Chapter 16, this is already going farther than all my other things… let's get it on!
Asuna vs Sakuya
"Stand up, Vanguard!" Both began.
"Wholehearted Dream, Meruru!" Sakuya began.
"Knight of Meditation, Mac Nessa!"
"She changed clans…" The Great Nature player noted as so far, she was the only one watching as the others were still in their games.
As they were in an open area, the units simply manifested behind them, a mermaid behind Sakuya, a knight behind Asuna.
"I go first." Asuna simply began. "I discard Howl Owl, and I ride Cherishing Knight Branwen, I end my turn and move Mac Nessa to the bottom left."
To take the place of the knight, a female crossbow wielder took to the field, aiming at the mermaid.
"My turn then." Sakuya began her turn before discarding a draw trigger Pitte from her hand. "I ride Scarlet Vivid, Quale. And with its skill, I soulcharge 1." She added, putting the top card of her deck, in this case, the Sentinel Transcend Idol Aqua, into her soul.
"I move Meruru behind my Vanguard, and with her boost, I attack your Vanguard." (Power: 13000)
"No guard." Was the reply as the beam of water shot by Quale struck Branwen.
(Drive Check- Admired Sparkle, Spica)
(Damage Check- Deathspray Dragon)
"I end my turn." Sakuya said.
Asuna - Sakuya
5 - Hand - 6
0 - Soul - 1
1 - Damage - 0
0- Counterblast- 0
1 -Drop Zone - 1
Field
Knight of Meditation, Mac Nessa - RG = RG - RG
RG - Cherishing Knight, Branwen = Scarlet Vivid, Quale – Wholehearted Dream, Meruru
RG - RG = RG – RG
"Stand and draw, I ride Darkness Maiden, Macha by discarding a copy of Dark Saga." Accompanying that, dark aura changed the young knight, replacing her with another who wielded a sword. "Macha's skill." A counterblast. "I call Pitch Black Sage, Charon to the bottom right, I gain 5000 power as well as draw one card, and I then call another Macha in front of him."
To the right of the female, another one appeared as a young mage reading a book ready to support their commanding officer.
'She's already beginning to fill up her field.' Sakuya thought.
"I attack with Macha." (Power: 15000)
'Let's see what you can do.' Asuna thought as she remembered something that occurred before.
"Hey guys, promise me that you will send letters, ok?" She had remembered this, it was the last day she had before she had to move away.
"We promise."
"No guard." Was the reply.
(Drive Check- Darkside Trumpeter-Critical)
"Power to my rear, and critical to my Vanguard."
(Damage Check- Choco Love Heart, Liselotte)
(Damage Check- Colorful Pastorale, Sonata)
"My other Macha attacks your Vanguard." (Power: 27000)
"No guard again." She repeated, opting to conserve her hand.
(Damage Check- Colorful Pastorale, Caro)
"I end my turn."
Asuna - Sakuya
5 - Hand - 6
1 - Soul - 1
1 - Damage - 3
1- Counterblast- 0
2 -Drop Zone - 1
Field
Knight of Meditation, Mac Nessa - RG = RG - RG
RG- Darkness Maiden, Macha = Scarlet Vivid, Quale – Wholehearted Dream, Meruru
Pitch Black Sage, Charon – Darkness Maiden, Macha = RG – RG
"Ah, I lost…" Takeru noted as he took a damage.
"Yeah, you can get a jail out of free card with Holy Squire, but you could only use it twice." She advised.
"I see, I should have timed it better." He said before he looked to the side, noting Satoshi winning against Alan, although something occurred. "Huh where did the other three go?"
"Over here." Claire called out to them as they followed, seeing Sakuya play against Asuna.
"She changed clans?"
"Yeah Takeru." Alan confirmed, "She's been using that ever since she returned."
"All things considered, it's not a big stretch. Shadow Paladins and Great Nature have benefits when their rear-guards are retired." Satoshi counted.
"I see…" With that they all looked and waited as Sakuya began her turn.
"Stand and draw." Sakuya said as she discarded another copy of Pitte. "I ride Choco Love Heart, Liselotte!" A mermaid this time holding chocolate looking at their target. "Liselotte's skill activates, I check the top card of my deck, and call it to a rear-guard circle or put it into my soul." The top card showed Sonata. "Colorful Pastorale, Sonata, I call her to the front left." At that a girl with blonde hair and green dress smiled as they looked at their opponent. "With Quale's skill, since I rode on them, I move them to a rear-guard circle." The prior mermaid returned. "I soulcharge 1 card." She made the call, revealing the top card, which was another Liselotte, and placed them in the soul.
