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Exploring PsyQualia (Cardfight!! Vanguard)

Reader mode
Anon-Echo98 said:
I mean... the chapter kinda showed why that doesn't really work; a 16k column, even in a case where it can't hit a Vanguard, it'll still at least be able to threaten a frontrow Rearguard, still eating up an opponent's resource.

Whereas Death Army Guy on his own is... well, a waste of a stand.
Click to expand...
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I got that...it was more like, this is how it was computed.

1- 14k
2 - 11k
3 - 9k

Or

1- 16k
2 - 23k

Im probably missing a few things, but the thought process behind seperating them was, even if the second one has stronger attacks, 1 critical is still 1 critical. 20k is the same as 10k.

As long as the power is enough to bypass, the thought behind the decision was that its better to keep the enemy either wasting resources guarding low level attacks, or they risk adding more to their damage zone.

Like i knew that army guy and lady together was stronger, thats not up for debate, i just thkught its better to add to the damage instead.

Keep in mind this is all theoretical though, i dont really know if this is an optimal decison or not
 
NewName said:
"Damage trigger check." Kamui flipped the card.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
*Drive, btw.

NewName said:
I got that...it was more like, this is how it was computed.

1- 14k
2 - 11k
3 - 9k

Or

1- 16k
2 - 23k

Im probably missing a few things, but the thought process behind seperating them was, even if the second one has stronger attacks, 1 critical is still 1 critical. 20k is the same as 10k.

As long as the power is enough to bypass, the thought behind the decision was that its better to keep the enemy either wasting resources guarding low level attacks, or they risk adding more to their damage zone.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
I mean, I see the potential logic... but a few things, for future fights:

1. It would've still been smarter to move DAG back, and using Clay-Doll to attack, as to save DAG for future turns as a booster, whereas Clay-Doll has served its purpose by CC1'ing already. You will not care if it gets ran over or retired.
2. The Death Army duo adds an element of uncertainty for the opponent, which could lead to them wasting guards, or taking a hit that sends an important card down into damage.

Ultimately, just some observations... though, a genuine recommendation; Include lil' updates that tell us how a match is going. Stuff like what's in each column, hand-size, what's in the damage and what CB is available.

Blue Hour on FFN did a version of that, which helps a lot in keeping track of the gamestate, even if I would've done them a smidge differently, having the turn player's board displayed at the start of their turn.
 
10. Exploring Psyqualia - Blades and Legacies
Kamui let out a long, heavy sigh, the tension finally leaving his shoulders as he leaned back from the table.

"Man, you totally had me cornered. Good game," Kamui said, offering a respectful nod, extending his hands across the table.

Kourin reached out and shook his hand, her grip firm. "Good game. You didn't make it easy."

"Thanks." Kamui scratched his nose, a sheepish grin breaking through his defeat. The frustration of the loss was already settling into something he could live with, the satisfying ache of having genuinely tested himself against someone strong.

"Oh right — don't you have business with Big Bro Aichi?"

"Right." Kourin placed her hand flat against the mat, her fingers lightly pinning a specific card; the same one she'd drawn first that morning, the same one she'd ridden onto the table at the final turn.

She regarded it for half a second, something unreadable behind the dark visor.

Then, with nary a wind-up gesture — just a flawless, lightning-fast flick of her wrist — she launched it.

The card sliced through the air like a shuriken, a sharp blur of blue and white catching the fluorescent light as it zipped clean across the shop, straight toward Aichi's chest.

Driven by pure instinct, Aichi's hand snapped up. The cardboard slammed to an abrupt halt, caught perfectly between his fingers without a single bend.

A subtle, phantom breeze seemed to ripple through the shop's interior, carrying the faint scent of wind-swept stone. For a fleeting fraction of a second, Aichi's eyes flashed with a brilliant, iridescent rainbow gleam. He looked down at the familiar knight in his hand, then back up at the helmeted girl.

"Is this... for me?" Aichi asked.

"Yup," Kourin replied casually, crossing her arms. "Consider it my gift to you."

Aichi tilted his head,. "A gift? For what?"

"For yesterday, obviously." It wasn't obvious with the helmet obscuring her face, but the sharp inflection in her voice made it feel like she had just rolled her eyes at him.

Aichi's mind immediately raced backward, the memories of yesterday hitting him in rapid, vivid fragments.

First came the memory of his match with Ren.

The oppressive, suffocating weight of the Shadow Paladin's Dark Knight. The blinding, chaotic clash of light and dark. Pristine white wings cutting through the gathering gloom, only to be swallowed by the terrifying shadow of the Phantom Blaster Dragon.

Then, his match with Kourin.

The relentless onslaught of a pack of mechanical dogs—the Royal Paladin High Dogs—tearing across the battlefield in a mirror-match struggle between the exact same clan. The weight of that conflict had culminated in a silent, poetic vision on Cray: a knight kneeling in submission before his King.

"I see," Aichi murmured softly, the pieces falling into place. "Thanks."

"No problem."

For a lingering, suspended beat, a heavy silence stretched between them.

The two simply stared at one another—Aichi looking up with a newfound, quiet understanding, and Kourin looking back through the opaque black sheen of her visor, her posture unreadable but anchored.

The rest of the card shop seemed to bleed into static around them, leaving only the weight of yesterday's secrets hovering in the air.

Then, the fragile bubble popped as Kamui aggressively shoved his way into the frame.

"Come on, Aichi, do as the helmeted girl says," Kamui said, physically waving his hands to hurry the older boy along. "Slide him in there!"

He paused.

Oh, right. The thought arrived a beat too late, accompanied by a small jolt of alarm. Big Bro doesn't actually know who's under the helmet. We never told him.

His eyes flicked toward Emi.

Emi's eyes had already gotten there first.

A silent, urgent exchange passed between them.

Should we tell him? Kamui mouthed, glancing — instinctively, helplessly — toward Morikawa, who stood nearby in blissful, oblivious peace, one sentence away from total devastation.

Wait, Emi mouthed back, eyes flicking toward Kourin. Maybe she'll just leave without introducing herself.

"Helmeted girl? Why are you calling her that? Isn't that Kourin?" Aichi asked.

Perfectly casual. Already reaching for his deck box. The question delivered with all the weight of someone confirming what brand of milk was in the fridge.

Kamui's mouth fell open.

Emi froze mid-mouth-shape.

Unfortunately for both of them, they had been entirely absent for the part of the match where Aichi's own consciousness had briefly crossed into Cray — the part where he'd felt, with absolute and unshakable certainty, exactly who was standing across from Blaster Blade's gleaming form. They had no idea Aichi already knew.

As far as they were concerned, "Isn't that Kourin?" was either an extremely lucky guess or proof that Big Bro possessed some kind of terrifying, undisclosed sixth sense.

"H-how did you—" Kamui started.

"Kourin?" Morikawa's head turned. Slowly. Like a tank rotating its turret toward a target it had just become aware of.

The shop went very, very still.

"Kourin?!"

His entire skeletal structure seemed to snap upright at once, as though someone had yanked an invisible string straight through the top of his skull.

"Like — Ultra Rare Kourin?!" Izaki's voice cracked clean in half.

"Oh, here we go," Misaki muttered, already taking two precautionary steps backward, even behind the counter like she already was

"Is she Kourin? " .

"How could you even tell it was her?!" Kamui rounded on Aichi, completely sidestepping the much larger crisis now unfolding three feet to his left. "Is that some kind of sixth sense?! Can you teach me that?!"

Are they are in a relationship? Is this the power of love? he thought privately, already spiraling somewhere deeply unhelpful. If Miss Emi hid her face under a helmet, would I be able to find her too? I need to test this. This could change everything.

The helmeted figure let out a long, weary sigh — the sound of someone who'd known exactly how this moment would unfold and had simply been hoping to delay it a little longer.

With practiced ease, she reached up, unclasped her helmet, and lifted it free, letting her bright blonde hair settle loosely over her shoulders.

A beat of total, stunned silence swallowed the shop.

"...It really is Kourin," Izaki said, his voice gone completely hollow.

"An idol just beat Kamui?" Reiji said, equally stunned, staring back and forth between her and the abandoned cards on the table like the equation simply wasn't balancing.

Morikawa hit the floor.

For a long moment, he didn't move — just lay there, sprawled across the tile, staring up at the ceiling with the stillness of a man whose entire worldview had just been quietly rearranged.

Then, slowly, his hand rose into the air, fingers trembling.

"...I just cardfought against Kourin," he said, to no one in particular, his voice carrying the hollow wonder of a man recounting a religious experience. "My goddess Kourin. The Kourin."

He sat bolt upright with alarming speed.

"And I LOST to her — but that just proves it! I was destined to fall before her glory! There is no shame in defeat at the hands of a goddess!" He scrambled to his feet, practically vibrating with manufactured triumph, before rounding on Kamui with a wide, smug grin. "And meanwhile — you lost to her too, Katsuragi! What does that make you, hm? Hmmm? At least my loss had divine purpose behind it!"

"You didn't even get a single ride in," Kamui shot back.

"IRRELEVANT!" Morikawa threw both fists toward the ceiling, fully committed now, riding the high of a victory that wasn't his to claim. "I touched greatness! I breathed the same air as her during an active match! What did you get, hm? A loss with nothing poetic about it!"

He kept going — something about destiny, something about the honor of defeat, something that had stopped making grammatical sense several sentences ago — when his gaze drifted, mid-rant, across the shop.

And landed on Aichi.

Who had quietly pulled up a chair at one of the side tables and was now calmly, methodically sorting a new card into his deck, cards scattered on the table. His expression soft and unbothered, like none of the chaos currently unfolding behind him was happening at all.

Morikawa's rant stuttered to a halt.

His eyes narrowed.

Wait.

He looked at the card in Aichi's hand. Looked at Kourin. Looked back at Aichi.

She gave HIM a card.

Something in Morikawa's expression shifted — outrage assembling itself from the ground up.

"AICHI SENDOU." He spun toward him, jabbing a finger across the shop with the force of a man delivering a formal declaration of war. "I challenge you! Right here, right now! For the right to—"

He stopped.

A breeze had moved through the shop — faint, brief, gone almost as soon as it arrived, rustling the edges of nearby card sleeves and stirring Aichi's hair where he sat.

Aichi looked up. Met Morikawa's eyes directly.

Morikawa's pointing finger wavered.

The fire in his chest, so certain a half-second ago, guttered out without explanation, replaced by something he couldn't quite name — a small, cold, instinctive certainty that whatever he'd been about to do, it was, for reasons he didn't understand, an extremely bad idea.

"...I mean—" His voice cracked slightly as he course-corrected, lowering his hand. "Cherish that gift, Sendou."

He turned and walked away with as much dignity as he could manufacture on short notice.

Aichi blinked, watching him go.

...What was that about? he wondered, looking back down at the deck in his hands, entirely unaware of what had just passed silently between them.






The heavy silence that had anchored the shop just a moment ago was already evaporating, replaced by a low, rising hum of realization.

"Wait..." Izaki muttered, his voice cracking slightly as he took a step closer to the counter. "If she's Kourin... then that means..."

"It really is her!" Reiji yelled, his hands flying to his head.

Before Kourin could even fully settle her hair over her shoulders, the collective dam broke. The quiet, ordinary atmosphere of Card Capital shattered into instant, chaotic pieces.

"Kourin-san! Can I get an autograph?!" Morikawa's retreat from Aichi was entirely forgotten as he practically lunged back into the fray, a rdeck box in hand and a stray marker appearing in his hand out of thin air. "Please sign my deck box! It will solidify our divine contract!"

"Move it, Morikawa! You already got to fight her!" another regular shouted, pushing forward with a binder. "Kourin-san, look at my deck! Is it Ultra Rare material?!"

Kourin didn't even flinch as the small crowd instantly swarmed her, trapping her against the edge of a display counter.

Outwardly, the transformation in her was instantaneous. The weary, sharp-tongued girl who had just rolled her eyes under a motorcycle helmet vanished behind a flawless, high-gloss smile.

"Of course! Thank you all so much for coming out today," Kourin said, her voice dropping into that perfectly pitched, sweet, and welcoming melody that Aichi recognized from the television.

She took Morikawa's marker with effortless grace, angling her head at the exact degree necessary to catch the shop's fluorescent light perfectly. "I'm happy to sign a few, but please, let's keep an orderly line, okay?"

"Yes, goddess!" Morikawa swooned, backing away as if he had just been blessed by royalty.

Aichi let out a soft, quiet breath, turning his attention away from the commotion and back toward his own deck box. The contrast between her two sides was striking, but it only made him respect her more. With a renewed sense of focus, he got back to his deck.

Today really was a good day to get to work.







After people got over Morikawa's shouting, the crowd had quietly reorganized itself around the idol now standing near the counter. It was a chaotic scramble of reactions as the realization rippled through the room.

"It's Kourin from Ultra Rare!"

"Come on, let's get her autograph."

"Do you think she'll cardfight me?"

"With this crowd? No chance."

