Hello everyone! Apologies for the late arrival, but I've finally got this chapter done and sorted along with plans for the next few to come! Only thing worth noting is an additional something I've thrown in at the end of the chapter, per the request of a previous reviewer from the last chapter. Other than that, I hope you enjoy it!
Japan
(Cardfight! Vanguard G Z Unreleased Soundtrack: Zeroth Dragon)*
A loud scream sounded throughout the otherwise silent night air as a bright light blue flash came from an almost deserted alleyway within the streets of the darkened city. Several birds scattered from the rooftops across the sky in response to the loud noise, to which almost no one on the ground could tell of where it had come from and how it had happened in the first place. That is, no one but the only two spectators that were present to the fight that had just concluded, having previously suffered the same fate of one of the competitors. That unfortunate victim, being much shorter than his companions, had white coloured hair, purple eyes and appeared to be cringing in pain as he rubbed his right hand, trying to fight off the sting of the Mark of Penalty that had been engraved.
"Hey Kyou...!" one of them called, coming over to help him back to his feet.
Kyou however shoved away the hand, barely managing to stand back up with whatever willpower he had left and gazed down onto the table in front of him in shock, still in disbelief as to what had happened to his cards earlier. His opponent had the card Remember Night, Star-Reading Miko on the Vanguard circle on her side of the table as she picked it back up and placed it back into her deck. She wore a red frilled dress with the top half resembling that of a long sleeved white shirt and had long wavy brown hair in addition to a pair of purple coloured eyes, eyes that would have been familiar to those who had crossed her path before and had walked into her schemes beforehand.
"You bitch...!" Kyou growled "What the hell did you do to my units?!"
The only response that he and the two others beside him got was a sinister, yet almost seemingly innocent giggle as the girl before them.
"Yahagi Kyou," she spoke "It truly is a shame. But it appears my fortune was indeed correct. On behalf of Mayu, thank you for your 'generous' donation."
And with a cackle, she turned around and began leaving the three stricken cardfighters all alone with nothing but humiliation and blank decks as a result of her efforts. As soon as the girl had slipped into the shadows out of sight, she held out one card that she had not used in the fight, obscured by the darkness completely with the exception of the top left corner. If any other fighter had noticed this, in their potential shock, they would have seen that the Grade of the card had the number 5 and a symbol with two arrows overlapping one another with a third one from underneath them that was slightly taller coming straight up the center of the hexagonal border.
"Not even enough to use my new potential," she said smugly to herself before putting the card away and looking up at the crescent moon "Oh Kiyoi... you really think you've escaped from yourself that easily?"
(End Music)
Soryu Island
(Cardfight! Vanguard Unreleased Soundtrack: Contention)
Within the kitchen, everyone kept a close eye on the fight that was currently progressing on the large table in the middle of the room where Ruko had just finished rearranging the top three cards of her deck with the skill of Bonya, Small Bow. The Selector now knew what she had at the ready to control the fight in her favour, especially with the knowledge of her next few cards being all but guaranteed now. Despite this though, she knew that Jillian was not going to let the game end that easily, especially with the acquisition of Glory Maelstrom on the previous turn and the fact that her previous Heal Trigger had brought her down to one damage, giving her quite the deficit to make up in itself.
The older of the twins in the room looked back at her hand, trying to contemplate her options for the time being and wondering what her opponent had set up for her in the coming Battle Phase. Eventually, she had managed to make up her mind. As she was doing so, Ruko placed down a second copy of Tama's Grade 2 form to the empty front row circle in her rear-guard.
I'm all in! she thought resolutely Even a double Critical won't be enough to finish me!
"Here I come Jillian!" Ruko called "Tama attacks your Vanguard!"
"Tama attack!" Tama called out aloud from her card, much to the slight exasperation of Kamui and Yuki who simply sweat-dropped in response.
On the battlefield imaged within the two combatants' minds, the Selector within Tama's current form took flight and charged towards Maelstrom who remained motionless as she got closer towards the Vice Admiral.
"No guard," Jillian's voice echoed.
"Twin drive!"
Ruko immediately flipped the first card off the top of her deck and revealed it to everyone present, that being Bringer of Good Luck, Epona. It didn't come as much of a surprise to some of those watching, knowing that Bonya had played a part in ensuring she would pull it.
"I give the power to my rear-guard Tama and the Critical to my Vanguard!"
Tama, Silver Screen Miko/Critical: 1 - 2
Tama, Half Moon Miko/POW: 9000 - 14000
Immediately after turning over the second card of her Twin Drive, everyone gazed ahead to see that this time, she had pulled Yggdrasil Maiden, Elaine, a Heal Trigger. Kai simply kept his serious gaze upon the Selector, having expected that she would take advantage of Bonya's skill in such a manner.
"This time, I'll give the power to Hastall," she spoke "And I recover one damage."
Within the imaged battlefield, Ruko slashed down the front of Maelstrom using Tama's spear as the Tear Dragon screeched for an instant as it fumbled before growling under its breath. Back in the kitchen, the next cards to enter Jillian's damage zone were Shark Soldier and Jet-ski Rider, the latter of which shone brightly for a brief moment.
"I give all of the trigger effects to Maelstrom!" she called.
"Yes!" Sharlene cheered "Now her rear-guard Tama can't hit the Vanguard!"
Tama pouted for a moment upon hearing this, annoyed that Ruko could no longer attack Maelstrom as easily as she would have wanted. However, that seemed to be of little concern to her Selector as Yuki noticed.
"Don't tell me..." she murmured to herself.
"My rear-guard Tama attacks Tidal Assault!" Ruko declared.
"Guard!" Jillian called as she revealed Ice Floe Angel from her hand in response to the attack.
"Hastall attacks Tidal Assault with a boost from Bonya!"
The older twin upon realizing what her opponent was intending to do could only groan internally as she realized that if she wanted to protect Tidal Assault, she would have to give up a portion of her hand. Within the imaged field, Hastall clashed with the Aquaroid who tried desperately to parry away her weapon with little success, leaving her an opening to strike him down. With the focus now back on the field in front of her, Ruko looked back to Jillian who moved Tidal Assault's card to her Drop Zone, now feeling slightly more comfortable with how the fight was progressing as her turn came to an end.
