Disaster: No End In Sight - A Future Card Buddyfight Story

by BurningCard

Kyoya Gaen's defeat, at the hands of Gao Mikado and Bal, did not mark the end of Disaster. Even after his fall, many others follow in his old footsteps. Chase Hallows, working in the field of monsters relations, is thrown into the fray as more monsters and people act in Kyoya's name. Alongside the Fifth Omni Lord and his Cavalry, they will keep fighting to end the Will of Kyoya.

5. 5 - Settling In

September 9th, 2030

The buzzing, aggravating noise of my iPhone woke me up the next day. At first, my eyes were struggling to open, for the rays of sunlight that pierced through the windows kept shooting into my sight. I groaned as I rolled in the opposite direction, for my phone was placed on the nearby bed desk. Without much thought, I reached over and grabbed the phone, using muscle memory to know where to click the phone to receive the call. I didn't even check for collar ID. "Hello?" I muttered into the phone, half asleep and still annoyed to have been called at what felt to me was early in the morning.

The sound of Ms. Fridrik was on the other side of the line. "Oh good, you're finally awake!" She replied in an eccentric and sly tone. "So, how do you like your apartment?"

"M-My apartment?" I wiped away at my eyelids and cleared my vision. Next to where my phone was were two pairs of glasses, one still in a convenient case. I always kept two just in case I lost either pair. I put on the glasses and began to look around me, half expecting to wake up in the "apartment." However, I only saw the small hotel room that Arkaid and I had slept in. It was then that I realized that Arkaid wasn't anywhere to be seen. The sudden realization made it difficult for me to talk normally while keeping up with Fridrik. "W-What are you talking about? What apartment?"

"You okay, Chase?" She replied, surprisingly with a bit of concern. "And yeah, your apartment. I have confirmation from Abigail that your apartment was taken care of."

"Taken care of?" I asked as I started getting dressed. Since it was a casual day I reached into my suitcase and grabbed my normal pair of clothes. It was a cheap, white T-shirt, a black hoodie with red zipper-lining, and a pair of long, light-blue jeans. The odd style, especially for someone who you'd imagine to be wearing more "sophisticated" clothing, fitted me more than anything. I always preferred the look of someone who kept their wit on a low profile, making it so that their appearance catches people off guard. It's that kind of thinking that got me involved in the few undercover cases of monster cruelty I actually got involved with. Anyways, when I was putting on my pants I reached for where I remembered my wallet to be. It was placed next to where my phone was. As I force of habit I always checked to make sure I had my ID and Debit Card and today was no exception.

"Yeah, I thought you were already at the place." My mind was no longer focused on the call; one look into my wallet made me freeze with fear. "Anyways, make sure to enjoy the day off. I figured you should have a day to get settled before working with the DMW here and the Buddy Police. Sound good?"

"… Yeah…."

"Good! See you then!" Her voice had clicked away faster than my mind did when I saw an empty slot in my wallet.

Someone had taken my debit card.

"Stay calm, CJ," I told to myself, which is what I normally did before failing to do so.

It was almost like saving grace from a higher power when I just so happened to check my phone; a few text messages were placed, all from Abigail Nolke. Looking at my phone again made me realize that it was 10 o'clock in the morning. I guess I must've overslept due to jetlag. "Hey CJ! You were sleeping when I came over, so I and Arkaid went to do some shopping. Don't worry, we're keeping your Debit Card safe! You can trust me!"

"I don't trust her," I muttered angrily.

Her next message detailed to me an address. I automatically assumed that it was the address for the apartment she mentioned. I immediately started to hastily pack my things, ramming clothes and other crap into my suitcase before rushing out the door. As I used my phone's navigation app to guide me to the apartment's address, I couldn't help but keep thinking that she used my debit card to buy an expensive apartment. My mind figured that Abigail herself went to get an apartment in an expensive area and, since she's my friend, she'd possibly use my money to buy an apartment in that same area too. Despite the fact that I lost my high school cross-country body ever since 2024, my legs carried me block to block faster than ever before.

It wasn't long before I found myself in a generally nice area. There was an average-looking building, tan in appearance but it carried an orange, Japanese-style roof with fancy tiles. You can blame my over-thinking self, but the tiles made me fear the price of the residence. I was heaving heavily as I rushed into the door. I rushed past a lady in the hallway before reaching the stairs. Based on what Abigail told me, I was on the second floor, room 24. When I reached the floor and turned a corner I noticed the number just a few dozen feet away. The door was open as I busted in.

I instantly saw Abigail. She turned to me with a smile on her face, but it immediately transformed to that of concern as she saw me hunched over. I was sweating hard, my black sweatshirt making it much hotter than I thought. Before Abigail could voice any concern I practically ripped off my sweatshirt, soon trembling my way to the sink. I started guzzling down the water from the faucet. I didn't have anything to eat or drink before my run over here. By the time I had my fill of water I turned around to see Abigail holding a fruit in front of my weary, exhausted face. "… Banana?"

"If you want to use my debit card, ask me first!" I groggily complained as I respectfully took the banana and started eating it. My chewing was getting obnoxious even to me, but I didn't care at all about manners in my exhausted state.

"D-did you run all the way here?" Abigail asked with a slightly offended tone. "Jeez, CJ. I know you don't like having other people use your card, but you could've just taken a cab."

"With the money that's on my debit card?" I pointed out. Abigail's eyes widened. She started laughing at herself for the little predicament she left me in, apologizing after. It was fine; I wasn't too angry with her. Her mind just skipped a step, is all. "Still, what was the price on this… place…." My eyes had only started looking at the surroundings. My eyes were so fixated on the sink earlier that I didn't even look at the rest of the furniture. My heart sank as I saw incredible-looking, yet antique-looking rugs. "Ugh…. UGH!" I panicked. They both carried designs of weaving roots and fancy bowls, almost as if the rug had ancient writings sewn into them as decoration. They covered most of the floor. I actually really, really liked them. The only thing I ever hated about rugs was moving them when they were out of position, but since that was taken care of I no longer found myself hating them.

