September 17th, 2030 – Wednesday, 2:30 PM

Our duty was to act as a second access to Team Redemption. If, for something, Ms. Fridrik's team lost early, or had a difficult time obtaining the information, we would be the ones to keep going in their stead. It was a decent plan, but a part of me thought there was a chance of people getting suspicious of two teams carrying particular connections to the Buddy Police. Fortunately, one team was filled with people who had only recently moved to Japan, and my group, Dragonic Trinity, consisted of two players who were rather competitive at the game.

Tasuku and Gao's background, surprisingly, didn't attract too much unwanted attention. Jackknife later informed me about how Tasuku and Gao were also reputable when it came to playing Buddyfight as a whole. This helped me calm down a bit, especially since I really wanted this operation to be a success. Unfortunately, I didn't know much about what the other team was planning on doing. They were being somewhat quiet about their operation.

The three of us, and our buddies, entered the main hall. It was in one of the more central buildings in Tokyo, holding an auditorium hall fitted with a buddyfight arena. Our buddies remained in their SD forms for the sake of space because people from different teams, in addition to eager citizens trying to get tickets, made the room feel awfully packed. Security guards and their monsters were making sure that everyone still maintained an organized fashion. However, based on the nervous looks on their faces, they might have felt a bit underprepared.

An older, masculine voice called out to Tasuku. We all turned to see an elderly man wearing a rather professional looking black suit. It was cleanly pressed, void of all wrinkles. He appeared very grateful, clapping his gloved hands together upon seeing the officer. I felt nervous when I noticed the white, thinning hair on his head. He reminded me that I had that issue to some extent. "Tasuku, I'm so glad that you were able to show up!" His voice was aged, but he showed passion and energy in his voice. "I'm sure the turnout is due to your very presence."

Tasuku couldn't help but look smile humbly. "I'm sure your advertising is what served you well. Besides, I wouldn't miss such a great opportunity."

"Thank you for coming, Jack and Tasuku… And you have Gao Mikado with you as well!" The older man turned to face the young kid. He was ecstatic to see more famous faces. However, he then looked over to Arkaid and I. He wasn't confused, but he was definitely curious after seeing the new faces. "Oh, I see you have new members on your team."

Arkaid was the first to act. She politely bowed back to the man. "I am Fifth Omni Cavalry Dragon, Sand Staff Arkaid. It is a pleasure to meet you."

Because she did it, I figured I had to do one as well. However, my bow was a bit quicker, for I found myself a little nervous around this guy. He was an older adult, much older. I couldn't help but feel rather out of place in this whole thing; most teams here had older teens and adults, but my team had two kids and one adult; I didn't want him to assume anything. "I'm Chase Hallows. It's a pleasure."

The old man nodded back to me. "I'm glad that you two can join us. You can call me Bastion."

Gao eagerly stepped forward. "We won't disappoint ya, Bastion! We all brought our A-game today!

"Glad to hear it. If you can excuse me, I have to properly meet the other teams." Bastion walked off, slowly making his way to another team. The team in question appeared to all be wearing hoods, and they each had Katana World's symbol on the back of them.

Tasuku turned to us. "Let's head to our break room until the introduction ceremony."

The rest of us agreed. We needed to meet up in there to discuss how we were going to do things. From what I was able to understand, the first day is a series of best of ones, with each team choosing only one player to battle for them. After that, the originally eight teams are reduced to four, and then it turns into a best of three format with the team having each fighter battling until the requirement is met.

We were heading around a short bend in the hall. The bricks lining the walls detracted from the more modern and clean feel that the main hall had. The lights were slightly dimmer. I couldn't help but start to feel slightly less motivated just by seeing them. However, Gao's enthusiasm appeared to light the room up as he walked confidently down the hall. He grinned back, smiling at me. "So, who's going to fight first?"

"Shouldn't that be Tasuku's decision?"

Tasuku interjected. "Actually, we figured that you should represent the team for the time being."

"Why?" I asked, somewhat agitated from the lack of logic. "I'm the least experienced out of all of you."

"You're the oldest," Tasuku returned.

Jack nodded. "It would be rather strange for someone who's fourteen to be leading an adult."

"Can't really argue with that."

Gao smirked back at me. "Unless you want to be led by someone half your age."

"I'm only twenty-four," I returned, beginning to feel rather embarrassed. "Anyways, I think that you should fight first. A bit selfish on my part, but I haven't really seen you fight yet. Might as well get you warmed up for tomorrow."

"Awesome!" Gao held a fist in the air. His eyes shined like the sun, almost illuminating the room. "Don't worry. The Mighty Sun Fighter will not let you down!"

Before I could ask him what he meant by that, the voice of a younger girl emerged from the other side of the hall's bend. "Gao?! You're here!" When the three of us turned to the source of the noise, we saw an orange-haired girl wearing a white shirt with green short sleeves, which was covered by a light blue hooded sweatshirt. Her hair was short, but a few the strands stretched down to the base of her neck. She seemed eccentric like Gao, but her quirkiness came off with innocent bliss. She had white stockings that stretched up to her thigh, which I thought weren't acceptable in this environment. Call me a slight traditionalist, but I wasn't a fan of the short shorts either.

As she rushed over, we noticed that something was rustling in the hood as it rested behind her head. Noticing that his buddy was seeing a familiar face, the revealed itself in his SD form. It was a green-feathered, owl-like creature who bore a blade on the top of its head, colored in a strong jade. He didn't speak at first, allowing his buddy to take hold of the conversation. "Gao, it really is you! I'm so glad you were able to come!"

"K-Kazane?" Gao flustered. However, he managed to compose himself as the two kids shook hands. "What brings ya here? Are you playing in the tournament too?"

"Yeah, with my mom and Dawn."

Finally, the owl creature peeked its head out more. He stared at me for a moment before peeking over at Arkaid. He appeared to recognize Arkaid, causing him to warily look over to me once again. He leaped out of Kazane's hood as he hovered in front of her with a few flaps of his short, green wings. "I am Bladewing Phoenix. You are in the presence of Kazane Fujimiya. Who might you be?"

"I'm Chase Hallows. It's a p-pleasure."

I couldn't help but stutter at the end. Blade looked at me with curiosity before putting on a stern facial expression. "You're an adult, and nothing appears wrong with you so far. However, I warn you not to mistreat my dear Kazane."

Kazane playfully grasped Kazane, causing Blade to complain for a moment before realizing who grabbed her. She looked up at me with innocent, orange eyes. "Don't mind him; he's always been protective of me. I'm sure that there's a reason you're with Gao, Tasuku, and Jack." She looked over at Arkaid, who bowed back to her. She introduced herself, causing Kazane to laugh a bit. "Your buddy is very formal, Chase." Arkaid looked away for a moment, possibly feeling a bit embarrassed. "Anyways, I've been teaching my mom how to buddyfight, and she's gotten really good at it. So after I got an invitation after doing well in a regional, I thought it would be good to ask her to participate with me. She may not have a real buddy yet, but I feel like the experience could help get herself out there more, y'know?"

