Vanguard: Light Speed
Chapter 12
Perdition End
The world can be a cruel place….. especially to a child that has to survive living on the street, and it's even harder on that child if they happen to be a young girl resorting to petty theft. Who is that young girl you ask? Why to answer that question it's a younger version of the very same girl who you read was arguing with Jacob wearing dirty and torn up clothing. That's right it's Nikki, and she just ran out of a random bakery carrying several bags if bread and other baked goods.
"Hey come back here you thief! Someone call the cops, that street rat stole most of my product!" the angry bakery manager yelled.
"Fine call me a street rat if you want, but I'll do whatever it takes to survive….. survive and become strong enough to go back for those two, and everyone else who was forced to go to that place." Nikki thought as she could already hear the whistles of police officers in foot pursuit.
Nikki knew that she may have been pretty fast as a child, but she also knew that cops would eventually catch up to her simply due to the sheer size difference between a six year old girl turning on seven and a small band of 20 somethings.
"No, I won't get caught here!" Nikki thought.
As a child Nikki knew the neighborhood around this bakery rather well, so it was child's play for her to dash down one of the side alleyways and climb over the fence in her way. By the time the cops pursuing her entered the alley, Nikki was already exiting it on the other side.
"Ha it'll take them at least 5 minutes to run around all of those buildings if they really want to catch me, and by the time they do I'll be long gone." Nikki thought as she kept running in case the cops following her were indeed that determined.
It's important for someone who lives on the street to constantly look over their shoulders for those who would wish to harm them, however Nikki was too worried about this truth in regards to the police officers she believes that were pursuing her because it prevents her from realizing that she ran into the middle of a busy crosswalk while the light was still green.
"What the….. no I can't believe it'll end here before I have the chance to even do anything." Nikki thought as she saw a large truck with its alarm blaring.
In this moment the child Nikki was staring death in the face though what scared her in this moment was not the loss of the life she lived, but rather it was a reminder of how her lack of strength was rubbed right into her face.
"Sorry, but I won't allow any dying in my presence." A good Samaritan yelled as Nikki could feel the arms of an older man carry her to safety.
It took the young Nikki a few seconds to realize what was going on, and by the time she did she felt tremendously relieved. Nikki slowly started to lose consciousness as the stress from the whole situation started to pass, so last thing she saw before passing into a deep sleep was the older gentleman with silver hair that risked his life to carry her to safety.
"Nikki, wake up we're here." a familiar feminine voice said as its owner presumably tried to shake Nikki awake.
And as Nikki awoke from the harsh dream of her past, the first thing that she saw was an old friend with her hand on her. The old friend herself was a young girl about Nikki's age, with light brown eyes, black hair that's silky smooth on her left side, and short and spiky on the other. She was wearing a black a white horizontally stripped t-shirt, shorts Denim shorts just above her knees in length, and she has a pair of dark colored sunglasses hanging of the collar of her shirt.
"Tsu….. oh how long was I asleep?" Nikki asks as she checks her appearance in a compact mirror that she brought with her.
That old friend was Tsubasa or Tsu for short, but anyways despite Nikki's somewhat insensitivity to the personal circumstances of others; she is still a girl and does care about her appearance after all.
"For about the entire second half of the bus trip here to the expo." Abygail answered.
Abygail when not on the job usually wears her mother's old highs school uniform, of which is an ensemble consisting mostly of a blue blazer and grey pants. Normally it would be unusually to be seen wearing something like this, however since the Expo is in full bloom no one seems to pay it any mind.
"Can someone please tell me why we took a bus here instead of our rides?" Tsubasa asks as she and her friends exit the bus.
"To avoid traffic, and besides Will said that he'd be willing to drop us off back home as soon as he gets here." Nikki answered as she quickly stretches to help wake herself up.
"And to avoid causing traffic build up." Abygail said as she stared rather intently at Tsubasa for a moment.
"Okay only 2 of those last 5 accidents were my fault, so stop looking at me like that." Tsubasa said in annoyance as she realized what Abygail was referring to.
This sisterhood of the traveling pants quickly entered the expo through the convention center's east entrance after they had a few quick laughs, and once they did so you'll never believe what they found.
"Say Abygail, isn't that your ex-boyfriend standing on that stage over there?" Nikki pointed out.
I'll say it again now just in case I haven't said it before, but Abygail and I used to date for a short while though it never worked out nor have I ever actually met any of her friends. Turns out she was just using me, but that's a whole other matter. In any case, the person that Nikki was pointing to was me while I was in the middle of the end game of my quarter final match.
"Now Gauntlet Buster Dragon, attack Machining Hornet MK2! Let's see how you handle a vanguard attack with 5 critical!" I yell.
"And it's over…. Tarrant City local Kiba Nakashima moves on to the semi-final round!" the commentator for this fight declared.
"He's improved since I last saw him fight, but he's no threat to us yet." Abygail said.
"I disagree. I can't really explain it, but cards for the Narukami clan seem to glow while he's holding them." Nikki interjects.
"Yes well in any case the only ones we have to worry about are his two teammates Dalette Grayson and Raphugio Gomez." Abygail said.
"Would you two please hurry up already? I want to go and try some of the unique food they offer only during the expo!" Tsubasa yelled as she already walked a great distance from Nikki and Abygail.
