Vanguard: Light Speed
Chapter 32
The Ultimate Hot/Cold Cat-Fight
The news of Abygail….. the captain of the previously unknown Team Resurgence defeating the captain of the world's strongest Vanguard team Sebastain Glazkov had spread all over the world in less than an hour, but that's something I'll get to later. After several close calls my friends and I of Team Destiny Breaker earned a spot in the top 16 and the right to use the GIRS for our remaining fights, and now we're watching the last fight of the last match of the day together. It was between the captain of Team Napoleon a popular local team (in the national sense) and of course Abygail herself.
"Hmm….. this guy was able to put Abygail…. in a harsher situation then I was able to." Sebastian whispered to his teammates.
"True….. but I'd attribute the cause to being more the nature of this particular clan and build rather than her opponent's actual skill level." Jasmine pointed out, "Hmm…. Wonder why there isn't anyone sitting in all the empty seats around us?"
Jasmine was referring to the fact that there was no one sitting near them within 5 seats in all directions…. Save for 5 people.
"Ha ha…. and you're supposed to be the smart one Jasmine!" Michael laughs as he still focused on the fight below him despite his bangs completely covering his eyes, "Even though we suffered a pretty bad loss we're still the world champions…. most of the people here are probably too scared to talk to us for that very reason…. Probably think we'll bite them if we do."
"Shut up…. don't talk to your betters like that." Jasmine retorts as she slaps Michael on the back of the neck out of annoyance.
"Probably that time of the month for you so I'll let that go, but look… those 5 guys a few rows ahead of us are sitting here without a problem. Either they're not scared of us or they don't know we're sitting behind them." Michael informed as he points at the 5 people I mentioned earlier.
It was the latter of Michael's suggestions, and I know it to be the case because those 5 people were my teammates, Sade after my mom dropped her off, and I. Believe me we didn't know Team Red Star was behind us until Sebastian pointed it out to me years later.
"That's the girl who beat the world champion right big bro?" Sade asked as she tucked on my sleeve in a rather moe-like fashion.
"Yup… that's her." I said with a smile though I honestly hoped that Abygail didn't realize I was here.
"Wow… her hair's really pretty." Sade whispered.
"Man…. there was a lot of hype with this chick beating Sebastian, but I guess karma is about to catch up with her." Virgil said rather loudly.
"I wouldn't be so sure about that Virgil." Raphugio retorts.
"Just look at her face." Dalette and I coincidentally say at the same time before Virgil could get a word in edgewise.
Abygail was smiling like a happy school girl who only seemed casually interested in the fight going on before her….. in a nutshell she was still in her air-head mode, and because of that it finally dons on my best friend.
"She doesn't consider him a worthy opponent." Virgil whispered.
"I end my turn." Mike declared.
This descendant of a certain Japanese Dimension Police user is a near perfect double of his forefather, and perhaps Mike had the strength to match or even go beyond….. but against Abygail something like that wouldn't matter at all.
Mike – Abygail
14 – Hand – 2
4 – Soul – 3
5 – Damage – 5
3 – Counterblast – 0
F(4) U(4) – G-Zone – F(1) U(7)
Commander Laurel / Dimensional Robo, Daijet – Empty / One Who Seeks Power
Empty / True Ultimate Dimensional Robo, Great Daikaiser/Ultimate Dimensional Robo, Great Daiyusha – Sanctuary of Light, Holy Edge Dragon / Shining Knight, Millius
Dimensional Robo, Dailion / Dimensional Robo, Daijet – Sage of Disguises, Prismil / One Who Seeks Power
"Stand and draw… eeny meeny miny….." Abygail mumbles to herself as she appears unsure about her next move.
Though this is Abygail I'm talking about…. whether that was actually the case is a whole other matter. As for everyone else watching the fight…. There was some cheering here and there, but the entire hall was practically silent. There's no other way to say it then that all the fans were captivated by Abygail's power as a fighter, and they all wanted to see what kind of display of power she'd show off next. It was like watching a ballerina perform a new graceful routine.
"You better win Abygail. It was embarrassing enough that I lost because of failing at G-Assist 5 times in a row, I don't need to deal with this!" Tsubasa yelled as she was still rather sore about how she lost her own fight earlier.
"I'm a little worried about the fact that I don't recognize half the Royal Paladins in her deck, but I have an overwhelming advantage right now… still why can't I shake this unease in my heart?" Mike thought.
"Catch a tiger by the toe…" Abygail continues to mumble to herself.
"Just how could she be so relaxed right now? If I were her I'd start to show my serious side like she did against the world champ." Mike thought.
"But I don't wanna Mike." Abygail said loud enough for her opponent to hear.
"Wha-" Mike mumbles due to Abygail's unexpected statement.
"You weren't using your inside voice… anyways…. Being all business like that isn't good for a girl's face….. besides you're not that interesting of a fighter and I have a date later… so I or anyone for that matter shouldn't stress themselves out for something that isn't worth the trouble you know." Abygail said with a smile and without a care in the world.
By saying "interesting" Abygail means that Mike is nowhere near strong enough to warrant the removal of her metaphorical power limiter, however Mike was smart enough to realize at least this very fact.
