Vanguard: Light Speed
Chapter 16
The True Kaiser's Redemption
Right….. I know it's been a while since my last entry, but the hope I put into this one makes up for it. If you recall the end of my last entry, I shocked nearly everyone and likely brought up emotions for them best left forgotten when I revealed that I'd be using Abraxas. At any rate, in case I haven't mentioned it there were events that went on in between my previous entry that I couldn't mention. Before I write out the fight between Isaac and I… I must tell you what happened in those events between.
"Ha…. ha…. good I made it on time." I mumble as I struggle to breathe after having ran to just outside Cosmic Odyssey from where I parked.
You see right after class ended I attempted to make my way to Oli's store as fast as possible since he texted me during lunch that day that the friend he wanted to meet had a busy schedule. Unfortunately for me I got stuck in a really bad traffic jam, but thankfully it wasn't so bad that I missed Oli's friend entirely.
"Is your frie…. Is your friend…. still here Oli?" I ask as I stagger inside the store.
"Jesus Christ man, did you run all the way here from school? Well here take this… it's on the house." Oli said noticing my exhausted state as he passed me a bottle of water.
"Thank you… now where are the cards I had you track down?" I ask as I felt a sense of tremendous relief pass over me when the cold water coated my dry throat.
"Here you are they're all here." Oli said as he pulled a small stack of cards from behind the counter and placed it on top of it.
I examined the small pile of cards placed before me in absolute detail. Don't get me wrong I wasn't doubting Oli's ability to track cards down even in the slightest, but I couldn't help myself since each of these cards represented the way I've always wanted to fight. Each of these cards represented another side of Abraxas.
"Is everything to your liking?" Oli asks.
"Yeah." I retort before putting these cards in one of my deck boxes.
"Now is there anything else I can do for you?" Oli curiously asks.
"Huh? Oh…. right you mentioned on the phone that a friend of yours had a few cards that could make my deck even stronger. Where is the guy?" I ask as I recall last night's conversation.
"Sorry I completely forgot." Oli said as he walks out from behind the counter.
After walking out from behind the counter Oli walked towards the bathroom door located in the back of his store.
"Hey are you done yet in their? The guy I told you about is here, and I'm sure the both of you want to get on with your own business." Oli said as he knocked on the bathroom door as if trying to confirm whether or not the person inside was still alive.
"Just calm down alright. I'm washing my hands, so I'll be out in a second alright." said the person inside the bathroom with an annoyed tone of voice.
Seconds after I heard the sound of a faucet being turned off the bathroom door opened and out came a man in his mid to late 20s, with tan skin, pink eyes, spiky orange hair 6' 2", with a thin yet not quite petite frame, and wearing a mostly dark brown themed outfit.
"Who's your friend?" I curiously ask as I didn't immediately recognize this person.
"You seriously don't recognize him? Think back to the fighting floor during the disaster 10 years ago." Oli retorts as if surprised by my line of questioning.
"10 year…. Ahhhh! You're Laz Miķelis. You were like one of the top fighters in the world 10 years ago. You won many a fight people thought impossible with Abraxas a card that many believed should be in capable of winning so many matches. Dude….. Oli how do you know him?" I urgently ask as I can't help but let the star struck sensation I'm feeling ooze all over me.
"He was my roommate his freshmen year any my senior year of college." Oli explained with a smile on his face though his tone suggests the experience didn't actually warrant that response.
"Right…. well save your inner fan girl for a pre-teen idol. Anyways please sit across from me if you will." Laz sighs as he takes a random chair at one of the tables in Cosmic Odyssey.
As I took a seat across this once famous fighter I could tell that he had a sullen look on his face; however he was trying to push those feelings aside so he could tell me whatever it is he wanted to tell me. Unfortunately I was in too much of a giggly state to really care at that point in time.
"It's like a total honor to meet you sir. My favorite one of your fights was when you break rode Abraxas over Vowing Sword 13 years ago in the regional qualifier forcing your opponent to be ultra-conservative, and guaranteeing the win with a double critical trigger. Can I like have your autograph?" I say excitedly as I pull a pen and paper from my pocket that I don't remember having, but that was likely due to the fact I was again in a seriously giggly state of mind.
"I'm not a famous fighter anymore, so could you please put that away." Laz respectfully asks though looking back it was clear he was annoyed with my request.
"Sorry." I said after putting away the aforementioned writing implements due to realizing how embarrassing my own actions were.
"Right well…. I suppose you're wondering why I'm here." Laz said indicating that he wants to proverbially get down to brass taxes.
"Actually yeah I am wondering. All Oli mentioned was that you had a few cards that could make my Abraxas deck even stronger." I retort as I realize the seriousness of the tone he's taking.
"Sighhh….. I swear that's just like him. Right… he was referring to these 8 cards." Laz said as he placed a small stack of cards tightly bound with a rubber band face down on the table.
"Tha-" I was saying when all of a sudden Laz grabbed my left arm.
"I did tell him I had 8 cards that could make your deck stronger, but I haven't decided whether or not I'm going to give them to you." Laz explained before gently letting go of my arm.
"Then what do I have to do to prove myself?" I ask as I place one of my decks on the table.
"Easy there tiger I'm not interested in fighting." Laz said clearly uninterested in a Vanguard fight.
"Then what do I have to do?" I ask as I put said deck away.
"I want to ask you something. If your answer is good enough or if it's the one I'm looking for then I'll give you those cards, but if it isn't….. well you get the idea." Laz says in a very serious tone of voice.
