Yui walks down the street looking through her deck, as the memory from a few hours ago comes back to her.
Flashback (Drive 25)
"As I expected, you're not yet ready to face the Death Ark. As such, I want you to stay as far away from that man you encountered last night as possible. My allies and I will deal with him." Ryuzu walks towards the door to leave, but Alex stops him.
"Wait!" she shouts, "Give me a rematch! I know I'm ready! I…"
"NO!" Ryuzu shouts without even turning around, cutting Alex off, "If you want a rematch, it will have to wait until after the tournament. Until then, get stronger. Only until you beat me, will I believe you are strong enough." With that, Ryuzu walks through the doors. Alex hangs her head, with her hands in her lap as a tear falls from her eye. Yui looks at her, unsure of what to do or say.
End of flashback
Yui lets out a big sigh and says to herself, "I wish there was some way I could help Alex…" however, she gets lost in her thoughts and ends up bumping into the back of someone in front of her. "Ah!" they both scream when they collide. "Sorry! I didn't see you there." Yui apologizes. The person then turns to face her. It was a young girl who didn't look much older than her, with red eyes and black hair, tied in a ponytail with a red ribbon, that extends down one side of her face, as well as wearing a blue t-shirt under a black jacket, a pale-blue skirt with black thigh-high socks, and pink boots. She was holding a squished juice box, and there was a big stain on her shirt from when Yui bumped into her.
"Aw, man… I just had this washed too…" the girl says as holds out her shirt to look at the stain.
"I'm sooo sorry!" Yui apologizes again with a bow, "I-I'll pay for any dry cleaning."
The other girl waves her hand in front of her face and says, "Ahhh, don't worry about it. It's a cheap shirt."
"Still, there's got to be something I can do to make it up to you." Yui says to her.
The girl gives her an annoyed expression and replies, "Seriously, you don't owe me anything."
"Still," Yui says, "I should have been more observant. There's got to be something I can do for you."
The other girl groans and says, "Are you always this apologetic?" Yui doesn't answer and just stays silent, but then the girl says, "Well… now that I think about it, there is something you can do for me."
Yui's eyes widen and she asks, "What's that?"
The girl holds up her squished juice box and says, "You can buy me another juice, considering I spilled my last one." Yui just blinks at the girl's simple request.
Opening Theme – Fighter (Gundam Build Iron-Blooded Orphans OP4)
Drive 26 – The Flowers of Passion
The girls head to a nearby park where they find a vending machine. A small box of apple juice drops into the compartment at the bottom, so Yui takes it out and hands it to the girl. "Here you go." She says with a somber expression, but the girl doesn't say anything when she takes the box. Instead, she just walks over to the vending machine, puts some money in, pushes some buttons, and another juice box falls out, this time of grape juice. She takes it out and hands it to Yui, confusing her.
"Here, take it. Now consider us even." The girl says.
"A-Are you sure?" Yui askes, and the girl nods.
"Like I said, you didn't have to owe me anything." She tells her.
Yui hesitantly takes the juice box from her before putting the straw in it. "Th-then thank you."
As Yui takes a sip from her juice, the girl then asks, "If you don't mind me asking, why were you so oblivious to me anyway?"
Yui thinks of what to say, without giving too much information to a stranger. "Well, you see… there's this friend I really want to impress, so I made a new deck to try and surprise them, but… it's an entirely new clan I'm not that used to playing, so I don't know if it's any good."
The girl sucks on her juice for a moment, thinking of what to do, then says, "What if I tested your deck for you?"
Surprised by her request, Yui asks, "Y-You play Vanguard?"
The girl pulls out her deck and says, "Yep, I'm even in Fighter's Royal. What about you?"
"I-I am too…"
"Then why don't we also put some points on the line, since that's what we do in Fighter's Royal."
Yui thinks for a moment, surprised by the fact a complete stranger wants to help her test her deck. "A-Alright, let's do it."
The girl puts on a cheesy grin and says, "Great." She then points to herself and introduces herself, "The name's Kyoko by the way."
Yui bows and replies, "I-It's nice to meet you Ms. Kyoko, I'm Yui."
The girl cringes a little and says, "Ugh… please, don't call me Ms. That title makes my skin crawl."
"S-Sorry…" Yui apologizes.
The two of them find a nearby fight table to play at. After shuffling each other's decks and drawing their starting hands, the two of them place their hands on their Vanguards and declare in unison, "Stand up… VANGUARD!"
In a magical forest, where large glowing vines cover the trees, and the sunlight barely makes it through the dense roof of leaves, two figures appear.
"Little Red Maiden, Lanol (G0/5000)!" a young girl appears, wearing a red cloak and holding a basket of fruit.