End of Turn 6
Ruko vs Jillian
Hand - 4 : 4
Soul - 2 : 2
Damage - 3 : 3
Front Rows : Tama, Half Moon Miko - Tama, Silver Screen Miko (VG) - Hastall, Medium Spear : EMPTY - Blue Storm Dragon, Maelstrom (VG) - Blue Storm Marine General, Spyros
Back Rows: Bow, Shooting Bow - Round, Small Shield - Bonya, Small Bow : Mako Shark Soldier of the Blue Storm Fleet- Blue Storm Cadet, Marios - EMPTY
"Hmm... why didn't Jillian guard for Tidal Assault then?" Tama murmured.
"The shield required would have needed to have been 15000," Kai answered "As of now, we know that one of the cards in her hand is Glory Maelstrom and from her previous Twin Drive, she also has a Perfect Guard."
The girl of white scratched her head for an instance, still not quite understanding where the Kagero user was coming from, not helped by the fact that unlike her Selector, trying to adjust her brain to see Vanguard fights as they were and not Selector Battles wasn't doing her much good. She knew that Hastall's power would have been enough to hit Maelstrom head on if Jillian did not use any guardians. Needless to say, Ruko's opponent was quick to catch onto what the Selector had been planning all along.
(End Music)
"You knew that Shark Soldier still had Maelstrom's Limit Break enabled and that's why you didn't aim for pushing me to a fourth damage," she spoke.
"Well... that damage trigger wasn't a part of the plan," Ruko said whilst scratching the back of her head "So I figured... if I can reduce the number of attacks the rear-guards could send my way, it would be easier to guard against Maelstrom."
Jillian still kept her smile, despite her earlier annoyance at the situation that the Selector had forced her into earlier. Quite frankly, she found her opponent to be an interesting one, especially with everything she had been told about in the other world that she came from and how different she was to Miyako, according to Tetsu's description of the disgruntled woman.
"It's still too early for me to release Maelstrom's true power yet," she said confidently as she drew her next card "You've still got to push on a bit further."
Immediately calling the card in her hand to the rear-guard circle in front of Shark Soldier, on the battlefield, Spyros glowed a bright blue as the aura surrounding him increased his power by a slight amount.
"Accelerated Command attacks with a boost from Shark Soldier!" she called.
"Guard!" Ruko responded by placing down Epona's card.
"Next, Spyros!"
As the ongoing battles continued from there, Kiyoi who had been otherwise silent after briefly imaging part of the fight on the turn that Jillian had rode Maelstrom, still couldn't quite comprehend on why it was that she saw such an image in the first place. But that was the least of her concerns in regards to how this evening had been playing out for her ever since she had arrived into this world with Ruko, Kamui and Kai in the first place.
Why...? she muttered in her thoughts Why have these memories... resurfaced when I saw her constructing her deck and by watching this fight?
Looking to Kamui who was cheering the Selector on alongside Tama, encouraging her to 'hang in there' as she faced the onslaught of the might Blue Storm armada that she was faced with, she could only begin to question herself about the day's events had normally thrown her emotionless and somewhat stoic self for a loop and how much he had somewhat contributed to that. Then there was also the matter of his comment on the whole matter with how Sakaguchi had passed on after he and the former blue LRIG worked together to defeat Remember to save the deceased girl's spirit from the clutches of the Star-vaders. Something about his tone from everything she knew about him up to then had raised even more questions about him that she wanted to know the answers to.
Seeing that her gaze was focused upon him after some more of the unfolding turn, Kamui then looked back to Kiyoi, wondering why it was that he was the focus of her attention at this very moment. He had a feeling she was still cross with him for almost letting Sakaguchi's name slip without her consent, though knowing how she usually was, it could sometimes be difficult for him to get an exact reasoning of this.
"Draw Trigger!"
Upon hearing that one of Ruko's next damages from one of Jillian's attack had powered up her Vanguard, he turned back to the fight with his usual excitement, intrigued to see what was going to happen next. Kiyoi then looked away from him and back towards the fight itself, now seeing that Ruko had been pushed to five damage with Bow in her damage zone and her rear-guard Tama now gone from her front row via Spyros' two attacks.
When we spoke with Sakaguchi then... I told her that Kamui was my friend... she murmured in her thoughts Am I over-thinking this? Is Kamui not who I'm assuming him to be now?
Back within the imaged battlefield, Maelstrom roared loudly as it unleashed a barrage of missiles towards Ruko, who was still imaged in Tama's current form, standing her ground after the last attack she had taken. She then held out one hand as Isuelt appeared in front of her, deploying a giant barrier around them to take the full brunt of the onslaught. When the smoke cleared, both the Royal Paladin unit and the shield vanished from around her, allowing her to escape the turn unscathed as she looked up towards the Vice Admiral of the Blue Storm Armada who snarled under its breath.
"Well, you're hanging in there," Jillian spoke as she watched her opponent move Iseult to her Drop Zone "I may not know whatever's gone on with you and the others in this Wixoss, but you're doing pretty good for your first time fighting."
"T... thank you," the Selector replied "To be honest, I wasn't confident with adjusting to the changes that came to my deck when I showed you and the others. But then, I remembered something."
Ruko then looked over to Tama who simply blinked in confusion, unsure of what she was trying to get at from what she was saying at this point. She knew her Selector was startled when she had discovered the changes to her cards and felt unsure about how to use them the way they were now.
"Tama, how long had you been with Kai for since... you know what happened?" she asked.
"Tama's been with Kai since Kai first arrived..." the girl of white replied "Tama also helped Kai in his first battle." That was when she suddenly realized what her Selector was trying to say.
"I thought... if Kai had to deal with something like this when he came to my world," she continued "Then this just the opposite scenario. He used his units' abilities in the Selector Battles the same way he did in Vanguard and I have to do the opposite here now without the aid of my ARTS or Spells."
"It would seem that the natural flow of Vanguard has finally come clear to you," Kai spoke "Right now in this world, you are proving yourself with your image of your path as a fighter."