"Then ask away." I retort seeing as how I had nothing better to do until my fight with Isaac.
"I heard you gave up and gave away parts of that deck like so many others years ago. Why are you re-building it now?" Laz seriously asks with eyes that look as if they're staring into my very soul.
"The truth is I don't really know why I'm rebuilding this deck either, but if you're willing to listen I can tell you when I started to have this compulsion and the feelings that came with it." I honestly say.
"Very well… Kiba right? Tell me how you felt." Laz said after contemplating my suggestion for a moment.
"It happened the morning after the first day of the Vanguard Expo. I woke up from a nightmare I can't seem to remember, but I know it was terrifying since I felt as though I stared at the horrors of the world incarnate. Anyways my compulsion…. No my desire to rebuild Abraxas started when I realized I was awake." I explain.
"Did anything new come up for you after that?" Laz inquired.
"No new nightmares….. at least not that I can remember if that's what you're asking, but feelings about things I've only thought about doing came to the surface. Things like proving what happened 10 years ago was just a fluke coincidence, redeeming Abraxas's honor, and showing other fighters who still love that card that they have nothing to fear. Still…. these desires and feelings may have been brought up by a nightmare, but what cemented them was a fight I saw at the Expo between Jacob and Nicolette." I honestly explain.
"I saw that fight too…. It was very exciting…. Why I felt a burning fire within me that I haven't felt in years." Laz said as he clenches his hand as if to simulate the excitement that fight brought.
"Though between the two of us my win/loss ratio against Jacob is about even with him being somewhat ahead, but that was because he was using Crystal Reefs. After his fight with Nikki he kicked my ass 7 ways to Sunday with his true clan. It was then he told me about how someone told him to stay true to himself…. Those words… that's what convinced me to rebuild this deck. That's why I'll fight Isaac with this deck and redeem everything about the card we both love win or lose." I declare.
"There's no win or lose. If you want to redeem Abraxas's honor you need…. No you must beat him. There's simply no other way." Laz interjects.
"I know, but he's way stronger than I am so it won't be easy." I retort.
"Which is why you'll need these. Your answer wasn't the one I expected, but it's good enough for me." Laz said as he slides those 8 cards over to my side of the table.
I immediately ripped the rubber band on these few cards, and whiplash from said action aside I was surprised by what I saw. The grade 2 unit of which you'll see later was useful, but the true prize was the grade 3 I've never even seen before that day.
"I've never seen this card before….. hell I didn't even know it existed." I say out of shock.
"No one has. I was going to use it 10 years ago, but I didn't get the chance because of you know what." Laz reluctantly explains.
"Still…. I get you were testing me, but why give these cards to me at all?" I ask.
"My time as a flying through the skies of the Vanguard world is done, and a new generation of fighters have inherited that sky. Truthfully I don't even know why I kept the cards at all, but…. after Oli told me what you were up to something just clicked inside me. It was as if the dragon of time Abraxas and not the card was telling me that I should pass the torch to you." Laz said before chuckling for some reason.
"Thank you sir. I promise to use these cards well." I tell Laz as I get up from my seat and offer him a respectful bow.
"Easy there kid I'm just a high school teacher now, but… if you want to get to the Expo before the afternoon traffic hits I suggest you leave now." Laz said as he pointed towards the door.
"Thank you again sir and I promise to do you proud!" I yell as I offer another respectful bow before running out the door in yet again a very giggly mood.
Now in case you were curious nothing of interest happened between here up to the point I got to the Expo. I just hurried home, changed into the same clothes I always wear (which I don't get why I do), said hello to my mother, ate a quick lunch, and finally after Sade got dressed we went on our way. I suppose if anything the trip to the expo took about 20 minutes longer than expected, but once we got there Sade and I quickly caught up with my friends at the food court near the convention center's west entrance.
"Here you are good sir." Virgil said with a smug look on his face as he pushes a chair out for me with his foot from his seat.
"Are you really that lazy man?" I ask as I pull a chair out for Sade whilst taking a seat in my own.
"Yes I am." my old friend chuckles in response.
"Thank you big bro." Sade gratefully said as she takes the seat next to me.
"Did you sleep alright?" Dalette asks as she calmly takes a sip of her coffee.
"Sleep is a lie, but… yawwwwn I got what I could." I answer.
"Do you think you can win?" Raphugio asks.
"To be honest I don't know. I've made the deck I want to use as strong as I could, but when the fight starts it's up to me to play the best I can with the hand I'm dealt." I tell my friends as I stare at my right hand for some reason.
"That's a good attitude you have, but you should still be careful. I've watched several of Isaac's previous fights and I can say they all have one thing in common." Dalette points out.
"What do they all have in common then?" Virgil curiously asks.
"Regardless of whether or not Isaac's opponents are capable of exciting him, not once have I ever seen him fight with everything he has." Dalette said with a tone as serious as the one Laz had.
"Ha thanks I needed your good words to motivate." I jokingly retort.
"I'm not going to sugar coat the truth. That won't do any good for you." Dalette said as she pointed her finger at me.
"Isaac is overwhelmingly strong big bro, but I know you can do it. I believe in you." Sade said to me with puppy dog eyes.
"Thanks I really mean it." I tell Sade as I gently pat the top of her head, of which she seemed to greatly enjoy.
"Ahem…" Dalette coughs as if to get my attention.