Tasuku nodded back. "That's a great idea. I'd warn you not to pressure her, but knowing you I know there's nothing to worry about." Tasuku's mind appeared to flash for a moment. "Wait, when you said you were with Dawn-"

"I gotta go back to them! I'm sorry, but talk to you later!" Kazane began to run off with her buddy flying behind her. It was good seeing someone so innocent. After the events that had transpired over the past few days, it felt great that there were still moments of purity.

Finding myself curious, I looked over to Tasuku. "Who's Dawn?"

"I believe that she's mentioning the Seventh Omni Lord, Count Dawn," Tasuku replied.

"Another Omni Lord?" I asked. "That's crazy."

"Yeah… um, he's been watching over the family. He used to be the buddy of Kazane's father?"

"So I guess I'm now in the same boat as him, messing with the Omni Lords," I replied with a casual shrug. "It's weird that he isn't playing with them now." As soon as I said that, I noticed Gao, Tasuku, and Jack sharing pained faces. I turned to Arkaid, finding the whole situation confused. Arkaid seemed to piece together what was going on, for she shook her head back to me. It was then that I put the pieces together. "Oh… I'm so sorry."

Tasuku sighed back. "It's fine. As you saw, Kazane is doing well, and Count Dawn is acting like another guardian to her. For obvious reasons, it's something that we don't like to talk about."

It went without saying that I understood the circumstances. After starting to walk to the room again, we noticed my coworkers and boss about to head into their break room. They were just about to miss us when Sitri just so happened to glance back at us. "Yo, CJ, Arkaid!" This prompted the others to turn around. Abigail was holding Bozo in his SD form. Bozo looked so content in his buddy's arms that it was a crime. Alvis held up two fingers at forehead level and gave me a playful salute. However, all positive feelings vanished when I saw my boss and her buddy Halia, otherwise known as Armorknight Eagle "A."

Halia was perched on Ms. Fridrik's shoulder as usual. She loved being in her SD form, for she looked rather similar to a large parrot. My boss grinned as Halia took over, almost acting as a parrot for her. "Here you are, Chase. Sorry that you couldn't join the A-Team."

"Is that really what you're going for?" I grudgingly replied. "It's like you're holding that against me."

"Aw, don't worry about it, Chase. You know I will always have a special place in my heart for you."

"Aw," I sarcastically replied. Despite the fact that she was with my boss, Halia and I got along fairly okay. She tilted her head over, allowing me to scratch her. She closed her eyes, feeling rather content about it. "I'm sure Fridrik is doing wonders for you."

My boss chuckled. "I am." Since she started talking, I thought it to be a bit awkward to keep scratching her bird. I pulled away, allowing Fridrik to take the role of the conversation. "Most of the teams here pretty much earned their invitations. We alerted the guy hosting this a few days ago, allowing us to pull a few strings."

Gao was visibly upset about this. "If you took out a team that earned their way to get here-"

"Don't worry yourself, Mikado," Fridrik replied back. She seemed annoyed dealing with him, possibly thinking of Gao as a member of the peanut gallery. "There was an extra spot available anyways. However, if it did need to go to that, there would've been no qualms about it." That didn't help Gao's opinion of her, but Fridrik didn't really care. She never really cares. Based on past experiences, and how she began to playfully nudge her head against Halia, it was obvious that one of the few people she cared about, in terms of their opinion on her, was her buddy. Halia chirped happily while Fridrik glanced over at the upset fighter. "This is our job, Gao. We're a part of the District of Monsters Welfare. Anything that may hinder political processes between our words will involve us, especially with these Dark Core Cases involved."

"Yeah, but-"

He took a passionate lean forward. Everyone could tell just how visibly upset he was about the rules being abused. Tasuku held him back, motioning his right arm in front of his friend. Gao looked over to Tasuku, stunned that he would seemingly let this slide. "Don't worry about this, Gao. This is their job, so leave it to them." Gao looked up to me, watching me as I just turned to the side. That was all I could really do. Even Alvis and Sitri appeared visibly affected. "This just stinks!"

Abigail spoke up, surprising Halia and Fridrik. She spoke with such passion and authority in that moment that Fridrik couldn't help but feel rather impressed. "This isn't a valid tournament anymore. We have two suspects in play. This isn't a game. This is work." Gao, knowing he was outnumbered, bit his tongue. Abigail looked down to Bozo. He was whimpering; he didn't like seeing his buddy like this. Abigail simply scratched at Bozo's head, calming the dog down. "Don't worry; we'll still have a bit of fun."

Alvis, wanting to end this conversation before it goes anywhere sour, opened the door to the break room. "We'll… update you guys later. For right now, just get yourselves ready for the ceremony."

(POV: Third)

The stage had been set. Audience members were roaring when the announcer for the event appeared over the stage. The pink-haired announcer from before, Paruko Nanana, and her buddy Martian UFO, Takosuke emerged together from the sidelines. The two of them took flight over the large buddyfight arena. It resembled the one back at Aibo Academy, but it carried a more theatrical feeling to it. Instead of the pillars being of stone, the center stage, as well as the monster and player circles, was purely mechanical with only the surface of them being covered in brown wood. However, they were all drawn down, leaving the entire arena to be flat.

Two entrances led to the area. As the introduction ceremony continued, each team would be walking out to their position. Paruko, even as the announcer, was getting excited just thinking about it. "Hello there! I am Paruko Nanana with my Buddy Takosuke, live at the Tokyo BA Masters tournament! Sponsored by the University of Tokyo, Aibo Academy, and the Gaen Financial Group! It is because of them that we were able to organize this grand batch of battles we have here today! Who's ready for a Buddyfight!" Her voice revved the audience up, causing them to cheer loud enough that the arena seemed to shake with excitement. "I'm so glad! Now, we need to introduce our eight teams. Most of them participated in regional tournaments nearby, though some were given personal invitations to compete due to their reputation and skill. Regardless of how they got here, they earned the right to compete here today! Now, let's introduce the teams!"

The spotlight was shown on the entrance farthest from her. She enthusiastically spoke up as, one by one, the teams entered the arena. "Now, for the baddest of the bad! This team enjoys the raw passions stemming from ancient combat. Enthusiasts of monsters from Ancient World, I give you, Team Ancient Warfare! Led by Anne Panzer!" A team of three emerged from the entrance, each one looking rather brute in muscle and power. The 26-year-old leader seemed to silhouette the others, hiding them from her incredible appearance. She flexed her impressive muscles, having her red ponytail sag over her shoulder. As she grinned cockily, she brushed the ponytail behind her.

