake. LIGHT Wings Sword's effect, you can block any of my spirits regardless of if it's exhausted or refreshed." Bob said.

Peyton had a stunned look on his face, as he was also annoyed from getting interrupted. "H-how did you know that?"

"I've played against it before. Also, Florina and I usually go over cards that come out in new card sets. Reading is hard after all." Bob said.

"W-well, regardless, after this battle, Bordeaux will still be on my field. Saberhornet's effect is useless, and all your tiny bugs will be squished if they try to attack."

"Then I'll just keep killing it until it stays dead. Permanently. Flash Timing. I Swift Summon Seltas Drone from my hand, and directly brave it with Seltas Queen." Bob then threw a card from his hand onto the board, stacking it perfectly onto the Seltas Queen card.

Seltas Drone
[Cost: 5] [Reductions: 2 Green, 2 Blue]
[Type: Brave] [Family: Grand Monster, Parasite]
LV 1: (1C) 6000BP
Braved: +6000BP [Brave Conditions: HeavyArmorBug Seltas Queen]
[Color: Green] [Symbols: 1 Blue]

From the skies above, a gigantic Green Stag beetle, with sharp blade like claws, flew straight towards the battlefield. The Seltas Queen then threw Bordeaux back, as it then raised its tail pincer into the air, and grabbed the Seltas. While the Seltas struggled in pain from the grip, the Queen began to emit orange pheromones from her tail. After a while, the Drone stopped moving, as the Queen placed it on top of her shell. The Drone's eyes glowed, as it then swung out its claws. The two bugs screeched in unison, prepared to fight.

Seltas Queen
[Cost: 8+5 = 13] [12000BP + 6000BP = 18000BP]

"If the Seltas Queen is on the field, I can summon it at no cost once per turn. Activating Seltas Drone's when summoned effect. I refresh Seltas Queen. Now we resume the battle." Bob said.

A green aura surrounded the Seltas Queen, as the braved cards on Bob's board turned to the refresh state. The Queen then began charging at her enemy, with the drone pointed towards the front. Bordeaux then crossed its arms in an attempt to block the attack, but was immediately destroyed by the charged attack.

"I activate Bordeaux's effect. By sending one of the cards beneath him to the trash, he remains on the field in the refreshed state!" Peyton yelled. A black aura appeared on the field, as Bordeaux's body immediately reformed.

"Attacking again. Seltas Queen's effect. I'm just going to use it's Rush effect. To destroy Bordeaux. Being a Brave-Spirit, she has a cost of 13, which is more than enough to crush Bordeaux." Bob said.

The Seltas Queen then grabbed the drone on her head, and hurled it Bordeaux, immediately destroying him. Normally, the drone would die in real life. However, as this was a card game, the drone survived and flew back to his Queen, and reattached itself to the body.

"Bordeaux's effect activates! I send a card beneath him to the trash, and I'll block! I still have one card left! Your remaining spirits are too weak too…"

"Flash timing. I'll use my Stronghold's level 2 effect to swift-summon without paying the cost." Bob said.

"I wasn't finished!"

"I swift summon Hagoromochou from my hand at no cost." Bob said.

Hagoromochou
[Cost: 4] [Reductions: 2 Green]
[Type: Spirit] [Family: Parasite]
LV 1: (1C) 2000BP
LV 2: (3C) 3000BP
[Color: Green] [Symbols: 1]

Bob Reserve: 1C – 1C = 0C

Hagoromochou (1C): LV1 [2000BP]

A green emerald appeared on Bob's side of the field, as it then shattered, forming a gigantic light green moth, with multiple tail feathers.

"Using Hagoromochou's when summoned effect. I can refresh one Spirit in the Parasite family. Along with being in the Grand-Monster family, Seltas Queen is also a part of the Parasite family as well, so I refresh her." Bob said.

Peyton's eyes widen in fear as Hagoromochou flew over the Seltas Queen and began sprinkling some dust onto its body, refreshing it. Without saying anything, Peyton immediately used Bordeaux to block the attack. The multi-armed zombie charged forward, swinging it weapons violently, only to be rammed by the Seltas, as it heaved into the air, and landed on the ground exploding. Just like before, the final card underneath him was gone."

"Final attack. Seltas Queen attacks for the third time. Activating Rush. I destroy Bordeaux for the fourth and FINAL time." Bob said with a cold gaze.

And with that said, the Seltas Queen began building up fluids in its mouth, and shot it out with massive force, destroying Bordeaux immediately. Peyton covered himself, shielding himself from the explosion. When he looked up, he saw the Seltas Queen approaching him slowly, and began to pick-up speed. The Seltas Drone then opened its wings and began to lift the Queen, partially off the ground.

"No more blockers. No more hand cards. Nothing to stop a double-symbol attack." Bob said.

The Seltas Queen then began to use its forward legs to increase speed, as the two bugs screeched in unison. A green sphere then appeared around Peyton, as the bugs rammed into the sphere, shattering the last remaining two lives. Peyton's then began to break down, as he was then thrown out of the Extreme Zone screaming.

"This battle…is mine." Bob said coldly, as all of his spirits hissed or screeched together triumphantly.

(Real World)

(End BGM)

After the battle, Bob found himself back where they were teleported from, and saw Peyton lying on the ground, face-down. Slowly, he approached the man with caution, and noticed that he was still conscious. Next to him was a broken black gate, that was shattered into pieces. Peyton then began to move, as he turned his head towards Bob. It made him angry. It reminded him of Alex. There was no smile, but it had the same condescending feeling. Using his remaining strength, he managed to get back up onto his feet, and stumbled over to where Bob was standing.

