September 15th, 2030

Work ended early for me today. I worked non-stop throughout the day in order to take my mind off the truth. The possible reasons for Liam to be working with those two ex-employees…. I couldn't help but lose all hope when certain thoughts ran through my head. If it turned out that all three of them are working for The Will of Kyoya then I just wouldn't know what to do with myself. It's for that reason that I found myself unable to talk to him at all on Skype. I used to talk to my Skype friends back in the United States rather often, but recently it's been hard. Now I had even less reason to talk to Liam, and that worried me greatly. I just couldn't think of how to talk to him. And the worst part of it all was that I wasn't assigned for the job.

My boss, Ms. Fridrik, assigned Alvis and Abigail to become members on the same team; in addition to that, she also had it so she would be a part of this as well. Since all three of them only came here recently to Japan, they were perfect candidates for working undercover. What also helped them in this matter was that this tournament was also supported by Aibo Academy and the Gaen Cup. It made them figure that Team Redemption entered because they wanted to get closer to a certain one of their sponsors. After telling me about the tournament, they informed me that I was not to be included in their group. At first, I assumed that they didn't want me in due to how I was involved with the Disaster Force due to my Dark Core Deck Case, but it turned out that they had a lack of faith in my ability to play the game.

They wanted to ensure their place in the tournament; they didn't want to have a chance of getting defeated early on. Although I was angry at them for doing this, I understood why they did this; I didn't have a deck created at the time and, even now, it's been a while since I truly played the game in which I put a lot of thought in it. It was because of those reasons that Arkaid and I started to put together the rest of the cards in the deck.

So there I was, sitting in my room while Arkaid sat next to me on the bed. She was in her regular form, helping me organize the cards quicker since her SD form had her have stubbier limbs. I had my cards arranged into piles once again, this time making sure that I had my weapons from before already selected for my deck. I had a general idea about what monsters I wanted to put in, so Arkaid told me that another thing I should consider is putting in the spells, especially since a lot of the Fifth Omni deck's means of generating resources is through the spells.

The image of Arkaid on another card grabbed my attention. I grabbed it, holding it in front of me as I read the name and effect. "Dragowisdom, Knowledge of the Fifth Omni. I can only cast this card if I have a "Fifth Omni" card on my field. I have to pay a life to cast it, and-"

Arkaid hastily spoke up, instructing me on the wording. "You 'take 1 damage," Arkaid corrected. "You don't pay 1 life."

"Is there a difference?" I asked curiously.

"Yes, and it is a large one," Arkaid replied. "Fifth Omni units activate abilities whenever you take a point of damage. The wording is specific. If you pay 1 life, you don't activate their abilities. However, if the points of life-loss directed to you are marked as damage, you're able to activate your monster's abilities more often."

"Huh, I never really looked into the specifics of card wording."

"It's rather important. Also, I don't recommend using that card."

"But, according to the rest of it, it's pretty good. I can put a card from the top of my deck into the gauge and draw a card. Plus, it has you on the image of it."

"Me being on the card shouldn't be a reason to use it," Arkaid quickly replied. "Especially when there are better options. I don't want to drag anyone down anyways, especially when I know there are better options, like Dragobright, Fifth Omni Light." Arkaid motioned a card over to me. "You don't need a monster on the field to play it, the life-loss cost is the same, and you're able to get the same level of advantage; you get a card into your gauge but, this time, you bring a monster with 'Fifth Omni' in its name back into your hand. It's great for getting important monsters back to you."

"Understandable, but I think you're misunderstanding one more thing," I replied back. "Getting a monster back from the drop zone is different than drawing a card. It is a plus 1 to the hand, but having the potential to draw into a key spell has extreme value, especially when you can draw a shield, any monster, or weapon if you need them."

"That's placing something on chance, unfortunately," Arkaid replied. "Dragowisdom could make you draw into another copy of itself, but you cannot activate the second one in the same turn. Also, having the limitation of having a monster on the field could hurt you."

"That is true, but the limitation on monsters could hurt you as well. Having the ability to also get another good spell or item is fairly useful. However, I do acknowledge that Dragowisdom does add a level of inconsistency."

Arkaid nodded back to me. "I agree with your points, but I believe that the level of inconsistency is enough to include Dragobright over Dragowisdom."

"One more thing, before we add four copies of Dragobright to the deck." I looked over and grasped a card that carried a similar appearance to Arkaid. The light-blue humanoid dragon had small, blonde hair. It was wielding an item called a 'sand cane,' a smaller variation of Arkaid's 'sand staff.' "Fifth Omni Cavalry Dragon Disciple, Hagun of Sand Cane," I stated, rather out of breath due to the length of that name. "I didn't know you had a disciple."

She giggled regally. "Well, Hagun was a special student of mine. He does work with the Fifth Omni, but now he is under the guidance of my previous educator. I do think Hagun would be a good addition to the deck; when you take damage, once per turn, you can gain a gauge and a life. It is similar to what I can do but I can move to protect you while he isn't the type to do so unless it's someone specific."

"And you?" I asked back. "You'd protect anyone, even a random?"

"Certainly," Arkaid replied back. "I fight to evil to protect the goodness in all worlds. Everyone, technically, is under my responsibility."

"Arkaid… does that ever get to you?" I was feeling concerned. She was placing a huge burden on her shoulders by stating this. To aim to protect everyone is such an impossible dream. However, when I asked her this, she simply returned a soft smile back to me.

"As long as I am of use to someone, I don't mind."