After walking around for a few more hours together, the three of them had gone their separate ways exactly how Abygail described to Will while they watched the rest of Sade's fight together. Nikki had spent the rest of Sade's fight and the entirety of Isaac's fight with Cloud trying to find a specific stall that she believes may have a card that she's been looking for. She tried checking the map; however there were simply too many private vendors at the Expo today for them all to be listed. All of the vendors were at best separated into different sections depending on the kinds of goods they have in their stalls.
"That's the 20th Kagero focused stall I've been to so far. I mean how seriously hard is it to find an original Dauntless Drive Dragon? It's only a freaking 4 decade old card after all." Nikki thought as she still couldn't find the card she was looking for despite her personal effort.
The Tarrant City Convention Center may have had multiple industrial strength air conditioners installed in order to keep the interior nice and crisp for all her guests, but when you pack hundreds if not thousands of bodies into a single space things will still get a little heated. In order to cool herself down, Nikki ducks into the first very shady stall she comes across.
"Oh that's nice… hmm is that…. is this stall seriously selling ice cream?" Nikki mumbled as she felt the relief caused by a few degree drop in temperature wash over her body.
Nikki re-examined the area with the portable Dairy Queen like equipment only to reaffirm her suspicions in the end and find who she believed to be the owner of this stand talking to a young man about her age wearing a formal mostly black outfit, but then again she also saw the small line building behind this young man.
"The ice cream is tempting, but….. I'll just eat with the others." Nikki thought as she decided to take a look at the various things this stall has for sale.
Not unlike Jacob, it doesn't take Nikki that long for her to find something that interested her, and that thing turns out to be the very same card she's been looking for the entire time.
"What are the chances the stall I happen to duck into has the very Dauntless Drive Dragon I've been looking for? Well I'm sorry to whoever else was looking for it, but I'm getting it before you all." Nikki thought.
The moment Nikki places her hand on this rare version of a Kagero break ride; she also realizes that someone else has their hands on it too. She sees that the owner of this other hand belonged to the young man wearing mostly black, and she recognizes that young man to be none other than the famous fighter Jacob Edwards. You already know what happened from this point on from my previous entry, but just in case I'll re-include everything for posterity's sake.
"Take your hand off of the card. I saw it first." This Nikki demanded.
"No. I wish to purchase this card too madam." Jacob said in defiance while still maintaining the formal way of speaking expected of a butler.
"Now don't fight. I have a perfect way for you two to settle this issue between yourselves if you're interested." The stand clerk said after he took this rare edition of Dauntless Drive Dragon out of Jacob and this girl's hand once he realized what was going on.
"What would that be?" Nikki asks out of curiosity.
"I have a portable MF system in my stall as you can see over there, so why not settle things with a fight? I'll hold onto this for now and the winner will get the card for free." The stand clerk suggested.
"I'm down for it." Nikki said as winning her prize would feel more satisfying than having to pay for it.
"In that case you can just let this girl have it. I have other things to do today, so I can't waste time on unnecessary fights." Jacob said effectively stating his lack of interest in the clerk's offer.
"What are afraid of losing to a girl?" Nikki said clearly annoyed by Jacob's lack of interest in this potential challenge.
"Man or woman, gender makes no difference to me for if I lose I lose, but I also have other responsibilities that prevent me from accepting every challenge directed towards me." Jacob said as he refers to his monotonous duty as an ice cream man for his lady and her younger sister.
"Oh speaking of which, your order will be ready in just a couple more minutes. The few people that were in line before you ordered quite a bit of stuff." The stand clerk said as he realized at least partially what responsibilities that Jacob was referring to.
"Are you serious? You're blowing off a fight for ice cream? I never thought that the famed fighter Jacob Edwards of Team Star Ocean would be such a weak willed coward." Nikki said as she was now angered instead of annoyed by Jacob's lethargic attitude.
"Don't you dare call me weak or a coward!" Jacob yelled as it was clear as day that he was infuriated by this girl's remark.
Let's just say he blames the events in his past on his lack of power, so as he grew up he made the vow that he's start from the beginning and never be powerless again.
"Oh what did I manage to strike a nerve?" this girl said as she doesn't seem to fully realize how angry Jacob is.
"If you want a fight then you've got one." Jacob declared as he took out a deck from his inner-jacket pocket.
Meanwhile after he directed the crowd to watch the fight between Cloud and Isaac on nearby monitors, MC Sonar almost immediately started assisting with the media coverage of the expo by touring through it with a small camera crew.
"Those of you, who are watching, don't forget that there are plenty of other exciting things going on at the Expo asides from the fight going on between Cloud and Isaac. Now let's go see if we can find one of those things." MC Sonar said as he stared straight into the camera.
As if on cue, a couple of random people at the expo started to run across the TV screens of America spotting that something interesting was about to go down.
"Are you sure it's true?" one expo fan asks the other.
"I'm telling you that my cousin saw him fight with some unknown girl." The other expo fan answered.
"It seems that we may have just found something interesting people. Come on, let's chase after these two and see where it leads." MC Sonar said as he runs after the two people that just passed him along with his small camera crew.
It was easy for MC Sonar to track down these two people down given the fact that there were several people gathered around a particular stall as if it were the only place to get fresh clean water in miles of desert
"Go on and zoom in. Who do you see at the center of this ocean of bodies?" MC Sonar asks his loyal camera man.