"Next up, we have a trio of heroes in training!" Paruko exclaimed. Team Ancient Warfare took to the center of the stage, each one grinning at the entrance. They seemed confident, openly welcoming the fresh bait. "Enthusiasts in Hero World, we have a bunch of young adults working together to spread what it means to be a hero! I welcome Team Impulse! Led by Kit Nadeza!" Three more fighters, looking to be about 20 or 18 years old, stepped out. They walked out with pride. The leader acted as the flagship, wearing a suit of all red. His face wasn't even visible, for he was plated with a full set of red armor, resembling an odd mix of Kamen Rider and Power Rangers.

"They're not the only heroes here today! True ninjas must be able to adapt to their surroundings. As the future came in sight, they were ready to change with them. Welcoming, the Ninjas of the Future! Led by Hanzo Taoman" The team of three emerged. The leader sported a green cloak, lightly moving as he walked. You could barely hear the three fighters as they moved, almost gracefully, to the middle of the arena. Hanzo looked at his surroundings before smiling with confidence. I stroked his long, black hair before turning to his teammates. "They won't even know what hit them."

"Next up is a team of powerful beauties. These three ladies astound their enemies using the ruthless fighting style of Danger World. It's time to welcome The Vengeful Roses! Led by Kritana Baele!" Powerful beauties was an understatement. Three women gracefully walked out of the entrance. Their eyes remained closed as they seemed oblivious to the cheers around them. The leader wore a smooth white dress which covered most of her body. The smoothness of her white dress matched her hair. When Hanzo looked over at her, impressed by the gracefulness of her walk, she glared at him, causing the man to falter. Kritana's hair, in that very instant, became as wild and fierce as her blood-red eyes.

"Definitely a team to keep an eye on!" Paruko exclaimed. "Now, for a team of fun-loving fighters! A family brought together through their love of the game! I introduce you to Team Fujimiya, led by Mitsuyo Fujimiya!" The spotlight was placed on the entering team. Leading the way was Mitsuyo, Kazane's mother. She wore a green v-neck, long-sleeved shirt. Her gray jeans looked like the perfect fit for her. Although she didn't wear the prettiest clothes—I'd give that to The Vengeful Roses—she appeared to be very modest in her style. Her hairstyle was similar to her daughter's but straighter. She humbly waved back as she led the team to the stage. Kazane was much peppier as she waved back, gleefully waving her arms at the audience. Count Dawn watched as Kazane and her buddy playfully entered the stage. He wore a purple suit with strands of cloth extending outwards. The Omni Lord began tapping his long nose, soon fiddling with his hair due to the sudden feeling of getting a lot of attention. The mother had to grab hold of the human-sized, vampire Omni Lord. To his sudden shock, he found himself at the mercy of the mother as she practically dragged him across the stage.

"Now, for a team of newcomers who, very recently, moved to Japan! These three all work together. With a combination of Power, Wisdom, and Courage, these three pilot their three different worlds well! I give you, the team with names that start with the same letter! The A-Team! Led by Alice Fridrik!" Ms. Fridrik walked forward as she grinned with delight. Alvis and Abigail found themselves lost and embarrassed. They could only walk forward with a bright spotlight on them. They struggled not to squint as Ms. Fridrik continued onward. She was about to turn around to yank her teammates to the center stage, but Alvis and Abigail reassured her, double-time, that they were fine.

"Now, for the team of darkness!" Paruko continued. "Self-proclaimed masters of Darkness Dragon World and their armies of monsters, these three buddyfighters are prepared to annihilate the competition. I give you Team Redemption! Led by Hoshi Hirohito!" Finally, Team Redemption emerged. Hoshi looked around with his cold blue eyes. The 28-year-old's white skin was illuminated by the spotlight as he walked forward. Hoshi would've been confused for a girl if he didn't have such defined cheekbones and a mature and defined chin. He looked to his allies with his face almost covered with his long black hair. One of his teammates, Gale Minas, returned with a soft chuckle. He had much darker skin, and the 17-year-old's shaved head contrasted his leader's much more overwhelming hairstyle. While Hoshi wore all black, with a hooded sweatshirt being his defining piece of attire, Gale's shirt was a strong purple color that allowed his chain necklace to stand out. Hoshi turned to Liam, observing the kid closely. Liam nodded back, telling them that he was ready. The three took to the center stage before turning back to where they came; ready to greet the last team.

"The last team, and certainly not the least, is certainly one to watch out for. An up-and-coming fighter is allied with The Mighty Sun fighter and the prodigy Buddy Police officer. Proud users of the Dragons they command, I welcome you to The Dragonic Trinity! Led by Chase Hallows!"

Liam's body froze as he stared at the entrance. He couldn't believe that Chase was here too.

(POV: First)

I had to lead my comrades to the center of the stage. My hearing was muffled as the cheers from the humongous audience overwhelmed the stadium. Gao and Tasuku walked behind us. Our buddies were in their card forms and within our decks. The self-proclaimed Mighty Sun Fighter ran forward and raised his fist into the air. "The Mighty Sun Fighter is here!" Gao's voice seemed to shake the very base of the arena as the crowd roared even louder. I continued to maintain my composure as Tasuku humbly waved to the audience. While Gao was treating this as a true tournament, Tasuku and I knew that this was a job for us.

When I finally entered the stadium, my eyes were quickly able to meet Liam's. The two of us could only stare at each other before Liam turned away. I sighed morosely. Suddenly, I was able to hear Arkaid's voice coming from her card. "It's okay, CJ. You must be nervous to see him, too."

Paruko took control of the room. Her boisterous and excited voice silenced the audience as she continued speaking. "You all should know how this will work. These eight teams will go up against each other with a best of one! Once two teams are matched up, each team will pick a player and have the two fighters brawl it out! The winner allows his or her team to advance to Day 2, where we will have a best of three! Now! Let's prepare to buddyfight!"

(The Vengeful Roses) vs (Dragonic Trinity)

After the matchups were decided, the buddyfights began to play out one by one. Our team was up first, and Gao Mikado was defending a barrage of attacks from Kritana Baele. The fight had progressed to the point that both fighters were nearing their limits. Gao Mikado had 4 life left while Tritana only had 3. Even though Gao had more life, his field was just about to be empty. His last monster was taken out by Kritana's buddy. Her field consisted of two monsters on the left and right circles while she held the item card Violent Spear, All-Piercing. Her right circle had her buddy monster, Saberclaw Dragon, Valken. It was a size 1 monster with 5000 attack power, 1000 defense and 2 critical. He had already attacked, but Gao was not out of the clear yet. Tritana grinned menacingly as she commanded her other monster to attack. It was Grassland Dragon, Grassrunner. It was another size 1 monster with 4000 attack power, 2000 defense and 2 critical. "Grassrunner. Annihilate Gao's center field!"