When I looked up I saw marvelous tables and desks. The masterpieces were what got me, for they looked to be freshly-dusted and carved. They were a dark brown, and I was a sucker for darker shades of color when it came to furniture. When I looked to my right I saw chairs that fit the design of the table, two lanterns, and a rather sophisticated looking array of writing utensils that showed their age. They looked like the pens one would still dip ink in.

"WHAT THE ACTUAL WHAT?!" My eyes were soon stuck looking at the walls or, more specifically, where the walls should be. Except for the kitchen, the walls were lined with bookshelves, MASSIVE bookshelves that lined the room. When I peeked into what I assumed was one of the two bedrooms, more bookshelves were lined up. Books, old and new, filled each and every one of the bookshelves. It was like my living space was transformed into an antique library. "How… How much?!"

"Oh, we didn't buy any of that." I turned to Abigail with a shocked and confused face. My mouth was left agape as my fingers twitched. "Crazy, right? Once we bought the place-"

"With my money."

"Right, with your money, Arkaid had the bright idea to start moving some of her stuff in from Dragon World. All of these antiques and old-styled tables are, from what she told me, at least 200 years old."

"Two hundred years old?!"

Arkaid's voice or, more specifically, her giggles started erupting from the open bedroom. She came out, in her regular form, with a book tucked under her left arm. She was trying to contain her giggling by holding her right hand to her dragon snout. Her red nails seemed to make me think she was bleeding for a moment, but as she got closer I knew that I had nothing to worry about. My over-thinking makes me worry too much, I swear. "I'm glad that you were able to make it, CJ. I overheard you witnessing a portion of my collection of books from other worlds."

"A p-portion?" I stammered. "This is a portion?"

"Of course," Arkaid replied. "You see, CJ, I decided that it would be quite a good idea to bring my favorite books from Dragon World to here. I figured that, since we're going to be visiting Omni Lord Tenbu every so often, I wouldn't mind leaving my … "less favorable" books behind. I do read for pleasure, after all."

"You really think you're going to read all of those books, AGAIN?"

Arkaid smiled. "Don't be so ridiculous. As your buddy, I felt it would be proper to allow you the same pleasure."

"What makes you think I'm going to read ANY of them?!"

"You honestly believe I'll concede on finally having a friend to share my knowledge with? After being surrounded by, no offense to them, battle-hungry 'knuckleheads,' I'm not going to do such."

"… At least the rugs look nice."

"Thank you," Arkaid smiled. "I had Borzoi help displace the rugs from my place while moving them here. I have to say, I startled some of the Cavalry Dragons with the appearance of such a creature."

"Speaking of Bozo, where is he?"

Abigail joined in. "I had him go with people from the mall," she explained. "For you, we bought two beds, a couple lamps, and a few other little things. Nothing too expensive. I just need to take care of my room now. They should be coming back with my things any minute now."

"Wait, so you did my place first?"

"Well, I did have your debit card after all," Abigail began with an embarrassed smile. She laughed at herself in a nervous manner as I, due to being annoyed, crossed my arms. "Sorry, bud. At least this place is only three hundred dollars more expensive."

Arkaid spoke up. "300 dollars in yen," Arkaid corrected.

Abigail jerked for a moment. Her phone had let out a soft beep. "Just got a message from Alvis." She started scrolling through her phone until she pulled up a message. "Oh! Alvis is going to buddyfight someone."

I always liked watching Alvis buddyfight. The random nature of his play style and deck always made it so he put on a show. He and Sitri meeting up was a match made in heaven. The two play so well off each other during their games. I knew that I had to find out more. "Where's he playing? And who?"

"He's at Aibo Academy, and he's playing against someone who uses Magic World, someone named Tetsuya Kurodake."

Arkaid's ears perked. "I believe we met before."

I turned over to Arkaid, intrigued. "You do?"

Arkaid nodded, firmly yet slightly. "Tetsuya, last I met him, served as a member of the Buddy Police Youth. He served with Gao and Tasuku."

"Gao as in Gao Mikado?" Arkaid nodded in response. "There's no way this is pure coincidence. Plus, it's Magic World versus Magic World. We should definitely see Alvis play."

Abigail eagerly slammed her phone into her pocket. "Definitely! But we need to wait for Bozo to come back. I wonder what's-?"

A horrified scream was heard from outside. All of us stopped moving, seemingly waiting for the next noise to be heard. As soon as the sound of a magnified bark was heard, Abigail's face warped with worry. "OH NO!" Abigail shot out of the room with Arkaid and I following. When we made it outside we saw a small crowd of people looking up and staring at Bozo out of his SD form. In his true form, the goliath dog that was Borzoi was holding the moving truck. His arms were wrapped under it, and the strain on his face showed that he was struggling just to carry it. "Bozo!" Abigail cried out. However, she didn't sound to frightened. She sounded like an owner slightly annoyed and agitated at a normal pet dog. Arkaid and I later admitted that it was rather strange to see a human talk like that to a nearly two-story tall dog. "Bad dog! Put it down! What have I told you about going into that form without permission?!" Borzoi whimpered in response. He slowly started to put down the truck. "That's it. Good boy, Bozo."

The driver looked a little shaken. Arkaid and I rushed over to him as he crawled out from the side of the truck. Even though he was shaking, the man seemed to be laughing at himself a little bit. Abigail came over, possibly trying to apologize for Bozo, but the driver had already let the water slide under the bridge. "It's fine, Miss Nolke. The truck broke down on the way here. Your buddy rushed out and turned into that Cobalt Lord. I must say, I've never been both that scared and exhilarated in my life!"

