"Hey Reflet, I wanna ask you something… do you play chess?" Sci-Twi asked.
"I never really got a chance to, what with the war with King Gangrel and Walhart along with the Risen." Reflet said as she looked at the Book of Naga.
"Oh. I just thought… well, you shout "Checkmate!" all the time, so I thought you played." Sci-Twi said.
"Geez. You just go assuming that from a few phrases? And here I thought you were one of the smart ones." Ray said.
"Oh yeah? Well, I'll play you right now." Sci-Twi said.
"Hmm...okay." Ray said.
"For a kid, Ray seems a little… what's the word… uh…" Hope said.
"Smartass?" Kagura said.
"Cynical?" David asked.
"Yeah, cynical. And he does sound like the world revolves around him. Does he think he's smarter than everyone?" Hope said.
"He's one of the bookworm types, always stuffing their heads into books and never socializing with anyone." Aya said.
"That's not a surprise. Ray never really played with the others during our free time. He just sat under that tree and read." Emma said.
"Though he's friends with you. You two must be close." Tsuki said.
"Yeah." Emma said.
"And...that's checkmate." Ray said winning against Sci-Twi.
"You're really good. Are you sure this is your first time playing?" Sci-Twi asked.
"Never played it but there were a few manuals about chess maneuvers in the study." Ray said.
"You really are smart. I can see why the demons wanted to harvest you." Sci Twi said.
"Heh, you think Ray's good, you should've seen this...Oh...right. I shouldn't talk about him." Jack said.
"Jack, who are you talking about?" Hope asked.
"There was a kid there that caught my attention. His name was Norman. He was the smartest kid in there. But...he got shipped out before we could make the escape." Jack said.
"Damn… Sorry to hear that…" David said.
"Yeah, we don't really want to think about Norman that much. It's still something we don't feel like talking about." Jack said.
"Well then, how about we talk about this?" Yusuke said showing a video of a chess board, and on one side was a robotic arm.
"Oh, is this one of those Man vs Machine type things?" Hope said.
"Whoa. That's the most high grade chess playing computer on the market!" Futaba said. "The Steinitz 2061!"
"Oh yeah, I heard some big time chess champion was gonna challenge the thing today." Sunset said.
"You mean Seiji Kido?" David asked.
"Yup, that's him." Sunset said. "Do you know him?"
"Not personally, but I've been hearing that he's the greatest chess player in town. His chess strategies are second to none." David said.
"Kind of like you and Leopardmon, right?" Hope asked.
"Leopardmon, maybe. Me? Admittedly...I'm not really all that good at it." David said.
"Oh, here he comes now." Rarity said as a young man with purple hair in a green uniform entered the room. "My! He's quite handsome for a chess player, isn't he?"
"He certainly looks like a great player." Sakura said.
"Let's see how good he really is. Bet that computer wipes the floor with him." Ray said.
"Let's just watch the match." Jack said as the match continued on and on before it ended with Seiji winning.
"No way! He beat the machine?!" Ray said.
"That guy's a genius. He outsmarted every move the computer made." Hope said.
"Well, when you really think about it, a computer only has so much memory to make moves. It would either overload or win." Futaba said.
"Still, that Seiji kid's pretty if he's as smart as Subaru is?" Sans asked.
"Actually the two of them are good friends." Zan said.
"Nothing better than a friendly rival, right? Oh… wait." Hope said.
"Something got your tongue?" Ray asked.
"It's this boy we know. Ranma Kakogawa. He resented Yuga awhile back and was corrupted by Mime and this twisted dragon called Destroyer. With how dark he is now, a lot of the guys have started calling him "Vile Ranma"." Hope said. "He's likely gonna win the whole thing by himself."
"Nah...that's not possible." Ray said.
"How can you be sure?" David asked.
"I'm not saying it's impossible. Here's a scenario. Say you encounter a large obstacle, say a dungeon with treasure but lots of monsters. Would you try and brave it by yourself?" Ray asked.
"Good point. It's possible, but really difficult." David said.
"Exactly. This Vile Ranma and Mime...they're clearly ones who think things through. So...before they even attempt to take the world...they need to gather allies by their side." Ray said.
"Yeah, that is what Emo and I said a couple of days ago." Mark added. "They might try to "befriend" some of the other competitors. We'll need to keep our eyes open."
"Like Sharkteeth for example?" Stoj asked.
"Sharkteeth? Oh right, that guy. DaDan." Dan said.