Gao knew he couldn't take this attack and the next. He lifted one of the luminized cards from his hand. "I cast! I've Seen Through Your Moves!" The card unleashed a powerful barrier, protecting him. However, before he could take a sigh of relief, Tritana leaped forward and slashed through him with her Violent Spear. It had 2 critical, bringing Gao's life down to 2.

Tasuku and I were watching from the sidelines. I was beginning to lose my faith in Gao. Arkaid could sense my distress, watching as she turned to me with a concerned look.

Jack smirked. "Don't worry about a thing, Chase." His buddy agreed. "Gao always knows how to pull this around."

Gao smirked with beaming confidence as he drew the next luminized card from his Core Deck Case. The case itself began to glow as Gao made the next draw. He placed a useless card into his gauge before drawing once again. "Perfect!"

Tritana couldn't help but laugh with arrogance. "Little boy, don't think you're in the clear yet. You have no monsters left on the field. What could you possibly do now?"

"When all seems hopeless, leave it to the heroes to bathe the world in the light of justice!" Gao chose one of his cards. "Now, I TRANSFORM with Explosive Takedown, Rampage Sonic!"

I reeled back, confused. "Transform?"

Tasuku returned back to me. "Some of Gao's monsters are just armor. He is able to equip the armor through Transforming after paying one gauge." He watched as Gao's card faded away. His body was surrounded with a warm light as red and gray robotic armor plates emerged. The suit came with 5000 power, 3 critical, and 3000 defense. Gao was now wearing a holographic set of armor, yet the matter to them allowed Gao to truly feel like he was one with the suit. "No matter what, he always wants to fight alongside his monsters. That's the Gao I hope never changes."

Gao smirked. "To the right position, I buddy call Buddy Police, Decker Drum!" With the cost of a gauge, a familiar orange dragon appeared on the right. However, his old armor was gone. In its place was a set of blue and white plated armor acting as a uniform. He had 5000 power, 3 critical, and 5000 defense. He turned to the monster with a bright smile, feeling rather happy to see an image of his friend once again. Once he got his head back into the game, he confidently smirked at the opponent. "Now, I attack you with my Rampage Sonic!"

"I won't let you get to me!" Tritana exclaimed. "I cast Battle Aura Circle!"

Gao's armor released a powerful laser beam. However, the opponent activated a defensive spell card, nullifying the attack. Even though he was seemingly losing his chances on defeating the opponent, Gao managed to keep smiling. "Now Drum! Attack the fighter!"

"Again! Battle Aura Circle!"

I gritted my teeth. "She must've been saving those for quite some time!"

Tasuku shook his head. "No. Gao already won."

Gao smirked once again. "The card I drew will give me the win!" Gao revealed one final card from his hand. "Final Phase!"

Tritana recoiled, nearly falling to her knees as a sudden revelation took over her. "T-There's no way! You got an impact card now!"

"I pay two gauge … and cast!" Gao's armor began to overload with energy. It began to emit a loud humming sound before his entire armor began to unleash bursts of blue energy. Gao smiled as he held out his arms. A blue orb of raw energy formed from his hands. He could only activate this card if he was Transformed into Rampage Sonic. Gao knew, from the start of this turn, that he'd be the victor. "Dealing the final three points of damage! RAMPAGE BLASTER!"

(Team Ancient Warfare) vs (The A-Team)

I could only watch as Abigail was getting abused in the arena. Her last cobalt monster was destroyed by Anne Panzer's buddy monster. The creature, Ground Dragon, Zelzarl, a size 3 monster with 9000 attack power, three critical, and 6000 defense, unleashed an attack with such overwhelming force that Abigail fell backward. The monster activated its ability; Penetrate. Even though Abigail's monster, Doberman, Cobalt, was set in the center, Zelzarl's penetrate still allowed Panzer to inflict Zelzarl's critical on Abigail's life points. She managed to catch herself from her slight fall, but Panzer rushed forward with her item equipped. With her attack item, Ringlet, Loop of Fire, she was able to deal two points of damage to Abigail, bringing her life down to 3.

Things were looking bad for her. Even though Panzer only had one card left in her hand, she's been safe throughout the game. Her hand got to that small state only because she kept on using spell cards that increased her life points. With that, combined with her buddy-calling Zelzarl, she managed to bring her life back up to 10. She had been guarding and protecting herself early while using life-gaining cards wherever she could. Abigail and her monsters were able to reserve hand-cards, but her lack of defensive cards kept her from defending herself.

Abigail looked at her gauge, keeping track of the four she had. There was no one next to her; her buddy monster had already been defeated in one of the previous turns. As Arkaid and I continued to look from outside the arena, I was able to see that Alvis wasn't worried at all. Abigail looked back at Alvis. After a confirming nod, Abigail chuckled. Suddenly, her demeanor shifted; her kind voice changed to that as a prideful lord. Her voice deepened as her slightly tubby stomach motioned forward as she made an effort to keep her body completely erected. "Hahahaha! Now you have done it!"

Panzer snickered back. "What do you think you're gonna do, fatty?"

"Such wit! I should thank you for using up all of your defensive cards. Now, would I be right to think you have one more shield card?"

"… Maybe I do, maybe I don't," Panzer replied slowly. "What's your point?"

"Hohohoho! You're gonna get it now, girl!" Abigail drew one more card, gauge-charging a useless one before drawing another. "Now I'm set. You're going to be the first victim of my ultimate signature move!"

"Oh really?"

"The TRIPLE DOGGO BARRAGE!" Abigail immediately exclaimed.

I leaned forward with my eyes widened. "Oh my God; what is she doing?"

"First, I pay one gauge to equip the item; Magical Beast Tamer Flute, G'boy!" A luminized card vanished from her hand. In its place emerged a whistle which was wrapped around Abigail's neck with a piece of leather string. "With this item, I'm able to pay 1 gauge and rest whenever I want a Dungeon Enemy monster to attack again! And since all my Cobalt monsters are Dungeon Enemy ones, I'll be sure to say that, no matter what you do, you're screwed."

"OH MY GOD! WHAT IS SHE ABOUT TO DO?!"

I could see Alvis and Sitri getting giddy as they watched Abigail reach for one card in her hand. "For three gauge, I call my buddy! Demon Dog Lord, Borzoi Cobolt Lord!" From the card emerged her loving buddy monster. Clag in orange and black armor, the nearly ten feet tall humanoid dog took his place in the center circle. He was a size 3 with 8000 attack power, 2 critical, and 5000 defense. The white-furred beast as his howl shook the arena. His dark blue sword gave off a foreboding dark huge. Borzoi made a strong fist as his eyes locked onto the exposed opponent. Panzer's monster was on the right circle, which she placed so she could attack with her item from before. "Another cost to summon him is to place three cards with Cobolt in their name into the soul of Bozo here. As you remember from before, he has double attack and soulguard."