That last statement got to me as we continued to create the deck. I was able to learn a lot from Arkaid. She seems extremely capable of holding herself together. I saw her in such a selfless light that I couldn't even seem to compare myself to her. She was something radiant within the Fifth Omni Cavalry, and a part of me hated myself for having a selfish desire to stay with her. However, a part of me remembered that Tenbu told me that everyone working with him had something of the sort. Still, when I kept reminding myself of what Arkaid told me, I just couldn't see it in her.

We were almost done when I heard someone knocking on the door. I was about to reach for it when Arkaid got up and went for the door. She was rather swift in getting it, walking briskly before asking who was at the door. A familiar voice prompted her to open it. By the time I got to her I saw Tasuku Ryuenji with Jack in his SD form at the door entrance. They seemed happy to know that we were here. "I was on break when I heard that you two finished work early. Do you want to take a walk?"

Arkaid turned to me, giving me the authority to answer. I shrugged my shoulders, figuring that the deck we were making was almost done anyways. "Sure. Do you have any place in particular?"

"Actually, I was wondering if we could walk to the park near Aibo." Tasuku looked over my shoulder, noticing my bedroom door opened. When I looked back I noticed that my cards were rather visible even at this distance. When I turned over to Tasuku and Jack again I noticed that he was smiling. "Also, I wanted to give you this." Tasuku reached into his pants pocket, pulling out a familiar device. It was rectangular in shape, resembling the Dark Core Deck Case I had. However, it was a standard blue and gray, and the gem in the middle retained a calming sky-blue color. "I figured now was a good time to give you a real Core Deck Case. I wanted to see if we could finish your deck and test it out."

The park Tasuku and Jack led us too was rather simplistic and abstract at the same time. Large circles and squares connected to each other forming oddly-shaped tubes connecting to slides and swings. Although they had the normal necessities for parks, the abstract shapes making up the majority of the play equipment was rather out of this world for the average American. Red, blue, and yellow benches lined the sides of the park while a rubbery material made up the floor of it. On the side of it appeared to be two miniature buddyfight arenas, somewhat cramped for the sake of space. You were able to theoretically disperse the holographic representations of your monsters on them, but it was not to the grand scale of the arena that Aibo Academy had. There was no large battling circle in the middle; instead, that was removed for the sake of space. Also, each circle was marked with white lining, probably from chalk, instead of those rather decorative pillars.

When we finally arrived, all four of us noticed Gao Mikado. He stuck out from the crowd due to his hairstyle and expressive clothing. He was waving to a few people who were about a block away; the individuals were next to each other as they walked on. The few things I could make out from their appearance was that there was a brown-haired boy with a light-blue work suit, and a purple-haired girl who appeared to have hoops in her hair, and a blonde haired boy with a blue jacket and longer-than-average white shorts. He seemed to be angry at something the other two made. From what I could make out, he was yelling about something kitten shirt related. I couldn't tell, for Gao must've clearly overheard them and started laughing, droning out the original noise.

Tasuku, with a welcoming smile, approached Gao with Jack by his side. "Gao, I'm glad you were able to make it."

Gao gasped before turning to face his friend. He expressed a passionate smile back to him once he saw that Arkaid and I were with him. "And you got him to come. Awesome! Now we can start planning this out."

Arkaid and I, in confusion, looked at each other. "Planning?"

Tasuku nodded as he looked back at us. "Gao and I were wondering if you could join our team for the tournament."

I could only stare for a moment before thinking about picking my ears to refresh my hearing. However, I didn't want to do something rather disgusting in public. As an adult, I had to keep myself rather mature in appearance. That didn't stop me from being near-speechless at such a revelation. "W-wait… hold on a moment. I thought I wasn't supposed to be in that tournament? The others are already in it."

"That is true, but after some talk with the Buddy Police we all agreed that we should have a second team available. That way, if one goes down, then we'll manage from there. Also, this is a good way to get some field experience for you without using the Disaster Force."

"… Oh, right…."

Tasuku showed immediate concern. "I wanted to apologize to you about keeping you out of the know."

"It's fine, really. I get it."

"I had a reason for not letting you go on the mission, but I had no right to keep it from you. That's why both Gao and I want you to join us. Some of our other friends are busy with other responsibilities, and some left Tokyo to find stronger buddyfighters to fight against."

Gao stepped forward, holding a fist to his chest. He wasn't being aggressive; in his own way, he was expressing how passionate the two of them were about the situation. "When Tasuku told me about it, I thought about you and Arkaid. We only have till Wednesday at 3 o'clock to have a team ready. We have just about two days to do it, so we were hoping you could join us!"

I thought to myself for a moment, finding something fairly odd. "Tasuku… why is Gao Mikado joining us? Is he a member of the Buddy Police?"

Tasuku shook his head. "Don't worry about that. He worked as a Buddy Police Youth officer due to his exceptional skills and, well… for being Gao. If you really are concerned, don't worry about it; Gao promised that he'll leave the official work to us… reluctantly."

Gao laughed nervously. "Yeah… but I got it. No worries. I won't get myself into trouble."

A part of me enjoyed the fact that Tasuku and Gao wanted me to join them. It was then that a sudden thought rushed through my mind, destroying the excitement I was feeling. Jack faltered as he, anxiously, looked over at Tasuku. The three of them and Arkaid watched how I seemed reluctant to just take it. "I'm sorry, guys. I… I actually feel kind of bad about this. I want to work in the field, but… I don't want to bring you guys down. I don't really feel like I deserve to be on your team."

