Cardfight! Vanguard: New Stride

by KR Duelist

One year has passed since Gyze met its end at the hands of TRY3. As one journey ends, another begins, where a young man returns to Japan after six years to reintegrate. He had forsaken Vanguard due to a past he did not want to remember. However, upon obtaining a certain card, something convinced him to try it once more, starting on the difficult path to regain what he once loved.

KRD: Hey guys! Kamen Rider Duelist and Gundam-Knight-Chris with a brand new story! And it's a Cardfight! Vanguard story!

GKC: Yay. Another card game story.

KRD: What's wrong with you?

GKC: I am running on two hours of sleep, a lot of coffee, and a shit ton of sugar.

KRD: You should cut down on the caffeine…

GKC: I WILL NOT BE LABELED!

KRD: You are not making any sense right now… *sigh* anyways, my first attempt on a Vanguard story, having started with the OG cast, obviously did not go so well, so this fic is in hopes that it would stick. Plus, with the cards being updated to now having a decent sized database, there was no way I could separate them all via by seasons, let alone their respective clans. Season 1 Vanguard cards took me weeks to separate, and that was when the TV series and card game first came out. Hence why this fic is set after the events of G: Z.

GKC: Which means, expect a few appearances from some past characters of the OG and G series. Ah, but just to point out, one line of cards is all mine. You'll see what I'm talking about.

KRD: Yup, all his. Plus, this story gives him plenty of creative freedom, as for me as well. So sit back as we go on this new journey after Aichi and Chrono had finished theirs. Also quick note, the updates of this story will be slow burn, so don't go blowing up my PM's or GKC's PM's about when the next chapter's coming. Cardfights are more complicated and tedious in writing out than Duel Monster duels, so please be patient. Alright, that's enough. It's time to start this story!

Both: STAND UP! VANGUARD!

Disclaimer: We do not own Cardfight! Vanguard. All creative rights belong to Bushiroad and Akira Itō. All production rights belong to Hatsuki Tsuji, Atsuyuki Takada, Hayato Saga, Ryōta Katō, Shigeru Saitō, Shigeto Nihei, Tatsuhiko Urahata, Takayuki Negishi, Yui Umemoto, Kiyoko Yoshimura, Mamoru Mori, Kazushi Miyakoda, and Shigeru Yamamoto. Any and all insert songs in this story don't belong to us at all. In other words, we don't own anything except our OCs and all other OCs © original creators.

---

Cardfight Vanguard.

A card game that has taken the world by storm. It was so popular that it eventually became a part of daily life. It was a card game for all ages. Young or old, strong or weak, professional or amateur - it didn't matter. It was something that everyone could enjoy.

Known as Cardfight, those known as cardfighters have extended the game to new heights. From Limit Break all the way to Legion, the game has evolved along its lifespan. A new generation of cardfighters also came into the spotlight, with a power that showed what fighters truly want. They transcended the dimensional barrier to obtain new possibilities known as "Stride Generation".

This generation laid the foundation for their time to grasp the future they truly desire!

However…

All of it was threatened by the Dragon Deity of Destruction, Gyze. It sought the destruction of both Earth and Cray, and led its Apostles with the Zeroth Dragons in pursuit of this goal. It referred to themselves as nothingness, claiming it to be equality and togetherness, believing that nothingness brings peace. But it was far from the truth.

All it wanted was to destroy. It didn't care for equality.

So the Cardfighters of Earth fought back with great resistance. And with the assistance of the legendary Team Q4, their successors Team TRY3, have defeated Gyze in one last battle. Peace in the two worlds have been restored, Gyze was permanently sealed, and the Zeroth Dragons turned into Cray Elementals. However, because of this, the connection between Earth and Cray has been completely severed, and one cannot influence the other any more.

One year has passed since that day. As one journey ends, another is about to begin. And on this journey, one young man returns to his homeland and, while reluctant and wavering, starts on the difficult road to regaining what he lost and once loved.

---

(Cue Vanguard by JAM Project)

The scene opens with a monochrome coloring of Kuromu surrounded by flames as he looks up at the blackened void with dull eyes before he regains the light, his normal coloring, and even smiles as his friends: Rika and Koji gather beside him with grins of their own before the trio looked at the camera, bracing as the Vanguard symbol appears beneath their feet and engulfs them in light and smoke.

(Vanguard uso ja nai ze ima hajimaru densetsu) The camera pans up as several Vanguard cards fly past rapidly, along with various symbols of the many Clans of Cray.
(Mirai e to michibiite yuke!) Three cards shot up and took center stage, revealing them to be Super Dimensional Robo, Dainexus; Maiden of Produce; Flash Fang Liberator, Garmore Excel. At the center of the trio is one card: Wandering Wild Card, Zero. All four cards began to glow: Dainexus being blue, Produce being green, Garmore Excel being yellow, and Zero being white. The camera cuts to Kuromu standing on the surface of Cray with a despondent expression before he suddenly glares at the camera in firm resolution.

(Go!) Kuromu vanishes into motes of light as his Gold Paladin units enter the fray: Armed Liberator, Gwydion; Numinous Tree Liberator, Elchea; Dolgal Liberator; Blessing Owl; Liberator of Royalty, Phallon; and Liberator of Silence, Gallatin.

(Waki agaru kono omoi osaerarenai) The scene cuts to Kuromu and Koji smirking at one another as cardfighting rivals.
(Nanimo ka mo nugisutero Get crazy way [Get crazy way]) Both players stand their Vanguards up to begin their fight as Koji places a card down to Ride. Koji's Vanguard then goes from Dimensional Robo, Dailander, to Dimensional Robo, Daibarrett, and Super Dimensional Robo, Dainexus.
(Tomerannai nigerannai aitsu ga doko ka de ore wo yonderu) Kuromu watches this with concern while his own Vanguard rides from Wandering Wild Card, Zero, to Deathly Silence Liberator, Curdle, then to Liberator of Silence, Gallatin, and Flash Fang Liberator, Garmore Excel. The camera zooms in on Garmore's face as he glares at his foe. It briefly transitions to Kuromu bracing himself before his imagined self took over as Garmore Excel, readying his arm blades for combat.
(Yaru toki yaruze makkou battoru iku ze [iku ze]! Hurry up [Hurry up]!) Cuts to Rika along with her Neo Nectar units followed by Himari with her Angel Feather units as the two girls grinned at the camera. The next scene of showing Armando followed by Yukina and Kyoshiro, who looked at the camera with closed smiles. The scene cuts to Kuromu, slipping on Zero's glove before holding up his hand as the GIRS system activates, and his cards appear in his hand.

(Dare mo jama wa sasenai! 3! 2! 1! Let's go!) The scene then transitions to a starry background, the camera moving upward to reveal six silhouetted dragons, each outlined in a different color, starting with green, then to blue, purple, silver, red, and finally yellow, to which the yellow outlined silhouetted dragon, faded into view revealing itself as Agnos before the halo behind its head shined brightly before the screen was covered by Vanguard cards then blown away revealing the next scene.

(Vanguard tamashii no oku waki agaru imeeji) The scene transitions to an image of Super Dimensional Robo, Dainexus glowing blue before it cuts to Kuromu shielding his face as fierce winds blow past him before he gazes up to see the giant Dimension Police Grade 3 unit appearing in the center of a GIRS Arena with an audience watching before it cuts to an image of another card, Dawnlight of the Morning Star, Zero Liberator which glowed yellow.
(Kiseki totomoni yobiokose) Kuromu notices the glow, takes Zero Liberator's card, and slaps it onto the Vanguard Circle. The GIRS System activated, changing Liberator of Silence, Gallatin to Zero Liberator, who smirked, then brandished his blades, pointing one of them at Dainexus.
(Vanguard ima bokura wa makka na honoo ni nari) Both Vanguards stared down each other with a glare as Kuromu and Koji smirked at each other in anticipation before they ordered their central units to attack.
(Mirai e to kakenuke te iku) Cuts to Zero Liberator leaping into the air and slashing at the air with his twin falchions, sending waves of yellow energy at Dainexus, who responds by slashing with its own gigantic sword as both attacks collided, engulfing the camera in a mixture of blue and yellow energy.

(Fainaru ta~n!) The title card "Cardfight! Vanguard: New Stride" appears on screen when the energy mixtures disperses. To which the title card disappears and Kuromu, Koji, and Rika appeared, each with a Vanguard card in their hand, showing the reverse side and their aces and Zero appear behind them.

---

Ride 1: Potential Reawakened! A Vanguard's Return!

It was the month of April, the beginning of Spring. And when one thinks of Spring, they think of life that begins anew. It was the perfect time for new things. Kids get excited and are full of expectations, looking forward to what the year has in store for them.

For one particular new student, after being away from his homeland for six years, a new chapter in his life unfolds.

He was a young man that looked to be seventeen years of age. The blue orbs that were his eyes, while slightly covered by the fringe of his medium-length brown hair, was on his way to his new school, his suitcase slung over his shoulder with a neutral look on his expression. He wore the standard uniform of a white dress shirt, blue suit, red tie, and black trousers, along with his shoes. During his time away, he had lived a quiet yet normal life. But there was something missing in it. Of course, he knew what it was, but he couldn't bring himself to even think about that. Even so, this feeling had been gnawing at him for some time. No matter what he tried to address the problem, nothing worked. He tried different things such as sports, video games, and various hobbies, but nothing seemed to click. He didn't find them fulfilling.

His feet eventually stopped walking and his eyes focused on the building that was going to be his primary source of education for the next two years, ignoring the other students that were going in. Having moved from the United States, he was technically a transfer student and was going to complete the rest of his schooling career here in Japan.

"I can't believe it's been six years since I've been home…" The teen muttered to himself.

The sudden shift in life felt too much for him. His parents tried to cheer him up, which helped a little bit, but even then, it wasn't enough. He doesn't blame them, but being the new guy at school with little to no connections was going to be rough. In fact, he used to have a couple friends that he hung out with. However, he hadn't kept in contact with them. Most likely, they moved on and forgot about him.

"Kuromu, is that you?!"

The young teen, now known as Kuromu, turned around, and to his shock, saw a young woman his age standing there, with long burgundy hair and a high ponytail, her hair bangs sporadically covering her forehead. She wore the female version of the school uniform which was a white dress shirt, closed blue suit, with a smaller red tie, black skirt.

"Rika…" He murmured in surprise.

"Kuromu~!" The girl, Rika, cried out loudly before glomping on the boy, hugging him. "It's been so long! I missed ya, you big dummy!"

"Oi, Rika, ochitsuite…" Kuromu groaned, trying to push her away so that she didn't squeeze him to death. "I missed you too, but you'll really miss me if you keep up with the bear hug…"

"Oh," Rika released Kuromu with a sheepish chuckle. "My bad."

"It's fine." Kuromu sighed in relief. "It's good to see you though. Six years, right?"

"Yep, feels like forever since we've seen each other. I know Koji will be ecstatic to see you again." Rika replied with a smile.

"Yeah. How is he?"

"Hold the 8-track! Kuro?!"

Kuromu flinched as he looked to the source of the other voice and sure enough, the person in question, Koji, stood there gobsmacked with his dark brown hair in a surfer cut halfway down his neck, almost looking like a mess.

"Uh… hey Koji." Kuromu waved weakly. "Long time, no see."

"Now ain't that just funky! My best bud is back in Japan! Groovy!" Koji said with a wide grin. He then rushed over to wrap Kuromu's head in a half nelson and gave the boy a noogie. "Good to have ya back on the Nihon dance floor, Daddy-O!"

"Oi, Koji, easy," Kuromu winced. "I'm happy too, but you're getting everyone else's attention, like you always do." He said, gesturing to the students that were about to walk in, staring at them. Koji had the nerve to look sheepish before letting go.

"Hehe, sorry bud."

"Mattaku… I've been away for six years, and making a scene is the first thing you do?" Kuromu groaned, dusting himself off.

"No, I think him wearing platform sandals and speaking like he's from the 1970s is enough to cause a scene." Rika added with a sly smirk.

"C'mon, sistah, no need to give me the freaky deaky stare!"

"You still stand out. Especially with that surfer haircut you got going on." Kuromu stated.

"Whoa now, don't diss the hairdo." Koji retorted with a pout.

"I'm not, I'm just making it obvious." Kuromu said dryly, before sighing again. "Anyways, can you guys show me to the Principal's Office? I still need to get my schedule since I technically transferred."

"Sure, just follow us." Rika told the boy as she and Koji led their old friend through the halls.

---

And so after leading their friend to the Principal's Office and getting the schedule from said person, Kuromu was eventually introduced to his homeroom class. Rika and Koji are coincidentally in the same class as he was, so it was reassuring to know he had his friends to rely on during the school day. Classes even went on without a hitch, though every now and then Kuromu would glance out the window out of boredom, which thankfully the teacher hadn't caught. It wasn't until lunch time that things started picking up.

The three friends went up to the rooftop to have lunch there. They haven't seen each other in six years, so it was the perfect spot for the three of them to have some alone time and catch up.

"Uwhaaaa, your mom's cooking looks good!" Rika said with eyes sparkling when she saw Kuromu's lunch.

"You're not getting a bite out of my lunch." Kuromu deadpanned dryly.

"Ehhhhh~?! You're so mean, Kuro!" Rika comically whined with cartoon tears running down her cheeks.

"Your family still owns the restaurant right?" Kuromu sighed wearily. "And you work there part-time, so you're capable of cooking your own food."

"My cooking is crap compared to your mom's!" She tried to argue.

"Oi…"

"Better give her some. Otherwise, she won't stop whining." Koji pointed out.

Kuromu rolled his eyes before handing her the whole bento box. "Here. Take it."

"Thanks, bestie~!" Rika cheered with a bright smile, her demeanor taking a complete 180 as she took the whole bento box.

"But I'm taking yours in exchange."

*YOINK!*

"Hey!"

"You wanted my lunch, so I'm taking yours. Fair trade." Kuromu deadpanned. "Itadakimasu." He muttered, before he started eating Rika's lunch. "Hm, not bad." He shrugged.

