Cardfight Vanguard: Setsuzoku Senso

by Sulmore

In the real world where Vanguard has a history equal to major league sports, it has become as explosively popular as actual sports as well as its anime counterpart. Those who wish to start their own kind of Vanguard legend attend specialized schools for the sake of their dream, but the question here is are you one of them?

9. Hell Week's Daffodil Oracle Sprouts

Cardfight Vanguard: Setsuzoku Sensō

Chapter 8

Hell Week's Daffodil Oracle Sprouts

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The high school freshmen of Setsuzoku Academy face their first trial-by-fire in the form of a match-up between classes with the promise of a most lucrative prize, however that pales in comparison to the shock that came with discovering that the academy had made the dream of TCG players everywhere a reality. They have made a device to produce life-like holograms of various units, and now it is up to Umi to use this technology in order to lead her class to victory against Suzuran. She was off to a good start, but her latest attack caused Suzuran to reveal something about herself that only a few others noticed.

"That sudden surge of pressure….. just where did it come from?" Tsukiyo thought as she continued to scan the crowd.

Tsukiyo of course noticed Sekai and Aadyn hiding in one of the entryways; however she figured that it was a practical way for them to kill time considering their respective personality traits.

"I see." Tsukiyo mumbled to herself as she turned her gaze back towards Suzuran, "I believe Sherlock said something like 'When you've eliminated all other possibilities…. Whatever remains no matter how ludicrous must be the truth' as I recall."

Meanwhile, in Sekai and Aadyn's corner of the arena.

"And here I thought the water girl was the only interesting person out of the three Kisaki let past her test." Aadyn said with a bemused expression on his face, "My wonderful best friend, I'm sure that you've noticed as well."

"Yeah…. she's….. holding back despite…. the risk involved with this match." Sekai pointed.

"Not unheard of for some freshmen to hide their true ability until their ready." Aadyn retorts, "It's something we've seen before the past couple years."

"Yeah….. but what impresses me is not that….. she chose to hold back, but…. that she had the train of thought to even do so under the circumstances." Sekai explained.

"Seeing Izanami like that caused her focus to slip and reveal the pressure only the strong can give off, and then she pushed that pressure back down almost instantly hoping no one would notice. I kind of wonder if anyone else asides from us did." Aadyn pointed out, "However the pressure itself is nothing compared to Kisaki's let alone ours, but still….. impressive for a freshmen."

"Umi…. might seriously be screwed." Sekai mumbled.

Then as for what Kokuo unexpectedly of all people noticed.

"I see…. now I understand why instinctively felt Umi and this girl were similar even though they act nothing alike." Kokuo quietly mumbled to himself, "It's just that what is similar between them can't be seen on the surface."

All of these individual thoughts might have taken a couple of minutes to read, but in actuality they all occurred within a matter of seconds simultaneously. It was all just enough time for Umi to listen to Suzuran's quick rant about her luck with Izanami.

Umi – Suzuran

6 – Hand – 5

0 – Soul – 0

0 – Damage – 1

0 – Counterblast – 0

F(0) U(16) – G-Zone – F(0) U(16)

Empty / Empty – Empty / Empty

Empty / Maiden of Waterpot – Cone Magus / Battle Maiden, Tomoe

Maiden of Corantos / Empty – Empty / Empty

"Hey Ryuga, where the heck are you going?" one of Ryuga's classmate's asked as he noticed the former getting up from his seat.

"Bathroom." Ryuga answered.

"The hell? Isn' our go… I mean Kitashirakawa-san your friend? Can't you hold it for a little longer?" the classmate retorts barely hiding his jealousy, "Heck, didn't you go earlier before we got to the stadium."

"I did, but the bathrooms were packed" Ryuga explained, "Seeing all of our classmates fight on a real motion figure system like the anime put it out of my mind, but now it's hitting me all at once. Don't worry…. it shouldn't take me long since I doubt no more than a few people are willing to get up from their seats at this point."

Little did Ryuga know that his decision would in the very near future change his perception of Suzuran, but enough about that and back to the fight going on before all of these people.

"Get ready…. because of that Suzu is going to put more effort into how strong a girl she is!" Suzuran declared as she drew for the turn, "Suzu rides Rigid Crane [Power: 9000]!"

Instead of the humans, dragons, and occasional giant pandas that have graced this stage the last few fights….. the crowd finds it a wonderful sight to witness a majestic white bird wearing a graceful red shirt take to the battlefield.

"Amazing…. amazing….. Rigid Crane looks so majestically graceful. Don't you think? Don't you?" Suzuran said in an excited manner as though she were a child pointing out to her parents that her favorite celebrity was nearby, "I bet if Rigid Crane transformed into a human…. she'd be a cool intellectual beauty like Tsukiyo-senpai!"

"Hmph… even practically speaking, flatter won't get you very far." Tsukiyo thought, but although she didn't let it show on her face…. she did appreciate the compliment.

"Nice Suzuran." Aadyn thought offering Suzuran a thumbs up as though he were a lone warrior that finally found a comrade in arms.

"Umm…. what are you doing?" Sekai asked.

"Just giving my props to Umi's opponent for understanding Tsukiyo-san's charms." Aadyn explained like the love-struck fool that he was.

"Who wouldn't want to admire their units under the circumstances?" Umi retorts as she refuses to get thrown off by Suzuran's rhythm, "But please go on since I have a fight to win."

"Hmph… Suzuran said she was going to get serious and win, so she'll do exactly that," Suzran said with a pout as though a child had her favorite desert taken away, Rigid Crane will attack your vanguard [Total Power: 14000]!"

[Drive Check – Battle Maiden, Yomotsu-Shikome – No Trigger]

"Suzu is a little disappointed it's not a critical trigger, but it looks like Shiko-chan is mad about how Izanami-chan was treated." Suzuran pointed out in an aggressive yet still somehow cutesy manner.

Rigid Crane flaps her wing from left to right as though she were a human waving their hand in the same manner. Maiden of Waterpot takes a defensive posture expecting some kind of energy or psychic based attack, but what she didn't expect was for one of Rigid Crane's feathers to come flying like a throwing knife. The attack hits Maiden of Waterpot in the shoulder, and the force of the blow knocks her down on one knee.

[Damage Check – Maiden of Glowshine – No Trigger]

"Since Suzu only had 1 unit to open things up with, she'll be ending her turn for now." Suzuran declared the moment Rigid Crane's attack animation finished.

Umi – Suzuran

6 – Hand – 6

0 – Soul – 1

1 – Damage – 1

0 – Counterblast – 0

F(0) U(16) – G-Zone – F(0) U(16)

Empty / Empty – Empty / Empty

Empty / Maiden of Waterpot – Rigid Crane / Battle Maiden, Tomoe

Maiden of Corantos / Empty – Empty / Empty

"Okay…. still nervous, but it's still okay since the first round of attacks went on without either of us getting the advantage." Suzuran nervously thought as she drew for the turn, "Even if I don't end up winning….. I'm confident in performing well enough to pa….. no….. given how strict this place is…. I must fight to WIN until the end."

Umi paused for only a short moment to seriously consider her next move; however people interpreted this choice as something else entirely.

"You ruffian fool, it seems as though our class has little faith in your friend." Kisaki pointed out as she both looked down on Kokuo and continued to listen in on the various unflattering comments going on in the background, "I don't blame them for having such thoughts given how nervous she looks, but I expected more considering I thought her worth the academy's precious resources.

"Ha… shows what you know." Kokuo chuckled as he looked at Kisaki like how one would look at an idiot, "It's not wrong to say she's nervous, but that's not her nervous face… rather it's the face she makes when Umi has to seriously think about a problem in a short amount of time."

"Oh? What makes you so certain?" Kisaki asked as she feigns an obviously fake sense of curiosity.

"Because I reluctantly call that daisy with thorns my friend." Kokuo sighed before turning his gaze back towards his friend as though such a title was forced upon him.

"I ride Maiden of Gladiolus [Power: 9000], and then I'll call Maiden of Damask Rose [Power: 9000] to the right." Umi declared.

"Bring it on Umi-chi! This way Suzu can show you the iron wall of the Oracle Think Tank." Suzuran proudly declared as she somehow managed to look cute while being somewhat angry.

"As you wi…. wait…. Umi-chi?" Umi asked as the unexpected nickname caused her to lose focus.

"Suzu thinks it makes your name sound cuter, and Suzu might have gotten a bit annoyed earlier….. but she knows you're not a bad person." Suzuran said as she was happy to momentarily put the fight between them aside in order to explain, "Otherwise she would never do such a thing."

"I…. I see." Umi mumbled aloud before shaking er head in order to get it back in the game, "I appreciate the sentiment, but don't think I'll show mercy because of it. I'll start off my attack by having Maiden of Damask Rose swing towards your vanguard [Total Power: 14000]!"

Using her powers as a dryad, Damask Rose swings the vine in her hand as though it were a powerful whip. Forgive the pun, but it has the effect of ruffling the feathers of Rigid Crane even causing a few to drop to the floor.

[Damage Check – Fighting Strike Sword Deity, Toyokuninushi – No Trigger]

"I use Maiden of Damask Rose's skill to add Maiden of Frilldrod to my hand." Umi declared as the aforementioned card was dispensed from her deck like a soda from a vending machine.

"Hrmphh… damage checking another one of my grade 3s isn't cute." Suzuran pouted, however her tone of voice signifies that she's only joking.

"Hehe." Umi lightly chuckled, "Then we'll see soon enough if you have a "cute" way to defend yourself because I'll have Gladiolus attack your vanguard next [Total Power: 9000]!"

"Then Suzu will cutely defend herself with the adorable Aqua Witch, NeNe [Total Shield: 5000]!" Suzuran calmly or rather cutely countered.

[Drive Check – Maiden of Zephyranthes – Critical Trigger]

"I give all of the effects to Gladiolus [New Total: 14000 2 Crit]!" Umi declared, "And according to the rules of the game, my attack goes through since the power is equal to your defense."

[Damage Check – Nebula Witch, NoNo – Stand Trigger]

[Damage Check – Psychic Bird – Critical Trigger]

"I end my turn." Umi said out loud while thinking, "But I shouldn't let this little bit of luck go to my head. The notes I studied said that Oracle Think Tank's GB era units lack a strong opening game, however I don't recall seeing that Izanami card in the study guide or if it was I must have skipped over it, so who knows if something contradictory won't occur."