'Of course, it does that…' Asuna thought as she braced herself.
"I attack your Vanguard with Liselotte." (Power: 15000)
"No guard."
(Drive Check- ChouChou, Milena- Heal)
"Heal trigger!" She smiled as she healed a damage. "I give all the power to Sonata!"
(Damage Check- Deathspray Dragon)
"Sonata attacks your Vanguard, Melody activates!"
"Melody?"
"An ability that Sonata has and can be shared by all units that have the Melody ability, she gets 5000 during my turn." (Power: 36000)
"No guard." She immediately made the call, understanding the futility of wasting cards this early.
Asuna - Sakuya
5 - Hand - 7
1 - Soul - 2
3 - Damage - 2
1- Counterblast- 0
2 -Drop Zone - 3
Field
Knight of Meditation, Mac Nessa - RG = RG - RG
RG- Darkness Maiden, Macha = Choco Love Heart, Liselotte– Wholehearted Dream, Meruru
Pitch Black Sage, Charon – Darkness Maiden, Macha = Colorful Pastorale, Sonata – Scarlet Vivid, Quale
"Stand and Draw." She declared. She opted to discard a copy of Kahedin from her hand. "Great black gale rise and raze those before you. Ride! Whirlwind of Darkness, Vortimer 'Diablo'!" Following the wishes of her Vanguard, Macha raised her sword up as she was replaced by a dark horse rider, ready to tear into their opponent. "Vortimer Diablo's skill." She paid a counterblast and a soulblast. "I call a grade 1 from my deck. I call Dark Saga Painter as a Grade 1." She noted as the painter appeared in front of Mac Nessa to support them.
"The good thing is, she's filling up her field without using too much from her hand." Alan noted.
"I follow up with Macha's skill." She paid once more with another counterblast. "I call Kahedin from my hand." A young man wielding chains appeared to support. "Power plus 5000 and I draw one card." She then looked at Sakuya, although the latter would notice that there was still something between the way her eyes look.
'She… she resents me?' she guessed as the source of the dislike.
"Keep your eyes focused on the match." Asuna chastised as she rested Dark Saga, fully intending on hiding her true feelings on the matter. "Dark Saga attacks Liselotte." (Power: 14000)
"Mom! Did Takeru and the others send a letter?"
"No dear, they haven't."
"Huh? Ok… " She felt sad about that, as she remembered that that was about a month or so after, and there were still no letters.
'That was rich coming from me, telling her to focus and I'm not...' Asuna admitted to herself.
"I guard with Ayna." She said as the mermaid protected her Vanguard.
"I attack with Vortimer!" Was the girl's simple declaration as the horse rider raised its weapon and charged at their quarry. (Power: 18000)
"No guard."
(Drive Check- Karma Collector)
(Drive Check- Grim Reaper- Critical)
"Critical trigger." Both the horse rider and the maiden to its right then glowed yellow, the former getting an extra critical, the latter the power.
"Damage Check."
(Damage Check- Choco Love Heart, Liselotte)
(Damage Check- Novel Dress, Akari)
"Macha attacks your Vanguard!" The mermaid was then struck by another attack as it reeled. (Power: 37000)
(Damage Check- ChouChou, Pitte- Draw)
"Draw trigger!" Sakuya called as she drew one.
"I end my turn."
Asuna - Sakuya
7 - Hand - 6
1 - Soul - 2
3 - Damage - 5
3- Counterblast- 0
4 -Drop Zone - 4
Field
Knight of Meditation, Mac Nessa – Dark Saga Painter = RG - RG
Black Chain Spirit Dance Formation, Kahedin- Whirlwind of Darkness, Vortimer 'Diablo' = Choco Love Heart, Liselotte– Wholehearted Dream, Meruru
Pitch Black Sage, Charon – Darkness Maiden, Macha = Colorful Pastorale, Sonata – Scarlet Vivid, Quale
"5 damage." Sakuya merely observed.
'But still, there's still no stride.' She thought. 'I can still do this!'
"Stand and draw!"
"Well now that it's Sakuya's turn." Claire began. "She'll be able to get on the pressure now."
"Yeah." Takeru agreed, although he didn't notice that Asuna tensed a bit hearing his agreement. "It would be harder for Asuna the longer the game goes." Was what he said, before he seemed to blank out, and instead of seeing everyone else and the units behind the two, he only saw the units.
'What… am I looking at?' he thought.
