A/N: Welcome one and all to Digimon TCG: X-Stream! If you're reading this, that means you opted to start with Kaden's story. A kid about as just as he is stubborn, hopefully, his Shonen protagonist frame of mind won't deter you, readers. He has one goal in mind, and that's to best the one who seemingly ruined everything he's worked to achieve thus far. I promise that following him as he interacts with the rest of the ensemble will prove worthwhile. Of course, Riley's waiting in Twilight Requiem for those who aren't into that. Either way, I hope you guys tag along with this ambitious project of mine, as, one way or another, I fully intend to push my creativity to the limit. With that said, Let's get to it.
This is Digimon TCG X-Stream: Imperial Advent…
"We got that exhibition match with the Southern District coming up, right? Lord Vermil's protégé Gurenmaru won't be an issue so long as I got this DNA Digivolution backing me up."
Break
"Don't be cocky. Gurenmaru, I've heard, is strong. I suggest you study up on him."
"Will do."
"You won't,"
"Probably won't, no."
Break
"I'm serious; Lord Vermil personally trained this one."
Break
"As you did us. I'm not scared."
Break
"I hope your stubbornness won't be the death of you one day."
Break
Cobalius lowered his arms, the remains of his security glistening in the moonlight while his opponent stared him down. His opponent was a Japanese man no older than him, wearing a crimson kimono beneath a black kamishimo, his black wrist guards acting as his D-Streamer. His neck-length black hair waved as he shifted a little while his ace, BlackWarGreymon, stared ahead at Cobalius' Imperialdramon, the latter of which hissed.
Volcanomon hovered off to the side on his platform, standing astounded with the crowd as Gurenmaru flipped the tables of the match with one strike. They all stood with bated breath, wondering if Cobalius would have an answer. The blue knight seethed, not at his opponent's might, but of his own ignorance. Lady Azurena warned him multiple times about Lord Vermil's protégé, and he allowed it to fall on deaf ears. Now, he was paying for it.
Fortunately for him, he still had a trick up his sleeve.
"You may think you have this in the bag, but…" Cobalius drew. "I'm not out of this yet! Right, you two?!"
Cobalius' ExVeemon and Stingmon nodded.
Gurenmaru didn't say anything. Cobalius smirked and swiped the card against his D-Streamer. "ExVeemon, Stingmon: DNA Digivolve!"
The crowd let out an audible gasp as the pair of Digimon flew through the sky and into the Digital Gate, emerging as DinoBeemon afterward. BlackWarGreymon acknowledged the fusion and braced itself for its descent, which DinoBeemon did. The two forces clashed in one huge explosion, stirring dirt up within the Colosseum.
"Now, your big dragon can't unsuspend during your unsuspend phase!" Cobalius stated. "How's that for…!"
His words trailed to a crawl when the smoke cleared, and it was revealed that DinoBeemon created a crater where BlackWarGreymon stood. He looked to Gurenmaru. "Dude, what the heck?!"
"This match is over." The stoic samurai announced.
"What? Why?" Cobalius was taken aback.
"'DNA Digivolution?' Is something like that even legal?"
"Have you been living under a rock? Of course, it is! That's why it's included in my deck!"
Gurenmaru glared and then turned to Volcanomon. "Referee!"
Volcanomon scrambled to pull up the two player's decklist. He then turned to Cobalius with a grim expression.
"What's up?" He asked, not feeling good about that look Volcanomon gave him.
"Your submitted decklist includes the original Paildramon and DinoBeemon."
Cobalius paused. "Wha—what?! That can't be right! I know what I submitted to you!"
Volcanomon swiped the list down to him for him to look for himself. On the decklist, both DinoBeemon and Paildramon were listed with their "BT3" codes and not the "ST9" ones the dual-colored ones shared.
"There's no way…" Cobalius stared in disbelief. "Someone changed my list! I didn't submit this!"
"Has the defeat you received upon Syl's departure rattled you so? Or were you just that determined to defeat me? Which one motivated you to dishonor our match with cheating?"
"I'm not a cheat!" Cobalius roared. "I would never cheat—ever!"
"Then explain this!" Gurenmaru roared back. "Why have illegal cards in your deck then?!"
"I already told you—!"
"Cheater…"
Cobalius' voice caught as the murmurs began. Slowly turning to the crowd, he could see the disgruntled expressions they were giving him. The chanting grew.
"Cheater…Cheater…Cheater, Cheater, Cheater, Cheater!"
Soon the entire Colosseum was chanting and booing Cobalius. A crowd that only several weeks back was cheering him on. A crowd that celebrated him in his accomplishments.
One action was ruining everything…
He couldn't focus on anything. His knees grew weak as he staggered.
Gurenmaru scoffed and began to walk away. Cobalius heard the dirt kick up underneath the man's sandal and, without thinking, charged him.
Screw the consequences. Whatever happened, happened.
Before he could reach him, a pair of Omnian Defense Force officials jumped to intercept him. Gurenmaru looked back, only now noticing that Cobalius had attempted to assault him. "Syl would be disappointed in what you've become."