Umi – Suzuran

7 – Hand – 5

1 – Soul – 1

1 – Damage – 4

1 – Counterblast – 0

F(0) U(16) – G-Zone – F(0) U(16)

Empty / Empty – Empty / Empty

Empty / Maiden of Gladiolus – Rigid Crane / Battle Maiden, Tomoe

Maiden of Corantos / Maiden of Damask Rose – Empty / Empty

"Suzu stands and draws." Suzuran declared as a massive grin appears on her face like a child who got the stuffed animal they wanted from a carnival game once she looked at the card she drew, "It seems like Suzu's favorite girl was able to use her powers to give our future a fighting chance after all."

"Favorite girl? This girl with all of her cutesy crap must be talking about Izanami, but even though she can't stride yet….. I should brace myself all the same." Umi thought.

"Let she who was cast aside bring forth a future where the discarded and exiled are valued! I ride Oracle Deity, Izanami [Power: 11000]!" Suzuran declared.

The fact that Suzuran chose to speak in the first person was as surprising as the fact that no one noticed it. Izanami looks no older than a 16 or 17 year old teenaged girl though those familiar with her clan know that their appearance rarely if ever matches their age. She also has red eyes along with white hair like a rabbit, wears an all-black Jūnihitoe (fancy kimono reserved for members of Japan's royal family/court) decorated with white cherry blossoms, and she wears on her head a well-cared for golden crown with a single ruby embedded in the center yet somehow looks as though it was made by the hands of a child.

"Suzu knows that Nami-chi (Suzu's nickname for Izanami) looks young compared to her clan-mates, but that's only because the place she stayed at for a while stunted her growth." Suzuran explained, "But that doesn't mean Nami-chi is any less capable in a fight."

"Then go ahead and show me what your cute friend is capable of." Umi smirked while secretly thinking, "This way I'll be able to beat the living s*** out of the both of you with no complaints."

"Suzu activates Tomoe's oracle ability: By resting Tomoe-chan and putting a card from my hand to the bottom of my deck…. I get to draw a card." Suzuran explained.

Though the words Umi said aloud might have sounded a bit cocky, but she truly meant it as a friendly exchange despite her inner thoughts.

"Now join Nami-chi in this battlefield as her cool beauty right hand…. I call Battle Maiden, Yomotsu-Shikome [Power: 9000]." Suzuran declared.

Yomotsu-Shikome has short black hair, red eyes like Izanami, and wears a simple white/red shrine maiden's outfit seen countless times in various forms of media with the only difference being that her outfit lacks sleeves. Her choice of weapons is a short spear she wields in her right hand and a tachi (long sword version of a katana) in her left hand.

"Yomo-kun unlike Rigid Crane possibly resembling….. definitely resembles what Tsukiyo-senpai would look like as an intellectual cool beauty." Suzuran said proudly.

"Nice girl….. I know you're doing this on purpose to get my attention, but I'll still take you under my wing." Aadyn thought as he once again (though mentally) gives Suzuran a thumbs up for understanding Tsukiyo's charms.

"Hmrph… this match is a serious affair… not a place to toss out compliments as though they were bait on a fishing line. Besides…. you don't even know Tsukiyo-senpai that well to refer to her like that… something she doesn't even let me do." Kisaki thought as her opinion of Suzuran steadily reaches the same level as her opinion on Kokuo.

"Once again flatter will get you nowhere, but….. practically speaking I can't deny the uncanny resemblance." Tsukiyo thought.

In fact the resemblance is so strong such that the dual wielding shrine maiden and Tsukiyo could be sisters were it not for the former having different eye color, shorter hair length, and most importantly being from another world.

"But Suzu knows she shouldn't go too far with compliments since this is supposed to be a serious fight in a serious situation." Suzuran declared as she quickly mentally prepared herself, "Yomo-kun will start things off by attacking your vanguard [Total Power: 9000]!"

"I'll intercept with Maiden of Damask Rose [Total Shield: 5000]!" Umi declared as she slid the aforementioned card onto the guardian circle.

Yomotsu-Shikome launches a straight forward jab with her short spear, however it is forced to a stop when the vine turned whip of Damask Rose wraps around her spear. Damask Rose attempts to throw Yomotsu-Shikome using that vine, however the distance between them is just short enough for the latter to stab the former with her tachi. If it were not for this real life MF system turning Damask Rose into particles of light… there would have likely been a bit of blood spray landing on the audience.

"Then Nami-chi… go on and beat up that sword swinging flower girl with some flower petals of your own [Total Power: 11000]!" Suzuran declared as she pointed at Umi's vanguard.

The white cherry blossoms on Izanami's dress begin to glow brightly just before popping off her dress as though they were real flowers, then each flower breaks off into individual petals, and all of these petals start to circle around Izanami as though they were the rings of Saturn.

"Suzu suggests you quickly decide whether or not to block this attack since according to unit lore and a few short stories…. Nami-chi was born with precognitive ability so strong that she can affect time and space itself." Suzuran explained as if she was trying to make this match as fair as possible.

Not that it matters very much since lore is irrelevant compared to actual unit effects in a card fight.

"I won't guard." Umi declared in a resolute fashion.

[Drive Check – Nebula Witch, NoNo – Stand Trigger]

"Suzu will give Yomo-kun another chance to attack, and Suzu will give her the power bonus as well." Suzuran declared.

[Drive Check – Medical Miko, Yakushiji – Heal Trigger]

"Suzu will move the Nami-chi in my damage zone to into my drop zone, and then Suzu will give Yomo-kun the power bonus once more."

The white cherry blossom petals stopped circling Izanami and started to surge towards Gladiolus like a torrential river breaking through a dam. Each petal that came into contact with Gladiolus felt like a jab from a professional boxer, and given the number of petals; were it not for the fact that Gladiolus wasn't human….. she'd likely long since been turned into meat paste.

"Izanami? Are you sure the name of the ace of your deck isn't Senbonzakura Kageyoshi?" Kokuo amusingly thought, however he didn't let his internal laughter show on his face.

[Damage Check – Maiden of Flower Pistol – No Trigger]

"Yomo-chan, go on and take another swing for payback [Total Power: 19000]!" Suzuran declared.

"My apologies if this seems a bit rude, but I'm afraid you won't be getting your chance at payback during this turn at least." Umi retorted in full-blown nice girl mode as she placed a card on her guardian circle, "The reason being that I'll block your attack with Maiden of Zephyranthes [Total Shield: 10000]."

"How rude." Suzu pouted just before quickly returning to her normal facial expression, "But Suzu also knows that's how fights go sometimes, so she'll be ending her turn."

Umi – Suzuran

6 – Hand – 6

1 – Soul – 2

2 – Damage – 3

1 – Counterblast – 0

F(0) U(16) – G-Zone – F(0) U(16)

Empty / Empty – Battle Maiden, Yomotsu-Shikome / Empty

Empty / Maiden of Gladiolus – Oracle Deity, Izanami / Battle Maiden, Tomoe

Maiden of Corantos / Empty – Empty / Empty

"The ride chant I said in that interrupted fight with the cake thief bastard would be inappropriate right now, so what should I saw with that f***ing nice girl filter on my mouth now?" Umi thought as she drew for the turn, "No… I'm misremembering what I said…. it's really not that bad."

"Put your nervousness aside for a moment my old friend because things are about to enter the mid-game phase." Aaydn declared as a rare serious look appeared on his face instead of his usual somewhat bunny-ears lawyer expressions.

"I know, but most of the fighters here should be able to tell the pressure is starting to build upon the pressure that was here at the start." Sekai retorts as the importance and intensity of this match was able to force him out of his usual nervous state of mind despite not actually being one of the participants.

The audience sat on the edge of their seats as they focused their gaze even further on the fighting stage because just like Sekai said, they all know the importance of the mid-game phase. In the early-game one sets up their formation where in the mid-game they act upon that formation, and now the audience wants to see how Umi will utilize the formation she's set up. The audience still doesn't expect Umi to win however; given the massive difference in her rank and Suzuran's.

"Talentless rose grown in barren lands, let the sword forged from your roots take us the next step forward!" Umi yelled, "I ride Maiden of Polyantha Rose [Power: 11000]!"

Polyantha Rose, a long straight strawberry pink haired dryad was wearing a long-sleeved dress of simple design made from carefully sown/layered together dark green serrated leaves, with a dark pinkish white rose corset on both wrists, along with a matching hairpin, and Polyantha unlike other dryads who manipulate nearby plant life carries a rapier whose blade is made from an ancient rose thorn; however, the hilt is made from a rose stem grown by Polyantha herself.

"Amazing…. just like her lore, Poly-chan look of a beauty who worked to get what they had." Suzuran said as she was impressed by how the ace of Umi's deck looked thanks to this real life MF system.

"While I'm flattered by your compliments towards Polyantha Rose, I'd appreciate it if you didn't refer to her by a nickname especially since we are fighting each other nor do we know each other that well either?" Suzuran asked in a respectful tone while thinking "Would you f***ing stop attaching a nickname to everything? It's starting to get on my nerves."

"Ah sorry…. Suzu knows she sometimes gets ahead of herself." Suzuran said in an apologetic manner.

"Okay then…. Ahem.. I discard a copy of Maiden of Gallica Rose in order to release the generation zone!" Umi declared.

"Glad to see you're putting those cards my girlfriend got for you in your deck fin….. wait…. no win or lose, you're telling me how you found out about her!" Kokuo quietly mumbled to himself as his happy thoughts were quickly replaced my angry ones, "No wait… you better win so you don't make her efforts for nothing by getting expelled."

"Stride genera-" Umi was saying when the thought "No…playing Lotus Maiden is more of the same rather than changing for the future, and even then it won't put much of a dent in Suzuran's defense given her clan's draw power."

"Suzu thinks she's a reasonable girl, but even she knows that the dice can't be taken back once they've been cast." Suzuran pointed out as she was caught off guard when Umi suddenly stopped her hand halfway between her G-Zone and vanguard circle.

