Vanguard: Light Speed
Chapter 31
Love at First Excelics
We still have a very exciting fight to get to so I'll keep things short. Unexpectedly the World Champion Sebastian Glazkov is fighting in a American regional tournament against my ex-girlfriend Abygail Ingrid. What's even more of a shocker is that Abygail was holding her ground, and now she's about to unleash the fangs that few have ever seen.
"If you want to see my sword fully drawn from its sheath, so be it. That means... no matter what happens now, you can't complain right?" Abygail asks as she gazes upon Sebastian with a serious expression that I wouldn't wish on my worst enemies.
The tension in the room was barely tolerable with Sebastian fighting seriously, but now with Abygail throwing in everything she's got coupled with their strength resonating with one another... it was just suffocating.
"I could have sword I just saw a white and blue colored aura surround those two." I mumble as I vigorously rub my eyes.
The less sensitive fighters like Raphugio and Virgil got off with a sudden cold sweat, however the tension in the room grew so strong that I saw a few people who I knew to be fighters stagger to leave this hallway. The ones that stayed like myself felt sick while Dalette looked like she was going through the pain of childbirth.
"This may be the greatest fight that I've ever witnessed." Dalette mumbles as she desperately fights for each breath taken.
But what about Sebastian? What does he feel about his opponent deciding to show off the true sharpness of his blade right here right now?
"Amazing... amazing... it's been a long time since I fought someone who could have this kind of a presence. I'm glad I accepted Mr. Verde's offer." Sebastian thought as his entire body shakes with excitement, but even he still had sweat running down the back of his neck right now.
Though I only showed a small portion of that meeting in one of my previous entries, Sebastian began to think back to that day and how he nearly turned down his offer. Mr. Verde... Sakura's father sits at his desk while Sebastian sits on the very expensive chair across from him.
"I've heard the collective opinions of other world tournament teams. I've even heard the opinions of your very own teammates, but if you're willing to humor me I'd like to hear what your opinion is if you don't mind." Mr. Verde said with his fingers interlocked with one another as he steered the conversation in a certain direction.
"I think if that's what he thinks if best for his team than who am I to question it. We all choose our own path in this life we have been given Mr. Verde, but I have seen Team Strike Shadow fight. If they actually entered the world tournament I'd say they'd probably place in the top 32, but if Isaac's teammates could match his ability than Strike Shadow could place even higher." Sebastian answered in a calm and professional manner.
"Would you like to fight him if you got the chance?" Mr. Verde asks more out of personal rather than professional curiosity.
"I would... yes." Sebastian answers out of simple honesty.
"Then how would you like to have the chance to face Team Strike Shadow?" Mr. Verde asks as he finally lays all of his cards on the metaphorical table.
"That... Mr. Verde is the first interesting thing you've said all day." Sebastian said as he resists his immediate desire to bite the bait being dangled in front of him, "But how exactly would you arrange such a thing? If it was going to be a simple exhibition match you could just contact our PR guy."
"My goal is to make this year's US National tournament the most exciting out of all other national tournaments in the world. What better way to do that then to invite the world's strongest Vanguard team as guest competitors in the main event." Mr. Verde said as his eyes gleam of a grand design.
"I'll ask again... how would you arrange such a thing?" Sebastian inquired as he wasn't going to let the head of a major corporation dodge his question.
"There are two reasons. The first is that and I can't speak for the Vanguard Associations of other countries when I say this, but there's no rule against a fighter from another country entering the national tournament of this one. Secondly as one of if not the biggest sponsor of every Vanguard tournament stateside I'm on the board of directors for the US Vanguard Association." Mr. Verde explained as he calmly gave a bit of a long winded speech.
"I see... and it that case all you have to do is either file a form or threaten to withdraw your sponsorship." Sebastian mumbled as a look of realization flashed over him, "All that being said... what makes you think our team will accept your offer?"
"Just as there are teams capable of fighting at the national level who never make it past regional tournaments... the same can also be said about world-class teams. Asides from Team Stride Shadow and Star Ocean... wouldn't you also like the chance to fight such teams." Mr. Verde points out as he starts to dangle an even bigger piece of bait in front him.
All of a sudden Sebastian just starts laughing and ends up surprising Mr. Verde a great deal. The latter of the two was about to ask if something was wrong, but once a few moments pass the world champion quickly regains his composure.
"Sorry about that." Sebastian said as he wipes a tear generated by his laughter off of his face, "I'm starting to like you a bit more now to the point where I'm tempted to ask for that drink... not that I'm old enough by this country's laws anyway."
"If you'd like to take the time talk about my offer with your teammates... then we can easily resume this conversation another day." Mr. Verde suggests as he decides to get things back on track.
"I must admit I was going to refuse your offer at first since you bent over backwards, but there's no need for me to check in with my team. They already trust me to make the necessary decisions." Sebastian retorts as he's now back to being all business.
"Wonderful... it's just a formality, but I'll have my secretary bring in the registration forms for the National Tournament. You and the rest of your team can sign it and bring it-" Mr. Verde was saying as he reaches for his two-way intercom.
"Not so fast Mr. Verde." Sebastian interrupts as he raises his hand like the picture one would see on stop signs, "Micheal and Jasmine would kill me if I accepted a free pass to a national tournament of any kind."
"I... see." Mr. Verde said with a surprised expression as he retracted his hand from his intercom, "May I ask why your teammates would have such a reaction."
"Every fighter who has ever won or will win a Vanguard tournament has done so through dedication to their training and fighting each battle before them with every fiber of their being one round at a time. Not all make it to the top to be true, but it would be an insult to all of these people's honor and ours by skipping over the hardship we of Team Red Star go through every year at Nationals and World." Sebastian said as he takes a moment to catch his breath from his long winded speech, "Which is why Mr. Verde... if you wish for us to enter as guest competitors... it shall be from the bottom up.
