"Cardfight in Wonderland" - Zoo Branch

Sakuya simply remained on the sidelines, watching the somewhat comical fight between Jessie and the panda. It was evident from the way he played that Jessie wasn't familiar with any of Oracle Think Tank's variants, but Sakuya couldn't really blame him. The clan had barely been on the map in the past, so only handfuls of people actually knew how the clan functioned on a more intimate level. The one part in particular that caught Sakuya's eye was when the panda demanded Jessie choose a different unit to retire for one of his skills, not wanting to lose her rearguard Pudding. This girl must really love the dessert, in all of its forms.

In the end, Jessie pulled through and scored the victory, and Sakuya applauded them both. "Well done, Jessie," She congratulated her friend, approaching the two. "You adapted quite well during that match. Hopefully you've learned a great deal about our clan for the next time you have to fight it- Maybe we'll face each other one day?" The shrine maiden was joking, but she did want to fight the youth at some point.

"And you, miss, played splendidly as well. It's so refreshing, watching someone else play my favorite clan so well." She clapped for the panda too, showering both fighters with praise. She glanced up to the sky momentarily, noting the position of the sun- The event had been running for quite some time. "Perhaps we can have a match together sometime too. In the next Zoo event, perhaps? Oh, and I haven't forgotten about our pudding date, of course."

It certainly felt like it had not been long, but already, Victoria had brought back a pleasant, purple flower. Satoshi took a small puff of his pipe, and with that puff, a memory came to him, visible in the flower.

The loss of a loved one from his past...

He gazed distantly as he blew back out the puff he had taken in. The Guardian had experienced this pain, not once, but several times...could it be that this girl had experienced such a thing as well? Even if so...it was not right of him to ask. She had passed the first section without having to explain a word.

Satoshi motioned for her to sit in front of him as he set his pipe aside, dousing it so it would not light the meadow aflame. "Tell me, Victoria...how much do you love Vanguard? How far would you go for it?" His eyes were alight with a slight green hue; her response would let him see her passion and dedication take spiritual form. This was an element of his deep meditation training: he could see the true root of one's spirit from their honesty.

From the beginning of the fight against Varess, Sieg could tell she was being tested.  Every moment, every play of the fight, was a test.  But, Sieg felt she was ready for it.  She did her best to live up to the test, and fought with everything she had from beginning to end, not wanting to give up until the final blow had been dealt.

She succeeded in getting her ride chain, giving her a strong early start.  However, that momentum quickly died when she was forced to discard two of the only rear-guards she would get all game to take her first Stride.  While that first stride turn was strong, pushing Varess to five damage...  The rest of the game was only downhill for her from there.  

Varess' next turn put a heavy strain on sieg's hand, forced to guard an onslaught against her only rear-guard in Sazanda.  However, she countered with another powerful turn in Viktplasma, given the opportunity by Varess to close the fight then and there with just a single trigger.  However, Sieg failed to check any triggers during the first or the second attack, leaving Varess with no hand.  Even though he wasn't able to Stride, it took everything Sieg had to survive the turn.  Now, her hand was gone in return and she was staring down impossible odds.  Still, she wasn't ready to give up.  There was still a chance, however small it was, that she could still turn this fight around.  All she needed was a little bit of luck.

It came to her.  She drew a Grade Three and strode once again into Viktplasma, but triggers once again abandoned her.  With only two cards in her hand, five cards in damage, and three of her heals already having shown themselves in the fight only at moments where they did nothing, surviving the next turn was completely impossible.  Once again, Sieg collapsed to her knees as the sixth damage was dealt.  As if to add insult to injury, it was a heal trigger.  The next damage was the end.  There was no chance of recovery.

"Ah..." she said, unable to muster the strength to say any more.  At least...  at least she already had one gold card.  She managed to win once, right?  But, it wasn't enough.  She'd lost here, after coming so incredibly close, after being handed opportunities to win, she had failed.  It just made it all worse, all more painful.  

"Like a moth to a flame," the lady in red said as she walked out from her hiding place behind Chris.  "Really, your costume's incredibly appropriate.  I was planning on just coming straight to you but your little friend there just had to get in my way.  I figured he'd made great bait, and now here you are.  Way easier than I thought it'd be."  

She held a lollipop in her mouth as she spoke, staring smugly at the irritated prey in front of her.  "I've heard about you, Chris.  Decided I wanted to save the best prey for my last.  I hope you won't disappoint me like the others did.  I want to thoroughly enjoy crushing you like that bug,” she continued, biting down on the lollipop with the word crushing as a malicious grin appeared on her face.

”The real game starts here!”

Neither side took an edge in the early game, matching each other blow for blow.  The lady in red rode to Grade Three first, once again unleashing Chronofang Tiger who punched Chris’ starter back into her deck.  Wary of Megacolony’s stun, she held back an all-out assault for now.  The damage was a meager 2-3 in the mystery lady’s favour, but now came the first stride turn.  Yet, the woman seemed completely unconcerned, even taking the time to mock Chris as her turn ended.

“So, tell me, what’s it like to realize you weren’t what you thought you were in your game of cat and mouse?”

Once again, Chris rode Cyclomatus instead of Darkface first.  Her first turn was unimpressive, unable to make much of a dent on red’s gamestate, leading only to further mockery from her.  The lady responded with the descent of Altered Dragon aided by Upstream Dragon and Nani, pushing her offense despite knowing the power of the Break Ride on Chris’ Vanguard circle.  She was completely unafraid of it, her confidence not waning for even a second.

It was a powerful series of attacks, but Chris wasn’t bothered by it, seeing a full field sitting right in front of her.  She unleashed her most dangerous combo, breakriding Darkface over Cyclomatus and Striding into Stun Beetle.  Yet, the lady in red still had the same smug expression on her face, even making a “come at me” gesture to Chris.  And that Chris did, pushing with everything she had against the Tiger’s board to force her into submission, powering up Stun Beetle with two Bomb Scissors, giving her five Soul.  Yet, the lady in red was able to just barely stop the assault.  

“That’s what you call a your strongest combo?” the woman said, shrugging to look like she was disappointed.  “Well, let me show you what a real ultimate combo looks like.”  It seemed like one hell of a bluff considering the state of her field.  Her entire field was stunned and it definitely didn’t seem like she had the hand to replace it.  

“Ride.  Chronofang Tiger.”  The second Chronofang appeared, one of the last cards that remained in her hand through Chris’ assault.  She bound the last one to Stride, a draw trigger, leaving her with no more cards in hand.