Aibo Academy was completely packed. The HUGE education facility also stored a large buddyfighting arena. It was of the likes I've only been able to see on television (during the few times I actually watched it). Aibo Academy looked to be similar in structure in comparison to most colleges I've seen. I was rather surprised to later learn that it was actually a facility for grade-schoolers to college students. My amazement, however, was easily drowned up by how crowded this place was. It was still a school day; many students were still going through their daily businesses. It was a miracle that my friends and I were able to make it to the door to the arena.

I greatly appreciated the facility though. It was outfitted with exceptional rooms and contained a variety of courses. Arkaid and I were only able to look at a few due to Abigail and Bozo trying to rush us to the Buddyfight Hall. Arkaid was in her SD form during all this so not too many people were minding her presence. Still, whenever anyone glared, Abigail and I would look back in disgust. I was really starting to hate the fate that Arkaid was treated like an outcast.

When we finally made it to the arena, people were still setting things up. Students from a few sets of classes were sitting closest to the front rows. The format of this hall was similar to that of a coliseum; the red, theatre-esque circled the area in the middle. Like most buddyfight arenas, a few, low and wide pillars marked the different areas that monsters could be placed on. The arena was split into two main sides; the three monster circles, the battling circle where a monster hologram, or buddy monster, would traverse to then attack the opposing monster on either one of the three circles, and then there was a pillar that had an elevator nearby that acted as a means for people to easily enter it. What shocked me was the lack of support rails around where the fighter was supposed to stand. Seeing as how these holograms still had some matter to them and, because of that, still carried at least a bit of weight, I'm surprised that more safety precautions weren't put into place.

The audience consisted of mostly children and young adults. A few teenagers were placed here and there but the majority of the spectators consisted of what appeared to be seventh and eighth graders. Older adults, that I assumed to be other educators, were watching over them and looking at the battlefield. As I looked at them I noticed that they were talking to their classes, almost like they were conducting some sort of lesson. Abigail and Bozo seemed awestruck from the appearance of such a stage, which got me curious about their lack of stadium knowledge. "Have you not seen one of these before? Even on TV?"

Abigail shook her head. "I don't play that much, so there isn't much of a need to play in one of these," she continued. "The few times I do play are street buddyfights, but that's about it."

Arkaid raised her right finger to her lips. She scratched at it as she pondered for a moment. "I'll have to take note of that. It's rather odd for you not to, at the very least, have some experience in this sort of game. You and Borzoi look like you've known each other for a while."

"There weren't that many people where I came from," Abigail replied. Bozo, in his SD form, grinned goofily. "The Buddy Police actually had to deliver my Core Deck Case by mail when I got Bozo fourteen years ago; there wasn't one nearby our small town in Beverley. We didn't start thinking about constructing a deck until I was in college."

"And then?"

"I was just focused on my work at that point," Abigail continued. "I'm terrible at budgeting my time so I barely had the time to play. By the time I finally did I was with the DMW, and we conduct things a bit differently. We don't need to buddyfight to "stall for time" most of the time like the Buddy Police normally do."

"How do you mean?"

I answered for Abigail. "Any street officers use their buddies to help with the power and arrests. Common brawls often start if there's any resistance."

"I can understand where your system comes from; using a cardgame to "judge" whether or not a person could flee is a form of playing with the odds," Arkaid continued. "Still," she began as she lowered her hand. "Your old methods placed you more at risk. From what I learned from my time with Gao and the Buddy Police, the barriers stop people from leaving or entering, and can only act upon the officer's activation, and can only deactivate if the officer wins, chooses to deactivate, or loses to the criminal. It acts as a prison until others can arrive to assist, and the card games make it so that police can "stall" and the like; I don't think the Buddy Police use the cardgame and actually believe that the crook can actually escape; by the time the game is completed, reinforcements would've arrived to make the arrest."

"And make violent resistance pointless for the crook."

"However, your method uses up less time, but there is a risk depending on if the officer can get overpowered by the criminals or not. I believe this is less of a "cardgames" issue and more of a peace versus violent means of making arrests."

"Speedy, yet risky arrests against consistent, slower ones. Both sides have their pros and cons."

Arkaid exhaled. "The way I see it, it just shows the difference in how society is, and there doesn't appear to be a concrete answer. For example, if criminals were a different breed, and if firearms weren't only limited to the military, I doubt the buddy police barrier method would be functional. I guess there are just too many variables to consider, especially when a criminal could pull a firearm out of nowhere, endangering the life of an officer."

Abigail and Bozo, the entire time Arkaid and I were having a back-and-forth conversation, continued to stare at us as we continued discussing different viewpoints on the matter. By the time we noticed Abigail and Bozo staring, Arkaid and I were in a completely different conversation altogether, for it had transformed into a soft debate on gun control. We were both quiet as Abigail and Bozo kept staring with mouths agape. "… Do you two normally do that?"

Arkaid smiled softly. "We can go on for hours. We did so last night."

"Even with controversial opinions?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "It's not like she's saying anything incredibly jaw-dropping. There are decent points for and against gun control, for example. Arkaid, unlike most people, is one of the few people I've been able to have an easy conversation with. And, to be honest, we don't really do it for any real purpose; we just… talk, I guess. And I don't have to be that smart to discuss this sort of thing. It goes without saying that Arkaid has the most brains out of all of us, but our discussions are more about philosophy instead of intelligence. I guess it's because 'how' we approach things help define people, including us, a little bit."

"… Alvis was right on the plane here," Abigail started. "You two really are perfect."

Arkaid felt flushed for a moment before turning her head away. "It's only natural for a like-minded individual to think in a similar way. In a constant pursuit of knowledge, it is pointless to get angry at another for simply believing in something different, especially when they have decent reasoning behind it. Like most topics, certain exceptions are always involved, and CJ-" Arkaid turned back to me. Surprised by her suddenly pointing me out, I found myself blinking nervously. "I do enjoy our talks quite a bit."