"That's why we're here. I wanted to test you, CJ." Before I could even react, Tasuku pulled out a Core Deck Case from his pocket. It was filled with a deck of buddyfight cards. He looked to me with a determined look as Arkaid returned with a confident smile. She knew something was coming, and she was getting ready for it. "I haven't seen you fight, so I want to know if you should actually be on our team. I want you to join us so that we can make up our mistakes, but just like you, I can't have a clear conscience if I just give it to you."

From my pocket, I pulled out the Core Deck Case Tasuku gave me. I looked at it, seeing the deck Arkaid and I created together within the protective casing of the deck case. It was then that I felt a feeling that I haven't felt in quite a long time; passion for the game itself. Before, I thought I lost it, for the previous buddies I had left me. Now, however, Arkaid was determined to stick with me. Although it was going to be weird for me to team up with children, they definitely showed signs that they were much more experienced than most veterans of the game. "I'm glad. A part of me hates taking handouts."

Tasuku and Jackknife stood across from me. Arkaid and I took our position as well. The four of us were now within our respective areas in the buddyfighting arena. Children, teens, and adults began to join Gao as they saw Tasuku beginning a battle against a new face. Other buddy monsters, who were probably buddies to the onlookers, started to eagerly watch from the sidelines. I could see impatient monsters in their SD forms shoving at each other with their feathered wings, furred legs and scaled heads.

Arkaid and I nodded to each other. We were both feeling confident about the deck we created. Tasuku signaled to us to get our attention. "It's a common thing for your deck to have a name and a chant. I'm sure you remember Alvis and Tetsuya doing that, right?"

"Yeah, I do," I replied back. "Though I never understood the point in it for me. I didn't take the time to think of either one, really."

Tasuko shrugged his shoulders back to me in a manner that showed reassurance. He looked at me in the same welcoming way he seems to usually be. "That's alright, though I recommend thinking of a name later. Just think about what your deck means to you, and what you think of and what it means to use the deck you're playing, and what the bond between you and your buddy means."

"… I think I understand."

"Good, then let's start!"

(POV: Third)

The two of them heard a commotion. What was supposed to be a short walk to calm Liam's mind, with Demios going too to help him, was slowly turning into something that only reminded Liam why he was so anxious in the first place. He's been slowly realizing that someone was looking extraordinarily familiar to him. He was having a difficult time understand why at the time. However, as the two of them walked near Aibo Academy's park, they turned to see many monsters, children, and adults watching two people from afar.

Demios was in his SD form. He was much shorter and he carried stubbier limbs. His eyes seemed to grow much larger to make himself appear much more innocent and harmless to the people around him. It allowed less people to recognize him as Demios, the leader of the Purgatory Knights. He turned to his buddy, only to see that Liam was growing even more anxious. His eyes were locked onto the person he remembered assisting about a week ago. "Of all the people…." Liam muttered to himself.

His buddy impatiently spread his wings. "Liam, now is the best time to determine it."

"But why would he be the CJ I know?" Liam asked Demios. The dragon was soon stuck in thought as Liam tried to get a better look. He squinted his eyes as he noticed the man and Arkaid preparing themselves. Soon, Liam couldn't take it anymore. "Could I not have another chance at this?"

"If he is your friend, and if what you're saying is true, then there is a chance he's only in Japan for a short time," Demios reasoned. "If you want to make sure you know, for a fact, that it's him, then now is the time to act."

Liam agreed. The two of them rushed over to the crowd. They stayed to the back, for they both still wanted to see the match unfold. Demios, due to his SD form's height, leaped onto Liam's back to get a better view. Liam was able to get a closer look at the man. He certainly did look familiar to him. "I don't get it… why wouldn't he recognize me?"

Demios reasoned back at him. "The same reason you're unsure. Has it occurred to you that he might be questioning why the Liam he knows is here?"

"Fair play," Liam returned. He looked on, hearing the two buddyfighters chatter to one another.

On the other side of the arena was a blue-haired kid. Demios recognized him immietely. Liam often heard Demios talking about the fighter, so he was also able to tell it was Tasuku in an instant. Tasuku signaled to the other fighter, possibly to get his attention. "It's a common thing for your deck to have a name and a chant. I'm sure you remember Alvis and Tetsuya doing that, right?"

"Yeah, I do," Chase replied back. "Though I never understood the point in it for me. I didn't take the time to think of either one, really."

Tasuko shrugged his shoulders back to the man in a manner that showed reassurance. He looked at him in a welcoming way. "That's alright, though I recommend thinking of a name later. Just think about what your deck means to you, and what you think of and what it means to use the deck you're playing, and what the bond between you and your buddy means."

"… I think I understand."

"Good, then let's start!"

Tasuku's Core Deck Case took form, morphing its appearance to take the shape of a wide disk. Gold points protruded from four different ends of the device. Liam watched closely as Tasuku's buddy took to his real form. The green dragon enveloped itself in a bright light, growing in size before taking form as Star Dragoner, Jackknife. The appearance of his rival made Demios feel rather uneasy. It was difficult seeing the dragon again, especially after what happened last time.

The fighter placed his hand over his deck, preparing his chant. "Shine Forth! Future dragons clad in stars! Fight alongside me as one! Luminize, Cross Dragoner!" As he spoke, holographic representations left the device. Two cards first came from the device, going to the side before placing themselves vertically on Tasuku's left. His Core Deck Case soon released six holographic representations of cards from his luminized deck. "Are you familiar with luminize?"

"Yeah, no worries," Chase replied. "Luminizing your deck is the process of the Core Deck Case making a holographical, magical whatever representation of it. Whatever is the accepted theory at this point.