"Oh I'm sorry, do you want me to pat your head too Dalette?" I jokingly ask.
"No of course not. I'm not interested in such childish displays of affection." Dalette answered as her face twitched slightly with annoyance.
"Ah so you'd prefer a more mature display of affect…. Ouch." I was saying when without warning Dalette stomped on my foot.
"That's what you get for trying to be cute." Dalette said as she hid the annoyance caused by my statement rather well behind her face.
"Point taken." I say in response as I try to hold in the pain.
Seriously Dalette has some slender and I'm willing to admit (but don't tell my wife) attractive thighs, but they have some real power behind them too.
"Now then…. If you don't mind can I see the deck you're going to use? It's alright if you refuse, but I'm just curious." Dalette asks.
"Oh sure…. .. here you are." I answer as I slide my deck box across the table towards her.
Starting from the bottom of the deck Dalette examined each card one by one, but once she's finally gotten through 1/5th of the deck a look of shock appeared on her face. It's clear from that reaction she found the ace of the deck.
"You can't be serious can you?" Dalette asks as if trying to make sure I'm not playing some kind of prank on her.
"I'm completely serious. I fully intend to use that deck win or lose." I tell Dalette with a serious tone of my own.
"I trust you know that regardless of victory or defeat that you'll turn yourself into an outlet for people's collective anguish." Dalette responds.
"I know that'll happen I was there after all, but I will admit that I probably won't understand how far those feelings will go since I wasn't as hit as hard as the others." I point out.
"As long as you understand…. Then I won't say anything bad about your decision." Dalette said as she passed her deck back to me.
"What deck were you going to use Kiba?" Virgil and Raphugio coincidently ask me at the same time.
"Jinx, you owe me a soda." Virgil says quickly thereafter.
"Damn….. fine I'll get it in a bit." Raphugio was saying when he realized it would be inappropriate to finish his current sentence.
"So again, what was the deck you were going to use man?" Virgil asks curiously asks one more time.
"I'm afraid that'll be my little secret." I tell Virgil as I purposely hold my fingers to my lip as a gesture of silence.
Fine…. I guess I'll just let it be a surprise." Virgil said as he decided to drop the issue.
"Well then…. Now that our little initial meet and greet is out of the way, what do you all want to do until show time?" Raphugio asks the rest of our little group.
"I don't know….. I guess… it's up to the river of time to decide where we flow next." I mumble.
Though I may have made a destiny pun right here it's certainly not something I believe in, but I can't deny that the concept itself will still have influence for as long as there are those who believe in it. Anyways I decide to go off on my own in the convention center in order to ease my nerves. I actually got a few wishes of good luck from people I passed along the way, but…. I think I was also hoping to run into that overly dressed girl (IE Sakura) though I don't know why especially since I didn't know who she was back then. Now at some point you might have wondered what Isaac was doing. What was he doing to prepare for this fight? Well after asking around I later learned that things happened more or less like this inside of Teresa's specially made dressing room.
"Are you in Teresa?" Isaac asks as she knocks on Teresa's dressing room door.
"Oh Isaac…. just a moment I only have a pair of shorts on." Teresa said in response as the sound of drawers being pushed and pulled can be heard from the inside of her dressing room.
A few minutes later Teresa opened the door to her dressing room so as to let Isaac inside. On the surface Isaac seemed to be no different than usual, but Teresa has known him long enough to be able to tell that in reality like me he got very little sleep last night.
"So what do you think of what I'm wearing?" Teresa asks as she does a little strut for her team captain.
Teresa in this moment wasn't wearing one of the stage costumes she had already been seen in or the usual outfit she wears everyday, of which I don't get why we all do. At any rate she was wearing a lilac-color, strapless dress with a black piece of fabric going across the breasts and down to her stomach, below an intricate coat. This coat is made up of violet and plum shaded components, reaching as far down as the hem of her dress but also leaving some areas open which expose the dress below. Above that she wears a collar of the same violet of her coat, outlined in lavender with a red jewel securing the collar in place.
"This is the outfit I'm going to be wearing for the Expo's closing day performance. The costume department delivered in a little while ago. Tell me what do you think captain?" Teresa asks as she twirls around like a ballerina for Isaac.
"If it's helping you to do your job properly then I see no reason why you should seek my opinion." Isaac answered as he takes a seat on the couch in Teresa's dressing room.
"Ohhh Isaac I wish you had some real world sensibility." Teresa said with a temporary sullen look on her face clearly disappointed that she didn't get the reaction she wanted out of Isaac.
"Hmmm… I thought the technical chief was going to be here before me…. or at the very least I expected Preston to be here before me" Isaac pointed out as if expecting someone else to be in the room with Teresa.
"I have no idea where Preston is but I was told by my assistant that he is here; however he was held up by parking issues and should be here soon. Also if they were already here….. do you really think I'd let them watch me change?" Teresa explained as she was already pouring Isaac a cup of tea.
"Thank you… and it's just a lack of clothes. There's nothing to be embarrassed about." Isaac said as he doesn't realize the seriousness of the issue Teresa brought up.
"To you maybe, but I have 2 decently sized assets that I have to prote…. ohhh why am I even talking about this." Teresa said referring to her chest as her cheeks turned a bright red color.
"You're the one who brought it up, so don't blame me." Isaac retorts.
"So are you looking forward to your next fight?" Teresa curiously asks.