The low, calm-sounding voice of Jackknife dragon was heard a few rows below us. "I thought I heard someone familiar." All four of us turned to see the green dragon, in his SD form, sitting on one of the spectator chairs. Abigail and I grinned a little bit, finding his appearance welcoming. Bozo, with a wagging tail, barked at the same person that Arkaid was looking at. Arkaid continued to look at the boy in a calm, calculated manner. She walked over and approached the boy wearing all blue, jacket and pants. For a moment, the world seemed to stop as she approached the boy. It was then I noticed Tasuku, and he too was watching as Arkaid nodded to him, saying a soft hello, and then motioning towards the boy next to him. The boy had incredibly spiky hair, and the front of his head had red streaks of spiky hair which contrasted the black ones in the back. The boy's fire-orange eyes seemed to burn with passion as a welcoming smirk appeared on his face. Arkaid bowed to him, and it was then when I knew exactly who the boy was. "It is a pleasure to meet with you once again, Gao Mikado."

"It's great to see you again!" The boy had a passionate, fiery voice. Everything fit the profile; it was the boy who saved the world at least three times (two confirmed by the government, one according to rumor) with cardgames and, in an awkward twist of fate, ruined the reputation of the Omni Lords. However, based on how these two welcomed each other, reputation was far from their minds. Actually saving the world and protecting others must have been the only things on their mind at the time.

Gao Mikado's face sparked with a confused curiosity as he leaned over Arkaid. She looked up at him, soon noticing that he was looking over to me and the rest of the group. Tasuku turned around and spoke up with a friendly smile. "They're the ones I met yesterday. They helped fight against the raid."

"You guys are awesome!" Gao Mikado seemingly yelled out. However, he looked like he was talking in a normal fashion. His voice was just so naturally passionate that a normal voice was comparable to that of a soft yell. Either way, hearing the kid praising us was actually pretty 'awesome.' It was one of the few things I don't recall receiving too often. At best, the response is some witty comment from my boss. Then again, I mostly just did paperwork; I've barely gone in the field and, even when I did, the best praise I've ever gotten was "that's your job."

Abigail was overflowing with happiness when she heard his praise. "Thank you so much! But I think Bozo here deserves the most praise. My BOZO whipped monster and criminal butt!" She held her buddy to her face and the two rubbed noses. "Who's the best boy?! You are!"

The rest of us just laughed uncomfortably at that. I rolled my eyes as I kept a chuckle-grin on my face. "That's the Demon Dog Lord, Borzoi Cobolt Lord for you; a goliath monster demon, but a puppy at heart."

"Anyways, I'm Gao Mikado!" The young boy exclaimed. He looked to be about twelve or thirteen. He stretched out his hand, which completely went over Arkaid's head.

"I've heard a lot from you," I returned back as I grasped his hand. Arkaid reached up and was able to grasp both me and Mikado's hands. "I'm Chase Hallows. You already know my buddy Arkaid." I looked behind me, watching as Abigail continued to pet Bozo in what I'd normally call 'aggressive petting.' "Those two are Bozo and Abigail Nolke."

"Wait, you're really Arkaid's buddy?" Gao asked, somewhat shocked. I nodded back. Gao looked down at Arkaid. "I thought you went to Dragon World to be with Grandpa Tenbu?"

"I did," Arkaid replied. "However, after your incident with Kyoya Gaen, the Fifth Omni Cavalry Dragons were given the option to find buddies on Earth to partner up with. The power exemplified between you and your buddy is something that we want to obtain and, hopefully, use it to better protect."

I nodded in return. "And I'm not simply her buddy," I corrected. "Apparently, I'm officially working as a member of their cavalry, but we haven't had the time to make an official visit to Dragon World to show the others."

Arkaid turned back to me. "Yes, that is something we will need to do fairly soon."

Tasuku leaned a bit closer to the main area. "I think you two will need to hold off on that. The buddyfight is about to start."

In the middle of the area was a pink-haired girl riding on a UFO with a pink alien inside. The alien resembled some odd amalgamation of a squid and an octopus, though it looked rather cute. The girl riding on top of the UFO had one 'zap' hair arrangement sticking from the top of her head. She wore orange goggles and her yellow clothing made her stick out like a sore thumb. "HELLO there! Wherever there's a buddyfight, Paruko Nanana will be there! I'd like to welcome you all to the buddyfight match. What started off as a simple challenge turned into a wildfire of passion and magic!"

Tasuku looked over at Abigail and I. "Alvis and Tetsuya challenged each other in secret. Apparently, their buddies knew each other."

Abigail raised a lower lip in curiosity. "I never thought Sitri would know Asmodai."

Arkaid nodded. "Another Omni Lord, mind you."

Getting even more interested, I leaned forward in my seat. "Go, Alvis; show off your Gamble Magic!"

Paruko was continuing to go through the welcoming portions of her speech. It was then when I heard the sounds of moving gears and strings from both sides of the area. The elevators were active, slowly bringing the two contenders into view. It wasn't long before both fighters left the elevator along with their buddies. Alvis smirked cockily as Sitri was now in his normal form. He stood almost as tall as Alvis, yet the two of them shared a set of pearly whites. On the opposite end was a young child who looked around Gao's age. Strands of hair appeared to strike out from the sides of his head. He wore a cap backward while sporting a funky green and yellow hoodie. Next to the goofy, smiling kid was his buddy Asmodai. A purple demon sporting a yellow hoodie. The two seemed to share a strong bond similar to, if not rivaling Alvis and Sitri. The demon Asmodai wasn't like any other demon I've ever seen; he had two threatening horns, but his demeanor was friendly and humorous. He smiled with his buddy Tetsuya as the two of them shared confident looks towards Alvis and Sitri. Finally, Paruko went to introducing the two fighters. "On the far corner; the challenging duo, the one who is currently attempting to snatch away the crown for king of the demon world! The ones, the onlies, Alvis Boden and Dandy Guy, Sitri!"