Panzer snickered. "So with that item of yours, he'll be able to attack for a total of three times. Impressive, but that won't be enough."

"True, but I'll activate his second ability." Abigail snickered. "Do you know what cards I put into his soul from the drop zone?"

"… No, not really."

"Well, I might as well tell you now. One was the Doberman, Cobalt. The other two… you'll see right now!" All of a sudden, two other humanoid canines emerged on the other monster circles. My team, collectively, had our mouths left agape, and the audience appeared to share that opinion. They watched as two size two monsters were immediately summoned to the other circles. The creatures resembled Doberman dogs, so I was able to remember the monsters' name as Doberman, Cobalt. The monsters were size 2 with 5000 power, 3 critical, and 3000 defense. "How do you like that?"

Anne Panzer was completely taken aback from what she was seeing. Out of nowhere, three monsters were standing strong before her. "Wait a minute! How can you have a size 3 and two size 2 monsters on the field?!"

"Simple," Abigail returned with a hearty giggle. "Bozo's skill. I can call a monster with 'Cobalt' in its name from my soul. Normally I'd have to pay their call cost, but Doberman, Cobalt doesn't have one."

"But that doesn't explain why you're breaching the size limit!"

"Oh, poor Panzer. I'm more than aware of the size limit," Abigail returned with a sly grin. "Whatever monster is sent out from Bozo's soul is treated as a size 0 until it leaves the field."

"Y-you've gotta be kidding me!"

Abigail snickered, which was unusual for her. Panzer must have really gotten to her, but it was fortunate that Abigail was able to turn the game around by simply playing one card. "Now, my Bozo can attack you twice, so that's 4. I can restand him with my item, that's 6. Both of my Dobermans will add another 6. That's 12 damage in total. Tell me, is your last card a shield, or any defensive card of any kind?" Panzer shook as she gazed into the menacing eyes of Abigail's doggos. Panzer looked nervously at her hand, only to see that it was another copy of her buddy. She looked up to see the audience goggling at the sight of such wicked beasts. I, on the other hand, couldn't help but gulp nervously. This was a reminder never to piss her or her dog off. Ever.

"Now, my precious puppies…. Sick 'er."

(Team Impulse) vs (Team Fujimiya)

Kazane's mother was taking a bit more time to perform each one of her actions. I can understand that fairly well, and the audience did so to a degree. I could only assume that the audience understood because of how the team was introduced; a family united through buddyfight. In addition to that, she was using Legend World, a rather technical world to play. It involved a lot of combo pieces, equating to a lot of small plays that added up over time. I found it understandable that she had a difficult time with the deck, and I understood why Paruko highlighted that buddyfight united the family. After Tasuku told me about Kazane's late father, I could understand that Kazane would feel a bit distant for some time. Even so, I didn't know enough about her, so I didn't feel right in trying to pry at who she possibly is. From the short interaction from before I could tell that she was innocent and sweet. However, I didn't know what she went through.

The opposing team didn't seem to care. Team Impulse's leader, at this point in the game, was getting rather frustrated with the slow pace of the turns. Despite the fact that Kit Nadeza was using Hero World, he didn't appear to be very friendly. In my eyes, he was cruel for not understanding that Mitsuyo, being rather new to the game, could still be having some trouble. However, that seems to be a common thing; people playing card games getting so into it and, as a result, they scare away new players.

Nadeza had a full field; each one of his monster circles had power ranger-esque monsters. Each one carried each of the primary colors. It was Mitsuyo's turn, and her field was completely wiped out from the previous turn. Even though the Nadeza had two life left, he was able to bring down the mother's life to three. If she didn't manage to pull out a defensive spell in time then she would've lost it for the team. Count Dawn appeared to be on edge, but he didn't appear to be the type to put pressure on Kazane's mother. Instead, he just watched intently.

"I draw a card," the mother stated. She placed a luminized card from her deck into her hand. She pondered for a moment, checking to see which card she could put into her gauge. "Let's see…." She didn't seem naïve; she was just new to the game. She carried the same innocence as her daughter but appeared more mature as she went on. "I believe I'll charge this one." She placed a card from her hand into the gauge, allowing her to draw a new one. "This won't do either…. Hm…."

She looked back at Kazane. Her daughter was cheering her on, yelling at the top of her lungs. "You got this, Mom! Remember what we practiced!"

She smiled back, soon laughing softly to herself as she turned her attention back to the fight. "Thank you, sweetie," she muttered back. I couldn't help but find myself envious of the mother. Because of her rather young age—she looked to be in her mid-thirties—she reminded me a bit of my own mother before she went off the deep end. Seeing someone with such a loyal mom… It hurt me inside, I'll be honest. However, it was great seeing such a kind soul actually having fun with her daughter.

Nadeza groaned. "Please, for the love of everything, don't take so long to do your turn again."

"Again, I'm very sorry."

"If you were sorry, you'd pick up the pace."

Kazane barked out. "Hey, leave my mom alone, you jerk!"

Nadeza simply rolled his eyes. "Look, I'll spell everything out for you right now. You have, count 'em, six cards in hand. Your field is empty and you have four gauge. You have, count this too, 1… 2…. 3 life points left. I have a full field, two life left, and only three cards left in my hand. You think you can keep track of that?"

"Again, I am terribly sorry," the mother replied. "This is my first tournament with my daughter, so I'm a little nervous."

Kazane barked out again. "KICK HIS BUTT, MOM!"

"Sweetie, please," her mother reassured her. "I don't want any problems here. Actually, while we're talking, can I ask you something?"

Kazane nodded. "Um, sure. What do you need to know?"

"I can skip my turn and go right to my final phase, right?" Nadeza's eyes enlarged at the mere utterance of 'final phase.' He couldn't help but falter back. "My others monsters cost a gauge but I feel like using my impact should be enough, right?"

Kazane nodded back. "Yeah! You can definitely do that!"

"Thank you, sweetie!" The mother replied in the most serene of motherly voices. She turned back to face Nadeza, watching as he saw the Hero World player tremble. "Heehee, final phase!" She revealed a card from her hand. It was a rather odd impact card. It cost three gauge and two life to cast. "Now, let me read what this card does. Y'know, just so you can keep track of it. I can destroy all monsters on my opponent's field, and I deal 2 damage to your opponent." The mother smiled with a friendly smile. Nadeza winced at the sight of the card glowing. From the impact card came a large pyro demon knight. At its side was a large sword, bathed in the flames of hell. "My daughter recommended this one. This is Great Spell Finisher, Colossal Flame Sword Laevatein. After going over the effect again, I'm pretty sure that the game is over, right?"

(Ninjas of the Future) vs (Team Redemption)

It wasn't until the final game was half over when I realized I couldn't locate the A-Team. Tasuku and Jack were sitting on my left, so I figured that I would ask them if they knew anything. Neither one of them could answer. Tasuku could only tell me that they were doing something work-related and, while doing it, we were tasked to keep watch. We needed to make sure that the other members of Team Redemption didn't leave their side of the field.