"Even if you really are that much stronger than me…. It doesn't change the fact that I have a more than strong enough foundation to deal with anything you throw at me." Mike points out.
"No you don't… because I'm going to tear down that wall with 6 attacks from my rearguard and 2 from my vanguard right now." Abygail said as she finally decided upon what card to play.
"Though Abygail Ingrid didn't say those two famous words all Vanguard players know…. She may as well have….. so just how will she tear through Mike's seemingly impenetrable defense." The MC for this fight yelled.
"6… 8? Ths isn't NGs or AQF…. No way she can launch that many attacks with a Royal Paladin deck, but….. why? My unease from earlier has now turned into fear." Mike thought.
Make no mistake Abygail still indeed completely in her airhead-mode, but despite that if you look in her eyes you won't find a single sign of defeat. Even in this state all that Abygail sees is the overwhelming victory that she believes is hers for the taking.
"Return to the beginning from further down the twilight road! I break ride Apex Lord Blaster [Power: 11000]!" Abygail declared.
"Apex Lord Blaster?!" Mike urgently thought upon hearing this unfamiliar name card name.
A card as famous as this requires little description but for the unlikely few of you that's never seen it….. this unit has much bulkier armor compared to say.. Majesty Lord Blaster making him look taller then he actually is with golden strips and lines running all over in a manner akin to the amour of Blaster Dark "Diablo".
"My vanguard gets +10000 power and a skill, but first….. I move Millius to the soul for his skill….. and now stand up again my avatar... superior call Blaster Blade [Power: 9000]!" Abygail yelled.
"With just two cards Abygail was able to bring out a decent attacking formation, but will it and the power of this mysterious Apex Lord Blaster be enough to pierce through Mike's defense?!" the commentator for this fight yelled.
"Mysterious card….. have you ever heard of Apex Lord Blaster big bro?" Sade asks.
"No….. what about the rest of you?" I ask all my friends.
As my friends were still captivated by this fight they dare not to divert even the slightest amount of focus in speaking and only nod in denial. This in turn surprised me and made me wonder…. Just where did Abygail get such a mysterious unit?
"Seek mate!" Abygail declared.
Once again that physics defying motion that no one… no no I promised to stop talking about that. At any rate…. Like always when a fighter chooses to perform legion…. 4 cards go flying into a fighter's deck, and 1 comes flying out into their hand…. or in this case Abygail's hand.
"Twin forces of light, bind the future and past together! Majesty Lord Blaster…. Legion!" Abygail yelled.
"Majesty Lord Blaster!" I yell as I find myself among the one of many here who stood up from their seat out of shock, "To think….. I'd see that card here."
"Is it that big of a deal?" Sade asks as she once again tugs on my sleeve.
"When it comes to actual gameplay Majesty Lord Blaster isn't anything special, but lore wise it's the most powerful unit in the game and the strongest symbol of allies coming together for the sake of victory. I did not think there was a legion revival for it…. who knows how Apex Lord Blaster could enhance his power." I explain.
I wasn't the only one shocked…. Mike… the person fighting my ex was shocked as well.
"If you had a card as legendary as that….. why didn't you use it against Sebastian?' Mike asks.
"Cause it would have been the worst possible opponent amongst my Royal Paladin decks….. I mean he might be another of my fun decks like Ezzell, but at least the former of the two was better suited ya know." Abygail explained as if the fact what she beat the world champ with a 'fun' deck was no big deal.
"Wait….. fun deck….. you mean you weren't using your real deck?" Mike asks out of shock.
"Nooooope….. my real deck is way stronger than Ezzell, but isn't suited to fight Link Joker…. I'm only using my strongest fun deck right now out of whimsy." Abygail explained.
Of course as Sebastian heard this…. he too had his own opinions on the matter.
"Brha ha ha ha ha." Sebastian said as he unexpectedly bursts into hearty laughter.
"What's wrong?" Jasmine asks as she finds this outburst to be unusual of her leader.
"I thought it felt like that deck was restricting her power as a fighter." Sebastian explained as he slowly calmed down.
"Awww… still sore that you lost to a girl boss-man?" Michael points out in the most sarcastic manner he's capable of.
"I admit that part of the reason I lost was due to underestimating my opponent and letting my bloodlust get ahead of me, but ultimately the victory went to the stronger fighter. Next time however… I won't make that mistake." Sebastian as he's already picturing a rematch against Abygail in the back of his mind.
"It would be rather embarrassing if you did." Jasmine points out.
"Ha ha… true….. still…. it'll be interesting to see in the finals how she uses that." Sebastian mumbles to himself.
"What are you talking about?" Michael asks as his boss wasn't quite enough with this mumbling.
"You'll see tomorrow." Sebastian answers as he clearly wants to tell his teammates this particular secret but can't.
"Wha… I mean really?" Mike mumbles.
"Sigh…. And she wonders why people get mad at her for no reason." Will thought.
"Anyways…. I don't wanna keep all these good people waiting…. Sooo Prismil will attack the Daijet directly across from him…. with an additional +2000 power since I have a Blaster vanguard [Total Power: 11000]!" Abygail declared.