“Come forth, my strongest follower!  Annihilate those that dare stand against our revolution and sweep them away beyond time!  Stride Generation!  Interdimensional Dragon, Bind Time Dragon!”  The grin returned to the woman’s face, warped even more with insanity and excitement, betraying her true excitement that she was on equal footing with an opponent.

“Bind Time Dragon!  Wipe it all away!  I bind four of my rear-guards, and send your entire board back to the deck!”  The only cards that remained on the board were the Vanguards, and the woman’s starter, Chrono Tigar.  “Then…  Gear Tabby and Etana!  Power up Bind Time even further!` A 46000 monster, and Chris had been caught without a perfect guard against the same devastating interactions that had dealt the final blow to Varess.  Yet, without hesitation, Chris used all of her shield to stop it.  The woman in red smirked as she went through her drive checks, not realizing what was about to happen.  Her drive checks revealed no triggers, and even worse, the last two copies of Chronofang Tiger.  

`Well, I guess you lived up to my expectations well enough, but it’s time for this game to be over.  I activate the skills of the two Nanis in my bind Zone.  Superior Call.”  And in that moment, she fell for Chris’ trap.  Darkface’s Generation Break Two activated twice, resting both of the Nanis before they could deal the final blow.  In that one moment, just for a split second, the woman’s confidence disappeared and showed irritation, though her composure returned soon.

Once again, Chris unleashed Stun Beetle, though she lacked the cards to commit much more after having her board wiped by Bind Time.  That woman only had 4 cards in her hand, and based on her three drive checks, it was highly unlikely she’d be able to guard this, but fortune had smiled upon the lady in red.

“Perfect Guard.” The card that she’d drawn with Gear Tabby’s skill.  After one weak attack from a grade 2 powered up with her only trigger was intercepted by one of the Nanis, Chris’ final assault was over.

The lady in red eyed her G Zone with distaste as her turn came.  “You know what they say, right?  If you want something done right…  You just have to do it yourself.  Ride!  Chronofang Tiger!  Skill, I bind the other Chronofang Tiger in my hand and return your ugly beetle back to your deck.  And now, for the finale, Chrono Tigar’s skill.  I superior Call the Chronofang I just bound from the Bind Zone and give it 4000 power.  Emenbarla’s skill, I superior call her from the bind zone behind the rear-guard Chronofang.  I call Masergear Dragon behind the Vanguard… and attack!”

Chris’ only chance was a heal trigger coming to her at the very end, but the lady’s Drive Checks spelled the end of that dream as she revealed a critical trigger.  At full force, Chronofang’s left fist smashed into Darkface’s torso, putting the back-and-forth between the two who behaved like mirrors to an end.  Through an incredible stroke of luck, the lady in red had managed a genuine win against Chris.

With Koga's departure, Tamotsu found himself without the backlog of excited fighters waiting to challenge him for a gold card he'd had for the whole of the event thus far. Things were surely winding down and he would take the moment to rest after thanking the animals of the rainforest for their cooperation thus far. His supply of gold cards was almost non-existent at this point and by now someone had to have claimed the fight with Rikuto meaning things would be wrapping up soon.

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Tsubame was almost in stitches over the combination of Jessie not having noticed her til this point and the panda who wanted pudding in exchange for the gold cards. And when she finally did fight she seemed way too serious about things and was almost treating herself like an anime character. She had expected a bunch of tryhard kids to be present in the event but the sheer variety of things at play that the people seemed to take seriously was just too much.

"You guys are a riot." she said while regaining her composure. Humans couldn't actually behave this way she thought. The event was just putting bizarre pressure on those participating. She'd have to stick around to see if this was actually just how they were or not.

----------

The Zoo staff had finished preparations and as they'd been doing so a few more fighters had wandered in. These were those who had attempted the strategy of obtain a single gold card and return but most had proved unsuccessful in that effort and now saw the Branch Manager already with Hikari, confirming the opportunity was lost to them.

To signal to the rest of the event that the Mad Hatter's challenge would now be underway, several flare guns were shot into the air. The bright red light from the burning flares would be visible even in daylight, though those in the rainforest would have to rely on information from those on the periphery. This signal told the zone card holders to begin packing it in and informed the gold card holders to wrap up with those on hand. The event was by no means over and there would be time for people to challenge who they would, but the beginning of the end was underway.

"Well Hikari-chan, it seems things are finally ready." he said to the girl motioning to the fight table. He walked to the far side of it before withdrawing two decks from his pockets and setting them down on the table in front of him. "I'll give you a choice. Shall I fight you as a doctor or as a hero?" the man questioned curiously. It seemed each role indicated something about the nature of the two decks but he wouldn't reveal what clans they were. Zoo clans were a given but perhaps the Branch Director had something unexpected up his sleeve.

Hikari's excitement reignited with the launching of the flare guns. People had begun to gather around, and it served as a reminder to Hikari that, even if this event had gone sour, her plan was still successful. At least, so far. She had secured the special fight. Even if she lost, it would be worth it, she was certain. But she wouldn't lose. She walked to the opposite side of the fight table as Rikuto talked to her. A doctor or a hero, huh? There was only one option. Hikari presented her deck, Victor standing proudly in front, "I'm a hero, too," she declared confidently, "so let's see who's the strongest hero!"

With the crowd surrounding them, Hikari felt incredibly pumped up. This was her chance to prove herself. Even if it was just a few people, all eyes would be on her, and she was ready to blow them away.

Jessie sighed, a mix of relief and irritation as Sakuya talked to him. He was annoyed at how that game went or how much he had to do to even get the game in the first place, and he lowkey felt the slightest bit of shade at the adaption remark. It was a compliment, but the brunette just didn't feel great knowing his ignorance of the card pool would hinder him greatly. Even so, it was a compliment from the Korean champion, and it was worth the frustration of dealing with the panda and his own shortcoming to hear that. "Thanks, though I'm not sure I'd be a challenge for you yet." He gave a grin, feeling his anxiety around the shrine maiden ease bit by bit over time.

"Pudding, then we can play, sure." The panda nodded in reply to Sakuya, though she did decide to speak up for those lingering around. "The event is almost over, by the way."

"Ah, shit, right! I need to get moving!" Jessie was ready to run off again. "You and Aoi got way ahead of me thanks to Hana-san's quest. But I'm not gonna stay behind you both forever, so I gotta get going!" The earnest young man conveyed his determination to the maiden, vowing to keep pace with even national champions.

"That sounds like a cool line." The panda noted the trope. Jessie could almost feel Tsubame ready with another quip about it too... Though, the panda took Tsubame's compliment to heart while the brunette was the littlest bit miffed.