"It's a fight like any other. If destiny deems that I win then I win and if it is deemed that I lose… so what? It makes little difference to me." Isaac answered as he took out the deck he was going to use and spreads its contents across the table.
"Still you know your opponent is his son. Surely you're aware of the irony of the fact and that everyone who's watching with a brain will as well?" Teresa earnestly pointed out.
"Of course I'm aware of the irony, but I don't think the people watching will realize it. Especially since his official relationship to the Team Strike Shadow organization implies his roles are completely different." Isaac retorts.
"Still that's not going to stop someone who's determined enough from finding out." Teresa said.
"And if they learn something they're not supposed to they'll be dealt with all the same. Still….. I suppose the aspect of irony you were referring to was 'Who's stronger? Is it the master's son? Or is it his greatest student?' right?" Isaac asks.
"As long as you're aware of it…. oh I got some hot donuts from one of the roadies who work for my publisher." Teresa informed as if she suddenly recalled the information.
"I appreciate the offer, but the tea is more than adequate." Isaac said in response.
Before either of these star-crossed lovers (Sarcastically speaking of course) could say another word, they were both cut off by the sound of someone else knocking on Teresa's dressing room door.
"Isaac or Teresa, if either of you are inside could you please open the door?" said an oh so familiar male voice.
But this time instead of Teresa answering the door Isaac decides to volunteer for that role, and opens the dressing room door seconds after the owner of that familiar voice made his request. A tall man with grayish brown hair, a thick layer of fuzz across his face, eyes of the same shape as me, eyes of the same color as me, he was wearing a white lab coat over a crimson red suit, and most importantly you who chose to read my tale of the truth is that this person….. if it wasn't already made clear enough was my father.
"Thank you." my dad said as he walks into the room carrying a small metal briefcase.
"Technical advisor Nakashima, can I get you anything to drink? Teresa asks.
Though the Elchart Corporation was primarily known for their shipping business, they've recently started to gain prominence as a tech company through the fruition of their various research projects. My father a talented electrical/mechanical engineer managed several of these projects though he took great pains to keep his name out of the papers for the sake of privacy.
"No thank you. I'm here on business." My father said as he respectfully turns down Teresa's offer.
When the multiple financial powerhouses involved came together to form Team Strike Shadow an organization that is essentially an American version of the Asteroid organization… they recruited the best of the best for even mundane roles. The best physical trainers, the most well connected card dealers, the most skilled of practice opponents, etc were all recruited into the team for again even the most mundane of positions. Quite frankly they have the capital behind them equivalent or perhaps even surpassing a top rate NFL team. My father was selected to be the team's technical advisor, of which basically means that he maintains Team Strike Shadow's equipment ranging from their MF systems right down to their advanced treadmills. Now I already knew this was a part of my father's already staggering number of responsibilities at work, but little did anyone especially me know that my dad's true purpose was not what anyone would expect.
"Tell me Isaac, did the cards I track down for you help?" my father asks Isaac with an extremely serious looking expression of his own.
"Yes teacher, they have allowed me to become much stronger. Have you had luck tracking down the cards I requested?" Isaac asks in response.
Yes you heard him correctly readers... or read him as the literal case may be. Anyways, Isaac did indeed say "Teacher". Instead of spending time watching and teaching me his own son his ways…. He spent several years that should have been spent with me teaching…. no training Isaac into becoming the fighter he was today, but even back then he was still a long ways off from catching up to my father. I know a lot of children think their fathers are invincible, but my dad truly embodies that fact as his job aside... his skills as a card fighter were so great that those who knew the depths of his strength would consider it at a level not even true omnipotent card fighters could ever hope to reach.
"All of the commons up to the double rare cards were easy for me to track down, but the fact that you found out of the existence of a card that even the organization never heard of made the last part a little challenging." My father explained to Isaac.
"Then you were unable to find 4 copies of the most important card of the deck?" Isaac asks.
"They were very difficult for even the organization's best black market card dealers to track down, so I had to resort to getting in contact with my personal dealers to find them. I have 2 in this briefcase along with the rest of the cards you asked for." my father explained as he passed Isaac the aforementioned brief case.
"What of the other 2?" Isaac asks as he actually smiles due to seeing the contents of this briefcase with his own two eyes.
"One of the organization's agents in Istanbul has come to an agreement with the owner of the last two copies; however the person in question is a rather stubborn man demanding a rather large sum. The earliest we'll be able to get it to him is tomorrow, however thanks to the Elchart corporation developing cheap supersonic engines for mass production it'll be in your hands long before your exhibition match with Sakura." My father calmly explains.
"I'm surprised you're not rooting for your own son to win." Isaac said though he obviously didn't mean it.
"As a father if my son were to win it would bring me much joy, but the chances of that happening are slim if not non-existent. Another research project warrants my immediate attention, so I'll have another member of the organization deliver the last 2 cards to you once they arrive." My father explained as he turned towards the dressing room door.
"As you wish teacher." Isaac said as he showed my father to the door.
I knew that my father managed multiple research projects and I knew about my dad's position as the technical chief to Team Strike Shadow, but I didn't discover that my father personally trained Isaac until long after this day. From here on until my fight with Isaac started nothing interesting happened save for the fact that I managed to acquire a few new cards.
"Mr. Isaac sir, I'm with vanguard monthly. Can I please get you to answer a few questions?" one of many reporters asked Isaac.
As Isaac made his way to what would be our battlefield he was immediately hounded by various reporters where I a complete nobody barely got any attention past the fact of being considered as yet another stepping stone.