"She's not boosting… no if she really has a way to make her rearguards stand back up… then holding off on the boost is perfectly sound judgement." Mike thought as he forces himself to calm down whilst placing Daijet in the drop zone.
"Blaster Blade…. will attack the other Daijet [Total Power: 9000]!" Abygail declared.
"Abygail has chosen to play a very classical approach by wiling out Mike's front row rearguards leaving no intercepts to get in the way of the attack of Abygail's vanguard, but with 14 cards in Mike's had…. Just what option of many will he pick to defend against it.
"Apex Lord and Majesty Lord Blaster Blaster….. attack Daikaiser!" Abygail declared.
"If I didn't have perfect guards in my hand Abygail's attack would have taken a big chunk out of my hand….. if she could use Majesty Lord Blaster's skill…. It be an even bigger chunk." Mike thought.
"I activate Majesty Lord Blaster's skill!" Abygail declared.
"Wha…. You can't!" Mike said out of shock.
"To clarify….. could someone please get a camera to focus on Abygail's damage zone?" the commentator for this fight requested.
And the camera does comply revealing that Abygail has four copies of Blaster Dark in her damage zone.
"To activate the skill of Majesty Lord Blaster one must have both Blaster Blade and Blaster Dark out in play, but someone of Abygail's level must have realized this….. so why bother declaring it in the first place?" the commentator points out to the fans.
"The answer to that lies in my front left rearguard circle." Abygail smiled.
The camera, my eyes, and the eyes of everyone else were drawn to the spot Abygail described….. the spot where Sage of Disguises, Prismil should be standing… but shockingly enough he wasn't there anymore….. or at least not in the form we expected.
"What the…. It's Blaster Dark!" Mike yelled out of shock.
The image of Blaster Dark was indeed standing before Mike, but the image itself didn't exactly have perfect resolution. It was more like one was looking at a somewhat blurry picture of Blaster Dark or one was looking at him with a bit of fog getting in the way.
"Sage of Disguises, Prismil's skill: If I have two units with Blaster in its card name on my Vanguard circle…. then Prismil is simultaneously treated as Blaster Blade and Blaster Dark." Abygail explained.
"Wow….. what an amazing skill!" an excited fan yelled as the crowd started to get into an uproar.
"With Majesty Lord Blaster's skill: By moving Blaster Blade and Blaster Da- I mean Prismil into the soul he gains +10000 power. Next, since I have two units with Blaster in its card name in my soul…. Apex Lord Blaster gets +1 critical [Total Power: 43000 2 Crit]!" Abygail explained as she already placed her hand on the top of her deck in preparation for her drive check.
"There's no way I'm letting that hit. Nullify with Cosmic Hero, Grandguard [Perfect Defense]!" Mike urgently counters.
[Drive Check – Apex Lord Blaster – No Trigger]
[Drive Check – Seeker, Hollowed Breath Dragon – Critical Trigger]
"I give all of the effects to the One Who Seeks Power on my right." Abygail said.
"How do you like that? You might have taken out for cards I could have defended with, but I still have reserves." Mike counters.
"You're still not going to get another turn. Apex Lord Blaster's Legion Skill: Counterblast and I discard a copy of a unit on my vanguard circle from my hand." Abygail said as she was completely uninterested in whatever arguments Mike had to make.
"Don't change the channel just yet Vanguard fans….. Abygail is about to reveal the effect of this mysterious grade 3." The commentator for this fight announced.
"Come forth from the sea of my soul as I call for thou's names! Twin Soul Resonance!" Abygail yelled.
Suddenly Apex Lord Blaster and Majesty Lord Blaster were covered in a blue yet clearly holy light, and after a few moments that light split into two crashing where Abygail's two front row rearguard circles would be.
"Superior call: Prismil…. And for the second time.. my avatar Blaster Blade…. both gaining a +5000 power bonus." Anygail smirked.
"How? Prismil doesn't have Blaster in its name… unless!" Mike said as he realized how the combo put into play in front of him was possible.
"Prismil's power is active even while it's in the soul" Abygail retorts.
"That's all well and good, but how exactly are you going to launch a second attack with your vanguard?" Mike demands to know.
Abygail only smirks in response to this as she places her free hand back on her legion state vanguard.
"Holy Edge Dragon's skill Blade Dance Melody: Since I have 4 rearguards out in play… after paying the cost I can stand Apex Lord Blaster and his mate back up." Abygail explained.
It's getting quite exciting in regards to how Abygail is responding to the difference in hand size between her and Mike wouldn't you say? Next Abygail follows up with a boosted attack from Blaster Blade and Prismil, of which Mike in turn has to drop 5 cards from his hand in total in order to successfully guard, but he's already starting to realize… this fight is far from over.
"Blaster Blade and Prismil…. once again shall return to the soul for Majesty Lord Blaster's skill, and now Apex Lord Blaster…. Legion attack [Total Power: 43000 2 Crit]!" Abygail yelled.