Ruko smiled in response to the Kagero user's words, happy to see that she was at least doing competently against one of Leon's strongest units for her first time fighting. Deciding to turn her attention back to the fight, after drawing her next card, she felt now was the time for her to go on the offensive once again.
"At the start of the Ride Phase," she began "If my Vanguard is a Grade 3 or higher Tama, I can reveal an Arm and an Angel unit from my hand..."
(Selector Infected Wixoss OST: Why Not Eliminate the World?)
She then took two of the four cards she held and placed them down onto the front of her end of the table in front of the playmat, revealing them to everyone that they were Seeker, Plume Wall Angel and Round, Small Shield. As this happened, a bright glow suddenly enveloped her deck as a single card flew straight into her hand.
"No way...!" Sharlene gasped.
"An ability from the deck?!" Kamui exclaimed.
Even Kiyoi couldn't help but open her mouth slightly, having been somewhat caught off guard by this kind of maneuver from what little understanding of the fight so far that she already had. Kai simply kept calm, as if he had seen something like this before from the times he had practiced with Ruko in preparation for her second battle against Ayumu.
"Awaken now, my new evolution!" she called as she held up the card in the air before placing it down onto the Vanguard circle "Superior Ride! Tama, Foam Miko!"
On the imaged battlefield, Ruko was enveloped in a bright glow as Tama's dress underwent some cosmetic alterations from the LRIG's new power such as the addition of a giant whitish orange coloured ring behind her back along with additional feathers and a sheet of metal covering over the top portion of the dress itself. Her spear had also gotten slightly larger, now with small feather shaped blades surrounding the tip to give an extra offensive to her already impressive strength.
Tama, Foam Miko/Grade 4/Twin Drive!/POW: 13000/SLD: 0/?/United Sanctuary/Human;LRIG
"So this is a Grade 4..." Jillian murmured.
"I call Michael!" the Selector called "With her skill, I rest her and discard a card to add any non-LRIG card from my deck to my hand!"
"Is she going to get another Perfect Guard...?" Kamui murmured "Or...?"
"Something tells me her intent is different this time," Yuki interjected.
After fanning out all of the remaining cards in her deck, Ruko's eye trailed to a particular one that was identical to a unit that she had used earlier as she revealed it to be another copy of Bonya, Small Bow.
"Next, I use Tama's Soul Blast!" she continued as she moved Round's card from her Soul to the Drop Zone "Each turn, I can return a rear-guard to my hand to Stand one of my other rear-guards!"
"So with this, you can take advantage of Michael's skill without having to rely on a Stand Trigger," Jillian murmured "That's actually pretty handy against skills such as Megacolony's Paralyze and allows you to re-arrange your formation more easily." Then again... returning that Draw Trigger to her hand could pose a problem.
"Finally, I call Bonya!" Ruko concluded "With her skill, I look at the top 3 cards of my deck again!"
Looking at the top three cards of her deck now arranged the way that they were from her earlier shuffle, Ruko looked ahead to Jillian's hand for a moment, still feeling wary that Glory Maelstrom was lurking amongst the cards she held.
I don't know what that other Maelstrom is capable of... she murmured in her thoughts But I need to be ready for anything.
Feeling that she had now decided the order of her cards, she placed them back on top of the deck and looked over to her Vanguard, reaching out for it to start the battles to come.
"Tama attacks Maelstrom!" she called.
Within her image, Round crouched for a brief instance as a white aura surrounded her, transferring her power to Tama for this attack. The imaged girl of white took up her spear and charged towards Maelstrom who stared down at her once again. The Vice Admiral growled for a moment before Electra suddenly appeared in front of it, deflecting the spear and Tama's attack as a whole.
"Come on...!" Tama moaned.
"There's no way I'll let you pull a double Trigger on me again!" Jillian called as she discarded one of the cards she held.
"Twin Drive!" Ruko declared as she revealed her first card as Alabaster Owl "I give the trigger effects to Hastall! And with her skill, if my Tama Vanguard is Grade 4, she gets 5000 power!"
Hastall, Medium Spear/POW: 9000 - 14000 - 19000/Critical: 1 - 2
She then revealed her second card from the next check. It was Round, Small Shield with no trigger marking on it to further help out with her powering up her next two attacks. However, this had not deterred her in the slightest as she looked over to Michael and immediately rested her.
"Michael attacks Spyros!" she called.
"Guard!" Jillian called as she placed down Mallika's card on the Guardian Circle.
"Next, Hastall!"
The older twin looked back at her hand before gazing over to her damage zone, slowly contemplating her options as she had finally made up her mind. The focus of her attention now was on Glory Maelstrom's card as she knew that this was the moment she had been waiting for. As this happened, within the imaged field, Hastall slashed down the front of Maelstrom, damaging one of the missile holsters that was mounted on the Vice Admiral's body. Jillian, not worried about the initial result looked over to her deck.
"Damage check," she spoke revealing the first card as Tidal Assault. Shortly afterwards, her second card was revealed as a second copy of Glory Maelstrom.
Sharlene quietly let out a sigh of relief, that being from the older twin managing to last through Ruko's attacks again whilst keeping her damage count to five. The Selector was almost there, but she was just short of the final push to finish the fight in victory. Now she knew that it was her opponent's turn coming up and if she had been holding onto Glory Maelstrom for this long, she had to be prepared to face the worst case scenario.
(End Music)
"It's coming..." Yuki murmured, tensing slightly in her tone.
Kai nodded in agreement with the girl of black, having faced the might of Maelstrom once before when Leon had been twisted in his ideology by the Void and having come out defeated from the fight that erupted between them in the space between Earth and Cray. Now he could only watch and see if Ruko could perform a similar miracle to the one Aichi had done so on that occasion and defeat the evolved form of the Vice Admiral of the Blue Storm armada. He knew that this unit was in Jillian's hands, but from how much of her life she had spent around Leon and Sharlene, he knew that she wouldn't make any mistakes in the way she would use some of his most prized units.
"Keep going Ruko!" Kamui called "You're nearly there!"
"Battle Ru!" Tama cheered.
Kiyoi didn't offer a word in response, having been too busy being preoccupied in what she had been experiencing since her arrival onto this island and questioning everything before her. Jillian then drew her next card before picking out the one she had been holding onto for quite some time, now feeling ready to put it to good use on this turn.