Liam's teammates, Gale Minas and Hoshi Hirohito, continued to look on. Their comrade was fighting, utilizing the Purgatory Knights under the flag of Darkness Dragon World. Liam stood firm as he took an incoming attack from a ferocious beast from Katana World. It was a size 3 monster called Superior Strength Ninja, Kotaro Fuma. He was a giant beast of a man. His muscles were so tremendously massive that the red armor he wore was only barely enough to contain his monstrous strength. His samurai-like armor buckled as the beast, wearing a helmet of some feline predator, slashed at Liam with a giant katana for the second time due to its double attack ability. Superior Strength Ninja, Kotaro Fuma had 6000 power, 2 critical, and 5000 defense. Although not too powerful, Double Attack made up for it in kind. It brought Liam's life down to four.

He was left with nothing but a dragon in his left monster circle. The size 1 monster, with 4000 power, 1 critical, and 2000 defense was a creature known as Purgatory Knights, Necropalm Dragon. It was serpentine in appearance except for its waist and above. It wore gold and purple armor as its white scales appeared to be imbued with a forbidden and dark power. A dark aura enveloped both of his claws, and its two long horns curved maliciously.

Hanzo looked sternly at Liam, bracing himself as he glanced over his hand and gauge. He only had four cards left in hand; two of them were defensive cards. He smiled at the fact that he still had 5 life, making him believe that he'd be able to survive the turn. He thought he was set. Tasuku couldn't help but notice how unmoved Liam appeared. I looked over, soon noticing that he was looking emotionless. He wasn't phased at the situation he was in.

It was his turn now. "I draw," Liam drew a luminized card from his deck. He had three gauge, more than enough for him. His hand, after dealing with those attacks, was down to four. However, he was fine with not having shields; he was building up to this turn. Next to him stood his buddy monster, Purgatory Knights, Demios Sword Dragon. He was no longer in his SD form; he stood tall and proud as the fight waged on in front of him. Liam didn't bother placing a card into his gauge; he knew he had what he needed. "To the right position, I buddy call; Purgatory Knights Leader, Demios Sword Dragon."

The proud, brown dragon grabbed onto his sword. He leaped over to the right monster circle, taking a powerful stance. He was a size 2 monster with 6000 attack, 2 critical, and 3000 defense. "It's time to show the power of the Purgatory Knights."

Liam nodded back to him. His teammates grinned; they knew what was coming. "For 1 gauge, I equip; Sword of Purgatory Knights Leader, Demios Sword." The item brought Liam's gauge down to two. It had 3000 power and a critical of 2. The blade materialized from the card. He grasped onto the unholy sword, bringing it to his side before extending it to the opponent. "You better be ready."

Hanzo, on the other side of the battlefield, braced himself once again. "I activate the 'Move' ability from my Superior Strength Ninja. I move him to the center circle."

"It still won't be enough," Liam muttered back. The giant ninja took its place in the center monster circle. It took a defensive position, half-expecting for incoming attacks. "Now then, Demios, attack the ninja."

"Not so fast! I activate Art of Body Replacement!" After the card dematerialized, the ninja began to multiply its appearance. Demios was unable to attack the original. The buddy monster gritted his teeth in aggravation before returning to the right monster circle. "As long as it's not a Link Attack, I can block it."

"Then I'll Link Attack." Liam, wielding the Demios Sword, combined his attack power with Necropalm Dragon. Combined, their attack power reached 7000 power, doing more than enough. The two struck down the ninja together, slashing into him. The ninja vanished, fulfilling his duty of protecting his fighter for the battle. Hanzo still wasn't in the clear yet; he knew how the Purgatory Knights worked. "Now, I activate the ability of Demios Sword Dragon. Leave the field, Necropalm."

The holographic representation nodded before vanishing immediately. Demios smiled with intimidation as he stood back up, prepared to attack once again. "From what I see, you know what he does?"

Hanzo nodded. "Yeah … you can send a monster from the field to the drop zone in order to stand him back up, letting him attack again."

"However, that is not the end of it."

Tasuku grimaced, tensing his body as he saw what transpired. Jack could tell how uneasy his buddy felt. I couldn't; I didn't know what exact experience Demios inflicted on Tasuku. How could I know? From my own experience, Demios seemed like an alright individual; a bit blunt, but still knew right from wrong. Finally, Tasuku spoke his mind. "Is it possible that Liam got Demios even stronger?"

Liam continued on. "First, I'll activate the ability of my item 'Demios Sword.' Because a monster was destroyed, I can draw a card." Liam drew a card from his Core Deck Case. He grinned, happy to see a certain card. "I didn't need another one of him. I already have one of ye here.."

Hanzo shook. "W-what are you talking about? How can you get even more attacks this turn?"

"My allies fall, continuing to rise again and again," Liam continued. "Because I triggered my sword's ability, my Demios Sword Dragon get's 3000 additional power. But that's not important, like. I activate Necropalm's ability. I'm able to call a size 1 or less monster from the drop as long as I can pay the cost. If the cost is nothing…." Liam released a previously discarded card from the drop zone. The monster materialized in the left position. It was the size 1 monster Purgatory Knights, Lunacy Wand Dragon. She had 2000 power, 2 critical, and 2000 defense. "When she's destroyed by a card effect, I gain 1 life. But I don't think I'll bother with it."

"A-Are you mocking me?"

"I know I'm going to win this turn," Liam returned. "I know your last defensive card can't block Link Attacks. Demios, Lunacy Wand, Link attack the center! The two dragons leaped forward. Demios took the lead, pulling back on his massive claymore before slashing it through the opposing buddyfighter. Lunacy Wand raised her wand, releasing a stream of black magic. The power enveloped around Hanzo, damaging him and reducing his life total. His life was down to 1.

Hanzo chuckled back. "That was smart of you, but how can you finish me off now?!" At first, there was silence.

"… Demios, activate your ability. Send Lunacy Wand to the drop zone. Don't bother with the extra life point."

"Don't mock me!" Lunacy Wand vanished from the field. Once again, the brown dragon stood up. He glared at the opponent. He thrust his sword into the ground, soon grasping the pommel as he stood menacingly still. "Who cares if he stands back up?! It's like you said; With my last defense spell, I'm able to block an attack if it isn't a link attack. You only have Demios left, and I have one life point! How could I lose here?!"

"… I activate another ability."

"You what?!"

Tasuku gasped. "He… no way. How? How has he done it?!"