Man's not anime...

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Varess was - to be brutally honest - unimpressed and kind of disappointed. Though, he blamed himself for expecting so much from a kid compared to the lady in red, assuming those who followed Hana and the Chronofang Tiger player would be just as good. That isn't to say the little miss wasn't spirited, at least. With a somewhat outdated deck of Blaus mixed in with new era cards, Sieg knew her way around Nova Grappler enough to play competently and pushed Varess to five damage by her first Stride. Unfortunately for her, as lazy and nonchalant as he was, Varess knew his way around Great Nature and the game's card pool. Which is why...

... he knew Perfect Guards hurt a lot more than helped in a clan with no advantage.

So, he played masterfully by attacking with Wisdom Teller Dragon, an onhit Stride. Of course Sieg wasn't going to let it pass, as he would get damage in and draw even more cards than he would naturally with his clan. And yet, he used this knowledge to play to her downfall while wearing his trademark grin. The slick-tongued gent played against the fundamental weakness of his opponent's clan, and snowballed by doing what she couldn't: drew cards. With ferocious attacks from Sazanda and Viktplasma, he was still one step ahead, even if he had to take numerous gambles like a one-pass he wasn't proud of... He admittedly got very lucky with that move, guarding well enough to keep applying pressure even when he couldn't Stride. For an obnoxiously lazy man, Zoo's Number Two had powerful, calculating plays with brilliant combinations.

Sometimes, he wondered how he'd do against the actual clan leader of Great Nature.

Regardless, Omniscience Dragon, Managrmr sealed victory, even when Sieg had sixth healed.

"Good try, little miss." Panda dad praised.

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Chrisaline wore a smirk filled with ire and confidence, "You're going to be quite disappointed when no crushing occurs." In plenty of a bad mood thanks to Aoi and having no sympathy for the bruised Longhorn Hunter, the game began with sparks filling the charged air of the hills. The game wasn't one-sided in the slightest, both sides colliding at amazing force early on, and Darkface's deck wasn't even designed to play early...! Though she lost Crimebug to Chronofang Tiger's skill, the threat of her clan's natural gimmick brought the foe to hold off on an aggressive assault, which is exactly what her deck wanted. It either instilled fear and caused people to hold back, or punished them for being brave: this was the psychological warfare of despair crafted by Killer Queen in which there was no way out. Thanks to this play, Chris got to build with Paraspear, preparing her deadlock once more. "I haven't the faintest what you mean, huhuhu..." Wicked smirk returning in response to the woman's remark about the game of cat and mouse, the violent sadist still felt plenty in control.

Unlike the other fools who had been easily floored by the never-before-seen Gear Chronicle units, she rose to the challenge and adapted swiftly. Going down to Limit Break range, she played off of her adversary's haughty nature that was a little too close to her own attitude... Darkface appeared, Break Riding over Cyclomatus, and planting her devastating combo play with Stun Beetle. While little miss Red was still sure of herself, Chris' strongest combo still showed significant amounts of power, shredding through her hand like everyone else's. "Huhu, show me the might of the clan that was lost to the rift."

Interdimensional Dragon, Bind Time Dragon appeared from a Chronofang re-ride, along with some more garbage about some sort of revolution. "Lovely, the same drivel as Koga..." Chris muttered to herself mockingly, uncaring for the grand ideals of those who approached her. All that mattered to her was that her opponent was strong for once, and the heat of a good game was drowning out her indignation toward Aoi Undyne. Matching her foe's insanity with a crazed smile, she and Darkface stared down the forty six thousand powered behemoth as it blew away the stunned rearguards and the insects for its skill. Despite having no Perfect Guard, Chris dropped all the shield value she could muster in stopping the attack. That hurt, but a Triple Drive of no triggers and two grade threes surely hit much more. Even worse, new rearguards were following the monster's swing... Or, were supposed to. "Game over? How cute... Darkface's Generation Break Two." That's right... the power of her deck and the strongest combo did not come from victory through a burst play. It was a burst of set up. Cyclomatus and Stun Beetle were to drain hand, knowing Stride would be a lot harder thanks to this. Chronofang's skill did mitigate that somewhat, but it was still pulling cards from hand. So many did not understand how Chris won since that combo didn't draw cards, it was still very much chance based in being able to stop the attacks of next turn.

So that's where the insurance of her new era avatar came in.

Darkface blew through soul, resting called units. Through his double stun and building soul from Break Riding, Chris sets herself up to bring the opponent to a dead halt should she set off her combo. And the look on Red's face... That one, single moment that stripped away the confidence of her opponent...

"Huhu..."

Chrisaline Egao... is strong...

Unfortunately, despite the strong mind game, it wasn't strong enough to secure the win. With minimal resources, Staggle Dipper was out of the question. Never mind Red's somewhat cleaned board meant he wouldn't get a substantial power up. So, the obvious choice was to play off of the terrible Triple Drive, going into Stun Beetle once more in an attempt for the game-ending onhit... Except, a Perfect Guard appeared, drawn instead of checked into. "Tch." Killer Queen scowled, knowing that was her only chance. The issue with her destructive combo is how much it costed and how it built no advantage, so if the game continues for too long... the foe can bounce back. Which is exactly what happened with a turn of no Striding, Chronofang Tiger empowered by a Critical Trigger to end the game.

"... Hah." Chris had enjoyed herself at least, not overly bothered by her defeat. A spirited game of real competition which alleviated the stress of her previous game. Thanks to Fubuki, she wasn't as upset as she would've been in the past about losing... but it still stung. "I almost had a perfect record today, but you ruined it. Feel honored, little cat~" Their personalities mirrored one another to the end, and the one instance of breaking her foe's composure was good enough. With her last gold card, she handed it out to a victor who had genuinely won instead of Chris surrendering to them instead.

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Koga had happened upon the riddler: Neo Nectar's Clan Leader: Satoshi Kurosaki. While she can't say she didn't expect it, she was considering a wise crack for how she never saw him during the war. Alas... she would be a little nicer since it is her last stop, and earning favor with him meant more positive energy sent to the Link Joker movement. Though, he seemed to be speaking with someone else... The cabbage slowly approached, not trying to interrupt but making her presence known.

"I was hoping you'd say that." Rikuto said with a smile as he put one of his decks away and moved the other into the proper position on the table. This was to be a clash of heroes then. A fitting and happy end to the event, a few hiccups aside. He drew the top card off of his deck, his starting vanguard, and placed it face-down on the vanguard circle for the beginning of the fight. Everything was set. Rikuto was raring to go as he reached to flip the card up for the beginning of the fight.