"Let's see…. I see some unknown girl, and… her opponent is… oh hello it's Jacob Edwards of Team Star Ocean." The loyal camera man said with a great deal of surprise in his voice.
"There you have it people we have a fight between an unknown and a top class fighter outside of the expo tournament. My camera crew and I will attempt to break through the crowd in order to cover this fight up close." MC Sonar said to all of those that were watching him.
As both this strange girl and Jacob took out their decks, they were already receiving praise for what they do believe that will be an exciting fight.
"It's been years since I last held this deck, but… I'll fight with my true self once more for the sake of your memory…. you who helped me build this deck." Jacob deeply thought as he placed down his starting vanguard.
"Oh… I just realized… I haven't introduced myself yet have I?" this black haired girl asks of Jacob.
"No you haven't, but I wasn't going to ask what it was either." Jacob answered.
"Well my name is Nicolette Kurosagi, but you can call me Nikki for short, and I'll make sure you never forget it!" Nikki declared as she also placed down her starting vanguard.
"I'll be acting as judge for this fight I guess. Well… are the two of you ready?" the stand clerk asked.
"Yes sir." Jacob answered.
"Yeah." Nikki answered.
"Then let this fight begin." The stand declared as he raised his arm to the sky and let it drop to the ground.
"Stand up, Vanguard!" both fighters yelled.
Like Cloud's fight with Isaac, the battle between Nikki and Jacob wouldn't take place at some fancy field, but rather here in the Expo as it stands. No… that's a bit of a mean trick…. It be more accurate to say that the layout of the Expo was recreated within the confines of this portable MF system.
"Red Pulse Dracokid [Power: 4000]!" Nikki revealed.
"Perdition Dragon, Tinder Spear Dracokid [Power: 5000]!" Jacob yelled.
"Kagero….. not Crystal Reefs?" a shocked Nikki said.
"I recently received some advice about how I should fight with my true self, so I think I'll give it a shot at least for now." Jacob explained referring to the discussion he had with the manager of this stall.
"Okay, but what does that have to do with you using a Kagero deck?" Nikki asked.
"I may have only been seen using Crystal Reefs before today, but make no mistake I've always been a Kagero player at heart. I've simply chosen not to use my true clan officially for my own reasons." Jacob declared as the flaming red aura expected of a Kagero user starts to exude from every pore in his body.
"This atmosphere… it's nowhere near as intense as what he can put off, but it's nature is almost exactly like what Isaac puts off. Just how is something like that possible?" Nikki thought.
"Finally…. Oh what's this…. Instead of using his normal Crystal Reef deck, Jacob Edwards is using a Kagero deck and a Perdition one to boot. It seems we have another match where a famous fighter isn't using a deck of his normal clan. Just what will be the result of this one?" MC Sonar said as he and his camera crew finally broke through the crowd of people surrounding Jacob and Nikki.
And for the record the moment Nolan, her sister, my friends, and I saw Jacob and Nikki on TV we immediately vacated our seats and started heading towards where Jacob was. Thankfully that process was made easier by a little display on the various monitors indicating their exact position.
"I'm sorry for interrupting a fight even though it's just started, but do you mind if I get your name for those who are watching ma'am?" MC Sonar asked as he held out his microphone to Nikki.
"My name is Nicolette Kurosagi or Nikki for short of Team Resurgence. Remember those names because you'll be hearing them again soon enough." Nikki declared with a serious face in front of the camera.
"And there you have it fans we now know the identity of this mysterious challenger, but until this incredibly unexpected fight is over I shall be acting only in the capacity of a commentator as always." MC Sonar declared.
"Ladies first as I am a gentleman after all." Jacob said as he took a deep breath knowing that he'll have a harder time beating Nikki by fighting her angry.
"I'll make you regret that. I ride Dragon Dancer, Maria [Power: 6000]!" Nikki said.
From the tiny adorable dual gun wielding youthful dragon, Nikki's vanguard evolves into an attractive young woman, with a Chinese themed dragon headdress, and nearly her entire outfit are covered in zills or tiny cymbals for the less musically inclined.
"Red Pulse moves to the back row. Now I call Eternal Bringer Griffon [Power: 7000] to the back, and I'll activate his skill. I discard a grade 3 Kagero to add a copy of Dragonic Overlord from my deck to my hand." Nikki explained as she held out her copy of the card to Jacob.
"What?!" Jacob said as he was visibly shocked for once.
"Wait….. hurry and zoom in before she puts that card in her hand." MC Sonar said as he ordered around his camera crew.
As he did so both this MC and everyone else who was watching this fight saw the card art of the strongest dragon general of the empire as if he were bursting out of the ground in a torrent of flames with his legendary sword in hand.
"This is no false statement vanguard fans…. This unknown fighter Nicolette Kurosagi does indeed own a copy of the legendary grade 3! Now the question is… just how well can she use it?" MC Sonar announced.
"I end my turn." Nikki said.
"I ride Perdition Battler, Mareiko [Power: 7000], and Tinder Spear moves behind him." Jacob said.
Jacob's Knuckle Buster look-a-like of a starting vanguard transforms into a dark orange red scaled human, with a red flaming lasso, and he's riding upon a large green dragon as if he were a horse.