"Mmmmm…" Rika pouted, before she went on to eat Kuromu's lunch.

"So Kuro, what have you been up to these past six years?" Koji asked, as he started digging into his own food.

"Other than dealing with school over there, nothing much to be honest." Kuromu answered. "America's a lot different than here. Everyone's wearing different clothes at school, cultures are melded together, everyone can voice their opinions freely, and the food over there is actually pretty decent."

"Living the American Dream, huh?" Rika said.

"I guess so." Kuromu said. "Even though that's great, I still miss a lot of things here at home. And I miss you guys."

"Awww~ we missed you too!" Rika grinned.

"What about you guys? What have you guys been doing these past six years while I was gone?" Kuromu asked.

"Honestly, there was a lot." Koji sighed.

"A lot… what do you mean?" Kuromu asked, confused.

"Well, for one." The disco fan soon smirked, "Guess whose old man got a promotion?" he said with a cheerful grin.

"Whoa, wait no way! Seriously?" Kuromu gasped in surprise. "Your dad's done with writing parking tickets?"

Koji fell over on his back comically, all of his energy getting blown out by his friend's obliviousness.

"No, you jive-turkey! My old man's a detective now!" Koji cried out, making Kuromu flinch in fear.

"O-Oh. I see. Well… congrats then," Kuromu laughed sheepishly, leaving Koji to sit down and grumble to himself.

"Moving on… I'm still helping mom and dad out with the restaurant." Rika noted, "So far, we've been doing fine."

"Any new recipes lately?" Kuromu asked.

"Nothing out of the ordinary." Rika shrugged.

"Well, I'm sure you can come up with something." Kuromu smiled a bit. "You do like to experiment a lot when you're cooking."

"Yeah, but I'm not like Ichinose-senpai. At least my food is edible!" Rika huffed before looking away.

"At least it wasn't like the curry you made when we were kids-"

*POW!*

"OOOOWWWW!" Kuromu cried out, holding his head after getting smacked with a frying pan, "What did I do?"

"That was one time! One! And for the record it was Ichinose-senpai's fault!"

"Okay, fine! You're a great cook!" Kuromu said as Rika finally put the frying pan away. 'Yeesh, did Rika get stronger or something? I feel like I got a headache from that!' He thought to himself.

"Anyways, Kuro, what club do you wanna join for after school?" Koji asked.

Kuromu seemed to have flinched at that, "Er, I… haven't really found anything interesting lately."

"Really? Nothing?"

"No." Kuromu shook his head. "Believe me, I tried while I was back in the States and nothing seemed to stick."

"Yikes man."

"Well… how about the Cardfight Club?" Rika suggested.

"Rika!" Koji chided in a panic, motioning his hand in a neck chopping gesture, telling her to stop.

The burgundy-haired girl paled in realization before turning to Kuromu, his expression having already turned dark. He lowered his chopsticks, his head being already down while the bangs of his hair covered his eyes. But underneath, were signs of bitterness.

"W-Wait, Kuro! I didn't mean that! I'm sorry, I-" She apologized frantically, waving her hands.

"No, it's… fine. It's not your fault…" Kuromu trailed off. "I know it's been six years, but I haven't really… recovered… that's why I left Japan in the first place."

"Yeah, we know. And we both get why. But you know it's impossible to get away from," Koji pointed out. "There's Cardfighters everywhere."

"I know that much. Even in the States, they advertise it everywhere I go." Kuromu sighed, as he placed Rika's lunch down and stood up. "Sorry, I don't want to talk about it anymore." And with that, he left his friends without another word.

Koji sighed, "Man, I was really hoping we could get through to him."

"Same here. But what can we do? We can't force him." Rika said sadly.

"I know. But he can't keep running forever either. He can't go on like this his whole life. What he needs is the guts to get back on that Cardfighting stage."

"I mean that's good and all, but… it's been six years. He's probably forgotten how to play if he's been avoiding it for so long." Rika pointed out.

"Yeah…" Koji sighed, the two worrying more about their friend.

---

*DING DONG DING DONG! DING DONG DING DONG!*

School was finally done for the day as everyone handed in their classroom assignments then started cleaning up the classroom after. Afterwards, the students made their way towards the shoe lockers near the school entrance to switch out their school shoes for their regular ones.

As he changed his shoes, he ended up overhearing the idle chatter from the other students. Predictably, the center of the school's talk was on Vanguard.

"Hey did you hear? That new booster pack is out."

"Yeah, I heard there are a couple of chase variants in there too. Wonder what they're worth online?"

"Dude, I want to see if these new cards can improve my deck. I don't give a damn about the money."

Kuromu sighed and tried to ignore the chatter. After getting the right shoes on, he closed his shoe locker and made his way out.

"Kuro!"

Kuromu turned to see Koji and Rika running towards him. But knowing his luck, likely it was something Vanguard related, he then just walked away as he thought.

'I just wish that game was never invented…'

"Kuro! Wait up!" Rika called out, causing him to briefly stop.

"Guys, look, I'm sorry about how I acted during lunch, it's just… I have a lot on my mind."

"No, it's not that." Koji said, trying to catch his breath. "We just… wanted to know if you wanna hang out, for old times sake."

Kuromu blinked at this, "Wait, really?"

"Well yeah man, it's been ages since it's been the three of us." Koji said.

"And we promise, no Vanguard." Rika added.

"Well… I suppose I could-"

*VMMM! VMMM! VMMM! VMMM!*

"Huh?" Kuromu reached into his pocket and pulled out a cell phone. He got a text from his mother. He read it then sighed sadly, "Sorry… might have to take a rain check. Kaa-san and Tou-chan want me home as soon as possible, to help finish with the move…"

"Damn, well I guess there's always tomorrow?" Koji hoped.

"We'll see. I'll let you guys know. I'll see you later." Kuromu said, before finally leaving the school.

As he headed home, he wondered if he was too hard on Koji and Rika. Sure, it's been six years since they've seen each other. A lot has changed during that time. His friends were still the same, and yet he himself, out of the trio, was the only one that was different. If not for that event six years ago…

The thought of those memories briefly spooked him, prompting him to shake his head. He left that life behind and it's going to stay that way.

*BUMP!*

"Ah mi scusi! Pardon me!"

"I-It's fine." Kuromu reassured him before he was taken aback.

In front of him was a middle-aged Italian man with medium-length black hair neatly combed back, while sporting a mustache and a thin triangle-shaped goatee, that goes a little past down his chin. From what he could observe, Kuromu guessed that this man dresses in a way that makes him seem like he's more ready to attend a business meeting; wearing a dark red suit with a white shirt and black tie, as well as dark brown dress shoes. He seemed to be carrying two large boxes and was having a hard time seeing where he was going.

"I'm so sorry, young man. I suppose I should have looked where I was going." he laughed off, not that bothered by the collision.

"Uh, no it's fine. Do you… need help carrying those? They look heavy." Kuromu offered.

"No no, it's fine." he reassured him, "I can do just fine."

"I insist." Kuromu said before grabbing one of the boxes, "Kaa-san always told me to help those in need, and it seemed like you had a lot of trouble carrying things."

"Oh bellissimo, bless your heart young man, grazie!" He said, before the two walked together. "Ah right, where are my manners? My name is Armando Salviati! I work as a bank clerk in this town."

"Kuromu Kururugi. It's nice to meet you." Kuromu nodded, but then thought, 'What's this guy doing just carrying two boxes worth of cash himself? Wouldn't this stuff need to be under heavy lock and key?' He then asked him, "Are these boxes… full of cash?"

"Hm? Oh, no, no. They're security cameras for the bank." Armando laughed again, making Kuromu look at the boxes themselves and saw they had branding related to security cameras. "The old ones are sorely outdated and need a huge upgrade."

'Huh, would you look at that,' Kuromu thought.

"I see that you are a student?" Armando inquired.

"Yes. I actually just moved back here from the States, since my dad's work from overseas is done." Kuromu answered.

"Ah, I see. I know a couple of people in the States, Garfield, Pegasus, and the like." he sighed as he said that last name, "Ah, but enough about me. I'm just an old fool speaking nonsense."

"Why would you say that?" Kuromu asked, confused, "I mean, you don't seem all that foolish. You're just making sure no one breaks into your establishment." he pointed out, "That sounds like a business owner with his head screwed on right."

"Well, very kind of you to say that, young man." Armando chuckled. "You seem to have your head screwed on straight, yourself."

"Erm… I guess so." Kuromu chuckled sheepishly.

"Ah, set them down over there." Armando said, gesturing to a bus stop nearby and the two went over, and set down the boxes. "I'll be taking the boxes the rest of the way by bus. Thank you for your help."

"It's no problem. I'm just glad that I could help." Kuromu waved off with a soft smile.

"Here. Take this as a token of my appreciation." Armando said, giving Kuromu a business card. "Do stop by the bank when you have free time. I'll thank you properly then."

"Uh, are you sure?"

"But of course, repaying my debts is something I do in my family. And not one I take lightly. So please do visit and I'll assist you in your banking needs."

"Ah, well… okay then." Kuromu smiled weakly, as the bus arrived and Armando took the boxes.

"Very good. Until then, ciao!"

And with that, Armando loaded the boxes onto the arriving bus. Kuromu soon waved goodbye before reading the card.

Armando Salviati
CEO of Vanguard Bank

Kuromu could swear he heard a bird randomly cawing into the sky while he took in the information.

"…Eh?"

---

The next day…

Kuromu found himself on the streets of the city in his casuals, wearing a light gray t-shirt with an elbow lengthened, short-sleeved white dress shirt that was unbuttoned. He also wore a pair of denim jeans that are dark blue and a pair of black sneakers with ankle-length white socks underneath.

It just so happened to be Sunday where there was no school, but rather feeling excited to have the day off to himself, he was conflicted. Mainly due to yesterday. As much as he didn't like the game, the man was very nice and he didn't want to be rude in not accepting his offer, so now he was obliged to at least visit if only to satisfy this newfound curiosity. Not only that, he had to avoid Rika and Koji so as to not cause a misunderstanding that he was back in the game.

Thankfully, the business card had a QR code for him to scan, which prompted a map app to open up and reveal his current location and point him in the right direction.

"Alright, I think I'm getting close…" He muttered to himself.

However, when Kuromu finally arrived at his destination, he was not expecting what the bank really looked like.

Standing in front of them across the street was a large structure similar to the Pantheon in Rome with a Greek-temple architecture at the front with a pediment and columns holding it up. In the middle of the pediment was the Vanguard circle and in front of it read 'VANGUARD BANK' in bold, golden letters. Between the columns were flags that represented each nation of Cray: United Sanctuary, Dragon Empire, Star Gate, Dark Zone, Magallanica, and Zoo. And there were steps that led to the entrance. Needless to say, Kuromu was slack-jawed.

"What… the…" One of his eyes twitched, looking up at the overly extravagant building in front of him. "I… I don't even know what I'm looking at."

He slapped himself, believing he would wake up in his bed.

'Yep, not a dream.' He thought, 'Though I'm almost scared to see what's inside…'

With a heavy sigh, and slapping his cheeks again, he went up the steps and stepped through the door. He was greeted by an amazing site. But… even the amazing site had him gawking in a bad way.

The entire floor was marble, in front was the reception/cash register desk, and behind that was the shop itself.

The Main Floor had multiple Fighting Tables. The two side walls had a set of futuresque sliding doors, each with a Clan symbol chiseled on top; twelve on each side. And next to each side of the sliding door was a card reader that had a keypad. One part of the building was dedicated to selling Trial Decks, Structure Decks, and booster packs. The second floor was a lounging area with flat screen TV's and next to that was a food court with several stands filling that whole side of the floor.

"Oh… dear… lord…" Kuromu managed to say. "Is… is this even a card shop?"

"Buongiorno!" A familiar outspoken Italian voiced out as they looked to see Armando approach them, suit on, with an apron on, "Welcome to my humble business."

'He calls this humble?!' He thought.

"I see that you wished to visit!" Armando chuckled.

"Er… well, I didn't want to be rude in not accepting your offer." Kuromu said sheepishly.

"Very well. Follow me, I have much to show you!" The Italian man cheered.

"Hehe, right." Kuromu laughed weakly.

---

"Sistah, are you sure he went this way?" Koji asked as he and Rika were walking the streets.

Rika was in her casuals of a pink shirt with a denim jacket that stops at the bottom of her midriff. She also wore denim shorts, white ankle socks, and white sneakers with pink highlights. As for Koji, he wore a white dress shirt with half the top unbuttoned, revealing gold male symbol medallion flared denim pants, and a brown newsboy cap while wearing platform sandals.

"Yes, I'm sure. Kuro's not the type to skulk around town." Rika huffed, "Last time he did, a large spider's nest blocked our usual route to our secret hideout."

"Oh yeah, I remember that." Koji chuckled. "Still, why would he?"

"I don't know, but I know for sure it's not for nostal… gia…" Rika's words trailed off as she stopped walking.

"Huh? Hey, what's wrong? Why are you-" Koji stopped talking when he looked where Rika looked and both of them gawked at the site of the 'VANGUARD BANK' in front of them. "Shucky ducky, quack, quack…"

"What the heck? I… since when did this exist?!" Rika gasped.

"I don't know. But if it looks this good on the outside, imagine what it looks like inside." Koji noted before heading towards the bank.

"H-Hey! Wait up!" Rika called out, going after him.

---

"So, what do you think?" Armando asked, after showing Kuromu around the entire bank. Needless to say, Kuromu felt winded out from all the walking, but the young man learned to bear it with a smile. The card shop, er, bank… whatever it was supposed to be, was rather large and there was a lot of ground to cover.

"I'm surprised the government didn't even bother to call you out on your taxes." Kuromu sweat dropped.

"I'm a very well off man. Money is no mere object for the likes of me." Armando said proudly.

"But why spend so much money on this shop in the first place?"