"But at the regional level chances are you'd wipe the floor with all of your competition. Now you can't say its fair for these people to dream of rising to the top only to face a Team they have no chance of beating." Mr. Verde retorts.
"I can certainly see how one can make that argument yes, but there have been upsets before in Vanguard and many other competitive games. Perhaps we'll be on the receiving end of one, however if I had to pick... I'd prefer the lesser of two stains to Team Red Star's honor." Sebastian points out as he slowly calms down from his passionate speech.
"Very well... I can certainly see the media appeal of having guest competitors start from the bottom up like immigrants coming to the new world. I'll have to ask my secretary to prepare a different set of entry forms, but to have Team Red Star be those guest competitors... I'll gladly jump through the hoops your holding out in front of me." Mr. Verde said as he happily offers a handshake to the world champion.
"I'll still have to discuss it over with my team to be sure Mr. Verde, but I believe we have a deal." Sebastian said as he just as happily accepts Mr. Verde's offer.
Thus they shake hands, and thanks to the growing tension in this hallway Sebastian is forcibly brought out of memory lane and back into the reality of having to defeat the opponent across from him.
"So this is the real you? I have to say again if I haven't already that this may be the most exciting fight I've had in years!" Sebastian yelled with the same kind of excitement that Isaac did facing Jacob.
"I said that once I drew the sword from its sheath that you'd have no right to complain." Abygail declared as she stared at Sebastian with looks that could kill.
"I wasn't complaining... if anything I'm complimenting you. Who wouldn't enjoy fighting an opponent that's both strong and beautiful." Sebastian retorts as he somehow manages to flirt with my ex despite her looking like she's about to kill him.
"Save your compliments for when after I win." Abygail retorts as she didn't seem bothered in the least by that line.
Sebastian noticed the change in Abygail's demeanor, the crowd (my friends and I included) noticed the change, even a few people watching this fight through a screen noticed, but what about hers and his teammates? What were they thinking in this moment?
"Ha ha ha... it looks like Sebastian's gut instinct to go with that Verde guy's offer was a good call after all." Micheal said as he quite literally laughs in the face of danger unaffected in the least by the tension in the room.
"This is no laughing matter Micheal... how could our PR department miss hearing about a fighter that's this strong?" Jasmine retorts as she's having the opposite reaction of her lovable goof of a teammate.
"As long as he's having fun I have no problem with it." Micheal points out as he starts to watch this fight like a Vanguard fan rather then Sebastian's teammate.
"Oh I'm fine with it as well... still I'm going to have a chat with the PR department once the day's done." Jasmine said as she starts to do the same.
Such a reaction only goes to show the strength of will of the members of Team Red Star, and as such I considered it unfortunate that Abygail's teammates were unable to handle the tension in the room as well.
"Ha ha ha... so that's what the boss lady is like when she's serious?" Will laughs as he seemed to be the only one on his team handling the concept of Abygail fighting seriously without a problem.
"Again... I never... thought I'd see that face again." Tsubasa mumbles aloud as if all of her fears took the form of her best friend.
"Hey... Tsu... are you alright? What's wrong?" Nikki whispers as she's in the mental middle ground between her teammates.
"The first time... Silvie... er sorry I know she doesn't like being called that... Abygail and I met we were only 7 years old. We got along perfectly while our moms... were 'civil' with one another. I challenged her to a fight... I got mad when I thought she was just screwing with me and told her to fight seriously." Abygail said as she slowly starts to speak in her normal tone of voice, "It's no where near as strong now due to the age difference, but she had the exact same look in her eyes. After... the fight was over... I couldn't sleep for two days."
"Is Aby really that scary when she fights seriously?" Nikki asks.
"Let me put it this way... there are some days where I wonder which is the real Abygail. The air-headed ditz we see every day or the Aby that's acting like a scary badass." Tsubasa answered.
Ah yes... "the fight." The clash between these two powerful competitors is still going on. Sigh... and I suppose now it's time that I get to writing its conclusion.
Abygail – Sebastian
6 – Hand – 8
2 – Soul – 2
3 – Damage -3
0 – Counterblast – 2
F(0) U(8) – G-Zone – F(1) U(7)
Swordsman of Light, Yunos / Swordsman of Light, Ahmes(L) – Lady Battler of the Gravity Well / Empty
Shining Knight, Millius / King of Knights' Vanguard Ezzell – Alter Ego Messiah / Spawn of the Spiral Nebula
Empty / Empty – Heavy Material Dragon / Dark Metal Chameleon
"Are you ready... it's my turn now. Stand and draw!" Abygail declared.
If I really was forced to describe the aura Abygail's current state is giving off at gunpoint... I suppose that there is one thing I could say. Namely that it would be as if Sebastian was fighting a female version of Kai Toshiki himself that just happen to use Royal Paladins.
"Generation zone release... stride generation... Holy Dragon, Saint Blow Dragon [Power: 26000]." Abygail announced.
"The skill of Saint Blow allows for Abygail to gain power proportionate to the number of rearguards she has in play, but since she doesn't already have another face up G-unit unfortunately Saint Blow will not gain an additional critical." the commentator announced.
"She'll be unable to use its skill to its full effect, but when it comes to sending a message that she's being serious I couldn't think of a better Royal Paladin to play even if I tried." Dalette mumbles aloud.
"What do you mean boss lady?" Raphugio asks.
"There's no better straight forward method to show your opponent that you're being serious then to hit them with overwhelming force down the center line." Dalette explained as she's finally managed to regain her composure.
"It's a very Dimensional Police kind of move, but I see your point." I somehow laugh despite the tension in the room.
"Call to the rearguard... another Ahmes [Power: 9000] and Silicus [Power: 7000]." Abygail said in an unusually serious yet calm tone of voice.