The people interested in Kourin's identity swarmed her immediately, abandoning whatever they were doing. Well, most of them were. A few tables over, mid-match, the distractions were causing a completely different kind of chaos.

"Woah, it's—" one player started, half-rising from his chair to get a better look at the celebrity.

"Are you running away?" his opponent snapped, slamming a hand on the table.

"What did you say?!"

"Scared to lose? It's my turn right now. ""

"That's it! Bring it on!"

At another table, someone was nervously scooping up their playmat mid-game.

"Leaving already?"

"O-of c-ourse I am, it's Kourin!"

"Alright then, then my Bridgette attacks! Finish this!"

"No!! I guard!"

"That's your final card! It's the end of the line, Knight of Harp, Tristan finish it!"

And further back, a seasoned regular was entirely ruthless to a distracted opponent.

"Ah, ah, ah, don't pick up your deck, newbie. It's time for you to lose. I ride Mr. Invincible!"

There were a bunch of different reactions tearing through the shop all at once. Internally, Kourin's immediate thought was a weary, dry sigh. Welp. I should not have taken my helmet off that easily.

But outwardly? The transformation was instantaneous. She deployed the fake, semi-cheerful, kind, and understanding persona without missing a single beat, a polished smile locking into place as she turned to greet her fans.







Behind the safety of the cash register, Shin Nitta was currently experiencing a state of pure, unadulterated financial bliss.

While Kourin skillfully managed the wall of fans, a secondary line had rapidly formed right next to her—composed entirely of players who suddenly felt an overwhelming, desperate need to buy whatever booster packs Ultra Rare might approve of.

Shin's fingers were a blur across the keys, the bell of the register chiming a frantic, joyful rhythm.

"Yes, yes, thank you for your patronage! Excellent choice on Booster packs, Morikawa! May the goddess bless your pulls!" Shin beamed, his glasses catching the light with a predatory, capitalist gleam as he slid a fresh stack of booster packs across the glass.

He leaned over the counter, practically radiating a golden aura of his own. "Come now, everyone! Don't let your rivals out-build you in front of Kourin-sama! We have plenty of stock!"

A few feet away, Misaki stood with her arms crossed, watching her uncle with a look of profound, deeply resigned disbelief.

"You're shameless," she muttered, her voice a flat line of judgment over the ambient noise. "An actual vulture."

"It's called supply and demand, Misaki-chan!" Shin countered smoothly, not even looking back as he snapped open a fresh box of cards with a flourish. "Opportunities like this don't just walk into the shop wearing a motorcycle helmet every day! We must strike while the iron is hot!"

Misaki let out a long, heavy sigh, rubbing the bridge of her nose as Shin eagerly rang up another starstruck regular. Well, it is our shop.

She headed to go get a few more boxes, threading her way through the crowded aisle, weaving around a player who was loudly demanding a rematch. Reaching the locked storage cabinet behind the secondary counter, she keyed in the small combination lock by memory.

Well, if we're going to bleed them dry, we might as well go all-in, she thought with a dry, internal smirk.

As she walked back toward the front register, she dumped the heavy boxes onto the glass counter right next to Shin with a solid, echoing thud.

"Here," Misaki said flatly, brushing a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "Don't let them say Card Capital ran out of stock during a divine visitation."

"Oh! Misaki-chan, you are a visionary!" Shin gasped, his eyes practically turning into glowing yen signs as he immediately snatched up the fresh boxes to display them. "See here, boys! The goddess's own fortune awaits in these fresh packs!"

Misaki didn't stay to watch the next feeding frenzy. She stepped away from the cash register, her eyes instinctively scanning the room as the heavy noise of the crowd faded into a dull, predictable hum in her ears.







Just outside the blast radius of Shin's sales pitch, Aichi watched the spectacle with a soft, amused chuckle. He looked down at his cards, his thumb lightly tracing the edge of the Blaster Blade Kourin had just thrown to him, and a quiet determination settled over him.

Well, he thought to himself, today's as good a day as any.

He started to rise from his metal chair, scraping it lightly against the tile floor.

"Oh, Aichi, what are you doing?" Emi asked from beside him, tilting her head as she watched him stand up.

"I'm gonna go buy some booster packs too," he explained, offering a small, reassuring smile.

"You're gonna update your deck?" she asked. Her eyes instinctively flicked from her brother over to the massive line snaking toward the counter. Is he planning to line up just because of Kourin too? Does Aichi have a crush?

A small, mischievous spark flared in her mind. Well, he did recognize her instantly even when Morikawa didn't... and he did battle her before... hm...

"Well, it was actually in the back of my mind," Aichi admitted, scratching his cheek sheepishly. "We are heading to the Nationals after all. So..."

"Well, it was actually in the back of my mind," Aichi admitted, entirely oblivious to the rapid inner-monologue his younger sister was currently constructing. He scratched his cheek sheepishly, his eyes drifting toward the ceiling as he thought out loud. "We are heading to the Nationals after all. So..."

"So you're taking the opportunity when Kourin gave you the Blaster Blade card to rearrange your deck then?" Emi prodded, crossing her arms and narrowing her eyes playfully, waiting for any telltale blush.

"Uh-huh." Aichi nodded honestly,

Emi let out a tiny, invisible sigh, her shoulders dropping just a fraction. So it's not unrelated to Miss Kourin, but not a crush either. How disappointing.

"Don't forget me, Miss Emi!" Kamui called out from another table across the room. His own cards were heavily scattered across its top in loose, unorganized piles.

Emi turned around, surprised. "You're doing this too?"

"Well, unlike some people..." Kamui turned his head, heavily side-eyeing a certain Grade 3-obsessed someone who was currently suffocating Kourin along with the rest of the crowd. "...I actually want to learn from my mistakes."

"So you're updating your deck too?" Emi asked.

"I wouldn't call it updating completely," Kamui clarified, crossing his arms with a confident grin. "More like reviewing my cards, with maybe a few small tweaks."

"I see. Good luck you two!" She smiled at them.

"Thanks, Emi." Aichi said, as he headed to the lines. Kamui echoing a beat later, smitten by Emi's smile.






Behind the counter, the frantic rush of customers had finally slowed to a manageable trickle. Shin let out a satisfied breath, stacking the last pile of yen notes into the register before sliding the drawer shut with a crisp ding.

As he straightened his apron, his gaze drifted across the shop. He saw Aichi first—leaning back in his chair with that quiet, contented smile, thumb resting gently on the newly slotted Blaster Blade in his reorganized Royal Paladin deck.

Then his eyes found Misaki.

She stood a few feet away, knuckles resting lightly on the edge of the counter, staring down at her own deck. Her thumb traced slow circles over the top card.

The sight pulled Shin back to the previous evening.

The shop had been closed for hours.

Only a single fluorescent light hummed above the counter where Shin had been balancing the books. The heavy wooden door to the back stairs creaked open, and Misaki stepped in wearing her comfortable home clothes. She didn't look at him at first. Her fingers traced the edge of the counter before she finally lifted her gaze.

"Uncle Shin…" Her voice had been barely above a whisper, cracking just slightly. "Do you… still have their key?"

Shin had frozen, pen slipping from his fingers. He didn't need her to explain. That key belonged to the small velvet-lined case in the safe upstairs; the legacy Oracle Think Tank cards her parents had built together before the accident.

"Of course I do," he had answered softly, already reaching into his pocket. His hands trembled as he placed the small golden key in her palm. "I never got rid of it."

Misaki's fingers closed around it tightly.

For a long moment she simply stood there, eyes shining with something fierce and fragile at the same time. Then, without another word, she turned toward the back room, carrying the weight of years with her.

Shin blinked, returning to the present. Across the shop, Misaki was still standing in the same spot, but her posture had changed. There was a quiet resolve in the set of her shoulders now—the kind that only came after opening old, painful doors.

She looked up. Her eyes met Aichi's table.

Then, without hesitation, she picked up her deck and started walking toward him.







Aichi set the last card into place with a quiet, satisfaction.

He leaned back slightly, looking over the arrangement spread across the table — the familiar shapes of knights and paladins and loyal hounds, reorganized.

Especially the new Blaster Blade copy slotted in where it belonged as naturally as if it had always been there.

He hadn't noticed Misaki approaching until her deck landed on the table in front of him with a soft, deliberate thud.

He blinked, looking up.

Misaki's asking for a match?

The thought arrived with a small note of surprise.

Misaki rarely sought out matches; she watched, she calculated, she offered commentary sharp enough to cut glass, but she didn't usually plant herself across a table and initiate. Usually she just agrees if people ask her for a match but never started them on her own initiative.

"I see you've finished rearranging your deck," she said, nodding toward his spread cards. "So — care for a match?"

"Sure." Aichi smiled, already gathering his cards back into formation. "I was just thinking I'd want to test it out anyway."

"Good." Misaki pulled out the chair across from him and sat, settling her own deck between her hands with a composure that was just slightly more deliberate than her usual kind.

Aichi didn't notice. He was already shuffling.





A few feet away, the small cluster of fans still lingering around Kourin finnaly showed signs of thinning.

She had been fielding questions and photo requests for the better part of an hour with the kind of effortless, polished patience that came from practice — smiling at exactly the right moment, angling her head at exactly the right degree, giving responses that were warm enough to satisfy without being personal enough to cost anything.

But her eyes had drifted.

Aichi was settling his deck onto the table. Misaki was doing the same across from him.

Oh?

The corner of Kourin's mouth shifted — barely a fraction, gone almost before it arrived.

I wonder, she thought, her gaze settling on the deck box in Aichi's hands — the one she already knew contained one more copy of Blaster Blade than it had that morning, how he's going to use that.





"Stand up," Misaki said, her hand resting flat against her face-down card.

"Stand up," Aichi echoed, his voice grounded with a quiet, focused intensity.

"Vanguard!" They chanted in unison, flipping their starting units simultaneously.







A few feet away from the table, Kamui and Emi were watching the match begin, their eyes glued to the newly revealed starting units.

"Wow," Kamui muttered, his eyes widening as he adjusted his posture. "Misaki-san updated her cards too? Man... okay, now I'm not entirely sure about Aichi-aniki winning this one."

Emi tilted her head, turning to look at him with a curious expression. "You had Aichi winning against Misaki, Kamui?"

"Well..." Kamui rubbed the back of his neck, his voice dropping into a slightly more serious tone. "You were there yesterday, Miss Emi. You saw how he was playing."

"Right..." Emi murmured softly, the memory of yesterday's intense atmosphere flashing briefly through her mind. "But what makes you say that you're not sure anymore?"

"Wellllll, just look at Misaki" Kamui said, gesturing subtly with his chin toward the counter side of the table.

"What?" Emi followed his gaze, her breath catching slightly. " Whoa..."

"Right?" Kamui whispered, a grin mixed with pure awe breaking through his face. "She's practically burning with passion right now. The vibe around her is completely different. I honestly can't see who's gonna win now."

"Wait, you guys are talking as if Aichi got absurdly stronger since the last regionals..." Izaki intervened, stepping into their space with his arms crossed, his brow furrowed in deep skepticism.

"He did," Kamui announced flatly, not breaking his gaze from the playmat. "He beat Kourin yesterday."

"But Kamui... you lost to..." Izaki trailed off, pointing a thumb back toward the blonde idol before looking back at Kamui, the math clearly not adding up in his head.

"Yeah," Kamui shrugged, entirely unfazed. "If I wasn't a step beat late today, I would have asked Aichi-aniki for a cardfight myself."

Emi looked at Kamui, searching his face. There was no trace of bitterness or frustration in his eyes—just a pure, electric excitement. "You're not... I don't know, scared? Or angry?" she asked softly.

Kamui looked back at her and answered simply, without a shred of hesitation, "Why would I be?"

Emi blinked, a small smile forming on her lips. "Wow..."

"I mean, yeah, I admit I am a little jealous," Kamui confessed, a sheepish grin returning to his face as he looked back at the game. "But if a Vanguard fighter grows, it should be celebrated. That just means there's a higher wall for me to climb!"







"Stand up," Misaki said, her hand resting flat against her face-down card.

"Stand up," Aichi echoed, his voice grounded with a quiet, focused intensity.

"Vanguard!" They chanted in unison, flipping their starting units simultaneously.

"Barcgal!" Aichi declared, revealing the small, metallic high dog puppy.

"Godhawk, Ichibiyoshi," Misaki counter-announced, flipping over the ornate, mystical avian unit of the Oracle Think Tank clan.

The moment the card art of the celestial hawk caught the light, a sudden, jarring sensation ripped through Aichi's mind.

The sounds of Card Capital—the ambient chatter, the rustling of cards, the heavy breathing of the lingering crowd behind Kourin—abruptly bottomed out into absolute, dead silence.

The shop around him didn't vanish, but it blurred, bleeding at the edges like wet ink.

And in the space between himself and Misaki, a faint, hazy image materialized directly over the table.

It was a small, extraordinarily vivid fragment of a memory. But Aichi knew, with an instinct that bypassed his brain entirely, that it didn't belong to him.

The scene was bathed in a thick, warm, amber lamplight—an old, incandescent glow that felt completely different from the stark, sterile tubes overhead.