"You're not getting through…. Once again I'll nullify and countercharge with Grandguard [Perfect Defense]!" Mike yelled as win or lose he wasn't going to show even the slightest bit of leeway with his resistance to Abygail's attacks.
[Drive Check – Impact Seeker, Modoron – Critical Trigger]
[Drive Check – Impact Seeker, Modoron – Critical Trigger]
"The first trigger will go to the One Who Seeks Power on my left, and the second trigger will go to the one on my right." Abygail declared.
"You're still two attacks short of your earlier declaration, and I don't see you being able to use your legion skill a second time." Mike said as he truly believed that he'd be able to survive to his next turn.
"Have you….. forgotten…. there's still one card in my hand that you haven't seen." Abygail said as she takes a deep breath due to her earlier series of long-winded speeches, "Legion skill: Twin Soul Resonance! Prismil and Blaster Blade superior call!"
"With that Abygail will able to keep her proclamation of making 6 rearguard attacks, but with only a +5000 power bonus how could she possibly break through the last few card's in Mike's hand?!" the commentator yelled.
"The skill of my two One Who Seeks Power activates, when a Blaster unit is called to the same column as them while they're at rest….. they get to stand back up." Abygail said, "Prismil, attack [Total Power: 28000]!"
"I guard with two Daiwolfs [Total Shield: 20000]!" Mike countered.
"Blaster Blade… you get the honor of landing the finishing blow old friend… now attack the vanguard [Total Power: 31000]!" Abygail yelled.
"To think Abygail was able to make a comeback from such a degree, but there are still two 10k shields in Mike's hand…. will that one unknown card allow him to scrape by? Or will Abygail be able to achieve a perfect comeback win?" the commentator announced.
"No guard!" Mike yelled.
Between the boost from the One Who Seeks Power, the three triggers, and Apex Lord Blaster's skill….. it is an easy matter for the legendary hero of the United Sanctuary to cut his way through Mike's Legion Vanguard.
[Damage Check – Dimensional Robo, Daibazooka – No Trigger]
"The fight is over. Winner: Abygail Ingrid and taking the last spot in the Top 16 Team Resurgence!" the judge declared.
Abygail walks back to her bench turned dugout as how I should say….. new fans of Team Resurgence continue to cheer for her, and Abygail even waves back as she gazes upon the many faces in the crowd. Anyways now that the last fight of the day was out of the way my friends and I decide to go our separate ways and head back home. Thankfully we were able to avoid the brunt of the traffic, but ultimately it still takes each of us a while to get home. Sade and I already find our mom's car parked in the driveway. The woman herself is making a little celebratory feast though it's only really a light dinner, and Sade recounts Abygail's entire fight to her while I listen.
"…. And then she landed the finishing blow with Blaster Blade…. Abygail looked so pretty and graceful when she won…. I wish I could be strong like her." Sade said as I think she may have just found her female fighting role model.
"What….you don't want to be strong like your big bro Sade? I'm hurt." I say in the most sarcastic manner I'm capable of.
"Oh umm…. of course I want to be strong like you too big bro." Sade replies in a rather urgent tone as she thought I was being serious.
"Really? But you can only be strong one way?" I say as I continue to pile on the sarcasm.
Now try not to take what I said out of context….. I don't mean that there's only one set way to become a strong fighter, but rather I mean the only way for a fighter to become strong is to pursue the image of victory that best matches with their ideal self.
"Really? Then um what should I do?" Sade asks.
"I know that you mean well Kiba, but try not to tease your sister too much. You know she practically worships the ground you walk on." My mom interjects as she decides to stop me before I go too far with the teasing.
And honestly if she didn't stop me I probably would have.
"Sorry mom…" I answer as I feel too embarrassed to look her in the eye.
"As long as you've learned your lesson. Now Sade… dinners almost ready, so could you please go wash up?" my mom asks with a smile.
"Okay." Sade answered as she was so inspired by Abygail's fight that she practically skipped to the bathroom.
My mom may have been smiling, but my hair was still standing up on its end. I was scared since I wasn't sure if this was her "I'm happy you had a good day smile" or her "I'm going to let you have it as soon as person x is out of earshot" smile. They're actually rather similar.
"So how did your fights go?" my mom curiously asks.
"Oh thank you it's the good smile." I thought as I breathe a truly massive sigh of relief, "We made it to the top 16, so we get to use the GIRS tomorrow evening….. I'm really excited since it'll be my first time. Uhh… what else… for the few times Dalette was forced to fight she easily one, Virgil and Raphugio only lost once, but I lost in two separate fights."
Unlike my little sister who went into excessive detail about one fight, I gave my mom a quick summary of all my fights. Compared to my dad, it's a whole lot easier to talk to my mom about a lot of things.
"So… did your dad get to see you fight?" my mom asked just as I was about to start giving her the summary of Virgil's fights.
Already I could feel my blood rushing to my face and my mood turning sour, but I know my mom wasn't doing this on purpose.
"Hrmph… he never showed up." I retort.
"Now… don't feel bad….. things must have gotten hectic at work, but you know he cares about you." my mom says in an attempt to cheer me up.