"I hope you've prepared yourself Ruko," she spoke "Now you have the honour of facing the evolution of Maelstrom and one of Leon-sama's prized possessions!"
"Come, Jillian!" the Selector replied as she watched her opponent lift up the card into the air.
(Cardfight! Vanguard Unreleased Soundtrack: Breaking the Limit)
"Dragon spun into existence from the warp of the wind and weft of the sea, live up to the legend in your ideal form!" the older twin declared as she threw down the card on top of Maelstrom "Crossride!"
Within the imaged field, a giant torrent of water burst out from the ground and enveloped Maelstrom, the impact of such forced the imaged Tama backwards a little as she kept her gaze upon the raging pillar that was at a distance in front of the LRIG. A pair of cyan coloured eyes shimmered from amongst the water before a loud roar dispelled the column, revealing the changed dragon in all of its glory. Gone were the missile launchers that the Vice Admiral originally wielded with a pair of wings made up by a multitude of dark blue metallic bits that immediately joined together on either side of the dragon. The top of the head had changed shape with it being coloured now in a dark reddish colour along with its claws becoming long and pronged. It let out a fierce roar as Jillian announced its name.
"Blue Storm Supreme Dragon, Glory Maelstrom!
Blue Storm Supreme Dragon, Glory Maelstrom/Grade 3/Twin Drive!/POW: 11000 - 13000/SLD: 0/Aqua Force/Magallanica/Tear Dragon
"Glory Maelstrom...!" Ruko breathed "So this one of Leon's strongest units...!"
"Call!" Jillian's voice echoed as Accelerated Command and Marios vanished in a bright flash "Wheel Assault, Accelerated Command and Maelstrom!"
As a second copy of the original Maelstrom along with Wheel Assault and a second Aceelerated Command appeared onto the field, the formation on the older twin's field was finally filled up to the brim and all of the units now had their eyes set on the imaged Tama. A blue aura enveloped Spyros as it powered up from the arrival of the unit that was now directly behind Glory Maelstrom.
"You've got her Jillian!" Sharlene called.
"Well then... here I come!" the older twin announced as she rested Maelstrom and Accelerated Command's cards "Ultimate Break!"
A purple Vanguard circle flashed in from of Glory Maelstrom as it gazed down upon Tama and began charging up an energy blast in its jaw to unleash upon the seemingly defenceless LRIG.
"Add 5000 power to Glory Maelstrom and you cannot use Grade 1 or higher cards from your hand to Guard this attack!"
Ruko could only widen her eyes in shock as she looked down at the cards that she had currently been holding onto. She could only cringe upon seeing what one of them was, having shown it to Jillian on the previous turn for Tama's skill.
I have a Quintet Wall, but I can't use it now...! she gasped in her thoughts I know what my next damage is from Bonya's skill, but I don't know what kind of triggers Jillian might get!
As she looked up at Maelstrom within her image of Tama, it snarled fiercely under its breath as it unleashed its attack towards her in an instant. That was when she looked over to Hastall and Michael, realizing that all was not lost.
"Guard!" she called as Alabaster Owl materialized in front of her "Then intercept!"
Hastall and Michael immediately wasted no time and joined the Royal Paladin High Beast on the defensive, forming a small barrier that materialized in front of the imaged Tama. Hastall then glowed brightly, much to Jillian's sudden surprise from within the image.
"That's right..." the Selector breathed, having just remembered about this now "Since Tama is a Grade 4, Hastall's Shield doubles as well!"
Hastall, Medium Spear/SLD: 5000 - 10000
SLD: 25000
As the barrier grew larger, the attack of Glory Maelstrom clashed head on with full power behind it. But despite the evolved Vice Admiral's mighty strength, even to the point of leaving a few cracks within it, its attack wasn't strong enough to break through completely. As the dark purple beam eventually disappeared, so too did the barrier along with the SIGNI and unit that were protecting the imaged girl of white as Ruko wiped her forehead in relief.
"Twin drive!" Jillian called as she flipped over the first card, revealing it to be another copy of Electra. "Second check!" After adding the Perfect Guard Sentinel to her hand, she flipped over the second card, revealing it as Jet-ski Rider.
"She got it!" Sharlene cheered.
"I give all the effects to Spyros!" she announced.
Blue Storm Marine General, Spyros/POW: 11000 - 16000/Critical: 1 - 2
Ruko could only stare towards Spyros in partial worry, having been aware that it could stand without any drawbacks whenever it was the first or second attack of the turn. And now that it was powered up by Jillian's Critical Trigger along with her front row being depleted, she knew that fending off the older twin's next three attacks and coming out unscathed wasn't going to be easy. Within her image, a surge of water erupted from the ground, giving the Marine General a clear path towards her as he rode his hovercraft down the flowing current at high speed.
"I won't give up yet!" she called "Plume Wall Angel!"
Throwing down the card onto the Guardian Circle, the Selector turned over one of the cards in her damage zone as she then looked over to her deck and immediately reaching out for the first card, having known what it was from Bonya's skill previously.
"The first!" she called as she revealed it to be Tama, Half Moon Miko.
"That's 5000 shield so far...!" Kamui muttered.
"If she can get 10000 more, she can block Spyros' first attack..." Yuki murmured.
"The second!"
Ruko then threw the second card onto the Guardian Circle, this time being a second copy of Tama, Foam Miko, adding no further shield to the little amount she had so far. Revealing the third one, she immediately gained a sigh of relief as it was Brionac, bringing up the total of the shield she had called from her deck to 10000. Then she revealed the fourth card resuming the tension as it was now another copy of Tama, Silver Screen Miko, offering no further shield to the amount she had.
"The last one..." she breathed as she reached out for her deck once more.
Turning over the card immediately, she smiled upon seeing what it was. It was yet another copy of Tama, Waxing Crescent Moon Miko.
"Ru's done it!" Tama cheered.
Out on the battlefield, Plume Wall Angel along with Brionac and the various Tamas summoned from the Quintet Wall all surrounded the Marine General, stopping him in his tracks for the moment. As the water beneath his hovercraft began to bubble violently, the defending cards summoned by Ruko immediately vanished in an instant with her knowing that Jillian was planning to stand him for another attack.