Takeru would then see the mermaids piling up the offensive, completely battering the Paladins, however, just on the cusp of victory, he would see the Paladins call forth a dragon, replenishing its allies, and then went towards the mermaids, although in a bit that surprised Takeru, he saw a flash, but before he could register and process the situation, he just started hearing someone mention his name.
"… ke… ru…"
"Takeru." Satoshi's voice finally made it through as he seemed to return to reality. "Are you ok?" From the way he asked, the Royal Paladin player looked at everyone who was concerned for him, even Asuna and Sakuya had paused the match when they heard it.
"I'm… ok." Was all he said. "Please continue."
'What was that I saw?' he asked himself in his mind. 'That was… that was even more visceral than the one in Leon-san's match.'
"I-If you say so." Sakuya replied while Asuna nodded. "Stand and draw."
'Back to the match.' The Bermuda Triangle player reset her mind to focus. 'She has me pushed to 5 damage. But I can drain a lot of her hand with this turn, please help me everyone.'
"A revolutionary song to bring about a new era! Ride!" She beamed as she discarded another Caro from her hand. "Delight Genius, Ange!" A mermaid with red hair began as she appeared. "Skill activated!" She said as she paid a soulblast. "I return a rear-guard to my hand, and one of yours, I choose Kahedin for you, and Sonata for me." She noted as the two rear-guards returned. "For every rear-guard you return to your hand I draw a card, for everyone I return, I add a unit with Generation Break 2 to my hand." She noted as she drew one and then searched her deck for a copy of Marioneer to add to her hand but didn't shuffle yet while in the field the water swept the two units away. "I'm not shuffling yet because I'm going to use her skill after I stride." She said, discarding the Sonata she returned to her hand before placing a copy of Alk, which Saya gave her on her Vanguard circle.
"Stride Generation, School Student Council President, Alk! And then stride skill!" She shot out another. "I return Mac Nessa and Quale to my hand."
On the field behind her, they would witness Ange clasping her hands together as a new mermaid appeared with white hair ready as, yet another wave of water got rid of the two rear-guards.
"I add Subaru to my hand." She said before she now shuffled her deck. "I then draw one card."
'This just got way harder.' Asuna thought as she noted how Sakuya prioritized sniping her backline.
"Alk is now in Harmony with Meruru, then I call Shizuku and Subaru!" She motioned taking the two units out in the same column as each other with both in a school uniform, one having blonde and the other red hair.
"Shizuku's skill! I check the top 5 cards, and add Sonata to my hand, I then shuffle my deck. Then Alk's skill!" She noted with a counterblast and persona flip. "I return two rear-guards with Harmony to my hand and gain a skill." She added returning both Shizuku and Subaru to her hand. "Meruru's skill, I put her into my soul, countercharge, and until the end of my turn, if my Vanguard is in Harmony, everyone in the front row gets 3000!"
"Since Alk has Harmony herself, it's as simple as calling a rear-guard behind them." Claire said.
"I call Caro behind Alk."
"She called a Grade 3 behind the Vanguard?" Alan wondered. "She doesn't have enough boosters in her hand to fulfill Harmony?"
"Not the case." Sakuya interrupted, "With Caro's Melody, she gets the ability to boost and gets 5000 power whenever she does so."
"Oh that is just too much."
'Great… now her mermaids can pack even more…' Asuna thought.
"I call Shizuku, Subaru, Sonata and Spica!" She fished out the four cards in her hand as the three familiar figures returned, except this time a Bermuda Triangle student with orange hair appeared. "Harmony!" She noted as the units started synchronizing their tunes. "And Melody as well!" She added as both Sonata and Caro powered up. "And with Shizuku's effect, I check the top 5 cards… and add Sonata to my hand! Subaru's Harmony! Power plus 3000!"
"She just keeps buffing up her front row…" Alan noted.
"Sonata, you go first, attack Vortimer!" Was the call, while at the same time, the girl had opted not to boost. (Power: 21000)
"Of course!" Was the unit's reply as it charged at Asuna.
"Guard!" Was the reply as a trumpeter appeared to cancel out the musical attack.
"Spica goes next with a boost from Subaru!" She followed with a counterblast. "I return Sonata to my hand, and I call her again. Power plus 3000!" (Power: 22000)
'This… seems familiar…' Takeru thought.
'There's no point.' Asuna realized. 'She'll just hit me again, and my hand isn't in too good shape either.'
"No guard!"
(Damage Check- Karma Collector)
"Sonata once more attacks!" (Power: 29000)
"No guard." She repeated as she winced at the damage check.
(Damage Check- Abyss Healer)
"Power to my Vanguard."
"5 damage." Satoshi noted. "Sakuya has her on the ropes."