Tasuku appeared to take the small rant lightheartedly as he laughed. "So, are you ready?"

"Actually, I think I have a chant in mind," Chase replied. "You told me to keep my deck in mind, as well as Arkaid. However, I also want to keep my friend in mind. You see, he and I used to play a little bit before work was getting in the way, and he and I often spent time back and forth creating decks and deck names for them."

"Really? It sounds like you two were really close," Tasuku reasoned.

"We are. He and I actually had a common theme with our decks; he would choose darkness-themed decks while I chose light themes."

"Why did you guys go with that?" Tasuku asked. However, Liam already knew the reason. Demios noticed his buddy short of breath as small tears started to fall from his eyes.

"It's because he thought we had a Ying-Yang thing; he was the dark side while I was his light. In a way, as he once put it, I was his holy light while he was hell's darkness."

Tasuku reeled back a little bit. "Sounds like you two had an… interesting thought process."

Chase found himself chuckling. "Liam was our edgelord. I want a piece of that Ying-Yang relationship in my deck too, and holy light is often to protect… and since I'm buddies with Arkaid, and she and I are working together with the Fifth Omni Cavalry… I think I understand what I want to see in my deck.

Tasuku smiled. "Then show it. I'm sure it will be great."

Demios saw Liam crying quietly. His shoulders twitched as he couldn't help but find himself heaving. He knew who that man was. He knew it was CJ.

(POV: First)

Arkaid and I are protecting the Fifth Omni Dragon Lord, one of the deities protecting the many words. My deck involves me taking damage for my allies so that we are able to fight. I risk my life for them, even though most of the Fifth Omni Cavalry Dragons don't respect me. It doesn't matter at this point, though. It didn't matter to me. The only thing that truly mattered to me was that Arkaid was someone to still be by my side no matter what. My mind registered everything, including what Liam saw in me… a holy light, a protector.

My core deck case began to take on a different form. It was no longer the walking stick I once remembered. To me, that stick was a representation of how dependent I was, and how dependent I was seen as when I felt so empty without my previous buddy monsters. However, now that I knew Arkaid was by my side, a new desire reflected the device's shape. It took the form of a red shield, lined on the edges in gold and green. In the center was the blue silhouette of Arkaid's staff. It was large enough to make up most of the shield, acting as my shield's emblem. When it first appeared in front of me I was almost stunned, releasing my grip on it. The magical aspect of the Core Deck Case revealed itself as it floated in front of me. I was able to see the Core Deck Case's gem resting in the middle of it. At first, I found myself too stunned to keep a coherent thought, especially since my heart reflected an aspect of Arkaid. However, once she looked to me with a flattered smile, I found myself appreciating the new device and what it revealed; the new me. At that point, the words effortlessly came to me. With a simple motion of my hand across the gem, two cards went to my gauge and six came to my hand. I looked to Tasuku with determined eyes.

"To risk my life to serve a greater power! That is the role of the Fifth Omni Cavalry! To ARMS! Dragonic Omni Sacrament!"

Jack and Tasuku looked to each other, nodding in approval. Tasuku eagerly placed his head over the gem of his device, materializing a card. "I'll take the lead. Charge and draw!" Tasuku took a card from his hand and placed it into his gauge. In doing so, he was able to draw another card. "I pay a gauge to buddy call to the right position, Star Dragoner, Jackknife!" Jack got into position. With a great leap, he jumped away from Tasuku's position and landed in the right circle. He was a size 2 monster with 5000 power, 3 critical, and 5000 defense. The buddy call brought Tasuku's life up to 11. "I activate his ability; I'm able to check the top three cards of my deck. Then I can choose one to put into the soul and discard the others. And the card I choose is Dragonarms, Elgar Cannon!"

In doing so, Jackknife materialized two blue blasters at his side. He was powered up by the action. He continued for Tasuku. "Now that Elgar Cannon is in my soul, I gain 2000 power and one critical! I also have soulguard!"

Arkaid was taken aback. "He'll be dealing you 4 damage in his first attack unless we do something."

I wasn't too worried about that. Even though Arkaid winced momentarily, she was able to stay calm about this sudden revelation. What got me worried was Jackknife's soulguard; because he was able to get a card from his hand into his soul, he was able to make it so he stays on the field after being destroyed with the only cost being that he discards a card from the monster's soul. The last thing I wanted to do was keep that thing on the field.

Tasuku pressed on. "Get 'em, Jack! Attack the fighter!" Jackknife rocketed off his right circle. He propelled himself towards me, slamming me with his massive body. I took four points of damage from his attack, bringing me down to 6 life instantly. I recoiled back, still feeling a bit of the power from the attack. Even though the buddyfight limited the harm I take from real monster attacks, the blunt force of their attacks are still much more than those of the regular ones from the holograms. I was on my back, soon slowly getting myself back on my feet.

Arkaid offered me a hand. Politely, I accepted it as she helped me back to my feet. "Looks like this isn't going to be a simple initiation," Arkaid returned.

"As long as I can take Jack down, we should be good." I drew a luminized card from my deck. "Charge, and draw." I took a card useless in this situation and placed it into my gauge, bringing me to 3. Because of that, I was able to draw a new card. "It's time to call the Fifth Omni Lord himself. I call Fifth Omni Dragon Lord, Tenbu "SD" to the right position." From my hand came a holographic representation of the Omni Lord himself. However, he was in his smaller form, making him appear relatively small in comparison to his real form. He was a size 1 monster with 3000 power, 1 critical, and 2000 defense. A part of me wished he was really here to watch my progress, but I knew he had to be protected in Dragon World. "I activate his ability. Normally, when he enters the field, I can destroy a size 1 or less monster on your field. However, he can also remove a soul from your monster."