The crowd of students and teachers cheered in unison. The uproar shook the stadium to its very foundation as Alvis and Sitri waved to the pumped onlookers. However, during all of this, I was thinking to myself "'Onlies isn't a word, right?" Arkaid, shaken by the noise, covered her long, light blue ears until the cheering subsided.

"In the close corner! The king of rap. The true self-proclaimed King of the Demon World! Our very own Aibo Academy, fun-loving buddyfighter and buddy, Tetsuya Kurodake and Asmodai!"

Arkaid had the right idea covering her ears just as the announcement ended. The audience seemed to scream even louder than before. My very eardrums were rattled by such loud and piercing noises. I wasn't too used to being in crowded rooms. I quickly covered my ears, hiding from the sound. When it finally subsided, Arkaid and I looked at each other feeling the same concern. "What a rambunctious crowd!" Arkaid muttered loudly.

Tasuku smiled and nervously laughed. "To think this started due to some prank."

Abigail turned over. "A prank?"

"Tetsuya, apparently, was trying to get Gao Mikado for oversleeping." Gao scratched the back of his head in embarrassment, forcing a smile. "So he wired some speakers and played his favorite song when he thought he heard Gao walk through the door. It was Sitri. Once Alvis heard about this, him and Sitri, well… you can probably think of the rest."

"That's what happened?"

"From what Gao told me, yeah. And since Asmodai bragged about Tetsuya being the King of the Demon World, Sitri took him legit and offered his fedora as ante in exchange for the 'crown.'"

Abigail sighed. "Sitri, you freaking idiot. And you're telling me that Asmodai is rolling with it?"

"I'm pretty sure Alvis was too. Asmodai and Alvis were talking to each other earlier; I overheard them in the hallway laughing."

I grinned. "It doesn't matter." Everyone else turned to me. "I just want to watch Alvis buddyfigtht. I always love watching his and Sitri's Gamble Magic."

Alvis smiled. He fell into the theatrics as he began to say his chant for the deck. As holographic representations of his cards appeared, he spoke with great confidence and charm. "Here, there, and everywhere. Our magic is so crazy you'll want to risk it all! It's time! Gambling with Magic!"

Tetsuya did the same, dancing as he spoke. The young kid danced alongside his favorite buddy monster. "Let's study with the Demon Lord! Tricks so sick you'll be dancin' with the demons! Luminize! Devil's School! Yo!"

Paruko took control of the scene as she passionately yelled into her microphone. "Anyways, I think it's about time we started this thing! On three! One! Two! Three! BUDDYFIGHT!"

Alvis and Tetsuya, in unison, spoke up. "Time to raise the flag!"

Suddenly, behind both players was a representation of their world's flag. The flags were a greenish-blue color with strange markings on the front. It was a circle with several lines going through them, almost forming some sort of sorcery circle. Images of staffs and wands were placed seamlessly around the circle. However, what got me were both players and their Core Deck Cases. After activating them, both of their devices shifted appearance. Tetsuya's changed into a set of headphones while Alvis's morphed into a metallic Medora.

The cards within each player's deck were in the core cases now. The deck cases perfectly copied each and every card and made a holographic representation of their decks, which were able to be drawn via hand interaction with the gem on each Core Deck Case. Two gauge cards flew from each player's Deck Case and went to their left, representing their Gauge resources. Immediately afterward, six holographic representations of their cards emerged from the crystal and hovered in front of them, representing their hands.

Alvis spoke up with a cocky grin. "We fight for Magic World."

Tetsuya curled his lips in a goofy yet fun manner. "We fight for Magic World too, yo!" The kid's demeanor was similar to Gao's but a bit looser; he seemed to find the situation he was in immediately fun and enjoyable.

Something must have been agreed upon before the match because Alvis took the first turn. "Charge and Draw!" He said as he flung a hand card into his gauge, allowing him to draw another card. "First, I'm gonna activate 'Nice One!' I pay a guage and draw two cards, bringing me to eight." He looked amongst his cards, rather annoyed at first. "There you are! I buddy call to the center area! Dandy Guy, Sitri!"

The holographic card vanished from his hand. Sitri took the place of it, soon leaping away from Alvis's side as he entered the center circle. He was a size 2 creature with a power of 4000, a critical of 2, and a defense of 3000. "Time to start the show. Your crown's mine!"

Asmodai chuckled. "Whatever you say, pussycat. You need to beat us first."

Alvis took command. "Buddy Gift. I gain one life. Then I activate my buddy's ability. Whenever he's called onto the field, I'm able to check the top card of my deck. If it's a spell, then I get to play it without paying its cost. If not, then it goes to the bottom!"

Arkaid, in interest, leaned in a little bit. "So that's how his actual magic transferred to his ability skill. Now I understand his Gamble Magic."

I turned to her. "Pardon?"

"Remember when Sitri and Alvis first explained that, outside of battle, Sitri's magic is either powerful or weak?" Arkaid began. "It's a gamble when they perform it. The same aspect is represented here in his card's ability. When monsters are able to come to earth and have their own cards, including extra copies that they don't inhabit, who or what they or their species affects what's written in their card text."

"So, like what your card text says, it's written like that because you are the type of person who would protect me?"

"Exactly," Arkaid answered. "If a friend is in pain, I'll do everything in my power to help. That is my creed, and so it was written on my card."

Sitri performed a trick with his hat. After pulling it off his head he started waving his hand over it. Next, he turned around and flicked his fedora. The hat traveled like a boomerang, soon hovering just over Alvis's Core Deck Case. This action revealed the top card of his deck. "Key of Solomon: First Volume. I'm able to charge two top cards from my deck to my gauge. Now, Sitri, attack the fighter!" Sitri leaped away from the center position. In a casual manner, he flicked his fedora at Tetsuya. The hat phased through Tetsuya, leaving behind a hole with red grid marks. In buddyfights such as these, the attacks simply phase through the opponent due to the holographic setting. However, some attacks have more matter and force to them, meaning that buddyfighters could get hurt depending on the attacks but, based on my knowledge, the force has never been fatal. "Your life is at 8 now. My turn's over."