"If he cares then he would have shown up." I point out.
"You know Kiba….. being a parent isn't easy…. You'll learn that when you have a family of your own, but there's a lot of stuff you'll have to for your child's sake from behind the scenes asides from paying bills. He'd like to be there for you for the fun stuff believe me." My mom said with a smile.
"I know… still…. I sometimes wonder if he cares more about his job then his own family." I mumble.
"Have I ever told you the story of how your father and I first met?" my mother suddenly asks.
"You mentioned you two met back in high school, but….. now that I think about it…. no… you've never told me the details." I answer after taking a few minutes to seriously think about the issue.
"As you know…. I went to high school in Japan due to my dad's job…. I got people's attention due to being the foreign beauty, but what established it was my ridiculous skill with a Gold Paladin deck….. at first I was a bit of an academic alpha girl thinking that everyone else was beneath me. Your father having come back to school after being sick… and being the impulsive idiot he was in his youth challenged me to a fight. Naturally I expected to beat him easily… and yet your father won in the end. Due to my pride I ended up acting like quite the tsundere to him…. eventually though I warmed up to him, but I didn't start to realize I was in love with him until I met his childhood friends." My mother explained as she seemed rather happy recalling these points in her life.
"Nolan's dad Charles and his sister right?" I ask.
"Correct… being rich kids they went to a different school. Anyways…. Charles little sis fawned over your father…. the same way Nolan's little sister fawns over you…. only of a more romantic fawning after all… their parents even approved of such a relationship if it ever occurred. Seeing her get all lovey dovey….. well I acted like the jealous school girl that I was. In fact after I fought Charles sister… her Crystal Reef deck (as the Elchart family reveres that clan as religiously as Cloud's family does the Aqua Force) against my Gold Paladin….. she continued to fawn over him. I had such a jealous fit that I ended up making a public declaration of love. From there one thing led to another….. and here you are in the world." My mother said as she finished up the summarized version of that point in her life.
"What was the point of telling me that?" I ask.
"Only that your father was once a young fighter too, and I hope you can take the time to understand that. Besides…. Maybe something similar to our youth will happen to you as well." My mom says with a smile.
And ohhhhh god what I purely cosmically coincidental bit of foreshadowing that ended up being.
"Now that you know that is-" my mom was trying to say.
"I'm done washing my hands. What's for dinner?" Sade asks as she unintentionally interrupts my mother mid-sentence.
"Ah well it's several of Kiba's favorites, but don't worry I still made a few of your favorites anyway." My mom answered.
The meal that followed was filled with more polite conversation, hilarious banter, and a few counts of ineptitude…. Yet it was still an enjoyable evening with the three of us none the less and soon it came to an end with the three of us also turning in for the evening. I had hoped to be able to sleep through the night, but someone decided to shake my arm and wake me up in the middle of it.
"Um…. big bro wake up." Sade whispers into my ear as she looks as though she's seen a ghost.
"Hrmmh there had better be a fire Sade." I whisper back groggily as I don't even move a muscle from where I'm lying on my bed.
"No umm….. I had that nightmare again big bro.
As she was an infant at the time Sade has no conscious memory of the events of the Vermillion Disaster, but her subconscious mind remembers a great deal partially due to hearing about the incident many times growing up. The result was like me a fear of Earthquakes and the occasional nightmare, however it was nowhere near the extreme I have them when I have them.
"Oh….. do you want to talk about it?" I ask as I immediately sit up right partially dragging along my blanket for the ride.
"I'm not being a bother? I mean….. I know you and your friends are busy with the tournament." Sade pointed out to me with a bit of a guilty look in her eye.
"Don't worry…. I'll always have time for you." I retort as I gently pat her on the head.
"Thank you." Sade said as she took one of the open spots of mattress next to me.
In this nightmare Sade finds herself back in the Vermillion Arena with me in our modern day appearance as her mother tried to lead us to safety only for the ground to collapse under us like in reality. Sade's mom grabs Sade and I grab Sade's mother preventing them both from falling to their deaths. I tried to pull them up, but their combined weight was too much to me. Once again like in reality Sade's mom tosses her daughter up to safety, however the sudden weight change knocked me off balance causing me to go along with her ride to meet the grim reaper. Sade then looks over the precipice somehow hoping we both survived the fall… the sight even if it was only a nightmare was something a child should never have to deal with. There she saw our mangled bodies with bones sticking out and blood flowing onto the broken concrete….. alive and screaming in agony. She tried to wake herself up…. yet her subconscious forbid her from doing so until she witnessed the last flickers of life go out in our eyes.
"There there…. It'll be alright." I whisper into Sade's ears as I pull her into a hug.
"Say big bro can I….. no never mind…" Sade mumbles as she down at her feet like a hawk.
"Go ahead Sade….. like I've said countless times before you can tell your big bro anything." I said as I once again reassuringly pat Sade on the head.
"Can I umm…. can I sleep in your room tonight big bro?" Sade asks, "I'm worried I'll have that dream again.
"Now now…. you're a little too old for that." I point out as a small chuckle escapes through my lip.