Tasuku grinned. "Interesting. So I'm assuming you're going for a more field control deck?"

"Somewhat," I replied. "Most of my monsters are low in power. To make up for it, I'm using monsters like him to pop monsters from the field, and variations of a size two monster you should remember!" From my hand, I motioned a card to the left circle. "I call Fifth Omni Dragon Lord, Drum!" Gao appeared to gasp loudly, soon finding himself cheering as he saw a representation of his older buddy monster. From the card emerged a size 2 creature with 6000 power, 2 critical, and 5000 defense. The orange dragon wore a helmet with incredibly large horns that were brown and donned a ceremonial design of yellow lining. Behind him were two strands of cloth, acting as a cape that fluttered with his long, blonde hair. He stared with determination at the opponent as he wielded a drill-based weapon resembling a longsword. The base of the weapon was glowing with a proud golden color. "I had to pay a gauge to play him, but I get to put the top card of my deck into his soul. He also has soulguard."

I noticed Tasuku smiling, almost eagerly as Jack and him saw Drum once again. "In a way, old friends are meeting up again for the rematch of a lifetime… Don't hold back, CJ!"

"I won't, now I pay 1 gauge and take 1 point of damage to equip Fifth Omni Dragon Sword, Emperor Fang." A familiar, golden sword materialized into my hands. The item card had 3000 power and 3 critical. I put my deck case shield beside me. Now was the time to attack. "I don't mind being on 5 life because the damage I took is going to affect you. Whenever I take a damage with Fifth Omni Dragon Lord, Drum on the field, if my life is 6 or less, he can destroy a monster on your field."

Jack lowered his head. He knew that he was going to leave the field. However, he grinned slightly. "I didn't expect this from you, CJ. I apologize for underestimating you."

Drum raised his sword, starting his charge on Jackknife. "It wasn't just me. It was Arkaid and I as we worked on the deck together. This is the result of our progress." Drum slashed his sword through Jackknife, causing him to vanish. His card went into the Core Deck Case, as expected of any card that was destroyed on the field. However, Tasuku knew that it was going to be a large series of attack. He prepared himself as I leaped forward, preparing my sword. I slashed through him, bringing his life from 11 to 8. Next up was Tenbu "SD" who slapped him with his tail, bringing Tasuku's life down to 7. "Now, Drum, deal the next blow!"

Tasuku was ready. He moved a card from his hand as it materialized into a barrier. "I cast! Proto Barrier!" The activation nullified the attack, causing my monster to return to his original position. "With this, not only do I nullify the attack, but I take the card from the top of my deck to my gauge."

"Damn," I muttered to myself. "I could only get 4 points off him."

Arkaid shook her head. "Don't worry about it. We left a bigger dent than you think. We made him use up a defensive spell, and Jackknife isn't on the field. And now that you have your sword equipped, there's nothing to fear when using 'that' card." She glanced at a specific card in my hand. She was right; we were ready.

It was Tasuku's turn. He drew a card, charged his gauge, and drew another card. "I need to get Drum off the field. I know exactly what to do. I call, to the left position, Sphere Cemetery, Star Remnant." A size 0 monster, with a power and defense of 3000 and a critical of 1, arrived on the field. His body seemed disjointed, a dragon held together only by plasma and power. "His ability is that the call cost for Neodragons, like Jackknife, is reduced by 1 gauge. This will allow me to call Jackknife Dragon to the right for free!" Jack appeared once again. He materialized from Tasuku's card, emerging from the field while letting out a mighty roar. Seeing the creature return left me uneasy; It took two abilities to get rid of him and now he's back. "I activate his ability once again, checking the top 3 cards, sending one to the soul, and discarding the others."

Jackknife spoke up as a different set of equipment emerged on his body. It was silver, and he was given something that resembled some sort of metallic fin. "Jackarms J Igniter. This gives me plus 1 critical!"

"Now, I pay 1 gauge and 1 life to play Star Magnum, Dragnapulse." As Tasuku's life went down to 6, a large plasma-based rifle appeared from his right hand. It had 5000 power and a critical of 2. "I attack Drum with Dragnapulse." Tasuku aimed his gun, soon firing at Drum. The shot went right through him, causing him to disappear. However, he materialized once again due to soulguard. The card in his soul was brought to the drop zone. Tasuku commanded Jack to attack next, allowing the green dragon to unleash an attack. He knew that Drum had to be taken out, for dealing any damage to me would cause them to possibly lose another monster. Jack slashed through Drum, causing the dragon to vanish. "Cemetery, attack Tenbu 'SD'!" Cemetery unleashed a ray of light through his mouth. The ray of light went straight across the field, phasing through Tenbu "SD" before making him vanish into holographic bits.

The decision made me rather confused. He had the chance to attack me but, instead, he chose to go after his monsters. It was then that I figured that he was using a certain tactic against me. It takes a certain amount of cards in my hand to replace the ones on the field. I had to use three cards for the field I had the previous turn, and now they were all gone. Calling two more monsters would lessen my hand quite a bit, and that's when I understood it; he's setting up for next turn. He's waiting for me to use up more cards to replace the monsters that were destroyed.

As soon as I drew the next luminized card from my deck case, I knew what it was time to do; my first real buddy call. I threw a useless card into the gauge before drawing another. Fortunately, I still had my weapon from the last turn, so I knew that I wasn't completely out of options. "I buddy call to the right! Fifth Omni Cavalry Dragon, Sand Staff Arkaid!"