"Well, what can I say? I just love Vanguard." The man grinned sheepishly. "My wish is to spread the joy and wonderful possibilities of the game to youths such as yourself. As well as any newcomers looking for a fresh start."

"I… see. I guess that's not such a bad goal." Kuromu admitted. "Wish I could agree on a fresh start though…"

"Hm? Why do you say that?" Armando asked curiously.

Kuromu looked away hesitantly, almost not wanting to answer that question. However, being how kind the man had been to him, it was only fair that he would know. "It's… complicated." He answered. "You see… years ago, I-"

He wanted to talk about what happened, but all it did was bring phantom pains through his body.

"KURO?!"

The young man stiffened as he ratcheted his body towards the source of the familiar voice and saw… Rika and Koji?!

"Hold on, what the heck are you doing here?!" Rika gasped.

"Uh- I- this isn't-"

"You… you're seriously coming back to playing Vanguard?!" Rika asked excitedly with a wide smile.

"Mi scusi?" Armando blinked in surprise. "You're a cardfighter?"

"Huh?! No, I-" Kuromu gawked at the card shop owner, only to be glomped on by Rika.

"Ooooooh, I knew you would come back after so long! I'm so proud of you!"

"HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH?!" Kuromu shouted in shock.

"Sistah, I don't think-" Koji began.

"Say, you're the card shop owner, right?" Rika grinned at Armando, totally ignoring him. "My friend's been reeeeally rusty on playing Vanguard. Haven't played in six years. Think you can help him get back on track?"

"What are you doing, Rika?!" Kuromu cried out in dismay. "I'm not here to-"

"I'm confused, is your friend currently or formerly a cardfighter?" Armando asked, realizing there was a misunderstanding between the three friends.

"Ex-cardfighter!" Kuromu answered.

"That's getting back into it!" Rika corrected.

"Rika!"

"Oh c'mon, you came to this card shop on your own! Willingly, I may add! This is your first step towards-"

"No, it isn't!" Kuromu interrupted her, "I was just given the invitation to visit! That's it!"

…

…

…

"Huh?" Rika blinked.

Koji facepalmed. "Sistah, ya done goofed… again…"

"What?" Rika blinked in confusion.

"You did this when you tried to treat his phobia. Remember that?" the disco lover reminded her.

"Wait, you mean- ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh…" Rika realized, looking sheepishly at Kuromu, his eyes closed, arms crossed, and an eyebrow twitching, while grinding his teeth. "Hehehehehe… I jumped the gun again, didn't I? My bad…"

"OROKAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

---

"Mama mia, you have quite the set of lungs on you, Signore Kuromu." Armando said as he and Koji were cleaning their ears. Rika on the other hand looked absolutely disheveled, her hair being tangled and her complexion being very pale after being yelled at and scolded by Kuromu, all before her eyes rolled over and she fainted from the sheer volume of Kuromu's yell.

"Let's just say that I'm an advocate of true gender equality and leave it at that…" Kuromu grumbled, then coughed harshly in order to clear his throat.

"Clearly." Armando and Koji said in dry unison, prompting Kuromu to glare at them, signaling that the two shouldn't press the matter any further.

"Er-hem, now then, you were about to properly explain?" Armando reminded the boy.

"Ah, right. I was about to do that." Kuromu realized as he regained his composure. Taking a deep breath in and out, he continued his answer. "I'm not exactly ready to tell you everything, but what I can say… is that… Vanguard made me become someone that I was not. It's something I hate talking about."

"I see… I had no idea that Vanguard brought you so much pain…" Armando nodded in understanding. "So you, visiting the shop…"

"It was only out of courtesy." Kuromu answered, before bowing in apology. "I'm sorry if I misled you in any way."

"No it's quite alright, I should have been more considerate." Armando apologized. "Still… this is quite the predicament."

"You don't have to do anything really." Kuromu waved off. "Still… Thank you for the tour. I appreciate it."

"Oh, you're quite welcome." Armando reassured him, "If and when you do decide to return to Vanguard, my doors are always open."

"Thank you." Kuromu nodded.

"And on that note, I'll be right back." Armando said as he went over to one part of the shop, in particular, the booster pack section, and pulled out one before returning. "Here, take this. It's one of our new booster packs: Rebirth of a New Age."

"A-Are you sure?"

"Consider it a token of my appreciation." Armando smiled. "Even though you never intended to play, you still went out of your way to visit, and I appreciate that."

"Uh, thank you." Kuromu said, taking the pack and placing it in his pocket. "Well then… I'll see you around. Koji?"

"Yeah, yeah. I gotta get Rika back to her place anyways." Koji said as he picked up Rika and hoisted her over his shoulder. Both boys then bowed to Armando before walking off.

---

Later that night…

Kuromu sat at his desk, staring at the booster pack he was given. He was pondering on whether or not he should open it. It's not like he was going to play the game again. Maybe there's a card he could sell for extra cash. After all, there were some cards that could go for stupidly high prices online.

"Alright, screw this. I'm going for it." Kuromu said, before taking the booster pack and ripping the plastic open, revealing 7 random cards.

"Okay, let's see here… Common, Rare, Rare, Common, oooooh Triple Rare." Kuromu commented, having skimmed over five cards. The sixth card he saw depicted a knight in a black undercoat, golden beast-like armor with wing details on the shoulder pads and shin guards, along with blue and purple cloth on the sides, a black cape with a red underside, and large futuristic swords guarding an attack from an unseen opponent.

"Flash Fang Liberator, Garmore Excel…" Kuromu muttered, before eyeing the last card, which looked completely different out of the rest. The back of the card was silver in color, and has a light ray design to it. Turning it over, he saw the face of the card. But something looked different about them.

"Wait, Grade 4? And it does a Triple Drive? With 15000 Power?" He gasped, "Since when did they release cards like this!?" He then deflated with head hung down and shoulders slumped, "Right… forgot… been out of the loop for six years…" He then shook his head to look at the card art.

It was that of a white dragon with some patches of silverish-cooper colored scales. Its head was somewhat mammalian-like while its mane had white feathers and had horns that curved outwards, each one decorated by a golden circlet. It had a small set of golden armor on the chest, with gauntlet forearms that had wing protrusions, and knees. Finishing off its look were six large angelic wings and a whip-like tail and behind it was a glowing white mandala-like symbol.

"Progenitor Dragon of Total Purity, Agnos…" he noted.

All of a sudden, his eyes widened considerably when his vision turned completely white.

---

When his sight returned to him, the boy found himself in the middle of a huge futuristic city, earning a gasp of shock and panic from him. More specifically, he was standing on a platform overlooking the entire city. There were also several floating cities above the skyscrapers.

"What the-?! Where am I?!" Kuromu cried out, looking around wildly. He scanned his surroundings seeing that the platform he was standing on had a red carpet that was very long and it led towards a small stairwell of four steps which led to a chancel that had an apse of a holy-like structure that one would see in the sanctuary of a church, only without the stained glass windows. He then looked down at himself and noticed that his body was in an astral state. "No way, am I dead?!"

It was then that he felt an overwhelming yet calming presence; one that felt supernatural as gusts of wind slowly yet strongly blew from behind him and a loud thud was heard. Turning around, his eyes widened significantly. Standing on the chancel In front of him was the same dragon he saw on the card. The angelic wings were spread as its blue eyes stared down at Kuromu neutrally. He couldn't help but stare at the dragon with awe and wonder.

"Who… who are you?" Kuromu got out.

The dragon didn't say anything as it kept staring at him. Slowly but cautiously, Kuromu walked up towards the dragon.

The dragon then lowered its head to his level, much to the boy's fear, thinking it would eat him. But it didn't happen. With hesitance, he slowly held out his hand towards the dragon's head. He nervously swallowed the lump in his throat, having last second thoughts racing in his head. But then he decided to place his hand on its muzzle. The moment he did, his eyes widened when he heard a voice.

"Thou hast been chosen…"

Kuromu's eyes widened as a light then shone between him and the dragon. It became brighter and brighter for the young man to see as a burst of wind blew from the light. Kuromu shut one eye involuntarily, as the dragon spoke once more.

"Thou must restore what is lost."

"WAIT, HOLD ON! WHAT DO YOU MEAN?!" Kuromu shouted.

But before he could get an answer, everything turned white.

---

Kuromu gasped loudly, with his eyes wide. His breathing became heavy, his heartbeat was irregular, ice cold sweat fell from his face, and was overcome with exhaustion.

"Huh?! Wha-"

He suddenly checked where he was, and sure enough he was back in his room.

"I'm back…" Kuromu sighed in relief. He then looked back at his desk, picking up the Progenitor Dragon card, "There's no way that was real."

---

The next day…

*DING DONG DING DONG! DING DONG DING DONG!*

School was finally over when the bell rang. He couldn't stop thinking about what had happened yesterday. Was it a dream or a vision? And what exactly was that dragon? What did it mean when it said that he was chosen? That he must restore what was lost? So many questions were going through his head. No matter how much he tried to rack his brain, he couldn't come up with an answer, let alone a rational one.

"Kuro? Earth to Kuro!"

"GAHHH!" Kuromu freaked out, snapping out of his train of thought as he looked to see Rika and Koji. "Geez, trying to give me a heart attack?"

Rika rolled her eyes at the boy. "Oh, please. If that doesn't kill ya, nothing will."

"So what's gotten ya in la-la land?" Koji asked.

Kuromu was hesitant to answer. Not because he didn't want to. He just doesn't know how to explain it properly. "You'd probably think I'm crazy."

"Dude, we've been friends since we were kids. What could you actually say that sounds crazy?" Rika inquired.

Kuromu sighed at this, before pulling out Agnos's card and showing it to them. "When I got the booster pack from Armando-san, this card was in it."

"Progenitor Dragon of Total Purity, Agnos." Koji read. "That's a rare card. But… what's so freaky-deaky about it?"

"I don't know what exactly happened, but… when I looked at the card, I had a vision."

"A vision?" Koji and Rika blinked.

"Yeah… I had a vision that I was on Planet Cray, in the United Sanctuary." Kuromu began. "This dragon was in front of me and it spoke to me… saying that I was chosen and that I needed to restore what was lost… whatever that meant."

"That's… weird." Koji said.

"Yeah…"

Rika examined the card and noticed there was an additional line of text. "Hey, Kuro, can you read this line? For some reason it looks… blurred."

"Huh? Blurred?" Kuromu blinked before looking at the card. "What are you talking about? I can see the text perfectly." That's when he gasped almost mockingly. "Oh no~ do you need glasses?"

Rika gave the boy a glare. "Do you need a reintroduction to the frying pan?" She asked, reaching into her bag with a menacing aura emanating from her.

"…no ma'am…" Kuromu mumbled.

"That's what I thought." Rika huffed.

"Aight sistah, take a chill pill." Koji placated the girl.

"But seriously though, I can read the text just fine. Why can't you?" Kuromu asked Rika.

"Because I can't! That's why I asked you, dummy!" Rika huffed with a pout on her face. "So, what's it say?"

"Hmmm… it says 'The apostles who walk the righteous path descend upon the land of beginnings.'"

"Catchy." Koji said with a grin.

"It's only flavor text, so it's nothing special." Kuromu frowned.

"That's the flavor text? But… what about that number beside it?" Rika gestured to the area next to the flavor text.

"Number?" Kuromu blinked.

Plastered below the text is a single number: Zero. Inside of the circle is the marking of the Gold Paladins.

"That's the Gold Paladin's Emblem." Kuromu said, before looking further downward. "But it's not exclusive to a Clan, it's exclusive to its Nation. So then why-"

"The answer lies with the wandering wild card."

Kuromu's eyes widened, "Did you guys hear that?"

Rika looked at Kuromu in confusion, "Hear what?"

"I heard a voice just now." Kuromu got out. "Oh god, I'm starting to go crazy, aren't I?" He paled. "I'm hearing voices in my head like I'm Randy Orton."

Koji and Rika looked at each other before looking back at their friend. "Not a chance." They said in unison.

"Besides, that guy is famous and a superstar. You're not and kinda boring, daddy-o." Koji added in with a snicker.

"Gee, thanks…" Kuromu deadpanned with a roll of his eyes, before getting up from his seat. "Whatever… I gotta run to the store. It's sukiyaki night and Kaa-san wants me to use a coupon for stir-fry beef with a 2-for-1 sale."

"Uh, can I see that coupon real quick?" Rika asked, holding out a hand.

"…sure?" Kuromu fished said coupon out of pocket and gave it to her to examine.

Rika examined the coupon for a second before looking at the brunette, "Uh, this expires in an hour."

"Oh crap! I gotta go now!" Kuromu panicked before grabbing his school suitcase and making a beeline for the nearest supermarket.

Koji glanced at Rika with a smirk, "That wasn't his coupon, was it?"

"Nope. That was one of mine." Rika said, producing the coupon that Kuromu had given her…by pulling it from her sleeve. "He is so easy to mess with."

"Ooooh, you sly sistah."

"I try." She shrugged.

"How long do you think it will take for him to notice?"

"Far too late when he reaches the store."

"So are you gonna use the coupon? I mean it's technically Yukina-san's."

"I'll use it and give the beef to Yukina-san as a present."

---

"DAMMIT RIKA!"

By the time that Kuromu had found the nearest supermarket, he fished out the coupon, only to realize that it was a fake. He got duped by Rika. So with a heavy heart, he had to buy the stir-fry beef at full price.

A sigh escaped his lips as he walked the streets, the plastic bag of beef in hand. "I swear, Rika hasn't changed one bit…"

Maybe in the chest compartment, a treacherous part of his brain told him. Bah, what the heck is he thinking?! Rika is like a sister to him and she'd definitely give that train of thought a firm no.

*DING!*

A sound like a bell filled the air. One that only Kuromu could hear. The people around him continued on with their business, ignorant of the chiming bell noise.

"What…?" Kuromu murmured, looking around. "Where-"

*DING!*

There it was again.