"I call Perdition Battler, Mareisei [Power: 7000]. Since I have a vanguard with 'Perdition' in its card name, Mareisei gains an additional +3000 power while attacking your vanguard [Total Power: 10000]!" Jacob declared.
Thankfully Maria's outfit is very fire resistant against Mareisei's flaming hammer, but it's completely useless in regards to stopping the impact of said hammer. Quite frankly it was a miracle that Maria could stand when it clearly looks like that she has several broken ribs.
[Damage Check – Violence Horn Dragon – No Trigger]
"Mareiko attack [Total Power: 12000]!" Jacob declared.
[Drive Check – Seal Dragon, Artpique – Draw Trigger]
"I'll give all of the effects to my vanguard Mareiko [New Total: 17000], and I draw a card." Jacob decided.
[Damage Check – Dragon Dancer, Barbara – Heal Trigger]
"Power to my vanguard, and thanks to the heal trigger I get to move Violence Horn to the drop zone." Nikki said as she gladly placed the aforementioned card in the drop zone.
"I end my turn." Jacob said.
Nikki – Jacob
4 – Hand – 6
0 – Soul – 0
1 – Damage – 0
0 – Counterblast – 0
Eternal Bringer Griffon / Empty – Empty / Empty
Red Pulse Dracokid / Dragon Dancer, Maria – Perdition Battler, Mareiko / Perdition Dragon, Tinder Spear Dracokid
Empty / Empty – Perdition Battler, Mareisei / Empty
"Ride Dragon Knight, Nehalem [Power: 10000]!" Nikki declared.
"She'll want to whittle down my hand as much as possible, so if she has it in hand the next card she'll play will be Dragonic Burnout." Jacob thought as he worked out Nikki's next move within his mind.
"I call Dragonic Burnout [Power: 9000]." Nikki said as her eyes were focused squarely upon Jacob's vanguard.
"As expected." Jacob thought.
"I activate the skill of Dragonic Burnout: I soulblast 1, move the Overlord in my drop zone to the bottom of my deck, and your Mareisei is forced to the drop zone instead." Nikki said as she calmly explained her unit's effect.
Even to a unit of a clan deigned to take the heat, there comes a time when that unit must get out of the kitchen, and that's what almost happened to Mareisei when Dragonic Burnout roasted him alive like a marshmallow.
"Now Dragonic Burnout will roast your vanguard alive just as it did with Mareisei [Total Power: 16000]!" Nikki declared as she put Burnout in the rest position.
[Damage Check – Perdition Dragon, Rampart Dragon – No Trigger]
"Nehalem, cut down Jacob's vanguard down to size [Total Power: 14000]!" Nikki declared.
"No guard." Jacob said after quickly glancing over his hand.
[Drive Check – Seal Dragon Spirit, Malkibel – No Trigger]
"Perfect." Nikki thought as this particular drive check gave her quite the boon to use.
[Damage Check – Perdition Dancer, Agafia – Heal Trigger]
"I apply the power to my vanguard, and like you I get to recover one damage point." Jacob said.
"Then I'll end my turn." Nikki reluctantly said.
Nikki – Jacob
4 – Hand – 6
0 – Soul – 0
1 – Damage – 1
0 – Counterblast – 0
Eternal Bringer Griffon / Dragonic Burnout – Empty / Empty
Red Pulse Dracokid / Dragon Knight, Nehalem – Perdition Battler, Mareiko / Perdition Dragon, Tinder Spear Dracokid
Empty / Empty – Empty / Empty
"Thanks to both fighters pulling a lucky heal trigger the damage stands at 1-1 a piece by the end of turn 3. Kagero may be a new deck to Jacob, but given his proven affinity with defensive clans there's no way he won't be able end this stalemate." MC Sonar was saying.
"I don't really like being talked about as if I'm guaranteed to lose to you. This fight's still not even close to being over." Nikki said to Jacob as she was somewhat annoyed by MC Sonar's comments.
"You're right about how this fight is nowhere near the end game yet, but you still aren't going to beat me. I ride Perdition Dragon Knight, Elham [Power: 9000]." Jacob declared.
"He accepted the challenge out of anger, but his eyes…. they have the sorrow of someone who lost everything like me…. No calm down Nikki, you shouldn't let your opponent get to you in a fight unless you want to lose it." Nikki thought as she shook her head to get her mind back on the battle.
"Mareiko [Power: 7000] to the back, Menace Laser [Power: 9000] to the front, and now Menace Laser's counterblast: I retire your Dragonic Burnout." Jacob declared.
Slowly at first, the cannons upon Menace Laser's back slowly started to fill with life; however Menace Laser did not erase Burnout from existence through traditional use of his vast firepower. Pain Laser instead created a concentrated energy field around Dragonic Burn, of which literally cooked him to death to the point where not even ashes remain.
"Mareiko's skill: When an enemy unit in the same column as him is retired, I can soulblast 1 card and turn a face down card in my damage zone back up." Jacob explained as he turned the copy of Agafia in his damage zone back up.
"The fight has only just begun, however it's already clear that it'll be an exciting one within the turns to come. Jacob and Nikki has as of this moment matched each other move for move without even breaking a sweat." MC Sonar announced to the crowd with much excitement in his voice.
"Elham will take a swing at your vanguard [Total Power 14000]!" Jacob declared.