"Who are you exactly? I don't think I ever got your name." Bob said.

"S…screw you…both you…AND YOUR FATHER!" Peyton yelled. He then used what little strength he had left to run towards Bob.

Without flinching, Bob then proceeded to extend his right leg outward, performing a front kick, knocking Peyton to ground, causing him to clutch his stomach in pain. "What an odd name."

At that moment, Florina and Elizabeth came running out of the restaurant. "Bob! Bob! THAT! WAS! AMAZING! Seriously though! The way you just command that entire fight was incredible."

"I have to agree. Apparently, I find your ability to focus to be very effective. I think you have the mentality to become a Monster Hunter yourself. To stare down the gigantic foe, and engage in combat. You certainly qualify." Elizabeth said.

"Mental yes. Physically…no." Bob replied, earning a chuckle from Elizabeth and Florina. "Now then, what do we do with him?" Bob asked, looking at the man who curled up on the ground in the fetal position, while clutching his stomach.

"Son. Allow us."

Everyone then turned around to see Alex and Jing walking towards the group.

"Mind telling me what happened, Bob?" Jing asked sternly.

"I kicked him in self-defense." Bob replied.

"Hah, hah, hah! That's my boy." Jing said, smiling.

"Hmm. I see. Why don't you head on inside with your friends. Your mother and I will handle this…miscreant."

Bob's parents were emitting a sinister aura, as their faces concealed their true emotions. Without saying anything Bob gestured Florina and Elizabeth to head back into the shop. Before walking past his parents, Jing suddenly hug him, and brought him close, to kiss him on the cheek. Bob in turn hugged her back and patted her on the back, while Alex ruffled his head. Once the trio made it back inside, both Alex and Jing focus their attention onto Peyton.

"My, my. I never took you for a fool Peyton. Seeking revenge is one thing, but to attack my son? A fatal mistake."

"Argh…your son…started…"

Peyton didn't get a chance to finish his sentence, as Jing slammed her heel onto his back, causing him to scream in pain. "You're in no position to talk. I asked my husband to give you some leniency considering your past service. As of now, we're going take our time with you." Jing said as an evil grin appeared on her face."

Peyton's eyes widen in fear, as he looked up at the couple.

"I told you, Peyton. You should've never crossed our paths again. And now you'll pay for it." Alex said.

(Inside the Restaurant)

"So, what are your parents going to do to that guy?" Elizabeth asked out of curiosity.

"Don't know. Don't care. I think that guy has some beef with my dad. Best to let them handle it. By the way. Why are there so many soup-dumplings on the table? Are you that hungry, Liz?" Bob asked, looking at least 5 plates of dumplings on the table.

Florina only let out a depressed sigh. "I ordered them. I couldn't think of any other ways to stall your parents. And now, I'll going to have an overstuffed stomach and empty wallet now. *sigh*." She said, as she shook an empty wallet with nothing coming out.

"Is that so. In that, I'll help out as well. We both know how much my mom and dad hate leftovers."

"Uh-huh. I'll never forget that day." Florina said.

"If I may ask…"

"Elizabeth. The less you know, the better. Trust me on this one." Florina said.

Elizabeth saw that Florina eyes were filled with fear. Whatever Bob's parents are do, she thought it was best to not know. Ignorance is bliss in most cases. "So, if you don't mind, can I…play a match with one of you after you finish?"

Florina and Bob looked at Elizabeth, being surprised just a bit, before Florina spoke up. "Of course, we can! Bet you got pumped for a battle after seeing Bob's fight. You game, Bob?"

"You can go first. I need a small break after that last fight. Although, I do need to see if my deck needs any adjustments. Why the sudden interest though?" Bob asked.

"Well, I figured since I have the least amount of experience, it would be nice to play a couple of games to get a natural feeling of playing. I guess it also…looked fun." Elizabeth said, blushing just a bit.

Florina grinned ear to ear after hearing her. "Alright then! Let's finish these dumplings pronto so we can have a battle." She said, as she began eating at a faster past.

"Pace yourself, Florina. Also, it's best to enjoy food by chewing it slowly to appreciate it. That's what my mom says. There's also a high risk of choking."

At that moment, some food got stuck in Florina's throat, as she pounded her chest multiple times.

"See. Don't kill yourself with dumpling." Bob said, passing Florina a glass of water.

The latter grabbed the glass and gulped it down in a hurry. With that said, Florina ate a moderate pace, while Bob berated her for not having her head over the plate, letting the soup from her lips drip onto the table. Elizabeth found her new companions nice to be around, and smiled.

Meanwhile, from behind the walls, Jing and Alex could be seen overlooking the scene.

"It's nice that our boy is having fun with his friends. However, keep an eye on them. Especially the white haired one. Do that for me, darling." Jing said.

"If it for you and the safety of our son, I'll gladly do it." Alex said, holding his wife closely.

(To be Continued)

Author's Note
I'm too tired to make this lengthy, so I'll keep it short.

I'm about to get a job.

I'm not abandoning my stories. I just struggle to focus.

Kamen Rider Sennen is up next. Maybe…or RWBY Chronicles, I don't know.

THE FOLLOWING TEXT IS IMPORTANT!

I also might make a short story of Persona 5 x Cardfight Vanguard. I might need help writing that one, so if anyone wants to team-up with me with that one, message me.

I don't know what else to say, but to have a wonderful day.