"Stand u-"

Bzzzzzt

What was that?

Bzzzzzt

A phone?

Bzzz-

"Hello? ... yes this is Doctor Minami, what's happened this time?" came Rikuto's voice. His phone had started vibrating in his pocket and he had taken the phone call before he'd been able to flip up his starting vanguard.

"Yes... That bad huh... Yes I'll be right there... Do everything you can to stop the bleeding until I get there... Keep someone with the parents, last thing we need is them taking up space in the operation room..." came the one audible half of the conversation. It was known by the association at the time of his hiring that Rikuto was still going to be an on-call trauma surgeon. He never ignored the call to save a life. No matter what he was doing.

Click.

The call ended. In one motion the man took off the ridiculous hat for his costume after putting his phone away. He swept up his starting vanguard back into his deck and pocketed it.

"Hikari-chan, I am truly sorry but my services are required. There's been a near fatal car accident nearby the Dragon Empire Branch building and a little girl needs me or she won't be long for this world. If you'd like I can have Yamata-san fight you in my stead." he said with a much more hurried tone. There was a real sense of urgency to what he was saying. A deep regret to have to interrupt the event but even more important was the life hanging in the balance.

The man pulled his phone out one more time to text the clan leaders and Varess to let them know to take charge of the situation. To all of them he sent:

"Got called in. End the event without me. Varess, you're in charge. Need you here at the pavilion now. Might need you to fight the winner for me.
-Rikuto"

With that concluded the Branch Director would hover at the table long enough for Hikari to voice her feelings on the matter as to what she wanted to do. He wouldn't have long however and it was clear his mind was already at the hospital working out the treatment and needed procedures.

The lady in red took her fourth gold card. With this, she'd defeated the four branch members she had been aiming for. Well, three of them, anyways. However, in order to guarantee her place at the top, she needed a fifth. As she looked at the four gold cards already in her position, an idea came to her mind.

"Later, moth. Don't go burning up in any flames before I get a chance to stomp out your real power," she said with a wave, seeming to be aware that Chris hadn't used her real deck. Fubuki arrived soon after, just missing her opportunity to get Chris' final gold card. As she walked passed the lady in red, the woman whispered, "Too late," flashing her 4 gold cards before vanishing into the hills.

Fubuki was more than a little annoyed at herself for not being fast enough to get Chris' final gold card

Sieg had been completely outmatched by Varess. A "good try" wasn't enough. In silence, she left the lake and headed back towards the branch to turn in her single gold card. As she neared it, a voice rang out from behind one of the nearby trees.

"Yo," the lady in red said as she walked out with her usual smug expression. Sieg was utterly baffled, doing a double take between that woman and the hills. How had this woman beaten her here!? "Say, you have a gold card, right?" Sieg nodded reluctantly. "Good, good," she woman responded before revealing the four gold cards she had managed to collect. Once again, Sieg was shocked. In the time it took her to challenge only two gold card holders, this woman had not jut challenged but beaten all 4. "Impressive, right? But I'm not going to settle for second place.
And that's where you come in," the woman pointed at Sieg. "You'd just love to have these 4 cards, right? So, let's make a bet. We'll put all of our gold cards on the line, winner takes all five. Guaranteed first place. The only condition is..." She paused as her malicious grin took form.

"I want to crush Chronojet."

Her voice was filled with anger and venom. Sieg was confused, both by the bet and how this woman knew of her Chronojet deck when she'd yet to make it public. She had received that deck from Cero, but only ever played it in her training. Still, this was a chance. She didn't even think about whether or not this would be against the rules of the event. If she beat this woman who had beaten her at every other turn in the event, she'd win without a doubt the most FICA points with five gold cards.

"Alright… I accept!" Sieg said. In her mind, there was nothing to lose. She'd lost both the chance at being first place for the special event and to take first place overall without this fight. Taking anything but first was meaningless at this point.

The two fighters stared each other down for a moment before the fight. This fight had more riding on it than any other in the event, the stakes raised by the mysterious woman’s reckless bet. Right out of the gate, the woman went on a ferocious assault just like she had against Varess. Sieg pushed back with an equal assault, putting both fighters on 4 damage before the first stride turn. Yet, the assault didn’t let up at all. Altered Dragon once again took center stage in a full-frontal assault, complete with all the key players in the red woman’s most devastating turns. Upstream, Nani, Emenbarla, and Etana were all on the board yet again. But, Sieg was aware, and after making it through the turn she countered with Upheaval Pegasus, replacing the woman’s board with a brand new one from the top of her deck.

Although Sieg had managed to prevent the worst case scenario with this, her assault suffered, unable to deal a decisive blow against the woman. The lady in red this time strode into Ragnaclock second, as the board Upheaval had left her with was less than idea for Bind Time’s devastating power. With a perfect guard in hand, Sieg managed to make it through the turn and responded with her own Ragnaclock, but red had a perfect guard of her own in hand.

As different as the two decks functioned, they were a completely equal match for each other. But, the battle was soon going to come to a close as the ace Stride of the woman in red made its final descent upon the event. Bind Time Dragon wiped away Sieg’s board, and with Tabby and Upstream once again on the woman’s own board, she was able to unleash her devastating combo upon Sieg who’s perfect guard had been taken by the prior Ragnaclock. Still, despite the overwhelming power of Bind Time Dragon, she managed to defend for three to pass with enough to spare for the single Nani that was in the woman’s Bind Zone

“Drive trigger. First check. Critical trigger. All of the effects to Bind Time Dragon. Second check, Critical Trigger. I do the same. Final Check.” As the woman reached for the final drive check, Sieg’s heart was racing. A third critical trigger would make the attack five critical, more than anyone could heal out of.

“Critical Trigger.” There it was. The final blow. A devastating five critical attack blew through Sieg’s guardians and wiped her out, taking her only gold card along with it.

For Sieg, this event had ended in... game over.

Today was a real roller coaster of emotions. Constant ups and downs, culminating in this potential tragedy involving a little girl in an accident. Shook, Hikari said, "Oh no, that's terrible," she hoped everything would be alright, "Hurry on and do what you need to do. I'll be fine fighting Yamata-sama. Just promise me you'll save that little girl." Compared to the life of a child, everything else today seemed completely irrelevant. Even Rin temporarily left Hikari's thoughts. Her situation was awful, of course, but she would have the chance to recover. Even if Hikari didn't get a fight at all, it wouldn't matter. There was something infinitely more important on the line. Nothing, Hikari thought, could be more important than the life of a child.