"I won't guard that." Nikki said as she knew she couldn't play defensively given her hand.
[Drive Check – Perdition Dragon, Whirlwind Dragon – No Trigger]
"I see…. so that's the ace of his Kagero deck? With this atmosphere he has…. there's no way it could possibly anything else." Nikki thought as sweat slides down past her brow.
[Damage Check – Burning Horn Dragon – No Trigger]
"Menace Laser attack [Total Power: 16000]!" Jacob declared.
[Damage Check – Blue Ray Dracokid – Critical Trigger]
"It doesn't matter very much, but I'll give all of the effects to my vanguard." Nikki said as she wished the order of the damage check was reversed in this case.
"I end my turn." Jacob said as there was nothing else he could do at the moment.
"That's good because it's time things really started heating up." Nikki said as she was clearly looking forward to her next turn.
"I highly doubt there's anything you can do that'll surprise me. You'll ride Overlord, follow up with Red Pulse, then call in all likelihood Burning Horn Dragon to replace the spot Dragonic Burnout left empty, next if you get a grade 3 from Red Pulse you'll call that as well, and finally you'll replace the empty spot behind your vanguard with Malkibel." Jacob thought as he believes he had Nikki's deck all figured out.
Nikki – Jacob
4 – Hand – 5
0 – Soul – 0
3 – Damage – 1
0 – Counterblast – 0
Eternal Bringer Griffon / Empty – Perdition Dragon, Menace Laser Dragon / Perdition Battler, Mareiko
Red Pulse Dracokid / Dragon Knight, Nehalem – Perdition Dragon Knight, Elham / Perdition Dragon, Tinder Spear Dracokid
Empty / Empty – Empty / Empty
However before the fight could start heating up like how Nikki wants, I must first show you something that was going on at the same time. Ahem… being the star that she was, it was easy for Teresa to ask the people in charge of running the Expo to set up a specially designed dressing room for her in one of the convention center's meeting rooms. All she asked for was that a wall be broken down so a lounge could be put in her dressing room for her teammates to use. Preston couldn't be here today due to family business, however Isaac was taking full advantage of the Expo Board's generosity by resting comfortably on a couch while he was working on the deck he used against Cloud.
"Hmm this is a little more challenging then I'd thought it be, but I shouldn't be so presumptuous since this is a new deck and clan for me." Isaac mumbled to himself.
"Here's the cup of tea you asked for Isaac." Teresa said as she emerges from another room still wearing one of her stage costumes while carrying a rather expensive looking cup.
"Thank you." Isaac said right after he took it out of Teresa's hands, and right before he started to take a sip of it.
"I'm sorry if it's not as good as the tea you're used to me making for you, but this was the best I could do with a plug-in stove." Teresa said as she grabbed the remote on the coffee table before taking the open seat next to Isaac.
"No it's fine….. this deck is horribly unbalanced and needs serious changes." Isaac said before returning is attention to the task at hand.
"You'll never guess who I saw fighting Jacob Edwards on the TV in the other room while I was making tea." Teresa says to Isaac as she turns on the TV and sets it to a very specific TV channel.
"I've already seen what Jacob Edwards can do with the Crystal Reef clan, so there's nothing interesting about that." Isaac pointed.
"True, however this time around he's using a Kagero deck and that's not even the most interesting part of all this." Teresa explained.
"Oh…. just what kind of fighter got that person to use a different clan?" Isaac asked as he was now somewhat curious.
"It's a former student of our boarding school, and one we know quite well at that." Teresa answered.
"Do you honestly expect me to remember every failure of that school?" Isaac said as he lost interest just as quickly, and returned his attention back to his deck.
"Awakened from sleep, you burn away everything that stands between your rival and mine!" Nikki yelled for the card she held in her right hand seemed to be covered in a crimson flame.
"That voice…. I see why you showed me this Teresa….. Very well….. let's see how strong she's become by surviving outside of the school" Isaac said as this fight between Nikki and Jacob now has his full attention
But enough from this high-class peanut gallery, and let's get back to what will be an epic fight between Nikki and Jacob.
"Ride Dragonic Overlord [Power: 11000]!" Nikki yelled as she practically slammed that card over Nehalem.
A raging flame slowly started to appear around Nehalem, but before Nehalem could safely fly away that flame consumed him as it suddenly raced towards the sky as if attracted by a magnet. This flame changed Nehalem because moments later it started to the shape of a humanoid dragon, and with a single proud powerful roar the flame burst apart like a butterfly emerging from a cocoon. Beware enemies of the empire for The Crimson Reaper has arrived on the battle field.
"Vanguard fans, I never thought that I would get to see such a legendary unit in person let alone in a fight. For those of you who are watching this from home, do not change the channel even for a second." MC Sonar announced as he had a look on his face that was a mixture of being star struck and filled with fear.
"Red Pulse's skill: I move him to the soul and search the top 5 cards of my deck." Nikki said as she was able to pick up the top 5 cards of her deck in one go.
Now I believed that was worthy of some note because most fighter's I've seen who use similar starting vanguards pick up the top 5 cards one by one simply to avoid being accused of cheating.
"I add another copy of Dragonic Overlord to my hand." Nikki said as she quickly revealed the card to her opponent.
"With that vanguard fans, Nikki is ready for a potential break ride on her following turn." MC Sonar announced.