"Hehe… I know that as well." Umi lightly chuckled as she placed the G-Unit in her hand back in her G-Zone, "But the dice won't be considered as "cast" until it hits the playing field, so there shouldn't be any harm in me changing the dice beforehand right?"

"Then Suzu will wait to see what kind of dice it is, so don't disappoint her Umi-chi" Suzuran shrugged.

"Good…. since the students here are the best fighters of their age group around the world…. they're very prideful, and as a result would rather save face by committing to a move they realize to be incorrect rather than actually correct it. I used to be the same way before Tsukiyo-senpai put me in my place, so at least with this you've proven me passing you was not a waste." Kisaki thought, "Others might insult you because of this choice, but those here who are truly strong or talented should only admire the willingness to admit one's mistakes."

"Now let me try this again." Umi said as she grabbed a different card from her G-Zone, "Bring life and greenery back into this battle-torn soil! Stride generation…. Maiden of Fertility Governing Lily [Power: 26000]!"

This newest dryad wore a dark green dress with a long flowing white skirt, arm length white/green gloves, with a green had made from leaves decorated with white lilies, and this dryad compared to the rest of tall and monstrous units of the game is actually no taller than the length of the average human thumb.

"Oh Suzu sees what you're trying to do Umi-chi, and it's a good idea too. Still….. how good of an idea will depend on Suzu's defensive trigger luck." Suzuran pointed out as her eyes revealed a serious look while her mouth continued to smile.

"Polyantha Rose's stride skill: I can choose to call up to two units amongst the top 5 cards of my deck so long as they have "Maiden of" in their card name!" Umi explained as she picked up the top 5 cards of her deck, "Superior call Maiden of Waterpot [Power: 7000] and Maiden of Lotus Flower [Power: 9000]."

The audience once again yells out excited roars as the first G-Unit of the match enters the battlefield, and the audience hopes that Umi will at least put on a show by going down fighting because of it.

"I use Maiden of Lotus Flower's skill: When she's placed on the rearguard, I can call copy of a grade 1 or less unit with "Maiden of" in her card name that I have in play." Umi explained, "In this case I choose to call a copy of my starter Maiden of Corantos [Power: 5000] to my left."

"Let's see how you'll impress your sponsor Ms. Umi Kitagawa." Aadyn amusingly thought as he like many looked forward to how Umi would start off her next round of attacks.

"Now I'll bring Maiden of Waterpot's skill into play! I move her into my soul, shuffle the Maiden of Gallica Rose in my drop zone back into my deck, of which allows me to counter charge and draw." Umi declared right after she finished shuffling her deck from her last move, "I call Maiden of Frilldrod [Power: 11000], but for now I'll give the honor of performing a little gardening to Maiden of Lotus Flower by attacking Yomotsu-Shikome [Total Power: 9000]!"

Maiden of Lotus Flower once again fires off several beams of light from the plant that was her namesake, of which has the effect of turning Yomotsu-Shikome into Swiss cheese and then several particles of light right afterwards.

"Don't worry Yomo-kun, Suzu will be sure to avenge you." Suzuran quietly grumbled.

"Now I will have Frilldrod attack your vanguard Nami-chi [Total Power: 11000]!" Umi declared just a second before her cheeks became flushed red with embarrassment as she realized just what words came out of her mouth, "No I mean… Izanami."

"Name flops aside, Kitagawa wishes to maximize her attacks and their power by saving that copy of Corantos for later, but it hinges heavily on the drive check." Tsukiyo thought, "But then a lot of things do in this game."

Umi even waved her hands in denial to better sell the image though still…. her look of embarrassment sent a roar of laughter through the audience, of which was a nice change of pace.

"Arghhh… why the f*** did I say something so stupid? This girl's f***ing cute attitude must be infectious." Umi thought as she mentally scolded herself.

"Ha ha…. Since Suzu has you doing it…. seems like you understand Nami-chi's charms." Suzuran lightly chuckled, "But still Suzu will also once again guard with the adorable Aqua Witch, Nene [Total Shield: 5000]."

"I certainly can understand the appeal, but let's see how you handle the concept of big things coming in small packages made into reality." Umi said in a polite manner.

"Says the girl who's as flat as a board." Aadyn thought as he had a smug yet satisfied expression on his face.

"He's insulting someone in his thoughts again." Sekai thought as he took note of his friend's grin.

"Why do I get the feeling someone just made a jab at my size? Arghh… f*** it…. I have a fight to win." Umi thought as she could feel a vein in her forehead start to throb, "Maiden of Fertility Governing will attack your vanguard [Total Power: 26000]!"

"Suzu won't be guarding that attack." Suzuran declared.

"Governing Lily's skill: I check a card from the top of my deck for every card on my vanguard circle, rearguard, circle, and G-Zone." Umi explained, "I have 4 rearguard units, 2 cards on my vanguard circle, and 1 face up card in my g-zone making a total of seven."

Seven leafs start to sprout from the cold metal floor of the fighting stage and they continue to grow until they reach Umi's eye level. The art from the cards on top of Umi's were practically printed on each leaf, of which Umi takes a few seconds to glance back and forth between them.

"I get to call up to 5 units so long as they're copies of what I already have in play, however in this case I'll only be bringing out two units." Umi explained.

Like with Ryuga, Umi touched the holographic images of her desired units and then picked them up out of her deck like a drink from a vending machine.

"I superior call Maiden of Frilldrod [Power: 11000] and a copy of my vanguard Maiden of Polyantha Rose [Power: 11000]!" Umi declared while thinking, "The results of this drive check won't win me the fight, but….. they will decide who controls the flow."

[Drive Check – Maiden of Gallica Rose – No Trigger]

[Drive Check – Maiden of Gladiolus – No Trigger]

[Drive Check – Maiden of Dandelion – Critical Trigger]

"I give the critical to my vanguard and the power to Frilldrod [Total Power: 26000 2 Crit]!" Umi declared.

Governing Lily quickly flew over despite her tiny body landing only a few centimeters away from the gigantic (from Governing Lily's perspective) goddess known as Izanami. The goddess despite the nice shell she shows to the world believed it would be easy such a tiny creature like an ant, of which she lifts up her foot in order to do so. The implied result would be an obvious conclusion to anyone, however they'd be surprised to see Governing Lily stop Izanami's foot with her tiny hand. Then they'd be even more surprised to witness Governing Lily lift up Izanami with that one hand, then the tiny maiden waved the arm to her left slamming Izanami onto the ground like a hammer to a nail, then she waved her arm to the right making the young looking goddess eat pavement once more, and then Governing Lily kept repeating this action as necessary until she believed Izanami had suffered enough.

[Damage Check – Oracle Deity, Izanami – No Trigger]

[Damage Check - Medical Miko, Yakushiji – Heal Trigger]

"It seems like the goddess of luck hasn't abandoned Suzu just yet, soooooo she'll take advantage of her luck by healing a point of damage and give power to Nami-chan." Suzu said with her usual smile, but internally she was breathing a massive sigh of relief.

"My new Frilldrod will attack Na…. Izanami [Total Power: 21000]!" Umi declared as she stopped the name flop coming out of her mouth before it started.

"Suzu will perform a generation guard to bring out Sun of Eternity, Amaterasu!" Suzuran declared as she discarded a heal trigger from her hand, "First Suzu will use Ama-kun's skill to soul charge a unit."

[Soul Charge – Rigid Crane – No Trigger]

"Then Suzu gets to check the top card of her deck and choose if she wants to keep it there." Suzuran explained as she indeed picked up the top card of her deck, "In this case Suzu chooses to keep it at the bottom, and since Ama-kun is happy to see Suzu with 4 cards in her hand she puts an extra +10000 shield worth of effort in her defense [Total Shield: 25000]."

"Practically speaking….. that's a waste of a G-Guardian. It's obvious she intends to use one of her G-Units GB3 abilities, but even then using Sunrise-on-high, Ichibyoshi would have been less of a waste." Tsukiyo thought as she quickly glanced in Suzuran's direction.

"Then my rearguard Polyantha Rose will close this round of attacks [Total Power: 16000]!" Umi declared.

This slightly differently colored Polyantha Rose dashed across the battlefield like a racing rabbit dodging the petals produced from Izanami's dress by a hare's breath each time. Izanami attempts to back up a few steps when Polyantha Rose gets close, but when doing so she could feel something tugging against her foot. Thus Izanami looks down to find what appears to be tree root cuffing her to the floor, but thankfully because of that Izanami doesn't see a rapier being jabbed into her chest several times. All of this only happened because Polyantha Rose is still capable of such tricks despite her lack of talent as a Dryad.

[Damage Check – Foredoom Miko, Sachi – No Trigger]

"I'll end my turn." Umi declared while thinking, "Though barely….. I've gained control of the flow of the fight, so for now… I have to wait and see how this Suzuran tries to counter with Nami.. arrghh she still has me doing it…. how she counters with Izanami."

Umi – Suzuran

8 – Hand – 4

3 – Soul – 3

2 – Damage – 5

1 – Counterblast – 0

F(2) U(14) – G-Zone – F(1) U(15)

Maiden of Corantos / Maiden of Frilldrod – Empty / Empty

Empty / Maiden of Polyantha Rose – Oracle Deity, Izanami / Battle Maiden, Tomoe

Maiden of Corantos / Maiden of Polyantha Rose – Empty / Empty

After reading the statistics on the board, no one in the audience could say any longer that Umi had no chance of victory. Even factoring in Suzuran's claim about bad luck with Izanami as the first card in the damage zone, the audience couldn't help but be impressed with the underdog performance the ranked last Umi had shown them. As for Umi's classmates… they all actually start to see the hint of light at the end of the tunnel.

"Unbelievable…. I can't believe this last ranked girl could actually gain an advantage over our 3rd ranked goddess." One of the members of Suzuran's fan club exclaimed.

"She must be one of those types of students who have low academic scores, but high practical skill." another member of the same fan club said, "You know like the story about the kid in the red jacket that had a fascination with heroes."

"Ha…..you two really need to work on your eye of discernment." a third member of Suzuran's fan club pointed out, of whom happened to be the smartest of this particular trio.

"What do you mean?" the first fan asked.