Abygail is normally very talkative in a way that matches her air-headed nature in her fights, but this Abygail is straight and to the point with her moves like the more serious famous Vanguard fighters.
"Saint Blow Dragon's skill: My vanguard gets +12000 power for the turn." Abygail said as she turned a copy of her G-Unit vanguard face up in her G-Zone.
"I hope your ready for this Sebastian as the calm has passed and now here comes the storm." I thought as I wasn't sure what to expect of a serious Abygail.
"With the support of Millius, Saint Blow Dragon attack Alter Ego Messiah [Total Power: 43000]!" Abygail declared.
"A perfect guard for a perfect guard... Cosmo Wreath nullifies [Perfect Defense]!" Sebastian countered.
"Let your oath to protect the line between worlds be carried by the wind! Gust Blow Slash! Triple drive check!" Abygail yelled.
[Drive Check – King of Knights, Alfred – No Trigger]
[Drive Check – Blaster Blade – No Trigger]
[Drive Check – Laurel Knight, Silicus – No Trigger]
Abygail and Sebastian are fighting in space... a place where "wind" in the sense most people know it couldn't possibly exist, but as a "Guardian Dragon" of the sanctuary Saint Blow Dragon forces the wind into existence. The sight of a tornado wrapped around a blade was a scary thing, and if Cosmo Wreath didn't absorb all of that power with his barrier... who knows what kind of destruction would have been inflicted on this moon.
"Tch... Ahmes, attack the vanguard [Total Power: 16000]!" Abygail declared.
Even though that this time Ahmes wasn't wielding the blade that became his namesake, he still swung it down upon Alter Ego Messiah with the same passionate desire to protect the United Sanctuary that he's always had. His passion... or should I say Abygail's imagination was so strong that Sebastian's knees had buckled under their own weight as if he had been personally cut by his sword.
[Damage Check – Alter Ego Messiah – No Trigger]
"Argh... ha ha ha... that was amazing." Sebastian mumbles as he pushes himself back upright using his half of the MF system as leverage.
"You couldn't have just accepted the 3 points of damage I needed to win?" Abygail smirks.
"Ha ha... that require a couple of extra criticals and me not guarding... not happening any time soon I think." Sebastian chuckles as he places his hand on the top of his deck waiting for the start of his next turn.
"Next time then." Abygail smirks.
"Ha perhaps... still I have to compliment you again. It's been a while since I fought someone with a strong enough imagination to make me react that way." Sebastian laughs.
"Then let's see if you can do the same to me... I end my turn and Saint Blow Dragon is sent back to my G-Zone." Abygail said calmly and yet there's the slightest quiver of an excited smile on her face.
"And your other Ahmes is unlocked." Sebastian interjects.
Abygail – Sebastian
7 – Hand – 6
2 – Soul – 2
3 – Damage – 4
0 – Counterblast – 2
F(2) U(6) – G-Zone – F(1) U(7)
Swordsman of Light, Yunos / Swordsman of Light, Ahmes – Lady Battler of the Gravity Well / Empty
Shining Knight, Millius / King of Knights' Vanguard Ezzell – Alter Ego Messiah / Spawn of the Spiral Nebula
Laurel Knight, Silicus / Swordsman of Light, Ahmes – Heavy Material Dragon / Dark Metal Chameleon
"Stand and draw." Sebastian says aloud.
"Amazingly enough Abygail Ingrid the captain of the previously unknown Team Resurgence has managed to gain a slight lead over the world champion Sebastian Glazkov... could we Vanguard fans perhaps have an upset in the making!" the commentator for this fight yelled as he really starts getting into his role despite earlier events.
"Ha... shows what most commentators know... you don't have the advantage at all." Sebastian chuckled.
"Yeah I know... right now I'm actually a little behind if not at a stalemate, but a desire for pleasant conversation is no reason to delay the game." Abygail retorts.
"I wasn't trying to... just making an observation." Sebastian grins.
"Then show the results of your observation with action." Abygail points out in turn.
"I admit I consider it impressive that you got me to use my real deck, but I didn't think I was going to have to resort to using this... Liberating the generation zone!" Sebastian yelled as he discarded another copy of Destiny Dealer from his hand.
"Just what kind of amazing legendary card will Sebastian play next?" the commentator yelled.
The heads of a lot of people went into a tailspin trying to figure exactly that out, but at the same time a few people realized right away what Sebastian was going to play next. Dalette believe it or not was actually one of those people, however she didn't share her suspicions with us this time./
"Enter the fray of our future with a beat of white dragon wings!" Sebastian yelled.
Somehow this moon, asteroid, or whatever you want to call this battlefield was shaking. Somehow believe it or not we were having an earthquake in space, and the vibrations only grew stronger as the world champ went further along his sentence.
"Stride generation! Genesis Dragon, Excelics Messiah [Power: 26000]!" Sebastian yelled.
Suddenly a portal opened up in these simulated depths of outer space, and the pure white light that spewed forth blinded everyone save for Sebastian. Even Abygail and to raise her arm in front of her eyes like a sun visor. The being... the existence that came out of that portal was also so majestic that I can't come up with words to describe it here either.
"Alter Ego Messiah's stride skill: Once again I lock Chameleon and Ahmes in order to gain +5000 power!" Sebastian declared with his hand outstretched.
"That's quite the rare card you have." Abygail notes.
"Ha... perhaps this card is what will allow me to defeat you." Sebastian retorts with a light grin on his face.
"Or perhaps not, but you'll still have to play through your turn to find out." Abygail counters.
"I call Lady Gunner of the Neutron Star [Power: 11000], and now I activate her skill! Ahmes and Spiral Nebula... lock!" Sebastian yelled.
Though no where near as bad as the depths of the void, Abygail's units once again have their movements restricted and yet they aren't so far removed from reality that they remain unaware of what's going on around them.