"Spyros' skill!" the older twin declared, turning over the Maelstrom she had in her damage zone "Stand!"
"Now I just to guard this one again..." Ruko muttered "And without a boost..."
"Is that so?"
The Selector blinked, along with everyone else in the room with the exception of Kai, Kiyoi and Sharlene, as if the three of them knew exactly was going to happen next right away.
"With the skill of Wheel Assault," Jillian spoke "At the end of the battle it boosted, I can switch the positions of two rear-guards, regardless of where they are!"
On the battlefield, Ruko from her perspective of Tama could only gasp in shock as both the rear-guard Maelstrom and Spyros vanished in a bright white light momentarily, only to reappear in an instant in different columns compared to where they were earlier.
"So that's why she didn't attack with the other Maelstrom first..." she breathed "She called it just for this!"
"You've put up a good fight Ruko," the older twin's voice echoed "But this is the end. Spyros attacks with a boost from Shark Soldier!"
As Shark Soldier made a gurgling noise of some kind, another stream of water burst from the ground as Spyros came charging in towards the imaged Tama once again. For the moment, time seemed to slow down around the Selector as she looked face on into what was seemingly certain defeat. Everyone knew that she was only holding onto two cards, one acquired from a Twin Drive earlier in the fight and the other having been called early on before being returned to the hand by Tama's skill. But as she had shown time and again throughout this fight, much like her previous Selector Battles, even she in situations like these could still be full of surprises.
"Guard!" she called as she threw down Bow and Round's cards onto the Guardian Circle "Then with Round's skill, add 5000 to the shield!"
Jillian's eyes widened in shock as she did not expect that Tama's very presence would be enough to conjure up more defensive power as it was. Within the image, Round and Bow both rammed the former's shield straight into Spyros' hovercraft, disabling it in an instant and more importantly, blocking his attack as it was now.
"Oh come on!" Sharlene pouted, slightly annoyed that Ruko's two guards were enough to save her from certain defeat, given their original Shield values.
The older twin could gaze upon Maelstrom in her rear-guard, having known that it wasn't strong enough on its own to deal any damage to Tama and even if it could help her in any way, Ruko had already used up all of her intercepts to block Glory Maelstrom's attack, meaning it had only served a purpose for the position switching skill of Wheel Assault.
"I end my turn..." she muttered.
(End Music)
End of Turn 9
Ruko vs Jillian
Hand - 0 : 3
Soul - 2 : 3
Damage - 4 : 5
Front Rows : EMPTY - Tama, Foam Miko (VG) - EMPTY : Blue Storm Dragon, Maelstrom - Blue Storm Supreme Dragon, Glory Maelstrom (VG) - Blue Storm Marine General, Spyros
Back Rows: Bonya, Small Bow - Round, Small Shield - Bonya, Small Bow : Mako Shark Soldier of the Blue Storm Fleet- Accelerated Command - Wheel Assault
"So Tama defended Tama... with more Tamas from Plume Wall Angel..." Tama murmured, trying to comprehend the reality of how a small 'army' of Tamas had managed to fend off Spyros through the Quintet Wall Ruko had used on his first attack. After a few seconds though, she felt as if her mind had gone completely blank. "Tama doesn't get it..."
"Should we say that those extra Tamas from that Quintet Wall could be 'clones' or something...?" Kamui whispered.
"I wouldn't worry," Yuki replied "From what I can gather on how you all cardfight... I think it's best to be left to how she images the fight."
(Cardfight! Vanguard Unreleased Soundtrack: Liberate the Lock!)*
As this was happening, Ruko looked over to Kai who smiled briefly in response, showing that he was somewhat impressed with the display she had managed to pull in the face of one of Leon's best units. But even as she turned back around, she knew that she had a bit of a problem. Her entire front row save for the Vanguard was empty and she had no cards in hand in comparison to Jillian's three, plus her one intercept through Spyros if needed.
"So everything comes down to this draw," she spoke "Let's see if you can surprise us again."
The Selector nodded once as she looked over to her deck, hoping that what she drew next could at least provide some kind of offence to her already crippled formation. Reaching out for it, she took a deep breath and pulled away the top card. Everyone remained silent, wondering what it was that she drew. As she turned it around slowly, she gasped in surprise before smiling.
"I call Habakiri!" she announced as she immediately called her new card to the rear-guard "With her Counter Blast, as I have three or more Arm rear-guards, I add a non-LRIG card from the United Sanctuary nation to my hand!"
Taking up her deck and fanning out all of the cards that were remaining in there, she immediately picked out a second copy of Hastall from there and shuffled the rest, placing it back onto the mat. Upon doing so, she then called out the Arm SIGNI she had on the previous turn back onto the rear-guard circle she had previously intercepted from.
"She got her formation back together!" Kamui exclaimed.
"With Tama at her highest potential, Hastall's power will also increase," Kai interjected "Jillian outside of her Perfect Guard has only 15000 shield to use against two of Ruko's attack. Therefore..."
As Kiyoi began to analyse what was unfolding in front of her, knowing that a single card was all it now took for Ruko to end the game in either her victory with Tama or defeat from the next attack by Glory Maelstrom, she couldn't help but gaze over to Jillian. She was in such a desperate situation at this point, knowing that if she was hit once, only a Heal Trigger would be able to save her. But even so, she was still confident that she could last through until the very end, no matter how things would go from here. Seeing her opponent was smiling, Ruko returned a similar expression in response.
"Here I come, Jillian!" she called "This is my and Tama's full power!"
"Come, Ruko!" she replied.
Then, without warning once more, the former blue LRIG had found herself imaging part of the fight on the surface of the Planet Cray, much to her shock and surprise. In front of her, stood the proud and tall form of Glory Maelstrom and the girl of white, staring off against one another as they were about to do battle to determine the very outcome of the fight. Round kneeled for a short instance as a white aura enveloped Tama, before she took flight towards the Vice Admiral who retaliated with its signature attack from the previous turn. The LRIG weaved to the left, dodging the attack with ease as she raised her spear upwards before diving down towards her one and only target.