"ZERO Enchanter, Keana (G0/5000)!" A girl with red eyes, white hair, and dressed in white robes appears.
"Link Joker?" Yui questions, seeing Kyoko's clan, "I-I've never played against this clan before."
"Well, it's not a clan a lot of people use these days." Kyoko tells her, "Alright, I'll go first. Ride! ZERO Battler, Camla (G1/8000)!" a girl with short white hair, and adorned with white and gray battle armor appears. "Using Keana's skill. I look at the top three cards of my deck and put a unit with ZERO in its name into my hand." Kyoko reveals the card, and it's a grade 3.
"Alright, my turn!" Yui declares, "Ride! Maiden of Cherry Blossom Elola (G1/8000)!" I activate Lanol's skill! I can reveal a unit in my hand, then I look at the top six cards of my deck and put a unit with the same card name into my hand. Next, I use Elola's skill. I discard one card and draw one card. Next, I call Maiden of Gentle Rain, Jasmine (G1/8000)." A girl with white hair, and holding a blue umbrella appears behind Yui's Vanguard. "Boosted by Jasmine, Elola attacks the Vanguard (8000-16000)!" Elola waves her hands around, and a storm of flower petals overwhelms Camla.
"Damage check." Kyoko declares (none). (Kyoko: [])
"Ride! ZERO Battler, Sanra (G2/10000)!" In Camla's place, another white-haired girl appears with a black face mask, white armor, and brandishing a red katana energized with red lightning. "Using Sanra's skill (Soul 2-1)! I can choose one of your rear-guards, and its power becomes 0 until the end of your next turn."
"Huh?!" Yui exclaims.
"I choose Jasmine!" Sanra casts some magic at Jasmine, and she ends up getting tied up in red chains made of pure energy (8000-0). "Next, I call ZERO Blademaster, Raiden (G2/10000)!" a woman brandishing twin red swords appears, "I also call ZERO Field Support, Claudira (G1/8000)! I use her skill. I rest her, and her power becomes 0 (8000-0), in exchange, I get to add a unit to my hand with 0 power."
"Why would you want that?" Yui questions.
"You'll see," Kyoko says with a smirk, "Sanra attacks the Vanguard! Drive check (Critical). Critical Trigger! I give the power to Raiden (10000-20000), and the Critical to Sanra (10000/Crit 1-2)!" Sanra dashes around before slicing at Elola.
Yui flinches in real life before declaring, "Damage Check (none/none). (Yui: [][])"
"Raiden attacks the Vanguard! With her skill, add 3000 power for each unit on the board with 0 power. There's 2, so add 6000 power (20000-26000)!"
"I guard (20000)!" Yui declares, calling a heal trigger. Her turn then begins, "Stand and draw. Ride! Dianthus Blooming Maiden, Juno (G2/10000)! Using her skill ([X][]), I can search my deck for a unit with the same name as one of my rear-guards and call it. I superior call another Jasmine (G1/8000). With their skills, if I have two or more rear-guards with the same name, add 5000 power to both (0-5000) (8000-13000)." As the second Jasmine appears, the one in chains manages to break free. "Next, I call White Rose Mage, Alexia (G2/10000)!" A unit wearing white garments, reminiscent of a white flower appears, dancing in a storm of white flower petals. "With her skill, if there are two or more rear-guards with the same name, add 3000 power (10000-13000)! Boosted by Jasmine, Juno attacks the Vanguard (10000-15000)!"
"I guard (10000)!" Kyoko declares.
"Drive Check (Draw). Draw Trigger! Add 10000 power to Juno and draw a card (15000-25000)!"
"Damage Check (none). (Kyoko: [][])
"Boosted by Jasmine, Alexia attacks the Vanguard (13000-26000)!" Alexia moves her hands around in the air, channeling a storm of petals, before casting it at Sanra, knocking her off her feet. (Kyoko: [][][])
"Heh, not bad." Kyoko says as she picks herself up off the ground, "You seem to be getting the hang on this deck."
Yui smiles with joy and responds, "Th-Thank you, Ms. Kyoko."
Kyoko cringes when she hears Yui utter those words again. "I told you not to call me that!" she exclaims, getting mad.
"O-Oh… sorry…" Yui apologizes; however, Kyoko doesn't seem to accept it.
"No apologies," Kyoko says holding up a card with a wicked grin, "I already let it go once, and now you'll pay for it." Yui braces herself as Kyoko commences her turn. "Angel of Chromatic Wings, descend forth and bound all injustice to Hell! Ride!" Sanra disappears, and an object flies in front of the sun, blocking it out. It turns out to be a cyborg girl with white hair and silver metallic wings, who descends onto the battlefield as Kyoko announces her name, "ZERO Eclipse, Quasaria (G3/12000)!"