"I'll answer only a few questions since my fight start soon." Isaac said as he could no longer advance through this crowd of reporters.
"The prize for winning the Expo is a chance to fight Sakura Verde, and the prize for defeating her is to have a wish within the power of the sponsors to be granted. Isaac, just what is it you want that you can't get through Team Strike Shadow's already considerable financial resources?" one random reporter asks.
"That's for me to know, and you to find out." Isaac answered clearly wanting to keep that proverbial card to himself.
"Isaac, have you already thought about the strategy you'll use against Sakura? I mean it's already obvious enough that you'll steamroll over some kid that just managed to luck his way into the finals." Another random reporter asks.
"It's rude to my opponent to assume that I'll automatically win when we fight, but I do have something in mind to fight Sakura with should I win." Isaac answered as he sort of defended me.
And I say sort of because Isaac is the kind of fighter who will only show respect to other fighters that have earned it regardless of their individual strength. He'll tell you if he thinks you're strong or weak simply because it's his honest opinion, but he'll never disrespect his opponents either. For example he won't insult you if he thinks you're weak or make fun of you because he thinks the ace of your deck looks stupid.
"I only have time for one more question, so make sure it's a good one." Isaac tells all of these reporters.
"Is there any fighter at all you consider stronger than you? For example, the captain of Team Red Stars Sebastian Glaskov. His team won the world tournament last year 2-0." A final reporter asks.
"We've never fought so it's impossible for me say anything about him, but for the sake of answering your question there is one person I consider to be stronger than me." Isaac answered.
"I realize you said that you only have time for one more question, but just who is that person?" the third reporter asks again as he like many of his colleagues were surprised by what Isaac said.
"That person is my teacher…. the man who taught me…. no…. the man who is still teaching me the skills to fight. I've had several matches with him, but I've never beaten him… not even once." Isaac shockingly revealed.
This question was surprising to those who were listening for two reasons. The first reason is that Isaac answered this particular question since every other time someone's asked him this he's always carefully dodged the issue. The second reason was that Isaac was considered to be at the level under aged fighters dream of achieving, but the thought of there being someone (IE my father since I wasn't aware of his involvement at this point) with the skills to put even him to shame…. it was something that seemed impossible to comprehend.
"If you'll excuse me, I have a fight to get to." Isaac declared as he forced his way through the crown of reporters.
And thus you now know every event of importance that occurred between last night when I was researching Isaac and up to the point right before our fight started. Still…. I suppose instead of just diving right into the action its better that I start again with what led up to it even if you already know happened past this point.
"I'll be acting as the judge for this fight, so I expect fair play from the both of you." Sakura ordered.
That's right our judge was none other than Sakura Verde herself, but instead of her usual attire she was wearing the formal blue business blouse you normally see female judges wear for Vanguard tournaments even today.
"Of course." I retort.
"I would never defy the rules of destiny." Isaac interjects.
"Now bring out the decks the both of you want to use for this fight, pass them to each other, and shuffle." Sakura ordered.
"I already know what I'm going to use." I tell Sakura as I held up my deck towards Isaac as if I had a sword pointed at his throat.
As Isaac reached for his deck….. he jerked ever so slightly like he was poked by a needle, but little did I know that there was more to this reaction than meets the eye. Isaac explained a year or 2 after this fight that as he reached for his deck he literally heard the loud roar of a dragon in the back of his mind….. all of which was to get his attention.
"I see…. so you wish to wait no longer for an opponent worthy of you….. or do you consider this person worthy?" Isaac mumbled to himself as he reached for his deck.
"Are you alright?" I ask as I happened to have partially overheard what he said.
"Merely a bit of static shock." Isaac answered, and although his response was lacking emotion even I could still tell that was just a quick excuse.
"Okay…." I mumble as Isaac and I trade decks.
Now I may have said that Isaac was reaching for his deck, but it would be more accurate to say that he was reaching for one of the 4 he has on his person at all times. In fact I believe that I mentioned this earlier, but there's always one deck box Isaac has where no one knows what is in it as he's never fought with it. That was the very deck he passed to me, and I could feel the intense power it held as I shuffled it. The power within this deck felt like it could burn the skin off my hands if I wasn't careful…. It was just very off-putting.
"It seems as though Vermillion wants me to show you your destiny in this fight." Isaac informed.
"Wha….." I tried to say, but before I knew it I found myself travelling through a tunnel of light.
And once I emerged from that tunnel of light I found myself standing upon an apocalyptic landscape. What I saw there was another legendary dragon crushing the ace of my deck with the same overwhelming force I sensed while holding his deck.
"Now that both fighters have done the customary shuffling of each other's decks…. It's time for the Expo Tournament's final match to get underway!" Sara yelled into her microphone as loud as possible.
Sara's voice snapped me out of this illusion and all of a sudden I found myself standing in front of a fight table when just a second ago I was chatting with Isaac in the center of the battlefield.
"Given the small army worth of people I can see trying to get a seat in the bleachers….. it's clearly going to be a popular one." Dr. O said as he made that ever familiar symbol with his fingers.
"To date like Sakura Verde…. Isaac has never lost an official Vanguard match, but his opponent Kiba Nakashima has proven himself to be a competent fighter talented fighter." Sara announced.
"Will we have at least one more underdog upset before the Expo comes to a close for the year? Or will Isaac add to his already incredible winning steak with his near omnipotent level of strength?" Dr. O followed.