"Shut your mouth!" Cobalius roared, attempting to break free. "This is your fault!"
Gurenmaru disappeared into the hallway while Cobalius was hoisted to his feet and handcuffed. "Let me go! I didn't cheat! I didn't cheat! Let me go…!"
Cobalius eventually broke down in his hysteria, continuing to mutter the words he swore upon until he could only hear them in his head…
Chapter 1: Kaden
[Manhattan, New York City, September 2050…]
The siren of the police cruiser blared as it barreled through the long strip of traffic before it. Cars were forced to slide off to the side, reacting to the ripping sounds. The cruiser swiped around those forced to stay immobile, all in an attempt to reach its destination.
As the radio dispatch reported the situation at hand, the blonde-haired teen in the back seat looked out the window. "Right here's good, Dad."
The police car pulled over on the corner, alerting the students approaching the school up the street. The door opened, and the teen quickly jumped out.
"Have a good day, Kaden," The officer said, not turning around.
"Later, Dad!" He replied, closing the door. He waved as the cruiser rushed off, the siren still blaring.
The teen was rather tall and slim with a taper cut, wearing a white long-sleeve shirt beneath a dark blue and pale blue windbreaker jacket, the colors split horizontally. He noticed stares as he began walking and ignored them, sliding his headphones into his ears.
People were likely thinking that Kaden's father was abusing his power as a police officer to cut through traffic; in reality, Kaden's father was driving him to school when the dispatch came through. One way or the other, Kaden didn't really care what people thought and walked the rest of the way to school, humming the tune coming through his headphones, which he carried into the building and up to his locker. Thanks to said dispatch, his father managed to get him there just before the bell, which couldn't have worked out better.
He stuffed his headphones into his locker and traded them for a science and math textbook. Closing his locker, he turned to his left and began heading to his first class.
"Give it back…!"
Kaden stopped just as he walked passed the staircase. He stepped backward and waited to ensure he didn't hear things.
There was laughing, "Or what? you're gonna run to your mommy?"
Kaden switched to autopilot and went into the corridor, hearing the voice bounce against the hollow space. There were some who stared upward, while other students took note of him. He smirked at them. They smirked back and tapped their friends to let him through.
"Thank you kindly," he jogged past them as he made his way up.
"Go get 'em!"
"Make it look like an accident!"
"We'll vouch for you, so go nuts!"
Kaden's smile grew wider as he resisted laughing. He recognized the voice of the assailant, belonging to Barry Marshall, an infamous troublemaker who only had his size going for him. He once ruled the school—that is, until Kaden transferred in and put him in his place.
Jogging up several flights, Barry and his victim were getting louder, the latter whimpering and demanding to retrieve whatever Barry took from him.
"How about this, kid? If you can beat me in a game, I'll give it back; deal?"
"Just give it back already!" the victim cried.
By the time Kaden turned the corner to the final flight, he heard a scream and watched as the victim was sent down the staircase and into a nearby radiator in front of him.
"Dude! Don't you think that was a bit much?!" a third voice exclaimed.
"What do I care? Fatso asked for it." Barry's uncaring voice replied while the young teen writhed, fighting tears before the approaching Kaden. "Did you see how he rolled down the stairs like that?"
Kaden waited a moment to see if the victim would get up alone. He then began to hear footsteps come down the stairs, and he stepped back.
"Kid, you good?" the owner of the third voice asked. He was a lanky kid with a bowl cut, wearing a hoodie that seemed too big for his stature. From the corner of his eye, he noticed Kaden and jumped back.
Kaden shushed him, and the lanky kid nodded. Kaden motioned him to take off, and he obediently scrambled down the staircase.
"Yo Dexter, where you at?" Barry's voice boomed.
The writhing kid took note of Kaden walking past him and confronting his bully. Barry himself hesitated at the sight of Kaden.
"Morning, Barry. Getting your daily fix in, I see…" Kaden waved.
Barry scoffed, "Don't you got a cat to get out of a tree or something? What do you want?"
"Just checking in as I do," He said, looking down. "gonna explain what caused this or…?"
"Noneya," Barry scowled, stomping down the staircase. The large boy had a brown-haired buzz cut, and his outfit gave off camo colors, sporting a green t-shirt under a black bubble jacket and brown pants. He held onto that scowl, shoving Kaden as he walked past.
Kaden dug his hands in his pocket, raised his foot, and kicked Barry in the back, forcing the bully to tumble all the way to the bottom. The crash itself echoed through the entire staircase.
The boy was left speechless as Kaden began to climb back down. Barry groaned, checking his nose for blood.
"Now that I have your attention, maybe you'll be willing to talk," Kaden stopped midway, towering over the bully.
"You're dead…!" Barry hissed.
"Before that, give back what you stole." Kaden stood his ground.
Barry continued to hiss. Both opposing forces stared each other down until the sound of a door opening alerted them. "What's going on here?!"
Barry used the chance to dash out the door behind him. Kaden went to do the same but anchored himself to tend to the boy. Rushing back up, a teacher intercepted them, and Kaden immediately realized how the tables had turned on him.