"Normally I wouldn't consider it since he openly despises the RanGa channel and us, but now…" David started.
"I still have my suspicions. We should still watch out for him making a move though." Hope said. "The question is, who would Mime and Ranma approach first?"
"We can't really predict that. Their first target could be anyone. Well for Ranma anyway. As for Mime, if he's like Harlequin, he might try contacting someone...off the grid...if you get my drift." Jack said.
"I agree. Nothing is off limits to that guy." Francisca said.
"The sooner we deal with Mime, the better." Ace said.
"There's something that bothers me. His objective." Jexi said. "I thought he would go for Hope the moment he returned, but he didn't."
"Yeah, that surprised me too." Hope said. "I mean, I was the one who got him sent away."
"He might have a different motive this time." Francisca said.
"Knowing Ranma, Mime might be coming for you, Franny." David said.
"Me? But why?" Francisca asked.
"Think about it. Ranma is upset at Yuga because of the fact that Yuga's got more friends in Subaru and Masato, right?" David asked.
"Not only that, but the fact that you were his partner in not just this tournament or the ABC Cup, but also his very first match." Kaede said.
"This may sound dark, but I think Ranma would want Mime to take you out more than anyone just to see Yuga in very deep despair." David said.
"Wow, petty much?" Emo said. "How did that kid get so bad in just a couple days?"
"This is serious, Emo. Francisca and Yuga have become a great Tag Team in the time we've been here, same with Subaru and Zan and Masato and Flamberge. Ranma would want to target the Aces and the Mage Sisters. And to do that he needs help." Hope said.
"Then we have our answer." Ray said.
"Huh?" Hope asked.
"Who they would target first. It would have to be someone intelligent. So he would want...him." Ray said pointing to Subaru's picture.
"Subaru." Zan said. "But what if he also targets Seiji?"
"We should keep an eye on both of them, just in case." Mark said. "Zan's already with Subaru, so we need someone to buddy up with Seiji. Any volunteers?"
"I'll go." Simon said.
"Simon? Why you?" Hope asked. "Not that I'm rude or anything."
"If it means playing both sides, I want to help Yuga get Ranma back anyway I can." Simon said.
"Okay, but you would still have to find Seiji for that to happen." Jexi said.
"I know." Simon said as he looked at his card deck. "(Guru, wish me luck.)" he thought.
Later that evening as Seiji was walking home, he was soon approached by Ranma and Mime.
"Who...who are you?" Seiji asked.
"Come now. No need to feel frightened. We've come because of your plight." Mime said.
"What..what do you mean?" Seiji asked.
"We heard you. You proclaim to be Subaru's biggest rival, but in reality, that's totally not up to code." Ranma said. "So why not just admit it?"
Seiji then looked down. "Six months ago, Subaru had some down time so I taught him how to play chess. It didn't take him long to get the better of me, a nationally ranked champion." he said.
"It doesn't matter. You haven't beaten him in anything. Oh wait...there is one area...Buddyfight." Mime said.
"Sorry, but I'm not at all interested in Buddyfight." Seiji said.
"Oh, please." Mime said lifting a finger as Seiji's deck flew out with all his cards displayed before him. "Oh my. Drametal monsters. How fitting. Dragons based off chess for a chess champion."
"And here's his buddy monster. Knight: Argento Lance." Ranma said.
"Yes, that monster is powerful. But...we can make it all the more so." Mime said holding a black card sleeve.
"Not so fast!" A voice called as a magic bullet zipped and shot it out of his hand.
"Of course...someone wants to try and ruin this for us." Mime said. "A magic bullet...meaning the attacker is...Mr. Simon Neptune if I'm not mistaken."
"Well aren't you smart, I'm surprised the Lost Universe didn't devolve you, though it does make sense since you're the gate between the two." Simon said as he approached and pointed both Crimson and Riptide at the duo.
"We were expecting you to find us. But you can't stop us from making friends of our own." Ranma said.
"Indeed. It doesn't matter if you point a thousand guns at us...you can't stop what's already started." Mime said picking the card sleeve back up.
"Maybe… But that doesn't mean I won't try." Simon said as his left eye glowed.
"Hehehe. How foolhardy." Mime said. "Seiji...the decision is yours." he said tossing the card sleeve to Seiji. "What you hold is a card sleeve made from Destroyer's cells. Simply place it over your buddy to further evolve it."