"The chain of locks won't be ending just yet. I call Safeguard Messiah [Power: 4000], and now I'll shuffle it back into my deck in order to use its skill!" Sebastian declared as a confident grin appeared on his face.
"Safeguard Messiah? I've never heard of that unit." Abygail said as for once a legitimately surprised expression appeared on her face.
"By shuffling Safeguard Messiah back into my deck upon calling it, we're both forced to choose one of our own rearguard units and lock it. I choose to lock Lady Battler of the Gravity Well. Now what will you choose?" Sebastian asks as he turns the aforementioned card face down.
Abygail doesn't dignify that question with a vocal response... instead Millius ends up being consumed by the imitation of the Void's power.
"Now I activate the skill of Excelics Messiah!" Sebastian yelled.
"With Excelics Messiah's skill, Sebastian's units get +3000 power when they're unlocked through this ability. Chameleon once again allows Sebastian to counter charge." the commentator announced.
"And for every one of your units that I unlock through this effect..." Sebastian says to Abygail as he stops for a moment only to catch his breath, "They get retired."
To taste the sweet pleasure of the freedom from imprisonment only to be cut down must be a short and obviously painful experience. Abygail's units were too far away for me to see whatever pained expressions they made on their simulated faces, but their owner was right next to them... and she got to see what those expressions were up close.
"Open the white gates and with your fire... purge the world of sin! The Apocalypse [Total Power: 26000 2 Crit]!" Sebastian yelled as he points his locked together middle and index finger at Abygail.
[Drive Check – Safeguard Messiah – Stand Trigger]
[Drive Check – Lady Battler of the Neutron Star – No Trigger]
[Drive Check – Arrestor Messiah – No Trigger]
"I give the power to Gravity Well." Sebastian declared.
All of the miniature planets floating around Excelics body transform into spheres of pure energy that could easily be mistaken for balls of fire, and then a little bit of energy is drawn from each sphere in order to form another one nearly as big as its own body. Once Sebastian's vanguard has gathered enough of that god-like energy, it throws it at Ezzell as if he were one of the dinosaurs (IRL Dinos not Vanguard Dinos obviously).
"Arghh!" Abygail screamed as if she was the one being burned by the holy flames of Excelics.
Like Sebastian, Abygail's knees buckle under the weight of her own body but thankfully she's able to stay upright by pushing her free hand off of her fight table.
"Rest assure I abhor beating a woman outside of a Vanguard fight, but how was that?" Sebastian smiles as he's confident in the effect his attack had on his opponent.
"Not bad... but it'll take more then that to defeat me." Abygail retorts as her body starts sweating in response to her imagined exposure to the intense flames, "Damage... check."
[Damage Check – Knight of Twin Sword – No Trigger]
[Damage Check – Alabaster Owl – Critical Trigger]
"I give the power to Ezzell." Abygail says calmly despite the sweat dripping off her brow.
"Gravity Well... attack [Total Power: 17000]!" Sebastian yelled.
"I guard with a copy of Twin Sword [Total Shield: 5000 from my hand." Abygail counters.
"Then... Neutron Star, attack Ezzell [Total Power: 21000]!" Sebastian declared as delays aside he doesn't believe he can lose.
"Hallowed Breath Dragon guards [Total Shield: 10000]." Abygail counters again.
"Wow... I'm impressed as well as a little happy that you were able to take my attacks like that, and you still have a pretty decent hand size." Sebastian points out as he has a look of childlike amazement on his face.
"Contrary to my current appearance, something at this level won't be enough to make me break a sweat." Abygail retorts with a confident smirk.
"True true... anyways I end my turn." Sebastian chuckles.
Abygail – Sebastian
5 – Hand – 7
2 – Soul – 2
5 – Damage – 4
0 – Counterblast – 3
F(2) U(6) – G-Zone – F(3) U(5)
Swordsman of Light, Yunos / Empty – Lady Battler of the Gravity Well / Empty
Empty / King of Knights' Vanguard Ezzell – Alter Ego Messiah / Spawn of the Spiral Nebula
Laurel Knight, Silicus / Empty – Lady Battler of the Neutron Star / Dark Metal Chameleon
"With that fierce attack the wo-" the commentator was saying.
"Stand and draw." Abygail said aloud interrupting the commentator for her fight before he could even finish.
"Hey... wait your turn!" the commentator yelled as he was quite annoyed with being interrupted.
"Seek mate!" Abygail yelled.
Normally I wouldn't even bother with describing the units one returns to their deck to perform Legion, but as this concerns one of the greatest fights that I've ever had the fortune to witness I'll make an exception. Abygail returns 2 copies of Ahmes, a critical, and a draw trigger back to her deck before a single card comes flying out into her hand.
"King of present knights, enter the fray alongside the king of past knights! Legion!" Abygail yelled.
The hope Abygail's teammates had for their leader's victory was only strengthened upon witnessing the royal lineage of the United Sanctuary standing side by side.
"Damn... not again." Nikki thought in pain as she covered her eyes with one hand as if to prevent them from falling out.
She then started to rub her eyes as if they were incredibly itchy... for a moment her right eye opens and is once again exposed to the world. In that eye... you can see a glow in them... the same kind I've seen Isaac's have.
"Why does that power keep activating on its own recently?" Nikki thought as she believes she's finally regained control over her sense of sight.
"Are you okay Nikki?" Will asks as he's the only one to take notice of his teammate's unusual behavior.
"I'm fine... just a sudden migraine, but it passed." Nikki explained as she tells Will the first lie that came to mind.
"Alright, but don't hesitate to speak up if it happens again." Will said before turning his attention back to the fight.
"Yes... Abygail's got the first ace of her deck out!" Tsubasa says with clear signs of joy despite being scared out of her wits earlier.