"It wouldn't be wrong to say that the opponent of our goddess has a chance of victory, but that's only because she got lucky with the drive checks at key moments disrupting the rhythm of our goddess." the third fan explained, "If she can get just one good trigger check…. then our goddess Suzuran-sama will be able to crush this Umi girl."

"If Kisaki-sama is like Frejya choosing those worthy of being at Setsuzoku and our goddess being like the trickster god Loki for her playfulness…. then would that make this Umi girl like the Norse god of war Tyr who faced any enemy before them with courage and valor no matter the difference in power." the first fan thought.

Little did that one fan know that this female trio would receive those exact nicknames months down the line, however ignoring the comments of Suzuran's fans that happened to be in Umi's class for a moment, the remaining members actually start to cheer for Umi thanks to her good luck.

"Hmrph…. good, but don't let it go to your head." Kokuo thought as he was happy due to the positive treatment his friend was getting however temporary, but he would never let it show on his face nor admit the fact to Umi.

"Hey ruffian." Kisaki said as loud as she could without actually drawing attention.

"What do you want?" Kokuo asked as he appears to be annoyed by simply having this 7th ranked girl in his line of site.

"You might be a ruffian who doesn't know the first think about how to treat a lady or act in high society, but you're not stupid." Kisaki declared less as a compliment and more as a leading statement.

"Geez thanks… now get to the point great noble lady guiding her flock like a Sheppard." Kokuo retorts as he half-wishes to be able to get away with slapping Kisaki across the face.

Of course Kokuo wouldn't dare do such a thing as it's wrong and he was raised as a gentleman despite his dislike of Kisaki. That and his mother would have his ass 6 ways to Sunday and twice on Taco Tuesday.

"I assume that you've noticed the main testing criteria for this affair elder… excuse me… that the principal set up?" Kisaki asked as she turned her gaze back to the fighting stage.

"The purpose was to test our ability to handle the simulated pressure of a professional fight and how we handled the novelty of a real life Motion Figure system you mean?" Kokuo retorts as if it was so matter of fact, "With the former you either handle the pressure or you don't, but with the latter you can test your resilience against the thought of seeing your units come alive or use it against your opponent."

"Very good." Kisaki said as she was actually impressed by Kokuo's deduction, "Your friend is subconsciously of the former trying to ignore the novelty and her opponent Suzuran is trying to use it against her. Suzuran's performance feels off, so she probably feels that she has to considering…"

"Considering what?" Kokuo asked as his curiosity was clearly piqued.

"Oh… Mr. Ruffian, are you trying to invade in on a lady's secrets." Kisaki asked as her tone carried strong accents of mockery and sarcasm, however before Kokuo could say choice words in response, "Don't talk… I already know what you're going to say. First of all the rumors you've probably heard about Kitashirakawa-san are completely true…. She is the third person to pass my admission test by showing the brains required of a fighter."

"And what does that have to do with anything?" Kokuo asked with a face that clearly wants Kisaki to just get to the point already.

"For one when I say brains I refer to the fact she has an IQ of 162, but perhaps because of her attitude she seems to be bad at remembering things….. in order to match her score she probably tossed the notion of sleep aside to study." Kisaki pointed out.

"Match her score? Wait…. she knew she had to match her score on that test in advance?" Kokuo asked as look of surprise and a bit of shock flashes over his face.

"Yes….. given the fact that Kitashirakawa-san was the first in the Academy's history to achieve a perfect score, the principal felt it would have been a shame to lose out on such an intellectual talent that an exception was made so I told her." Kisaki explained.

"Is getting a perfect exam score really that big a deal?" Kokuo couldn't help but ask.

"Of course it is." Kisaki said as though she were looking at an idiot, "The highest people usually get is between 95-96 percent, and Sekai Akira being the previous record holder for the entrance exam at 98.2 percent was already enough for press clamoring to interview him."

"If that's the case…. then Umi's opponent would have had to study like her life depended on it resulting in a lack of sleep, of which resulted in her being unable to fight at full strength, and in that stat of exhaustion she had no choice but to use the novelty of a real MF system against Umi in order to stay in this school." Kokuo quickly deduced, "Unless I'm missing something that was all you wanted to tell me correct?"

"Yes…. part of the reason the principal is taking extra effort to raise the average ability of a student here is because the core of our fighting strength is concentrated in our 3rd year students, and when they graduate Setsuzoku Academy's reign of being the top Vanguard school in the world has a high risk of coming to an end. The reason being that the 2nd years who are supposed to take their place as the academy's vanguard are considerably lacking in talent save for Tsukiyo-senpai who is ranked 6th as well as the current 9th ranked." Kisaki explained as the urgency of this matter was well written on her face, "It's my hope that Ryuga, Suzuran, and even your friend Umi learn what it is they lack from each other so that they, myself, any other hidden talents among the freshmen, and even you I suppose will be the pillar that ensures Setsuzoku stays at the top or quickly restores it if lost."

Kokuo couldn't help but be moved by how passionately Kisaki talked about the academy's future, but of course he'd rather die than admit that to Kisaki given their apparent mutual dislike of each other's personality.

"Then I hope not to disappoint the school." Kokuo retorts as he starts to be infected by the notion of school spirit.

"Don't think too much of this moment of civility, and don't tell any of them what I just told you since it wouldn't be good for their growth to let things go to their head." Kisaki lightly chuckled as she points her finger towards Suzuran, "It seems as though she's finally decided on what to do in this situation."

Indeed one's gaze is drawn back to the fighting stage, but then it is drawn to an entryway into the stadium seating within earshot of Kokuo and Kisaki's conversation. It is there you see a young man clench his fists in frustration, and a familiar one at that.

"So that's why Suzuran seemed so tired today… to the point where she even used me as a pillow to sleep. No wonder you mentioned having to work really hard Suzu…. you had no choice but to work hard even while exhausted in this fight, then your opponent sees you as a mountain she has to climb over even if her body breaks down completely, then there's Kokuo who fought Sekai Akira with the same will, Kisaki who possesses overwhelming strength yet believes in the development of the strength of others, and then there's me who humiliated himself out of desperation. What right do I have to be here?"

At this moment Ryuga seriously considered forgoing whatever dream he had that required him to go through Setsuzoku in order to accomplish it another way, but then he remembers why he came to this school in the first place and the things he's seen while here. Then Ryuga mentally kicks himself in the crotch for having such thoughts.

"What the hell am I doing for thinking about doing something so stupid? If I don't have the courage to fight with as well as against such amazing people… then there never would have been a point for me to come here for ma in the first place." Ryuga thought as he shook his head as if to get right of all his negative thoughts, "If I'm going to be expelled then so be it, but I'll cheer for Suzuran until the end since she's my friend."

"Is something wrong?" Umi asked as she didn't expect for Suzuran to be trapped within the realm of thought.

"Suzu was busy thinking of a way out of the bad situation she's in….. and she came up with a pretty risky plan that relies totally on chance." Suzuran answered seriously as she drew for the turn.

"Then take that chance already! We all took one for our futures by coming here, so what's stopping you!" Ryuga yelled right as he returned to his seat.

Suzuran's classmates start to cheer with grater fervor after being spurred on by Ryuga's actions, of which has the effect of lifting the mood of this silly girl. Umi's classmates attempt to match their cheers as they don't wish to be out done by their mortal enemies.

"There you have it. Sorry Umi-chi….. Suzu has someone she absolutely doesn't want to be separated from no matter what here, so she can't possibly be defeated here." Suzuran declared as she discarded a grade 3 from her hand, "Now go on and beat up all of the people who were bad by denying our future! Stride generation….Goddess of Absolution, Izanami [Power: 26000]!"

This future form of Izanami wears Jūnihitoe of the exact same design as her past self only this time it's all white while being decorated with black cherry blossoms, she holds in her right hand a black fan with a golden sun/mountain motif, she has a pair of talismans floating around her like a pair of fighter jets trying to establish air superiority, she wears a slightly bigger crown, and most importantly her appearance has changed from an underdeveloped teenager to a mature young woman in her 20s filled out in all the right places.

"Nami-chan's stride skill: Suzu gets to choose from a card in her drop zone, then chooses whether or not to place it on the top or bottom of her deck, if she chooses to place it on the top then nothing happens, but if Suzu chooses the bottom of her deck then she gets to draw." Suzuran explained as she rummaged through her drop zone.

[Chosen Card – Psychic Bird – Critical Trigger]

"In this case Suzu choses the top of her deck." Suzuran explained as she took a deep breath to calm her nerves, "Then Suzu chooses to call NoNo [Power: 4000], Yomotsu-Shikome [Power: 9000], and Kuroikazuchi [Power: 9000] to Suzu's rear."

"It seems like she's definitely going for broke this time." Aadyn pointed out.

"Umm…. it's obvious…. she has no other choice." Sekai interjected.

"Suzu activates the skill of Goddess of Absolution, Izanami: Suzu will get to choose another card from my drop zone and place it at the top or bottom of my deck." Suzuran explained.

[Chosen Card - Medical Miko, Yakushiji – Heal Trigger]

"Suzu will choose the top of her deck again, and then for each face up copy of Absolution Nami-chi in my G-zone I can draw a card from the top or bottom of my deck." Suzuran explained.

"Wait… she can draw from the bottom of her deck?!" Umi asked as she was truly shocked and caught off guard by this unexpected effect.

"Yup Umi-chi…. because you see future Nami-chi's precognitive powers have evolved to the point where she can bring the immediate future or distant future into the present so long as she wants to." Suzuran explained, "In this case she chooses to bring out the distant future by drawing from the bottom of Suzu's deck."

"F***…. are you s****ing me? To be able to f***ing control your deck like this is practically f***ing cheating! Still….. there's no way that's all this future b**** Izanami does, so I'll have to be prepared for it." Umi thought.

"The last thing Suzu will call for the turn is Cone Magus [Power: 7000], and then for her skill Suzu will confidently declare that the top card of her deck is Yakushiji." Suzuran explained.

[Revealed Card – Medical Miko, Yakushiji – Heal Trigger]

"Since Suzu guessed correctly she gets to countercharge 2, and now Suzu declares the start of her battle phase by moving Tomoe into my soul." Suzu explained as she quickly went through the aforementioned motion, "Similar to the Royal Paladin starter Alectos, Suzu gets to draw another card and all of her Oracle abilities become active regardless of hand size."