Two figures were hunched over a counter that looked remarkably like the one Misaki stood behind every afternoon, but it was cleaner, newer. He couldn't make out their faces; their features were softened and obscured by a gentle, golden haze of time.

But he could see their hands. And he could see their expressions.

They were smiling.

It was a deep, comfortable, shared warmth that radiated through the spectral image, a sense of profound peace as their fingers moved together, carefully laying down and sorting through a deck of pristine, crisp cards.

There were no grand stakes here.

It was just a quiet, domestic sanctuary built entirely out of a pure, unadulterated love for the game.

A emotional weight so heavy and sweet it made Aichi's chest ache pressed down on him. His breath hitched sharply in his throat.

He blinked hard.

Thud.

The vision shattered like brittle glass.

The air returned to his lungs.

The background noise of Card Capital slammed back into his ears.

Across the playmat, Misaki was already drawing her card for the turn, her expression cool, calculated, and completely oblivious to the flash of insight that had just cracked open across the table.

What... what was that? Aichi thought, his heart hammering against his ribs as he stared down at the Godhawk, Ichibiyoshi on Misaki's vanguard circle.
 
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I'm not completely satisfied with the chapter's pacing, but i wanna be done with the setup for the match already. It's gonna be aichi's revamped deck vs misaki's goddess of the moon deck.

I was thinking for it to be shadow paladin vs oracle think tank, but i felt that the psyqualia moment of seeing memories should belong to the royal paladin, aichi's first clan, so royal vs oracle it is.

Also, i didnt change the last chapter's akane and garmore's calling, i'll keep it in mind for the future, but im satisfied enough with the conversations around it, that i dont want to just change it.
 
11. Exploring Psyqualia - The Full Moon's Embrace New
"Activating Godhawk, Ichibiyoshi's skill," Misaki announced calmly, her voice steady but holding the faintesrt traces of an indescribable emotion. "I look at the top five cards of my deck and search for a copy of Goddess of the Crescent Moon, Tsukuyomi. And if there is…"

In the real world, she simply drew five cards with practiced ease, her expression cool and focused. But in the vision unfolding across Aichi's senses, the Card Capital table dissolved into something far greater.

On Cray, beneath a vast, star-filled night sky, the blue-green bird dissolved in a brilliant burst of moonlight. From that silver radiance, a small, graceful figure emerged, clad in flowing white robes that shimmered like liquid pearl. Behind her, a perfect crescent moon rose slowly, bathing the battlefield in gentle, ethereal light.

Aichi's breath caught.

"I Superior Ride…" Misaki continued, placing the card with quiet reverence. "Goddess of the Crescent Moon, Tsukuyomi."

The figure on Cray lifted her head. Her presence was serene yet commanding, a quiet goddess stepping into her domain. The night itself seemed to bow as her power rippled outward.

Misaki placed four cards to the bottom of her deck in a smooth, deliberate motion. "I place these four cards to the bottom of my deck in any order."

She looked up, meeting Aichi's eyes across the table for the first time since the ride.

"Then I end my turn."

The vision flickered. For a brief moment, Aichi thought he saw two faint silhouettes standing behind Misaki's vanguard on Cray — a man and a woman, side by side, watching with gentle, proud smiles before they faded back into the moonlight.

The shop's ambient noise rushed back in. The weight in Aichi's chest lingered, warm and heavy, as he stared at the elegant Oracle Think Tank vanguard now standing across from his Barcgal.

That power… that presence…

Aichi exhaled slowly, fingers tightening around his next card.

"My turn."


Misaki Tokura:
Empty / Goddess of the Crescent Moon, Tsukuyomi / Empty
Empty / Empty / Empty
Card count: 6 Damage count: 0




"I draw," Aichi announced,.

He looked at the cards in his hand, his thumb sliding over the edge of a Grade 1 unit. "I ride... Little Sage, Marron! And because a Grade 1 has ridden over him, Barcgal moves out to the rear-guard circle."

He smoothly slid the metallic high dog puppy out from underneath Marron, placing it in the back row.

"Now, I activate Barcgal's skill," Aichi continued, resting the puppy card. "By resting him, I superior call Future Knight, Llew from my deck to the rear-guard circle!"

A burst of wind and light materialized beside Marron as the young knight appeared on Cray, armor gleaming under the lingering moonlight.

"There it is. He's setting it up. " Kamui said from the sidelines.

"Llew supports Marron," Aichi declared. "Marron attacks Goddess of the Crescent Moon, Tsukuyomi!"

The moment the declaration left his lips, the cool fluorescent lights of Card Capital faded into the background once more. In his mind's eye, the battlefield of Planet Cray materialized with vivid clarity.

Behind the young vanguard, Future Knight Llew gave his energy, channeling a bright, pale blue energy that rippled forward across the stone.

In front of him, Little Sage Marron stood resolute, his spellbook flying open as the pages whipped wildly in the sudden draft. Marron brought two fingers firmly to his forehead, his brow furrowing in deep concentration as he focused the borrowed energy.

Misaki didn't move her hand. "I don't guard."

"Drive trigger check. " Aichi flipped the top card of his deck.

Grade 1, Young Pegasus Knight. No trigger.

With a sharp command, a fierce, blinding lightning blast erupted from the sage's open palm, tearing through the heavy darkness of the night sky straight toward the small, moonlit goddess on Misaki's vanguard circle.

The attack landed cleanly. Tsukuyomi gracefully absorbed the blow, though the moonlight behind her wavered slightly from the impact.

" I end my turn. "


Aichi Sendou's field:
Empty / Little Sage Marron / Empty
Empty / Future Knight Llew / barcgal
Card count: 6 Damage count: 0






Misaki Tokura:
Empty / Goddess of the Crescent Moon, Tsukuyomi / Empty
Empty / Empty / Empty
Card count: 6 Damage count: 1


"My turn," Misaki declared, drawing her card with steady focus.

"Activating Goddess of the Crescent Moon, Tsukuyomi's skill. I search the top five cards of my deck…"

Her fingers moved with precision as she found what she was looking for. "And if there is a copy of half-moon, I…"

In the vision blooming across Aichi's senses, the elegant crescent moon goddess shimmered and transformed.

"Superior Ride… Goddess of the Half Moon, Tsukuyomi!"

The small white figure in flowing robes evolved into a more powerful form—a striking girl with long dark hair, crowned by a radiant golden half-moon headdress. Her crimson eyes glowed with quiet authority as she stood bathed in brilliant silver moonlight, the majestic blue-green bird of Ichibiyoshi soaring beneath her feet, the very image of the card now resting on Misaki's vanguard circle.







"Wow… Misaki's hand is massive," Kamui recognized, his eyes widening as he tried to count the sheer volume of cards gripped tightly in her fingers.

"Wait, you're right. How did that happen?" Emi asked, tilting her head.

"That's the power of the Tsukuyomi ride line," Shin interrupted from behind the counter, leaning forward with a proud, knowing smile as he adjusted his glasses.

"Huh?" Emi said, turning to the shop manager.

"Ah! I see!" Kamui exclaimed, hitting his open palm with a fist as the realization clicked.

"Tsukuyomi has the ability to search the top five cards at the start of each turn, with the two normal rides she didn't have to perform from her hand thanks to the activation of the skill…" Shin said, his voice brimming with pride for his niece as he adjusted his glasses.

"She was able to build her hand that large!!" Kamui interrupted, practically bouncing on his heels as he gestured wildly at the table. "Man, she hasn't dropped a single card from her hand to ride since Grade 0! That's insane efficiency!"







Misaki didn't let the sideline chatter break her focus.

"Activating Goddess of the Half Moon, Tsukuyomi's skill. With both Godhawk, Ichibiyoshi and Crescent Moon Tsukuyomi in my soul, I soul charge two cards."

She drew the two top cards of her deck and placed it underneath her Vanguard.

"I call, White Hare of Inaba."

An adorable lavender rabbit with long flowing ears, wearing an ornate golden headdress and surrounded by glowing white butterflies, materialized on the field.

"White Hare's skill — I soul charge one card from my hand." She took one card on her hand and placed it in the soul.

Misaki placed another card down. "And I call Silent Tom to the rear-guard."

A mysterious silver-haired figure in a dark suit and tilted hat appeared in the shadows, one gloved finger pressed to his lips in a hush. An eerie, ghostly aura swirled around him.

"Goddess of the Half Moon, Tsukuyomi attacks your vanguard."

Aichi didn't hesitate. "No guard."

Misaki flipped the top card of her deck.

And it glowed yellow.

"Battle Sister, Ginger. Critical Trigger. Critical to Tsukuyomi, and 5000 power to SIlent Tom."

The Half-Moon Goddess stood high in her stirrups, raising her sword toward the heavens. The magnificent blue-green bird beneath her unleashed a piercing, otherworldly shriek, its wings beating back the atmosphere as it dove straight out of the lunar sky. It struck Marron with the force of a falling meteor, a cascading wave of pressurized moonlight crashing over Aichi's field.

Aichi checked his damage.

"Damage check," he murmured, reaching for the top of his deck. "First check."

He flipped the card. The surface gleamed under the shop's fluorescent lights, revealing a grand royal knight clad in heavy silver armor, sitting regally atop a pure white armored steed.

"King of Knights, Alfred... no trigger." He slid it into the damage zone.







"What? Alfred?!" Kamui yelped from the sidelines, clutching his hair in absolute disbelief. "No way! Not the King!"

"Wow... Aichi's so unlucky this time," Reiji added. He knew exactly what that card meant to Aichi's usual playstyle. "He only has one copy of Alfred in there, too."

"He's down a powerful Vanguard," Eiji noted from the back, crossing his arms with a low, sympathetic whistle. "Losing one of your ultimate Grade 3's to an early damage check hurts."







The threat wasn't over. The critical trigger demanded a second sacrifice. Aichi's fingers hovered over the deck, and It showed the very same young, robed figure currently facing the brunt of the assault on his vanguard circle.

"Second check... Little Sage, Marron."

Then came the follow-up.

"Boosted by White Hare of Inaba, Silent Tom attacks!"

A powerful, pressurized surge of pure kinetic force exploded from silent tom's fingertips, tearing through the air toward Marron.

"Silent Tom's skill. While he attacks, no Grade 0 units can be called to the guard circle," Misaki reminded him, her voice deadpan and absolute.

For a fraction of a second, the ambient light of the shop seemed to catch in Aichi's eyes. A strange, fleeting kaleidoscope of color—a faint, rainbow gleam—flashed deep within his irises.

He didn't panic. He didn't even look at his hand. He merely said, "I don't guard."

Marron took the hit head-on, the invisible bullet smashing through his magic barrier and sending the young sage crashing into the stone ground.

"Damage check," Aichi announced, flipping the top card of his deck.

The edge of the card caught the light, glowing a bright, unmistakable yellow. It was a trigger—but it was a turn too late.

"Bringer of Good Luck, Epona…"

Izaki let out a small, frustrated sound, shaking his head. "Oh man… what a waste. Aichi's at three damage, and his last damage check just had to be a trigger too."

"Uh-huh. It would have been great if it was a heal, it's a shame it was a critical..." Emi sighed softly, her shoulders dropping in sympathy for her brother.

Great! I dealt him three damage this turn, but... Misaki's eyes narrowed, her sharp gaze cutting straight past Aichi's vanguard and locking onto the two units waiting patiently in his back row.



Misaki tokura's field:
Silent tom / Goddess of the half moon tsukuyomi / empty
White hare of inaba / empty / empty
Card count: 5 Damage count: 1






Aichi Sendou's field:
Empty / Little Sage Marron / Empty
Empty / Future Knight Llew / barcgal
Card count: 6 Damage count: 3

"Stand and draw," Aichi said..

"I call two copies of Young Pegasus Knight to the rear-guard circle!"

On the battlefield of Cray, the heavy silence left by Silent Tom's ghostly presence was suddenly shattered by the piercing cry of celestial steeds. Two majestic white pegasi descended from the starlit sky, their wings kicking up flurries of feathers and dust as their armored riders leveled their swords.

Misaki's eyes narrowed, the gears in her mind turning instantly. That's gonna be a powerful. Attack.

"Wait, why would he summon new units first? He can't ride anymore this turn if he just calls them," Izaki said, scratching his head as he looked at the board.

"Remember, he can still superior ride," Kamui pointed out.

"Right, he can, but why would he call them first before doing the ride?" Izaki asked, still confused by the sequencing.

"It's because of Young Pegasus Knight's skill—" Kamui started to explain, before he was cut off by Aichi's sudden movement.

"Now, I activate Barcgal's skill," Aichi continued, resting the mechanical pup once more. "I superior call... Flogal!"

The pink-and-white high dog bounced onto the field with an energetic bark, taking its place next to Llew.

"The board is set," Misaki said, her voice quiet but remarkably steady as she watched Aichi place the third card needed for the chain. She braced herself, her fingers tightening against her massive hand. "Here it comes."