"Guard!"
At the command of Jillian's voice, Jet-ski Rider manifested in front of Glory Maelstrom, intending to block the attack with all of his might. Back in the kitchen, everyone else seemed confused to this move.
"Don't be surprised," she spoke, causing Ruko to blink for an instance "Even if I used a Perfect Guard instead, all you had to do was get a Trigger for one of your rear-guards to break through or make me use up Jet-ski Rider and my intercept for one attack so the other can go through unimpeded."
"But... if Ruko doesn't get a trigger, you'll make it!" Sharlene interjected.
"Let's go then!" Ruko called "Twin Drive!"
Revealing her first card, it was another copy of Habakiri, the unit that she had called earlier in an attempt to bring the fight back around into her favour. But it wasn't what she needed now and the lack of any Shield would make it next to near impossible to defend against Glory Maelstrom again. Putting her right hand on the top of her deck, Sharlene, Kamui and Tama all watched anxiously as they awaited to see what card that the Selector would pull next. Slowly, she picked it up before turning it over, revealing it as Yggdrasil Maiden, Elaine.
"Heal Trigger," she spoke "I can't recover any damage, but the power is all I need!"
Tama, Foam Miko/POW: 19000 - 24000
On the imaged field, a green aura from Elaine enveloped Tama's spear as Ruko through her image slashed past Jet-ski Rider, knocking the Aquaroid off his vehicle before resuming her attention on Glory Maelstrom. Pulling it back for a brief instance, she let out a large cry as she then slashed down the front of the Tear Dragon, causing it to screech out aloud in pain. Jillian then looked at the top card of her deck before bitterly smiling for a brief instance.
"You got me good," she muttered as she revealed her sixth damage as Battle Siren, Mallika.
As Maelstrom vanished from the plain of the field along with the remainder of the older twin's rear-guards, Ruko within her image of Tama landed safely on the ground with the aid of the ring behind her back. She looked ahead to see that what remained of her forces on the Planet Cray now was nothing more than the spirit she was before she had started the game. Despite her hidden disappointment in losing with Leon's entrusted cards, she still had a happy smile to indicate she enjoyed the fight up until the very end.
Kiyoi still imaging the battlefield as it was in front of her, watched as Ruko still imaged as Tama, came over to the older twin.
"Thank you very much!" she said happily "It was fun!"
"I had my doubts, but you've done good for your first time fighting," Jillian replied, offering one hand to her "I only wish Leon-sama was here to see this."
"That's true..."
"But, I don't plan on losing again!" the older twin proclaimed "Next time, I plan on beating you with Yuki!"
Ruko laughed a little, feeling a tad awkward for the sudden plan for a rematch considering that she had not yet managed to build a deck around Yuki to adapt to the rules of Vanguard. But for the first time in a long while, not only did she have a great battle until the very end, none of them were hurt and that she felt 'free' from the Selector Battles despite still remaining a part of them. But as the image began to fade out to white for Kiyoi who had been closely observing them in the midst of her conversation, she clutched her head in pain as more memories began to surface from the back of her mind.
(End Music)
"Again...?!" she muttered.
Flashback
"Kiyoi...! Hey, Kiyoi!"
Within the classroom of her school, Kiyoi blinked once again as she had seemingly fazed out from observing whatever it was in front of her. On the table was a finished game of Wixoss between her classmate, Sakaguchi Ayumi and another person that she knew of very well. Needless to say, the former seemed a little annoyed from what had happened over the course of her match.
"Kiyoi, don't tell me you fell asleep during our match..." she moaned exasperatingly.
"... My apologies," she replied "My mind was... elsewhere."
"Um... I think I should get going now..." the girl sitting opposite Sakaguchi spoke as she gathered away her cards in a hurry "Thanks for the game, Sakaguchi-san."
Sakaguchi simply beamed a bright smile in return, silently thanking her own classmate for the enjoyable game they had as she went on her way out through the classroom door. Once they were alone again, the bright girl pinched one of Kiyoi's cheeks.
"Ow..." she murmured in her usual monotone, as if she was mocking the very feeling of being in pain.
"Come on Kiyoi," Sakaguchi muttered "If I'm gonna get you interested in Wixoss a bit more, you need to watch my games a bit more closely."
"I don't recall previously asking you for my own interest," Kiyoi answered.
The girl beside her sighed for a moment before smiling brightly once again, knowing that this was how her classmate would usually be in response to any of her actions or sayings. Then again, given that she was always alone before meeting her for the first time, she already knew this was to be expected and that was what made her such an interesting person to her.
"Scared, are we?" she asked in a seemingly teasing manner.
"Hmm?"
Kiyoi blinked in response, unsure of what to make of Sakaguchi's question.
"There's nothing to be afraid of when battling Kiyoi," she said "People lose all the time, even me. There's no shame if things don't go right at first, right?"
"That's not what I think."
Sakaguchi then opened her eyes in confusion, wondering what it was that made Kiyoi feel on edge in response to her statements.
"Just what makes you so certain about your opponents themselves?" she asked, her tone seeming a little harsher than usual "What makes you certain that they are the least bit worth trusting when you know nothing about them?"
The girl then pondered on these questions for a few moments, tapping the fingers of her right hand against her cheek as she did so. Eventually, she had come to an answer a few seconds later.
"That's what makes Wixoss so interesting for me," she replied with a smile "You never know what kind of people you'll face out there. I want to meet as many as I can to show them how fun the game means to me and right now... I want to show you that as well."
Present
(Selector Infected Wixoss OST: Profane Wish)
When that memory eventually concluded, Kiyoi was now hunched over in her chair, covering her face with her right hand as she was trying to comprehend everything that she had been going through since her arrival onto this island. She had no idea why she was re-experiencing these early memories of Sakaguchi before her accident, let alone through her own will or intention, but one thing was now certainly clear about all of this. At least, to her it seemed certainly clear from the way she interpreted it. Vanguard was having an effect of some kind on her, from making her experience images of the fight she saw to reliving memories of her past seemingly against her own will and she did not like it one bit.