The move brought my life back up to 6. Arkaid jumped away from my side and gracefully landed in the right monster circle. She was a size 1 with 2000 attack and defense while also sporting 2 critical. She wielded her staff with confidence as she waited for the next command. "To the left position, I pay 1 gauge to call Fifth Omni Cavalry Dragon, Magical Blade Mizaru!" The black and white humanoid dragon materialized. His presence was marked by his red samurai armor pads. His three katanas were held at the waist while he wielded a small claymore in his right hand. The dragon had 7000 attack power, 2 critical, and 5000 defense. I decided to include a few copies of Mizaru in my deck because, based on what I heard him say on my visit to Dragon World, he appeared to trust me somewhat.

Tasuku braced for the incoming attacks, grasping his sword. He knew that I was going straight for him. Even if he had a shield, this opportunity was too good. He had 6 life left, meaning that all my attacks could connect if I went for him. However, if he had a shield card, then Tasuku could survive the turn and go after me with everyone. I decided against my method; he was about to lose the second Jackknife, so going after him seemed logical to me. "Arkaid, let's do a Link attack on Jack!"

Arkaid nodded back to me. "Understood."

The two of us rushed forward. Jackknife braced himself as Arkaid unleashed a magical stream of fire. I, on the other hand, charge forward with my sword at the ready. Link Attack; it is the method of using two attackers to combine their attack power and critical points. Because my sword had 3000 power, and Arkaid had 2000 power, we were able to tie with Jack's 5000 defense power, and the attacking side always wins. Jack was defeated, but he managed to return due to soulguard. I turned to Mizaru. "You too. After Jack!" Mizaru readied his sword, unsheathing it as he made a quick dash over to Jack's position. The sword slashed into the green dragon; Jack vanished as his card returned to Tasuku's Core Deck Case, sending him to the drop zone. "Your move, Tasuku."

"I see that you're adamant about keeping Jackknife off the field," Tasuku replied. He drew his card, following up with a charge and draw. "Fortunately for you, he's not in my hand, but I believe you need to reevaluate your tactics a little bit."

"What do you mean?"

"Attacking other monsters is important, but you spent so many attacks on attacking the other monster when you didn't need to." Tasuku looked at his hand for a moment. "I had to attack Drum, for his ability makes it so he could destroy my allies as they attacked. But Jackknife's only threat was that he had 4 critical. You could've easily used your shields to block his attacks, followed by only taking mine."

"You're right," I replied back. "I'll keep that in mind."

"I'm happy that you're open to learning."

"I'm an adult, and a licensed teacher at that," I replied back. "I have to be open, otherwise I'd lead a bad example for future students."

"Now that you know, it's time for my counterattack. To the right, I call Jackarms J Igniter!" From his hand emerged a jet-like creature, soaring around the field before settling in the right circle. The creature was a size 1 with 3000 attack power, 2 critical, and 2000 defense. "Now, I'll lead the attack with Dragnapulse!"

"I nullify that attack with Green Dragon Shield!" As soon as he announced his attack, I played the defensive spell from my hand. If I didn't have a monster in the center, I was allowed to activate this card. "I also gain one life, bringing me up to 7!"

"Then I'll attack with Sphere Cemetery, Star Remnant!" The dragon unleashed an attack at me. The holographic attack phased through me, but the force of it made me lose balance for a moment. Because the monster had one critical, my life was down to 6.

Arkaid looked over, crying out to me. "CJ, you ready!"

I nodded back to her, soon turning my attention to Tasuku. "Arkaid is the only Cavalry Dragon who truly looks out for me. Because I took damage, she can be moved to the center to protect me." Arkaid leaped into the center circle, standing firm against whatever attack may be coming next. "In addition, I activate Mizaru's ability; if I am attacked, with the cost of one gauge, I draw 1 card!" After drawing the next card, I knew I was set; It was Dragobright, Fifth Omni Light!

Tasuku gritted his teeth but soon smiled. He enjoyed watching Arkaid willingly bring herself into that position. "Igniter, attack Arkaid in the center!" The jet unleashed a series of beams towards Arkaid, causing her to be defeated.

However, that wouldn't be it for her. She looked at Tasuku as she started to lose her form. "I may be leaving, but not without helping my buddy. When I'm defeated, I restore 1 life and 1 gauge!"

My life was brought back up 7 again. It was my turn again. I watched as Arkaid's card returned to my Core Deck Case. I smiled as I watched her card return back to me, nodding in thanks for the move. She was able to give me more life and resources to continue on. I was ready for the attack back. I drew a card, placing one from my hand to the gauge before drawing another. There was only one shield card left in my hand, and I knew that I had to hold onto it for next turn. Using my shield cards too early would leave me too underprepared, for I knew how easy it was to lose all of your life points. "To start, I activate Dragobright, Fifth Omni Light! By taking 1 damage, I charge 1 card from my deck and place it in the gauge. I'm also allowed to look into my drop zone for a 'Fifth Omni' monster, and that is Tenbu "SD."

Tasuku smiled, impressed. "So you're planning on taking out one of my monsters, huh?"

"And I know how much you don't want to waste your previous gauge, but that's not all." I raised my sword up as it began to glow with a protective and holy light. "My sword heals me by 1 point if I take damage from something other than an attack. Now, I pay one gauge and call Tenbu "SD" to the right position, and I activate his ability to destroy Sphere Cemetery!"