"Llew's counterblast," Aichi announced, his fingers moving with absolute certainty as he reached into his damage zone and flipped one card face down. "By sending Barcgal, Future Knight, Llew, and Flogal to the soul..."

He slid the three cards smoothly underneath his vanguard. On Cray, the three young units dissolved into pure columns of light, their spirits swirling together and channeling directly into the center of the field.

"I search my deck, and I Superior Ride!!" Aichi's voice resonated, carrying a weight that made the lingering spectators snap their heads toward the table. "Come forth and shine through, my avatar!!"

A massive, blinding pillar of blue and silver light burst straight through Marron.

But unlike the previous sensations of watching Cray as an outsider, this time, the boundary dissolved completely. Aichi didn't just see it—he felt it.

He felt the biting chill of the winds of Cray whipping against his face, the cool, solid weight of enchanted steel resting in his palm, and the heavy, reassuring press of white-and-blue armor locking around his chest.

For that breathtaking second, Aichi Sendou embodied his avatar.

"Blaster Blade!!"

Misaki saw it.

Even on the flat surface of the cardboard mat, the very instant Aichi's fingers released the card, the mundane walls of Card Capital dissolved before her eyes.

She saw Cray.

She saw the sacred knight land with a heavy, echoing thud, the blue-and-silver armor gleaming as the light of justice cut through the moonlight of her night sky.

And for a fraction of a second, when she looked at the knight, she didn't see a drawing—she saw Aichi himself, standing tall his presence overwhelming.

It's like last time….What is this...? …Psy…qualia? Misaki thought, her breath hitching as her perfect memory cataloged something that shouldn't logically exist. Is this... what Aichi sees when he plays?







A few feet away, Kourin, even while nodding politely to a starstruck fan's question, froze.

Her sharp eyes snapped toward the table. She felt it instantly—the undeniable, heavy distortion in the air, the advent of Cray bleeding into reality.

But more than Aichi's usual resonance, she felt a secondary, sudden spike in the room's energy. She felt the exact moment Misaki's mind crossed the threshold.

Oh? Kourin thought to herself, a subtle, knowing smirk hidden behind her idol smile. Well, she is fighting Aichi after all. Looks like PSYQualia dragged her into the deep end too. I mean there were small hints back her last two turns, but still…

In her eyes, she didn't see a regular table with plastic mats.

She saw the field, not as a hologram or mere cards, but as a living, breathing reality overlaying the shop.

The legendary knight materialized on the vanguard circle in a flash of light as he unsheathed his blade, shattering Tsukuyomi's golden moonlight with his own brilliant, piercing aura.

Flanking him stood the twin knights atop their majestic pegasi, their steed's wings spread wide as they kicked up gale-force winds across the stone floor.

And on the opposing side, standing right beside the serene half-moon goddess, was the assassin with a ghastly presence—literally speaking—the specter blending into the chilling lunar mist.

Kourin watched, her pulse quickening slightly as she witnessed the raw, unfiltered echo of Planet Cray manifesting right in front of them.







"Wow..." Emi whispered, her hands clasped tightly against her chest as she stared at her brother, who seemed to be radiating an entirely different kind of presence now.

"Next, the skill of both Young Pegasus Knights triggers," Aichi declared. "For every card that entered the soul this turn, they gain 3,000 power. With Marron, Flogal, Llew, and Barcgal all added... that's four cards. Both of my Pegasus Knights now stand at 18,000 power!"

The two celestial knights roared as the ambient soul energy absorbed into their swords, their pegasi rearing back as their wings surged with blinding white light.

"So that's why Aichi did that..." Izaki realized, a wave of understanding washing over him. "If he had superior ridden before calling them, they wouldn't have gotten any of that power!"

"Yep. Just this turn, it's like he has the attacking power of an average Grade 3 from his Grade 1 support," Kamui said, grinning ear to ear.

"Amazing." Emi said.

"And I'm not done," Aichi said, his eyes flashing with determination. "Blaster Blade's counterblast! I flip my two remaining damage—Silent Tom,"

Blaster Blade leveled his sword, charging it with a crackling wave of concentrated energy.

"Retire!"

Aichi, embodying him once more, stabbed the floor underneath. The energy traveled invisibly through the ground before erupting upward in a spectacular pillar of white and blue light. The blast caught the ghostly assassin from beneath, and vaporizing Silent Tom into a cloud of dark mist before he could even raise his finger gun.

"With Tom gone, Aichi got rid of her intercept!!" Reiji cheered from the sidelines, completely blind to the ethereal clash the fighters were experiencing. "Not to mention, the grade 0 guarding restriction it had…"

"Then, I move one my front row back, Pegasus Knights to the back row, " Aichi said, sliding his cards down "and from my hand, I call Old Sage, Barron!"

The veteran sage Barron took the left, flank, his hand both backed by the immense, overflowing power of the empowered Pegasus Knights.

Aichi looked up, his gaze steady, matching the quiet intensity of the half-moon goddess across from him. "Let's go, Misaki-san."

Misaki took a look at her remaining cards, at the knight overlapping in her vision.

"Bring it on Aichi. "







"Boosted by Pegasus Knight, Old Sage, Barron attacks your Vanguard!" Aichi declared, tapping the cards on the left column.

As the young pegasus knight lent his overflowing soul-strength, the veteran sage moved forward on the battlefield. Even appearing as eccentric as his lore suggested, Barron wielded immense arcane authority. Several massive, runic magic circles materialized in glowing sequence directly in front of the elder.

"I don't guard," Misaki said, her eyes fixed on the unfolding strategy.

The magic circles rotated with a heavy, grinding mechanical sound, and a massive blast of ruptured earth and raw kinetic energy tore through the ground, rocketing skyward to strike the floating half-moon goddess. The impact shook the lunar mist, and in the real world, a second card slid into Misaki's damage zone.

"Then... Blaster Blade attacks!" Aichi shouted, tapping his vanguard column.

With a powerful, localized leap that defied gravity, the legendary knight launched himself high into the air, his glowing blade raised overhead as he aimed a decisive strike directly at the flying, celestial form of Tsukuyomi.

Misaki didn't let the pressure shake her. She pulled a card from her hand. "Battle Sister, Ginger will guard."

On Cray, a pink-haired battle sister stepped into the fray, raising a heavy, buckler-style shield to deflect Blaster Blade's downward slash, sparks flying as the blade ground against the barrier.

"Drive check!" Aichi announced, his hand reaching for the top of his deck.

As his fingers touched the cardboard, the card glowed a vibrant, fiery red.

"Draw trigger! Margal!" Aichi called out. "I give the additional 5,000 power to my right-wing Pegasus Knight, and I draw a card!"

The spectral form of the little high dog popped onto the field, howling as it transferred its energy over to the remaining standing rear-guard.

"Now, the right-wing Young Pegasus Knight attacks!" Aichi directed, his remaining column sliding forward, surged with the extra trigger power.

I would have guarded i if it weren't for the trigger. Misaki thought to herself. "I don't guard,"

The winged steed caught up to the goddess in the silver sky and struck with his sword, the blow hitting with crushing force under the light of the half-moon.

Misaki placed her hand on her deck. "Damage check."

She flipped the top card. "No trigger." It slid cleanly into her damage zone.

Aichi exhaled, the heavy weight of embodying his avatar slowly receding back into the cards as he leveled his posture. "I end my turn."


Aichi Sendou's field:
Old sage barron / Blaster Blade / Young Pegasus knight
Young Pegasus Knight / Empty / Empty
Card count: 6 Damage count: 3







"It's Misaki's turn, right?" Emi asked, her eyes darting between the players.

"Uh-huh," Izaki nodded, crossing his arms. "She had Crescent, then Half-Moon, so if we're going by naming convention, next should be..."

"FULL MOON!!" Morikawa suddenly shouted, bursting into the conversation with dramatic flair.

"Morikawa?!" Izaki gasped, nearly jumping out of his skin. "I thought you'd be sticking like dog-plaster to Kourin over by the other tables! What are you doing back here?"

Morikawa flinched, casting a nervous, sweating glance back toward where Kourin stood surrounded by a literal wall of adoring fans. "Well... I..."

"Ah. You got kicked out, didn't you?" Izaki smirked.

"Shut up! No, I didn't!" Morikawa snapped, crossing his arms and huffing proudly. "I merely decided to let others have the chance to bathe in the glorious presence of the goddess that is Kourin! I am a generous man!"

"Speaking of goddesses... do you actually know the next card in Misaki's ride chain?" Emi asked, turning to him with genuine curiosity.

"Of course! You are speaking to Katsumi Morikawa, the absolute master of Grade 3s!" he boasted, striking a ridiculous pose. "There is no Grade 3 in existence that I do not know inside and out!"

"Stop the showboating and get on with it," Eiji sighed, rolling his eyes.

"Hmph! Goddess of the Full Moon, Tsukuyomi is a card with 11,000 power!" Morikawa declared confidently.

"That's it? Just the power?" Izaki deadpanned.

"Why, you—!"

"Now, now," Emi said, waving her hands to calm them down. "At least we know for sure what the next card is..."

"Are you sure about that?" Kamui interrupted, his voice dropping all its usual playfulness. His eyes remained locked entirely on the field, unblinking.

Morikawa blinked. "What do you mean?"

"Think about it," Kamui said, his expression dead serious. "Misaki-san already pulled off two superior rides just in this cardfight. That's already crazy lucky. She was able to build up her massive hand because of that... but how about now? Can she really pull off a third consecutive superior ride right here, right now? If she misses that one specific card in the top five, the whole chain breaks!"








Misaki tokura's field:
Empty / Goddess of the half moon tsukuyomi / empty
White hare of inaba / empty / empty
Card count: 4 Damage count: 3

"Stand and draw," Misaki declared, drawing her card with steady focus.

As she added the extra card to her hand, she released a slow, quiet breath, Kamui's words echoing in her ears.

What he said is true, she thought, her fingers lightly resting on her deck. Even I think I was lucky these past few turns. I already have a copy of Crescent Moon and Half-Moon in my hand from drawing them naturally, but still… I was lucky that I could save them up and let the superior rides do the work.

But I don't have a copy of the Full Moon in my hand though, so… please.

"Activating Goddess of the Half-Moon, Tsukuyomi's skill," she announced, her voice steadying. "I search the top five cards of my deck…"

She slowly grabbed the top five cards, lifting them one by one. Her sharp eyes searched the surface of each card as she slid them into her view.

First card... White Hare of Inaba. No.

Second card... Dream Eater. No.

Third card... Battle Sister, Chocolat. No.

Fourth card... Goddess of the Crescent Moon, Tsukuyomi. No.

Then came the fifth card.

Misaki smiled. It was a pure, unburdened smile.

In that exact moment, Aichi's vision shifted. He didn't see the starry battlefield of Cray anymore. Instead, he saw a younger Misaki, laughing and smiling, completely surrounded by two warm, loving figures.

It was the exact same memory that had flickered when Crescent Moon first came onto the field earlier, but now it was radiant and crystal clear.

Misaki lifted the card up high.

"Gentle light breaking through the darkness," she began chanting, her voice steady and resonant.







"No way... she actually got all three?!" Izaki yelled, his jaw hitting the floorboards.

"How lucky is she?!" Kamui choked out, his eyes practically popping out of his head. He had just finished explaining how low the odds were, and she had just shattered those odds completely.

"Some would call it luck," Shin said from behind the counter, his tone surprisingly soft. He adjusted his glasses, a gentle, deeply affectionate smile playing on his lips. "And they're probably right."

"Manager?" Emi and Kamui's attention immediately shifted over to Shin, sensing the sudden weight in his voice.

"But in this moment, I see it differently…" Shin murmured, his eyes reflecting the brilliant, imaginary light emanating from the table. "It's like Cray itself smiled upon her today"

At his words, both Kamui and Emi felt their minds instantly flash back to yesterday—to the terrifying, awe-inspiring clash between Aichi and Ren.

"...I think you're right, Manager-san," Emi said softly, her eyes widening as she felt the familiar, mystical atmosphere returning to Card Capital.

"Cray, huh?" Kamui said, a solemn grin replacing his shock as he looked back down at the vanguard circle.








"Your smile brings hope to the entire world," Misaki's chant continued, bridging the gap between her memories and the game.

The translucent silhouettes of her mother and father stood close beside her, their expressions radiating a pure, unwavering love that seemed to pierce right through the heavy atmosphere of the cardfight.

The smiles they held were particularly bright, casting a gentle, protective warmth over the chair where Misaki stood.

To Aichi, it didn't feel like a mere trick of the mind or a simple coincidence.

Even if it was just a remnant of the powerful bond they left behind, the light surrounding Misaki in this very moment was undeniably real.

She was no longer just the quiet, guarded girl who managed the shop; she was a fighter standing at the center of her own universe, completely illuminated by the memories that kept her strong.







"Light breaks through the shadows!" Misaki declared. For the first time, a delicate tremor shook her voice—not from fear, but from the overwhelming warmth swelling in her chest.