A glow erupted from Kuromu's pocket. The same pocket he had placed the Vanguard card of Agnos in. He fished it out to look at it.

"It is near. The Key."

…

…

"Okay, I know a card did not just talk to me." Kuromu muttered.

"The Key. Find the Key." The glow from the card seemed to shine brighter. Almost as if it were begging him to move.

"Okay, I'm definitely going crazy, a card is talking to me!" Kuromu panicked, looking left and right. He then started running before going into an alleyway and looked at the card. "Look, I don't know who you are and why you're talking to me, but this is really freaking me out!"

"Thou must seek the Key. The Wanderer is calling. He awaits us."

"The Wanderer? Who's the Wanderer?!"

The voice went silent but the glow from the card remained then a thin beam began to shine until it fell upon a lone window at a pawn shop. Kuromu followed the beam until it landed on the object that rested on the window.

The object in question was a fingerless glove that was white with silver and gold highlights, but it had a red diamond in the middle of it.

"A Fighter's Glove?" Kuromu got out.

The glow from Agnos flashed repeatedly, almost as if the card were excited. The red diamond of the Fighter's Glove suddenly released a brief flash of its own.

"Alright, alright, I'll get it…" Kuromu sighed, before walking into the pawn shop. "Excuse me? Anyone in here?" He called out.

"Welcome!" A man who looked to be in his early forties appeared behind the register of the store. "What can I do for you?"

"How much for that Fighter's Glove that's on display?" He asked, pointing to it.

The older man looked at the glove, "That old thing? Well, if it came as a pair, it would be around ¥10000." He answered. "But since it's old and used, plus a single glove. I think the better price for it would be ¥2500. You want it, son?"

"Deal." Kuromu said, holding out a ¥2000 bill and ¥500 coin.

The pawn shop owner took the offered money and placed it in his register. "Thank you for your patronage. You can take the glove with you on your way out."

"Thank you." Kuromu bowed, before going over to the display and took the glove, before exiting the pawn shop. "Alright, now what?"

"He must be awakened. A battle will trigger his awakening."

The glow from the card began to fade and the flashing light from the red diamond vanished as if returning to slumber.

"Wait, like a Cardfight?" Kuromu thought out loud. But this was outrageous. It's been six years since he played the game. He doesn't even know what's changed besides the Grade 4 he has in his hand.

"Battle will rouse him from slumber. The Wanderer must rise."

Kuromu sighed at this. This card is going to keep repeating the same thing or something similar until he gives in.

---

He found himself back at the Vanguard Bank after using a map app to find the quickest route.

Standing in front of the card shop, at the base of the steps, he fished out of his pocket, the one card: Progenitor Dragon of Total Purity, Agnos.

He took a deep breath to calm himself, "Alright, let's do this." Kuromu said, first taking a look around himself to make sure he wasn't followed before walking up the steps. Once he found himself at the door. He took another deep breath and stepped through, opening the doors in the process. Looking around, he saw the Italian man at the reception desk. "Armando-san?"

"Ah! Buongiorno, Signore Kuromu! Fancy seeing you here!" Armando greeted him.

"Y-Yeah, good to see you too." Kuromu said, approaching the desk. "Um… listen, I know this may sound strange given the other day, but… I need to build a Vanguard Deck."

"Scusi?" Armando blinked.

"It has something to do with the cards I got from the booster pack you gave me."

"Oh?" Armando looked at the boy, curious. "What kind of Deck are you hoping to build? Actually, we'll answer that now. Follow me. I will show you my archive since I have almost every card that's been released since the game's launch." The Italian noted. "But first, I need to input your information." He then went over to his laptop. "Full Name?"

"Kuromu Kururugi."

"Age."

"17."

"Date of Birth."

"April 2nd."

"Okay. And one last thing. Prior to your… retirement as a Cardfighter, what was your Clan?"

"Gold Paladin."

"Interesting…" Armando observed before finishing up, "Ok, that's all of the information I need." He then pressed a key. "Next, I'm prompting you to the PIN pad over here." He said, gesturing to a small number pad machine. "Please type in a 9-digit code."

"Huh?" Kuromu looked confused.

"This will be for your ID card here at the Vanguard Bank." Armando explained.

"Oh. Okay then… uh…" Kuromu looked at the keypad and typed in the numbers before pressing Enter.

"Good. Now please scan your fingerprint there."

"You really want to protect these cards don't you…" Kuromu sweat dropped as he pressed his right thumb print on the scanner, a green line moving across.

"Vanguard is my pride and joy after all." Armando chuckled.

"Right…"

"Now stand over there, so I can take your picture." He said, pointing to a stand where there was a mid-size frame with a white background on it. After stepping in front of the frame, Kuromu had his picture taken. The boy was then given a brand new ID Card, after it was printed and laminated which had his picture, his info on the side and the symbol of Gold Paladin in the background before the Italian man motioned for him to follow him.

But not before Armando prompted Kuromu to store his raw stir-fry beef in the mini fridge that was underneath the counter first.

"I can assume that this sudden need to create a deck doesn't come from a desire to return." he observed, "May I ask why?"

"It's… complicated. I don't know if you'll grasp what I'll eventually tell you." Kuromu trailed off uncomfortably.

"Hm? What do you mean?"

"You have to see it in the cardfight." Kuromu said. "Please, just… trust me on this one."

"Very well then, if you say so." the Italian said before the pair arrived.

They stood in front of a futuresque sliding door, each with a Clan symbol of Gold Paladin chiseled on top. Next to the side of the sliding door was the card reader with a keypad.

"First, slide your new card, enter your code, then scan your fingerprint." Armando instructed.

Kuromu nodded as he did as told. A noise of confirmation was heard, before the door slid open.

When they opened, Kuromu found himself surrounded by walls of post boxes that one would see in a post office, inside each drawer would be multiple batches of each and every card, all alphabetized. Armando wasn't kidding about having every Vanguard card since the game's initial release. There were even several ladders with rails one can use to slide if they needed to go up to a higher shelf.

In the spacious area were several computer stations, each with a printer which were currently unoccupied.

"What are those for?" he asked the Italian.

"Those computers are for searching specific cards and virtually building your deck." Armando explained. "Once you build it there, you can print out your deck list, which will also tell you which drawer those cards are in."

"That sounds convenient." Kuromu mused as he walked over. He then scanned the list of cards, frowning at half, if not most of what he's never seen before, "It's been six years since I've played and some of these units feel foreign to me."

"There's no need to rush. Choose what unit feels right with you. You'll know when you'll see them." Armando assured the young man.

"Right…" Kuromu trailed off.

"Since you're getting back into Vanguard, might I suggest building your Deck as if it were a Starter Deck?" Armando proposed.

"Eh?" Kuromu blinked. "A Starter Deck?"

"Indeed. It's best to start small for now since you're basically a newcomer to the scene due to how long you've been out of the game. The computer program will help you organize as you build it. Come find me when you're finished, capice?"

"Yes, sir."

And so, Armando left the young man to his own devices to keep watch over his shop and Kuromu looked through each Gold Paladin unit he had never seen before. He made sure to keep note of the ones he felt were good, as well as ones he might need later on in the future. Should he decide to upgrade his deck, he'll be referencing back to the list.

However, amongst the list of Gold Paladin units, one card seemed to be entirely out of place in the Clan. The image of the card depicted a humanoid masculine figure clad in a tattered brown cloak over a long-sleeved black shirt, a chest plate made of white steel with a few scratches, gray trousers, black boots with metal greaves, dark leather gauntlets with a black fingerless Fighter Glove on the left hand, a pair of slightly rusted iron goggles with clear lenses, and a long red scarf tied around his neck with two tails dangling behind his back. The hood of the cloak covered the figure's face but there was a certain intensity from the goggle-covered eyes.

"Wandering Wild Card, Zero?"

"Is something wrong, Signore Kuromu?" Armando asked, noticing the boy pausing in his deck-building.

"Huh? Oh, this card… I've never seen this one." Kuromu pointed to it.

"Hm?" Armando observed the screen, scrutinizing it with a calculative gaze. "Strange, I haven't heard of this unit before. Not only that but it doesn't belong in the Gold Paladins. It says here that it's known as a Cray Elemental."

"Cray Elemental? What's that mean?"

"Well, in the early days of Vanguard, there were less units that were compatible for the available Clans. So, there was a neutral Nation so-to-speak composed of neutral units that can be added to any Clan as additional cards for players. Not many use them nowadays due to their lack of skills and synergy with other Clans." Armando explained before looking at the card. "However, it seems this one has several skills that are useful and an ability that allows it to work with any Clan. Probably why it's a part of the Gold Paladins because it basically is one."

"I see." Kuromu pondered in thought. "Well, I guess it wouldn't hurt to have that as my starting Vanguard. But if that's the case, is there a version of him that's Gold Paladin?" He then scrolled through the list.

"Maybe check the Grade 3 section of the list." Armando suggested. "Who knows? You might find it. A card like this must be quite rare."

Kuromu checked through the Grade 3 section of the list, scrolling downward. "Zero… Zero… Zero… there!"

The card image of the Grade 3 unit showed the masculine figure of Zero but he no longer wore his wanderer-based outfit. Instead, he seemed to be clad in the golden armor of the Gold Paladins. A shining golden chest plate with the emblem of the Gold Paladins emblazoned on the center, gold-dark blue shoulder pauldrons with gleaming light seeping from the edges, golden gauntlets with dark blue markings running from the forearms to the biceps, a blue-gold tabard that shielded his groin, gold-dark blue armored greaves and boots, an elaborate white cape with gold lining and a dark blue coat of arms on the back that resembled the head of a dragon, and a golden helmet with a dark blue V-fin head crest, a golden battle mask that covered his mouth and nose but his eyes were hidden in the shadow of his head crest but released a blue glow similar to something from a mecha anime. In both hands, the warrior wielded twin falchion-styled swords with silver blades and the hand guards/hilts shaped like the sun.

"Dawnlight of the Morning Star, Zero Liberator." Armando read. "Hm, from the name alone, I'm guessing this version of him joined the Liberator sub-clan of the Gold Paladins."

"Liberators…" Kuromu muttered. "I think I used them the last time I played."

The Italian chuckled after hearing this, "Then I guess you've found a good basis to use for your Starter Deck."

"Right…"

---

After spending half an hour building his deck on the computer, Kuromu printed out his deck list and went hunting for those cards. After gathering the cards he needed, he walked out of the Gold Paladin vault, the sliding door closing and locking automatically after.

"I see you've finished building your Deck." Armando said, having noticed Kuromu coming out of the vault and approaching him.

"Yes. I'm done." Kuromu nodded. "Now I just need to find an opponent."

"Oh, I have someone in mind. She's one of my employees and she'll definitely help you out." Armando smiled with a nod. "Oh, Signora Himari~" He sang out.

"Coming!" a voice answered.

Approaching the two was a young woman in her early 20's with eyes that are a mix of orange, pink, and peach. She has shoulder-length brunette-blonde hair, which is partially styled back into two braids tied with a ribbon and a side parting, while wearing a uniform consisting of a white dress shirt with a navy blue vest, a slim skirt that fell to below her knees, wearing short stilettos followed by an apron on her.

"Would you be so kind as to have a cardfight with our new friend here?" Armando requested, gesturing to the young teenager. "This is Signore Kuromu Kururugi. He's returning to the card game after six years and needs a bit of a refresher."

"Of course! I'd be more than happy to!" Himari smiled brightly before looking at Kuromu. "Hi, I'm Amagi Himari, it's nice to meet you, Kuromu-kun."

"Likewise." Kuromu bowed to her politely.

"Best to use your own Starter Deck for this one, Himari." Armando suggested.

"Aw okay…" Himari sighed. She then looked to her right side and pulled out said deck from the deck box. "Follow me, Kuromu-kun. I'll show you over to the main cardfight table." Himari said, to which Kuromu nodded, and the boy followed her, with Armando following shortly after.

Going towards the cardfight tables, Kuromu had taken notice of how the tables were set up. For one, the tables on the outer edges were your standard sized AR Table, but they were arranged in a way that one would see in a tournament bracket.

He then noticed the marble floor had lines etched onto it, resembling a tournament bracket, that led to the next table which was slightly larger, then moving upwards being larger than the last, until getting the final AR Fighting Table which was the largest and dead in the center. It was also where Himari had eventually led them.

"So this will be your first cardfight in six years, huh?" Himari mused. "Do you still remember the basics?"

"Hai." Kuromu nodded, "Though it's also a given that there were new things added that I don't know about. Before I retired, I only knew the Cross Ride, Limit Break, and Break Ride mechanics."

"Wow, you're really far behind, aren't you." Himari blinked in mild amazement, but smiled reassuringly. "But it's no problem! I'll bring you up to speed in no time!"

"Thanks." Kuromu nodded.

"Alright, first. Have to do this." Himari said, before pulling out a strange rectangular box with two V's opposite each other on the length side of the box and having a diamond-shaped gem in the middle. She then inserted it on a slot of the AR Table that was just below her side of the playing field.

"What's that?" Kuromu wondered.

"That my young friend is a Fighter's Card. Or FICA for short." Armando explained. "It's essentially a digital organizer that records all information regarding your cardfighting experience, and acts as a deck box."

"I see. That seems pretty useful." Kuromu mused.

"Indeed. The FICA is also needed to activate a Fighting Table such as this one. Speaking of." Armando then reached into his pocket and held out a FICA. "Here, you can borrow this. My "Guest FICA" I suppose you can call it. Normally, I hand it to those who are new Cardfighters, but I can make an exception today."

"Thank you." Kuromu smiled sheepishly, before accepting it. He then slotted the FICA onto his side and the machine whirred to life. A Vanguard circle on the playing field spun rapidly, revealing the playing field. Afterwards, it showed a map of the planet known as Cray.

"Alright. Before we start, go ahead and select a stage for us to fight in." Himari prompted.

Kuromu nodded, before looking at the board. He tapped on the map and a flag of the United Sanctuary appeared, showing him a landscape. He then swiped right a few times, before he came across a field that was very familiar to him. It was the same place that he saw in his vision.