In the back of Hikari's mind, she thought of what Rikuto had said just moments prior. Should he fight as a doctor, or as a hero. Was there a difference?

As Victoria spoke, the essence of her spirit was visible to the Guardian's piercing green eyes. Despite her negative answers and feelings towards Vanguard...the young girl's honesty showed a pure, bright, sky-blue color. Even if she was someone who was not enamored with the game, which was even greater than she possibly knew, Satoshi knew Victoria could be trusted.

Speaking her mind on all things and having strong core values...those were the pieces to his puzzle. Neo Nectar's Clan Leader had known ahead of time that few would stop to take his test, because they would assume it a test of the mind and not a test of the heart. Only those with the purest of intentions, no matter what they may be, would pass. And this young one of the new generation, even with her looks to not be that of a cardfighter passed effortlessly.

Reflecting on this momentarily, Satoshi nodded and reached for a gold card from his sleeve, but from the corner of his eye, he noticed another individual had come to his domain. This individual was a lot more familiar, for it was one of Generation Rare---and thus formerly Reaperkin---F Chopper Koga. The man's eyes narrowed a little. Times had certainly changed since events of the past, but to see her here now...was she involved with FICA as well for some reason? He noticed a glint of gold reflecting off of four other gold cards she had with her, which answered the question for him.

Satoshi thought to speak, but paused before opening his lips. Had Koga listened to what Victoria had said? How would she react to it, let alone the fact that he was going to pass her regardless in his examination? Perhaps it would be more fitting for her to speak first before he made any declarations all his own.

"Useless...?" Koga couldn't help but speak up, and she had choked down her desire for doing so until Victoria finished. Sure enough, Vanguard wasn't for everyone, despite its immense popularity, and all people have their own varying opinions. It was not the cabbage's place to bring this girl to like Vanguard. However... the insult - the claim that everything humanity had put into it was meaningless... Her eyes widened with a hint of fury, her fist trembling as she looked toward the offending party. "It's not..." She breathed, trying not to become needlessly angry...

... But the flashing images of herself, Fuki, and Tomozo - Generation Rare - before everything changed...

"It's not useless!" Koga shouted, disturbing the peaceful atmosphere of the calm meadows as she put her foot down. "It's more than just a game to people! It's how... It's how we, how my sisters and I connected...! How we stayed connected, despite what happened...!!" Her tone was shaky, losing its usual confidence despite how far ahead she was in the event. How she didn't have to speak a word to someone who has a clear dislike for the game. But the impact of Vanguard that kept a trio together - even when the God of Death knocked on their door - was too great to let the offense slide. "... Sorry." Koga took a minute to re-compose herself, taking a deep breath and assuming her usual tone of voice again.

Yet, the girl still trembled with emotion.

"... Maybe it's nothing to a kid like you." Koga spoke, putting a hand to her hip. "But... The images of Vanguard people can make together, bring them together and it kept my family together. It's... really infuriating to hear you say it's useless when it means so much to people like me." Eyes shut closed, still shaking with controlled anger...

Would she still have said things like this if she still thought like a reaper drone, she wondered?

"... Sorry." She apologized again, but this time to Satoshi as well for her interruption.

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The clan leaders and panda dad got Rikuto's text, checking their phones.

"Oh." The pudding-loving panda didn't seem bothered.
"What a shock!" Chrisaline said sarcastically after the tiger girl left.

"Hey now... Don't make me do more work, Rikuto..." That left Varess, despairing as he began making his way toward the pavilion... as slowly as he possibly could. He took in the sights, got out of costume since it was really getting sweaty in there, and took note of how a good chunk of zoo animals were following the aimlessly roaming Aoi Undyne. Will just have to address it later, he supposed. For now, as he was in better condition thanks to removing the bulky mascot uniform, the smooth-talking number two of the nation branch made his way to the specified location, seeing numerous staff and others wrapping up. A couple of fighters that had made it there seemed plenty upset Hikari had beaten them to the punch, but he didn't really care. "Well, seeing as you're the only one up here that isn't ticked off about being slow, I assume you're our winner for the Mad Hatter's challenge?" His invincible smirk combined with his casual tone of voice showed that the man under the panda suit... was exactly the same outside of it, not enthusiastic about getting into a fun role or anything. "My name is Varess Yamata, as I hope you remember from the podium... I may not be Rikuto, but I can still give you a game if you'd like."

Hikari was surprised by how long it was taking for this Yamata guy to show up. Surely he'd gotten the message, right? Rikuto hadn't accidentally forgot to send him the message in his hurry, right? Maybe he got lost. Wait. That didn't make sense. He worked here, right? He couldn't get lost. He was probably just busy dealing with something important. That must be it.

Finally, the man she'd seen earlier that day appeared before her. She inclined her head to him, "That's right, I am. I'm Hikari Sugimoto," she said, pointing a thumb at herself. The man seemed wholly different than Rikuto. It was an almost jarring change. Still, he didn't seem like a bad guy, and he'd probably give Hikari a good fight. Then again, he wasn't the branch director. Would anybody care if she beat him? Would it mean nearly as much? He must be good, if he's important, but... Hikari shook the thought off. Nothing had changed. Winning this fight would still make her the winner, at least in her eyes. And she still had to win the game for Rin's sake too. She couldn't worry about her opponent's status at a time like this. Placing her deck on the fight table, Hikari looked Varess in the eyes, a fiery passion once more ignited within her own, "Well Yamata-sama, let's make it a good fight!"

ZzzZZZzzzzZZzzzzzZZzz...

"Wake up...."

A voice...

ZzzZZZzzzzZZzzzzzZZzz...

"Wake up....!!!"

ZzzZZZzzzzZZzzzzzZZzz...

"Mirai.... Wake up....!!!"

ZzzZZZzzzzZZzzzzzZZzz...

"For fu... dammit, WAKE THE HELL UP YOU IDIOT!!"

Then a force.... that of a kick? Followed by a painful thump to the floor. Mirai was kicked out of her warm, comfortable bed and into the hard, cold floor of her small apartment. The blond gave a quick yelp before face planting to the floor. "OWWWW!!! WHHYYYYY?!?! WHAT'S THE BIG IDEA!?!?!" Mirai yelled and complained in pain while looking at the direction of where the kick came from.

"I can't believe you... how stupid and careless can you be?! Do you even realize what day it is?!"