A blinding light erupted from the vanguard circle, far stronger and more brilliant than anything that had come before in this fight. The intense, divine radiance actually tore right through the dark night sky of the battlefield, completely overpowering the soft, quiet moonlight that Half-Moon had left behind.

The Half-Moon goddess ascended into the heart of the light, her form evolving into a majestic, divine figure. Striking, vibrant blue and black feathered wings spread wide like a celestial butterfly, cutting through the darkness as a colossal, flawless silver full moon materialized directly behind her. Crowned with a radiant golden headdress, her presence was absolutely overwhelming—a brilliant beacon of hope and power that pushed back the shadows themselves.

With a definitive, echoing snap, Misaki brought the card down onto the table.

"Superior Ride… Goddess of the Full Moon, Tsukuyomi!"
 
NewName said:
"He's down a powerful Vanguard," Eiji noted from the back, crossing his arms with a low, sympathetic whistle. "Losing one of your ultimate Grade 3's to an early damage check hurts."
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Yeeeah, thank Bushi for the Ride Deck.

NewName said:
"For every card that entered the soul this turn, they gain 3,000 power. With Marron, Flogal, Llew, and Barcgal all added... that's four cards. Both of my Pegasus Knights now stand at 18,000 power!"
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Slight correction; a card being rode upon doesn't count as a card being moved into soul. Llew and co. still do count, so that'd bring the Pegasus Knights up to 15000, so still going strong. Just not insanely strong.

Everything else seems fine tho.

NewName said:
"Of course! You are speaking to Katsumi Morikawa, the absolute master of Grade 3s!" he boasted, striking a ridiculous pose. "There is no Grade 3 in existence that I do not know inside and out!"
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Prep to eat humble pie then, 'cause dem Crossrides are-a-coming!
 
Last edited:
Anon-Echo98 said:
Slight correction; a card being rode upon doesn't count as a card being moved into soul. Llew and co. still do count, so that'd bring the Pegasus Knights up to 15000, so still going strong. Just not insanely strong.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Itsa superior ride though, that means marron should still count.
 
12. Exploring Psyqualia - Light Against Light New
Kourin POV

That's not Cray.

I saw the wings, the flash of light, and the emergence of the full moon.

But…

That's not what shocked me.

Yes, the presence of Cray is still a little shocking as ever, especially as only one of the fighters had psyqualia—maybe Aichi's connection was just especially strong, especially now that there are two copies of Blaster Blade in his deck—so it could be explained.

But the scene now...

There, standing behind Misaki, weren't monsters. Weren't knights, or beasts, or anything that belonged to a card.

Two people.

I didn't need to squint. I didn't need to guess. Something in me just knew, instantly, the way you know your own name without having to think about it.

Her parents.

I don't know how I know.

But the shape of that smile on the woman—soft, a little tired at the edges—and the way the man stood just slightly behind her, like he was always ready to catch something falling...

That's not something Cray shows you. Cray doesn't do family photo albums. Cray does war.

So why—

Why is it showing me this?

Something ugly rises on the surface of my emotions,
I don't have a word for it. It isn't jealousy, though it sits somewhere near it. It isn't grief, not mine to claim. It's something that just watches those two translucent figures glow warm around Misaki and asks, quietly, uselessly:

What does that feel like?




Misaki POV


I knew.

Not the way Aichi knows things—not some whisper of wind through card, not some voice reciting fate before I turn it over.

I've never had that.

Whatever pulls at him when he plays, whatever pulls at Ren behind that smirk of his, I don't have it. I never have.

But I knew, all the same.

Crescent Moon.

I felt the flicker of it before my fingers even touched the deck—some small, stubborn certainty lodged behind my ribs that said it's there, near the top, it's there.

And it was.

I told myself it was luck. Anyone would. That's something that happens, and you're grateful, and you move on.

Except then Half-Moon came just as easily.

And somewhere in the space between drawing that card and placing it down, the doubt crept in the way it always does when you pull exceptionally well.

You're pushing your luck. This is greedy. Nobody pulls three.

I could hear my own voice doing the math against me, the odds stacking up cold and precise the way numbers always do in my head.

And still—

Still, some small, quiet certainty sat underneath all that doubt, patient and unmoved by any of my own arithmetic.

It felt less like knowledge and more like…company.

Like being watched over by someone who already knew how this would go, standing just behind my shoulder the way they used to.

So when I lifted that fifth card, I wasn't shocked. I wasn't even really surprised. It just felt, for one quiet second, like something in me had been right about more than a deck.

Then I flipped it. Then I chanted. And as Tsukuyomi rose into her final form—wings spreading, the full moon blooming silver behind her—

The warmth hit me somewhere I didn't have a name for.

It wasn't the room. It wasn't the light off the table. It sat low in my chest and spread outward, gentle and total, the kind of warmth you don't feel from a card game. The kind you feel standing in a doorway, watching someone you love walk toward you.

I held the card a little tighter than I needed to.

Thank you, I thought, to no one in particular, and everyone I could think of.





Normal POV


"As long as I have six cards in my soul…" Misaki started, her voice unwavering.

"Goddess of the Full Moon's Counterblast!"

Misaki reached for her damage zone and flipped two of her three face-up cards.

"I draw two cards."

She drew them smoothly with practiced precision, adding even more weight to her already staggering hand.

"Then I place one card from my hand into the soul."

She selected a card and slid it beneath Goddess of the Full Moon, Tsukuyomi, further consolidating the cosmic energy beneath her vanguard.

"And on the left... I call Oracle Guardian, Hermes!"
274

  • This card only exists in the anime.
A heavy, stoic battleroid resembling an ancient stone statue dropped onto the field, its stone skin crackling as small hints of blue leaked through its seams.

"It's that card again," Kamui muttered, crossing his arms and wincing.

"Hm?" Emi asked, turning to him. "What's wrong with it?"

"That card has a skill that's a real headache to play against," Kamui sighed.

"What does it do?" Emi tilted her head.

"Well," Kamui gestured toward the table, "you're about to find out."

"Activating Hermes's skill!" Misaki announced.

On Planet Cray, the stone outer shell of Oracle Guardian, Hermes began to fracture, brilliant azure light bursting from the deep fissures.

"When he is placed on a rear-guard circle," Misaki said, her sharp green eyes locking onto Aichi with absolute focus, "you must reveal your hand to me."

Aichi complied smoothly, fan-folding his cards face-out, his expression giving nothing away.

"Woah, Hermes can do that?!" Emi gasped, watching the light burst from the stone battleroid.

"And that's not all," Kamui said, crossing his arms with a serious nod.

"Hm?" Emi blinked, turning back to the table.

"He also allows me to check the top card of your deck," Misaki said smoothly, her eyes locked onto Aichi.

Without hesitation, Aichi reached for his deck, lifting the top card and turning it face-out to reveal it to everyone in the room: Knight of Truth, Gordon.

Good, it's not a trigger, Misaki thought to herself, her mental ledger instantly updated. "That card remains on top of your deck."

Her sharp eyes then zeroed in on the six cards resting in Aichi's revealed hand, processing each card in milliseconds:

Margal (Grade 0 / 5000 Shield)

Soul Saver Dragon (Grade 3)

Flash Shield, Iseult (Grade 1 / Perfect Guard)

Silent Sage, Sharon (Grade 0 / 10000 Shield)

Gigantech Dozer (Grade 2 / 5000 Shield)

Demon Slaying Knight, Lohengrin (Grade 3)

Two Grade 3s, one Grade 2, one Perfect Guard, and two Grade 0s... Misaki analyzed instantly. Margal gives 5,000 shield, while Sharon gives 10,000. Combined with Gigantech Dozer, that's 20,000 base shield, plus Iseult to completely ditch a Grade 3 and shut down any single massive attack.

A solid, remarkably flexible defense—all laid bare beneath her gaze.

"So, let's cut down on that possible defense, shall we?" Misaki said, her fingers sliding another card onto the mat with lethal precision. "I call..."

On the battlefield of Planet Cray, alongside the towering, winged majesty of the Full Moon Goddess, a sinister, serpentine presence materialized through the moonlit mist. She wore ornate silk robes, her long dark hair entwined with writhing, glowing vipers, and her golden-green eyes flickered with a petrifying, hypnotic gaze. She unsheathed a massive, curved ceremonial blade with a slow, ominous metallic rasp.

"...Evil-Eye Princess, Euryale!!"


270



"Hey, wait... if Misaki can see Aichi's cards, then doesn't that mean...?" Emi said, her eyes widening in sudden realization.

"If you're thinking what I'm thinking—yes, it does," Kamui said, his usual loud cheering tone completely dropping into pure awe.

"What are you guys talking about?" Morikawa asked, completely clueless as he looked back and forth between them.

"They're talking about Euryale's skill," Eiji reminded him.

"Which is...?"

"And you call yourself a Grade 3 master?" Reiji snickered, shaking his head.

"Even Miss Emi figured it out, and she's completely new to the game..." Eiji muttered under his breath.

"What was that?!" Morikawa snapped, puffing out his chest angrily.

"Euryale's skill," Manager Shin interrupted, stepping in before the argument could brew any further. "As long as there are six Oracle Think Tank cards in the soul, when she is placed on a rear-guard or vanguard circle, Euryale allows her to randomly choose one card from the opponent's hand and bind it face down until the end of the turn."

"Hah! Right, that card!" Morikawa suddenly grinned, snapping his fingers as if he had known all along. "Doesn't that make one of Aichi's cards completely useless until Misaki's turn is over?"

"And that's not all," Kamui added.

"Huh?"

"Look at Aichi's hand," Kamui directed.

Morikawa squinted down at the table. "What do you—?"

His jaw dropped.

"It's completely exposed!" Morikawa realized out loud. "That means...!"

"Yep," Kamui grinned "Misaki knows exactly which card she wants to hit. Since Aichi's hand is laid out flat, she isn't picking blindly in the dark. She can intentionally snip the absolute best defensive card out of his hand, shutting down Big Bro's defense before she even declares an attack!"

Thats unreal. Emi thought. What an amazing synergy






"Activating Euryale's skill," Misaki announced, shaping her fingers like a pistol—her index and middle fingers intertwining with cool, deliberate flair..

"I bind one of your cards."

She raised her right hand.

"Bang."

On Planet Cray, the snake-haired princess unleashed a sudden, petrifying glare.

And from Aichi's hand, Silent Sage Sharon was bound.

"Wait, why did she choose that instead of the Perfect Guard?!" Izaki blurted out, pointing at the table in confusion. "Doesn't taking out Iseult make way more sense?!"

"Did she make a mistake?" Reiji asked, brow furrowed as he tried to trace her logic.

"No," Kamui said, his eyes completely locked on the match, unwavering. "No, she didn't."

Not to mention, binding Iseult now only guarantees Aichi gets to keep her for next turn when things get even worse, Kamui thought to himself, She wants to force his Perfect Guard out of his hand right now.

Sharon was a guaranteed 10,000 shield for a normal attack. By sealing her away, Misaki completely guts his guarding efficiency.

Margal and Gigantech Dozer are cards Aichi needs to build his rear-guards next turn, and Iseult is his safety net. By taking Sharon off the board, she guarantees that Aichi is trapped in a lose-lose: he either burns his Perfect Guard early or gets forced to throw away the key units he desperately needs for his own counter-attack.



Misaki didn't give Aichi a second to process his remaining options. With cold, methodical speed, she drew another card from her hand and laid it on the mat.

"I call Battle Sister, Cocoa behind Goddess of the Full Moon, Tsukuyomi!"

In the center back-row, directly in the lunar haze behind the grand goddess, a sleek battle nun with long purple hair and a flowing dark habit stepped into position, a sharp, dangerous smirk on her face as glowing daggers levitated between her fingers.

"Activating Battle Sister, Cocoa's skill," Misaki announced, her voice flat and focused. "When she is placed on a rear-guard circle, I look at the top card of my deck, and I can choose to place it either on the top or the bottom."

She lightly lifted the top card of her deck, keeping the face hidden from everyone else, and examined it.

Meteor Break Wizard, Misaki noted instantly. Grade 3. No trigger.

"To the bottom."

Without a moment of hesitation, she slid the card straight to the bottom of her deck, clearing the way for her upcoming drive checks. Her sharp, green eyes locked onto Aichi's exposed hand once more.

Now let's begin my attack!

"Inaba supports Hermes, and attacks Blaster Blade!"

Behind the hulking battleroid, White Hare of Inaba's fur caught the moonlight, each strand glowing faint silver as threads of soft light poured from its small frame into Hermes's cracked shell. The stone plating along Hermes's arms split wider, azure circuitry flaring bright beneath, and the whole battlefield seemed to hum with the low charge of it building.

"I don't guard."

Aichi stood his ground on Cray as Hermes's arms locked into position, twin barrels aligning with a mechanical groan. He could feel the air pressure shift before the shot even fired—a held breath, a coiled spring. Then the beams tore loose, twin lances of concentrated blue light screaming across the front line and slamming into Blaster Blade's chest.