In an instant, the tail slap from the small dragon removed Cemetery from play. "Now, Tenbu "SD," attack Tasuku!" Tasuku was slapped once again by the dragon, bringing his life down to 5. "Now, Mizaru, attack!" Mizaru unsheathed one of his blades. He rushed for Tasuku before slashing his sword at him. The attack made contact before phasing through him, reducing his life down to 3. "And my attack should finish this!"

Tasuku quickly revealed a card from his hand. "I cast! Proto Barrier!" My attack … was nullified. My final attack was nullified and Tasuku was able to get another gauge back to him.

It was his turn. Tasuku drew a card, gauge-charged one, and drew another card. He looked over at me with a content face. "CJ, you've played well. To the left, I call Sphere Cemetery, Star Remnant." The monster emerged once again, flaunting its gauge-saving ability. "To the right, I send Jackarms J Igniter to the drop zone, allowing me to call a size 2 monster without going over the size limit." Tasuku's passion overwhelmed him. Passion poured from his eyes as he raised a familiar card to the skies above. "My partner stands up for the third time! Come forth! Star Dragoner Jackknife!" Jackknife emerged once again. He leaped onto the right circle, looking at us with steady eyes.

"You've fought well, and you'd certainly defeat us on the next turn. But, for that reason, we won't let you!" Jackknife's ability allowed Tasuku to check the top three cards of his deck. As soon as Tasuku chose one card to put into Jack's soul, a familiar set of lasers attached themselves to Jack. "Dragonarms, Elgar Cannon!"

I gritted my teeth. "His critical is back at four now!"

"Jack, attack the center!"

Jack leaped into the air, preparing his powerful attack. However, I still had a shield card ready for him. "I cast! Blue Dragon Shield!" Not only was I able to nullify the attack, but one card was able to go from the top of my deck to the gauge. "Also, since I was attacked, I can pay a gauge to draw a card." With a lot of hope, I drew the next card of my deck. I frowned at the sight of a monster card; I needed a shield!

"Sphere Cemetery! Time for a Link Attack!" Tasuku readied his weapon, aiming it straight at me. I understood what he was doing here; he decided to Link Attack me so that it counted as 1 attack. By doing this, I would only be able to draw one more card before the turn ended while he was still able to deal three points of damage to me, bringing me down to 4 life. As the two of them readied their attack, I pondered for a moment. 'Even if I don't get a shield, he shouldn't be able to finish me off this turn.' It was then that I, willingly, accepted the attack, bringing my life down to 4.

"I pay one gauge to draw another card." I drew another luminized card. It was a spell, but it wasn't a shield. I sighed at the realization of it. "At the very least, at least your turn is over."

Tasuku grasped onto one of the remaining cards in his hand. "It's not over yet." I tensed up. The sudden realization of this threw me for a loop. I could only watch as Tasuku threw the card over Jackknife. The green dragon appeared to change form! "Impact Call! Jackknife, "Galactical Punisher!"

A pillar of raw energy erupted from Jackknife. The armor around him began to shift in appearance, coating him with a brilliant white color. He roared as power began to flow through him. Tasuku's eyes were fixated on me, the fighter opposing him. This creature had 10,000 attack power, 3 critical, and 5,000 defense. I knew it was the end for me. All I could do was look at the being with confused eyes. I've never actually seen an Impact Call like this. Tasuku spoke up. "I can call an Impact Monster during the Final Phase. For Jackknife, "Galactical Punisher," I'm able to call this card on top of him, allowing him to keep the same soul as the Jackknife he went on top of."

"So… that means he still has Elgar Cannons!"

"Bringing his critical to 4, but that's not all. I'm also able to place a Dragonarms monster from the drop zone into my Impact Monster's soul due to his ability, equipping him with another set of Elgar Cannons."

"That's just… unreal!" Not only did the monster have 14,000 power due to the monsters in the soul, but those same monsters brought his critical up to a monstrous 5!

"That is the power Jack and I have. Our bond gives us strength as we fight as one." Tasuku extended his finger, directing the final attack at me. "Now, Jackknife "Galactical Punisher," finish this fight!"

The next thing I could remember was being coated in a great ray of light. For a moment, I was blinded. Even though it was holographic, the attack still had enough force to knock me to the ground. The stream of energy that struck me from Jackknife's attack left in a state of pure awe. There was no doubt in my mind that my life points went back to zero. When I finally understood where I was, I found myself on the ground. I quickly got back up to my feet, feeling slightly sore. Even though the attacks weren't really hurting me, the force from those attacks, since they still had a bit of matter, was enough to strain me. I found myself shaking a little bit, but it was good; I felt excited.

Arkaid's card left my Core Deck Case, soon reforming herself in front of me. She worriedly placed her hand on my shoulder as my deck case reverted to its original box form. I couldn't help but look at it. It only made Arkaid worry more about me, for I wasn't looking at her. Apparently, she must have thought I was distraught. I returned a smile back at her. "Don't worry about it. It was still a good game."

Tasuku and Jack, now in his SD form, were approaching us. The green dragon's voice came across as a little sarcastic, which felt weird due to his rather low and mature-sounding voice. "I'll forgive you for going out of your way to destroy me whenever you could." I couldn't help but feel awkward about that. I fiddled with my hands as Arkaid looked away. We were both playing innocent at that point. "It's fine; you two fought well."

As the crowd began to disperse, Gao approached us as well. "There's no doubt in my mind at all!" Gao exclaimed confidently. "You two are joining us."

"Even though we lost?"