Mirai's vision slowly coming more clear and noticed a familiar face. The face of her best buddy! "Huh...? Noel?? Oh my gosh! Noel!!" Mirai instantly got up and sprung towards the girl in an attempt to glomp her and kiss her cheeks. Almost successful but Noel saw this coming and uppercutted the airhead, "HOW MANY TIMES I TOLD YOU TO STOP THAT?!"

In almost an anime-like fashion, Mirai fell back to the ground after receiving a powerful uppercut and twitched in typical anime-cliche. "My god... I knew you were an idiot but this... I never thought you can surprise me this much..." Noel sighed in utter disappointment.

Noel Kusanagi, one of the two Beacons of Light whose strength helped pave a road to a shining future during the invasion of the Reapers. Nowadays, she is the head of the department in charge of developing more fun and innovative ways to increase the Cardfight experience. Of course, the only downside is working at the family company which is being ran by her power-hungry cold and ruthless brother. Why does she endure it? Because she wants everyone to enjoy Vanguard to the fullest, to make it like if they are right there with their units fighting together.

The future generation seems bleak if she is one to continue the righteous path... A new voice emerged, it was Salome who materialized enough that Noel and Mirai can see.

"Eyyyy!! Salami!! How's it going?!" Mirai said happy to see the astral form of Salome, ignoring the pain. The astral formed knight's eye twitched at being called Salami. If you would excuse me... Tiffany and Julia are up to no good... And with that, Salome disappeared.

"You know... you really are an idiot, did you forget what important thing you have to do?" Noel said, with one hand adjusting her glasses and the other hand on her hip. "Seriously, I can't be babysitting you all the time, I have precious time of work that I gotta do!"

"What are you talking about Noellers? It's not like there is a.... AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! I'M LAAAAAAAAAAAAAATE!!" There it is. Finally. It all clicked. The Zoo Branch's event. Of course, Mirai overslept.

Noel facepalmed, nodding her head left to right. "Jeez, I'm out of here. If you run now like you always do, you might just make it on time, just don't be stupid and get lost like you always do!" Mirai listened but didn't have time to respond. The airhead quickly changed clothes and ran off. Hoping to make it on time. Noel then took off and went back to her home/job to continue working on something exciting that may come out soon.

Several painful minutes later...

"Finally... I.... I... I made it.... and I didn't get lost too...!" Mirai said, exhausted from all the running, gasping for air. When she got to the area where the opening announcements were to be held, there was... no one. All the participants had already entered inside and just a random staff member was there. The airhead blond explained what happened and after the staff member facepalmed in disbelief to how careless Mirai was, gave her a quick rundown of what she needed to do. "Ehhhh? So all I gotta do is just take one of these paths and get some cards? Sounds easy enough for me! Heave... hooo!!" Pretty sure that ending part doesn't fit to what she was about to do but who cares at this point. Mirai got pumped and charged right into one of the paths. Thankfully she somewhat made it on time.

"WHY DID I TAKE THIS PATH?! SOOOOO TIIIIIRED!!!" Mirai had randomly chosen the hilly path. Where the slopes of the hill exhausted her more and more due to unreasonable running. Miraculously a staff member was still there by a fight table. When the staff member looked at Mirai, a look of disappointed was given. Almost as he said Why are you here now?? You realize how late you are??!

"You.... non-playable character looking guy... you... my story's plot device.... fight me...!!" Mirai's exhaustion had began to splatter fourth wall breaking nonsense while pulling out her deck and putting it on the fight table. The staff member felt triggered at the insults(?) since Mirai practically made it sound that the staff member's life was meaningless in this story. Sadly, that's all there was to it. The staff member saw yellow. Yes. Yellow. As in, critical triggers. For the sake of time, Mirai's deck somehow realized how late she is to this and obliterated the staff member with unlimited crit works. Crying, soul shattered and depressed to how meaningless his life has become, gave out the convenient last zone area card.

"All right! I got a... a zone card!" Mirai held the card high, like if it was some sort of gym badge. So... now what. All this build up, all of it. This can't be it right? A cabbage ball slowly passes by via the cliche wind of awkwardness as Mirai is still in that gym badge holding pose.

As much as to her surprise, Mirai can now fight the area boss! This is feeling much like a video game of sorts! She walked around, enjoying the scenery that she just noticed hoping it could trigger some cutscene-like moment.

"Yamata... sama?" Varess raised his brow, then chuckled. "Ah... hahaha... No need for that, but I could definitely get used to it... My own protege would never refer to me in such a manner... makes me tear up a little." Poor man took a psycho in as his understudy, unfortunately. He stroked his chin, imagining the insane vixen taking up a more tempered, grateful personality with an adorable smile.

"Yamata-sama!"

"Ah... Alas, let me not yammer on. Let's get started, shall we?" He didn't know about a good fight, but he'd... try about as much as he had been normally. Though, to be honest, his lack of real effort or interest as still actually stolen some wins today - even against a foreign champion - so Hikari may be in for a treat.

---------------------------------------

You know, Chris had run out of gold cards after her fight with Red. She sacrificed two to surrenders and only had three total. ... That sure didn't stop her from convincing people she still had gold cards, and it's not like they were going to win anyway. Mirai was one of those poor, unfortunate souls who had stumbled upon Killer Queen and her band of criminal mutant insects. One of her Longhorn Hunters was still out of commission, but that didn't stop her. "Oh, another little mouse appears!"

This was just like Chris' usual warfare. Despair or despair, there's no real inbetween when it came to fighting Darkface. Here? Even if Mirai miraculously won...

Well, Chris didn't plan for that embarrassment to happen anyway.

---------------------------------------

"... I'll respect it, but I won't like it." Koga replied to Victoria, understanding that not everyone would see the world the same way she does. That's kind of why she's acting for Link Joker in the first place... Still, the cabbage really wanted to pry to try and grasp the concept of how Vanguard could break a family apart. "It's not really my place, and I shouldn't have gotten upset like that." She folded her arms, visibly frustrated but conceding overall. While she teased Carlos all the time, the difference between the siblings did make her appreciate the Simple Soul a little more than she did before.

A cold chill just went down Mirai's spine. Was this the feeling of... a boss encounter?! So fast too! The blond turned around and saw the area boss with a creepy looking smile. "Hey! That's not nice! I'm no mouse! Just because I have blond hair doesn't mean electricity is gonna shoot out of my cheeks!"

Whether any of the weird references Mirai is making made sense or not, she knew there was one thing left to do and it's to fight! Taking her trusty new Royal Paladin deck out once more, Mirai was itching to test her skills with the Zoo Branch's designated boss for this event. Well, at least for this area. If they chose this girl, she must be strong right? What a perfect opportunity! "If you don't mind, I'm gonna be snatching one of them cards from you so I can clear this event!"