"Don't listen to him, Subaru still sees you as his best friend and rival, just believe in yourself and follow your heart." Simon said.
"I...I will." Seiji said smiling placing the card sleeve over his buddy as the card changed.
"Congratulations. Your buddy has evolved. He is now Lost Knight: Nero Lance. A new Lostvader." Mime said. "Also...meet your partner."
A person then emerged from the shadows, revealed to be a young boy with short blond hair.
"Amir Alexs." he said.
"See...while this boy may look harmless, he's actually been the major factor in a large number of major crimes. However, due to his quick thinking and many available pawns, he has yet to be caught." Mime said.
"So this is my partner…" Seiji said. "I look forward to crushing Subaru with you, Amir."
"The pleasure is all mine." Amir said with a soft smile.
"..." Simon merely stayed silent before he teleported away in defeat.
"It was a nice try. But even you won't stop my plans, Spirit Force." Mime said.
The next day at Castle…
"So there wasn't anything we could do to stop them from getting to Seiji…" Hope said.
"I'm sorry…" Simon said covering his face with his hands.
"Hey, don't beat yourself over it. Mime and Ranma may take this round, but it's not over yet. Whatever he's got planned, we'll stop him. Besides… does the woman who you got your powers from ever give up after one failure?" Hope said.
"Well, no." Simon said as he twirled his Umbran glasses on his finger.
"Then cheer up. Otherwise we'll call Bayonetta and she'll bust a cap in your ass." Ryuji grinned.
"Alright, thanks you two. Amir Alexs, have any of you heard of him?" Simon asked.
"Who hasn't?" Hope asked.
"I checked his files so you can stop pretending, Hope. However...there isn't a lot of info on him. No birth records, no place of address...only his name is the only proof of identification." Futaba said.
"In other words, the guy's a total ghost." David said.
"Hmm...that ain't good." ZS said. "Subaru and Zan are gonna go in blind."
"Yeah… looks like their match is starting right now." Hope said.
"Hope Zan's gonna be okay." Flamberge said.
"I know Seiji uses Drametals in his deck, but Amir's is a mystery to me." Simon said.
"Zan, I know I probably shouldn't say this, but… Even if you don't win this, you might have a good idea on what his strategy is going to be for the next time you fight him. Be careful." Francisca said.
"Don't worry, Franny. I have it covered." Zan said.
"I'm guided by the celestial sphere! And the Guidance of a Dragon. Luminize! Triangulum Galaxy!" Subaru said.
"Let the combined strength of Demons and Mages bring Unity and Peace. Lumenize! Order of Sorcery!" Zan said.
"Now… Let the game begin. Luminize! Lostknight Control!" Seiji said.
"Let the game begin! My course has already been plotted out. Luminize! Checkmate!" Amir said.
"And...Buddyfight!" Ion and Takokichi called.
(Cue- CROWNED- Kirby's Return to Dreamland)
"Raise the flag!" All four called.
"Star Dragon World!" Subaru announced.
"Magic!" Zan said.
"Star Dragon World!" Seiji and Amir declared.
"Skyseer Dragon, Cross Astrologia!" Subaru said.
"Overturn Demon Lord, Asmodai." Zan said.
"Lost Knight: Nero Lance!" Seiji said.
"King: Order the Pawn." Amir said.
"So Amir fights with Drametals too." Hope said.
"Subaru and Zan take the first move!" Ion called.
"I draw! I charge and draw! I call Govern Star Dragon, Bordure to the center. Then call Seerfight Dragon, Bart Pile to the left. Bart Pile attacks the fighter." Subaru said.
10-8
"That concludes my attack." Subaru said.
"Now it is my turn. Draw, charge and draw! I Buddycall Overturn Demon Lord, Asmodai to the center, and pay one gauge to cast Solomon's Great Barrier, which decreases the size of all 72 pillars size 2 monsters to 1, next I call Great Duke, Astaroth to the right, and to the left I call Protector of Friendship, Barbados. Now I pay another gauge to equip Sorcery Book Goetia and cast Asmodai, Onstage! This way, my allies won't be destroyed by the opposing monsters effects. And with Asmodai's Overturn ability, I grant it to Barbados which gives him power+50000, defense+10000, critical+3, Penetrate, and Counterattack. With that I end my turn." Zan said.
"Not even going to attack? That's pretty arrogant of you, don't you think?" Amir asked.
"I'm playing it smart, just so I can observe your Buddyfight technique." Zan said.