"Oh okay." Sade mumbled as she started to in a dejecting manner walk back to her room.
"Wait!" I call out, "I'll at least sit next to you in your room and hold your hand until you fall back asleep."
"Thank you." Sade said with a big smile on her face.
"Just… go back to your room for now and keep the light on if you have to, but in the meantime… I'll get some water from the kitchen. Something tells me a light drink will make it easier for the both of us to sleep." I suggest, "Oh and close the door on your way out."
As soon as Sade did what I asked I tossed my blanket aside and grabbed a pair of shorts from my dresser. In case the previous sentence didn't make it obvious; the reason I had the blanket on me was because I was wearing a pair of boxers and it wouldn't be appropriate for a little girl to see something like that.
"That dream again huh?" I whisper to myself as I start to remember my own demons.
You see I've had the same dream as Sade before except for two details…. where as in Sade's dream it only takes a few seconds to a couple minutes to watch us die…. in my case I'm forced to watch Sade and her mom slowly die over the course of several hours. I've also felt whatever pain they did…. A pipe through the rib cage, being burned alive, electrocuted, etc as the exact manner of death is always a little different each time. Yet…. each time I wake up sweating sometimes screaming as I scramble for my medication to suppress my night terrors. Now then…. A few minutes later I started to walk down the staircase only to hide behind the wall along the stairs when I heard people….. or rather my parents talking in the living room.
"You missed your son's matches today." My mom said in a stern tone to my dad.
"I was actually there." My dad sighed, "I just chose not to make my presence know, and before you ask why….. he's already decided upon the path he wants to take to become strong…. it involved doing so without my support….. a decision I can respect given the evens of our youth, but as a father I do wish relied on me more than he had to."
There…. for the first time ever or at least the first time I can recall….. my dad actually looked sad.
"Then how did you think he did?" my mom asks.
"He did well with the new form of his new key spirit….. but it only came to him because of luck of the draw rather than having power that attracts luck." My dad honestly answered.
"Key spirit?" my mom said with a confused look on her face, "You do realize that this isn't-"
"Sorry." My dad interrupts, "Sometimes I forget that I learned how to play Battle Spirits before I learned how to play Vanguard. His 'avatar' would be the correct colloquialism."
"It's alright… now it's been cold the past few days…. soo I'l make you something to drink." My mom informed as she walks into the kitchen.
A few minutes later…..
"Thank you." my dad said with an ever rare smile on his face, fake or genuine aside as he took a cup of either tea or coffee out of my mother's hands.
"How was work today honey?" my mom asks as she warms up some of what's left from our earlier dinner.
"Ha….. you know I can't talk about that….. company secrets and all." My father chuckles as he takes a sip of his drink, "If I did…. good old Charles would kill me."
"If it wasn't for you he wouldn't have graduated from college and take over the Elchart corporation and turn it into what it is today, so I think he could let it slide." My mom points out as she starts to reminisce to her younger years, "In fact I remember that after you graduated that at your grad party…. Charles was so inebriated that he promised the hand of his first born to Kiba."
"Say what now?" I quietly mumble to myself out of complete and utter shock.
"Yes I remember….." my dad chuckles as he actually gives off a genuine smile and joins mom in reminiscing, "I was so hammered that I actually agreed. She certainly isn't against the idea now, but back then his wife wasn't exactly approving of someone of our son's social class."
"I remember…. Charles reminded her that if their relationship happens to go down that route then great." My mom said as she took a seat next to my dad, "But that Angelina shouldn't forget that her mother didn't approve of him when they first met.
Now the question is did our relationship go down that road? A great deal many of you that's heard of my name should already know the answer, but the rest…. well you'll have to wait until the end of this really long tale.
"Oh speaking of work." My dad suddenly says, "I forgot there was something I needed Kiba to do for me…. I had better explain the details to him soon as possible."
"Can't you wait until the morning?" my mom asks, "He's tired from all the things he's done today."
"If it wasn't for the fact that I have to my day job earlier than usual…. or rather in a few hours I would, but…." My father said as his gaze became focused on the other side of the wall I was hiding behind, "You're forgetting where you got the sense for telling when someone is following or eavesdropping on you!"
"Ha ha.." I worryingly chuckle as I walk out with my hands up like I'm about to be cuffed by the cops, "What gave me away?"
"The fourth floorboard from the top creaks differently depending on the weight of the person stepping on it….. that and I could hear you mumble." My dad said right before his attention went right back to the drink in his hands.
"Please stop sherlocking me." I couldn't help but say.
"You asked…. Anyways…. as for what I need for you to do." My dad said as he took a deep breath, "Over the course of a business discussion with the representative of another of the world's big corporations, it came up that he has a daughter around your age who's from Tarrant City."
"And?" I say as I gesture to my dad to speed things along whilst being fully aware of the fact that he's glossing over some of the key details.
"And even though she's from Tarrant City….. between her father's work causing them to move around and own personal issues, she doesn't know her way around the city…. and the business deal was going south so…"
"So you decided that it was a good idea to pimp out your only son as the tour guide to some girl he's never met?" I ask.
I realized what my dad wanted from me in regards to this matter the moment he said "Way around the city."