"Oh, you want to go there huh?" Himari smiled. "That location you've chosen is in the United Sanctuary. It used to be a place of worship in ancient times, but now is only used for formal ceremonies and the like. And as you know United Sanctuary is a holy kingdom of heroes that prizes justice and order, with a high level of technology, and combines both magic and science."

"Right. I remember." Kuromu nodded.

"Alright, now it's time for you to picture it." Himari said.

"Picture it?"

"That's right. With Vanguard, imagination is everything. Units' powers, fights' development, your opponent's psychology… the person who can imagine all of that will triumph." Himari stated.

"I see…" Kuromu said.

"As you also know, in Cray, we're powerless astral bodies. But that's why we're going to summon units that will give us power! If it's okay, mind if you go first? That way, I'll be able to explain to you the new mechanics you missed out on."

"Sure," Kuromu nodded.

"The glove…" The voice from before spoke once more. "Use the glove."

"Huh?" Kuromu got out, before fishing the glove out of his pocket. After staring at it for a bit, he placed said glove on his right hand, tugging on it for it to fit.

"Alright then," Himari nodded. Both Kuromu and Himari placed their starting Vanguards face-down then drew their Starting Hands. Afterwards, they proceeded to mulligan their hand to redraw a certain number of cards, both being satisfied with what they had. They then placed their hands on their Vanguard card. "Ready?"

Kuromu was silent, before breathing a steady sigh with eyes closed, before opening them up and nodded. Unaware that the red diamond on the Fighter's Glove gleamed. "Ready."

"Then let's go!"

"STAND UP! VANGUARD!"

---

Four symbols of Gold Paladin rapidly circled around Kuromu before converging on him. His body glowed, before revealing himself in his new appearance. He now wore the same tattered brown cloak over a long-sleeved black shirt, a chest plate made of white steel with a few scratches, gray trousers, black boots with metal greaves, dark leather gauntlets with a black fingerless Fighter Glove on the left hand, a pair of slightly rusted iron goggles with clear lenses, and a long red scarf tied around his neck with two tails dangling behind his back. However, unlike the image of the card, the hood was off and revealed his face along with his hair. [5000 Power]

"Wandering Wild Card, Zero!" Kuromu called out.

Armando looked at Kuromu's starting Vanguard with eagerness, 'Let's see how this new card does in the fight.'

Four symbols of Angel Feather rapidly circled around Himari before converging on her. Her body glowed, before revealing herself in her new appearance.

Her facial appearance is the same, the only difference is that her hair was seafoam green which was short and bobbed. She wore a white nurse cap with a seafoam green cross symbol that had tiny blue angel wings on it. Her attire consists of a white robe-like dress with orange and blue highlights while wearing black stockings and white calf-high boots. There was a blue stole with heart-shaped tips that hung over her shoulder and she wore a stethoscope around her neck with a white belt holding different-colored medicine capsules [5000 Power].

"Initial Celestial, Ruhiel!" Himari responded.

'An Angel Feather deck…' Kuromu thought to himself. 'If I remember right, they manipulate the Damage Zone in some way, shape, or form.'

"Okay, Kuromu. You have the first move." Himari said.

Kuromu nodded, then drew his sixth card. He looked over his Hand to consider his options before choosing one and placing the card over Wandering Wild Card, Zero's card. "Ride! Deathly Silence Liberator, Curdle!"

Four symbols of Gold Paladin rapidly circled around Kuromu who dressed as Wandering Wild Card, Zero, before converging to change himself into a new attire. He is now a young man with brown hair and blue eyes, wearing chin armor that was pointy and jutted out around the sides of his head. He wore golden armor where the skirt of said armor was also pointy and had pointed wings on his back and was equipped with two short swords, the hilts having a curved guard on the hilt [7000 Power].

"Wandering Wild Card, Zero moves out of the Soul and into the Rear-Guard!" Kuromu said, putting said card behind Curdle's.

Four symbols of Gold Paladin rapidly circled behind Curdle, before converging and revealing said person yet the hood remained up, the goggles covered his eyes, and the scarf around his neck shielded his mouth and face from view [5000 Power].

"Now I activate Wandering Wild Card, Zero's skill! By Resting him, I can search my Deck for a Grade 3 unit with "Zero" in its name, add it to my hand, and shuffle afterwards." Taking his Deck, he fanned his cards and found the card he was looking for, revealing it. "I add Dawnlight of the Morning Star, Zero Liberator to my hand!" He then added the card and shuffled his Deck afterwards.

"Zero Liberator? I haven't heard of that card before." Himari commented.

"Ta-n endo."

Kuromu
Hand: 6
G-Zone: 0-4
Damage: None
Back Row: Empty/Wandering Wild Card, Zero/Empty
Front Row: Empty/Deathly Silence Liberator, Curdle/Empty

Front Row: Empty/Initial Celestial, Ruhiel/Empty
Back Row: Empty/Empty/Empty
Damage: None
G-Zone: 0-16
Hand: 5
Himari

"Watashi no ta-n! Draw!" Himari declared, drawing her sixth card. She looked over her Hand to consider her options before choosing the card she wanted, placing it over Ruhiel's card. "Ride! Nursing Celestial, Narelle!"

Four symbols of Angel Feather rapidly circled around Himari who dressed as Ruhiel, before converging on her. Her body glowed, changing into a new appearance. She now had short baby blue hair with a pink nurse cap and a pink angel wing hair clip on each side. She also wears a pink nurse outfit while sprouting a pair of blue angel wings [7000 Power].

"Initial Celestial, Ruhiel moves to the rear-guard." Himari said, moving the card out of the Soul and behind Narelle's card. She then took out one more card and placed it on the top left rear-guard circle. "Call! Marking Celestial, Arabhaki!"

While Ruhiel appeared behind Narelle, another Angel Feather unit showed up on Narelle's left. This one had darker seafoam green hair that was short and somewhat wild having a red and blue eye. She wore a white beret that had a red heart and a golden wing. Her attire consists of a red sleeveless vest that was zipped up and a black skirt with white and red highlights on the sides while wearing black boots. She was equipped with a sniper rifle, the barrel being akin to a syringe [7000 Power].

"Now it's time for battle! Boosted by Ruhiel, Narelle attacks your Vanguard!" Himari declared, as she turned both cards sideways.

"No Guard." Kuromu responded.

"Drive Trigger, check." Himari said, revealing the top card.

[Drive Check - Grafting Celestial, Jhudiel - No Trigger]

Ruhiel glowed an aura as it transferred over to Narelle, empowering her. [7000 Power + 5000 Power = 12000 Power] Narelle then rushed towards Curdle and taking off her stethoscope, it glowed golden and elongated into a golden-like whip, which she used to whip Curdle, striking him across the face, sending him flying before falling on the ground.

"Damage Trigger, check." Kuromu said, revealing the top card and frowned, before placing it in the Damage Zone.

[Damage Check - Shine Spear Liberator, Reinet - No Trigger]

"Marking Celestial, Arabhaki attacks your Vanguard! Skill, activate! If I have a vanguard with "Celestial" in its card name, she gets 3000 Power until the end of that battle!" Himari said, turning the card sideways.

"No Guard."

Arabhaki smiled wickedly as she aimed her sniper rifle while glowing an aura due to her own skills [7000 Power + 3000 Power = 10000 Power]. Once she had Curdle in her sights, she fired the round, unleashing a green beam of light, which struck Curdle's shoulder. Since Kuromu was imagining himself as his avatar, he gritted his teeth, holding onto the shoulder that was struck.

"Damage Trigger, check." Kuromu said, revealing the top card, "Draw Trigger. Curdle gains +5000 Power and I get to draw a card."

[Damage Check - Armed Liberator, Gwydion - Draw Trigger]

Curdle's body glowed as power surged within him. [7000 Power + 5000 Power = 12000 Power]

"Ta-n endo."

Kuromu
Hand: 7
G-Zone: 0-4
Damage:
Shine Spear Liberator, Reinet (U)
Armed Liberator, Gwydion (U)
Back Row: Empty/Wandering Wild Card, Zero/Empty
Front Row: Empty/Deathly Silence Liberator, Curdle/Empty

Front Row: Marking Celestial, Arabhaki/Nursing Celestial, Narelle/Empty
Back Row: Empty/Initial Celestial, Ruhiel/Empty
Damage: None
G-Zone: 0-16
Hand: 5
Himari

"O-re no ta-n. Draw!" Kuromu declared, drawing his next card, increasing his hand to eight. "Ride! Liberator of Silence, Gallatin!"

Four Gold Paladin symbols circled around Kuromu dressed as Curdle before converging and changing into a new form. He had grown significantly taller, his brown hair now wild and flowing two long portioned bangs flanking each of his sides. He sported a golden helmet which framed his face and a red blindfold covered his eye. He wore intricate golden armor and black pants underneath it, while wielding a sword with three-pointed hilt. [10000 Power]

"Call! Little Liberator, Marron! Citation Liberator, Heli! Provision Liberator, Caradocus!"

The first to appear was next to Zero. He was a young man, red framed rectangular glasses and a red hat that resembled a mitre, having a red gem on top and two large red gems that covered his ears. He wore golden torso armors with the shoulder pauldrons protruding outwards and wore blue robes, while having white pants and golden greaves to finish his look [7000 Power].

On Gallatin's right was Heli, a young adult with neatly combed blue hair and blue eyes. He wore golden armor with blue circuitry running alongside the armor's surface while wearing a short blue cape. Blue flames emitted from the blue orbs that were on his shoulder armor and were equipped with a heavy, but narrow buster-like sword that looked technological [9000 Power].

The last was on Gallatin's left, Caradocus. He was a slightly older young man with brown hair that framed his face while wearing rectangular glasses. He wore golden armor with blue highlights, almost resembling circuitry, black pants with golden greaves over it and a blue cape. He wielded a staff with a wide and flat U-shaped tip, reminiscent of a tuning fork [8000 Power].

"Boosted by Marron, Provision Liberator, Caradocus attacks your Vanguard!" Kuromu declared, turning the two cards sideways.

"No guard." Himari responded.

Marron opened up his book and chanted something. An aura came out of him as it transferred over to the other bespectacled warrior. [8000 Power + 7000 Power = 15000 Power] Caradocus then tapped his staff and a magic seal lit up in front of said staff, before unleashing a wave of magic that struck Narelle who cried out in pain.

"Damage Trigger, check." Himari said, revealing the top card.

[Damage Check - Adamantine Celestial, Aniel - No Trigger]

"Boosted by Zero, Gallatin attacks your Vanguard!" Kuromu declared, turning the two cards sideways.

"No Guard." Himari responded again.

"Drive trigger, check." Kuromu revealed the top card.

[Drive Check - Dawnlight of the Morning Star, Zero Liberator - No Trigger]

Zero brought up his lone gloved hand which revealed the symbol of the Gold Paladins. The energy then transferred to Gallatin. [10000 Power + 5000 Power = 15000 Power] Gallatin then rushed towards Narelle and jumped up with his sword raised high before falling down and slashing downward. The blue-haired nurse's voice of anguish followed.

"Damage trigger, check." Himari said, revealing the top card.

[Damage Check - Accident Celestial, Batarel - No Trigger]

"Citation Liberator, Heli attacks your Vanguard!" Kuromu said next, turning said card sideways.

"Guard!" Himari declared, taking a card and placing it on the Guard Circle. "Anesthesia Celestial, Rumael!"

Brandishing his narrow buster sword, Heli charged towards an injured Narelle who struggled to get up. However, just as he was about to strike, several syringes shot down from the sky, causing Heli to block it with the flat side of his blade, deflecting the syringes that bounced off the blade and stuck into the ground. Looking up, he saw a young man with sky blue hair and glasses, wearing a white dress shirt with blue tie, white pants and shoes while wearing a lab coat. He had a pair of blue angel wings and was equipped with multiple syringes on a horseshoe-like item and one had a large syringe attached on the top of his arm. [7000 Power + 5000 Shield = 12000 Power]

"…Ta-n endo." Kuromu muttered.

Kuromu
Hand: 5
G-Zone: 0-4
Damage:
Shine Spear Liberator, Reinet (U)
Armed Liberator, Gwydion (U)
Back Row: Empty/Wandering Wild Card, Zero/Little Liberator, Marron
Front Row: Citation Liberator, Heli/Liberator of Silence, Gallatin/Provision Liberator, Caradocus

Front Row: Marking Celestial, Arabhaki/Nursing Celestial, Narelle/Empty
Back Row: Empty/Initial Celestial, Ruhiel/Empty
Damage:
Adamantine Celestial, Aniel (U)
Accident Celestial, Batarel (U)
G-Zone: 0-16
Hand: 4
Himari

"Watashi no ta-n! Draw!" Himari declared, drawing her next card to increase her hand to five. "Ride! Essence Celestial, Becca!"

Four symbols of Angel Feather circled around Himari dressed as Narelle, before converging to change her into a new unit. It was a young blonde girl with a white dress with a clipboard slung around her, similarly white wings, and a pair of pink love-themed… crutches? [10000 Power]

"Arabhaki moves to the back! Call! Wild Shot Celestial, Raguel! Dosage Celestial, Asmodel!"

Arabhaki jumped back to make room for the new unit in front of her as two more units appeared. The first was Raguel who appeared at Becca's left. She was an angel with blonde hair tied in a ponytail, with blue wings and a nurse's outfit that had a belt of bullets wrapped around her waists in a X-formation. Her look was finished with blue shorts that hugged her thighs, boots that covered her legs, and a green cannon-like syringe [9000 Power].

Appearing on Becca's right was Asmodel, a nurse with long pinkish-red hair tied in a high ponytail. She wore a green and white nurse's outfit with a white frill covering her chest, and frills on her sleeves. She wore thigh high white socks with white shoes and was carrying an oversized medicinal pill that was clear with liquid inside and pill bits were floating in it [9000 Power].