"I call Malkibel [Power: 7000], Burning Horn Dragon [Power: 9000], and Dragonic Overlord [Power: 11000] to the rearguard.
"Is that it?" Jacob asks just before Nikki was able to even declare her next move.
"Huh?" Nikki said as Jacob's question catches her off guard.
"I expected more of someone with Dragonic Overlord in their deck, but so far you've moved exactly as I've predicted. With that level of play you won't be able to beat me." Jacob said as he clearly doesn't think much of Nikki's ability.
"Just you wait…. I still haven't shown my hand either. I'll have my rearguard Dragonic Overlord attack Menace Laser [Total Power: 11000]!" Nikki declared as she was just barely able to swallow her anger in response to Jacob's comment.
"I guard with Artpique [Total Shield: 5000]." Jacob countered.
"Then my vanguard Dragonic Overlord will show you why he's called the crimson reaper [Total Power: 20000]!" Nikki declared.
"I won't guard." Jacob said without even bothering to look at his hand.
[Drive Check – Dragon Dancer, Barbra – Heal Trigger]
"Power to Burning Horn and I heal." Nikki said.
[Drive Check – Blue Ray Dracokid – Critical Trigger]
"I give more power to Burning Horn Dragon, and my vanguard gets to go critical [New Total: 20000 2 Crit]." Nikki said clearly happy with her luck.
Dragonic Overlord's power is so great that by simply concentrating a portion of his staunch soul into his blade… he's able to use it like a ranged weapon and fires a single bolt of crimson energy at Elham.
[Damage Check – Perdition Dragon, Buster Rain Dragon – Critical Trigger]
"To the vanguard." Jacob said.
[Damage Check – Blue Ray Dracokid – Critical Trigger]
"To the vanguard again." Jacob says again.
"Burning Horn Dragon attack [Total Power: 29000]!" Nikki declared.
[Damage Check – Perdition Dragon, Menace Laser Dragon – No Trigger]
"I'm done for now." Nikki said.
Nikki – Jacob
4 – Hand – 4
2 – Soul – 0
2 – Damage – 4
0 – Counterblast – 0
Eternal Bringer Griffon / Burning Horn Dragon – Perdition Dragon, Menace Laser Dragon / Perdition Battler, Mareiko
Seal Dragon Spirit, Malkibel / Dragonic Overlord – Perdition Dragon Knight, Elham / Perdition Dragon, Tinder Spear Dracokid
Dragonic Overlord / Empty – Empty / Empty
"With the end of Nikki's turn the damage is 2-4 with her in the lead, and Jacob hasn't even ridden to a grade 3 unit yet. Could we have an underdog upset in a fight outside of the official Expo tournament? At the bare minimal this kind of a difference is expected of someone who possesses Dragonic Overlord one of the most legendary units of the game, and to think it was in the hands of an unknown fighter" MC Sonar announced.
"I expected more from a famous fighter such as yourself. Mistakes aside, I can tell from the way you fight that you weren't kidding about Kagero being your one true clan, but why did you never use it before today?" Nikki asks.
"I'll admit I'm a bit rusty since I haven't used this deck in years and that has caused me to make mistakes, but allow me to answer your question with one of my own. What do you know of my own personal history particularly before I was taken in by the Elchart family?" Jacob inquired.
"Nothing other than that you were raised as a foster child." Nikki answered.
"I lost my entire family on my birthday when I was 6 years old, and I had no other relatives to take me in so I lived off of the streets as a child for 2 and half years. It was 6 months after the disaster at Vermillion arena just before Nolan's sister Sally was born where everything changed for me." Jacob said as his choice of words signal the start of a flashback sequence.
I remember Jacob telling this story the day I got married as part of his toast to the bride and groom. Anyways, it was a few days before Christmas and Tarrant City was blanketed with snow in what was once one of Tarrant City's more unsavory neighborhoods. Jacob dressed in the tattered remains of what clothes he had was having a match against a much older man inside an abandoned apartment complex where those with circumstances similar to him reside. Ah yes Vanguard is so popular that it's become a necessary survival skill for the homeless community for they often wager what little supplies they have for other things they need for survival.
"Pain Laser and Menace Laser….. Legion attack!" Jacob declared.
"Damage check….. I lost." the old man who Jacob was facing said.
"As agreed had over the jacket." Jacob said as he held out his hand.
The look in the eyes of the 8 and a half year old Jacob was a look that indicated he had a strong will to survive, however the fact that they were completely devoid of emotion suggested that he had very little to live for. In any case the prize that Jacob fought for was a dirtied coat far too big for someone as young as him to wear, however size aside people who are in circumstances similar to him need whatever protection against the elements they can get.
"Thank you very much." Jacob said as the old man passed him the coat.
Jacob started to head outside because he knew that the more financially able of his little homeless community occasionally chipped in for a little bond-fire outback, however he stopped when he saw a mother and her young daughter huddled up together against the wall for some kind of warmth. Seeing the little girl appealed to what little motion Jacob had left of the time because she reminded him of "her" due to their similar appearance.
"Take it." Jacob said as he tossed his dirtied coat of a prize to this mother and her little girl.
"Th…. Thank you, but why?" the mother asks as she quickly wraps her little girl in the coat.