"Mr. Grant…" The teacher crossed his arms. "What is the meaning of this?"
Kaden didn't have a convincing answer. The victim managed to sit up, breaking down while holding onto his arm. Intentional or otherwise, this kid was making the situation worse.
"I…got nothing." Kaden surrendered.
"Of course not." The teacher said after kneeling to the victim and checking them out. "Can you move your arm?"
"A little…" The boy said. He moved it too far and yelped. The teacher glared at Kaden, and despite not being responsible, he did nothing to argue his case. The teacher reached for their walkie-talkie and pressed the button on the side. "Code Blue in the Eastern Staircase. Two students present, one injured, the other, Kaden Grant."
"Are the injuries life-threatening?" The voice on the other end asked.
"Looks to be a sprained shoulder."
There was an audible sigh, "Send Mr. Grant to my office. Take the injured student to the Nurse's office."
"Yes, Ma'am." The teacher acknowledged, attaching the walkie-talkie back onto his belt. "You heard her; principal's office."
"Yeah, I know," Kaden sighed.
"Don't act like you didn't see this coming."
"Oh, I expected as much," Kaden said, "Not that it matters, but Barry Marshall stole something from that kid. I tried to get it back."
"Is this true?" The teacher asked.
Kaden looked back and watched the kid hesitate. Ultimately, the kid shook his head and retreated, causing Kaden to sigh and continue his trek to the office.
Principal Richardson sighed defeatedly as Kaden took a seat before her. The school year had only just started, and already he was at it. The boy before her, Kaden Grant, was infamous at Claude Shannon High School for being the resident "White Knight," not being able to ignore problems he came across and involving himself in them, usually to his detriment. It would get so bad that some of the staff would let things slide as they began to accept that Kaden was fixing the problems they didn't want to deal with. That sentiment didn't fly with her, however.
"Kaden, what am I going to do with you?" she ran her hands down her face.
"You could hear my side of the story, at least."
"You know very well that was a rhetorical question." She snapped lightly, her blue eyes chilling the atmosphere between them. "How many times do we have to explain to you that you have to—!"
"Get a teacher if I see something," he recited. "What about the other students, why couldn't they do the same thing?"
"Because they knew you would step in," She answered matter-of-factly. "You've single-handedly taken it upon yourself to be this school's knight in shining armor—which you are not."
"Not IRL, at least…" he muttered.
"Kaden!" Principal Richardson yelled, causing the boy to tense.
"Look, in my defense, I was on my way to class when all this happened. Barry literally threw the kid down the stairs, and the teachers didn't bother to show up until I acted. How is that fair?"
"The fact of the matter is that you did!"
"But what if I didn't? Barry still has that kid's stuff on him."
"Then you should've done what you did just now and reported it, or at the very least take the student to the nurse and alert her of what happened." As she said that her office phone rang. She paused her disciplinary lecture to answer the phone.
"Principal's office?" Principal Richardson spoke into the phone. She looked to Kaden and pinched the bridge of her nose. "I'm on my way up."
After hanging up, Kaden looked at her. She looked back and sighed, "You're fortunate it's only the 2nd week of class. Stay out of trouble, and this matter will stay as a warning."
"Thank you, Mrs. Richardson." Kaden jumped out of his seat. "Oh, and about Barry?"
"I'll take care of that. You just head to class and mind your business."
"I'll try,"
"Don't try," she said sternly. "Just do it."
Kaden nodded obediently and left the room, "Nice guys, finish last…" he said to himself before chuckling.
"…or so they say."
The rest of Kaden's day proceeded as normal, or at least normal for him. It didn't take long for news to circulate about what he did, and not only that, but it seemed like Barry was seeking revenge on him. Kaden didn't mind; chances were Barry hid his loot on another student, assuming Principal Richardson talked to him at some point. So if he wanted to come after him, he was more than welcome.
Once 2 PM hit, the final bell for the day rang, causing the sidewalk to flood with high schoolers. Kaden checked his watch. He had an hour until he had to head to work. In an effort to keep him out of trouble, his parents convinced him to get a job. Naturally, Kaden went for the obvious choice: TCG Towers. The main store was located in Times Square on the west side of Manhattan. A tourist trap, to say the least, it's the biggest and first TCG Towers in the US.
Apparently, it started as a small Brooklyn hobby shop decades back, and when the family had the opportunity to expand, they moved out to Manhattan and made a killing in profit. NYC was known moreso for the Duel Masters TCG scene, partnering with the Duel Clash Association for events and such. SAIBA Enterprise does something similar with the location in Cisco City. Despite that, Digimon has only gotten even more popular because of the release of the Omnia MMO game, and that, in turn, made the popularity of the Trading Card Game hobby grow to unprecedented levels.
Shrugging his shoulders, Kaden began making his way to the train station.
"Yo, hero!" Barry's voice roared, making Kaden stop.