"Yes." My dad answers as I can tell that he doesn't like how my response portrays him a little like a villain.
"I don't suppose I can refuse can I?" I ask though I already have a strong hunch towards the answer.
"You could…. But I'd feel hurt…. So hurt that I'd have to take back a certain card that's technically not supposed to be on the market yet, but if you helped I'd feel so grateful that I might be so inclined to give you a stronger version of that certain card or at least further support for it." my dad said with a bit of an evil grin.
"The carrot and stick routine to our own son…. Really?" my mom asked as even she found my dad's next move to be unexpected.
But I didn't see this as my dad giving me the carrot and stick routine…. I say it as the devil (though my dislike for my dad was nowhere near malicious enough for me to actually call him that) offering me a deal I couldn't refuse. Between wanting to payback Isaac and starting to feel just a little that I'm falling behind my friends….. I had to get stronger no ifs, ands, or buts. That selfish desire of mine would cause me to do something stupid a few months down the line, but that is something for down the line.
"Alright… I'm listening." I said as I decide to throw my lot in with the metaphorical carrot in my dad's hand.
My dad spends the next few minutes going over in great detail my plans for the following morning…. or rather several hours from now. Where we'll meet, what time, nearby popular hangout spots, to dress nice yet casually, to not try anything fresh or he'll HM01 me (not literally of course but the punishment would be severe), etc etc except for perhaps the most important detail….. what the girl actually looked like.
"That's the first thing I asked too, but the guy didn't have a picture of her on him….. however his kid has seen what you look like so there won't be as big a problem with you two finding each other." My dad said as he answered the inquiry I mentioned above.
Of course that's obviously a bold-faced lie, but I certainly had no reason to suspect anything otherwise at the time. Once my dad was finished with his long-winded explanation I helped Sade fall back asleep as I said I would only to turn in myself a few moments later. Then early this morning as I waited for the mysterious lady at a fountain near a train station (anime dating episode cliché much), I mass-text my teammates on the off-chance that these plans that were thrust upon me cause me to be late to our first match using the GIRS. Most were fine with it, but our precarious leader… not so much.
"You should have said no." Dalette said in a firm tone over the phone.
We had all agreed to meet in the morning before the second half of regionals to get a last minute training session in and boost our chances though obviously those plans were tossed aside. We wouldn't be facing Team Resurgence unless we made it to the finals, but every little bit counts.
"I wanted too…., but between the carrot/stick routine and his 'you better do it face'… I had no choice." I sigh as I thank myself for not having this conversation in person.
"We needed all the practice we could get, and you're going on a date with her? Seriously? Atghhh…. This is something I wouldn't put past her to do… or my dad if she happens to have nothing to do with it." Dalette moaned as her calm demeanor dropped a bit.
"Hmmm… do you have some idea who this girl is boss lady?" I ask as I start to thank god for not making me have this conversation in person.
Because at this point I was pretty sure that Dalette would beat me senseless if not kill me in a very horrible manner outright.
"Oh umm…" Dalette mumbled as she realized some apparent error with what she said.
"Hello? Dalette, are you there boss lady?" I say into my phone with some concern as I didn't get a response from her for a few minutes.
However I never got another word out of her, and after a few minutes she just hung up on me. I considered calling her back immediately, but ultimately decided against that as one should know to never poke a sleeping bear.
"Usually one or the other shows up within seconds if someone says this so….." I thought.
Then I take in a deep breath.
"She's late…. I've been waiting for the past hour." I say in an obviously faked tone of annoyance, and I haven't been waiting for an hour.
"Ahh it's you!" I hear a familiar voice say rather loudly out of surprise.
"Ahh it's you!" I coincidentally say loudly in turn after turning to see who was looking at me.
It was the same girl I had bumped into a few times…. the one who wore that thick coat, glasses, and the like though she was wearing a different combination of the above this time. If it wasn't for her voice I wouldn't have recognized her at all (and I know its Sakura now just remember I didn't know at the time).
"Oh so you're the one I'm supposed to meet?" I ask in a (completely unintentional) flirty tone.
"Well it's not like you know more than one me right?" Sakura asks as she doesn't seem to realize that I'm talking about my father's request.
And much like the statement my mother made earlier… Sakura's response to my unintentional bout of flirting ends up being very ironic as well, however I don't realize it until much later due to my manga protagonist level of obliviousness.
"Ha ha… no I suppose not. At any rate… what do you want to do?" I ask as I innocently tap my fingers on my upper thighs.
"Are you suggesting that we hang out for the day Mr. Nakashima?" Sakura asks back in a playfully formal tone.
"That's what I'm here for." I answer back.
Then I extend out my hand, and before any of you shippers on the deck ask….. no it isn't for the sake of "Holding Hands" but rather to simply shake hands as a gesture of respect.
"You have such… smooth clean hand." Sakura said with the intention of complimenting me.
"Thanks." I say as for some reason I take a unusual amount of pleasure in that compliment, "I mean technically you can play without them, but as a Vanguard fighter they kind of have to be. Grease, oil, sweat, and a lot of other kinds of nastiness….. you wouldn't want to get that on your deck."