"Goddess of Absolution, Izanami huh? Umi's in a lot of trouble since it's hard to counter someone who can so easily see the future like that." Aadyn pointed out as he starts to get nervous due to recalling his earlier promise about dressing like a Playboy Bunny.

"Future Nami-chi, show the whole world how much of a good girl you are by bringing use a come-from-behind win [Total Power: 26000]!" Suzuran declared.

"Generation guard….. Maiden of Strongest Shields, Lavender! So long as I have a "Maiden of" vanguard along with two rearguards with the same bit of text in their name….. Lavender gets +10000 shield [Total Shield: 25000]!"

"And now for Suzu's triple drive check." Suzuran declared as she placed her hand on the top of her deck.

[Drive Check – Psychic Bird – Critical Trigger]

"I give all of the effects to Nami-chi!" Suzuran declared.

"You'll still need another trigger to break through my defense." Umi pointed out.

"Suzu won't because Nami-chi's oracle ability activates: When she reveals a trigger unit during her drive check, Suzu can give another one of her units or in this case Nami-chi another +5000 power. With that my Nami-chi's attack will go through [New Power: 36000 2 Crit]!"

"S*** s*** s*** s***… and she still has two more drive checks to go." Umi thought as a more frantic expression appears on her face.

[Drive Check – Oracle Guardian, Nike – Critical Trigger]

[Drive Check – Oracle Guardian, Nike – Critical Trigger]

"Nami-chi gets another +2 critical, +10000 power to Yomotsu-Shikome, +10000 power to Kuroikazuchi [New Total: 36000 4 Crit]." Suzuran declared.

"F***************************!" Umi internally cursed.

The cherry blossom petals fluttering from Izanami dress come together to form a large circle followed by the hands of a clock, and then once the clock strikes 12; a thousand circular portals with a translucent rainbow like glow like bubble soap caught in a wand open up around it. Crimson colored cherry blossoms as if watered by the blood of one's enemies flood through each portal like water through a broken dam, and each flood head directly for Polyantha Rose.

"Using Nami-chi's super amazing precognitive abilities and (according to her lore) abilities copied from a mysterious group as a baseline, she was able to come up with a lot of cool new spells. One of them is to summon the attacks of a thousand alternate timeline counterparts of Nami-chi to bring down on the heads of all the bad people who want to hurt her." Suzuran explained in an excited manner as the attack of her deck's ace continues to head towards the intended target.

[Damage Check – Maiden of Flower Pistol – No Trigger]

[Damage Check – Maiden of Lotus Flower – No Trigger]

[Damage Check – Maiden of Gladiolus – No Trigger]

"Ha ha ha…even though it was clearly unintentional…. To bring someone….. from a state… ha ha ha…. of hope to despair like this… really reminds this senpai of his younger self." Aaydn mumbled as he busts out into a state of laughter so strong that he felt compelled to squeeze his stomach.

"You seriously have a twisted sense of humor." Sekai pointed out.

"Everyone has….ha… has their fix." Aadyn retorts in a casual manner.

"But you know…. if she doesn't come out of this…. you'll have to go around dressed as a Playboy Bunny." Sekai pointed out as he tremendously enjoys the thought of giving his best friend the taste of his own medicine.

"Nooooooooooo! Come on Umi, pull an Aichi! There's no way in hell I want to dress as a Playboy Bunny!" Aadyn yelled as fell to his knees in despair.

No one hears Aadyn scream over Izanami's attack, however he's not the only person to start to feel a sense of despair wash over them.

"Damn it…. there goes that 10% bonus." One of Umi's classmates mumbled out of frustration.

"Why was I stupid enough to think the last ranked student could beat the 3rd ranked student? Even if the former gets an advantage the latter will easily be able to recover." another one of Umi's classmates mumbled.

These were only the nicer of the things being said about Umi at the moment, and as the hand of the young lady herself shakes fiercely though tightly like someone having a seizure as it rests on the top of her deck.

"Damn it damn it damn it damn it! I was so f***ing close to seeing the path meant for me, and now the door is going to be f***ing slammed in my face?! This isn't fair." Umi thought as she clenched her free hand so tightly that it stops before causing bleeding.

A few more moments pass and Umi still hasn't revealed what her 6th damage check will be.

"There's-" Tsukiyo was saying as she was or is going to be interrupted before she could finish the warning she was about to give.

"HEY!" Kokuo yelled at the top of his lungs.

The mostly silent yet highly anticipating audience now turns completely silent as they all turn their gaze towards Kokuo, of whom was standing up from his seat.

"If you don't know what you want to do in your future then fine!" Kokuo yelled as though he were a caring yet strict drill instructor, "But I saw how hard you worked to catch up to even the average student let alone a genius all the way from the bottom of the barrel. The Umi Kitagawa I know may be a nice girl, but she sure as hell isn't the type to roll over and die a dog's death when the way forward is right before her! Or are you going to disappoint me by proving I your best friend who believes in you wrong?!"

Kokuo's declaration unintentionally seemed to have had the effect of lighting the fire amongst the few among Umi and his classmates that still had hope.

"Kitagawa-san, you don't know me…. but we've all seen how often you've asked questions and I've seen how long you've spent in the library, so someone with that big of a will to learn can't possibly throw in the towel just yet!" one of Umi's classmates yelled.

"The 6th damage check hasn't been revealed yet, so why are you giving up now!" a second of Umi's classmates yelled.

The cheers from Umi's class turned from a trickle, to a stream, and finally a unending flood much like Izanami's recent attack. A few of the other classes who were moved by Umi's efforts as well as Kokuo's outburst start to cheer as well, however Suzuran's classmates as well as their other supporters start to cheer as well to not be outdone by the enemy.

"You guys…." Umi mumbled as her heart had no choice but to be moved by this display of loyalty, "F*** it…. they're right. I sure as s**t came into this fight to win and I'm sure as s**t not stopping until the last card is played.

That being said, Umi was so nervous under all of this pressure that she couldn't look at her trigger zone as the 6th damage check was revealed. She could only turn her head to one side and squint as if such an act will relieve the blow that will come regardless of the results, but then a bright glow begins to hit Umi straight in the eye momentarily blinding her. Umi unintentionally directed her gaze back to her trigger zone as her vision was restored, and there she saw…..

[Damage Check – Maiden of Evolvulus – Heal Trigger]

"Yes!" Umi thought as she clenched her fist out of excitement, "I give the power to Polyantha Rose and I'll get to recover one point of damage."

"Hrmphhhh…. That isn't cute." Suzuran thought as she pouts with her cheeks puffed up life a squirrel with their mouthful.

Once again Umi's class roars with excitement as they witness their last ember of hope refuse to be extinguished.

"Umi-chi certainly has a lot of good luck, but Suzu's fight isn't over yet! Yomo-kun will now attack your vanguard [Total Power: 29000]!" Suzuran declared as a defiant expression was painted on her face, "When Yomo-kun attacks your vanguard and Suzu's vanguard is none other than Nami-chi, I get to draw a card."

"I guard [Total Shield: 15000]!" Umi declared as she placed 3 cards from her hand on the guardian circle.

"Then boosted by NoNo, Kuroi-chi attacks Polyantha Rose [Total Power: 23000]!" Suzuran declared, "Then Suzu gets to draw another card thanks to Kuroi-chi."

"I'll block that as well with my Maiden of Dandelion [Total Shield: 10000]!" Umi countered.

"Hahhh… that really takes the wind out of Suzu's sails, so she'll draw another card through the adorable NoNo's skill and end her turn for now." Suzuran declared, "But Suzu will definitely win at the start of her next one."

Umi – Suzuran

3 – Hand – 8

3 – Soul – 2

5 – Damage – 5

0 – Counterblast – 3

F(3) U(13) – G-Zone – F(3) U(13)

Maiden of Corantos / Maiden of Frilldrod – Battle Maiden, Yomotsu-Shikome / Cone Magus

Empty / Maiden of Polyantha Rose – Oracle Deity, Izanami / Empty

Maiden of Corantos / Maiden of Polyantha Rose – Diviner, Kuroikazuchi / Empty

"It's certainly true that I didn't have a clear picture of what I wanted to do when I first decided to come here." Umi said in a somewhat longing manner as she glanced around the arena, "But now I know what to do."

"What is that Umi-chi?" Suzuran asked

"Right now I know I'm tremendously weaker than you, but even so….. I'll defeat you as my first step towards becoming a professional fighter!" Umi declared as she drew for the turn.

"No matter how far apart we may be, our dreams never cease eternally." someone in the audience quietly sung.

No one knows who sung those words first, but one at a time like all of the infectious cheering that came before…. the members of the audience started to sing along to "Believe In My Existence". Some of the more hard core fans among the audience could even swear that they heard the matching music being played as well; however the audience may as well have been silent before Umi and Suzuran; of whom are so heavily focused on the opponent before them that they could no longer register the outside world.

"Liberating the generation zone!" Umi declared as she discarded her second copy of Maiden of Gallica Rose from her hand.

Knowing that this will be her last turn on an almost instinctual level, Umi carefully looks through each card in her G-Zone in order to decide the best plan of attack. She spends what would have been considered as a reasonable amount of time even in professional matches looking through each card, however Umi stops suddenly when finding something unfamiliar.

"This is definitely one of the cards I've been looking for, but….. I didn't get them and nor were they among what Kokuo and that stupid father of mine got for me. Neither of them would have put something in my deck without telling me, so who did this? Who's trying to help me?" Umi thought, "Regardless of the truth, this card is by best chance at victory."

Meanwhile in the arena entryway where Sekai and Aadyn were hiding in.

"It seems like she noticed." Sekai pointed out.

"Ha ha…. Just call me the Secret Santa Ibuki to her Chrono." Aadyn lightly chuckled.

"But how did you put it in her deck box without her noticing?" Sekai curiously asked.

"It's a trade secret." Aadyn said in a mysterious manner as he held one of his index fingers up to his lips.

"Let the potential denied to you in one future be fully reached! Stride generation….. Saber Maiden of Yggdrasil, Polyantha Rose [Power: 26000]!" Umi declared.