Wow, he actually did seek him out. Kaden thought. Turning around, he saw the sea of students part as Barry stomped forward, cracking his knuckles. Dexter, his lackey, trailed behind him. Kaden gave his full attention, sticking his hands in his pocket. "What's up?"
Barry got close and pulled Kaden by his collar, "Where do you think you're going?
"To…work?" Kaden admitted honestly. "Unlike some people, I was taught to earn things with an honest day's work."
That earned a right hook. Kaden staggered and took a moment to recollect himself. He deserved it, though the little bit of dopamine he got from provoking the brute made it worth it.
"I said you were dead, and I meant it," Barry growled.
"You did say that, didn't you?" Kaden moved his jaw and sniffled, straightening up afterward. "By the way, did that kid ever get his stuff back?"
"You mean my stuff?"
"No, I meant his stuff," Kaden insisted. "Did that tumble down the stairs mess your hearing—!" Barry swung again, but Kaden dodged it easily. "Ah-uh, you got your freebie."
Barry roared and continued to swing, with Kaden leading him in a sporadic circle, dodging each one with ease and wearing Barry out. Kaden returned to his spot, with Barry even more ticked now.
"How about I make this fair?" Kaden said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out his personal D-Streamer, a cyan and dark blue watch-like device. "I win; you give the stuff back. If you win, you keep it, you save yourself from any more embarrassment, and I'll back off going forward. Deal?"
"Whatever," Barry said, catching his breath. "I'll beat that smirk off your face and make you work for me."
"Eh, I don't wanna put Dexter out of a job, so…I'll pass; no offense, dude."
The spectators around them got a chuckle, with Dexter lightly laughing along to mitigate his embarrassment. Meanwhile, Barry armed himself with his D-Streamer, sporting a camo green and brown combination of colors. Both boys gave one another space, and so did the crowd that congregated as a result.
"Ready?" Kaden asked.
"Bring it on." Barry nodded.
"DIGI-GATE: OPEN!" They exclaimed, devices whirling to life and creating the virtual assets of their game, including security cards, Memory Counter, and a digital gate that hovered above them.
"Let's start this beatdown proper with Minomon!" Barry exclaimed, hatching the green bagworm Digimon in his Raising Area.
Minomon (BT3-003)
Color: Green
Level: 2
"Minomon digivolves into Tentomon, and to end I play Betamon from my hand," Barry continued, green binary streams turning his bagworm into a red ladybug Digimon while a green amphibian Digimon appeared in his Battle Area.
Tentomon (BT1-066)
Color: Green
Level: 3
DP: 2000
Betamon (BT7-044)
Color: Green
Level: 3
DP: 2000
MEMORY
0-3 (Turn Change: Kaden)
"When Betamon enters the Battle Area, I reveal the top four cards of my deck; I can then add one green Digimon or Tamer to my hand while the rest go to the bottom."
Betamon released a small roar, but it was strong enough to summon the quartet of cards: Tentomon (EX1), J.P. Shibayama, Thunder Laser, and Kokabuterimon. Barry took the sole Tamer and sent the rest to the bottom.
"My turn," Kaden drew. "I hatch DemiVeemon, and then digivolve it into Veemon!"
A small bipedal baby dragon Digimon appeared on Kaden's side before the blue binary stream transformed it into Veemon, a child-sized dragon Digimon resembling its predecessor.
DemiVeemon (BT2-002)
Color: Blue
Level: 2
Veemon (EX1-013)
Color: Blue
Level: 3
DP: 2000
I then follow that by playing another Veemon, and its partner in crime, Rina Shinomiya to end my turn!" Kaden followed, summoning a second Veemon and a green-haired teenage girl wearing an open hoodie and shorts. The summoned Tamer looked about as eager as Kaden was to fight.
Veemon (BT3-021)
Color: Blue
Level: 3
DP: 2000
Rina Shinomiya (BT2-086)
Color: Blue
MEMORY
3-0
0-3 (Turn Change: Barry)
"Don't let this cutie distract you," Kaden smirked, causing Barry to react and the crowd to chuckle. "Rina, when played, reveals the top three cards of my deck. From them, I can add one card with "Vee" in its name to my hand while the rest go to the bottom."
With a wink, Rina snapped her fingers, summoning the three cards. Of them revealed: UlforceVeedramon (ST8), Veemon (ST9), and ExVeemon (BT3). Kaden took ExVeemon and passed the turn back to Barry.
Barry let out a growl and drew. "Let's see if you're still laughing after this! Tentomon to the Battle Area!"
Tentomon buzzed forward, the small insect Digimon waiting patiently for Barry's order.
"Huh."
"What?"
"Y'know," Kaden leaned a bit, "looking up close, it's kinda nerdy looking.
"What's your point?"
Kaden shrugged, "Just thinking that was intentional; You the bully, the nerdy-looking Digimon, you like bossing things around?"
"Let's see if you still think like that after this!" Barry took a card from his hand. "Tentomon digivolves into Kuwagamon!"