Jacob doesn't answer this mother's question and he simply heads outside as intended; however if Jacob were to answer her question he would say that her little girl looked exactly like how he imagined his little sister to look like were she still with him. Anyways, Jacob heads outside and sees all of the usual faces gathered around the fire. Especially a man named Thomas, of who had a job that paid him enough where he could get his own place but instead used what he got help support his extended family among this little community especially children like Jacob who refused to be trapped within the foster-care system.
"Did you win?" Thomas asks as he scoots to the side a little in order to make room for Jacob.
"Yes." Jacob answered as he sat next to the fire.
"That's good….. still I can't believe that you risked your deck just so that lady and her kid could get their coat back." Thomas said in disbelief.
Now the reason that Thomas was especially surprised by Jacob risking his deck was because he was the only person in this little community that Jacob trusted enough to tell that he had a certain legendary card in his deck.
"It wasn't a risk… he's a weak fighter." Jacob said as he vigorously rubs his hands together.
"I wouldn't say he's weak, but rather I'd say you're just too strong. In fact I'd say you're the best fighter out of everyone here. Look if you really wanted to I'd say you could make it as a professional fighter. I mean there are several pros your age." Thomas pointed out.
"That's no good. I can't accomplish my dream if I'm constantly on everyone's mind." Jacob said as he immediately dismissed Thomas's suggestion.
"You're still going off on that?" Thomas asked as he knew what Jacob's dream.
"Yeah… I'll become strong enough to rescue my sister, find the people that took us apart, and destroy them." Jacob said as he clenched his fists together in a silent rage.
Some of you are probably wondering how Nolan plays into all of this aren't you? Well to answer your question Mr. Elchart was in the area as part of a project his company was undertaking to gentrify part of the of the neighborhood. Nolan wanted to "see where daddy worked" so for the sake of father-daughter bonding Mr. Elchart brought her along, however Nolan soon wandered off due to the sheer amount of curiosity she had as a child. It can be considered miraculous seeing as how someone else didn't try anything before Nolan reached this point given how she was literally dressed like a little rich kid; however after waking around this questionable neighborhood for a while she ended up walking down a side alley to the back area of the very same abandoned apartment building in which Jacob was staying at.
"Oh great I'm lost. I could have sword that this was the apartment daddy and I started at." The young Nolan thought as she continued heading down this side alley.
As if on some stereotypical movie cue, a shady individual emerged from a hole in the apartment building ahead of Nolan in order to block her path.
"What's this….. are you lost girly? Well your clothes look like they're worth a lot of money, so hand them over." this shady character said as he took a step towards Nolan.
"No stay away." Nolan said as she was clearly scared of this man, but fear prevented her from moving.
The young Nolan despite even then being a major tsundere was too scared to run away; however before anything could happen her ears were suddenly filled with the sound of a 2x4 breaking over a man's head or to be more specific the head of this particularly shady character. Once this shady character dropped to the ground, Nolan saw Jacob holding a broken piece of wood while standing over her would be attacker.
"We were nearly evicted the last time you pulled something like this. That's why you were kicked out and told never to come back. Don't make me have to teach you again." Jacob said to this would be pedophile not caring if he was conscious enough to realize what he's saying.
Because of her upbringing, Nolan seeing a kid close to her age whack someone on the side of the head was rather bewildering to her….. not that she wasn't ungrateful for it of course.
"Umm… thank you." Nolan said as she wasn't sure what she should say to Jacob.
"And you…" Jacob said after dropping the blunt instrument he used.
"Me what?" Nolan asks.
"Someone like you shouldn't be here… you're only asking to get yourself killed." Jacob said before he started dragging Nolan somewhere by the arm.
"Hey where are you taking me?!" Nolan yelled as she tries to break free from Jacob's grip, but he's simply too strong for her.
What Jacob did was drag Nolan back to just outside of the main entrance of the apartment building.
"Now go back home where you belong." Jacob said as he let go of Nolan's arm and started to head back inside of the abandoned apartment building.
"Wait…" Nolan said as she made a plea to get Jacob's attention.
"What do you want now?" Jacob asks after he turns back around to face Nolan.
"Could you please tell me your name?" Nolan asked as she was curious about the identity of her savior.
"I refuse, so now if you'll excuse me." Jacob answered before turning back towards the apartment building again.
Now this is where Nolan showed Jacob the tsundere part of her personality for the first time. You she was annoyed by Jacob's indifferent attitude, so Nolan cut off his path of retreat and stomped on his foot in order to get his attention.
"Alright… ouch I get the point. It's Jacob….. geez." Jacob said as he reeled back from the pain of Nolan's left foot.
"Good, so now you know how to answer someone when they ask you nicely." Nolan retorts.
And finally Jacob could peacefully return to his crappy little hell hole of a home… his words not mine for the record, but anyways enough flash backs because it's time for this fight to reach a new stage.
"Nolan eventually reunited with her father, and she told him exactly what I did to protect her. Feeling as though he owed me for what I did, Mr. Elchart showed up to the place I considered home the following day just to see me. After talking to him for a few minutes he said that I was very bright despite my personal circumstances." Jacob said to Nikki.
"What happened after that?" Nikki asks.