Yui is in awe of Kyoko's grade 3. It is both majestic, yet embodies the spirit of the devil.
"I call ZERO Artillery Gear, Kelya (G3/12000) and ZERO Swordsman, Ylena (G1/0). Next, I use Kelya's skill ([X][][])! I reduce Alexia and Jasmine's power to 0 until the end of your next turn!" red chains then ensnare Alexia and Jasmine, restraining their movement (10000-0) (8000-0)! "I activate Claudira's skill (8000-0)! I add ZERO Field Support, Anaya to my hand, and then I call her (G1/0)! In place of Raiden, I call ZERO Marksman Rebexa (G2/10000)! Using her skill ([X][X][]), I get to superior call the top card of your deck and reduce its power to 0!"
"No!"
"I superior call Fruit Harvester, Lenora (G1/8000-0)! Next, over Kelya, I call Sanra (G2/10000), and with her skill (Soul 2-1), I reduce your last Jasmine's power to 0 (8000-0)!"
Yui stares at her board in horror, imagining all of her units bounded by the devious red chains. "This is… horrible…"
"I'm not done yet! I activate Quasaria's skill ([X][X][X]) (Soul 1-0)! If all of your rear-guards have 0 power, I can reduce your Vanguard's power to 0 as well, and its power can't be increased except by guardian shields!"
"Even my Vanguard?!" Yui exclaims as she watches her Vanguard get tied up by the chains. Her body begins to quiver as if she can feel the deadly pulses from the chains herself (10000-0).
"Now the fun truly begins. For each unit with 0 power on your board, Ylena gains 4000 power! There's five, so her power becomes 20000 (0-20000)!"
Kyoko Board State
(G2/10000) (G3/12000) (G2/10000)
(G1/0) (G1/0) (G1/20000)
"Let's battle! Boosted by Anaya, Rebexa attacks the Vanguard (10000)!"
"But it won't do anything." Yui points out, but Kyoko corrects her.
"When Anaya boosts, I get to draw one card. Also, when Rebexa attacks, she gains 2000 power for each of your units with 0 power (10000-20000)!" Rebexa aims her gun at Yui's Vanguard and fires a beam of red energy, causing Yui to scream in pain. (Yui: [X][][]) "Now, Quasaria attacks your Vanguard (12000)!"
"Complete guard!" Yui declares.
"Twin Drive (none/Critical). Critical Trigger! I give all effects to Sanra (10000-20000/Crit 1-2)! Boosted by Ylena, Sanra attacks the Vanguard (20000-40000)!" Sanra dashes at Yui slicing her up, causing blood to leak out of her unit (Yui: [X][][][][]).
"AHHHHHH!" Yui screams. In the real world, she falls to her knees, not only having taken severe damage but also in awe of Kyoko's power.
"I'll let you off easy." Kyoko mocks her, "It wouldn't be fair if I won this fight before you even got to grade 3. So why don't you stand up and defend yourself? You wanted to test this deck, so I want to see your full strength!"
Yui then begins giggling under her breath, making Kyoko look confused. Yui then stands up and looks at Kyoko with a smile, "You're right. I wanted to get stronger, and this is my chance to prove how strong I've become!"
Kyoko smiles back and says, "Alright then, show me what you've got!"
"You got it! Stand and draw!" Yui declares as she pulls a card from her hand. "Maiden of glorious spring! Sprout forth a road to a new direction of possibilities! Ride!" a young maiden, adorned in green robes, reminiscent of that of a shrine maiden appears dancing gracefully in a field of pink flowers and trees, as a storm of cherry blossoms blows through the air as Yui calls out her name, "Hibiscus Blooming Maiden, Laverna (G3/12000)! Activating her Soul Drive!" Yui puts four cards from her drop zone on the bottom of her deck. The flowers around Laverna begin to bloom as several parts of her robes fall off, revealing the flower markings that line her arms. "Laverna gains 3000 power, 1 grade, and 1 drive (G3-4/12000-15000/drive 2-3)! I call Watcher of the Garden, Berelyn (G1/8000)! I activate Laverna's skill (Soul 3-2)! I choose Jasmine. Then I get to superior call another Jasmine from my deck (G1/8000)! In addition, since Laverna is Driven, I can add 5000 power to all Jasmines (8000-13000) (0-5000) (0-5000)!" The newly called Jasmine uses a water spell to break the other Jasmines free from their chains. "And, when a unit is called to my board, Berelyn gains 2000 power, and that unit's name! And since Berelyn is considered Jasmine now, she gains 5000 power due to Laverna's skill (8000-10000-15000)!"
"Hmm…" Kyoko hums.