Tentomon buzzed back and forth as it was showered with green binary. The small Digimon then mutated into a bright red stag beetle, lined with jagged black stripes. The monstrous creature sent shrieks to the arachnophobes up close to the battle, while Kaden stood unfazed.
Kuwagamon (EX1-037)
Color: Green
Level: 4
DP: 5000
MEMORY
3-1
"Here I come!" Barry punched the air ahead of him. "Kuwagamon, Security Attack! Tentomon's IE effect suspends Veemon!"
Kuwagamon snapped its pincers and hissed, lunging for Kaden and knocking Veemon aside as it went for him. The shrieks turned to screams for the spectators behind him, however before Kuwagamon could make contact with Kaden, he was saved by his security.
Kaden
Security: 5-4
The shards of the security glistened as they drifted in the air. Kuwagamon turned to return to Barry, and Kaden grinned. "Flamedramon, with 5000 DP."
All of the sudden, a flaming figure appeared behind the unsuspecting bug and smashed it into the ground with its fist.
Kuwagamon: 5000 DP
Flamedramon: 5000 DP
The audience was silent as Barry's big bad bug was now a flaming squashed pile of binary. The fiery figure that appeared to aid Kaden also vanished, streams of blue and red binary returning to his device.
"What the hell was that?!" Barry roared.
Kaden looked down at the green binary floating. "Your bug getting squished."
"You're going to pay for that!"
"Am I? You wanna lose both your Digimon this turn?" Kaden asked.
Barry gritted his teeth. He could attack with Betamon and decrease his security further, but it didn't seem worth it, especially with Betamon's low DP. "I play Ken Ichidoji from my hand and end my turn."
Barry played it safe, summoning a Tamer instead of attacking, Ken Ichidoji resembling a young boy with a bowl cut and a grey uniform.
Ken Ichidoji (BT3-094)
Color: Green
MEMORY
1-3 (Turn Change: Kaden)
Kaden drew, looked at his card, and grinned. "Nice."
"Not for long it will be." Barry retorted.
"Not for you, no," Kaden replied. "Veemon moves into the Battle Area."
The initial Veemon moved forward, joining its counterpart and Rina.
"Now then, let's do this! Veemon, Security Attack!"
The played Veemon charged forward toward Barry. The brute was forced to accept the attack, Veemon headbutting the Security fearlessly.
Barry
Security: 5-4
Barry revealed it and grinned. "Okuwamon with 7000 DP!"
"Veemon has Jamming," Kaden revealed, making Barry pause. "Too bad, so sad."
The card greyed and dispersed, unable to defend its tamer.
"Now, my other Veemon, it's time! Armor Digivolve into Lighdramon!"
"Armor what?" Barry spat.
"You'll find out soon enough," Kaden said, as green and blue binary formed around the 2nd Veemon. It got on all fours and its body reshaped into a quadrupedal stance, becoming bestial in nature. Black and yellow jagged armor covered its blue body, its edges resembling bolts of lightning, adding a lightning bolt horn on its muzzle.
Lighdramon (BT8-053)
Color: Green/Blue
Level: 4
DP: 5000
MEMORY
3-1
"What is that thing?" Barry asked, confused as to what Kaden just pulled.
"It's called Armor Digivolution," Kaden began to explain. "Certain Digimon can digivolve into these guys for a reduced cost. Veemon for example, can Armor Digivolve into Lighdramon."
Lighdramon roared and dipped low, ready to pounce.
"Lighdramon, show him what you got; suspend Betamon and attack it!" Kaden commanded, causing the lightning beast to shoot a bolt of electricity at its prey.
Lighdramon: 5000 DP
Betamon: 2000 DP
Betamon cried out as the electricity coursed through it. Its ensuing paralysis made it victim to Lighdramon's attack, the beast Digimon knocking it into the air, and shooting upward to pierce it. Lighdramon landed, staring Barry down while being showered in the binary remains of his Digimon.
"But wait, there's more!" Kaden stated, sending an unexpected chill down Barry's spine. "My other Veemon will now digivolve into ExVeemon, and unsuspend Lighdramon!"
The other Veemon roared, infused with pure blue binary code, growing into ExVeemon. The white wings extended, as the muscular dragon readied itself.
ExVeemon (BT3-025)
Color: Blue
Level: 4
DP: 4000
MEMORY
1-1 (Turn Change: Barry)
"Veemon's IE effect now triggers! When unsuspended, I gain a memory, extending my turn."
MEMORY
1-0
"DemiVeemon's IE now activates: When unsuspended, Lighdramon gets boosted by +1000 DP!"
Lighdramon: 5000-6000 DP
"Next, I play Hammer Spark, to gain yet another Memory."
MEMORY
0-1
"And now, Fire Rocket! Lighdramon gains Security Attack +1!"
Barry scoffed, "you blind or something? That's a red Option Card!"
"No, I can read," Kaden answered cheekily. "Since I have an Armor Digimon out, I can ignore the color requirements needed."
"You're kidding me!" Barry exclaimed.
"Nah, 'fraid not," Kaden said activating it. "Lighdramon, light him up, Double Security Attack! Rina also suspends to boost it by +1000 DP."