'Of course they'll cheer her up!' Asuna thought as her eyes started showing a little bit of venom.
"Are you ok?"
"I'm fine Sakuya."
"Are you-"
"I said I'm FINE."
"If you say so…" The girl guessed that Asuna must have reacted negatively to that, although she wondered why when Satoshi was just observing the current case, and from what she remembered Kai taught them, it's not over until it's over. "Alk attacks your Vanguard with Caro's boost. Skill activates! I return Sonata and Spica to my hand, call Spica in front of Shizuku, and Sonata in front of Subaru. Melody is repeated!" She noted as now Sonata and Caro powered up even more. (Power: 57000)
"Perfect guard." Asuna said.
Takeru though, looked at Vortimer, and realized that the unit was panting, like how he saw earlier.
"Triple drive!"
(Drive Check- Transcend Idol, Aqua)
(Drive Check- Aqua Light, Ardel- Critical)
"I give all effects to Sonata!"
(Drive Check- Lover Hope, Rina- Critical)
"I give all effects to Spica!" She chirped. "Sonata attacks your Vanguard, without a boost again!" (Power: 41000)
"Guard!" Asuna said, using Darkside and guarding with Mac Nessa in her hand.
"I attack your Vanguard with Spica!" She added with a counterblast. "I return Sonata to my hand and call her again! Melody one more time!" (Power: 39000)
"Guard, intercept!" A Grim Reaper and the Macha on the rear-guard circle was used.
"I attack your Vanguard with Sonata now!"
(Power: 39000)
"Generation Guard! Plot Maker Dragon!" She added. "Skill activated! I have at least 3 Grade 1's in my drop zone, so shield plus 10000!" With that a dragon appeared to block the final attack headed for them as Asuna was panting.
"I, end my turn." Sakuya said.
Asuna - Sakuya
2 - Hand - 9
1 - Soul - 2
5 - Damage - 5
3- Counterblast- 2
12 -Drop Zone - 6
Field
RG – Dark Saga Painter = Admired Sparkle, Spica – Superb New Student, Shizuku
RG- Whirlwind of Darkness, Vortimer 'Diablo' = Delight Genius, Ange– Colorful Pastorale, Caro
Pitch Black Sage, Charon – RG = Colorful Pastorale, Sonata – Impressed Tear, Subaru
"Asuna is on the ropes." Claire said.
"And with her Sakuya able to replenish her hand easily, it seems that this is her win."
That then triggered another memory of her, which she had overheard when her parents were fighting.
"Those were her friends! And you just stopped her from getting into contact with them?"
"I did what I had to! That game will destroy people's life! It will stop them from getting a possible future!"
"And what about my brother? He got his life together because of it. We don't know anything about it, but if you remember, my brother was a mess UNTIL he got it."
"An exception not the rule!" A glass was then shattered as the past Asuna dropped what she was holding.
"You… you held it?! All the letters they made for me and you HID IT?!"
"It was for your future dear please understand-"
"YOU DIDN'T MAKE AN EFFORT TO UNDERSTAND ME!" Was what past Asuna said as she rushed off.
"Asuna wait-"
"Sure… Sakuya this, Sakuya that…" the girl merely muttered as said girl just looked concerned for her opponent.
"Asuna-san-"
"Stop, I don't need pity from the one who replaced me." There, she had said it, and when she looked at Sakuya, the only thing her eyes said was only about how much she was going to enjoy this turn. "Final Turn."
"Final Turn?! Asuna are you sure about-"
"I'm positive Claire." The girl replied. "I'm going to end it here." She said as she discarded the Branwen she got earlier. "Stride Generation!" She noted as a dragon that was chained appeared to destroy the mermaids, and noting its targets, it broke its own bindings. "Dark Dragon, Spectral Blaster Diablo!
'That… that was the one I saw in that image earlier!' he thought.
"Stride skill!" She said as Dark Saga was cut down by its own ally. "I retire Dark Saga, and I superior call Dark Heart Trumpeter from my deck!" She added calling it to the open bottom left. "Since the card I choose to stride with is Spectral, I superior call another grade 1. I call Knight of Instant Slash, Greete." She said as beside the trumpeter a girl with a blade appeared ready to strike. "The units I call with this effect gets 3000 until the end of turn. Darkheart's skill." She added a soulblast. "I superior call Howl Owl from my deck."
'Already a full field…' Sakuya noted.
'I know it's pointless…' Asuna thought as she prepared her field. 'I know it's stupid, and I know… that she might not have meant it, but… I can't bring myself to accept it!'