"Boosted by Ruhiel, Becca attacks the Vanguard!" Himari declared, turning the card sideways.

"No Guard." Kuromu responded.

"Drive Trigger, check." Himari said, revealing the top card, revealing a yellow icon, exciting Himari. "Critical Trigger! I give the Critical to Becca, and the +5000 Power goes to Asmodel!"

[Drive Check - Hot Shot Celestial, Samyaza - Critical Trigger]

Ruhiel's aura transferred to Becca who felt empowered by the nurse behind her, especially when the trigger boosted her strength while Asmodel was powered by the Trigger Power Bonus. [10000 Power + 5000 Power = 15000 Power/Critical: 1-2] [9000 Power + 5000 Power = 14000 Power] Becca then flew towards Gallatin and proceeded to whack the blindfolded swordsman twice with her crutches, forcing said knight to fall on one knee, his sword keeping him up.

"Gh…!" Kuromu gritted, his imagination allowing him to feel that pain. "Damage Trigger, check." He said, revealing the top two cards.

[Damage Trigger - Liberator, Feather Lion - No Trigger]

[Damage Trigger - Light Formation Liberator, Erdre - No Trigger]

"Boosted by Arabhaki, Raguel attacks the Vanguard!" Himari declared, turning the cards sideways. "Raguel's skill activates! If I have a Vanguard with "Celestial" in its name, she gains an additional +3000 Power!"

"I don't think so! Caradocus will Intercept!" Kuromu said, moving the card towards the Guardian Circle. "Caradocus's skill activates! When he Intercepts, he gains an additional +5000 Shield!"

Arabhaki's aura transferred over to Raguel, some of that aura transferred to her cannon-like syringe which powered up. [9000 Power + 7000 Power + 3000 Power = 19000 Power] She aimed at Gallatin and fired a beam towards the tip of the needle barrel. But then Caradocus rushed towards Gallatin's defense, tapping his oversized staff and a magic circle enlarged, stopping the attack in its tracks. [10000 Power + 10000 Shield = 20000 Power]

"Asmodel will attack the Vanguard!" Himari said, turning the card sideways.

"No Guard." Kuromu responded.

Asmodel, with a wink, opened up her oversized pill case and released a torrent of liquid and pill bits that washed over Gallatin.

"Damage Trigger, check." Kuromu said, revealing the top card, and a green icon was on the corner of it. "Heal Trigger! My Vanguard gains +5000 Power and I Heal one point of Damage!"

[Damage Check - Numinous Tree Liberator, Elchea - Heal Trigger]

A green aura washed over Gallatin, soothing his pain as he managed to stand up [10000 Power + 5000 Power = 15000 Power].

"Ta-n endo." Himari finished.

Kuromu
Hand: 5
G-Zone: 0-4
Damage:
Armed Liberator, Gwydion (U)
Liberator, Feather Lion (U)
Light Formation Liberator, Erdre (U)
Numinous Tree Liberator, Elchea (U)
Back Row: Empty/Wandering Wild Card, Zero/Little Liberator, Marron
Front Row: Citation Liberator, Heli/Liberator of Silence, Gallatin/Empty

Front Row: Wild Shot Celestial, Raguel/Essence Celestial, Becca/Dosage Celestial, Asmodel
Back Row: Marking Celestial, Arabhaki/Initial Celestial, Ruhiel/Empty
Damage:
Adamantine Celestial, Aniel (U)
Accident Celestial, Batarel (U)
G-Zone: 0-16
Hand: 3
Himari

Kuromu sighed as he looked at his field, grimacing at what he had. Granted, it's been six years since he last played, but it was looking very grim for him. With him at four Damage, and Himari at only two, it's clear that he hadn't played the game in a very long time. All of the rust he built up all these years of not playing was making him tense, something that the card shop owner and employee noticed.

"…Fight…" A voice spoke. This one is different from the one he had heard before.

'Huh?' Kuromu said in his thoughts. 'Who's voice is that?'

"A fight… I'm being called to fight…" The voice continued. The red diamond on his glove suddenly blazed brightly along with the Progenitor Dragon card in Kuromu's pocket. Before he knew it, Kuromu's vision was engulfed in the light.

---

When his sight returned to him, the boy found himself back in the middle of the huge futuristic city. Kuromu looked around, wondering what had happened. He was in the middle of a Cardfight with Himari and now here he was.

"So, I'm awake. About damn time. Ugh, I've got such a crick in my back that I'll need a serious massage." A voice spoke followed by a popping noise.

Kuromu turned to the source of the voice and standing a few feet away from him was… Wandering Wild Card, Zero?

"Geez, this is worse than that time I arm-wrestled, Dragonic Overlord. Pain in the ass gecko." Zero spoke in a way that didn't seem to fit with someone from Cray but rather from Earth. "No wonder Ahmes always thought of him as a headache."

"Thou hast finally awakened, Wanderer." A voice that was utterly familiar to Kuromu drew the boy's attention behind him to see the Progenitor Dragon he carried, Agnos.

"Hm?" Zero turned his hooded head over to the dragon. "Agnos? Huh, it's been a long time."

"Okay, can someone tell me what the hell is going on?!" Kuromu demanded.

"Oh, uh, yeah, you just woke up my spirit, kid. Wait, this is Earth, right?" Zero asked, looking between Kuromu and Agnos. "Swear to every deity on Cray if I find out that I'm not on Earth, I'm going to lose my temper."

"Thou art still here on Cray, Wanderer." Agnos answered. "At least… thy body is. But thy spirit is on Earth. So-to-speak."

"Okay, why are you using the disembodied voice when you know that you're a girl?" Zero pointed out with what was likely a dry expression.

"Excuse me?" Kuromu managed to say.

Zero looked at the brunette, "What? You didn't think the breastplate she wore was just for show, did you?" He suddenly reached into his cloak and pulled out several pictures. "Yep, there are several dragons I know that may seem male but are actually female."

"Okay, tmi man!" Kuromu snapped comically. "Just tell me what's going on! I'm in the middle of a cardfight here!"

"Oh, right, the cryptic stuff." Zero cleared his throat after putting the pictures away. "Well, to explain, your cardfight has awakened my spirit within my glove. Thankfully, I managed to resonate with your imagination due to you playing my cards which only appear to those that possess a Clan Crystal."

"Clan Crystal?" Kuromu parroted.

"The gemstone in the glove you're wearing right now. Before I went to sleep, my power was separated into multiple fragments termed as Clan Crystals. The only one I managed to save was the part of my power for the Gold Paladins." Zero explained.

Kuromu looked at the glove on his right hand and sure enough, the red diamond had turned golden. And if one looked inside, there was an engraving of the Gold Paladin emblem on it.

"The Gold Paladin emblem." Kuromu recognized. "Wait, this is like those Z-Crystals in Pokémon Sun and Moon, what the hell!"

*WAPISH!*

"ITE!"

"Motherf*ker, they are nothing like that!" Zero cried out in comical anger after slamming his fist on Kuromu's head, his cursing being censored for some reason.

"Alright geez…" Kuromu groaned, rubbing his head.

Zero sighed, shaking his head. "Anyway, the Clan Crystal is a fragment of my power which allows me to transition to a Clan, in a sense. Think of it as a potential future path for me. Right now, the Gold Paladin one is the only Clan Crystal that I've managed to save before my sealed slumber."

"Hence your name, Zero…" Kuromu muttered.

"Exactly. At least, as far as I can remember." Zero admitted with a shrug.

"Huh?"

"The Clan Crystals also have a portion of my memories." Zero explained. "Finding them will also restore them."

…

…

…

"That means you, dummy." Zero pointed out.

"Me?! But they could be anywhere!" Kuromu cried out.

"Yeah, so, after this fight, get to it." The hooded man told him. "Because having fragmented amnesia sucks."

"Wait, hold on! What do the Progenitor Dragons have to do with this?!"

"Don't remember." Zero answered with a shrug. "Ask her." He gestured to Agnos. Kuromu promptly looked towards the dragon expectantly awaiting an answer.

"He is the Key. The Wanderer shall guide the ones we hath chosen to be our Vanguard." Agnos explained as she approached Kuromu, lowering her head until her muzzle met with his face. "Thou ist mine chosen Vanguard."

"If you're going to kiss him can you not be so direct about it?" Zero teased the Progenitor Dragon with a hidden smirk. "I get that its been a couple millennia but he is still a brat."

"Oi…" Kuromu deadpanned.

"I'm thousands of years old, kid. You're basically a brat next to me." The Grade 0 unit pointed out with a shrug.

"But do you have to be an asshole about it?"

"It's part of my charm."

"Bullshit and you know it…"

"I can tell that I'm going to have fun messing with you."

"Now, now, Wanderer. There is no need to provoke him unnecessarily." Agnos chided gently.

Zero shrugged, "Always with the big sister treatment, eh, Agnos? No wonder you became the Progenitor Dragon for the United Sanctuary. You're like a mother hen."

The world surrounding the three then started turning white.

"What's going on?" Kuromu asked, looking around.

"Time's up, kiddo." Zero said.

"Hold on, I still have questions!"

"Don't worry, we'll talk later." Zero said as everything became more white. "Until then, you have a cardfight to win."

With that said, the image of the United Sanctuary vanished…

---

Kuromu's vision opened once more and he found himself back on Earth.

"Hey? You alright?" Himari asked, concerned. "You spaced out a bit when your turn started."

The brunette looked at his opponent and collected himself, "Y-Yeah, I'm good. I just…" He paused, unable to think of a proper reason to explain. He then shook his head. "Sorry, I got distracted a bit. Let's continue. Stand and draw." He turned his cards vertical, then drew his next card, increasing his hand to six. He then raised one of his cards up.

"Glittering brighter than gold, the silent torrent of fierce light sears the darkness! Ride!"

A beam of light erupted from the ground enveloping Gallatin. Moments later, that same beam of light died down, revealing Kuromu as the golden knight that he saw before. [11000 Power]

"Dawnlight of the Morning Star, Zero Liberator!" Kuromu declared.

'So that's what it looks like.' Himari thought.

"Call! Dolgal Liberator! Deathly Silence Liberator, Curdle!"

Suddenly, two more units appeared. On Zero Liberator's left, a brown-furred and sleek canine warrior with long pointed ears clad in golden armor appeared and howled into the sky [9000 Power]. And behind Heli was the young man that Kuromu dressed up as when he rode as a Grade 1 unit [7000 Power].

"I activate Deathly Silence Liberator, Curdle's skill twice! I Counterblast two cards so that he receives 2000 Power for this turn!" Kuromu said, flipping the two cards in his Damage Zone over.

Curdle yelled as power surged into his body [7000 Power + 2000 Power = 9000].

"Boosted by the powered-up Curdle, Citation Liberator, Heli attacks your Vanguard!" Kuromu declared, turning the cards sideways.

"No guard." Himari replied.

Curdle's aura flowed over to Heli as he powered up [9000 Power + 9000 Power = 18000 Power]. With his narrow buster sword, he rushed towards Becca and jumped up before landing with a slash on the nurse angel's body, sending her flying, but managed to catch herself in the air, albeit in pain.

"Damage Trigger, check." Himari said, revealing the top card.

[Damage Check - Frontal Celestial, Mel'ejal - No Trigger]

"Citation Liberator, Heli's skill activates! When I successfully attack the Vanguard, I Counterblast one card in the Damage Zone and put Heli into the Soul!" Kuromu said, doing as the card instructed. "I then look at the top three cards of my Deck, choose one of them to call to a Rear Guard circle and put the rest at the bottom of my Deck. And I'll choose this one! Call! Liberator of Royalty, Phallon!"

Replacing Heli was a young man with olive-yellowish green hair that was wild and plumed out in all directions. He wore golden armor with two fanned protrusions popping out of each shoulder while wearing a blue bodysuit underneath with light blue line highlights. He wore skirt armor that fanned around his waist and wore golden greaves and equipped onto him was a curved saber with a cross guard [9000 Power].

"Dolgal Liberator's skill also activates! Since I successfully attacked your vanguard with a unit that was a "Liberator", I can Counterblast my remaining card in the Damage Zone and Dolgal Liberator gets +5000 Power!"

"What?" Himari gasped.

"Mama mia, he's putting the pressure on her." Armando commented.

"Boosted by Wandering Wild Card, Zero Liberator will attack the Vanguard!" Kuromu declared, turning the two cards sideways. "Wandering Wild Card, Zero's skill activates! When he boosts a unit with "Zero" in its name, it gains +5000 Power and an extra critical!"

"Ngh… No Guard!" Himari declared.

Kuromu looked surprised. "Are you sure?"

"I'm sure. No Guard." Himari insisted.

"Alright then. Twin Drive! First check!" Kuromu said, revealing the top card. "Draw Trigger! I give the +5000 Power to Dolgal Liberator and I draw a card!" He said, before drawing the additional card. "Second check," He continued, before revealing the second one. "You got lucky. The second card was also a Draw Trigger. I give the +5000 Power to Phallon!"

[Drive Check - Armed Liberator, Gwydion - Draw Trigger]

[Drive Check - Armed Liberator, Gwydion - Draw Trigger]

Zero's aura transferred over to Zero Liberator who powered alongside Phallon and the Dolgal, who were given extra power due to the Trigger Bonuses. [11000 Power + 5000 Power 5000 Power = 21000 Power/Critical: 1-2] [9000 + Power 5000 Power = 14000 Power] [9000 Power + 5000 Power + 5000 Power = 19000 Power]

Kuromu as Zero Liberator then rushed towards Becca who raised up her crutches to defend herself. Zero Liberator swung his blade towards the nurse who struggled to block, but was eventually overwhelmed and Zero Liberator took this chance to slash Becca with his second blade, sending her down to the ground with a tumble.

"Ngh…!" Himari gritted her teeth, her imagination making her 'feel' that pain. "Damage trigger, check." She said, revealing the top two cards. The second one being… "Draw Trigger! I give 5000 Power to my Vanguard and draw a card!"