The future form of Polyantha Rose still has the same long pink hair only its more shiny/lustrous with curls at the end, her skin is clear/smooth instead of the light muscle that comes with learning how to use a rapier, and her facial expression shows a far greater degree of kindness within than what Umi would normally put out. She wears a dark green exterior corset with a light green sleeveless shirt made of single long green leaf, a skirt with three long oak leafs strung together, and she wields in her right hand a saber with a curve at two different angles made a hard vine, and she walks barefoot unlike her current self.

"Since you've told me about Izanami's history let me tell you about this Polyantha Rose. She comes from a future where the disaster that weakened the connection of many dryads connection to nature never happened, and it was discovered that she possessed a level of talent in the dryad arts not seen since the time of the Grand Sanctuary. To give an example…. She can manipulate plant life with elemental properties like fire and lightning according to the lore." Umi explained.

"Suzu wants to know why she uses a saber if she's so super powerful. Is that alright?" Suzuran curiously asked.

"Apparently it was because she didn't have the endurance to match her power in her childhood, so she picked it up from the staff of a visiting ambassador from the Dragon Empire in order to defend herself when that happens." Umi explained in a polite manner, "But as we're here to fight….. I use Polyantha Rose's stride skill to check the top 5 cards of my deck."

Once again 5 leafs grow from the fighting stage floor up to Umi in height, but the lady herself only picks one of these leafs this time.

"I superior call Maiden of Gallica Rose [Power: 7000]." Umi declared, "Now I'll activate the skill of my G-Unit Polyantha Rose!"

Multiple leafs start to grow from the ground for the third time in this fight, but this time there are seven leafs instead of the usual five.

"I get to check the top 7 cards of my deck, and then I can call up to 1 unit for every face up copy of a "Maiden of" unit in my G-Zone. Since I have 4 of such units…. that means I can call up to four units" Umi explained as she quickly tapped the four holographic leafs she wanted, "In this case I choose to call 2 copies of Maiden of Glowshine [Power: 9000] as well as two copies of Maiden of Blossom Rain [Power: 6000]. Then the units called through Saber Maiden's skill gain an additional +2000 power for every face up copy of herself in the G-Zone."

"Practically speaking it should have been a one-sided slaughter like how people expected, but Umi may actually be able to turn this around with the amount of attacking power she's about to amass. Her opponent Suzuran may be able to escape by the skin of her teeth since I happened to have seen the cards she drew during her turn, however if Umi gets one of that trigger or three of any of the others….." Tsukiyo thought.

"That brings up my two front row units to an 11k base, and now I'll use the skill of one Glowshine: By resting the Gallica Rose behind my vanguard…. the two copies of Glowshine on my front row gain an additional +3000 power bumping them up to 14k, and they get an additional +3000 power for every grade 4 "Maiden of" unit in my G-Zone and vanguard circle making for an additional +15000 power." Umi quickly explained, "I'll rest one of my copies of Maiden of Blossom Rain in the back row to activate the skill of the second Maiden of Glowshine for an additional +18000 power."

"Uh oh Nami-chi…. hope you can help because Suzu is in a lot of trouble." Suzuran thought as she realizes how close this next round of attacks will be.

"Now that I've properly raised up my garden, I'll start things off by having the Maiden of Glowsine to my right attack your vanguard [Total Power: 47000]!" Umi declared.

"I'll nullify that with Arbitrator, Ame-no-Sagiri [Perfect Defense]!" Suzuran countered.

"Then Saber Maiden of Yggdrasil, Polyantha Rose will attack Izanami [Total Power: 26000]." Umi declared.

"Sagiri-kun will nullify that again [Perfect Defense] in order to protect Nami-chi, and this time Suzu gets to countercharge 1 because of it." Suzuran countered.

[Drive Check – Maiden of Blossom Rain – No Trigger]

[Drive Check – Maiden of Damask Rose – No Trigger]

[Drive Check – Maiden of Daybreak – Stand Trigger]

"I give +5000 power to the Maiden of Glowshine that just attacked, and she gets to stand back up for a second round." Umi explained as she tapped the aforementioned card with the stand trigger before putting it into her hand, "I'll let that same Glowshine have her second round right now [Total Power: 52000]!"

"It looks like Suzu has to hope for a 6th damage heal just like you Umi-chi, so she won't be guarding that attack." Suzuran declared as she tried to hide how worried she was behind a smile.

Just as the metaphorical smoke cleared from Polyantha Rose's attack (of which created the illusion that the arena was shaking from its might) a single beam of light fired from Glowshine (in a manner akin to a certain martial artist who thought marriage was something you eat) immediately clears away the remaining smoke. This time Izanami can't block or dodge this attack as she was already exhausted from dealing with the previous assault.

[Damage Check – Diviner, Kuroikazuchi – No Trigger]

Final Results

Umi – Suzuran

3 – Hand – 4

2 – Soul – 2

5 – Damage – 6

2 – Counterblast – 3

F(4) U(12) – G-Zone – F(3) U(13)

Maiden of Blossom Rain / Maiden of Frilldrod – Battle Maiden, Yomotsu-Shikome / Cone Magus

Maiden of Gallica Rose / Saber Maiden of Yggdrasil, Polyantha Rose – Oracle Deity, Izanami / Empty

Maiden of Blossom Rain / Maiden of Polyantha Rose – Diviner, Kuroikazuchi / Empty

---

"Winner: Umi Kitagawa! Winner of the first class match-up: Class 3-C of the Seaport Building!" Tsukiyo declared.

"HOLY CRAP WE DID IT!" a member of Umi's class screamed.

"THANK YOU…. I'LL FINALLY BE ABLE TO GET THAT RARE CARD I WANT!" another member of Umi's class screamed.

"Well playe…. Hmm?" Tsukiyo thought as she takes out her school phone due to noticing it vibrate only to see a single message forcibly opened on the screen, "A shame…. I was looking forward to watching the remaining the fights, but good thing I was practical enough to prepare a substitute.

In examined the distant ceiling of this particular arena, you'd find that a panel had been removed revealing a small portion of an access-way used primarily by maintenance workers. In that access-way you can see a masked figure wearing a form fitting trench bright crimson red trench coat watching the events going on in the fighting stage below.

"Ha ha ha…. I came here thinking I'd find an interesting show, but it seems that the masked prince of crime should take a few more jobs involving the academy in the future." The crimson-eyed figure laughed to himself, "Still… I've been here for a while, so I should leave while they still haven't noticed me."

Then as for the corner of the arena where Sekai and Aadyn are quietly hiding in…..

"Phew….. I won't have to dress up as a Playboy Bunny after all." Aadyn said as he breathed a massive sigh of relief.

Because if Umi lost against Suzuran….. then Aadyn would really put it on after making that declaration due to his own sense of honor.

"A thought, but why call over the two copies of Corantos?" Sekai said aloud as he finds himself already analyzing the match that had occurred, "I suppose a lesser player would have thought a stronger toolbox out of the deck was good enough justification, but it didn't seem like the pressure would have caused her to make that kind of mistake."

"Isn't it obvious?" Aadyn retorts seemingly understanding what Umi's train of thoughts were in that moment.

"Enlighten me." Sekai said.

"It's obvious she would have known keeping the two copies of Corantos would have been a far better choice given the amount I packed in that flash drive, but she chose not to as a symbolic gesture." Aadyn explained in a serious manner, "She declared that she was willing to take the road to heaven or hell to become a pro, so by making victory or defeat solely be because of the drive check….. it was like it was supposed to be a symbol that she'd accept the results this decision would have on her future good or bad."

"I guess you're right, so I'm probably just overthinking things again." Sekai mumbled to himself as he noticed his friend take out his school phone, "What's wrong?"

"It seems like I've been summoned by the demon king." Aadyn explained as he continued to read whatever message was on his phone, "The only thing I did this semester to piss him off was blow off that PR stunt, so he can't be mad at anything.

Sekai immediately takes out his own phone to examine, and then he nods his head up and down as if to confirm that he too had received the same summons.

"Well if you got the summons too…. then Tsukiyo, Kisaki, and the others probably did as well." Aadyn sighed, "We should get going, but first a shower."

Meanwhile the victor Umi herself seems preoccupied with collecting her deck.

"It seems like calling those 4 units over even Corantos… was…. a good idea." Umi mumbled as she realizes mid-sentence the implication of her train of thought, "Shit… why the f*** did I completely forget about her effect? If I wasn't so f***ing stupid I could have used the skill of both copies of my starter to swing for high numbers without worrying about my drive check."

Umi collects the remaining cards of her deck and turns around a few seconds later to discover most of her class standing a couple feet away seemingly excited to greet her, however Umi finds herself being repeatedly being tossed into the air before she could say anything.

"Hip hip hooray!" Umi's classmates yelled.

"Put me down…. Put me down… I'm afraid of heights!" Umi said frantically, but at the same time she enjoyed the cheers she was getting on the inside.

---

As the excitement of one class match-up begins to permeate into the next one, a few members of Setsuzoku's top 10 rankers begin to gather in the principal's office or rather they begin to gather in the waiting room just outside. The only 2 people in the waiting room are the principal's secretary and the 6th ranker Tsukiyo. The former is typing up documents on a computer while the latter is reading a book while occasionally sipping a cup of coffee, of which gives her the feel of an elegant bookworm beauty.

"Who is it?" the secretary asked as he pressed a button on the buzzing intercom device right next to his computer.

"It's just Sekai and I. We're here as the principal requested." Aadyn answered in a former manner rarely heard from him.

"One moment." The secretary said as he pressed another button on the same intercom device, "The door is unlocked."

The secretary immediately turns his attention back to the documents on the screen before him as Sekai and Aadyn walk into the waiting room. The two have changed back into the normal school uniform with the addition of a towel wrapped around their head as though they had come straight here from the shower.

"Practically speaking with the exception of Takamaki-san, I thought any of the others would get here before me considering I had to brief a replacement MC all of a sudden." Tsukiyo said without even looking up from her book.

"Went jogging…. when we…. received the summons." Sekai explained as he took a seat on a couch next to where Tsukiyo was sitting.