"If Sebastian thought taking out three of Abygail's rearguards was going to hand him the win on a silver platter... he's way wrong." Will says with excitement.
"Especially since Ezzell's legion skill will allow Abby to fill it back up." Nikki followed just as Abygail discarded a copy of Alfred from her hand in order to pay the cost of the skill.
"Superior call to the left Ahmes [Power: 9000], the back right Yunos [Power: 7000], and finally to the front right Eluron [Power: 5000]." Abygail said as she practically threw the three aforementioned cards on the playing field.
"Ha... you can just skip the part where Yunos gets a power bonus." Sebastian interjects as he's long since saw this move of Abygail's or something similar to it coming.
"I was going to anyway. Eluron to the soul... Ahmes [Power: 9000] superior call. Alfred's skill... Laura [Power: 7000] superior call!" Abygail yelled as the cards she named flew out of her deck and onto the field upon announcing them.
"There's just no way the captain of an unknown team could possibly defeat the world's strongest fighter, but I will admit Vanguard fans... it is still impressive that Abygail was able to remove 5 non-trigger units from her deck in one go with Sebastian as her opponent. If nothing else she deserves a round off applause for getting him to use his real deck and pushing him as much as she has!" the commentator for this fight yelled.
"Don't assume defeat is guaranteed. The game's never over until the last card is played." Abygail points out as she was quite annoyed by the commentator's comment.
Perhaps it was his way of paying back Abygail for interrupting him earlier. I can't really say for certain, but what I can say is that this fight is definitely approaching its endgame.
"I couldn't agree more." Sebastian interjects.
"My left Ahmes will attack first [Total Power: 23000]!" Abydeclared.
"If I block now and she gets a critical trigger on her next drive check... I won't be able to do much on my next turn." Sebastian thought, "No guard!"
[Damage Check – Asteroid Wolf – Critical Trigger]
"Third time's the charm is it? Well no matter... I give the power to Alter Ego Messiah." Sebastian smiled though on the inside he was actually quite relieved with his defensive trigger pull.
"Ahmes' skill! Leap towards the future and take hold of the blade that became your namesake! Superior call... and stand again my avatar... Blaster Blade [Power: 9000]!" Abygail declared.
Ahmes tosses his sword straight up in the air... or rather straight up into space as the case may be, and then once again everyone is blinded by a bright light only this time Abygail is the one granted immunity to it. What falls from the starts this time is the sword Blaster Blade.
"When Blaster Blade is called through the skill of Ahmes, the former can use his skill for free thanks to the ability of the latter." the commentator explains to the crowd.
"I retire Lady Battler of the Gravity Well!" Abygail yelled as she pointed her index finger at her target.
Ahmes... or rather I should say now Blaster Blade drives his sword straight into the ground, releasing a burst of energy that cuts through the hard rock of the moon, and finally all that energy is released as an explosion that consumes the entire body of this particular Lady Battler.
"Kings of past and future, direct your blades towards Alter Ego Messiah! Legion attack [Total Power: 32000]!" Abygail yelled.
"I'll nullify your vanguard's attack with another perfect guard [Perfect Defense]!" Sebastian counters as he placed another copy of Cosmo Wreath on the guardian circle.
[Drive Check – Knight of Twin Sword – No Trigger]
[Drive Check – Holy Knight Guardian – No Trigger]
"Since I have a copy of Cosmo Wreath in my drop zone I can countercharge." Sebastian said.
"My turn isn't over yet. My other Ahmes will attack your vanguard [Total Power: 23000]!" Abygail declared.
"Asteroid Wolf guard [Total Shield: 10000]!" Sebastian countered.
"My turn ends." Abygail mumbles.
Abygail – Sebastian
7 – Hand – 4
1 – Soul – 2
5 – Damage – 5
5 – Counterblast – 2
F(2) U(6) – G-Zone – F(3) U(5)
Swordsman of Light, Yunos / Blaster Blade – Empty / Empty
Swordsman of Light, Blaster Rapier Laura / King of Knights' Vanguard Ezzell/King of Knights Alfred – Alter Ego Messiah / Spawn of the Spiral Nebula
Swordsman of Light, Yunos / Swordsman of Light, Ahmes – Lady Battler of the Neutron Star / Dark Metal Chameleon
"Abygail made a valiant effort, but as expected there's no way she could have landed the finishing blow on Sebastian." the commentator announced.
Meanwhile at the Fortress of Doo... I mean Team Red Star's bench turned dugout.
"Ha ha ha ha ha... I can see why Sebastian says that most match commentators are idiots." Micheal laughs at what he also interprets to be the commentator's idiocy.
"He sees it as Sebastian's opponent as being vastly behind him, but the truth is just as this Abygail is barely maintaining the small difference between the two of them." Jasmine points out as she reluctantly admits that her captain's opponent is putting up a good fight.
"Yup... it should also be obvious to any of the decent fighters watching this that Sebastian is barely maintaining his lead at the same time. Man talk about monsters hiding in the face of the unknown... this chick is pretty freaking strong." Micheal points out as he considers this to only be one big joke to him.
"Forgive the coarse language, but I think it's time for me to put you down." Sebastian says to Abygail as he draws for the turn.
"You're more than welcome to make the attempt, but you'll find that I'm just not going to swoon over your every word like your other fan girls." Abygail smirks with only a slightly amused grin.
"You'd be a less interesting if you did…. Liberating the generation zone! Stride Generation! Genesis Dragon, Excelics Messiah [Total Power: 26000]." Sebastian chuckles just before putting his war face back on.
So once again a whole crowd of people are blinded by a bright light, and once again a second later do they get to witness a majestic existence beyond capable of being described by the human tongue.
"He may not have actually said it, but could it be that the world champion has just declared Final Turn?" the commentator announced as he's continuing to feed off of the crowd's excited energy.