"I call Hoel." She said as this time Kahedin's sibling appeared to support. "Howl Owl's skill. I move it to the soul. I give 3000 to Hoel. I then call Kahedin." She said as the unit sent away by Ange returned. "Hoel's skill, since I called a Grade 1, both it and my Vanguard gets 3000, then since the card called is Kahedin, I countercharge and soulcharge." She said doing so and putting a copy of Dark Heart into her soul. "I use the skill of Spectral." She began. "I retire Kahedin, choose to flip up a copy of Dark Knight, Efnysien, and gain a skill. Since my heart card is a Diablo, I get to call a Grade 1, I call Dark Saga from my deck as they are treated as a Grade 1 with a Diablo heart."
"Already a full field, but it might not be enough." Satoshi began.
"Since Kahedin was retired, my Vanguard gains 5000. I attack your Vanguard with Dark Saga!" (Power: 16000)
"Guard!" She said using Rina as the mermaid blocked the painter's offensive.
"Spectral Blaster attacks your Vanguard!" Asuna called out as she didn't boost it. (Power: 34000)
"Generation Guard! Hand in Hand, Leona!" Sakuya said bouncing back Subaru and guarding with it as well. "Skill activates, since I returned and guarded with the same card, shield plus 5000! And then guard." She added Ardel.
"34000 vs 56000." Claire noted.
(Drive Check- Deathspray Dragon)
(Drive Check- Grim Reaper- Critical)
"Critical trigger! I give all effects to Spectral."
(Drive Check- Howl Owl- Draw)
"Draw trigger, power to Hoel." She said as the units attack was blocked. "Skill activates." She said as she paid 2 counterblasts and retired Charon. "Charon is treated as 2 units, so I retire it, then stand Spectral, drive minus 2. Greete's skill, since a rear-guard was retired, 5000 power as well."
"That just pressed Sakuya…" Alan said. "But…"
"I attack your Vanguard again." Was the call given as the dragon once more prepared to attack.
(Power: 54000)
"Perfect guard!" She said using Aqua and putting a copy of Marioneer into her soul.
'Wait… this is it…' Takeru thought as he suddenly remembered that image he saw. 'It played exactly like this!'
"I win." Asuna simply said as she revealed the top card of her deck.
(Drive Check- Whirlwind of Darkness, Vortimer 'Diablo')
"Isn't that premature?" Sakuya asked.
"No, I win," she insisted. "Because you used a Sentinel, I can use Greete's other skill." She said as she paid a counterblast. "At the end of the battle that my opponent used a Sentinel against my Vanguard and Greete is boosting, after paying the cost, I deal my opponent one damage."
"What?!"
'So that was it…' he thought. 'That was what registered off for me… I saw something flash… but I never realized what it was.'
The female then pierced through the lines of the mermaids, and with one swipe slashed through Ange, much to the shock of the other mermaids present.
Sakuya was shocked though, revealing the top card of her deck.
(Damage Check- Transcend Idol, Aqua)
"I lose…" She muttered.
Asuna, remembering too much of what happened in the past, merely took her deck off.
"I'm going home, I'm sorry for ruining everything." She noted as she left.
"Asuna wait-" Takeru called out but was stopped by one of his friends. "Alan?"
"Give her time, she needs time to process it."
"I see…" Noting that the mood was basically soured he just looked down. "I guess we'll see you in the tournament?"
"Seems like it…" Hinata sighed.
"Thanks anyway." Takeru softly said. "For meeting and agreeing to scrim with us."
"No worries, it was a learning experience for both anyway."
"Yeah it is."
"Anyway, if none of us have anything left to ask we'll just split here."
"I have one." Satoshi said. "How did you get an Imaginary Gift?"
"I don't know, I was just chilling while watching his match." She said pointing to Takeru. "Then Flamescion started glowing in my deck and then next thin I knew I also got these Grade 3's."
"So just like Takeru's your cards just… got them?" Claire asked.
"Yeah pretty much." She said as packed her things. "See you all then."
"Right. Good luck to all of us." Was what the leader of the Kai Rebirth group said as both split ways.
"Want me to walk you home?" Takeru asked Sakuya.
"That would be neat, thanks."
"If you don't mind, we'll walk with you." Satoshi said. "I got a message from Akemi saying that she got lost with Saya in the town square."
"Of course they did…" The girl finally giggled. "Alright, let's go."
End of chapter.
Whew end of chapter! I had to make some edits here and there, I hope it was good, see you all in the next chapter! Also I didn't know that Greete existed until I just saw it and man that skill is really strong.