"What a sleek turn, yo!" Tetsuya chimed. "Too bad my beat's gonna rock your world!" Tetsuya drew a card from his deck, soon followed by charging one into his gauge before drawing another. "I activate Key of Solomon: First Volume! I'm charging my gauge by two! Then, payin' a gauge, I call Demon Realm Architect, Gamigin to the right, followed by Sky Poet, Amon to the center, yo!" From his hand emerged two creatures. Gamigin was a demon centaur with blue skin. He was clad in gold armor yet his legs were covered in baggy-blue pants. He was a size 1 creature with 5000 power, critical was 1, and a defense of 1000. To the center position was an Egyptian creature with mostly orange skin. He carried a silver rod with a round bangle at the very end of it. He was a size 2 creature with 6000 power, 3 critical, and a defense of 1000. "Now for Gamigin's dance number! He searches for one Magic World set spell and I put it into my hand! Then I'm gonna activate it!" Out came a spell called Solomon's Great Barrier. It being a set spell, its hologram representation had it be a tower concealed in an orb. Above it was a purple ritualistic circle. "Now all my size two 72 Pillars monsters have their size reduced by one!"

"So, you're setting up for next turn?"

"Hmm… maybe!" Tetsuya chimed. "Now, Gamigin, Amon, attack the fighter!" The two monsters leaped forward with Gamigin slashing into Sitri, making him vanish into many holographic shards. Amon, with three critical, slashed into Alvis, bringing his life down to 8. "Erm… I wish I could've done more. You got away with dat one, yo!"

The turn went back to Alvis. "Now I'll show you the true power of my Gamble Magic! Draw! Charge and Draw! Now I activate 'Trio!' with the cost of one gauge and a life!"

Paruko chimed in. "Whoa! Now he's using that card to get his buddy back from the drop zone!"

"Next, I play my own barrier with the cost of a gauge!"

"And now he has his own barrier!" Paruko screamed. "With a spell bringing his Size 2 monsters to size 1s, he'll have so much more options to utilize!"

"I activate Nice One! To draw two more cards!" Alvis drew two cards from the deck. His eyes were glowing gold. "Awesome! Now it's time for some real magic to start! I call not one, not two, but THREE Dandy Guy Sitri's!"

"No way!" Paruko screamed as three more Sitri's arrived on the field. All three of Alvis's monster circles were filled up. "Now he'll be able to check the top card of his deck three times! And if any of them are spells, he can activate them without paying a cost!"

Tetsuya recoiled back. "That's crazy, yo! Any spell!"

Asmodai lowered himself to Tetsuya's height. "Hey Tets, no need for the somber face. There's a reason why he called it gamble magic."

"Show me the money!" Alvis pulled the top card of the deck. It was an impact card, not a spell. "Darnit!"

"Told you, Tets," Asmodai reassured him. "There are still many cards in his deck. He'll be able to pull of spells some of the time, but not all."

"Second check!" Alvis pulled a spell, but it wasn't the one he wanted. "Aw crud! That's lame! It's a Nice One!"

Paruko pouted for the crowd. "That's so unfortunate! Nice One! has the limitation of one use per turn, and he already used it to draw at least one of his Sitri's!"

"Come on, show me the money!" Alvis checked the top card. He grinned. "There we go! Magical Goodbye!"

"What a great draw!" Paruko exclaimed. She explained the events as they transpired, detailing that the card returns a monster on the field to the hand. Alvis targeted the Amon in the center, returning the monster back to Tetsuya's hand. "Now Alvis has an open attack on the center. If Tetsuya lets all three attacks through then he'll be down to just two life!"

"Sitri's, attack his center!"

The three panther men leaped away from their circles one at a time. They rushed forward, leaping into the air before slashing down at Tetsuya. He recoiled back as he took the first attack, bringing him to 6 life. It was only a matter of time before the second Sitri attacked, slashing Tetsuya with an uppercut slash! Tetsuya's life was at 4, and the last Sitri was about to deal the last blow. "I cast Solomon's Shield!" A golden shield emerged from Tetsuya's card, blocking the last attack.

"Phew, that was close!" Paruko explained. "If he didn't guard there then he would've been in a serious pinch!"

Alvis smiled back. "So, what do you think of my deck?"

Tetsuya grinned. "It's pretty tight, yo!"

Sitri snarled. "You'll pay for that prank! Your crown is mine!"

Asmodai grinned cockily. "We'll see about that. Tetsuya still has many tricks up his sleeve."

Tetsuya took charge for his turn. He drew a card from his deck, chose one to place into his gauge, which was then followed by him drawing another card. "Wicked! Asmodai, it's time for you to party!"

The demon grinned. "I've been waiting for this!"

"I buddy call to the center! Fervent Demon Lord Teacher, Asmodai!" With the cost of two gauge, the demon next to Tetsuya changed his attire. His yellow sweatshirt changed to that of a fashionable white professor clock. He was a size 1 with 5000 attack power, 2 critical, and 1000 defense. He held an instructing stick in his hand as he leaped onto the center position. However, as he entered position, he waved his stick. Instantly, the Sitri in the center vanished into many holographic pieces.

Alvis was taken aback, shocked by the sudden move. "What the heck just happened!"

Asmodai snickered. "When I enter the field, if there are three or more 72 Pillars cards on Tets's side of the field, 'this' happens." Almost immediately, Alvis watched in shock as his set spell was destroyed instantly.

"No! My spell!" And that wasn't all. Because the sizes were reverted to their normal statuses, Alvis had to remove one Sitri and move it to the drop zone.