"Alter Ego Messiah's stride skill: Chameleon and Blaster Blade…. Lock!" Sebastian yelled as he turned one of the cards in his damage zone face down.
And Excelics Messiah actually glows for a few seconds as it absorbs the warmth from that 5000 power bonus.
"I call Arrestor Messiah [Power: 9000] and Sacrifice Messiah [Power: 7000]. Arrestor Messiah gains +2000 power for the turn and a skill when called to the rearguard as long as I have a grade 3 or greater vanguard with Messiah in the name." Sebastian explained.
"Oh… I see it now." Dalette mumbled as a look of realization appeared on her face.
"What is it boss lady?" I curiously ask.
"At the cost of his own hand, Sebastian intends to lock all of Abygail's rearguards leaving her enable to do anything on her next turn should she have one." Dalette explained.
"Why not just go ahead and wipe the field through Excelic Messiah's skill?" Virgil asks.
"Because if Abygail can use Ezzell's skill again on her next turn to refill the field then chances are Sebastian won't be able to block everything….. no keeping Abygail's units locked is definitely the better option this turn." Dalette explained.
As for how Sebastian will actually lock Abygail's units… well watch and find out.
"I retire Lady Battler of the Neutron Star to call Lady Battler of the Neutron Star [Power: 11000]! Sacrifice Messiah and Ahmes….. Lock!" Sebastian explained as the expression on his face grows ever more confident.
And now for two of Sebastian's back row rearguards, he's locked two of Abygail's…. potentially leaving her unable to launch a counterattack on her next turn, but once again the chain of locks aren't ending here just yet.
"Spiral Nebula goes into the soul….. Neutron Star and Yunos… lock!" Sebastian yelled.
"Here it comes." Abygail thought as she knew her opponent's attack step was about to begin.
"Excelics Messiah's skill….. unlock!" Sebastian yelled.
One by one Sebastian's units were freed from their simulation of the void and become stronger for it if only temporarily, but unfortunately save for Laura….. Abygail's pair of kings stand alone in the face of incredible might.
"Now once again taste the flames that purge sin from the world! The Apocalypse [Total Power: 26000 2 Crit]!" Sebastian yelled in a more epic fashion than usual.
"The flames of the apocalypse will have to wait….. Holy Knight Guardian will nullify [Perfect Defense]." Abygail said as her self-preservation instinct starts to kick in for her.
[Drive Check – Alter Ego Messiah – No Trigger]
[Drive Check – Awakening Messiah – No Trigger]
[Drive Check – Flowers In Vacuum, Cosmo Wreath]
Once again Excilics Messiah gathers the power capable of destroying worlds if not realities into a sphere, and that intense fire colored orb would have done just that were it not for Holy Knight Guardian miraculously dispersing all of that power with her barrier.
"I still have two attacks left…. Neutron Star, attack Abygail's father and son Vanguard [Total Power: 21000]!" Sebastian yelled.
"I'll guard with Polli and Twin Sword [Total Shield: 15000]!" Abygail counters.
"Then…. with a boost from Sacrifice Messiah, Arrestor Messiah attacks [Total Power: 21000]!" Sebastian declared.
"I won't let it through! Guard [Total Shield: 15000]!" Abygail yelled as she tossed a trigger and a grade 2 unit on the guardian circle.
I would have actually written down what units those two cards were, but I couldn't see them very well from where I was sitting.
"Arrestor Messiah's skill activates: After it attacks the vanguard…. I lock him, and in exchange I get to lock your other Yunos. Next I lock Sacrifice Messiah and counter charge thanks to its skill." Sebastian explained as he was further excited by Abygail surviving his attack.
"You came so close to beating me, but still no cigar." Abygail smirks.
"But as you and all fighters say….. the battle isn't over until the last card is played." Sebastian retorts as he smirks in turn, "My turn is done."
Abygail – Sebastian
1 – Hand – 4
1 – Soul – 3
5 – Damage – 5
4 – Counterblast – 2
F(2) U(6) – G-Zone – F(5) U(3)
Swordsman of Light, Yunos(L) / Blaster Blade(L) – Arrestor Messiah / Sacrifice Messiah
Swordsman of Light, Blaster Rapier Laura / King of Knights' Vanguard Ezzell/King of Knights Alfred – Alter Ego Messiah / Empty
Swordsman of Light, Yunos(L) / Swordsman of Light, Ahmes(L) – Lady Battler of the Neutron Star / Dark Metal Chameleon
"Despite another round of furious attacks launched by the world's strongest fighter, Abygail is still somehow kicking. She deserves a round of applause for fighting against Sebastian so well, but with nearly all of her units locked what can she possibly do now?" the commentator announced as actually starts to believe in Abygail.
"Why didn't you just retire my units?" Abygail asks though she already knows one of the answers to that question.
"There are two reasons. The first reason should be obvious to you, me, and any of the smarter fighters here. The second reason is that you've already played quite a few rare and legendary units in the game, but I narrowed your options because I want to see if you have one more legendary unit in your possession." Sebastian explained.
"Oh…. what unit would that be?" Abygail asks with a coy expression on her face.
"Ha…. A certain dragon." Sebastian chuckles as he decides to play along with Abygail's feigned ignorance, "Only by fighting a strong opponent will I be allowed to get stronger both on offense and defense as a fighter. Between that unit's skill as well as the ability of my vanguard…. I can literally act out that fact within this fight and we both know it."
"What if I don't have that card you speak of?" Abygail asks even though she already knows exactly what card Sebastian is talking about.
"Then you'll lose this fight, but whether you actually have it or not…. doesn't change the fact that playing it is you only chance of beating me now." Sebastian retorts.
"A unit that'll strengthen Sebastian's hand by simply activating its skill….. no… he couldn't be talking about that dragon could he?" Dalette thought.