"Oh? Was that not the two of you watching the event I was overseeing in the central arena?" Tsukiyo asked as she unintentionally or not spoke as though she caught her kids sneaking out after midnight.

"He he… sorry, but Sekai and I hit the showers since we didn't want the demon king's throne room to smell." Aadyn said in a slightly guild filled manner as he looked around the room, "Speaking of others, where are they anyway? Even if we weren't the last ones… more should have been here by now."

"Barring a few exceptions…. you know Rei…. doesn't like…. being in an enclosed room…. with more than a few people." Sekai nervously mumbled.

"Oh yeah….. sorry." Aadyn said in a nonchalant manner as he scratched the back of his head.

"I have no idea what could be keeping Kisaki, but let's see….. Phang-san should be in China dealing with his father." Tsukiyo said as she put down her book and took up a thinking posture, "And the others are dealing with PR promotions internationally."

"I thought he was Malaysian." Aadyn pointed out.

"He… was born there, but….. he's…. half Chinese and half Japanese." Sekai interjects.

"Right right… don't know why my memory is a bit off today….. anyways for a change of subject before the demon king calls us into his torture chamber….." Aadyn mumbled, What are you reading Tsukiyo-san?"

"I'm just reading To Kill A Mockingbird for my English class Rodgers-senpai." Tsukiyo casually answered as she got back to reading her book.

"Oh… um…. Aadyn read the book when he went to the middle school on the US navy base in Okinawa. If you're having trouble understanding the themes or with the language itself…. He can offer you some advice." Sekai said in what is a rarely heard complete sentence from him.

"Holy crap he actually spoke without stuttering." Aadyn thought as he stared at his best friend with a look of utter shock on his face.

It takes a second, but then Aadyn actually registers what Sekai had just said.

"Holy crap…. you might be a nervous wreck most of the time, but thank you for being an awesome wingman right now." Aadyn thought as he was internally crying tears of joy.

"If you have the time between your usual responsibilities Rodgers-senpai, I'd certainly appreciate the assistance." Tsukiyo said as she once again put down her book.

"I have some free time over the next few days, so rest assured I'll do everything I can to help my beloved kohai." Aadym said excitedly as he was desperate to seal the metaphorical deal.

"In that case I'll take you up on your offer senpai." Tsukiyo said as she had a slight yet deeply appreciated smile on her face.

"Ah it will be a perfect rare chance to spend some time along with Kagawa. As I look over her shoulder to check her work…. our hands will unknowingly slide closer to one another until…" Aadyn thought as sat on cloud 9 while working on his future date plans.

"Oh… now that I think about it…. a few of my classmates are having trouble with the same assignment." Tsukiyo pointed out.

"Eh?" Aadyn mumbled as cracks started to form on his fantasy picture.

"Practically speaking it would be easier to do a group study session to bounce ideas off each other while you guide us. Since you said you are so much for your kohai, it shouldn't be that big of a deal senpai." Tsukiyo said as she further explained her train of thoughts.

"Yeah… sure… no problem. Just let me know when." Aadyn said in a depressed tone as his shoulders start to slouch while e buries his face in his chest knowing he can't refuse.

It's safe to say that Aadyn's image of cloud 9 has been completely shattered as though someone chucked a baseball through a window, but this bout of depression won't last long.

"Pardon me Rodgers-sama, Tsukiyo-sama, and Akira-sama… sorry for the wait, but the principal will see you now." The secretary said as he opened a second set of doors within the waiting room.

"And so we go on to slay the demon king." Aadyn chuckled to himself.

The pale faced principal's office was filled with wooden flooring, furniture, and the like as if it were the home office of a fancy mansion. The principal himself is behind his desk signing a few paper documents.

"My apologies for the delay. I was preoccupied with a business call, but please take a seat." Yuuske said as he waved his arm at the three (conveniently placed) seats right before his desk.

Tsukiyo sits on the chair in a completely formal fashion with her back completely on the back rest of the chair, Sekai perhaps due to his nervousness sits at the edge of the seat with his back slightly hunched over, and Aadyn himself is sitting in the chair in reverse while using the top of the back rest as an arm rest.

"Now I'm sure most of you were busy with your own responsibilities before coming here, however thank you none the less." Yuuske said as he glared at Aadyn the moment he said 'responsibilities' while taking out his phone, "Now if you could please wait just a moment longer."

The three members of the academy's strongest fighters all saw the illustrious principal pound a few buttons on his phone, places it at the center of his desk, and reveals onto them that the phone is on speaker mode as well as the fact that someone else will be joining this conversation.

"To get down to brass tacks Mr. Demo…. I mean principal, why are we here?" Aadyn asked in a highly curious yet serious tone, "And why wasn't Kisaki-der…. san as well?"

"She's preoccupied at the moment with her new friends." Yuuske sighed.

"Ha ha ha… she has friends other than Tsukiyo-san… that's rich principal-san." Aadyn said as he bursts out into laughter taking note of Yuuske's unchanging expression, "Oh wait….. you're totally serious."

"Save for one other recent thing…. she has no social life due to her dedication to becoming a stronger fighter. In the capacity of our two family's friendly relationship…. It warms my heart to see her grow up." Yuuske explained as his expression shows that he's thinking about a time long gone by, "But enough about all that… assuming they answer their phones…. Rei and Phang will be joining us as well, and I promise to answer all your questions afterwards."

"Speak of the devil." Sekai, Aadyn, and Tsukiyo thought.

"Um…. Okay." Sekai said as he nervously answers for the three of them.

"Rei speaking." Rei said in a tone of voice that sounded emotionlessly monotone.

"Thank you for answering my call Rei. Sekai, Aadyn, and Tsukiyo are in my office with me." Yuuske said in a polite manner.

"Whatever." Rei mumbled.

"How's it going man?" Aadyn asked in an upbeat manner.

"Yes… how is your setup going for club recruitment next week? Given your personality, I'd like to interview you about it for the school paper to make it a practically even spread." Tsukiyo asked in her own form of a polite manner.

"In order…. fine, there's nothing I need to do as it depends on the effort of those interested to find me as well as having the ability to convince me, and….. absolutely not." Rei said in a monotone fashion.

"Oh we-" Tsukiyo was saying.

"THE HELL DO YOU WANT NOW YOU CHEATING BASTARD!" a young man screamed with a Chinese accent, "Ahh… I'm so sorry Principal Takamaki… my bastard father has been calling me every few minutes, and I just got fed up."

"It's quite alright….. I understand how your father is a sore subject for you." Yuuske said as he seemed only slightly affected by this Phang's outburst, "I have Rei over the phone along with Sekai, Tsukiyo, and Aadyn in my office. Now that the five of you are here (figuratively speaking) we can begin."

"Five? The others…. they're not going to be involved in this? Rei asked in a disinterested yet still highly curious tone of voice.

"I'll inform them of the contents of our conversation later today." Yuuske said as he took a deep breath, "But to start….. what do you all know of the traveling vanguard museum?"

"It's a group of Vanguard fanatics that display their paraphernalia in random places around the world with their primary choices being museums like the Smithsonian back in America." Aadyn pointed out.

"These collectors are also too lazy to decide on a place themselves, so…. they foot the bill for a committee of fanatics to decide for them." Rei interjects as well.

"They display things like unused concept art for units and anime characters, work in progress sound tracks, contest winning fan art, cards from those really popular Vanguard fanfiction signed by the person who came up with them, and more." Phang explained, "I know cause well…. I was planning on going to see the whole exhibit."

"Why bring this up principa…. wait… is the academy going to be the traveling museum's next destination?" Tsukiyo asks in awe as she believes she's correctly predicted Yuuske's line of thoughts.

"More accurately the organizational committee is considering our academy as well as another school to play the role of host, and as I'm sure you can guess….. our longtime rivals are the other school being considered." Yuuske explained.

"You mean… Harvard College's…. Vanguard club for those 18 and under?" Sekai asks in a nervous yet interested tone.

"Yes as you know…. though they're a college club, they've recruited and trained several talented fighters still in middle or high school in exchange that they attend Harvard College. The performance of these 18 and under fighters has always been only a centimeter or two behind Setsuzoku students in performance, and it is they you will be dealing with." Yuuske explained,

"Principal Takamaki, I'm sorry…. but dealing with?" Phang asks, "Will we be facing them in a fight or something?"

"It's exactly that. Normally it would be easy for the committee to decide on either school, but a new piece that will be making a debut at their traveling museum has caused the committee to be deadlocked." Yuuske said, "A fact that's been made worse since most of the committee is filled with graduates from both schools and people connected to both schools in some way."

"Just what kind of fancy display caused such a deadlock?" Aadyn asked.

"This deadlock will be settled by a 5v5 match between Setsuzoku Academy and the 18 or under members of Harvard's Vanguard club next Friday, all profits will go to charity, and venue will be the International Stadium in Yokohama. 1st ranked Sekai, 2nd ranked Phang, 3rd ranked Rei, 6th ranked Tsukiyo, and 10th ranked Aadyn… you Setsuzoku's 5 strongest will be our representatives in this competition. In fact the first commercials announcing this little affair should have already premiered." Yuuske said as he blatantly ignored Aadyn's question.

"I'll ask for my friend…. Just what is going on display that could trigger such a reaction?" Sekai asked as the thought of such an intense matchup has triggered his ability to speak in complete sentences.

"The first copies of Dragonic Overlord the End, Phantom Blaster Overlord, Majesty Lord Blaster, Blaster Dark, and Blaster Blade off the production line. Each of them autographed by Atsushi Abe, Tsubasa Yonaga, and Takuya Sato respectively in the name of the character they played in the original anime series" Yuuske said as he was relieved to finish that long-winded explanation.

Yuuske could see the mouths of Sekai, Aadyn, and Tsukiyo opened wide from shock such that you could fit an egg in each one. Were Phang and Rei here in person…. they'd likely be having the same reaction as well. In any case Yuuske stands up from his desk, takes a deep breath, and once again puts on the expression of the stern yet enigmatic man seen in commercials and interviews.

"Now go forth and prepare to bring victory for Setsuzoku is a name that can never know defeat!" Yuuske declared.

To Be Continued

Umi: Oh dear…. there certainly were a lot of close fights today.

Kokuo: You're still not getting out of telling me how you know.