"I see. That makes sense. After all, you do like to size up things you consider major threats while ignoring smaller ones." Amir said.
"I see what you're trying to do, but I will not be fooled so easily." Zan said.
"Okay. If that's what you think." Amir said. "Seiji...why not demonstrate your power?"
"I draw! Charge and draw! I call Bishop: Giallo Mace to the left and then buddycall Lost Knight: Nero Lance to the right!" Seiji said.
8-9
"Then I equip, Grandmaster Cane! Giallo Mace, go attack Bart Pile!" Seiji said as he attacked. "Now Nero Lance, attack Bart Pile!" Seiji said as Bart Pile was destroyed. "Now! I pay one gauge! Oppress the left area!" he said as Nero Lance moved to the left area on Subaru's side..
"I now subjugate the enemy's left position! That is the power of my Oppress ability, I am able occupy my opponent's open left or right area!" Nero lance said.
"There's a monster that can do that?!" Rainbow asked.
"Drametal monsters have the ability to take the left and right position of the opponent's side, giving them all sorts of abilities." Tails said.
"It gets worse. Seiji had Nero lance take the Left area for a reason." Akira said.
"Yes. He's now made it impossible for Subaru to use the Galaxy Formation." Miles said.
"Smart." Emo said. "Terrifying, but smart."
"I now activate Grandmaster Canes effect. I can rest my item to Restand Nero Lance. Additionally, if a Drametal monster is in an oppressed area, Grandmaster cane can deal one damage to the opponent." Seiji said.
10-9
"Nero Lance, attack again!" Seji said.
"As you command, master!" Nero lance said destroying Bordure.
"That's it for my turn." Seiji said. "But oh...I almost forgot...when my turn is over, Nero Lance can deal 2 damage to the opponent if its in an oppressed area."
9-7
"Your move, Amir." Seiji said.
"Yes. Let's get things back on track. Draw, Charge and draw. First I pay one gauge and one life to equip Grandmaster Crown. While I have this item equipped, all Drametal monsters gain 2,000 power and defense. Also, it cannot be destroyed by card effects. Now, I call Rook: Viola Sword to the center, then Bishop: Giallo Mace to the right. Finally, I choose to Buddycall King: Order the Pawn to the left. With his ability, when I have a Drametal monster on the field, his size is reduced by 2. Now, to start out...I rest my item in order to grant Order the Pawn and Viola Sword the double attack ability."
"He's buffed up his guys…" Hope said.
"They're still not strong enough to take out Zan's lineup. Barbatos is the strongest monster on the field thanks to Asmodai." Flamberge said.
"Maybe, but I think this guy's got his plan thought out like clockwork." Hope said.
"Let's see...Ah yes. Now I see the perfect play." Amir said. "Order the Pawn attacks Astaroth!" he said as Order the Pawn attacked but Astaroth revived from soulguard. "Double attack!" he said attacking again with Astaroth reviving. "Now, Viola Sword, Giallo Mace, link attack on Astaroth!" he said as they struck the said duke. "Now...let the true fun begin. Pay one gauge and have Viola Sword oppress the right area." he said. "You can no longer call monsters to the right area. Now I cast! Suppression Advantage! I put the top three cards of my deck into the gauge and since I have an oppressed area, I can destroy a spell or item on my opponent's field. And what I destroy...is Solomon's Great Barrier!" Amir said. "Now all your monsters return to their normal sizes. And with Viola's final attack, I destroy Asmodai!" he said as Asmodai was destroyed. I end my turn. But not before Viola's effect kicks in. At the end of my turn, I can Viola destroys a card on your field and deal one damage. And I choose Barbatos!" Amir said.
10-9
"Whoa, what an onslaught." Hope said.
"I know. He just tore apart Zan's field bit by bit." Francisca said.
"My turn!" Subaru said. "I draw! Charge and draw! I buddycall Skyseer Dragon, Cross Astrologia to the center and then equip Seer Bow, Babylon." Subaru said. "Then cast! Notify: Enhancement Tactic. Begone!" he said firing an arrow at Nero Lance, only for the monster to revive. "Cross!"
"Yes!" Cross said.
"Cast! Neodragon, Protector!" Seiji said cancelling the attack as Nero countered.
"Double attack!" Cross said.
"I cast! Seiji Kido Defense!" Seiji said. "It lets a destroyed monster remain on the field. And Nero Lance counters!" he said as Nero Lance destroyed Cross.