"Final turn!" Abygail yelled.
"Unbelievable….. Abygail has just declared that she'll be able to beat Sebastian this turn despite 4 of her units being locked! No fighter in this situation would say those words without a plan, so… with that in mind what will her strategy be?" the commentator announced.
"Generation zone release!" Abygail yelled.
Win or lose….. this would be the start of Abygail's last play in one of the greatest fights of the history of Vanguard.
"Stride generation! Transmigratory Dragon, Holy Squire Dragon [Power: 25000]!"
A column of light strikes this moon consuming the pair of kings that were Abygail's vanguard, and in the process this light causes deep cracks and crevices to form all over the moon's surface. At this point... an explosion as small as a grenade would likely be enough to break this rock apart completely. Still… all of that is nothing compared to the wonder that this silver and blue dragon creates.
"To….. to witness yet another legendary card….. I'm glad I didn't pass of this match to MC Hammer after all Vanguard fans." the commentator mumbles as he's just short of actually being speechless.
"Holy Squire Dragon's skill: I unlock all of my rearguards and give them +2000 power each." Abygail declared.
"That's what I was waiting for… Alter Ego Messiah's skill activates: I get to draw 3 cards!" Sebastian countered.
Holy Squire Dragon transfers a little bit of his immense energy for forcibly break the "Lock" placed upon them, however only a small portion of the remaining energy from the "Lock" float out into the stars. The rest of that energy is reabsorbed by Alter Ego Messiah only to in turn refill Sebastian's reserves.
"Thanks to Holy Squire, Abygail might have been able to gather a mass of attacking power but at the same it has allowed Sebastian to place an even bigger wall in front of our leader." Will pointed out.
"Yeah…. It'll all depend on her next drive check and what he just drew." Nikki mumbles as she glances at her leader and then the leader of their opponents in that order.
"I retire Laura and call in her place Encourage Angel [Power: 4000]." Abygail informed.
"That's actually a smart play considering that Sebastian has a perfect guard in his hand." I thought.
"I'll give Blaster Blade and the Yunos behind him a +3000 power bonus." Abygail said as she shuffled the stand trigger back into her deck.
"With that card Sebastian's opponent has gathered together a respectable amount of attacking power, but will it be enough to take him down?" Virgil mumbled not realizing that he was voicing his thoughts aloud again.
I say "again" because Virgil does that a lot without realizing it, however now isn't the time to talk about that.
"Holy Squire Dragon…. unleash you fists upon Alter Ego Messiah [Total Power: 37000]!" Abygail declared.
"Of course I'm canceling that attack out [Perfect Defense]." Sebastian counters.
"My final triple drive check." Abygail whispers to herself.
[Drive Check – King of Knights' Vanguard Ezzell – No Trigger]
[Drive Check – King of Knights' Vanguard Ezzell – No Trigger]
[Drive Check – Sanctuary of Light, Holy Edge Dragon – No Trigger]
"Oh bad luck for Abygail….. getting three grade three units in a triple drive check." The commentator points out as even he could feel the pain from that bit of bad luck.
I don't know if Holy Squire's fists are glowing with the same kind of energy that Excelics Messiah used, but they're glowing a fire red and orange color none the less. Cosmo Wreath is able to block that attack without a problem, but all that force is redirected into the moon below them finally knocking the large piece of rock off its last legs. Fragments of rock are sent in all directions, and once the proverbial smoke clears there are only enough stone slabs conveniently gathered together to form the rough shape of a Vanguard mat.
"Swordsmen of Light, Ahmes attack [Total Power: 23000]!" Abygail declared.
"I guard with Safeguard Messiah and I'll have Arrestor Messiah intercept [Total Shield: 15000]!" Sebastian counters again.
"Now go….. Blaster Blade…. final attack [Total Power: 26000]!" Abygail declared.
Truth be told I had expected Sebastian to give an immediate response to this attack, but instead he just looks at his hand and laughs slightly.
"Bring it….. no guard!" Sebastian yelled as he pounded his free hand on his chest in a display of manliness.
Now that there's only metaphorical and literal space between Blaster Blade and his target he can't just run there, but don't forget there's no gravity in space. Blaster Blade rests his feet upon the sword of Yunos, and then Yunos swings his blade with all his might like he were hitting a baseball out of the park. The momentum carries Blaster Blade straight through Alter Ego Messiah's last attempt at resistance allowing the former to pierce the latter's chest.
[Damage Check – Sacrifice Messiah – No Trigger]
Final Results
Abygail – Sebastian
3 – Hand – 4
1 – Soul – 0
5 – Damage – 6
4 – Counterblast – 1
F(4) U(4) – G-Zone – F(5) U(3)
Swordsman of Light, Yunos / Blaster Blade – Empty / Sacrifice Messiah
Empty / King of Knights' Vanguard Ezzell/King of Knights Alfred – Alter Ego Messiah / Empty
Swordsman of Light, Yunos / Swordsman of Light, Ahmes – Lady Battler of the Neutron Star / Dark Metal Chameleon
"Why didn't you guard?" Abygail asks especially since Sebastian still had 4 cards in his hand after all.
"Ha ha ha... same reason anyone would take an attack at 5 damage." Sebastian chuckles as he reveals the last 4 cards in his hand to Abygail.
Honestly as I write this... I wouldn't be able to tell you without looking at one of the recordings of this fight specifically what those 4 units were, but I do remember they were 2 Grade 2 units and a pair of Grade 3 units.
"Then why guard at all? Why not take the chance and hope for a heal trigger?" Abygail asks with a sense of intensity in her voice especially since she was caught off guard by Sebastian's hand.
"Oh it was certainly the smart thing to do, but after experiencing how exciting this fight was first hand it would be far from the right thing to do... I guess what I'm trying to say is my warrior's pride started to kick in." Sebastian explained as he reluctantly scratched the back of his head.