The knight staggered back a full step, boots carving furrows into the earth, sparks of white light bleeding from the cracks in his armor before he steadied himself. Aichi felt the impact land somewhere behind his own ribs, a dull, distant echo of the blow.

Knight of Truth, Gordon. Fourth damage.





"Wasn't that the same card from Hermes?!" Izaki asked, wide-eyed.

"Uh-huh," Reiji nodded in agreement.

"Wow, Misaki is really on a roll, huh!" Morikawa laughed, grinning from the sidelines. "Go Misaki, beat Aichi up! Make him pay for the crime of beating Kourin again and again!"






"Tsukuyomi boosted by Cocoa!" Misaki ignored the noise from the sidelines, her focus narrowing strictly to the mat as she declared her Vanguard's attack. "Attacks Blaster Blade!"

On the battlefield of Planet Cray, the battle maiden in the back row channeled her ethereal energy into the radiant moon goddess. Tsukuyomi's wings answered first—flaring wide, each feather igniting one by one until the whole span of them burned a blinding white-gold against the dark, vast expanse of Cray's night sky. The full moon behind her swelled, growing impossibly bright, its silver light pooling down her raised arms and gathering at her open palms into a dense, molten orb of celestial energy, the air itself straining under its weight.

Then she fired. A searing pillar of pure moonlight tore across the field, incandescent and absolute, the ground scorching white in the wake of its path.

Before it could smash onto Blaster Blade, the air in front of the white knight fractured into a brilliant lattice of light. A towering barrier blazed to life, locking into place just inches from impact as a soaring, azure-armored guardian stepped through the light to shield him.

"Guard!" Aichi said, placing the card he used to defend his Avatar. "Flash Shield, Iseult! Her skill nullifies that attack!"

Aichi's fingers found a single card and slid it into the drop zone—the price paid to anchor the shield in place.

Misaki's sharp eyes instantly caught the card hitting the grave.

Soul Saver Dragon? He's not going to activate Soul Saver's Soul Blast?

"Demon Slaying Knight, Lohengrin..." Misaki muttered under her breath, narrowing her eyes. If it's that card, then...

She took a steadying breath, composed her focus, and reached for her deck.

"Twin drive," she announced cleanly. She flipped the top card.

"First check."

She revealed Oracle Guardian, Gemini—the haunting Grade 1 battleroid pair of mechanical, angel-winged dolls.

"No trigger."

Misaki smoothly drew the card into her hand and flipped the next one without a second's delay.

"Second check."

She revealed Oracle Guardian, Wiseman—the imposing Grade 2 metallic thinking statue.

"No trigger."

Despite adding two solid normal units to her hand, no trigger effects surged to support Euryale. Misaki calmly slid both cards into her hand, her eyes remaining sharp and fixed on Aichi's field.

With Lohengrin confirmed as his next Vanguard, I need to weaken his setup right now, Misaki thought to herself, her eyes shifting from the card in the bound zone to the remaining Grade 3 resting in Aichi's hand.

"Evil-Eye Princess, Euryale... attacks Great Sage, Barron!"




"The rear-guard? Why?!" Izaki blurted out, leaning over the counter.

"If she attacked Blaster Blade, she'd either push him to five damage or force another card out of his hand," Reiji muttered, scratching his chin in confusion.

"Attacking a rear-guard instead... isn't that a waste of a Grade 3's attack power?" Morikawa muttered.

"Is she just looking to weaken Aichi's formation by taking out a unit first?"

"Probably..."





Misaki watched from her side of the field as Euryale peeled away from Tsukuyomi's flank, moving with a slow, deliberate grace that felt almost lazy—as if she already knew the outcome and simply hadn't bothered to hurry toward it. The vipers coiled through her hair hissed low, and her golden-green eyes fixed on the old sage with a hunger that had nothing to do with hunger at all.

Barron met her gaze without flinching, his ancient runes still humming faintly from the earlier casting, staff planted firm against the stone ground.

"Margal will guard that attack!"

A streak of red shot across the field—the mechanical hound closing the distance in a blur, servos whining under the strain. Euryale's blade came down in a wide, curving arc meant to cleave clean through the sage's defenses, moonlight glinting cold along its edge.

Margal met it head-on.

The impact threw a shower of sparks skyward, the blade grinding to a halt against the dog's reinforced frame with a shriek of straining metal. For a moment the two forces held—viper hair writhing, red plating groaning—before the strike's momentum finally dissipated, Euryale's blade sliding harmlessly off to the side.

Misaki watched Margal crumple from the strain, his glow dimming to nothing before he faded from the field entirely. At least I got rid of another soul-charging unit, she thought. But with the knights and that Sage....his chosen Vanguard is gonna be a headache.

"Silent Sage Sharon is now freed from the bind zone, and you can hide your hand now." Misaki finished. "Turn end,"


Misaki tokura's field:
Oracle Guardian, Hermes / Goddess of the half moon tsukuyomi / Evil-Eye Princess Euryale
White hare of inaba / Battle Sister, Cocoa / Empty
Card count: 5 Damage count: 3





Aichi Sendou's field:
Great Sage, Barron / Blaster Blade / Young Pegasus Knight
Young Pegasus Knight / None / Empty
Card count: 3 Damage count: 4

"Damn, I thought his hand would stay exposed for the whole game!" Morikawa whined from the sidelines, crossing his arms with a groan. "That was way too short!"

"Man, that'd be way too game-breaking," Izaki scoffed, shaking his head. "The Hermes card is already out of print as it is. If it let you see their hand forever, that card would get banned entirely!"

"Well, at least we saw what Aichi's cards were for this turn," Reiji pointed out, adjusting his glasses. "Especially his Vanguard, huh?"

"Right," Morikawa blinked, leaning closer over the counter. "What was its name again?"

Aichi didn't give him time to answer.



"Stand and draw!" Aichi declared, drawing his card for the turn.

Without hesitation, he held up his chosen Vanguard—the Grade 3 knight—and chanted.

"Roar, Demon Slaying Blade! Cut through and shatter the wicked!" Aichi called out, his voice ringing with absolute confidence. "I ride! Demon Slaying Knight, Lohengrin!"
latest

On Planet Cray, Blaster Blade dissolved into a towering pillar of blinding, holy light. From the brilliance emerged a massive, battle-hardened knight clad in heavy steel plate armor, his sweeping purple cape billowing in the wake of his arrival. Grasping the hilt of his immense broadsword with both hands, Lohengrin raised the blade high and let out a fierce, thunderous battle cry that echoed across the entire battlefield.

"There it is..." Kamui muttered, leaning forward over the table, his eyes wide with intensity. "Lohengrin!"

"So, is that Aichi's new card?" Morikawa asked, squinting down at the magnificent knight on the mat.

"Uh-huh. He added it along with his second copy of Blaster Blade," Izaki responded, nodding.

"You ungrateful little—receiving Kourin's—" Morikawa began to grumble under his breath, clutching his chest in dramatic jealousy. He quickly caught himself and shook his head. "Right, so what does it do?"

"Quiet," Shin said softly, a knowing smile playing on his lips as he gestured toward the board. "Aichi's about to start."







Aichi immediately gestured to his Vanguard as his Main Phase began.

"At the beginning of my main phase, Lohengrin's skill activates!" Aichi announced. "I Soul Charge one card, and Lohengrin gains plus 2,000 power for the turn!"

He took the top card of his deck and slid it straight underneath Lohengrin into his soul, powering up the mighty knight.

"Wait a soul charge? Doesn't that mean…? " Emi said in realization.

"Exactly." Aichi said. "My two Pegasus Knights gain 3000 power once more!"

The white wings on the young knights flared with brilliant, pulsing aura as the soul charge energized them, jumping from 6,000 to 9,000 power.
"And that's not all," Aichi added, gesturing to his other front-row unit.

"There's more?" Izaki blinked, astonished.

"Great Sage, Barron shares the same skill as Young Pegasus Knight! From 8,000 power, he goes up to 11,000!"

At this point, all three applicable rear-guards on his field had gained a 3,000 power boost simultaneously.

"That's amazing synergy!" Reiji cheered.

"I mean, yeah, but doesn't Soul Saver give 5,000 power to three units when Soul Blasting?" Morikawa crossed his arms, frowning in debate. "Why didn't Aichi choose Soul Saver instead of Lohengrin?!"

"He's looking long-term, Morikawa," Shin chimed in from behind the counter, a knowing smile on his face. "Soul Saver Dragon has a heavy cost of five cards in the soul, and that power burst is only for a single turn. But with Lohengrin, Aichi can trigger these power boosts turn after turn—provided he keeps his setup intact."

"And besides," Kamui grinned, his eyes gleaming as he watched Aichi reach for his hand, "who said only one card was going into the soul this turn?"

Aichi proved Kamui's words right immediately after. He took two cards from his hand and laid them down beside and behind his Vanguard.

"I call Gigantech Dozer and Silent Sage, Sharon! And I activate Sharon's skill—moving her straight to the soul!"

As Sharon dissolved into a spiral of ambient light beneath Lohengrin, another surge of energy erupted across Aichi's side of the mat.

"That's another 3,000 power to all three units once more!" Aichi declared. "As well as Sharon's skill, providing an additional 3,000 power to a unit of my choice! I choose Gigantech Dozer, bringing him up to 11,000!"

The entire Royal Paladin force now stood brimming with immense aura: Young Pegasus Knight surging behind, Gigantech Dozer and Barron newly energized, and Lohengrin towering over the field.

"Then let's go!" Aichi called out, sweeping his arm forward. "Let's start it off—Lohengrin attacks your Vanguard!"

Aichi felt the knight's weight shift beneath him—no, not beneath him, but somewhere adjacent to him, close enough that the sensation bled through regardless. Lohengrin's cape snapped taut as he surged forward, broadsword trailing an afterimage of pale light, the ground splitting in thin fault lines beneath each stride.

Misaki stood her ground on the far side of the field, Tsukuyomi's silver light pooling protectively around her even as she made no move to guard. "No guard."

"Drive check!" Aichi announced, drawing from the top of his deck.

"First check."

He turned over the card.

And it glowed green.

Yggdrasil Maiden, Elaine!

"Heal trigger activated!" Aichi's eyes lit up. "I recover one damage from my damage zone, and give 5,000 power to a unit of my choice! Power to Great Sage, Barron!"

Barron's power skyrocketed even further, the old giant roaring with renewed vigor.

"Second check."

Aichi flipped the second card face-up.

And it glowed gold.

Future Knight, Llew!

"Critical trigger!" Aichi declared. "Power goes to Gigantech Dozer! The critical goes to my Vanguard, Lohengrin!"

Lohengrin's blade ignited, edge burning white-hot as he closed the last stretch of ground in a single bound, leaping high above the battlefield. Misaki tilted her head up to track him as he brought the sword down in a single devastating arc that split the night sky itself—cutting clean through the pale halo of moonlight ringing Tsukuyomi and driving straight into the goddess's guard.

The shockwave rolled outward, and Misaki felt it hit like a physical thing. "Damage check. First check."

She revealed the top card. No trigger. She placed it into her damage zone.

"Second check."

The card flared with a crimson light as she turned it over—Dream Eater.

"Draw trigger," Misaki stated calmly. "5,000 power to Tsukuyomi, and I draw a card."

She drew her extra card and slid Dream Eater into her damage zone alongside the rest.

Five damage. One more hit, and it was over.







"Boosted by Young Pegasus Knight, Gigantech Dozer attacks Goddess of the Full Moon, Tsukuyomi!" Aichi declared, pointing forward.
270

"With Gigantech Dozer's skill, as long as there are six or more Royal Paladins in my soul, he gains another 3,000 power!" Aichi continued, the giant mechanical warrior's thrusters flaring with roaring blue flames. "So with his skill, Sharon's boost, and the critical trigger's power, Dozer now stands at 19,000 power!"

"With Young Pegasus Knight boosting at 12,000," Aichi swept his arm across the table, "this attack is coming at you at 31,000 power!"

The sheer scale of the attack made the spectators gasp.

"Thirty-one thousand?!" Kamui shouted. "That's insane!"

And even from across the field, Misaki could feel the weight of that number pressing against her, a physical thing bearing down alongside the giant himself.

She then slid three cards from her hand straight into the guard zone.

"I guard with Goddess of the Half Moon, Tsukuyomi, Goddess of the Crescent Moon, Tsukuyomi, and Lozenge Magus!"

A shimmering defensive barrier surged up on Planet Cray—the combined magical presence of the past moon phases alongside the radiant spellcaster erecting an absolute wall around Tsukuyomi.

"With Tsukuyomi's base 16,000 power, from the Draw Trigger, plus Half-Moon's 5,000, Crescent-Moon's 5,000, and Lozenge Magus's 10,000 shield... that brings my total defense to 36,000," Misaki stated, her cold green eyes meeting Aichi's. "Your attack will not hit!"

Gigantech Dozer's colossal laser slammed against the glittering lunar barrier, sending shockwaves across the field, but the shield held firm without so much as a crack before throwing the giant back.







"This time, Great Sage, Barron attacks!" Aichi called out, targeting Tsukuyomi once more.