"AWW MAN!" Paruko exclaimed. "Now Alvis has to put one of his remaining Sitri's in the drop zone! With two Sitri's with their Size 2's back, he's over the Size 3 limit!"

Alvis removed the Sitri from the right side of the field. Tetsuya was still not finished. "Now I call Sky Poet, Amon!" The monster from before returned with all his glory. However, things were not looking too good for Alvis; he only had 7 life left while Tetsuya had 5 after the Buddy Gift.

"Crap!" Alvis exclaimed while disgruntled. "And I don't have my shield cards to protect me!"

Paruko chimed in. "Alvis is fortunate that Tetsuya doesn't have enough gauge for a Diabolical Hardcore! If Tetsuya had that impact in hand, and if he had the gauge, he'd be able to end it here!"

"No big," Tetsuya replied goofily. "I'll just finish things on the next turn! Let's go, everyone!"

All three monsters unleashed an onslaught of damage on Alvis. His life went from 7 to 1 in a near instant. It was crazy; not only did his life go down by more than half his original total, but his field was completely wrecked. He only had one Sitri left on his field and two of them were in the drop zone. However, just as the last attack hit, Alvis activated a spell card. "I now activate Magical Goodbye! on Sitri! Come back to my hand!"

"WHAT!?" Paruko screeched from her lungs. Sitri retreated back into Alvis's hand. "You're meaning to tell me he had that card this whole time? Well, why in the world didn't he use it to return one of the attacking monsters to the hand?! Is Alvis slipping up? Is he throwing the towel here?!"

I lightly scoffed. "She needs to throw the towel on her commentary career."

Paruko quickly turned to me with a fuming face. "I HEARD THAT!"

Arkaid lowered her head. "His bluntness aside, I will have to agree with him." Paruko continued to stare. "You did say it yourself; Tetsuya didn't have an impact card to end the fight. There was no need for Alvis to use that card when 'you' believe he should've."

"And why's that?"

"Because he's preparing his next move," Arkaid finished.

Alvis silently drew a card from his deck. He put a card into his gauge and drew another one. "Okay… this is the finale. My final assault! Sitri, it's time to unleash your FINAL GAMBLE!" Alvis called Sitri to the right position, allowing Alvis to trigger the ability. "I just need one of three cards. If I pull it now, then I'm set for the turn!" Alvis slowly checked the top card of his deck.

The crowd was watching in suspense as Alvis stared at the card in his hand. Everyone was staring at his face, waiting for the sign of disapproval. He gulped at first, soon looking over the rest of his hand. "… Perfect. Now I'm ready! I activate, from the top of my deck, Solomon's Great Barrier!"

Paruko started freaking out as she intensely gripped her microphone. "No way! He was able to pull out another barrier after losing the first?!"

"That's my deck. I could've won earlier, or later, or lost at either time," Alvis started. "It's that kind of unpredictability that I love about this deck, and my buddy." He looked up, soon smiling back at Tetsuya. "When you're an adult, everyone expects you to be a certain standard, a boring corporate crony who just stands around and does work all day, returns home, only to do the same thing the next. That crap is so repetitive!"

I smiled from the stands. "This is why he's awesome."

"But Sitri came into my life. He showed me many ways in which life could still spark interest, and then I was revived, no, my old me came back!" Alvis screamed to the heavens. "Yes! I am an adult, but that doesn't mean I should discard the me that enjoys true life and the surprise it brings. That's the spontaneity that runs my life, the me that still enjoys wholesome jokes, easygoing humor! The me that Sitri brought back, the me that is standing here now… is going to show you that there is another way for an adult to live!"

Sitri looked back at his buddy with watery eyes. "B-bro!"

"I activate the barrier! Now my size 2s can be treated as size 1s. In addition to that, I activate Devil Advantage!"

Paruko gasped. "He's going to bring back the Sitri's that left the field during his last turn! With the cost of one gauge, he's going to bring the same two copies of his buddy from the drop zone! He's going to repeat his Gamble Magic!"

"I call both of them, allowing me to activate their effect twice!" Both Sitri's left Alvis's hand and entered the battlefield, filling in the previously empty battle circles. "First check… AWESOME!"

"He pulled a Bastin Caps! Normally no player would use such a card! It costs 4 gauge to destroy a card on the field as a counter, but because of Sitri's ability, Alvis is able to cast that spell for free! Now he can destroy the Asmodai in the center area!"

Tetsuya gasped. "No! A-dawg!"

Asmodai grinned as he looked back at his buddy. The spell that was activated unleashed an intense and destructive flame. It was spiraling towards Asmodai as he stuck out a fist to his partner. "You got this, King!" He vanished into many holographic shards.

Alvis was ready to activate the other Sitri's effect. "Second and final check…. Aw yeah!" He managed to pull a Key of Solomon: First Volume. He charged two cards from the top of his deck and placed it into his gauge. "Now we're ready. Sitri's, go and attack the fighter!"

The three Sitri's went after Tetsuya in three separate attacks. The first brought his life down to 3. The second brought his life down to 1. And the last attack-!

"I cast Chillax!"

Paruko started screaming once again! "OH MY GOODNESS! Tetsuya pulls out another defensive spell! With the cost of a gauge, he regains one life and is able to block the last attack. He manages to survive the turn with two life!"

Alvis smirked. "Actually, he won't…. FINAL PHASE!"

"WHAT!? NO WAY!"

The crowd cried in an amazed uproar. Alvis revealed the impact card from his hand. "It's the final phase… now I can use this impact card. Now, finish off this game. For the cost of three gauge, if I have a 72 Pillars on my field, I can deal damage to you equal to 1 plus the number of 72 Pillars on my field!"

"T-That's-!"

"That's at least four damage going straight to you!" Alvis exclaimed. "Now, activate! GATLING HARDCORE!"

