SailorStar9: After getting Chapter 39 out, this is Chapter 40 of this fic. For everyone who put this fic on your favorited and followed lists and/or story alerts, thank you, but remember everyone, a lot of authors (myself included) sustain on readers' reviews.

Pairing: Kai/Ami

Disclaimers: Sailor Moon and Cardfight! Vanguard belong to Takeuchi-sensei and Akira Itō-sensei respectively. Me, on the other hand, own absolutely nothing, except the pairing and the fic idea.

Chapter 40: Fateful Showdown! Queen Isis' True Identity, Goddess of Harmony, Harmonia!

Without using that power until the end. Kai mused, the rest of the team were discussing the final cardfight. So, she intervened, didn't she? Silently, he turned to leave.

"Where are you going?" Miwa asked when Ami stood up.

"Giving a certain something to a certain someone and hopefully stopping said certain someone from doing something stupid." Ami replied.

"I see." Miwa turned to see Kai leaving the arena.

"You're still going then." Ami managed to stop Kai from exiting the entrance hall.

"Do you intend to stop me?" Kai asked.

"I know I won't be able to stop you." Ami admitted, already knowing stopping him would be fruitless. "That's why..." she pulled out the 'Dragonic Overlord, The End' card.

It all begun here. Kai was outside the Foo Fighter headquarter building. I couldn't stop Ren. He entered the building. Possessed as he is by that power, I was mad at myself for not being able to do anything, except watch him change in front of my eyes. So I distanced myself from him. I chose to run away. But I'm not the same person I was then. Aichi was about to fall to the dark side of that power, but I was strong enough to bring him back. So now... he pulled out his deck and slid out the card Ami gave him earlier. This time for sure. "Tetsu." he turned to the taller male who was standing at the side door.

"So you finally came?" Ren turned to Kai, Tetsu having led the Kagero cardfighter to the VR Cardfighting room. "I knew you would come, Kai." he took off the VR helmet.

"Do you know why I came, too?" Kai questioned.

"Yes, to make me surrender, right?" Ren confirmed. "Like you did to Sendou Aichi. I feel sorry for him." he deposited the helmet onto the Cardfighting table. "Thanks to the weird ideas you put in his head, Sendou Aichi has chosen not to use his power. It's foolish to turn away from a power as this. Kai, you don't understand how wonderful this power is."

"That power changed you." Kai stated, approaching the duel table. "Relying on it too much has made you forget how much fun Vanguard was supposed to be. All you focus on is taking down your opponent. Have you forgotten the times the three of us had, competing with each other?"

"Forgotten?" Ren snorted. "No matter how much I try, I can't forget. They really were good times, weren't they? But, Kai, the one who ruined it was you." he hissed. Don't tell me you've forgotten; you abandoned me, in retaliation for losing to me that day. When we formed Team Foo Fighter, we were far from being strong enough to complete in the national tournament. But I was satisfied with that, as long as the three of us could be together. However, you tried to get stronger than anyone else, Kai. I wanted to meet that passion with my own. I wanted to be strong. For you, Kai, for Tetsu and the team. If I could get stronger, the three of us could fight side-by-side forever. We could even go to the national tournament. Yes, I wanted to get strong for all three of us. It was all I thought about. It felt like a secret treasure chest inside had opened." he reminisced, recalling the moment Psyqualia awoke in him."I could hear the voice of the cards. And so, in my next fight, they told me which cards to use. All I had to do was obey the cards. If I did that, I would win every time. I obtained power. I became strong. I was thrilled. And I was sure you and Tetsu would be pleased, too. Tetsu was afraid of my power, but he tried to accept it. You, though, Kai, you rejected me. I gained this power for the three of us, but you didn't accept it. No, that's not all." he spat. "You deserted me. I hated you then. I hated you from the bottom of my heart for disdaining this power that I gained for the three of us. I had to prove how grand and wonderful this power was. So that even a fool like you could understand. Kai, this power that you won't accept has attracted many other players and now there are over 500 members of Foo Fighter in all. This power is wondrous. The more I use it, the more it sharpens my skills, flowing through my entire body. It's so powerful that it made winning the national tournament, the original goal feel like a simple attainment. Kai, I'm grateful to you. My hatred for you made this power stronger. It took me to heights I never thought possible. Winning the national tournament... Foo Fighter... there's nothing that I can't achieve. And now my interest lies in... yes..." he mused. "Perhaps I can use this power to take over the world."

"Let's fight, Ren." Kai laid down the challenge. "I'm going to beat you and that power, and bring back the person you used to be. I swear by this."

"Bring me back?" Ren echoed. "Impossible. You see, this is the real me, the me I've always longed to be. I don't know what you've got up your sleeve, but if you're going to get in my way, I'll bring you to your knees. With this power that you refuse to accept. Tetsu, I don't need this." he tossed over the VR helmet to his second-in-command. "I don't really get that machine, so just the gloves are fine. Right, Kai?"

"We're going to watch this fight, too." Suiko cut in from the other glass door, the three females from Ultra Rare stepping aside to let Ami through.

"What's the meaning of this, Ren?" Kai asked, taking in his partner's appearance; Ami was now decked in a flowing white dress with a plunging neckline, and a diamond-shaped silver belt completing her outfit. A translucent orb with twin angel wings spouting from its sides that was encrusted to a silver circlet hang around her neck.

"You don't mind, do you?" Ren questioned. "Unless you don't want your dearest partner to see you lose?"

"So you came?" Kourin noted when the door slid open, emitting the last visitor.