Liam grasped a luminized card. "Show them your beginnings. Start your path to the warrior who stands before us. Superior Call!" He removed one card from his gauge. Suddenly, a white-scaled dragon emerged from his hand. It was… it was Demios, but he wasn't the same. He was smaller. His scales were a ghoulish white. As soon as I noticed his yellow eyes, they immediately shifted to a crimson tone. "I'm able to pay a gauge to call this monster out during the battle phase. Welcome to the battle, Purgatory Knights, Demios Sword Early."

It was a size 1 monster. 5000 attack power, 2 critical, and 1000 defense. As Hanzo realized his mistake, he couldn't help but stare in fear and awe. Jackknife found himself shuttering at what he was experiencing. "Demios stood for the third time!"

Tasuku nodded grimacingly. "If all of Liam's attacks went through, he could've been able to deal over 14 points of damage." He turned to me. "CJ, I didn't know he was this experienced."

"… Neither did I." Tasuku gasped back at me. "This is the first time I've seen him use the Purgatory Knights..." Hastily, I got up from my chair. Arkaid was about to ask me something before I took off. She had no choice but to follow me. I was tired of just sitting there. I needed to see him. Before I was able to reach the stairs, Arkaid and I saw Demios and Demios Early perform a Link attack, ending the fight.

The last announcements echoed above me as we sprinted through the empty hallways. Arkaid followed me close behind as the announcements detailed the events tomorrow. "We have our winners! Tomorrow, we will assign the next matchups tomorrow! The winners…." The message trailed off as Arkaid got deeper and deeper into the hallway's curve. I knew that Team Redemption's break room had to be somewhere.

As we were running, we saw the A-Team rushing towards us. The fighters and their buddies were sprinting behind them. Fridrik stopped for a moment, quickly turning to me. In that short moment, I noticed that the three of them were carrying suitcases. Abigail's suitcase had a wire extending from the back of it. Such technology, at the moment, made me assume it involved how they were going to get access to more information involving Team Redemption. "Cover us. We're moving out." Before I could even ask what had happened, Fridrik and Halia took off with the others. Arkaid and I were left alone, panting from the intense dash. We looked to each other, finding ourselves in a state of even more confusion. I tried piecing together what they were doing, for their sudden appearance here just seemed so out of nowhere to me.

It was then that I began to hear two familiar voices. Arkaid and I continued to walk around the bend, hoping to get closer. The voices were having a discussion about something. As we got closer, I was able to recall Demios's voice. The other….

"Liam, what do you think?" Demios stated. I heard a door slamming. "Why was the A-Team in our room?"

"Bunch of eejits," the other voice returned. It had to be Liam, making me want to move closer. Arkaid and I started to walk slower as we approached. "The last thing I wanted on our mission was for more gobshites to be involved. You think they're with them?"

"No," Demios returned. "If they were, I believe they would've stayed. Our teammates do believe we're with them."

"They're too thick in the head," Liam returned. "Hoshi definitely. That guy is one straw away from throwing a complete fit." As I slowly continued to approach, I noticed the two voices cease. "Who's there?" He must have heard us. Arkaid was about to go into her real form before I gestured her to stop. "Demios, pull 'em out, like."

I didn't want this to become a conflict. Quickly, I spoke up. "Wait, wait a minute," I hastily replied. Liam and Demios's voices stopped once again. "It's us. There's no need for that."

Slowly, Arkaid and I walked out of the hallway's curve. By the time we were out, we saw Demios and Liam next to each other. Demios was in his SD form, hovering in the air with light flaps of his wings. Liam's aggressive voice stopped entirely as he realized I was here. Arkaid and I went to my side, standing directly across from Demios. I wanted to say something as I got closer to him, but then I noticed something; my heart was racing. At first, I didn't understand why. However, I was soon able to. I took in a deep breath, trying to compose myself. Liam looked away for a moment, possibly unsure of what to say like I was. I took in a nervous gulp. Before I knew it my right hand was starting to shake. Why? I'm finally meeting, in real life, the friend I've had for over 8 years. Why am I nervous now?!

We both didn't know what to say. After everything that has happened, what was there to truly say. My mind raced to try and see what could get us both talking once again. Finally, everything came together in my head. My heart was still racing, but it was slowly beginning to lessen its pace. I took in another deep breath, soon exhaling as everything made sense to me once again. I remembered what we promised to do. Arkaid looked to me, reassuring me with a confident smile. I nodded to her before facing Liam once again. "Yo, Liam!" Arkaid faltered, finding my sudden fall from maturity to break the tenseness of the situation. "You're a fucking wally."

Demios blanked out. He was trying to make sense of the situation. Here he was, watching the decent human being from before greeting his buddy, and now he's insulting him! Demios turned to Liam, hoping that his reaction could inform him of what to do. Liam tried to process the situation. At first, he found himself recoiling back. However, in a mere instant, he caught himself. He smirked. Demios knew what was going on. "Fucking gobshite, piece of shit."

"You complete and total ass!" I replied with emphasis. Arkaid had absolutely NO clue AT ALL. She gesturing me to stop, nervously looking at me like I had completely lost my mind. Demios couldn't help but chuckle at the display.

"You degenerate."

"You ugly emo."

"You thick tool."

"Well, you're pale as fuck!"

"Oh yah?" Liam smirked before chuckling a little bit. Arkaid was fuming, but soon stopped when she noticed Liam smiling with tears flowing from his eyes. With a playful, cheeky expression, he uttered one last 'insult' at me. "Your leg hair."

I knew exactly what to do. I took one deep breath through my nose. After curling my hands into fists I looked at him straight in the eyes. My last thing back to him was a goofy, yet overly-exaggerated yet low voice. At that point, it was obvious to Arkaid that this wasn't a fight. "That's it!" The two of us rushed for each other Demios and Arkaid watched as the two of us collided. We wrapped our arms around each other. Our heads hung over our left shoulders. I couldn't see him, for my eyes were closed while trying to hold back the tears. However, I felt something drop from my left shoulder as Liam's shoulders twitched. His breaths were short yet rapid as held my right hand over my eyes. "Still short as hell."

"…I'm only 5'9," like," he muttered back to me. "It's not… it's not my fault you're 6'3," you giant eejit." Neither one of us wanted to let go. This was too long overdue. For ages, the two of us wanted to finally meet. I first met him over skype before introducing him to my other online friends. However, as the years went by, friends like Shawn, Ariana, Dylan, Isaac… they started to leave. Even through all of that, Liam was the only person to stick with me. He's a true friend, and I was overjoyed that he saw the same thing in me too.

Finally, to help fill Arkaid and Demios in, the two of us pulled back from our embrace. My buddy had her eyes darting back and forth, obviously feeling the most confused. I couldn't help but chuckle back as I brushed away the tears. "Liam and I have this thing. We playfully insult each other, and we jokingly talked about how, when we meet one day, we would do that little fake argument you just witnessed.