"Warrior's pride? Well... I guess I know what it's like to have battles you can't afford to lose. This would be one of them." Abygail thought.
"To me... in this fight specifically, not blocking your attacks like the way I did would have been the same as admitting defeat... and I refused to admit defeat." Sebastian said as he better explains the kind of fighter he is.
The tension in the room dropped as suddenly as it rose when Abygail started fighting seriously. It didn't mean that anything bad was going on... its just that now that the fight was over Abygail dropped her serious persona, let her hair down and put the two ribbons back in, and picked up her air-headed persona right where she left off.
"Awww... well I'm sorry you had to go through that, and I'm sorry if I seem a little mean in our fight... I'm told I occasionally act a little rude when my switch is flipped." Abygail said to Sebastian in a tone that was like an older sister or mother speaking to a crying child.
"Switch? No no... not the place to think about that." Sebastian thought.
And yes his thoughts definitely went in a more questionable direction for a turn. I mean to be fair... at the time he was still only a young man.
"Oh I know!" Abygail says aloud as she pounds her fist into her hand like a gavel, "I'm not supposed to do this, but if you have a need for maid service while you're in the country... I'll make sure my boss sends me... I'll even wear the uniform."
For the record, everyone who was watching can still hear what Abygail was saying and now a lot of people had their minds go south. Abygail was my ex, so you could count me on that list... especially since Dalette decided to slap me for "no apparent reason" shall we say.
"Now if you'll excuse me I have to go celebrate with my team... cause you know... beating the world champ is kind of a big deal." Abygail whispers in a playful tone of voice.
"Wait!" Sebastian yelled as he grabbed Abygail by the shoulder just as she turned around to walk back to her dugout.
"Oh my... did you miss little old me already?" Abygail asked in a cutesy tone of voice, though she would later admit being caught off guard by Sebastian's momentary forcefulness.
"I feel ashamed that I've never heard of a strong fighter such as yourself before." Sebastian points out as he started to beat around the bush for some strange reason.
"Well daddy is really over protective." Abygail retorts as she doesn't realize whatever it is Sebastian's trying to get at.
Or if Abygail does realize... she definitely didn't show it then.
"I'd like to get to know you better... say over dinner and a movie? I still don't know the area very well." Sebastian said as the world champion was actually a little embarrassed.
"Hmmmm... okay, but only because you're kind of cute. Fair warning though... my mom's worse then my dad." Abygail said after taking a few moments to seriously contemplate the issue.
So yeah... that just happened. You read it correctly... the world champion Sebastian Glazkov just asked out my ex-girlfriend on a date... and my ex said yes. Even Sebastian's teammates dropped their jaws in response to this. No seriously... to this day you can still find the pictures of their reaction on the internet along with several memes dedicated to said reactions.
"But before we get to planning the details... you might want to get this guy out of lala land." Abygail points out as she nods her head in the direction of the judge.
"Of course." Sebastian retorts as he turns to face the judge, "Hey! The fight's over already, and official tournament procedure even here should be that the judge has to confirm it!"
The judge wasn't doing anything wrong... he was so surprised that his jaw dropped and he became slack-jawed for a few moments, but he quickly turned back to normal when Sebastian started yelling at him.
"Umm... the fight is over! Winner: Abygail Ingrin... and moving on to the next round with an impossible 2-0 victory... Team Resurgence!" the judge yelled at the top of his lungs.
Which wasn't actually very loud since the judge was still in shock, but the thousands if not tens of thousands of people watching this fight whether in person or through a screen went into a state of utter chaos all at once. People thought Jacob beating Isaac was a big deal, but that was only a microscopic footnote in comparison to this... the fact that the world's strongest Vanguard team just suffered a perfect defeat.
"It seems your plan to eliminate Team Resurgence was a failure." said a certain voice.
But among all of the chaos of the crowd... hidden within a hallway filled with shadow (due to broken lights) one person watched this fight from beginning to end.
"Yes... I agree... ultimately its still our own fault for underestimating their strength." said that certain voice in a very familiar stoic fashion.
I'll say again that I didn't know what his involvement was at the time, but the certain person that was speaking was none other then my father. He was talking to a certain someone over the phone... I don't think it needs to be said who that someone was as you'll find out by reading along.
"Like you say it was a great PR stunt... it'll still light a fire among all the teams that make it to the national tournament this year. With the improvements we made to the Spire, the Vermillion Disaster will not happen again... I'll bet my life on it." my father whispers into his phone.
"Regarding our other matter... the one not relating to the Spire Project. The personal one concerning the new make-up line we're negotiating with the Elchart corporation for." Mr. Verde said as he wished to change the subject.
"Not to worry... I'll tell my son to take care of it as soon as he gets home. Personally I believe Sakura is the one who will be enjoying this the most." my father smirks.
"What do you mean?" Mr. Verde curiously asks.
"You know what I mean old friend... Sakura will get what she's always dreamed of... a date with my son." my father retorts this time breaking off into a slight laugh.
To Be Continued
Nolan: No absolutely not... I won't allow it you cat thieving hussy!
Sakura: Why you... little mean ice queen!
Kiba: How did things get to this point?
Sade: Um... next time on Vanguard: Lightspeed "The Ultimate Hot/Cold Cat-fight!".
Nolan & Sakura: He's mine!
Link Joker
Grade 0
Safeguard Messiah (Stand Trigger)
Power: 4000 Shield: 10000
Auto:[Choose one of your rear-guards, lock it & and put this unit on the top of your deck] When this unit is called to (RC), you may pay the cost. If you do, shuffle your deck, your opponent chooses one of his or her rear-guards and locks it. (The locked card is turned face down, and cannot do anything. It turns face up at the end of the owner's turn.)