"I wouldn't go as far to claim myself omnipotent, but defeat is still your destiny in this fight." Isaac says to me as he noticed I came out of the illusion.
"If I can survive being buried alive for a few days under the rubble of Vermillion Arena 10 years ago and nearly die in the process… I can hold my own against you. I'll show you just how much your belief in destiny is really worth!" I yell as this truly is nothing compared to my nightmares.
"It seems our finalist is a survivor of that disaster 10 years. I wonder how much staring death in the face will help him here." Sara announced.
"For the younger members of our audience…. 10 years ago today during the finals of the North American Vanguard Circuit where the fighters were both using legendary Kaisers….. a massive earthquake struck the arena right as one of the competitors were about to deal the final blow." Dr. O followed.
"Among the tens of thousands of people who failed to evacuate the arena, roughly a thousand people were pulled out of the rubble, and among those thousand 300 good people died in recovery. I count myself among those lucky few, but enough about the past….. It's time for you two to clash in the present." Sakura declared.
"I'm ready to start at any time." I interject as I've already drawn my starting hand.
"As am I." Isaac followed as he's now drawing his starting hand.
"Then let the final match begin!" Sakura ordered.
"Stand up, vanguard!" I yell.
"Stand up the vanguard!" Isaac yelled shortly thereafter.
A ring of light appears in the center of our battlefield and steadily spreads outwards past Isaac, myself, my friends, the bleachers along with the people sitting on top of them, the crowd of people trying to get a good view of our battle to be, and the camera crew in charge of covering it all. Our battlefield… contrary to what I saw in the vision Isaac forced me to see….. it was going to be on a wide grassy plane, with many hills visible in the distance, and hanging around the great blue sky is the sun and moons of Cray.
"That hasn't happened in a while." Isaac thought.
"You're surprised aren't you? I'll just take this as a sign of changing fortune." I say to Isaac as I try to use anything I can to strengthen my confidence.
"Destiny is never wrong….. only extremely difficult to properly interpret, and I'm no exception to that fact." Isaac calmly explained.
"Kaiser Record Keeper [Power: 4000]!" I yell.
You already know what Kaiser Record Keeper looks like as an animated unit so I won't get into it, but instead let me tell you a little about what he represents. Long since the first Kaiser came into this world and left it, the Empire has assigned scribes to record every action a Kaiser takes since receiving that title. This is so the Empire's youth can learn from their accomplishments and their failures in order to become stronger.
"Flag of Raijin, Corpuscant [Power: 4000]!" Isaac yelled.
Appearing now in Isaac's place is a young man with a tanned complexion, with white hair, also the young tanned man is wearing a mostly black outfit save for a few red ribbons here, golden stripes there, and his weapon of choice is a long black lance with a curvy yellow blade.
"That Kiba guy's starter… is that…. the unit I think it is?" one vanguard fan said.
"No it can't be….. is that guy trying to get everyone here killed." another vanguard fan said, but with extreme fear in his voice… the kind of fear that makes you consider the possibility of death.
"Is he really trying to recreate the disaster 10 years ago?!" A third now panic-struck vanguard fan yelled.
"I expected this much to happen, but I know it won't be the end of it either." I thought as I pay no mind to the reactions of the people around me.
"So you're finally out of that rut Kiba? Good for you. Now show this prick the power of the card that represents who you are as a fighter." Virgil thought as he started to smile in response to the card I'm going to use.
"It's been a while since I saw you use that card, but will it be enough?" Nolan thought.
That's right among my friends up to this point in time only Nolan and Virgil knew of my passion for Abraxas, and I'd like to think they cheered harder for me because of that fact. This is important because after I revealed my starting Vanguard my friends would be the only people among this crowd who would cheer for me. As for the rest… well you'll see soon enough just what I'm talking about.
"Hey get off the stage!" one angry fan yelled.
"Are you trying to get all of us killed?!" a scared vanguard fan yelled.
"Let a real fighter get up there!" another angry fan yelled.
Believe it or not these were the nicer words being thrown around by the crowd. Some were of a darker fanatical nature, and others were unfairly or cruelly directed at Sade. I knew starting a scene here would be a bad idea with all of these people watching, but if it was just one person saying these things I would have kicked his or her ass right then and there. Some people even started throwing stuff, but surprisingly not that many people here had the arm strength to reach the fighting stage.
"Huh…. oh snap." I mumble as I narrowly avoid being whacked on the side of the head by a bucket of popcorn.
Now keep in mind not all of the people here were under this chaotic fear driven mindset as there were those who were around 10 years ago who thought what happened was a mere coincidence rather than a cause. Then there were those who were hurt by what happened 10 years ago among this crowd who believed the actions of their fellow man was highly disrespectful. Some people regardless of affiliation were even angered by the behavior of those around them.
"Silence!" Isaac yelled as he was one of the people most angered by the behavior of the people around me.
That order of silence was put into immediate effect as the loud booming tone Isaac gave off put a sense of fear in everyone's heart….. or were they silent simply out of respect for his power. Regardless his normal serious expression was replaced with an angered serious expression.
"You all dare to choose to display such an abhorrent farce and have the nerve to call yourselves Vanguard fighters or fans? With this attitude you insult people who are truly either. I will tell someone if I think they're strong or weak, but I'd never insult for the cards they choose to use nor should any vanguard fighter for that matter. If you wish to chat among yourselves I could care less, but anyone who interferes with one's ability to fight the way they wish is scum!" Isaac yelled.