"Who cares if you lost?! Tasuku was testing you to see if you deserved the spot, and you certainly did!"

Tasuku shared this opinion. "I feel that you should've attacked me instead of Jack the second time. Other than that, I believe that you're definitely capable."

Gao yelled proudly into the air. "Alright! Now it's time for a team name!"

I chuckled back to him. "Team name?"

"Of course!" Gao replied with passion. "Every team needs a team name. Though, in the past, it's hard for me to settle on one."

Tasuku and Jack laughed back at him. "Don't worry, Gao. I'm sure we'll think of something. Like our deck names, I think it would make sense to have it involve a part of us. What deck are you currently using?"

"I went back to Rescue Dragons," Gao replied before turning to me. "They're dragons from Hero World. I loved using that world in the past, so I decided to start using them again."

My mind began to go through possible team names. From what I could gather, each one of us was using different worlds. Even so, each of the decks we were playing involved dragons being the main focus of the deck. Because we also wanted the deck to fit all of the fighter's involved, I figured I'd spitball a few of them. "I'm offering Dragonic Trinity and Dragon Triad."

"Dragonic Trinity sounds awesome!"

Tasuku smirked back. "It's because us three are playing dragon decks, right?"

Jack muttered to himself. "For a teacher, there wasn't much creativity involved."

Rolling my eyes was the only thing I could do in response. Gao appeared embarrassed for his statement earlier now that I was the butt of the joke. "I'm just spit-balling ideas. If you guys come up with anything else in two days then I'm fine with it. You guys did let us join the team, after all."

Arkaid took the initiative and bowed back to them. "I'll do my best. I hope I won't burden you all."

Wanting to reassure her, I spoke up. "There's no way you could burden us, Arkaid. Besides, it was because of you that I was able to stay in there as long as we did. I'm very thankful for that." Arkaid gratefully smiled back to me. She looked away, beginning to feel embarrassed because of the extra attention. However, as soon as she turned away, her eyes widened. "Arkaid, what's u-?" A lone buddy monster was standing before us. Tasuku winced at the sight of the creature. Jack, recognizing the dragon, stood in front of his buddy, aiming to protect him. The creature was obviously in his SD form, for it was smaller than I remembered. His overall look was enough to make me remember what he looked like originally. The brown scales and dull armor, the dark brown wings and the yellow eyes. It was Demios, but he was in his SD form. Despite that he was met with resistance, he appeared to come in peace. "Demios? But that means…." I started looking around, hoping to find my friend. However, the crowd had already dispersed and left. "Where is Liam?"

Demios was first focused on Jackknife and Tasuku, acknowledging their contempt for him. "Jackknife… it's a pleasure."

Jack growled back. "If you think you're going to take my buddy away, then stand your ground and fight!"

"Such rage… I understand it now, Jackknife." Demios looked to the ground, possibly reflecting on thoughts going on in his mind. "I too have a buddy now, but the relationship isn't like the one with Tasuku; Liam and I have an unbreakable bond. The same urge to protect your friend, the one you're feeling right now, is the same kind I feel towards him now." That managed to calm Jack down, albeit slightly. The green dragon returned to Tasuku's side, yet he still continued to carefully watch his former enemy. "And to answer your question, Chase," Demios focused his attention back to me. "Liam and I were watching the fight. It was a good one, and you should be proud that you were able to stand your ground against Tasuku."

"T-Thank you," I rigidly replied. "But I don't care about that right now. Where's Liam?"

"He's nervous, and I don't know why," Demios replied.

"… Actually, it kind of makes sense."

"Does it now?" Demios asked. "… I shouldn't be too surprised; you've known him longer than me. Tell me, what allows you to understand how he feels?"

"He's told me before that he's a shy person in real life," I replied back. I soon realized that I was smiling, finding our memories together to be rather fond ones. "He's one of the only few friends I made online. We talked about meeting each other one day, and I know exactly what I'm going to do once I see him, but one thing I also know is that he can be nervous. He sometimes keeps to himself and is shy. He's probably worried about what I may think of him once we meet."

"… That information is good for me to know," Demios returned. "Now that I know that, I'll keep that in mind. I want to make sure he's protected, but for some reason he's been able to protect me more."

"How so?"

"That… doesn't concern you."

Tasuku aggressively interjected. "How did Liam acquire a Dark Core Deck Case? There's no way it must've been easy for you to get it. Are you working with The Will of Kyoya?!"

"How dare you, child," Demios replied with disgust. "Those worms are creatures that I don't involve myself with. They abused me and my soldiers when I worked with you, Tasuku. I want revenge against Kyoya Gaen, and those pests within The Will itself have been nothing but a nuisance to us. It was by luck that we managed to intercept a rogue transporter. We turned him in to the Buddy Police HQ, anonymously, the day of that unforgettable raid."

"T-that was you?" Tasuku asked. "Did you get anything?"

"No. In fact, the only thing we got were those Dark Core Deck Cases. He was randomly hired; he knew nothing, not even the caller."

"But what about-"

"Child, I'm not here to talk to you," Demios returned aggressively. "I wanted to come to talk to Chase. A friend of my buddy is a friend of mine, and I wanted to talk to him before heading off."

Nervously, I stepped forward. Arkaid grasped onto my hand, urging me to be strong. "… So it is true. Your buddy is Liam Kieron?"

"Yes," Demios replied.

"… Why are you on Team Redemption?" I asked anxiously. "Don't you realize who they are?"

Before we could ask any other questions, Demios returned a smile back to me before taking off to the skies. He flew into the trees of a nearby forest, vanishing from our sight.