Either because of Sakura's disguise getting in the way or my own obliviousness…. I fail to notice that my lady friend across from me was blushing and that we stopped shaking hands. In short; to any outside observer it would like that we were a happy couple holding hands. For a moment the two of us forgot that we were holding hands as well, and for that reason you're about to read about a very ironic misunderstanding that results from our forgetfulness.
"Where would you like to go now?" I ask.
"Well….. I just finished running an errand for my dad and I am hungry…." Sakura whispers as she nods her head towards the small café behind us.
In turn I nodded my head in agreement, and the two of us took the first step towards this café, but…
"Ahh.." Sakura yelped as she tripped and fell forward due to her foot getting caught in a sewer grate.
She fell forward towards me in case you couldn't already figure that out. My instincts kicked in as I caught her before she hit the ground with one hand around her back, the other hand is once again still holding hers for some reason, and Sakura's face ended up rather close to my own. It was so close in fact that to an outside observer… or rather to a certain observer… it looked like the disguised Sakura suddenly decided to kiss me.
"Arghhhhhh!" a certain someone screamed with jealousy.
"Damn…. I usually notice her sooner than this." I thought as I instantly recognized who that voice belonged to.
A few people in the crowd, Sakura, and I turned towards the source of the scream. As expected, it belonged to an extremely red faced Nolan (to the point where steam would come out) pointing her finger in our direction. Nolan looked like she was about to blow a gasket when she realized Sakura and I in turn saw her, but then after a second she forcibly put her emotions in check….. for all of the ten seconds it takes her to walk up to us.
"I thought I told you it is impossible for you to follow me." I say to Nolan as her fumes of jealousy completely pass over me.
"Shut up!" Nolan yells at me shortly before turning her attention towards Sakura, "And who the heck are you?"
"I'm Sa…. Sabaya…. Who are you?" Sakura asked as she realized mid-sentence that she almost gave herself away.
And Sakura recognized Nolan instantly, but right now she's just going with the flow in order to avoid causing a scene. The former would get recognized instantly if she walked in broad daylight, while the latter Nolan by changing her wardrobe to a more girly casual has no trouble as she gets away with being a "pretty good Nolan look-a-like". She does normally dress like a tomboy after all.
"Just who…. Who do you think you are taking away his first time…. When I even haven't gotten a chance to do that?" Noan whispers to Sakura.
"Wha….. wha…. First time? We never didn't do anything like that." Sakura retorts her face red as well as she has a completely different interpretation of Nolan's words.
"You hussy… as his childhood friend I have more of a right to him than you!" Nolan declared.
"Who…. Who are you calling a hussy? Besides….. Kiba is old enough to choose who he wants to be with!" Sakura yells in part because of Nolan's insult, but mostly because of her own jealousy rearing its ugly head.
"Hmph….. doesn't change that I have a bigger claim." Nolan retorts.
An ordinary person might have figured out that these two ladies were fighting over him, but no I am just that big of an idiot.
"You wanna bet?" Sakura counters.
"You two shouldn't be causing a scene…. It's inappropriate for a pair of young ladies." I point out.
"Shut up! This doesn't concern you!" the pair of young ladies yelled towards me in response.
But it kind of does wouldn't you say? Well for now…..
To Be Continued
Nolan: As a childhood friend and the closest person to Kiba save for his own relatives… I have the biggest rights to his spare time.
Sakura: Close….. ha! We once shared a bed together.
Kiba & Nolan: Wait…. What?!
Sakura: Next time on Vanguard: Light Speed "The Ultimate Hot/Cold Cat-Fight II"
Kiba: Again… what?!
Royal Paladin
G1
One who Seeks Power
Power: 7000 Shield: 5000
Auto(RC)[1/Turn]: When a unit with "Blaster" in its card name is placed in the same column as this unit while it's at rest, if you have a "Royal Paladin" vanguard, stand this unit.
G2
Sage of Disguises, Prismil
Power: 9000 Shield: 5000
Auto(RC): When this unit attacks, if you have a Grade 3 or greater "Royal Paladin" vanguard with "Blaster" in its card name, this unit gets +2000 Power until the end of that battle.
Cont(RC)(Soul): If two or more cards with "Blaster" in its original card name are on your (VC), this unit is simultaneously regarded as "Blaster Blade" and "Blaster Dark".
G3
Apex Lord Blaster
Power: 11000
[Act](VC): Legion 21000 "Majesty Lord Blaster" (If your opponent's vanguard is grade 3 or greater, this unit may return four cards from your drop zone into your deck once, search your deck for the specified card, and Legion)
[Auto](VC):[Counterblast 1 & Choose a card with the same name as a unit on your (VC) from your hand, and discard it] At the close step of a battle, when this unit attacks a vanguard, you may pay the cost. If you do, choose up to two units with "Blaster" in its card name from your soul, call them to (RC), and the units called through this effect gain [Power]+5000 until end of turn.
[Auto](VC): If you have two or more cards with "Blaster" in its card name in your soul, this unit gets [Critical]+1.