"Grrr….My turn is now over." Subaru said.
"Gah...this isn't going well." Scarlet observed in worry.
"I know, Seiji's got Subaru completely locked down." Hope said.
"Now it's my turn. Draw, charge and draw!" Zan said. "First off, I'll call Dragowizard, Qinus Axia to the left! Whenever he's called, I can deal one point of damage to the opponent."
10-9
"So she's decided to fight back." Amir said.
"And that's not all. I also call Magical Fighter, Seijuro Mado to the center." Zan said. "Next, I'll set Happy Camper. Now, Seijuro, attack!"
9-7
"Qinus Axia, with me!" Zan said.
7-4
"I end my turn." Zan said.
"So, there's still some fight left in her. She's not bad." Seiji said. "Amir, before I crush Subaru… finish off the girl."
"Yes. Seems I have misjudged her. I thought she was arrogant but now...I can see she was leading me on. That's the first time anyone pulled the wool over my eyes like that. However...this will not change the outcome! I draw! Charge and draw! I cast! Knowledge Wave! I look at the top three cards of my deck, add one to my hand and the rest go to my gauge. Now, Grandmaster Crown's ability. I grant my king and my rook double attack. Now, my king, I must continue the subjugation. Destroy Qinus Axia!" Amir said.
"Hold on. With Happy Camper set, if I have a Wizard out, I get to decide your attack target! And your target is Seijuro!" Zan said.
"Crud." Amir said as Order the Pawn struck Seijuro instead. "Wasted an attack. Fine! Use your double attack on Qinus Axia!"
This time, order the pawn took down Qinus Axia.
"Now, my Bishop, I pay one gauge. Take her left position!" Amir said.
"He switched to her left position?" Hope asked.
"Now he's got both left and right." Jack said. "Now we're seeing who Amir is really like."
"Go ahead and come at me. I can take it." Zan said.
"You want more? Very well! But don't say I didn't warn you. Bishop, attack the fighter!" Amir said.
9-7
"Now, my rook, it's your turn. With your two attacks!" Amir said.
7-3
"Yes! She made him waste his attacks!" Hope said.
"It's not over yet." Ray said.
"Final Phase!" Amir said. "I cast, Endgame Study! With this card, all my monsters on the oppressed areas get another attack phase! Now...strike her down!" Amir said.
As the two monsters went at Zan, she smirked. "Thank you, Amir. I have all I need to know." she said as the attacks landed.
3-0
Game over, Zan! Winner: Amir Alexs!
"Have all that she…" Amir said surprised. "She...she did all of this...on purpose?!"
"Hehehehehe." Zan laughed.
"The reason why Zan didn't attack on her first turn, was because she was waiting to see what you would do. Then she goaded you on with a barrage of attacks the next turn to see how you act under pressure. Through those two acts...she's been able to learn how your strategies focus and where you'll strike." Ray said. "To put it simply...you'll only be satisfied with complete and utter control. When things don't go your way...you freak out."
"This might be Zan's loss, but it's our win." Hope said. "We know all about you now, Amir Alexs, the Criminal Strategist."
"Hehehehe. I can't believe...I let an average girl play me so easily. I'll admit, while I won the match, in a battle of wits, it's my loss. But don't fret...I'll be sure to trump you the next time we meet." Amir said.
"You may have figured out my partner, but it won't save Subaru!" Seiji said. "Draw, charge and draw! Its checkmate for you, Subaru." Seiji said as he relentlessly attacked Subaru until his life was at zero.
Game over, Subaru! Winner: Seiji Kido.
"Goodbye, Subaru." Seiji said as he left with Amir.
Ranma and Mime were watching from the shadows.
"Looks like the Bringer of Shock outwitted your Strategist." Ranma said. "No matter though. We still accomplished what we wanted."
"Indeed. Subaru now has doubt sewn within his heart. His strategy failed. But Amir...he is not normally someone who falls for such simple mind tactics. Hopefully, he remains a good ally until all is done and prepared." Mime said.
"Yeah. Once Subaru joins us, we can start our campaign. And you know who you're after. Those three mages." Ranma said.
"Not quite. They are however, major pillars for my true plan. Ranma, you'll have to continue with my duplicate for the tournament." Mime said creating a duplicate.
"Wait, what are you gonna do?" Ranma asked.
"It's about time I gathered my pieces." Mime said.