[Damage Check - Wild Shot Celestial, Raguel - No Trigger]

[Damage Check - Celestial Landing, Pegasus - Draw Trigger]

Becca struggled to her feet as managed to stand up thanks to her Trigger Bonus. [10000 Power + 5000 Power = 15000 Power]

"Phallon attacks your Vanguard!" Kuromu continued, turning the card sideways. "When he attacks and I have a "Liberator" as a Vanguard, he gains +3000 Power!"

"Asmodel will Intercept!" Himari said, putting the unit into the Guardian Circle.

Phallon rushed towards the battle-stricken Becca as power surged within. [14000 Power + 3000 Power = 17000 Power] He then jumped up and was about to go down to slash Becca, but Asmodel got in the way and blocked the attack with her oversized capsule pill case. [15000 Power + 5000 Shield = 20000 Power]

"Boosted by Marron, Dolgal Liberator attacks your Vanguard!"

"Guard! Hot Shot Celestial, Samyaza! Encourage Celestial, Tamiel!" Himari responded, putting the two cards from her hand to the Guardian Circle.

Marron opened up his book and chanted a spell, transferring his aura over to Dolgal. [19000 Power + 7000 Power = 26000 Power] The golden armored canine then rushed towards Becca to take a bite out of her, but then two angels descended from the heavens to defend her.

The first was a short haired blonde girl with a nurse's outfit that exposed her shoulder while wearing a black tie, black stocking and white calf-high boots. She had blue wings, and on her shoulder was an oversized syringe bazooka with red liquid.

The second angel was just as young as the first with strawberry blonde hair who's ponytail is tied on her right side while wearing a nurse's outfit that was white with shoulder slightly puffed. She carried a medical tool box on her person. The two got in front as Samyaza fired the syringe and Tamiel threw medical toolbox, prompting the canine to jump back with a snarl. [15000 Power + 10000 Shield + 10000 Shield = 35000 Power]

"Ta-n endo," Kuromu finished.

Kuromu
Hand: 7
G-Zone: 0-4
Damage:
Armed Liberator, Gwydion (F)
Liberator, Feather Lion (F)
Light Formation Liberator, Erdre (F)
Numinous Tree Liberator, Elchea (F)
Back Row: Deathly Silence Liberator, Curdle/Wandering Wild Card, Zero/Little Liberator, Marron
Front Row: Liberator of Royalty, Phallon/Dawnlight of the Morning Star, Zero Liberator/Dolgal Liberator

Front Row: Wild Shot Celestial, Raguel/Essence Celestial, Becca/Empty
Back Row: Marking Celestial, Arabhaki/Initial Celestial, Ruhiel/Empty
Damage:
Adamantine Celestial, Aniel (U)
Accident Celestial, Batarel (U)
Frontal Celestial, Mel'ejal (U)
Wild Shot Celestial, Raguel (U)
Celestial Landing, Pegasus (U)
G-Zone: 0-16
Hand: 2
Himari

"Watashi no ta-n! Stand and Draw!" Himari said, turning her cards vertical and drawing her next card, increasing her hand to three. "Alright Kuromu-kun, this is where the fun begins." She smiled.

"Huh?" Kuromu blinked. "What do you mean?"

"I'm going to show you one of the new mechanics in the game. Better prepare yourself or you might lose." Himari teased the boy with a dangerous glint in her eyes.

"Oh boy…" Kuromu gulped.

"First," Himari said before raising a card in the air.

"A painless operation is needed. On gentle wings, may the kindness of the surgeon grace you! Ride! Grafting Celestial, Jhudiel!"

Four symbols of Angel Feather circled around Himari dressed as Becca before converging and giving her a new appearance. Himari's hair now had long twin tail bangs that fell to her waist with long hair behind her back. She wore a nurse cap and a metallic brass halo was behind her head. She wore a shoulderless dress with sleeves that were large and hung downward like a kimono while also wearing thigh-high white stockings. Her pair of blue angel wings were lit up with blue flames as she wielded a large pair of brass scissors that were almost as big as her. [11000 Power]

"Jhudiel's skill activates! Counter Blast!" Himari flipped over a card in her damage zone. "I choose a card from my damage zone and call it to the Rear Guard and it gets +3000 Power until the end of my turn. I'll call Frontal Celestial, Mel'ejal." She places the damage she received from Kuromu's previous turn onto the lone empty front row zone beside her vanguard.

A new angel appeared beside Jhudiel on her right. The newcomer is a young woman with aqua hair in a bob cut with the ends curling, orange eyes with the pupils resembling four-point stars that had a pair of light blue half-rimmed glasses on her nose, and a cute smile on her cherub-like face. She wore a sleeveless, open-back nurse's outfit, white arm sleeves with blue lining, white thigh-length stockings with blue-lined hearts, aqua blue heeled shoes, and she wielded a pink-cyan bow with an intricate heart-shaped energy arrow at the ready. [9000 Power + 3000 Power = 12000 Power]

"In exchange, I have to place the top card of my Deck into my Damage Zone." She said, before revealing the top card to put in said Damage Zone.

[Damage Check - Grafting Celestial, Jhudiel - No Trigger]

"Now Mel'ejal skill activates! When a card is put into my damage zone, and I have a vanguard with "Celestial" in its card name, she gets +2000 Power until the end of the turn. And more importantly, if I have a face-up card in my damage zone with the same card name as my Vanguard, she gets +2000 Power as well!" [12000 Power + 2000 Power = 14000 Power] [11000 Power + 2000 Power = 13000 Power]

"Now comes the fun part." Himari said. "You see the silver cards on the side right?"

"Yes?" Kuromu nodded. "What about them?"

"Those are special units that can only be called on by a power called Stride. When both Cardfighters have a Grade 3 Vanguard, they can use the G units to Stride their Vanguard. The G units represent the person you want to be, unknown possibilities… they transcend the dimensional barrier, drawing them to you."

"So in other words… the G units are our possible future selves." Kuromu muttered.

"And you're about to see that future possibility right now." Himari smirked at Kuromu. "In order to do that, first, I must calculate the cost, which are the cards in your hand, that total Grade 3 or higher and put those cards in the Drop Zone. That's what's called releasing the Generation Zone."

"So it's unlocking that future with whatever cards you need as the key." Kuromu mused.

"That's right. Luckily, I have the necessary cards to pay the cost." Himari explained, before holding up the card, which was the second copy of Jhudiel. "Now imagine it. Imagine my future manifesting before your eyes! Generation Zone, kaiho!" She said, before slapping the card in the Drop Zone, making it glow an iridescent color.

"The Heavens sing, a melody of affection shall send shivers down your spine! The future is mine to grasp! Stride Generation!"

Himari was flying down an interdimensional tunnel, her hand reaching out and grasping an invisible lock before she turned and opened a door, causing several rings with the symbol of Angel Feather to grow bigger and bigger until it engulfed her in the light.

Instead of Jhudiel, a new angel took her place as the Vanguard. She had three pairs of wings with cerulean blue feathers, long blue hair that curled upwards toward her face which produced a lovely, motherly smile, blue eyes, and a halo over her head. She wore an outfit that bore a mixture resemblance with a nurse and a scientist in colors of dark blue, chocolate brown, and gold. Floating around her is an array of syringes with strange blue liquid in each of them. [28000 Power]

"Holy Celestial, Mikhael!"

"28000 Power?!" Kuromu gawked. "How?!"

"Ah, right. See, when you Stride with a G Unit, your previous Vanguard becomes a Heart. It takes on its name and Power. Hence why it added the 15000 Power to the 13000 Power from Jhudiel." Himari said.

"O-Oh, I guess that makes sense." Kuromu nodded.

"But I wouldn't relax just yet. Stride Units have powers that are greater than regular Grade 3 Units." Himari warned. "Now I'll activate Jhudiel's Stride skill! When a G unit with "Celestial" in its original card name strode, I Soul Blast one card, and search for one card from my Deck to put it into my Damage Zone face up. Then I can choose a face up card from my Damage Zone, and heal it." Taking one card out of the Soul, she chose a card from her Deck and placed it in the Damage Zone then took one card to heal it, which was Wild Shot Celestial, Raguel.

[Damage Check - Underlay Celestial, Hesediel - No Trigger]

"Then I'll activate Mikhael's skill! By Counter Blasting one, if I have a Heart card with "Celestial" in its name, I can put the top card from my Deck to the Damage Zone, then call a unit from said Damage Zone." She said, revealing the top card.

[Damage Check - Adamantine Celestial, Aniel - No Trigger]

"The first Adamantine Celestial, Aniel, will now be called to the Rear Guard behind Mel'ejal. And get this. With Mikhael's skill, if I have a unit in the Damage Zone that's the same name as my Heart card, the unit that was called gets +5000 Power!"

Appearing behind Mel'ejal is an angel in the form of a young girl with sky blue hair in twin-tails, gray eyes, and a cute angry glare on her face. She wore a modified nurse's outfit colored white, blue, and turquoise, white arm gloves, thigh-length stockings, and nurse shoes. In her hands she carried a feather pen and a clipboard. [6000 Power + 5000 Power = 11000 Power]

"I hope you're ready, Kuromu. My angels are about to perform some surgery on your Gold Paladins." Himari told the brunette with a playful smile on her face. "With a Boost from Arabhaki, Raguel will attack Phallon. And with her skill, she gains an extra +3000 Power!"

'Shit, I forgot that the vanguard isn't the only target!' Kuromu berated in his thoughts. And with a total Power of 19000…

"Well? Do you Guard?" Himari asked.

"Gh… No Guard…"

Raguel had a bit of a smirk on her face as she aimed her syringe assault rifle at Phallon, who nervously took a step back before he cried out in pain as several laser needles impacted his form. The Gold Paladin vanished into blue particles.

"Boosted by Aniel, Mel'ejal attacks Dolgal Liberator!" Himari said, turning the cards sideways.

'She knows it'll be pointless to attack my Vanguard, when she knows I'll Intercept.' Kuromu thought. "No Guard." He said out loud.

The powered up Mel'ejal aimed her bow at Dolgal and fired an energy arrow that struck the armored canine without mercy [9000 Power + 11000 Power = 20000 Power]. A pained whine left his muzzle before he suffered the same fate as Phallon.

"Finally, with a Boost from Ruhiel, Mikhael is attacking your Vanguard!" Himari declared.

"I don't think so!" Kuromu countered, discarding an Armed Liberator, Gwydion from his hand, and took a card to place in the Guardian Circle. "Perfect Guard! Light Formation Liberator, Erde!"

Mikhael was about to unleash her array of syringes at Zero Liberator until a Gold Paladin appeared to defend the vanguard. This new unit is a young man in modified gold armor with blue runes and attachments. He had blue hair with two braided rat tails, dark purple eyes, and a slightly cocky smirk on his youthful face. Unlike his fellows, he wore mage robes under his golden armor and carried a magician's staff. He waved his staff and produced a magical barrier to protect Zero Liberator. [Shield: 0]

"Not bad, but don't think that this is over yet. Because Stride Units have a Triple Drive!" Himari countered with a smirk.

"What?!"

"Triple Drive, check!" Himari declared, revealing the top three cards. "First check, Stand Trigger! Mel'ejal stands once more with +5000 Power. Second check, no Trigger. Third check, Heal Trigger. The Power goes to Mel'ejal and I recover one Damage."

[Drive Check - Encourage Celestial, Tamiel - Stand Trigger]

[Drive Check - Wild Shot Celestial, Raguel - No Trigger]

[Drive Check - Recovery Celestial, Ramuel - Heal Trigger]

Mel'ejal giggles playfully as she receives the additional power from the two Triggers. [9000 Power + 5000 Power 5000 Power = 19000 Power]

"Mel'ejal will attack the Vanguard!" Himari declared, turning the card sideways.

"No Guard." Kuromu replied.

The Celestial didn't even hesitate to fire an energy arrow that struck Kuromu as Zero Liberator, a groan of pain leaving his lips.

"Damage Check." Kuromu grunted, revealing the top card.

[Damage Check - Blessing Owl - No Trigger]

"Ta-n endo. With this, the G Unit returns to the G Zone and becomes Jhudiel once more." Himari replied as she placed the card next to her pile of G units.

Kuromu
Hand: 5
G-Zone: 0-4
Damage:
Armed Liberator, Gwydion (F)
Liberator, Feather Lion (F)
Light Formation Liberator, Erdre (F)
Numinous Tree Liberator, Elchea (F)
Blessing Owl (U)
Back Row: Deathly Silence Liberator, Curdle/Wandering Wild Card, Zero/Little Liberator, Marron
Front Row: Empty/Dawnlight of the Morning Star, Zero Liberator/Empty

Front Row: Wild Shot Celestial, Raguel/Grafting Celestial, Jhudiel/Frontal Celestial, Mel'ejal
Back Row: Marking Celestial, Arabhaki/Initial Celestial, Ruhiel/Adamantine Celestial, Aniel
Damage:
Celestial Landing, Pegasus (F)
Grafting Celestial, Jhudiel (U)
Underlay Celestial, Hesediel (U)
Adamantine Celestial, Aniel (U)
G-Zone: 1-15
Hand: 4
Himari

"So? What do you think of Stride?"

"It's… words can't describe it…" Kuromu said. "The way you saw how you want your future self to be? The desire to become that… How could I not be moved by such a notion?" He then looked at his hand.

"Huh?" Himari tilted her head.

"Six years ago… When I quit Vanguard, my future was stolen from me. My dreams, my desires… my identity." He clenched his hand into a fist that shook. "My future has been left dark and filled with uncertainty since that day. And that darkness, even now, continues to close in…"

"Uh, what? Six years ago?" Himari pondered.

"Well, brat. Seems like you're in a pickle here." A familiar voice to Kuromu cut in.

'Zero?' Kuromu said in his mind, surprised.

From his imagination, he saw the Zero in his Rear Guard start to look around and was even greeting the other Gold Paladins and Angel Feather units that weren't possessed as Vanguards.