A gust of wind blew through as Koga had her outburst. The air felt tense for just a moment, but with the newgen's response, that tension was carried away on the tail end of the breeze. Satoshi let the situation settle itself, as it seemed as though the two girls had come to an impasse. With a light sigh, he presented Victoria with a gold card from under his robe's sleeve.

"The key to my 'puzzle' was speaking from the heart. Your honesty is very up front. I think your brother would appreciate knowing his younger sister is pure of intention, even if the game he loves so dearly pains her." The Guardian gave a half-smile. "Even if you do not see to eye with Carlos, Koga, and the rest of us, I hope at the very least you understand how our passion points us. I agree with you that it has brought pain and suffering to some, and that in itself proves the game is not perfect or any sort of substitute for life..."

His eyes, once again piercing green, shifted gazes to Koga. "But such can also be said of existence at its core. I can only hope the world can find a happy medium that prevents such conflicts of interest." Koga's spirit was a bright green, much akin to what one would find if they looked at Satoshi's, but there was a tint of dark grey around her heart...something he would have to inquire into, more than likely, once he got through his cryptic metaphors. The clan leader returned his gaze to Victoria, ignoring his phone.

"That gold card will get you an audience with our branch leader, Rikuto. Or his deputy, Varess, knowing how busy the doctor can get. Use it as you will. They may be able to do something for you even if you are not a fighter." He gave the young girl a bit more of a grin and a wave. "Thank you for answering my questions, Victoria. May the rest of your journeys bring such productive knowledge to your eyes and ears."

With that, Satoshi brought his attention back to Koga. "What brings you here? I see you have visited my coworkers for the event, but the shade of your spirit---and what you told young Victoria there---tells a different story."

The fight wasn't at all what Hikari had been expecting. Unlike the last Great Nature deck she played against, this one was an intense struggle to stand up to. Although Hikari got off to what she thought was a passable start, Varess made the smart move of targeting her rear guards instead of her vanguard in the early game, denying her both of the things she would rely on to win: Rear guards and counterblasts. As Varess went through his turns, his Great Nature units managed to fill his hand up to absolutely astronomical levels, creating a resource that Hikari could absolutely not break through. Hikari made a number of mistakes throughout the game, such as guarding with the wrong cards, or forgetting to use rear guard abilities that could have given her more counterblasts for more restands, which only served to further the gap between the two fighters. Even when she got out her second Stride, Victplasma, and had a full board to attack Varess with, his unstoppable wall of defense, combined with Hikari's inability to draw triggers at opportune times, caused her to go nowhere fast. On the next turn, when Varess delivered the final attack, Hikari still held out hope that she could check one of the three remaining Heal Triggers in her deck, but there was no such luck. It was a complete and utter defeat. Even when Varess was going easy on her, Hikari never stood a chance.

Hikari was crushed. It was her most one-sided defeat yet, and in the game she was so determined to win. She had promised herself that she'd win. Not just for her, but for her friend. But she had utterly failed. Her plan of getting extra points for beating the special event hadn't worked at all, and with only one gold card to her name, how well would she fare? In spite of her sad state, she forced a grin as she looked at Varess after the game, "That was a great game, Yamata-san. You're really strong," she said, "But, uh, I shouldn't hang around too long. There's someone I should be with. If you'll excuse me." With that, Hikari collected her deck, turned around, and headed back for the branch building, ignoring the other fighters around her.

"Hey," Hikari said aloud, upon finding the room where Rin was staying after her experience, "How are you feeling?" she asked. She glanced at the clock hanging on the wall, "The event's almost over. Do you want to stick around until the end? I can walk you home if you'd prefer that."

Koga listened to the clan leader speak, finding his manner of speech very different from when they had met at Shop PSY. Her inquisitive expression showed as he mellowed out the air, focusing on his conversation with Victoria while also addressing the cabbage's feelings on the matter. Though, she could gather that Carlos staying here instead of with his family might be the cause of the girl's disdain, which explained how it "broke the family apart". While it was unsurprising that goof ended up making a mess, it did sound like much more of an issue than normal. ... She supposed she couldn't hold it against her, but it was still upsetting. Not only because of the insult to the game - even if it had good reason - but because... Satoshi was right in saying it did cause about as much suffering as it caused joy.

Thanks to her and the reapers.

Koga kept her arms folded, eventually bringing a hand to her neck and scratching at it idly with a side-cast gaze. The idol would not interrupt again, having patience while waiting for her turn. When it came, she didn't think much of how he was staring at her, unnoticing of the piercing glance as she responded. "Shade of my spirit...? I'm... not quite sure what you're talking about, but I'm here for the fifth gold card I need."

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Those who had come for a fight with a branch director were disappointed due to not being faster than Hikari... and Rikuto having to leave anyway. But seeing how the secretary played, they might still get their effort's worth as the composed man wore the same grin as always the entire game. What he faced was once again Nova Grappler, but there was no old archetype in it. This was the new generation machinery designed for the next era of "Nova Grapple". Unfortunately, Varess cared about that as much as he did Sieg's deck after seeing it in action... which was not at all. His politeness betrayed his desire to take a nap, but Hikari's spirit did keep him awake as she fought against Great Nature. The game proceeded pretty normally, though just like with his foe before, Hikari's starting vanguard didn't have a place behind Vanguard. This and Geograph Giant's following ten thousand base power made his defensive game early on much, much smoother.

Considering the heavy combo plays he'd be attacked with, this was a critical shift in the game... that also came with Varess damage checking two criticals in a row, then drawing the exact same one afterward. Ever so quietly did he swear in response.

Though damage was in Hikari's favor, Varess decided that retiring Sazanda was much more important, which confused numerous players. However, others more experienced could realize that this was a tactic of damage denial and combo disruption, two things that could easily break a deck like hers. Yet, for him, it was just a natural play. It was moves like this and capitalizing on Hikari's mistakes while also exploiting the weakness of her clan against his... is what began to show the overwhelming difference between the strong and the inexperienced. His hand inflated to ridiculous sizes, his combos identical to her own except retiring and draw massive amounts, on top of even having stable power attacks. Just as he did with Sieg, he risked the opponent's Victplasma killing him if the player got lucky.

Of course they didn't get lucky.