"And, when there are two or more units with the same card name, Jasmine gains 5000 power, and this applies to all Jasmines (13000-18000) (5000-10000) (5000-10000)! Also, Alexia gains 3000 power for the same reason (0-3000)!"
Yui Board State
(G1/15000) (G4/15000) (G2/3000)
(G1/18000) (G1/10000) (G1/10000)
Yui stands proudly with her board, having freed all of her units from their chains. Kyoko smiles at Yui's plays.
"Let's go! Boosted by Jasmine, Alexia attacks the Vanguard (3000-13000)! Using Alexia's skill ([X][X][][][])! I retire one of my Jasmines and look at three cards from my deck." Yui smirks when she looks at one of the cards, "I superior call another Jasmine, and since it's the same as the unit I retired, I counter charge one! Not only that, but this Jasmine is even more powered up (8000-13000-18000)!" All three Jasmines hold their umbrellas in the air with smiles as rain pours around them, and sunlight shines through the trees.
"Impressive." Kyoko applauds her, "Sanra intercepts!"
"Next, Boosted by Jasmine, Berelyn attacks (15000)!" Berelyn throws a ball at Quasaria, which explodes into a storm of flower petals (Kyoko: [X][X][X][]). Now, boosted by Jasmine, Laverna attacks the Vanguard (15000-33000)! Laverna's skill ([X][X][][][])! Send my two resting Jasmines to the bottom of my deck, then I look at seven cards from the top of my deck. Superior call two Song of the Forest, Tanlyns (G3/12000) (G3/12000)! With their skills, if I have two or more units with the same name, add 10000 power to them both (12000-22000) (12000-22000)! In addition, since the units I put on the bottom of my deck had the same name, Laverna adds 10000 power to my entire front row (22000-32000) (33000-43000) (22000-32000)!"
Kyoko thinks for a moment and declares "Complete Guard!" She then thinks to herself, "I've got enough to block one of her Tanlyns, and then I can take the other one. As long as she doesn't draw a Critical or Front Trigger, I'll survive."
"Triple Drive! First check (none). Second check (none)." The two girls go silent, knowing the fate of the fight rides on this draw, "Third check!" Yui pulls off the top card and reveals it (Front). Kyoko steps back, mouth ajar, in shock at the draw. "Front Trigger! Add 10000 power to my entire front row (32000-42000) (43000-53000) (32000-42000)! My two Tanlyns attack your Vanguard!"
Kyoko places her hand cards on the table and proudly declares, "No guard." The Tanlyns sing a song that causes vines to grow out of the ground around Kyoko's units, ensnaring them all and begin squeezing them until… they pop into little light particles, ending the fight. (Kyoko: [X][X][X][][][])
"Alright! I won!" Yui exclaims in joy.
"Yeah, you did." Kyoko tells her. After exchanging points on their Fighter's Apps, Kyoko begins to walk off saying, "Welp, see ya around."
However, Yui stops her. "Wait! I wanted to ask you something." Kyoko stops and spins on her heels to face Yui, "Um… Will I ever see you again?"
Kyoko puts on a cheerful smile and says, "Maybe, maybe not. I'm just a vigilante cardfighter, dealing out justice where justice is due, but if you keep fighting hard, maybe we will see each other again…" Kyoko spins back around and adds, "and then we can be friends." Before walking off.
"Friends…" Yui mutters to herself as she thinks back to her fight with Renka on day 1, about how she was against them being friends, and then thinks about Alex, and how she wants to stand equally with her, and finally, about Saki, and wanting to prove herself to her. "That's right, Vanguard is all about making new friends. With this new deck, I'm sure I'll get through to everyone and show them I'm not a kid anymore, that I can stand at the top with them." Yui then runs off to find more opponents to train her deck, "Just you wait Alex, Saki, Renka… I'll show you all who I really am!"
Ending Theme – Yume no Hikari-Kun no Mirai (Buddyfight DDD Ending 1)
[Next Time]
Alex is feeling gloomy after learning the truth about her father and is unsure of what to do. Just then, Yuto arrives in the nick of time to cheer her up. He takes her to an amusement park in the hopes of enlightening her spirits.
Next time on Vanguard X: "For My Family" Don't miss it!
A message from Team K3 to the reader:
Alex: Hello everyone! Thanks for reading another chapter of Vanguard X!
Rina: We know there have been long gaps in between chapters, but the creator is hard at work.
Yui: However, he hasn't forgotten about all of you readers. He hopes to get this series back onto a weekly-biweekly release schedule.
Rina: Now, no promises, as who knows what could happen over time, but as of right now, that is the goal.
Alex: We hope you all understand, and until the next chapter… always remember…Stand up, VANGUARD!