A part of her was now questioning why she had even returned back to the kitchen to observe Ruko and Jillian's fight if the same thing from before was going to happen to her again. She cursed herself for letting her own curiosity overcome her once more if she was just going to be haunted by more of her past, a past she thought she had moved on from since Kamui's battle with Remember earlier in the day. But if tonight's events was anything to go by, her previous assumption was not only wrong in the slightest, but it seemed as if it wasn't going to be the last time her past would catch up to her.
Meanwhile in the middle of the kitchen, everyone else was now congratulating Ruko on winning her first fight, against a legendary unit of one of their closest companions no less. As Tama and Kamui were busy giving her praise, albeit rather loudly for some of the others' liking, Sharlene was kind enough to give her own compliments whilst also 'vowing' to avenge her older twin if need be. As the Selector laughed a little nervously, Kai came up to her, calming her down in an instant.
"That didn't go as badly as I thought..." she said.
"You still have a ways to go, but your start as a fighter is definitely promising, " he said "There are many fighters in this world, all with their own way of fighting. And if we are to stop Mayu from marking any more of them and stealing any of their units, you need to understand more from here before we can head back to your world."
"That's true," Ruko replied "But I'm feeling a lot more confident now than I was earlier."
Kai nodded once to affirm her response, seeing that the Selector was now becoming more accustomed to the changes within her own cards which would ultimately shape the way that she would utilize both Tama and Yuki in future cardfights during her stay within this world. Before anyone could speak out anything else to add to the conversation, they saw Kiyoi, still with one hand over her face heading over towards the exit of the kitchen.
"Kiyoi...?" Sharlene murmured.
"Hey, what's up?" Kamui asked as he came over towards her.
But as he approached her, almost at an arms length away from the former blue LRIG, she lifted her hand and tilted her head back a little at the same time, glaring directly towards him. The Nova Grappler user stopped immediately as soon as he saw her this way, even noticing a small tear beginning to form on her right eye.
"Stay away from me..." she hissed quietly before running off into the corridor.
"Wait up...!" he called, hoping she would stop to try and talk with him.
But it was to no avail as they all heard her footsteps beginning to echo from the corridor across the fortress walls, before they eventually died down a few seconds later. Seeing that this was an issue before all of them, Ruko and Kai both came over to Kamui, hoping he would offer an explanation behind her behaviour as of lately and why this was the case.
"You seemed unnaturally apprehensive, Katsuragi," the Kagero user spoke "Given that you know more about her than we do, is there anything you can tell us."
The Nova Grappler user could only cringe inwardly, realizing that he could no longer keep his lips sealed as much as Kiyoi herself wanted him to. One thing was clear now ever since Ruko had started reconstructing her decks. Kiyoi was somehow suffering, even after everything they had been through earlier in the day with Amika and Remember, and keeping his mouth shut about it wasn't doing her any good at all.
Sorry Kiyoi, but as much as you'll hate me for this... if we're gonna find out what's going on now, I'll have to do it.
"I'll tell you everything I know now," he said, turning to face the others "But she's not gonna be happy with me for talking some of the stuff she's been through."
(End Music)
Somewhere in South America...
Some time later after clearing from the canopy and exiting the seemingly vast maze of trees, Morris had eventually guided the seemingly powerless Miyako out of the forest she had crash landed into previously and into the open. The disgruntled mother of Ruko and Ayumu kept the metallic hand she wielded close, prepared to turn her wrath upon the butler to the Serra family if he had any intention of deceiving her despite the damage that had been sustained. He however was still calm as ever, having not allowed the mere presence of the woman behind him get to his nerves that easily.
Eventually, they reached the gates of what appeared to be a rather large country estate, standing tall and wide beneath the moonlight that was covering over the area. When the two of them were about to approach them, they began to slide open without warning, as if whoever was inside was expecting the arrival of not just Morris, but the person who was with him as well. Miyako kept her sharp glare present, not willing to let down her guard for even a split second after becoming stranded in this world indirectly as a result of her own son's 'meddling'.
"Do not test my patience," she growled.
"But of course," he calmly replied "We are but a mere few steps from meeting with him now."
And indeed, Morris was correct. As the two of them entered the grounds of the estate, the doors of the house suddenly opened up on their own, allowing the person behind them to step outside into the night air to meet with his butler and his new acquaintance. Whilst Miyako remained stationary, not willing to react just yet, the person eventually came out into the open as the moonlight eventually made all of his features present, most particularly his purple hair and red eyes. This somehow caused the General of the Selector Battles to blink for a moment, as if she had come to recognize the face of this particular man who Morris had worked for.
"You...?" she breathed, seemingly perplexed to his identity.
"That is correct... Kominato Miyako," he replied in a calmly manner "It is a pleasure to make a personal acquaintance with one that has worked with the Clown itself."
Miyako simply kept her gaze on the man that was in front of her, seemingly surprised in the slightest that she was now in front of him of all people, let alone the fact that Chaos Breaker was seemingly familiar with him before. Morris then bowed once as he gazed back to his master.
"Now then miss," he spoke "Allow me to formally introduce you to my master... Raul Serra."
And there we go! As Ruko and Jillian conclude their fight, Kiyoi begins experiencing images from her past that leads her to distrusting the others and Vanguard for stirring them up. Whilst Kamui begins to spill the details on everything he knows about Kiyoi's involvement as a Selector, Morris introduces Miyako to Serra, with the two somehow being familiar about one another, despite this being their first encounter. What will happen soon? Why does Serra seemingly have the memories he had supposedly lost at end of his fight with Galliard?
The answers will come in due course as next time, the focus of the next chapter centers around Kiyoi who is still being haunted by her own past. Please share your thoughts and criticisms and I'll see you next time! Until then!
*This first plays in Turn 3 when Valeos Ultimate Strides Zeroth Dragon of Distant Sea, Megiddo.
*This first plays in Episode 161 when Aichi rides Liberator, Monarch Sanctuary Alfred.
List of Re-adapted cards used by Ruko throughout the fight:
Tama, New Moon Miko
Grade 0
Ability: Boost
Shield: 10000
Power: 5000
Critical: 1
Nation: United Sanctuary
Clan: United Sanctuary
Race: Human/LRIG
Unit Type: Normal Unit
[AUTO]: When a Grade 1 card that does not have "Tama" in its name rides this unit, call this card to (RG).