"With his own skill bringing him up to 14,000, enhanced to 19,000 by the heal trigger, and boosted by Young Pegasus Knight at 12,000 power—he attacks with the exact same power as Gigantech Dozer! 31,000 power!"

On Planet Cray, the towering sage raised his massive staff, channeling a devastating torrent of raw, luminous magic directly toward the moon goddess.

Misaki remained unshaken.

With a flourish, she drew a single card from her hand and laid it firmly onto the guard zone, followed by another card to the drop zone.

"Battle Sister, Chocolat," Misaki announced. "Her skill nullifies that attack."

The clumsy, dark-haired Battle Sister leaped into the fray, opening fire with her heavy machine gun. A dense hail of energy rounds collided with Barron's massive magical beam, neutralizing the colossal explosion in a flash of smoke and light before it could ever touch Tsukuyomi.

Aichi let out a quiet breath, looking at his remaining cards.

"I end my turn."

A rainbow gleam briefy flashed in his eyes.




Umm, its been around two, three weeks? I didnt keep track of the game until this part, so I'll edit it out later I guess, but first, let me get this shit out my head immediately.

Aichi Sendou:
Great Sage Barron / Demon Slaying Knight, Lohengrin / Gigantech Dozer
Young Pegasus Knight / None / Young Pegasus Knight
Card Count: Three(Unknown, Elaine, Llew) Damage Count: 3 (⅔)


Misaki Tokura:
Oracle Guardian Hermes / Goddess of the Full moon Tsukuyomi / Evil-Eye Princess Euryale
White Hare of Inaba / Batle Sister, Cocoa / None
Card Count: One (Gemini) Damage Count: 5 (⅖ )
 
Last edited:
Good shit, good shit. Only thing I would note is that Kourin(?) and Misaki's POV's are uncharacteristically in first person at the start without an indicator.
 
13. Exploring PsyQualia - Light Wins New
Aichi Sendou
Great Sage Barron / Demon Slaying Knight, Lohengrin / Gigantech Dozer
Young Pegasus Knight / None / Young Pegasus Knight
Card Count: Three(Unknown, Elaine, Llew) Damage Count: 3 (⅔)

Misaki Tokura
Oracle Guardian Hermes / Goddess of the Full moon Tsukuyomi / Evil-Eye Princess Euryale
White hare of INaba / Batle Sister, Cocoa / None
Card Count: One (Gemini) Damage Count: 5 (⅖ )


"Stand and draw. "

An unknown card, along with two Grade 0 units—Elaine and Llew. Not to mention his two intercepts... Misaki's jaw set slightly as the math clicked into place. Damn it. He has way too much shield for me to deal three damage this turn. I won't be able to force a game-ending blow right now.

She took a slow, steady breath, reassessing the board. I guess the only way for me to turn this around is by building up for next turn. And to do that successfully, the best path forward is to thin down his formation.

Wait, formation… ?

... At the start of his turn, Lohengrin's main phase Soul Charge will trigger the rear guard units again. That'll push the two Pegasus Knights to 9,000 power, and Barron up to 11,000. And with six cards remaining in his soul, Gigantech Dozer still gains his static 3,000 power, bringing him to 9,000 base.

That's.. a minimum of … 20,000 power.

Shit.






"Activating Tsukuyomi's Counterblast!"

Snapping out of her fast-paced calculations, Misaki declared her Vanguard's skill to open her turn, her voice holding its usual clarity—though a fine, tight thread of tension ran just beneath it.

"I flip two damage face-down, draw two cards, and place one card from my hand into the soul."

Misaki executed the sequence in one swift arc, drawing her new cards and sliding one beneath Goddess of the Full Moon, Tsukuyomi. Her eyes darted across her freshly expanded hand for a fraction of a second, her mind racing against the cold math of Aichi's upcoming turn. At five damage, one wrong step, one mistake, and it was over.

She couldn't afford to play passive.

Without missing a beat—perhaps a beat faster than her usual methodical pace—she reached out and declared her first attack to dismantle Aichi's front line before it could crush her.

"Euryale... attacks Great Sage, Barron once more!"

"How amazing Misaki. " Aichi exclaimed.






"She's attacking the rear-guard again?!" Morikawa blurted out, gripping his hair in frustration. "Why?! She's already lagging behind at five damage! What's the point of this? Shouldn't she be attacking Aichi with everything she's got?!"

"She's not even calling any new units to fill out that empty circle!" Izaki added, gesturing toward her open left front row. "She has three cards in her hand, right? Why waste them?!"

Reiji adjusted his glasses, letting out a short, tired sigh as he looked at the two of them. "You guys are completely missing the bigger picture. She's waiting for next turn."

"Which means her entire goal right now is conserving her hand size," Eiji picked up smoothly, crossing his arms as his eyes stayed glued to the mat. "By not overcommitting her units to fill that empty circle, she preserves every single card to build a wall for Aichi's next attack."

"And by taking Barron out right now," Reiji continued, tapping his chin, "she strips away a 5,000-shield intercept, prevents Lohengrin's main phase skill from continuously boosting that column, and severely weakens his formation before he can even swing."

"Wait... if she's targeting a rear-guard, why Barron instead of Gigantech Dozer?" Izaki asked, furrowing his brow as he tried to trace the logic. "Dozer's base power is the same, and he gets an extra 3,000 power too!"

"Because Barron's skill is far more volatile, dummy," Eiji scoffed, shaking his head at Izaki. "Dozer has a fixed power buff, but Barron gains an extra 3,000 power every single time any unit enters the soul. If that unknown card resting in Aichi's hand turns out to be a Pongal or another Soul Charger, Barron's power will skyrocket far past Dozer's."

"Taking him down right now neutralizes that explosive scaling before it can spiral out of control," Reiji finished cleanly. "Right, Kamui?"

"Ahem... cough!" Kamui cleared his throat into his fist, puffing out his chest with an air of authority. "That's true... but that's not the main reason."

"It's not?!" Reiji and Eiji gasped in unison, their voices trembling as their pride took an instant hit.

"It's not?!" Izaki and Morikawa echoed, blinking in total confusion before Morikawa suddenly burst out laughing. "Hah! That's what you guys get for trying to teach us when you're just losers like the rest of us!"

"Quiet!" Eiji snapped back. "At least we were able to give a pretty good explanation, unlike some people!"

"Nevertheless," Kamui cut in, raising a single dramatic finger toward the mat, "the real reason comes down to pure, cold numbers. It's because of the overwhelming raw power those rear-guard columns possess."

"Twenty thousand..." Emi whispered in shock, her eyes widening as she calculated the math on the mat and realized the truth before anyone else. "Twenty thousand attack power!"

"Exactly!" Kamui grinned, nodding vigorously toward Emi. "She saw those numbers coming a mile away."

He turned back to face the rest of the gang, his face darkening into a serious, analytical frown. "Think about it. With Lohengrin's main phase Soul Charge boosting the wings again next turn, Aichi's side columns are going to hit 20,000 power each. On top of that, his Vanguard has the threat of a Twin Drive."

"Wait, what do you mean?" Izaki asked, scratching the back of his head. "With Tsukuyomi's skill and her Twin Drive, Misaki's going to end her turn with five cards in her hand, right? Isn't five cards a pretty solid defense?"

"Under normal circumstances, yeah," Reiji chimed in, his eyes widening as the math clicked. "But against those kinds of numbers? Unless Misaki gets extremely lucky with triggers on her own defense, her loss would be practically set in stone! Five cards isn't enough to stop two 20,000-power lanes and a Grade 3 Vanguard with Twin Drive!"

"Precisely," Eiji added, adjusting his glasses. "Misaki isn't the type to gamble her entire game on rolling lucky shield triggers. So she chose the only aggressive, reliable option she had—destroy his front line before it can crush her."







"Future Knight, Llew will guard that attack. "

As the snake-haired princess lunged forward to strike at Great Sage, Barron, her petrifying blade gleaming as it drove toward the elderly knight, she was suddenly cut off by the golden-haired squire. Llew raised his shield with both hands, meeting the fierce blow head-on and forcing Euryale's strike backward into a flurry of sparks.

Misaki narrowed her eyes, her expression unreadable as the front line remained untouched.

Fine then.

Without skipping a beat, she gestured toward her center column. "Boosted by Battle Sister, Cocoa... Tsukuyomi attacks Barron!"

That's 18,000 power! Emi thought, her hands clenching in front of her chest as she watched the math unfold. Will Aichi still try to guard that? Even with a Grade 0's 10,000 shield, it won't be enough to stop it!

"Guard!" Aichi declared suddenly, his voice sharp and unyielding. "I guard with Yggdrasil Maiden, Elaine, and intercept with Gigantech Dozer!"

Everyone watching gasped as Aichi dropped the 10,000-shield trigger and swept his heavy Grade 2 rear-guard into the Guard Circle, forming an impenetrable wall to protect Barron.

"What?!" Morikawa screamed, clutching his hair in utter disbelief. "That's two cards just to defend a rear-guard! It's so wasteful!!"

"He's giving up a 5,000-shield intercept and a Heal Trigger from his hand just to save Barron?!" Izaki yelled, leaning over the table. "Is he out of his mind?!"

Misaki's eyes narrowed into slits. The cold calculation in her head faltered for a fraction of a second. Throwing away that much shield value just to preserve one unit... what is he setting up?

That must mean the other card in his hand is a soul charger as well! Misaki realized, her mind racing. He's guarding Barron at all costs because he needs two specific rear-guards to complete his offensive engine next turn...

Even with Aichi's massive defensive commitment throwing off her calculations, Misaki didn't let her momentum stall for a single second.

"Twin Drive!" Misaki announced, her fingers already hovering over her deck as she prepared to check her triggers.

First check. The card glowed with a bright yellow radiance as she turned it face-up.

"Critical Trigger—Psychic Bird! All effects to Hermes!"

In Cray, high above the battlefield, the remaining mechanical plating across Oracle Guardian, Hermes burst wide open. A massive surge of blinding light erupted around him, radiating raw power.

Second check. The next card flamed with a vibrant red light.

"Draw Trigger—Miracle Kid! Power to Hermes, and I draw a card."

Misaki drew her extra card, adding it to her hand as the light beneath Hermes ignited, glowing brighter than ever before.

With both triggers done, Tsukuyomi finally moved.

In an instant, as if teleporting through the night air, Goddess of the Full Moon, Tsukuyomi appeared directly in front of Great Sage, Barron. Her divine blade glinted with the cold, radiant power of the moonlight.

She delivered a single, decisive slash—but before the strike could tear through the elderly sage, a massive green barrier erupted around him, cast by the elf Yggdrasil Maiden, Elaine. Right beside her, Gigantech Dozer threw its mechanical body into the fray, its heavy plating clashing against Tsukuyomi's moonlit blade with a deafening screech!

The joint defense held, deflecting the goddess's strike entirely.

Their guard complete, both Elaine and Dozer vanished into a burst of light. Back in Card Capital, Aichi quietly gathered the two cards from his Guard Circle and slid them straight into his drop zone.

"Now Hermes, boosted by Cocoa, attacks your Vanguard!" Misaki declared, her hand sweeping forward as her supercharged rear-guard took flight. "With a total of 27,000 power and two criticals!"

"I don't guard."

On Planet Cray, Oracle Guardian, Hermes streaked across the sky, his opened plating throusting a massive beam of radiant power straight towardAichi's Vanguard, Lohengrin.

Lohengrin raised his heavy greatsword, crossing his arms to parry the giant beam, the radiant blast shattered his guard, enveloping the demon slaying knight.

Two cards slid right into Aichi's damage zone, one after the other.

Five damage.

"I end my turn."

He still has Barron, but I at least I got rid of Dozer and pushed him to five.

I got this.

Misaki Tokura
Oracle Guardian Hermes / Goddess of the Full moon Tsukuyomi / Evil-Eye Princess Euryale
White hare of Inaba / Battle Sister, Cocoa / None
Card Count: Six Damage Count: 5 (⅖ )






Aichi Sendou
Great Sage Barron / Demon Slaying Knight, Lohengrin / None
Young Pegasus Knight / None / Young Pegasus Knight
Card Count: One Damage Count: 5 (⅗ )

"She has him at five damage!" Morikawa yelled, pointing dramatically at the damage zone. "And with that draw trigger, she picked up an extra card! Plus she drive-checked a critical, AND she maintained almost her entire formation!"

"I agree," Izaki said, shaking his head in disbelief. "Going from a tiny hand up to six cards while pushing Aichi all the way from three to five damage... Misaki just pulled off a unbelievable comeback!"

"Especially with that mistake in guarding Barron earlier," Morikawa tsk-tsked, shaking his head at what he perceived as a massive blunder. "Throwing away a 10,000-shield Heal Trigger and an Intercept just to save a rear-guard, only for Misaki to power up Hermes?? Those cards could have been used for defense!! "

That new card... Misaki thought, her eyes tracking the single card remaining in Aichi's hand from the previous turn. Thinking about it, it could also be a Grade 3. Maybe that's why he couldn't use it to guard. And it does explain why he used Dozer as an intercept—he needs the front-row space to call a better unit.