Lighdramon: 6000-7000 DP
Blazing within a spiral of flames, Lighdramon harmonized with Rina's cheering and sparked its horn, mixing fire and lightning into a powerful blast that clashed with Barry's security, causing gasps to reverberate amongst the crowd. Kabuterimon was incinerated instantly, however, the second security sliced its way through the blast and appeared.
"Aha! Security Trigger: Snimon to the Battle Area!"
A green mantis-like Digimon with sickle-like limbs and overall similar aesthetic features to Kuwagamon landed in opposition to Lighdramon and ExVeemon.
Snimon (ST9-10)
Color: Green
Level: 4
DP: 4000
Barry
Security: 4-2
"Like that oversized mantis is gonna change anything," Kaden remarked. "Well, might as well complete the elemental trinity with an Ice Wall Option Card.
The ground around Kaden's Battle Area grew white with frost, despite the steady September weather. It didn't stop some of the spectators from stepping back out of reflex, as if the ice was encroaching on them, though.
MEMORY
0-1 (Turn Change: Barry)
Barry went to draw. As he examined how to get out of the bind he was in, whispers from behind him began to grow louder.
"Barry shoulda clocked this kid, for real."
"Yeah, he makin' a fool out of him right now!"
"How many turns did Kaden make? Like two right?"
"He could win next turn if he keeps it up!"
"Barry made a mistake taking Kaden on right?"
"I don't know. Barry won't take this lying down. But Kaden might have him beat..."
The chattering crowd wouldn't allow Barry to get his thoughts in order. No matter what, they were right; Kaden was going to win, if not the next turn, the one after. He was too fast for him to keep up, though he wasn't going to embarrass himself anymore and admit it. As for the hagglers, he'd get Dexter to make a list so he can then make some personal visits afterward.
"I'm done playing around..." Barry hissed.
"Good; didn't want to beat you too quick—!" Kaden paused and remembered his job. Looking at his watch, he tensed, "Uh, actually, scratch that, let's wrap up, I got somewhere to be."
"What's wrong? You talked all that crap, and now you're trying to bail?"
"Actually, I realized that dealing with you is taking longer than I planned," Kaden countered. "So, if this is the part where you throw out your ace, then by all means, do so that way, I can get going."
Hearing that sent Barry into a roaring fit. "The only place you're going is six feet under when I'm done with you! Ken sets my memory to 3!"
MEMORY
0-3
"I hatch Minomon and then digivolve it into Kokabuterimon while Snimon digivolves into MegaKabuterimon!"
Minomon transformed into the kid-sized insectoid Digimon, while Snimon turned into a bulky red kabuto beetle Digimon.
Kokabuterimon (ST9-07)
Color: Green
Level: 3
DP: 2000
MegaKabuterimon (EX1-043)
Color: Green
Level: 5
DP: 7000
MEMORY
3-0
"MegaKabuterimon, waste Lighdramon!"
"Barry, don't! Ice Wall—!" Dexter tried to protest.
"MegaKabuterimon's effect!" Barry continued, "When MegaKabuterimon attacks, it can digivolve into an Insectoid or Ancient Insect Digimon for its cost! Now then, face the wrath of the Golden King of Insects: HerculesKabuterimon!"
MegaKabuterimon launched ahead with green binary code spiraling around it. MegaKabuterimon tackled Lighdramon and tossed it into the air, finishing its transformation upon doing so. It became a large bipedal Hercules beetle, its wide pincers catching Lighdramon before hurling it back down to the earth.
HerculesKabuterimon (EX1-043)
Color: Green
Level: 6
DP: 12,000
MEMORY
0-4 (Turn Change: Kaden)
HerculesKabuterimon: 12,000 DP
Lighdramon: 5000 DP
Kaden shielded himself from the impact, lowering his arm after a few seconds, "You should've listened to Dex; Ice Wall makes your Digimon eat 2 Memory per attack."
"What two Memory?" Barry grinned, drawing Kaden's attention to the counter, which remained at 4 Memory for him. "Ken's and MegaKabuterimon's IE effects regain the 2 memory spent on that attack since I deleted your Digimon."
"Delete?" Kaden asked, keeping his gaze on the counter. "Look again."
Barry furrowed his brow and looked up, taken aback by the counter increasing for Kaden after all.
MEMORY
4-6
"How?!" Barry gasped. "I destroyed Lighdramon, so how…!" His gaze darted forward, finding a weakened Veemon where Lighdramon once stood. "Why is it still standing?!"
"Armor Purge; an ability Armor Digimon possess that saves them by purging their armor forms. Think 'self-de-digivolving.'"
"That's not fair!" Barry snarled.
"But stealing that kid's belongings and throwing him down the stairs was?!" Kaden snapped back.
Barry went quiet, grinding his teeth.
Kaden drew. "Let's end this. Veemon, Armor Digivolve into Flamedramon!"
