Hi again readers! I am presenting to everyone chapter 18! I hope everyone won't mind the really big time skip in this chapter because this is going to be taking place in the camping trip then immediately to the chaos that's about to start. So without further ado, let's start!

Normal POV

It was finally time for the camping trip and Aichi and the others prepared everything and settled most of their stuff on Akibastar already and left Akibastar to Tsubasa and the others for now.

First up, after changing, there was a global orienteering.

" Wow! This place is amazing! Right, Aichi?" Naoki ask

No response...

" Aichi?" Naoki ask

Aichi was looking really pale and was heavily breathing.

" What's wrong?" Naoki ask

" I-I... can't... breathe..." Aichi replied with difficulty

" B-Boss Lady!" Naoki called

Misaki noticed the situation.

" Akari, you stay here. I'll go check what he wants." Misaki said

" Okay..." Akari said

Misaki ran over to Naoki and checked on Aichi.

" Relax and breathe. Here, I got some medicine you can drink." Misaki said

Aichi took the medicine and drank it as instructed.

" You feeling better now?" Naoki ask

" Y-Yeah... Just a little exhausted." Aichi replied

" I think you better sit down." Misaki said

They settled Aichi to sit on the rock and wiped his sweat away. They remembered what Tsubasa said.

~ Flashback start~

Tsubasa approached them.

" Misaki, Naoki, Shingo. Here, I'm giving these bottles to you. He's been having breathing difficulties after that incident, please give this water to him if that happens. The water is from the lake that you saw under the temple. It has healing properties, so please take care of him." Tsubasa said

" Yes!"

~ Flashback end~

" How are you feeling now?" Shingo ask

" I'm fine now. Let's continue." Aichi replied

" But you still look quite pale." Akari said

" I'm fine, really. Let's go." Aichi said

They continued the orienteering and managed to complete it first.

~ After dinner~

They watched the VF High School Championship.

~ After the fight~

" That was a great fight!" Naoki said

" It really was!"

" It was really exciting to watch!"

" Hey, maybe we should buy a trial deck when we get back?"

" Good idea!"

They were all shocked.

" Looks like they finally learnt the value of Vanguard." Shingo said

" Everyone!" Aichi said

" The rules seem pretty simple."

" And I get the feeling you'll be able to learn it by just watching!"

Some of them were also talking to Aichi and the others about the game.

" Hey, you guys must be aiming for that High School Championship too, right? Good luck next time!"

" We'll be there to cheer you on!"

" Yeah. Thank you! I'll do my best!" Aichi said

" You're always welcome to fight us!" Naoki said

" We'll be waiting!" Shingo said

" Girls can do it too, right?" One girl ask

" Yes, we'd be happy to have you." Misaki said

After that, they all went to their rooms.

" Aichi? Are you alright?" Naoki ask

" Y-Yes..." Aichi replied

" You look pale. Are you having breathing difficulties?" Shingo ask

" A-A little..." Aichi replied

Naoki took out the bottle and gave it to Aichi.

" Thank you, Naoki-kun, Shingo-kun..." Aichi said

" You should sleep. That way, you'll feel better." Naoki said

" Yes..."

The three went to sleep for the night.

The next day... (Sorry for skipping so much T.T)

They had to make a meal for themselves and after making them, they finally ate the meal they made, although Kourin was missing out.

~ Night~

They had the campfire while Kourin led Aichi to the legendary tree and asked him for a fight.

~ After some time~

The fight had been stopped when Kourin was suddenly acting weird and she ran off. Aichi gave chase but was stopped by Maki and went back to their rooms.

The bus ride back was quite a long ride because of a jam and everyone fell asleep.

" What's been happening to me lately? Suddenly blacking out then waking up somewhere else. I hope it doesn't happen this time." Aichi thought

He fell asleep too.

~ After some time~

Aichi was having a nightmare and it really wasn't a good image and he woke up with a fright.

" Aichi? What's wrong? You look pale." Naoki said

" Sendou-kun?" Shingo ask

" No... I'm fine." Aichi replied

Aichi regained his composure and relaxed.