"Of course, it's me. Remember what I said? Your imagination resonated with my spirit. So, we'll be soul buddies from now on!"

"Uh… right."

"Looks like this is your last turn too. Better make it count."

"Don't I know it…"

"Relax, you got this. You got what you need right?"

Kuromu then looked at his hand.

"Kuromu?" Himari called out, snapping him out of it. "You okay?"

"Yeah, sorry about that." Kuromu shook his head. "Just… forget what I said earlier. I'll tell you later… at least when the time's right."

"Uh… sure." Himari blinked, still confused, but nonetheless agreed. "Alright then, give me your best shot!"

Kuromu nodded. "Stand and draw." He said, turning the cards vertical and drawing his card, increasing his Hand to six. He then looked at his G-Zone. Could he really win in this turn? Could he really obtain that future he really desired?

"As long as there's a possibility for victory then the potential to grasp it will always be in reach." Zero suddenly commented, drawing a look of surprise from Kuromu. "You were starting to doubt yourself. Never do that, especially during a cardfight."

Kuromu was silent for a moment before his eyes hardened. He was right. No more doubt. No hesitation. It was time for him to act!

Taking one card, he showed the copy of Zero Liberator. "In order for me to use a particular G unit, I need to pay the cost of a card that's the same as my Vanguard!"

"Grasp thy future, my chosen one." He heard a familiar voice echo.

"Even if there's darkness all around me, I'll keep on believing that there's a light for me to follow! And I'll grasp it with my own hands! Generation Zone, kaiho!" He then slapped the card in the Drop Zone, making it glow an iridescent color.

"Create my future and manifest! United Sanctuary's Progenitor Dragon! Stride Generation!"

"Yes, this is the moment! Grasp the future with your own hands and seize the potential for victory!" Zero declared as the spirit brought up his glove and the diamond released a bright shine.

Kuromu was flying down the interdimensional tunnel, hand reaching out, before clenching it and spreading his arms out, causing a golden Vanguard circle to appear, spinning rapidly and growing bigger and bigger until it engulfed him in the light.

What replaced Zero Liberator was a white dragon with some patches of silverish-cooper colored scales. Its head was somewhat mammalian-like while its mane had white feathers and had horns that curved outwards, each one decorated by a golden circlet. It had a small set of golden armor on the chest, with gauntlet forearms that had wing protrusions, and knees. Finishing off its look were six large angelic wings and a whip-like tail and behind it was a glowing white mandala-like symbol. [26000 Power]

"Progenitor Dragon of Total Purity, Agnos!" Kuromu declared.

Armando's eyes widened significantly at the sight of the card.

On the battlefield, Zero looked up at Agnos with a hidden smirk while the other Gold Paladin units around him that survived stared up at the dragon with awe. "About time you showed up, Agnos. I was wondering if you'd fallen back to sleep."

"Hey! I'm in this body too y'know!" Kuromu said. "Don't make it weird!"

"So, it wasn't weird already that you turned yourself into a female dragon?" Zero teased. "Oh, how scandalous."

"Shut up!"

"Focus. We have a fight to win."

"Right, right. I understand, big sis. No need to further embarrass the Vanguard in front of his troops." Zero said with a shrug.

"Agnos's skill activates! By Counter Blasting one and Soul Blasting one, I can Call as many units from my hand to all Rear Guard circles as possible and draw three cards afterwards!"

"What?!" Himari gasped.

"So I Call upon these five in my hand! Liberator, Feather Lion! Liberator of Royalty, Phallon! Armed Liberator, Gwydion! And two Blessing Owls!"

"Oh, well, looks like I'll be taking a break. Laters." Zero waved as he along with Marron and Curdle were retired due to Agnos's skill.

Appearing on the field was Phallon himself who appeared on Agnos's left [9000 Power]. On Agnos's right was a large lion with golden fur and a large mane that was encased in bright golden armor that protected its chest, back, and legs, the joints having a red gem as decoration. It also had golden wings that were made of hard light and its red eyes were menacing as it roared with authority [10000 Power]. Appearing behind Feather Lion and Agnos were two silver-feathered owls with spiky feathers behind its head, wearing white armor on its back with three long cords hanging downward, each carrying a dagger in their talons [6000 Power] x2. Finally, the last to appear was a man in bulky golden-purple armor that resembled power armor save for his face, which revealed a youthful tanned face with bangs of red hair and green eyes. He also wielded a large double-edged sword that possessed glowing edges [5000 Power].

"And since two of my Blessing Owls have been placed on the Rear Guard, I can give two of my units 2000 Power! And I choose to give them to each other!"

The two Blessing Owls glowed with energy as they powered up [6000 Power + 2000 Power = 8000 Power] x2

"Now I'll draw three cards thanks to Agnos's effect!" He said, before drawing them. "Now it's time to battle! With a boost from Gwydion, Phallon attacks Frontal Celestial, Mel'ejal! With his skill, he gains an additional +3000 Power!"

"I Guard with Ramuel!" Himari countered, placing down a card.

Phallon rushed towards Mel'ejal ready to swing his sword as Gwydion powered him up, including his own skill. [9000 Power + 3000 Power + 5000 Power = 17000 Power] But then a small girl with short sandy blonde hair and blue eyes wearing a white jacket, white shorts, with white boots appeared holding a stand with a saline bag with pink liquid attached. It was connected to a tube which led to a syringe as she aimed at Phallon and sprayed the pink liquid, forcing him to dodge. [9000 Power + 10000 Shield = 19000 Power]

"Boosted by Blessing Owl, Liberator, Feather Lion attacks Raguel!" Kuromu declared, turning the two cards sideways. "Feather Lion's skill activates! When he attacks, I can Soul Blast one card and he gains 3000 Power!" He then took a card out of the Soul to put in the Drop Zone.

Himari looked at her hand then at the board. "No Guard."

Blessing Owl transferred his power to the lion who roared with authority [10000 Power + 3000 Power + 8000 Power = 21000 Power] before rushing towards Raguel and pouncing on her, pinning her to the ground. Raguel looked defiant to the end as Lion Feather raised his paw and slashed the angel down, reducing her into motes of light.

"Finally with a boost from my other Blessed Owl, Agnos attacks the Vanguard!" Kuromu finished, turning the two cards sideways.

The other owl glowed with energy transferring its power over to Agnos who's mandala behind her head glowed with power as she opened her maw, gathering light and energy, powering it up [26000 Power + 8000 Power = 34000 Power] before unleashing a beam of holy light at Himari cosplaying as Jhudiel.

"Guard with Encouraging Angel, Tamiel, Wild Shot Celestial, Raguel, and Underlay Celestial, Hesediel! Intercept with Mel'ejal!" Himari declared, placing the three cards she knew had enough shield power and moved Mel'ejal to the Guardian Circle.

Mel'ejal moved in front of Jhudiel to protect her while another copy of Raguel and Tamiel showed up as well. A new Celestial Angel Feather unit also appeared. It was a slightly older woman with short lavender-white hair wearing a nurse's outfit, fitted with a purple halo, and equipped with a sword that had a chain at the end of the pommel. The four angels then blocked the holy beam of light, struggling to defend their Vanguard. [11000 Power + 10000 Shield + 5000 Shield + 5000 Shield + 5000 Shield = 36000 Power]

"Triple Drive! First Check!" Kuromu said, turning the first card over. "No Trigger. Second Check." He said, turning the next card over. "Also no Trigger." He then looked to his Deck, staring hard at it. "Third Check!" He said, before turning the card over and revealed… "Critical Trigger! All of its effects go to Agnos!"

[Drive Check - Zoom Down Eagle - No Trigger]

[Drive Check - Pikgal - No Trigger]

[Drive Check - Steel Blade Liberator, Awilla - Critical Trigger]

Agnos's beam of holy light became stronger as its output increased thanks to the power bonus it received. [34000 Power + 5000 Power = 39000 Power/Critical: 1-2] The four angels were eventually overwhelmed by the power of Agnos's attack, destroying into the motes of light, before the beam of light reached Himari as Jhudiel, overwhelming her as well.

"Damage Trigger, check." Himari said, anxiously.

[Damage Check - Battle Cupid, Nociel - No Trigger]

[Damage Check - Grafting Celestial, Jhudiel - No Trigger]

"No Trigger." Himari sighed before placing both cards in her damage zone. "I lose."

---

FINAL RESULTS

Kuromu
Hand: 3
G-Zone: 0-3
Damage:
Armed Liberator, Gwydion (F)
Liberator, Feather Lion (F)
Light Formation Liberator, Erdre (F)
Numinous Tree Liberator, Elchea (F)
Blessing Owl (F)
Back Row: Blessing Owl/Blessing Owl/Armed Liberator, Gwydion
Front Row: Liberator, Feather Lion/Progenitor Dragon of Total Purity, Agnos/Liberator of Royalty, Phallon

Front Row: Empty/Grafting Celestial, Jhudiel/Empty
Back Row: Marking Celestial, Arabhaki/Initial Celestial, Ruhiel/Adamantine Celestial, Aniel
Damage:
Celestial Landing, Pegasus (F)
Grafting Celestial, Jhudiel (U)
Underlay Celestial, Hesediel (U)
Adamantine Celestial, Aniel (U)
Battle Cupid, Nociel (U)
Grafting Celestial, Jhudiel (U)
G-Zone: 1-15
Hand: 0
Himari

---

Kuromu was wide-eyed with shock as he looked at what just happened. There was no way he could've won that… could he? He looked to Himari and Armando for confirmation.

"I… won…?" Kuromu muttered in shock.

"Yes, you did. Congratulations, Signore Kuromu." Armando told the boy with a smile.

Hearing those words made Kuromu lose his composure. "No way, I-I won… haha…! I actually won…! I WON! YOSHAAAAAAAAA!" He cheered.

"You done there, brat? Cause the cute girl's trying to get your attention."

"Eh?" Kuromu got out, before looking at Himari, who chuckled sheepishly. "Ehehe… sorry."

"No, no, it's alright." Himari smiled easily. "I'd be screaming my head off in victory too. Good job, Kuromu-kun. Not bad for your first cardfight in six years."

"Y-Yeah, I guess so." Kuromu got out, looking at the table. "It's been so long, I've forgotten what it genuinely felt like to win a cardfight."

"You're telling me. It felt good to work off the aches in my joints."

"I must ask Signore Kuromu." Armando said, getting his attention. "That dragon you have, you got it from the booster pack I gave you?"

"Yes," Kuromu nodded. "When I got this card, I had a vision… like I've been transported to Cray."

"A vision?" Himari repeated, confused.

"Yeah, and I saw Agnos standing in front of me. She told me that I was chosen to restore that which was lost. I didn't know what that meant at the time. That is… until I had another vision. During our cardfight, where I spaced out."

"What?" Himari said, surprised.

"I met Wandering Wild Card, Zero. The Vanguard I started out with." Kuromu explained. "He says, I need to find these Clan Crystals in order to restore a portion of Zero's memory."

"Slow down, Signore. Clan Crystals? You're not making any sense, boy." Armando calmed the boy.

Kuromu sighed, "Sorry, it's just a lot to unpack."

"Perhaps, you should take it easy for the rest of the day." Armando suggested.

"What? No, I'm fine! I'm not going crazy!" Kuromu tried to reassure.

"Now, now, you're still a bit on the high with your first victory in six years." Armando said, placing his hands on Kuromu's shoulder. "Relax, take a step back, and really soak it in. You'll feel better in no time."

"He's right, kid, you're gonna make it worse. Put your foot in your mouth before they send you to a mental hospital."

Kuromu sighed in defeat, deflating, "I… guess."

"Good, lad. Now, thank them both and let's head on back to your house."

Kuromu's eyes widened in surprise, "Crap! I got so into the Cardfight, I lost track of time!" He said, before gathering his cards, and was about to leave, but then realized he hadn't paid for his Deck. "Almost forgot, how much-"

"Keep it. As a present from me, Signore." Armando interjected with a grin.

"O-Okay! Thanks! See ya later, Himari-san!" He said, before bolting out, but not before grabbing the stir-fry beef from the mini fridge under the counter of the reception desk.

"Huh… quite the oddball, huh Armando-san?" Himari blinked.

Armando chuckled, "Indeed, but I have a feeling that he will have some amazing fights in the future."

"Yeah, I think so too." Himari agreed.

Little did Kuromu know that his chance meeting with the mysterious Zero and Progenitor Dragon would trigger a chain of events that fate had in store for him.

This is the story of a young man who returns to his homeland and, while reluctant and wavering, starts on the difficult road to regaining what he lost and once loved.

---

Card Stats

Wandering Wild Card, Zero
"My Journey is never-ending, yet my goal is near."
Grade: 0
Skill: Boost
Power: 5000
Shield: 10000
Critical: 1
Clan: Cray Elemental
Card Effects:
[AUTO]:Forerunner (When a unit of the same clan rides this unit, you may call this unit to (RC))
[ACT](RC):[[Rest] this unit] Search your deck for up to one Grade 3 unit with "Zero" in its name, reveal it, put it into your hand, and shuffle your deck.
[CONT]:This card is from all clans and nations.

Dawnlight of the Morning Star, Zero Liberator
"By the grace of the Sun, my blades shall carve through the darkness!"
Grade: 3
Skill: Twin Drive
Power: 11000
Shield: None
Critical: 1
Clan: Gold Paladin
Race: Human
Card Effects:
[AUTO](VC): During your turn, when your G unit Stride, COST [Counter Blast (1) & Soul Blast (1)], look at four cards from the top of your deck, call a card to (RC) from among them, and shuffle your deck, If you have four or more rear-guards, look at the top card of your deck, and call it to (RC) as [Rest].
[AUTO](VC): When this unit attacks a vanguard, with "Wandering Wild Card, Zero" boosting, this unit gets Power +5000/Critical +1 until end of turn.
[CONT](VC) Generation Break 2 Unite: All of your rear-guards get "Intercept" and "[CONT](RC): This unit can intercept from the back row during the battle that your vanguard was attacked.".