"Kai?" Aichi blinked. "Ren?"

"Aichi." Kai gawked.

"Huh." Ren mused

"Kourin asked me to come over." Aichi commented.

"He has a right to watch this." Kourin explained.

"Interesting." Ren chuckled. "Now everyone with a connection to the power is here. No better stage could have been set."

"Aichi, watch our fight." Kai demanded. "Watch it closely."

"You two are fighting?" Aichi blinked. Why are those two...?

I was looking for the strength to beat Ren, and the answer I arrived at is... Kai focused on his upgraded deck.

"Apparently, the power I have is call 'Psyqualia'." Ren mused.

"Yeah, I know." Kai admitted.

"Then, I don't need to explain." Ren remarked. "I'll just show you this magnificent power." he activated his Psyqualia and transporting the group to Planet Cray.

"This is Ren's..." Aichi breathed.

"Psyqualia." Ami finished, her own power reacting. The orb around her neck then emitted a bright light as her aura rippled outwards. In response, Blaster Blade, Blaster Dark and Dragonic Overlord manifested before the revealed Cray Queen.

"Blaster Blade..." Aichi gawked. "Since when..."

"Allow me to introduce the girl standing before us." Suiko started. "She is Kozuki Ami, the clan heiress of the legendary Kozuki Clan and the reincarnation of Queen Isis, the ruler of Planet Cray. However, her true identity is the Goddess of Harmony, Harmonia."

"Impossible..." Ren was stunned.

Just as I thought, Kai realized. Ami... she's different somehow. Is this due to her awakening her true power?

As if in answer to the Goddess' powerful aura, all three Guardian units knelt before the revealed Goddess.

"I'm going to crush that power." Kai swore, the group were returned back to the VR Cardfighting room.

"It's no use, Kai." Ren chided. "Even you will grovel before this power, Psyqualia."

"Stand up, the Vanguard!"

"Draw." Kai took the first turn. "I ride Bahr. Turn end."

"Draw." Ren took his turn. "I ride Blaster Javelin. Call and attack." he had the newly summoned Gururubau attack. "I attack with Blaster Javelin."

"I ride, Dragon Knight Nehalem." Kai summoned the Grade 2 unit. "I call Burning Horn Dragon and Flame of Hope, Aermo. With a boost from Conroe, Burning Horn attacks Gururubau. With a boost from Aermo, Nehalem attacks. Check the drive trigger."

"Check." Ren drew a card. "Got a draw trigger. I add +5000 to the power of Blaster Javelin. And then, I draw. Ride, Blaster Dark. Call. Counterblast. I attack with DonnerSchlag."

"I guard with Bahr." Kai countered.

"I attack with Blaster Dark." Ren continued.

"No guard." Kai declared.

"Got a critical trigger." Ren drew a card.

"Got a heal trigger." Kai added. "I give the power of Nehalem and heal 1 point of damage."

"You're afraid of this power because you don't have it." Ren taunted. "Since you're afraid of the unknown, you're going to lose this time, too. And then, you'll run away."

"I'm not going to run." Kai insisted. "I'm done running. I ride, Dragonic Overlord. I call Berserk Dragon. Counterblast. Charon." he took out the Dark Mage. "I attack Nemain with Berserk Dragon. With a boost from Aermo, Overlord attacks."

"No guard." Ren declared.

"Check the drive trigger." Kai continued. "Got a critical trigger. I give the extra critical to Overlord and add +5000 to the power of Burning Horn. Aermo's skill." he dropped one card into the drop zone. "With a boost from Conroe, Burning Horn attacks. Burning Horn's skill, when the Vanguard has 'Overlord' in its name, this unit receives +3000 power."

"Got a heal trigger." Ren countered. "I give the power of Blaster Dark and heal 1 point of damage."

"This is sad." Suiko remarked. "Fighting is the only way they can talk to each other. But I'm also envious."

"Stand and draw." Ren took his turn. "I've only getting started, Kai. I ride, Phantom Blaster Dragon. I call. DonnerSchlag's attack."

"I guard with Kimnara." Kai fended.

"With a boost from Apocalypse, Phantom Blaster Dragon attacks." Ren continued his attack. "Apocalypse's Soulblast. When this unit boosts a card with 'Blaster' in its name, the boosted unit gains +6000 power."

"No guard." Kai let the attack through.

"Check the drive trigger." Ren drew two cards. "Got a draw trigger. I give the power to Fatalita. And then, I draw."

"Got a draw trigger." Kai countered. "I give the power to Overlord."

"With a boost from Charon, Fatalita attacks." Ren declared.

"I guard with Tahr." Kai blocked. "Even if you forgot how much fun Vanguard really is because you're hooked on power, I believe. I have faith that the old Ren is still buried inside."

"Stupid." Ren mocked. "That person is gone for good. What's here is a Vanguard fighter made omnipotent by the power of Psyqualia, Suzugamori Ren."

"This is the one." Kai drew the card he needed. "This is the trump card that's going to beat you. At the end of an endless quest, you arrive at final evolution. Sublimate your savage soul and show your true form. Crossride! Dragonic Overlord, The End!"

"On top of Dragonic Overlord?" Aichi gaped.

"Harmonia-sama, that card..." Kourin looked at the Goddess, whose skirt was billowing from the power of her aura.

"Yes." Harmonia replied. "I gave that to him earlier."

"This is Dragonic Overlord's final form." Kai declared. "Its true form. Ren, I'm going to bring you back with this."

SailorStar9: Now that's done, read and review.