"Unfortunate." Was all he said, tone the slightest bit haughty thanks to knowing that he had already won. His opponent Perfect Guarded Wisdom Teller at the wrong time, stopping one of his rearguards instead which was already too late, allowing him to draw more. Then, Hikari could have used Red Lightning to have enough counterblasts for Victplasma, White Hank, and Victor's Heart Beat to have Sazanda strike twice on top of a double-attacking Vanguard. He didn't chastise her for it though, merely telling her what she should've done.

For a lazy man, Varess had performed ridiculously well, and he wasn't even a clan leader or anything of the sort. The job came through his work skills, not his gameplay, so it was very surprising. "Good game, little miss." A thorough, one-sided victory that felt the same to him really: just another win, could've been another loss. His nonchalant attitude throughout the whole thing showed he didn't care nearly as much as others would. "Have a good day... and I suppose I'm about to get bombarded." He was sweating as Hikari left and the other gold card holders stared at him menacingly.

"Think it's about time to end this party..."

Satoshi extended his hands outward. "Since the war ended, I have honed my body and mind such that I can see the energy of one's soul as a colored spirit. Yours has multiple shades, which shows conflict."

He crossed his arms following this declaration, scratching his beard lightly. "You are here for the fifth gold card...but that is not the only reason you are here, is it not? I know your attendance is not simply for show, F Chopper Koga." His eyes gazed down on her, but with more warmth and concern than harshness. While they had once been Reaperkin, Generation Rare was still something much greater than the evils of the war. If something was genuinely wrong, he wanted to know.

"See the energy of one's soul as a colored spirit? Sounds like the kids of the old days are getting high to me." Koga couldn't help but take a wise crack at the statement, not understanding the concept. It wasn't that she didn't believe it considering the powers that appeared all across the war, but it was... new, certainly. "Well..." She started, scratching nervously at her cheek. "I am actually here for show, sort of. I want to do well in these events so I can show that we... Link Joker players I mean, have calmed down. That my sisters and I are trying to atone for what we've done, and be part of society like everyone else. It's kinda backwards I'm not playing Link Joker for it, but... This girl, Ahsha, part of my new Neo Nectar deck... She told me she trusts me. So, I'm trying to do well to get attention for the outcasts."

Xat watched the battles before turning around and wallking twords the exict of the branch event. 'hm i wounder how well they will hold up at the Dragon empire branch....' she thought to her self as Kao jumped onto her shoulder. "You should report to them, after all you are the murakumo clan leader, a title you won by proving you were close to your units and how they repected you in battle." he said not giving to much info away in case someone was listing.

"In anycase they are all in for a suprise"Tsurumaru said as he appread next to them and walking with them. "We should count ourselves lucky, after all they will jsut think were anoutehr fighter and we are able to walk around alot with out drawing attention to ourselves." Shirayuki said appering in spirit form as xat sighed. "Regardless of that, we still have work to do." she said as Shirayuki and Tsurumaru nodded before going back to there other forms as Xat stopped near the excit

She walked up to one of the workers. "Sorry to bug you but there was a girl that was hurt earlyer and i want to make sure she is ok, can you tell me where exactly she is?" she asked one of the workers.

"That is not necessarily for show, more for purpose." Satoshi chuckled briefly before resuming a more serious gaze. This young woman, with her sisters pushed hard and heavy with the Reapers, and was someone that should not have had this vibrant spiritual energy he had seen earlier, even if it was now clear that Link Joker had some responsibility for the taint. And yet...

The Guardian closed his eyes. Ahsha was de facto leader of Neo Nectar since he was on Earth, a bioroid begat from the earliest formation of the clan itself. If he could not trust her judgment of Koga, especially in assisting her, then why in the world would he end up trusting anyone else's word? Truly, there must be something to it all...

For once, the Clan Leader had no choice but to see what it was his fellow denizen saw in this born-again idol. It bothered him that he had to resort to something he had sworn he would not do in this event, but...if there was any exception, it had to be for this one moment. He reached into his sleeve as if he were planning to give Koga a gold card, but instead retrieved a small leather deck case.

"F Chopper Koga, this is a rare opportunity. Very, very few have seen me fight since the war, what I have been honing in peaceful times. It pains me to when there is no cause to fight for. Yet, as a fellow Neo Nectar player...no. As the Spirit of the Clan itself, if a unit with great strength trusts you, I must affirm that trust for myself."

His eyes flashed again, this time a golden color. A smile adorned his lips as the grass beneath them began to flow. "If you want the last golden card, you must give me your answer!"

Neo Nectar and Neo Nectar, with both sides having returned to their roots having found new meaning in the peaceful bioroids of Zoo. With the war over, the clan has been revitalized in various ways, such as Ahsha's appearance and the disappearance of "Seph", transforming the forest dragons of the land into a lineage. The two of them met one another with similar fighting styles regardless, patiently awaiting the Stride game to push through their Heart Beats. The entire time Koga fought to show her spirit and answer, the emissary of the verdant nation carried herself with a smile. The Ranunculus princess believed in Koga's and her own choices, fighting to showcase this to the sage spirit: Oberon. Exchanging words, the fighters had a spirited game on top of a civil conversation...

... until Satoshi strode.

"Stride 'the' Generation?" Never mind how strong the turn was with Sacred Tree Dragon, Multivitamin Dragon... that phrase sounded ludicrous. Koga poked fun at it, naturally, and the clan leader tried to explain it, and even opted to change it. The change he had in mind was... not much better, but still better. Regardless, she understood his Neo Nectar played off of the legacy of forest dragons and Maiden of Trailing Rose. Instead of creating a garden of the same names as Ahsha does, or retiring one's own rearguards to thin the deck while filling the board like Musketeers... This G Deck of his simply check the top five or so for calls, just like the ancient flower maiden's Persona Blast.

It brought back some nice memories.

The fight was close and Koga showed her change in personality by attacking and calling with vibrant energy, not using the same haughty or nonchalant attitude she did before as a reaper drone. However, she was more focused on their conversation, understanding that the gray tint of her soul that Satoshi saw was her being racked with guilt. Through the game, the guardian stated that he believed her words - her spirit and that all can heal from the despairing yesterday of Link Joker's terror.

And that was all Koga wanted: acceptance. For herself and her sisters, for everyone trying to move on: the other reaper drones, others that have had the ties to the clan in the past, and even the new children of an era picking it up.

Guess this kid's not the same person from back then, huh? Koga thought to herself, smiling as Jingle Flower's power up turn was too overwhelming, backed by a Critical Trigger to Oberon to deal the final damage. I guess no one's the same person from back then, actually... Us too. She lost the game, but not the task given to her to display the resolve in her purpose.