"He held his hand out to me, and offered to give me a chance for a better life along with a chance to reach my full potential. I needed that chance to accomplish my dream, so after I took Mr. Elchart's hand he became a foster-father and a... second father for me. It was hard at first growing up as a servant-apprentice in their home but still… I had a reason to live again, a place to live, school, and many other things people take for granted." Jacob said as he summarized the some of the events of his life that occurred after this flashback.
"You still haven't answered my question." Nikki pointed out.
"I know I'm getting to that. Like I was saying it was hard growing up as a servant dealing with all matters of house chores, training in proper manners from interacting with guests to dinner implements, and balancing school. Hard as it was... I was used to living a more free life on the streets, and the habits I picked up because of it got me in trouble a few times... such as theft for example. I eventually had enough of this strict nature when all of a sudden I was accused of stealing an extremely valuable necklace from Mrs. Elchart." Jacob explained.
"Did you actually steal it?" Nikki asks before Jacob could start continuing on with his story.
"Of course not, I'm no thief. I was innocent, but I knew they weren't going to believe me so I expected to be thrown back on the streets like how I wanted then; however... another selfless act changed that way of thinking. Lady Nolan tried to take the blame for me by saying she took it and lost it at school all because she considered me a friend. I refused to let her be punished for something she didn't do, so I pretended to admit my guilt of the crime to save her." Jacob continued to explain as he was just barely able to hide a strong look of sadness on his face.
Jacob and I never got along since we first me each other, and the two of us still don't care very much for each other today despite everything that has happened. Still... as I heard his story while he fought I couldn't help but feel guilty for all the childish things I've done to him up to that point in time.
"It was at the moment where I expected to be punished when one of the other servants of the house turned in the real thief, but there was no way Nolan could have known for sure I was innocent and yet she was willing to sacrifice herself for me. To the me back then, such a concept of generosity would have been impossible to comprehend, but I understand the importance of paying back a debt. I took all of my lessons from housework to advanced self-defense courses seriously from that point on. I swore an oath of loyalty to the Elchart family that in order to pay back the thing they've done for me... I would serve and guard Lady Nolan's needs and life until the day I die myself. It maybe something extreme to hear from a high school student, but I assure you my words aren't false claims. If a gunman were to make an attempt on Lady Nolan right now, I would drop this fight right here and gladly take the bullet." Jacob explained.
"So it's guilt huh?" Nikki mumbled to herself.
"Excuse me? What did you just say?" Jacob asks as he seems like he may have overheard what Nolan said.
"I said you're just using Crystal Reefs out of guilt aren't you? If I were in your shoes I'd be just as grateful to the Elchart family, and I probably would have even made the same vows, but I wouldn't let that stop me from using my clan." Nikki said as she sees Jacob's reason as sad as it were as nothing more than an excuse.
"How dare you insult the Elchart name?! It's clear you know nothing of what it means to lose everything you have, and be grateful to someone who gave part of what you lost back. Make no mistake Nicolette Kurosagi, I've used the Crystal Reef clan for the past several years not out of guilt but to honor and respect what this family has done for me! Still... I will admit that I haven't used this deck because of the pain it causes me by holding it... the pain of losing everything, the pain of using this deck for selfish purposes, and the pain caused by my own weakness!" Jacob yelled as he was extremely angry right now.
"You know nothing about me! I may not look it, but I've lost everything too! And I've met people who were able to give back part of what I've lost as well! Don't you dare act like you know everything!" Nikki yelled as Jacob's painful past reminds herself of her own.
"If you have then it's clear you don't appreciate the new life you've been given, and I'll make sure you understand what it means to insult my pride and the Elchart name right now! Stand and draw." Jacob yelled as his eyes went even more wide-eyed then they were before the moment he saw his next card.
"The anger, the sadness, the subtle tears... it's clear that these two fighters have lived a harsh life... Now, it's also clear that this fight is no longer about a simple rare card but rather a clash between the pride these two fighters hold responsible for making them who they are. With an already bad situation and emotions flaring, how will Jacob of Team Star Ocean start off his next turn?!" MC Sonar announced to the crowd as he felt touched by Jacob's story.
"Winds that turn into infernos and flames that reduce everything to ash, these are the symbols of your rebirth by sleep! I ride Dragonic Overlord [Power: 11000]!" Jacob yelled.
Once again a torrent of flames appears and reaches to the sky, and once again a legendary dragon emerges from a flaming cocoon.
"What?!" Nikki said as she was shocked beyond belief by what she just heard.
"I…. I thought I was speechless before Vanguard fans when Nikki rode Dragonic Overlord, but to see that Jacob Edwards has a copy of the legendary card in his possession… I just…. It's just beyond words." MC Sonar said as he struggles to string a couple of sentences together.
Even though she refuses to use a certain power ever again, Nikki has noticed that there have been times where it activates on its own. Because of these certain, Nikki can see the illusion of a roaring flame behind Jacob illuminating him. The best way to describe it was that it was a manifestation of his will.
"Again? No stop it…. I'll win without relying on that power." Nikki thought as she tightly squeezes her eyes shut, and takes a moment to concentrate.
"Now I'll show you Nicolette Kurosagi the way the Kagero clan is meant to be played!" Jacob declared.
To Be Continued
Nikki: How do you have a copy of Dragonic Overlord?
Jacob: That's my business.
Kiba: Amaizing… I didn't think it was possible to see an even more amazing fight.
Jacob: Next time on Vanguard: Light Speed "Perdition Beginning".