I didn't realize it at the time but Isaac's words really struck a chord with these people. They all had guilty expressions as if they regretted their actions. Or maybe they simply all feared being the target of his wrath. In any case none of them would dare interfere with this fight any longer.
"Thanks." I tell Isaac due to appreciating what he did for me.
"I wasn't doing it for you. I simply have no tolerance for ignorant fools." Isaac retorts.
"But you do realize not everyone shares that mindset?" I ask.
"Yes, but now to finally get this fight under way. I ride Red River Dragoon [Power: 8000]!" Isaac declared.
And so it begins. At any rate Isaac's orange dragon riding starting vanguard disappears in a torrent of light only to be replaced with a young yet battle hardened lad, with light skin, blonde hair, clad in red armor, and is single handedly lifting a long heavy lance with ease.
"And so it begins Vanguard fans." Dr. O announced.
"I realize that some of you have mixed feelings in response to seeing Kiba's starting vanguard, but this is still none the less a Vanguard fight people." Sara followed.
"Yeah…. we will comment on the play by play as it happens for what we still believe could potentially be an exciting match." Dr. Concluded.
"I move Corpuscant [Power: 4000] to the back right, and I'll call Castor [Power: 7000] behind my vanguard." Isaac informed.
My opponent Isaac's former starting vanguard appeared behind his, and even though it was nothing more than a holographic simulation he looked as though he wished he could be on the front lines of battle. His Eradicator compatriot Castor however looked completely content due to being in such a safe position.
"I use Castor's skill to ditch a card from my hand so I can replace it with a new one from the top of my deck." Isaac explained as he discarded a copy of Old Dragon Mage before drawing a new card from his deck.
"Castor….. so it's not Dragonic Descendant he's using?" Sakura thought.
"I end my turn." Isaac said as he was so focused on me his opponent that it was as if he was staring into my soul.
"Draw….. I ride Red Raid Dragoon [Power: 7000]." I declare.
From a particular point of view Vanguard is a game of evolution, but regardless of whether or not you share a similar opinion mine still changes. He changes from a young lad managing records to a young warrior with a scarily similar appearance to Red River only both his hair and lance shorter. He also wears much lighter armor with a red/black color scheme.
"Since Record Keeper is in the soul, Red Raid gains +1000 power and I get to search the top 7 cards of my deck for this guy." I explain as I reveal my selected card to Isaac per the requirement.
It should be obvious, but the card I revealed to Isaac and in turn everyone who was watching was none other than Dragonic Kaiser Abraxas and all his well artistically designed glory in card form.
"I don't think we'll get confirmation of the ace of Kiba's deck better than the actual card itself Vanguard fans." Sara announced.
"But the question is regardless of its unfairly deserved reputation… will it be enough to overcome the overwhelming power Isaac has been known to fight with?" Dr. O followed.
"Only one way to find out….. Red Raid Dragoon, attack your more heavily armored brethren [Total Power: 8000]!" I yell.
[Drive Check – Shadow Photon Dragon – No Trigger]
"Oh hello….that's interesting." Dalette mumbles to herself.
"What do you mean big sis?" Sade asks due to overhearing her mumbling.
Right…. I haven't really shown it with past journal entries, but Sade for some reason got into the habit of calling Dalette big sis. Sade claimed it was because for some reason she was as comfortable around her as she was with me. Dalette herself; however, she found the nickname rather annoying but while she was with us in this world she never told Sade to stop. I truly do miss Dalette especially since her sister and I have to up the very point as I type this entry visited her grave every few days.
"I've never seen that card before, and that's surprising because I know where to find very detailed records of the history of the game." Dalette explained.
"Hang on… I thought you looked through his deck didn't you?" Virgil asks as he too overheard Dalette's mumbling but chose not to say anything until now.
"I did, but I stopped after I saw the ace of the deck." Dalette explained.
Right…. thanks to Red Raid's lighter armor it takes him only a matter of seconds to be in Red River's face. They quickly engage in a duel of lances yet strangely enough they swing their weapons at each other like swords. Red River attempts to force Red Raid off with a straight up thrust jab to the chest, but thanks to Red Raid's lighter equipment he easily sidesteps his attack and jabs his own weapon at Red River's chest. My vanguard's attack wasn't strong enough to pierce through his armor, but force of the attack still knocked him back several feet.
[Damage Check – Old Dragon Mage – Draw Trigger]
"Get…. draw trigger. Power to Red River and I draw." Isaac said as he drew another card from his deck.
Though he didn't have to say it especially since I didn't have anything else to attack him with.
"I end my turn." I inform since again there was nothing else I could attack him with.
Kiba – Isaac
7 – Hand – 5
1 – Soul – 0
0 – Damage – 1
0 – Counterblast – 0
Empty / Empty – Empty / Flag of Raijin, Corpuscant
Empty / Red Raid Dragoon – Red River Dragoon / Ceremonial Bonfire Eradicator, Castor
Empty / Empty – Empty / Empty
"Draw….. ride Demonic Dragon Berserker, Garuda [Power: 9000]." Isaac declared.
Riding to the next grade isn't all that big a deal, but I was shocked when Isaac made his declaration because this particular Gardua was the card he just drew from his deck. How do I know this you ask? I know because he kept the card face down up until the last minute as he moved it near the vanguard circle, and what's even stranger is that as I reviewed our fight after the fact no one….. and I mean no one seemed to have noticed this as well.