Kisaki: Things are only beginning.

Umi: Next time on Cardfight Vanguard: Setsuzoku Sensō, "Interim: Pass or Fail"

A/N: The next chapter won't be long as usual as it's not necessary, however to make up for the shorter length I'll be including a short story reflecting the unit lore I've written thus far just like the short stories occasionally found on the official Vanguard wiki. Let me know what you think of the idea in the reviews.

---

OC Card List

Neo Nectar

"Maiden of" Series

Grade 1

Maiden of Gallica Rose

Power: 7000 Shield: 5000 Race: Dryad

[Auto]:[Choose 1 Grade 3 unit with "Maiden of" in its card name in your drop zone & place it at the bottom of your deck] When this unit is placed on (RC), you may pay the cost. If you do, search your deck for up to 1 Grade 3 unit with "Maiden of" in its card name, reveal it to your opponent, add it to your hand, and then shuffle your deck.

[Cont](Hand): When you are paying the cost for Stride, this card gets grade+2

Grade 3

Maiden of Polyantha Rose

Power: 11000 Race: Dryad

[Auto](VC)(GB2): When this unit's attack hits a vanguard, check the top 5 cards of our deck, select up to 1 unit with "Maiden of" in their card name from among them, call it to (RC), shuffle your deck, and the unit called through this effect gets [Power]+5000 until end of turn.

[Auto](VC):[Counter Blast 1] When your G-unit with "Maiden of" in its card name stride, you may pay the cost. If you do, check the top 5 cards of your deck, select up to 2 units with "Maiden of" in their card name from among them, call them to (RC), and shuffle your deck.

Lore: Once of many dryad conceived in a region of the Zoo nation also controlled by dryads where the aptly named "Lost Nature" incident occurred when a guild of thieves stole a tree responsible for generating a great deal of nature/life energy in the region. This caused many dryads alive at the site at the time to lose much of their strength and those descended from those dryads to lack talent in magical arts, of which was made worse for Polyantha Rose especially since her talent came from her mother who was only capable enough in the dryad arts to water plants with a special "pot".

She grew up in the United Sanctuary where her mother was assigned to a part of the diplomatic staff in one of the Zoo Embassies there. Many know her sweet child, but the young prince of the United Sanctuary who was later nicknamed after his similarity in appearance to his great ancestor saw her true personality by chance saw her true nature. Due to being accepting of her true personality the young dryad and prince formed a bond of friendship that would last the rest of their lives though for some reason (that is not jealousy) she gets irritated when noble ladies of the United Sanctuary approach her about the prince.

Regardless…. years later when she learned of her friend's time travelling plans…. she quickly took up lessons on the rapier from the leader of the Musketeers and followed the impulsive king into the past both to protect her friend and hopefully stop the disaster that caused her tremendous lack of talent as a dryad.

Grade 4

Maiden of Strongest Shields, Lavender

Shield: 15000 Race: Dryad

[Auto]: When this unit is placed on (GC), if you have a grade 3 or greater vanguard with "Maiden of" in its card name on your (VC), and two or more rearguards with "Maiden of" in their card name, this unit gets [Shield]+10000 until the end of that battle.

Saber Maiden of Yggdrasil, Polyantha Rose

Power: 15000+ Race: Dryad

[Act](VC)(GB2)[1/Turn]:[Counter Blast 1 & Soul Blast 1 & choose one face down G-Unit in your G-Zone with the same name as this unit and turn it face up] If you have a heart card with "Maiden of" in its card name, check the top 7 cards of your deck, choose up to one unit from among them for every face up G-Unit in your G-Zone with "Maiden of" in their card name, call them to (RC), shuffle your deck, and each unit called through this effect get [Power]+2000 for every face up copy of "Saber Maiden of Yggdrasil, Polyantha Rose" in your G-Zone.

Lore: This Polyantha Rose comes from a future where the guild of thieves never stole the sacred tree in the region where she was conceived, of which caused the disaster that weakened so many dryads. From a young age it was discovered that Polyantha Rose possessed a level of talent in the dryad arts so high that it hasn't been seen before since the time of the Grand Sanctuary. An example of such prowess is her ability to manipulate plants with elemental properties like fire, lightning, space, and even time itself.

To compensate for her lack of control of her powers in her youth, the mother of Polyantha Rose arranged for a member of the staff of the Dragon Empire's embassy in the United Sanctuary to teach her daughter how to use a saber as she was raised in the Zoo Nation's embassy of the United Sanctuary. This other Polyantha Rose grew up to be a far kinder soul almost saintly even when to her talentless constantly secretly swearing self rom an alternate timeline.

With these skills together with her best friend, of whom still happens to be the future impulsive king that never came to the past; work together to ensure the prosperity of both their Nations.

Oracle Thin Tank

A/N: The following card were created by fanfiction user Kappa-tan and were edited for balancing purposes by my beta Terminus Zwei.

Grade 0

Battle Maiden, Tomoe

Power: 5000 Shield: 10000 Race: Human

[AUTO]:Forerunner (When a unit of the same clan rides this unit, you may call this unit to (RC))

[AUTO](RC) Generation Break 1 (Active if you have one or more face up G units in total on your (VC) or G zone):[Counter Blast (1) & Put this unit into your soul] At the beginning of each battle phase, you may pay the cost. If you do, draw a card, and the Oracle abilities of your cards are active until end of turn.

[ACT](RC)[1/Turn] Oracle (Active when you have five or more cards in your hand):[[Rest] this unit & choose a card from your hand and place it at the bottom of your deck] Draw a card.

Grade 2

Battle Maiden, Yomotsu-Shikome

Power: 9000 Shield: 5000 Race: Noble

Flavor: A sword to cut souls and a spear to pierce heaven. What's there that is not enough to protect Her Majesty?

[Cont](RC)(GB1) Oracle: During your turn, this unit get [Power]+3000.

[Auto](RC)(GB1):[Counter Blast 1] When this unit attacks a vanguard, if you have a vanguard with "Izanami" in its card name, you may pay the cost. If you do, draw a card.

Lore: A young maiden warrior that serves Izanami as her bodyguard and attendant after the goddess saved her life as a child. Naturally she was among the few who were adamantly against the exiling of Izanami to the Dark Zone because of her power, and was equally ecstatic to learn she was selected to go with the impulsive future king at the secretly swearing dryad in order to retrieve Izanami from exile. It was at that moment she swore to continue loyally serving Izanami regardless of whether or not she seeks to continue serving her clan or seek vengeance against them.

Her role as a bodyguard/attendant was made particularly necessary upon Izanami's release especially since her majesty for while was physically and emotionally no different than a 14-15 frail teenage girl going through puberty, and that she'd no longer have a lady to serve were it not for the impulsive future king

Grade 3

Oracle Deity, Izanami

Power: 11000 Race: Noble

[Auto](VC)(GB2)[1/Turn] Oracle (Active when you have five or more cards in your hand):[Counter Blast 1] When this unit attacks a vanguard, you may pay the cost. If you do this unit gets [Power]+5000 and [Drive]+1 until the end of that battle.

[Auto]:[Counter Blast 1] When your G unit with the Oracle ability strides, you may pay the cost. If you do, choose up to one card in your drop zone and place it at the top or bottom of your deck. If you place the chosen card on the bottom of your deck, draw a card.

Lore: A long time ago Izanami was a young goddess of the Oracle Think Tank clan before it was even established (just barely being past a teenager by the standards of a god's lifespan) born with extremely high precognitive ability to the point where she can even influence her predictions directly to a certain degree, and because of this she was isolated and feared by her clan when all she wanted to do was loyally serve it. Eventually out of fear of her power she was exiled to the Dark Zone nation in order to restrict it.

Now she's sworn vengeance against the clan she once swore to protect, and her chance to achieve this goal came when a lesser goddess that's always been loyal to Izanami alone appeared at her place of exile revealing the existence of a new threat to all of Cray. A new enemy has seemingly "stolen" the ability of many talented people of Cray including the ability to see the future from many of the Oracle Think Tank clan, and now this new enemy is using these stolen powers to launch even greater heists on the nations of the planet Cray. The leaders of Oracle Think Tank hope that Izanami's immense precognitive power will allow them to see through this dark cloud for a chance at victory. Interested by this new enemy's ability to "steal" the future, she feigns the kind hearted yet child-like demeanor of her youth and states that remaining loyalty to the clan despite how she was treated was her reason to accept their call for help.

The first people Izanami meets right outside of her residence of exile was an unknown dryad and a knight of the United Sanctuary who happens to strongly resemble their current king, however little did they or anyone know that this dark cloud blocking the vision of the future was caused not only by this new enemy but also the new ally they so desperately sought out.

Grade 4

Goddess of Absolution, Izanami

Power: 15000+ Race: Noble

[Auto](VC)(GB3) Oracle (Active when you have five or more cards in your hand): When your drive check reveals a trigger unit, choose up to one of your units, and that unit gets [Power]+5000 until end of turn.

[Act](VC)[1/Turn]:[Counter Blast 1 & Soul Blast 1 & choose one face down G-Unit in your G-Zone with the same name as this unit and turn it face up] If you have a heart with "Izanami" in its card name, choose a unit in your drop zone and place it at the top or bottom of your deck. Then you may draw a card from the top or bottom of your deck for every face up copy of "Goddess of Absolution, Izanami" in your G-Zone.

Lore: One of many future possibilities where Izanami's hatred and curiosity has allowed her to create something similar to that guild of thieves' ability to "steal" thanks to observing a certain Rogue Lord of theirs in battle. Through this newly created ability she has stolen control over time itself as well as mastered the past, present, and future. This possibility of Izanami is no longer driven by her hatred towards the United Sanctuary and Oracle Think Tank clan in particular, but rather by her desire to rule the entire universe by her own hand through manipulating the fate of all living being. She mastered a forbidden technique called "Thousands Demise" which allows her to manipulate the future through sacrifices of innocent blood.

Still... she must continue to wait to begin her conquest and hide her true mastery of the laws of time until the two biggest threats to her plans are eliminated. The first being that group of thieves for fear of them using her newfound power against her. The second is who she refers to as "The charming king from the future" and
"The bittersweet dryad similar to herself"