---

The two sides were across from each other. We were outside the arena now, for the short match was over and done with. Alvis was with us while Tetsuya and Asmodai were with Gao, Tasuku, and Jackknife (Jack). The two sides were facing one another, each one sharing a face with great content. Tetsuya and Alvis stepped forward. In a fun way, the two weren't too different. If anything, I think they were rather the same.

Tetsuya was the first to speak. "Barely anyone liked my dance at first. Thought it was crummy," he began. "But Asmodai told me to never stop. He was there for me ever since, watching me, yo."

Alvis nodded. "The same is definitely for me and Sitri." Alvis and Sitri looked to each other. Both smiling, they returned their attention to Tetsuya and Asmodai. "I was unhappy… my family didn't want the old me to be a part of my life. They wanted someone 'mature' and 'smart.' Not someone who jokes around, is a bit goofy…, but Sitri showed me something." He chuckled to himself. "During work, he'd joke around, he'd have a great time. I'd try to control him, but that only made him act out even more. But, when we were in the field, and our backs were against the wall… he was serious, and he told me he'd watch my back until his end."

Sitri muttered softly. "Bro…."

"I think… I think being an adult, to me, means knowing the time and place for everything," Alvis stated soundly. "I think my family got on my case at first because I never took things seriously as a kid… but now I do, but I still know when to have fun, especially when Sitri is around." The two nodded at each other. "I guess what I'm trying to say is… don't forget your dance, Tetsuya. No matter what anyone says, there's always a place for 'you' in the adult world. It's not just Sitri; my other friends taught me that too."

Tetsuya held up a fist. "You got it!" He smiled, closing his eyes with an expected innocence of a child.

Sitri slowly stepped forward, his head hung low with guilt as he carefully took off his fedora. He let off a long sigh before innocently raising his eyes to Tetsuya. "Listen… about me taking your crown… you can have it. I don't need it as long as I have my buddy."

Tetsuya tilted his head in confusion. He turned to Asmodai, only to be greeted with a cocky shrug of his shoulders. He turned back to Sitri with bewildered eyes. "What crown?"

"Y-your crown," Sitri reiterated. "You're King of the Demon World, right? That must mean you have a crown."

"That's just a thing A-dawg says to me," Tetsuya replied innocently back. "There's no crown."

Sitri dropped his fedora on the ground. His eyes widened as he started to hear Alvis and Asmodai chuckling around him. Abigail and Bozo started laughing loudly and boisterously while Arkaid tried hiding her chuckling to show manners. Me, on the other hand, simply shrugged complacently. Sitri turned to his buddy with anger. "You mean to tell me you knew that he didn't have a crown this whole time?!"

"Yep," Alvis replied.

"I thought I was doing such a good thing too!" Sitri exclaimed in a loud sigh. "I thought I was selflessly giving back the crown! GAH! I sound so ridiculous!"

Asmodai seemed to know where Sitri's language was going. I guess it was true that the two of them met before. Asmodai seemed to call odd-looking clones of himself out of nowhere. At the time, I didn't question it for I assumed it was just a 'Magic World' thing to do. However, the Asmodai's covered the ears of all of the kids present. I guess Jack the green dragon was old enough to hear the potentially loud language. Alvis smiled innocently, hiding his laughter. "Aw, come on Sitri. I thought it was pretty nice of you."

"Fuck you!" Sitri cried out.

I snickered. "Look at the bright side. At least you can say you won the buddyfight. By the way, how did it feel to basically beat up a child?"

"Fuck you too!"

Asmodai barked out. "Language!"

It was finally time for everyone to start heading off. Gao and Tetsuya had to head off to their classes while Tasuku had to return to the Buddy Police HQ. Before that, however, I had to talk to Tasuku and Gao. Arkaid and I stayed behind while the rest of my friends decided to go get some lunch. I went to ask Tasuku why he was at the school to begin with. After he answered that he was patrolling since there was still fear about the murders, I asked him if I could talk to Gao in private. After allowing me to do so, he left with Jack in tow.

Gao seemed slightly confused as to why I wanted to talk to him. Also, when I was about to ask him a question, he kept glancing at Arkaid. I guess he was trying to make himself comfortable by looking at a familiar face. Even so, I decided to go forward with my short line of questioning. "You have quite the reputation, you know," I began. "You saved the world, apparently. I'm surprised you aren't treated as a celebrity."

"That's not me," Gao replied. "I don't want to be seen as "greater" or anything. I just want to better myself and have fun with my friends, especially when we play buddyfight."

"Modesty. I like that," I replied. "Also, that reminds me. Where is your buddy?"

"Oh, um…." Gao turned away. "Well, you should know what happened to Drum, right?"

Arkaid nodded. "I'll fill him in." She turned to me. "After helping Gao and the Fifth Omni Lord, Drum went back to Dragon World to lead the Drum Clan."

"What about Bal?" I asked curiously.

"He… left," Gao slowly replied.

"I understand if it's uncomfortable to talk about," I replied quickly. "Having your buddy leave you is a hard burden. That's happened to me quite a few times."

"It's actually fine, really," Gao replied as he seemingly forced a smile. However, the more he talked, the happier he appeared to be. "I mean, I was able to say goodbye to them." My body tensed up. Arkaid seemed to notice. However, she didn't mention anything about it. I only figured that she noticed it due to how he ears flicked. "Drum left, but he and I were able to say goodbye too. We … we're both still in each other's lives." Gao looked up to me. "We're still buddies. They're just not around anymore. Drum may visit me in the future, so I'm sure he'll be back."

"That's good… to hear." My voice seemed to darken. "…Well, do you mind if I come to visit you for any future questions?"

"No problem at all! See ya later."

He turned away and started rushing back to class. Arkaid and I turned around and started the trek back to my apartment. My anger was hard to contain. I only just realized that I had been holding a fist for quite some time. Unfairly, I hated him. I was envious of him. He was able to say goodbye to them!