" Why did I have that kind of dream?" Aichi thought

He hoped to reach soon because of a bad premonition.

" Kirara..." Aichi murmured

Kirara came out of his pocket and landed on his hand.

" If anything should happen to me... At the least, Kirara needs to be safe." Aichi thought

When Shingo didn't look, Aichi slipped his Kirara with a note into the sleeping Naoki's pocket and made the silent sign to his Kirara. His Kirara dived into Naoki's pocket, signalling to Aichi that he understands.

" Naoki-kun, I leave him in your hands. Please take good care of him." Aichi thought

Aichi looked out of the window and realized they were almost reaching.

~ After some time~

Aichi and the others arrived at the school and Aichi immediately ran out of the bus and into the school.

" Aichi?" Naoki ask

" Sendou-kun?" Shingo ask

Aichi arrived at the field and saw Kamui staggering in his steps before collapsing on his knees.

" Kamui-kun!"

Aichi ran to his side.

" Kamui-kun!" Aichi exclaimed

" Brother... Sorry... I... wasn't strong enough..." Kamui said

Kamui screamed as the dark aura started to surround him.

" What's this?!" Aichi exclaimed

He turned behind him and Kourin was behind him.

" I Reversed him." Kourin said

Misaki, Naoki and Shingo arrived to see the situation.

" The gang's all here." Maki said

They turned to Maki.

" This is perfect timing. Right when it's about to begin." Maki said

" What's about to begin?!" Misaki ask

" Something unbelievably huge!" Maki said

They turned to see a screen showing up and Takuto's face appeared.

" Hello, Cardfighters all over the world. I trust you're all enjoying yourselves as you strive to win a fight today? It pleases me immensely. Friends and comrades and frenemies... Growing as fighters... I know how fulfilling that can be. And yet, nothing lasts forever. No matter how fun your days are, they'll come to an end eventually. And that day is right before you." Takuto said

" Huh?!"

" This may be sudden, but your world... is going to be destroyed." Takuto said

Aichi turned his head to Kourin. Kamui was still fighting Reverse.

" Kamui-kun!" Aichi said

" This is unavoidable. Link Joker holds sway over the world. Cardfighters... I'm sure some of you are aware of the phenomenon known as "Reverse". Link Joker is the very one controlling that phenomenon. When a Cardfighter loses to a Reversed fighter, he becomes Reversed too. If he's Reversed, his personality changes, and he becomes very strong... but what really happens is that he becomes a soldier in our Link Joker army." Takuto said

" Why? Why am I feeling so... No... Not now..." Aichi thought

He managed to suppress something rising inside him, for now.

" With an increase in their numbers, we have become more powerful than ever. Take a look at this." Takuto said

An image of the black ring appeared.

" This is a gate." Takuto said

Misaki turned her head to Aichi, who is still struggling to suppress whatever wants to rise.

" It can't be!" Misaki thought

" If you look up in the sky, you'll see them here and there all over the world." Takuto continued

Kamui was still struggling with Reverse.

" Kamui-kun!"

They turned their heads to see Emi and the others.

" Emi! Gouki-san!" Aichi exclaimed

" Kamui-chan!" Nagisa exclaimed

" Kamui!" Gouki exclaimed

" That's... Takuto?!" Rekka exclaimed

" Even now, the number of Reversed fighter is increasing. The gates will open wider the more Reversed fighters there are. And when they eventually cover the Earth... this planet will smother in darkness of nothingness in the blink of an eye. All life will fall into darkness. This has all become possible because of you Earth fighters. Thank you very much! By the way, I'm only telling you fighters about this today. I hope you all spend the scant remainder of your peaceful days in despair. For a world ruled by Link Joker, despair is a perfect fit." Takuto said

The screen turned off.

" This is bad." Shingo said

" What is...?" Naoki ask

" I know by gate, it means that black ring but..." Shingo said

" Aichi is already..." Misaki said

Naoki looked over to Aichi. Aichi had a dazed look.

" Oh no..." Naoki said

" Shut his eyes! Don't let him see anything!" Rekka shouted

Naoki immediately acted on it and closed Aichi's eyes, putting him into a temporary sleep.