[AUTO]: When a Grade 1 card with "Tama" in its card name rides over this unit, search your deck for up to one Grade 2 or higher card with "Tama" in its card name, reveal it and add it to your hand. Then shuffle your deck.
Tama, Waxing Crescent Moon Miko
Grade 1
Ability: Boost
Shield: 5000
Power: 7000
Critical: 1
Nation: United Sanctuary
Clan: United Sanctuary
Race: Human/LRIG
Unit Type: Normal Unit
[CONT](VG): If you have a card named "Tama, New Moon Miko" in your soul, this unit gets [Power]+1000.
[AUTO](RG): [Choose a Grade 3 or greater card from your hand and discard it] When this unit is placed on (RG), you may pay the cost. If you do, search your deck for up to one Grade 3 card with "Tama" in its card name, reveal it to your opponent and add it to your hand. Then shuffle your deck.
Tama, Half Moon Miko
Grade 2
Ability: Intercept
Shield: 5000
Power: 9000
Critical: 1
Nation: United Sanctuary
Clan: United Sanctuary
Race: Human/LRIG
Unit Type: Normal Unit
[CONT]: (VG) If there is a Grade 1 card with "Tama" in its card name in the soul, this unit gets [Power]+1000.
Tama, Silver Screen Miko
Grade 3
Ability: Twin Drive!
Shield: 0
Power: 10000
Critical: 1
Nation: United Sanctuary
Clan: United Sanctuary
Race: Human/LRIG
Unit Type: Normal Unit
[AUTO](VG): [Choose a card from your hand and discard it]: When this unit is placed on (VG), you may pay the cost. If you do, search your deck for up to one non-LRIG card and add it to your hand. Then shuffle your deck.
Tama, Foam Miko
Grade 4
Ability: Twin Drive!
Shield: 0
Power: 13000
Critical: 1
Nation: United Sanctuary
Clan: United Sanctuary
Race: Human/LRIG
Unit Type: Normal Unit
[CONT](Hand): If you do not have a Grade 3 Vanguard with "Tama" in its card name, you cannot Ride this unit.
[AUTO](Deck/Bind Zone): At the start of the Ride Phase, if you have a Grade 3 Vanguard with "Tama" in its card name, you may reveal 1 Arm and 1 Angel from your hand. If you do, Ride this card onto (VG). Then if you rode from the deck, shuffle your deck. You cannot Ride for the rest of this turn.
[ACT](VG): [Soul Blast (1) & Choose 1 of your rear-guards and return it to your hand] Choose 1 of your rear-guards and (Stand) it. This ability cannot be used for the rest of that turn.
Round, Small Shield
Grade 1
Ability: Boost
Shield: 5000
Power: 6000
Critical: 1
Nation: United Sanctuary
Clan: United Sanctuary
Race: Arm
Unit Type: Normal Unit
[CONT]: (RG/GC) During your opponent's turn, this unit gets [Power]+3000/[Shield]+5000.
Bow, Shooting Bow
Grade 0
Ability: Boost
Trigger: Draw
Shield: 5000
Power: 4000
Critical: 1
Nation: United Sanctuary
Clan: United Sanctuary
Race: Arm
Unit Type: Trigger Unit
[AUTO]: When this card is placed on (RG), if you have a Vanguard with "Tama" in its card name, you may look at the top card of your deck. If it is a Grade 1 or lower unit and this unit is the only rear-guard you control, you may call it to an open (RG).
Arc Tlet, Iron Fist
Grade 3
Ability: Twin Drive!
Shield: 0
Power: 9000
Critical: 1
Nation: United Sanctuary
Clan: United Sanctuary
Race: Arm
Unit Type: Normal Unit
[AUTO]: [Counter Blast (1)]: When this unit is placed on (RG), you may pay the cost. If you do, search your deck for up to one Angel and add it to your hand. Then shuffle your deck.
Brionac, Medium Spear
Grade 2
Ability: Intercept
Shield: 5000
Power: 9000
Critical: 1
Nation: United Sanctuary
Clan: United Sanctuary
Race: Arm
Unit Type: Normal Unit
[ACT]: (RG) [Counter Blast (3) and retire this unit]: Search your deck for up to two Arm and/or Weapon and add them to your hand. Then shuffle your deck.
Bonya, Small Bow
Grade 1
Ability: Boost
Shield: 5000
Power: 5000
Critical: 1
Nation: United Sanctuary
Clan: United Sanctuary
Race: Arm
Unit Type: Normal Unit
[AUTO]: When this card is placed on (RG), if you have a Vanguard with "Tama" in its card name, you may look at 3 cards from the top of your deck. If you do, you may put them back in any order you want.
Hastall, Medium Spear
Grade 2
Ability: Intercept
Shield: 5000
Power: 9000
Critical: 1
Nation: United Sanctuary
Clan: United Sanctuary
Race: Arm
Unit Type: Normal Unit
[CONT]: (RG) During your turn, if your Vanguard with "Tama" in its card name is Grade 4 or greater, this unit gets [Power]+5000.
[CONT]: (GC) If your Vanguard with "Tama" in its card name is Grade 4 or greater, this unit gets [Shield]+5000.
Michael, Voice of Reconcilation
Grade 2
Ability: Intercept
Shield: 5000
Power: 5000
Critical: 1
Nation: United Sanctuary
Clan: United Sanctuary
Race: Angel
Unit Type: Normal Unit
[ACT]: (RG) [(Rest) this unit and choose a card from your hand and discard it] Search your deck for up to one non-LRIG card whose Grade is 3 or lower and add it to your hand. Then shuffle your deck.
Habakiri, Greatsword
Grade 3
Ability: Twin Drive!
Shield: 0
Power: 10000
Critical: 1
Nation: United Sanctuary
Clan: United Sanctuary
Race: Arm
Unit Type: Normal Unit
[AUTO]: [Counter Blast (1)]: When this unit is placed on (RG) and the number of Arm rear-guards you have is three or greater, you may pay the cost. If you do, search your deck for up to non-LRIG and add it to your hand. Then shuffle your deck.