"What the hell…. Does he have some kind of powers of precognition?" I thought though looking back I couldn't believe the hilarious irony of that statement.
"Call Dusty Plasma Dragon [Power: 9000] to rearguard." Isaac informed as he was already reaching for the next card he was going to play.
"Irony seems to be the theme of the day's events." Dalette mumbled as she found the card Isaac played to be slightly amusing.
"What do you mean?" Sade asked as once again she overheard Dalette mumbling.
"You're too much of a beginner to know about it so I won't spoil things for you, but if Dusty Plasma Dragon is in Isaac's deck…. then there could only be one grade 3 card he intends to play." Dalette explained as she figured out what Isaac's game plan was.
"I call Spark Kid Dragoon [Power: 4000] to the rearguard." Isaac said.
"What the…" I thought out of a mixture of surprise and mile confusion.
To be certain it's not unheard of for certain builds of certain clans to keep more than one copy of their starting vanguard or even copies of a different starting vanguard entirely in their decks, but I found this surprising because a Narukami deck rarely requires such a thing at all.
"Spark Kid's counterblast: I move him into the soul to search the top 5 cards of my deck for a grade 3 unit." Isaac said after sliding the grade 0 under his vanguard.
He already knew….. no he already foresaw what he was going to select, but Isaac still takes a few seconds to reveal his decision. Perhaps something distracted him for a moment? Or maybe he was questioning his almost fanatical belief in destiny. Though the latter of the two was obviously impossible for a person like him…. I still don't know to this day why he paused.
"I add Dragonic Kaiser Vermillion to my hand." Isaac said as he finally revealed the card he foresaw to me.
"I don't believe what I'm seeing Vanguard fans… Isaac Barrett is in possession of yet another legendary card of the game." Dr. O said though this was one of the rare cases where he struggled with a sentence.
"It's almost as if fate itself wanted to at least partially recreate the match 10 years ago as if to prove a point." Sara followed.
If I were using any other deck, the people watching this fight in person would be especially ecstatic at the prospect of seeing a legendary card in action but here it turns the resentment and hatred directed towards me as a result of fear into fear itself.
"Holy shit she's right. I was there, and the opening moves were pretty similar." One vanguard fan said with fear being clearly noticeable in his voice.
"We have to get out of here." an older man said as he started to drag his two young kids by the arm.
"But why daddy? The fight's just starting." one of this older man's two kids asked.
"Because I say so. Now stop talking back to me." the older man said as he pulls even harder on the arms of his two kids.
There was nowhere near mass hysteria or stampedes to the nearest exists, but it was impossible to deny that several people were in a hurry to leave the convention center since they truly feared for their lives. I felt that same fear too when I saw that ever familiar Vermillion thunder dragon, and in fact that fear caused me to relive something that occurred 10 years ago that I can never un-see.
"Go back the other way! There's a service entrance near the third entrance that leads to a stair case." An arena security guard yelled.
10 years ago a massive earthquake hit Vermillion Stadium (An ironic name I know) right in the middle of a major match. This much is common knowledge, but few could define the horror of seeing the arena collapse around you and seeing people dying. I was there with Virgil's uncle, Virgil himself, his brother, and….. his sister who well you know… but we were separated when the very surface we were running across collapsed causing me to slide down to the floor below. Thankfully I suffered light cuts from that particular process.
"Mommy!" I yelled as I felt afraid at what's going on around me.
I knew my mother wasn't there, but I was just a child who couldn't even begin to understand the concept of fearing for one's life. I ran with the scared masses as I cried due to the fear of being trampled under the weight of hundreds of people.
"Don't worry. You'll see your mommy again." A young mother said to me as she pulled me along by the hand as if to guide me through this physical manifestation of an ocean of fear.
The words of this young mother made me feel safe even though the world was collapsing around me. I probably wouldn't be alive today if it wasn't for her trying to help, but what's sad was that even back then I couldn't remember even a single detail about what she looked like. The one important thing I do remember about her was that with one arm she was pulling me along to safety, and her other arm was tightly wrapped around a small baby girl.
"Wahhh wahhh wahhh!" the baby girl cried as I believe she in that moment feared death more than anyone.
"Hush... Sade…. don't worry mommy won't let anything happen to her precious little girl. You're new big brother and I will protect you." the young mother gently whispered to her crying child.
Looking back on those days now I could tell that this young mother was referring to me when she said "Big Brother" to reassure her child, but thinking back to that day…. I like to thing she said that to give me a random kid some sense of peace. Now then…. I knew when I decided to use Abraxas against Isaac that I'd bring up emotions best left forgotten for many people including my own, but I never believed in a million years back then that one of the darkest and most bleak parts of my childhood would literally be shoved in my face in such a dramatic fashion. Should I face my past? Can I face my past? I like to think those questions passed through my mind subconsciously, but I couldn't run away from this fight regardless and nor could I.
To Be Continued
Isaac: What no fancy next chapter preview bit?
Kiba: Nope: I'd like to think what happened here makes what'll happen next fairly obvious.
Isaac: Then go ahead through the whole routine.
Kiba: Next time on Vanguard: Light Speed "The Day Redemption Lied"
Narukami
Grade 2
Shadow Photon Dragon
Power: 9000 Shield: 5000
[Auto](RC): When this unit attacks, if you have a vanguard with "Abraxas" in its card name, this unit gets [Power]+3000 until the end of that battle.