Arkaid, completely speechless, could only release a sigh. The 'fight' she was watching worked up such a spike of nervousness that she had no choice but to sigh in order to relieve her stress. She shook her head before turning her head away, finding herself embarrassed. Demios heartily laughed as Arkaid crossed her arms. Liam's buddy seemed to catch on quickly. "He did the same for me. Now I know where it all started; the bond between brothers is strong even without blood."

Liam, after finally calming down, found himself eager to speak once again. "Can't believe I saved your ass a week ago, like. Did you think, even for a moment, that it was me?"

"I had my suspicions," I replied. "However, my 'logic' got in the way. I thought you were back home."

"Same here," Liam returned. "I wanted to tell you about Demios, but after what happened with Axia…."

"And the other two?" I casually mused. Arkaid turned to me, rather confused. "I'll tell you about it later. Anyways, Liam, you didn't have to hide him from me. My friends from work had buddies of their own too and they didn't hide anything. In fact, Alvis jokes about it."

"Speaking of Alvis, was that him from before?" Liam asked. "I think I saw him sprint away from here. The guy with the blonde hair. Kinda curly, like?"

"That's him," I replied. "He and Sitri often joke about it. I'm fine with it, so I don't want you to hide stuff like that from me, alright?"

"There's no reason for me now; you have a new buddy." Liam turned to see Arkaid. The light-blue dragon woman bowed back to him. She introduced herself in the usual, modest manner. "She's basically a better Axia at this point. Don't worry about losing her, alright?"

"Arkaid's been amazing," I replied gratefully. "She's my best friend at this point."

"Whoa-whoa-whoa-whoa-whoa," Liam hastily replied. "She's your best friend?"

"Yeah," I replied with a smirk. "You have competition now."

"Well screw you, bro," Liam returned. When he looked over at Arkaid again he couldn't help but notice how flustered Arkaid appeared. She was looking away from the group as her eyes stared at the ground. She smiled softly as she held her left hand to her mouth, trying to hold her laughter. "Then again, Demios is cool as hell, like. But enough about that; you and I need to talk about your guys."

"Like Alvis and them?"

"Yeah," he quickly replied. His voice grew quieter. Only the four of us could hear his muttering. "Tell them to… actually, nevermind; we can talk about this later." Liam quickly pulled out his cell phone. "Might as well do this now."

"Definitely," I replied. As the two of us exchanged numbers, I heard footsteps from behind us. Tasuku, Jack, and Gao emerged from the corner of the hallway's curve. Tasuku gasped as he saw Liam and me next to each other. He looked over at Demios for a moment before nodding to him. "Oh, guys, I need you to meet my friend." Liam was feeling rather reserved about it. At first, I noticed that he was slowly motioning away. However, I quickly grasped his sweatshirt and pulled him over. I finally met him, so there was no way I was going to miss the chance to introduce him to my friends. "Allow me to introduce you to one of my best friends; Liam Kieron."

"… H-Hello," he returned. Tasuku was perplexed by the shift in behavior. In the arena, Liam appeared to be incredibly capable at talking to the enemies before him. However, now that he was outside of the ring, he appeared to be the timid, shy young adult that I mentioned yesterday. "I heard a lot about you from Demios, Tasuku."

"Yeah… anyways, it's a pleasure to meet you." Tasuku approached Liam. He checked with Demios to see if it was okay. Once Demios gestured to him, Tasuku knew that everything was alright. Liam and Tasuku shook hands, keeping the meeting rather civil. However, once Jack tried to approach Liam, Gao whizzed by and got into Liam's face.

"Hey! I'm Gao Mikado! I hope you and I get to face each other next round!" Gao excitedly spoke. "Man, I need to buddyfight you. I haven't played against the Purgatory Knights in forever!"

Liam nervously looked over to me. Once he saw me chuckling he knew he wasn't going to get some help from me. "It's… it's good to meet you, Gao. I'm Liam Kieron."

Tasuku looked over at Demios for a moment. "That last series of attacks got me curious. Demios, when you and I were buddies, were you aware of such new strength?"

"Not at all," the brown dragon returned. "Over the time I spent with Liam, I encountered a younger version of myself. Before leaving, we were able to get his card."

"You met… your younger self?"

"It is a story that stays between Liam and myself," Demios returned. "Unlike you, Liam and I didn't join up on a whim. After our first encounter, and after what we went through, we knew that we deserved to be true buddies. Even if I were to join you now, you wouldn't be able to reach the kind of strength that we have currently."

Jack grunted back. "Are you flaunting?"

"No, for I know that you two have found a different sort of strength," Demios returned. "Liam and I will continue to get stronger our way. You two will continue to do the same. As for CJ," Demios looked over at me. He glanced over at Arkaid before continuing his speech. "They will be walking a path like ours, but completely different too." Liam and I turned to each other, puzzled by his sudden proclamation. "CJ, I can sense it. Around you lies a small power left behind by the Fifth Omni Lord."

"H-How can you tell?"

Arkaid huffed. "I knew I noticed something." She looked up to me with a strong yet concerned look. "The dark powers of the Purgatory Knights…. The same kind surrounding Demios, I can sense it on Liam too."

Liam glanced away. "So, you know that too?"

Jackknife rushed forward. "What did you do to your buddy?"

Demios shook his head. "Something I'm not proud of, but had to be done," Demios looked over to Arkaid and I. "It's like I said; our paths are the same, yet completely different." The dragon turned to his buddy, urging him on. "We should leave. Our 'teammates' should be waiting for us now."

Tasuku rushed forward. However, Jack stopped him from going any further. By the time I noticed his sudden outburst, Liam and Demios were already walking away. Once they were far enough away, Tasuku turned to Jack, bewildered at his interruption. Jack shook his head. "We can't ask him about his involvement with them," the green dragon reassured him. "It could compromise the mission. If Liam doesn't know, then it could compromise the mission."

Jack's buddy understood. He managed to calm himself down. I knew what they were talking about, but I was debating on whether or not I should tell them what I overheard. To an extent, what I heard was a bit vague; it didn't really imply too much. For all I know, they just carried a negative perspective on their teammates yet still wanted to have a good chance to win the tournament. I decided to keep it to myself, hoping that I could learn more as the day went on.

The Mighty Sun Fighter himself, however, wanted to make something known. He approached Tasuku and stood in front of him with a proud radiance. "Tasuku, it's fine! Tomorrow, if we get matched up with them, you can defeat him!" Gao quickly looked over to me. "No offense, CJ."

"None taken," I returned. That managed to calm Tasuku down a little bit. I was starting to get the sense that he had low self-confidence when it came to certain experiences. Because of how I had little experience with his story, I decided to stay out of it, hoping that Gao would be here to help him out, or preferably Jack. "Also, did you happen to get the details for tomorrow?"

"Uh-huh!" Gao returned. "Tomorrow, we're supposed to be back here by 1:00 PM. No more best-of-one; it is going to be a full-on tournament starting tomorrow!"