A spiral of flames erupted around Veemon, causing it to grow as tall as Kaden. This Veemon variant wasn't as muscular as ExVeemon, but it was covered in flame-designed armor pieces on its fists, feet, thighs, chest, and face, with a blade-like horn coming from its muzzle. Flamedramon flexed, dispersing the flames surrounding it.
Flamedramon (BT8-012)
Color: Red/Blue
Level: 4
DP: 5000
MEMORY
6-4
"Now, go! Security Attack! Flamedramon's effect gives it +3000 DP when attacking!"
Flamedramon: 5000-8000 DP
Charging its fist, Flamedramon punched the air, igniting a fireball that flew toward Barry. His Security reacted, summoning Beetlemon, a humanoid bug Digimon that attempted to catch the fireball.
Flamedramon: 8000 DP
Beetlemon: 5000 DP
Beetlemon could bear the attack, but it collapsed once the flames died, leaving Barry defenseless.
Barry
Security: 2-1
"ExVeemon! Final Security Attack!"
ExVeemon crossed its arms and fired a V-shaped laser from its chest, beaming Barry's last Security. Hidden Potential Discovered, an Option Card appeared and disappeared, going to Barry's hand instead of activating.
Barry
Security: 1-0
"You're so full of it…" Barry growled, relaxing from the onslaught. "Pretending to be some savior, some White Knight!"
"White?" Kaden scoffed, taking a card from his hand. "White's not my color. Blue? Maybe. Gold…most definitely." He flipped the card, revealing a white Option Card. "I activate Armor Texture! By removing the top card of my Armor Digimon, I can digivolve it into another Armor Digimon for its cost as well as unsuspend it!"
Barry's eyes widened before he growled, blinded by a gold radiance that suddenly emanated from Flamedramon. Flamedramon's armor pulled off its body and began to glow gold in color. The rest of the crowd stood in awe.
"Do you believe in miracles, Barry?" Kaden said, taking a card from his hand.
Barry refused to answer that question, snarling instead.
"Not that it matters," Kaden continued. "Veemon, Armor Digivolve into the Royal Knight of Miracles: Magnamon!"
The radiance grew more intense as the armor re-clasped onto Veemon, transforming it into the new Digimon. This variant of Veemon was similar to Flamedramon, just that it was adorned in gold-plated armor. It kept its radiant glow, the crowd enamored by its glorious appearance.
Magnamon (BT8-038)
Color: Yellow/Blue
Level: 4
DP: 7000
MEMORY
6-3
"Veemon's IE: Memory +1, then, for each Armor Digimon in my trash, Magnamon gets a +2000 DP boost," Kaden stated. "With both Flamedramon and Lighdramon in my trash, Magnamon goes up to 11,000 DP!"
Magnamon: 7000-11,000 DP
"Magnamon, Direct Attack!" Kaden directed, causing Magnamon to shine brightly.
Blinded by the light, Barry couldn't block the right hook Magnamon delivered to him. Barry staggered back into the crowd and collapsed into them, several people—including Dexter—cushioning his fall.
As for the rest of the crowd, they began cheering and chanting Kaden's name while the Digimon dispersed into binary, their devices deactivating. Kaden approached the recovering Barry and held his hand out toward him.
Barry looked and smacked his hand back. "I don't need your pity."
Kaden snickered and dug his hand into Barry's jacket, finding the said item and pulling it out. It was a yellow D-Streamer with red accents. "I wasn't offering it." He pocketed the device and turned. There was a chance the kid went home early due to that injury. He'd just have to hold onto it until he saw him the next day.
Barry seethed as he forced himself up. "This isn't over!"
"Suit yourself!" Kaden yelled back, not turning around. Kaden looked at the time, and that was enough of a motivator to pick up the pace.
"Just couldn't stop yourself, could you?" A light, a digitized voice chimed from his device.
"You were just as compliant, Veemon." Kaden shot back.
"Of course; we're partners, after all."
Kaden smiled upon the reminder, "That we are, Vee; that we are…"
Making it to Midtown, Kaden rushed through waves of slow-moving tourists, the clock ticking down on him. He couldn't resist putting Barry in his place 'for good,' but at what cost? The last thing he needed was his parents finding out he was late to the first day of his first job because he was playing Digimon—which his parents ultimately thought was a distraction. It was surprising enough that they folded and compromised with him working at a hobby store that specialized in card games.
"Made it!" he nearly slid past the entrance and scrambled back to the automatic doors. The doors slid open, and the atmosphere made his chest tight. The building, as are most TCG Towers are multiple levels: The Main level, which was where the front desk was, the display cases and Card Terminals (renamed from K-Terminals when card games outside of Duel Masters adopted MR support), the lower arena level, where players could use the massive Mixed Reality simulator (which only supported Duel Masters at the moment, unfortunately), and the upper level, which was a food court.
Taking steps in, he felt his overabundance of confidence wane some. He wasn't the anxious type, but maybe it was exhaustion? Putting a show on for a crowd was something he hadn't done in a while…
"Can I help you?" A voice asked, startling him.