" Th-That was close..." Naoki said

" I see you figured out a way to prevent the guardian from rising. But that can't stop the guardian from continuing to rise." Maki said

" As long as it temporarily stops him, it should be alright." Misaki said

" Yeah. We shouldn't take any risks." Naoki said

They heard laughter behind them and realized they were forgetting someone.

" But where are you looking at? I got him." Kamui said

" Aichi!"

Kamui went to Maki and Kourin's side.

" Now if I'm correct, didn't he have a bit of difficulties breathing at the camping trip?" Maki said

" What do you plan on doing?" Naoki ask

" Don't worry, we're not planning anything on him." Kourin said

" Damn it! Give Aichi back! Don't do this!" Naoki said

" It's no use. Now that they are Reversed, those words won't get through to them. The only way is to fight them. And it is the only way to save your friend here. Take out your decks. Go ahead!" Maki said

" Fine with me, wench!" Naoki said

" Wait! Fighting is just exactly what the enemy wants! I know that you want to fight and help Sendou but..." Gouki said

They turned to the kids.

" We have no choice. We can come back for Sendou soon. For now, we need to retreat." Gouki said

" He's right, Naoki. Alright, we'll make a strategic retreat. I'll explain everything to Tsubasa-san later." Misaki said

Misaki turned to Aichi, who was now in Kourin's arms.

" We'll definitely come back to save you!" Misaki thought

" Let's go!" Misaki said

They ran out of the school.

" And here I thought I could fight one of them." Kamui said

" Don't worry, they'll come back here soon. They can't hide anywhere for long. Besides... we've got what we needed." Maki said

They turned to Aichi.

" Let the plan start." Maki said

Meanwhile... Misaki and the others are at Card Capital.

" I can't just sit here anymore! I'm goin' back to save Aichi now!" Naoki said

" Don't! We're worried about Aichi too, but we can't just go back there without a plan!" Misaki said

" Tch!"

There was some wriggling in Naoki's pocket.

" W-What?!" Naoki exclaimed

Kirara came out of his pocket.

" You're... Aichi's..." Naoki exclaimed

" Kirara!" Misaki exclaimed

" Sendou-kun must have secretly slipped him into your pocket while you were sleeping and when I wasn't looking!" Shingo said

" Wait, there's a note on him." Misaki said

She took the note and read it.

" If you guys are reading this, it might mean that I've been captured or taken away somewhere. I don't know what has been happening to me but I've been having weird feelings recently, so I'm leaving him to you. Please take care of him while I'm not around, he's the second key to open the gate to Akibastar, not just me. I'm counting on you. -Aichi"

" I don't believe this. He predicted it to happen for sure and it did." Naoki said

" So that's why he kept acting weird in the bus." Shingo said

" There's more, ' P.S. He can be really sensitive to your words, so please be careful.' That's what it said." Misaki said

Silence...

" By sensitive... What does he mean? And be careful?" Naoki ask

" Probably, his Kirara will do something to you if you're not careful with your words." Misaki replied

" Oh."

" We should contact Tsubasa-san and the others about the situation." Shingo said

" Yeah..."

Misaki took out her device and contacted Tsubasa. The screen showed up and they could see Tsubasa with the other Successors.

" Do you need me for something?" Tsubasa ask

" Huh? What's with the gloomy faces? And where's Aichi?" Yuuko ask

" Well... That's..." Misaki said

Misaki explained everything to him.

" Reverse... Once a fighter is defeated by a Reversed fighter, he'll also be Reversed." Takamina said

" And Aichi's been taken away by the enemy?" Tsubasa ask

" Yes, sorry." Naoki said

" Don't apologize. But now... They already have Kourin and Kamui Reversed. Probably even more people." Tsubasa said

" Yeah. Most probably someone we know. And is also in 00." Misaki said

" I'm going!" Takamina said

" Takamina?" Tsubasa ask

" I'm going there to meet you guys! I want to help too!" Takamina said

" But Takamina, at your current skill in fights, you'll probably..." Misaki said

" I'll train! And I'll get stronger! I want to help! Aichi needs our help too!" Takamina said

" Us too!" Yuuko said

" Yeah!"

" But this is dangerous... Unless we can find a way to stop those gates... The mastermind..." Misaki said

" Maybe that Takuto Tatsunagi... He knows the way... We just need to find him." Tsubasa said

" If you want to get answers from him, Aichi needs to fight someone else first." A voice

They turned their heads to the door and was surprised.

" Miwa!"

" Yo!"

" Don't tell me..." Takamina exclaimed

" You're Reversed?" Yuuko ask

" Bingo! Guess who Reversed me?" Miwa ask

" Anyone stronger than Miwa... Kai... Kai did it?" Misaki ask

" Correct! He's looking forward to the fight between him and Aichi." Miwa said, red marks appeared on his face

" Why are you helping him?!" Kojiharu ask

" Because I'm his friend. This is the only way to help him." Miwa replied

" I don't mind you guys coming to see their fight too. I wonder who will win? If Aichi is defeated, you know what will happen, right?" Miwa ask

" He'll be Reversed... But right now..." Naoki said

" Yeah. He's still sleeping soundly and waiting at your school. So it's now or never." Miwa said

" Now or never... Then... we'll start with you first!" Naoki said

" Sorry! I've got more important things to settle so see you guys soon." Miwa said

He left the shop.

" Damn it!" Naoki said

" Even Miwa and Kai is Reversed..." Takamina said

" When I get my hands on that Takuto..." Yuuko said

" Don't be hasty, Yuuko." Tsubasa said

" We're coming right now! I can't sit back and just wait for them to Reverse anymore people!" Takamina said

She left to look for a portal. The others followed her.

" Jeez, Takamina... Anyway, I'll stay here but please update me if anything happens. When Takamina and the others arrive, please give me a notice." Tsubasa said

" Yeah. We'll do just that!" Naoki said

" We'll definitely get Sendou-kun back!" Shingo said

" I'm counting on you." Tsubasa said

The screen turned off. Shin noticed something on the counter. A letter left by Miwa.

" Misaki, Miwa-kun left a letter here." Shin said

" Let me see it." Misaki said

She read through the letter and her eyes widened, she secretly showed the letter's contents to Naoki and Shingo.

" Yo guys! I'm sure you're missing Aichi by now and I'm gonna tell you this just this once. You better hurry because once the Nova gate is opened, the world will definitely fall into eternal darkness. Aichi will be given to Takuto by tomorrow morning, so if you don't hurry, it might be your last time seeing him. See you soon! P.S. I left a little souvenir for you guys."

That was what the letter said. They took a look into the little souvenir and blushed. They immediately kept the little souvenir.

" D-Damn that guy... He's gonna get it from Aichi when he is free." Naoki thought

" He must have taken this when Aichi was doing his gravure photoshoot... That guy is going to get it from me and Aichi." Misaki thought

" Sendou-kun... Someone please protect Miwa-san when he's free because Sendou-kun is going to make him regret taking this picture." Shingo thought

The three of them immediately kept the letter away from Shin when he asked what was in the letter.

~ Miyaji High, unknown location~

Our familiar blue-haired fighter was on a bed and had his hands tied together and legs tied to the rails of the bed, struggling to get out of the ropes. Mouth sealed with a cloth. Maki entered the unknown place.

" I see you're awake, Guardian." Maki said

" What? Guardian?" Aichi thought

" The plan will soon begin so we can't have you escaping when we're so close to obtaining the gate, now can we?" Maki said

She tightened the ropes and Aichi winced at the pain around his wrist.

" With you, the world will definitely be destroyed, including your beloved Akibastar." Maki said

Aichi's eyes widened and started to struggle against his bonds.

" It's no use. Tomorrow morning, the plan will begin so please relax until then. Goodbye and enjoy your remaining hours." Maki said

She left the unknown place, leaving Aichi to continue struggling with the ropes.

And that's the end of this chapter! Thank you for reading and please look forward to the next chapter! Takamina and the others are arriving soon! What will happen in the next chapter?! Look forward to it! I'll see everyone in the next chapter! Bye bye!