Turning, he saw the girl at the front counter leaning forward, staring at him. She was a goth girl; with piercings, shaggy bob-cut hair, and all. She also wore a black polo shirt with the TCG Towers logo on it and a nametag on the other side.
"Um…is Sierra available?" Kaden nervously asked.
The goth girl studied him for a moment, "are you the new hire?"
Kaden nodded.
'My name's Riley," the goth walked to the swinging door on the side of the counter and opened it. "Come on in."
Kaden nodded and walked through. Riley continued, "Sierra is in the middle of some business, but she'll be out soon. For now, I've been assigned to work with you."
"Understood." Kaden nodded.
"Locker room is down the hall to the right. You'll find a locker with your name on it and a uniform shirt."
"Gotcha."
"Once you change, we'll go over what's to be expected, among other things..." She noticed he was staring at her. "What?"
"You go to CS High, right?" Kaden asked.
"…how do you know that?" She hesitated.
"I've seen you around the hallways…sorry, did I make things awkward?"
The girl turned red from embarrassment. "Just go get changed!"
Kaden tensed and rushed into the back. If it wasn't awkward before, now it was. And likely it would be for the next several hours…
Kaden did what he was told, finding his marked locker, shirt, and nametag on the inside. He threw his stuff in, changed, and proceeded to make his way back outside. As he got closer, he could hear his new co-worker talking to a customer and hesitated to come out, lest not disrupt things.
"…Look, kid, I haven't seen anyone like that come in," Riley said rather forcefully.
"Are you sure? I followed him all the way here…I was sure—!"
"You're wrong. Now, if you're not going to buy anything, please—!"
"It's you!" Kaden exclaimed, coming around the corner. Both Riley and the customer jumped out of their skin upon his outburst. The timid customer, who had his arm in a sling, stepped back and began to run towards the doorway, only for Kaden to call out.
"Wait! He flashed the device he stole back from Barry. "This is yours, isn't it?"
The kid stopped short and turned, his eyes lighting up upon seeing it. He quickly came back to the counter, "y-you actually got it back?! Even after I—!"
"Of course," Kaden handed it to him. "Not like I was gonna keep it after everything you went through. As for not backing me up, don't sweat it. Stuff like that comes with the job."
The kid didn't know how to respond. "Th-Thank you so much! You have no idea how much this means to me!"
"No problem. My name's Kaden. And yours?"
"Milo," he answered, "Milo Richardson."
Kaden paused, "Wait a sec—are you related to the principal?"
Milo tensed. "Um…yeah."
"No wonder she left me with a warning…"
"You two know each other?" Riley asked.
"I saved him from Barry, sorta," Kaden replied. "So what, did you follow me from school or something?"
Milo meekly nodded, "I watched you battle Barry; that was awesome how quickly you were able to do it."
"Barry uses power to get what he wants," Kaden explained. "If you're fast enough, he topples easily."
"Can you teach me how to battle like that?" Milo asked.
Kaden blinked. "Um…sure?" he turned to Riley.
The girl sighed, "consider him your first customer."
"Sweet!" Kaden said excitedly. "All right, dude, let's see what you're working with inside that D-Streamer of yours.
"I'm going to stock shelves," Riley said, grabbing a nearby box. "I'll jump in if any customers come. That way, I can show you the POS system."
Kaden nodded and gave Riley space to move around him. He then turned his attention to Milo. The other boy powered on the device. After the holographic display appeared, he cycled through and went to access his deck…
NO DATA
There was a silence between them. Kaden looked, seeing Milo's expression sink.
"No…that…he wouldn't…!" Milo's voice was breaking. He rebooted it, only to get the same message. Every time he did, he grew closer to crying.
Barry wiped the data from the device.
"This…was a gift from my mom." Milo's stomach twisted. "Why…? Even she can't stop them from making me miserable…"
Kaden choked. At the same time, he felt the flame burn within. "I should've punched him harder…"
Milo sniffled, looking up at Kaden. The young boy was taken aback by the angered expression on his face. "I…it's okay. I'm used to this kind of stuff…"
"I'm not. And you shouldn't be either!" Kaden enforced.
The commotion drew Riley's attention from where she was standing, though she didn't say anything.
"What can we do, though? I don't have the money to replace the card data. And if my Mom finds out I brought it to school, she'll kill me."
"Then, I will help you build a new deck," Kaden stated. "And I'll make sure it's so good that Barry won't ever mess with you again."
Milo blinked. "Can we really do that?"
"Just watch us," Kaden confirmed, holding his hand out. Milo, growing enthralled by this, shook Kaden's hand.
"I'm with you, then." Milo agreed.
"Sweet; let's get building then…"
A/N: That makes chapter 1 of Imperial Advent complete! I hope you enjoyed Kaden's fiery personality and justice-filled demeanor. Just as a reminder, Twilight Requiem is also out to start for those who want to see Riley's adventure begin. But of course, if you want to stay blind for her and just read through this first as well, nothing's stopping you. For this project, both chapters will be released simultaneously, so it may take longer to release chapters but time will tell. We'll see how things play out. Until next time though, thanks for reading, and I'll catch you guys later!