We could find out now. It's Aichi's turn... Misaki thought, taking a subtle step back to brace for his response. Right, I wonder what he's gonna—

"Final Turn."

The words were nothing more than a quiet whisper, but it landed like a thunderclap.

She looked up, meeting his gaze—and the air in her lungs froze solid.

Even if they had both been standing directly on the battlefield of Planet Cray, the pressure couldn't have felt more suffocating. Aichi's head was still lowered, but beneath his soft blue bangs, his eyes weren't their usual gentle, hesitant blue.

They gleamed with a terrifying, kaleidoscopic iridescence.

Psyqualia.

A chill ran down Misaki's spine. The calm, logical calculations she had built her game plan on suddenly began to fracture. She knew that look. It was the power to see the absolute outcome of a fight before it even played out—a raw, unnatural vision of victory.

"Final..." Eiji started, his voice barely a breath.

"...turn?" Reiji finished, his jaw hanging open as his glasses slipped down the bridge of his nose.

"What?!" Izaki yelped "Is he serious right now?!"

"Is Kai here...? Or what…? Morikawa muttered, glancing over his shoulder toward the shop door as if expecting Toshiki Kai to walk in and explain the sudden, overwhelming intensity in the room.

His eyes... Kamui noticed.

They're glowing... Emi did as well.






I saw it... the image of my victory.

Aichi's hand hovered over his deck, but deep within his mind, hesitation surged to the surface. Psyqualia hadn't just shown him the exact moment Misaki's guard would collapse—it had flooded his mind with something else entirely.

This deck...

The ethereal link forged by Psyqualia pulled at his heart, exposing the deep, tender emotions woven into every single card across from him. He saw it plain as day: two loving hands carefully organizing the cards, building a strategy filled with warmth, protection, and hope.

Her parents made this deck for her.

He hadn't known it when the fight began, but Psyqualia made sure he did now. It laid bare the memories, the grief, and the undeniable love lingering within Tsukuyomi and her guardians. This wasn't just a Vanguard deck; it was a priceless legacy. It was Misaki's bond to the parents she had lost, and this was its very first real match—a momentous, sacred step forward for her.

To tear through it with an overwhelming power... to crush that precious first step... Do I really want to trample over something so important?

Aichi's chest tightened, a wave of guilt threatening to pull him back. But as he looked across the mat, his eyes met Misaki's.

She was trembling, her hand size dwarfed by the weight of his declaration, but her eyes—sharp, fierce, and unyielding—burned with absolute determination. She wasn't holding back. She wasn't asking for mercy. She was giving everything she had to honor those cards, fighting with every fiber of her being to win.

No... Aichi thought, his jaw tightening as the iridescent glow in his eyes flared brighter, settling into a respectful resolve. Holding back now... giving her anything less than my absolute best... that would be the ultimate disrespect to her, and to the parents who built that deck for her.

If she was fighting with her whole soul, he had to answer with his.

Aichi placed his hand gently on his deck, his voice echoing with a quiet, profound weight that silenced every spectator.

"Let's begin, Misaki."

He drew his card in one fluid, decisive motion.

"Stand and draw."







Aichi pulled his card smoothly from the deck and added it to his hand without a second thought.

"I activate Lohengrin's skill—Soul Charge 1," Aichi commanded softly. The top card of his deck slipped into the soul beneath his Vanguard. "This powers up my front-row unit by +3,000, and Lohengrin himself gains +2,000."

He immediately placed a card onto his open front-row circle.

"Next, I call Swordsman of the Explosive Flame, Palamedes!"

That was the card Aichi just drew! Misaki realized, her gaze snapping between his field and his hand. The card he's been holding on to this entire time is still a complete mystery but...

Aichi reached for that very card in his hand, holding it out with unwavering confidence. Misaki's eyes narrowed into slits.

….It should be another soul charger after all...

"I call Sage of Guidance, Zenon!" Aichi placed the unit directly behind his Vanguard.

Misaki froze, her mind racing to adjust to the play.

Wait, that card... doesn't soul charge! Why would he choose to intercept with Dozer earlier instead of keeping him on the field? Wait a minute—technically Zenon may not go to the soul, but with his skill... that's a possible 3000 extra power for Barron and this knights!

"I activate Zenon's skill!" Aichi announced, his voice echoing with an unnatural weight.

"When placed on a Rear Guard Circle, I can check the top card of my deck..."

His hand paused right at the edge of his deck, the iridescent glow in his eyes flaring to a blinding intensity.

"If it is a Grade 3, I can Superior Ride!"

With a single, fluid motion, he snatched the top card and snapped it face-up.

He flipped the top card.

The card surface flashed under the lights of Card Capital.

The card's grade: 3

Misaki's breath caught in her throat.

Aichi raised the card high above his head.

The air in Card Capital seemed to instantly thin, heavy with a crushing, divine pressure. The timid, soft-spoken boy was completely gone—in his place stood a sovereign issuing an absolute decree.

"Descend, ancient deity of the sanctuary! God of the Knights!" Aichi's voice boomed across the silent shop, echoing with a chilling, unyielding majesty.

"O Sacred Dragon, awaken the latent power within these steel souls!"

He slammed the card onto his Vanguard circle, directly over Lohengrin.

"SUPERIOR RIDE!"

On Planet Cray, the earth split open beneath Lohengrin.

A holy pillar of incandescent, celestial flame erupted from the depths, tearing through the heavens and burning away every trace of shadow across the battlefield. Lohengrin dissolved into pure, golden aura, sucked directly into the heart of the divine maelstrom.

Up until this moment, the field had been bathed in the cool, silvery glow of Tsukuyomi's sky. Her crescent moon burned high and bright, casting a serene, luminous blanket over the nighttime landscape—a realm where light always endured, never truly dark.

But as the sacred light flared, the silver moon vanished, drowned out entirely.

From the heart of the blinding glare, six wings of ivory and gold unfolded, spanning across the horizon. A deafening, almighty roar shattered the sky—not merely driving back the dark, but utterly erasing the night itself. Sunlight had not returned; rather, a divine, absolute radiance had seized the realm, turning the sky into a shimmering sheet of pure gold.

The dragon materialized, towering over Cray like a celestial judgment.

Its holy light was so piercing, so overwhelming, that it cast razor-sharp, heavy shadows beneath Tsukuyomi and her guardians—forcing the lunar goddess to shield her eyes against a shine far greater than her own moonlight.

"SOUL SAVER DRAGON!! "





"Holy Charging Roar!!"

Aichi pulled five cards from beneath Soul Saver Dragon and placed them straight into the drop zone. The aura radiating from his field didn't diminish—it exploded.

"I give +5,000 power to Swordsman of the Explosive Flame, Palamedes, Great Sage, Barron, and Sage of Guidance, Zenon!"

"Look at those numbers!!" Morikawa shrieked, his eyes practically popping out of his head. "Palamedes is sitting at 15,000 base power! Barron jumps straight to 16,000! And even Zenon in the back row is at 11,000!!"

"And that's not all," Aichi continued, his voice filled with power as he pointed at the board. "Thanks to Zenon's Superior Ride taking place right in the middle of the Main Phase, Lohengrin itself counts as a unit entering the soul beneath Soul Saver Dragon…Which means..."

On Planet Cray, power once more surged through the ranks of the Royal Paladins.

Both Young Pegasus Knights spread their wings as energy enveloped them, their base power climbing to 12,000 each! And at the front line, Great Sage, Barron absorbed the residual soul-energy, his power swelling to a colossal 19,000 before even taking a single boost!

"Barron and my two Pegasus Knights gain another 3000 power!"

"Now boosted by Young Pegasus Knight, Palamedes launches his attack!" Aichi commanded, the glowing iridescence in his eyes flaring. "That's a total of 27,000 attack power! And using Palamedes' skill, he gains 3,000 more power as long as there are two or more Grade 3 units on the field—totalling 30,000 power!!"





On Planet Cray, Swordsman of the Explosive Flame, Palamedes leapt into the air behind Soul Saver Dragon, his twin blades igniting into roaring pillars of flame. Fueled by the Pegasus Knight's sacred light, he swung down toward Tsukuyomi with enough force to cleave the earth in two!

Misaki looked at her hand and knew.

Even with six cards in hand, even with three consecutive superior rides and an unbroken ride chain sequence...

This battle was good as over.

So why?

"I guard! Miracle Kid, Oracle Guardian Gemini, and Oracle Guardian Nikke!! "

Why am I still fighting back?

The three cards—consisting of one Draw Trigger (Dream Eater), one Grade 1 unit (Oracle Guardian, Gemini), and one Critical Trigger (Oracle Guardian, Nike)—were slapped onto the Guard Circle with an uncompromising snap.

Don't kid yourself, Misaki. You know why.

Ever since that tragic day, her eidetic memory—her curse—had kept her locked in a dark, lonely cage. Her parents had handed her this deck with a proud, gentle smile, promising that they would teach her how to play Cardfight!! Vanguard.

But that promise was stolen away in the screech of tearing metal and shattered glass.

For years, every time she looked at a card, her photographic memory forced her to relive the accident in agonizing detail, compelling her to withdraw from the world and silently grieve in the shadows.

Even when she played—even during the shop tournament, even as she calculated her way through every match—that spark of genuine joy had remained buried deep beneath the trauma.

You can feel it now, can't you?

Standing here, holding the very deck her parents built for her—with the Tsukuyomi line as its heart—the icy walls around her heart finally shattered.

Wrapped in the warmth of this deck, she didn't feel the cold tragedy of the crash.

She felt them.

She felt her father's proud smile as he laid out the cards. She felt her mother's soft laughter echoing behind every strategic choice built into the deck.

They weren't gone from these cards. They were right here, standing beside her, cheering her on.

I don't have to hide anymore, Misaki realized, tears pricking the corners of her eyes as a soft, radiant smile broke across her face—sweeping away years of buried grief. I think... I think I can finally admit it now.

I love this game. I love Vanguard!

This deck they left her... she would not tarnish it with a surrender. If she was going to go down, she would go down standing tall, honoring every single memory they gave her.

She raised her head, her dark eyes shining with absolute clarity as she locked onto Aichi's glowing, iridescent gaze without a single trace of hesitation.

"Palamedes is blocked," Misaki declared, her voice clear, triumphant, and ringed with unshakeable steel. "I'm still standing, Aichi. Show me everything you've got!"

And Aichi smiled.







"Boosted by Young Pegasus Knight, Barron once more launches his attack at 31,000 power!!"

On Planet Cray, Great Sage, Barron raised his glowing staff once more, gathering the golden, surging tides of soul-energy into a blinding sphere at its tip. With a deafening roar, he swung the staff down, firing a searing beam of holy energy straight toward Goddess of the Full Moon!

"31000 power again?! " Emi said in wonder.

"Two copies of Psychic Bird and one Maiden of Libra will guard!!" Misaki continued, a deep, burning passion no longer hidden, flooding her voice.

Three more cards were placed straight onto the Guard Circle with an uncompromising SNAP!

On the battlefield, two radiant emerald birds swooped down from the heavens, their wings trailing gale-force winds of raw defensive light, while Maiden of Libra descended beside them, her heavenly scales gleaming as she cast down an impenetrable shield.

"With two Psychic Birds giving 10,000 each, and Maiden of Libra added, with Full Moon's base, that's a total defensive shield of 36,000!!" Misaki continued, her voice ringing clear, sharp, and proud.

"Your attack will not reach!!"

Barron's massive pillar of sacred energy slammed headfirst into the triple-layered barrier. Shockwaves rippled through Card Capital, and the table vibrated from the force, but the barrier didn't yield a single inch. The golden light cracked, scattered, and dissolved harmlessly into a shower of fading sparks!

"That's... that's 36,000 total defense!" Morikawa yelled, his jaw hitting the floor as he pointed wildly. "Against a 31,000 attack, she completely shut it down!!"

"But still…"

Misaki pulled her hands back, clenching it, only to find nothing

Her hand was empty. Zero cards remaining.

Yet, her posture was erect, her shoulders squared, and her green eyes shone with a fierce, beautiful clarity. No fear. No lingering shadows of the past. No regret. She had blocked two titanic attacks, pouring every drop of her soul into honoring the deck her parents had built for her.

Across the field, Aichi looked down at her completely empty hand, then up at her unyielding expression. The iridescent glow in his eyes softened, giving way to an absolute, quiet respect for the cardfighter standing before him.

He reached for his Vanguard—the holy dragon pulsing with divine radiance in the center of his field.

"Soul Saver Dragon..." Aichi declared softly, his voice carrying the finality of the tide. "Attacks your Vanguard!"

Soul Saver Dragon, bathed in the power of Sage of Guidance, Zenon, soared higher and higher into the burning sky. Yet down below, the light emanating from Goddess of the Full Moon, Tsukuyomi was as dazzling as ever—unbroken, untamed, and magnificent.

Misaki saw it. She felt it.

She felt the cool, sacred wind beneath her own wings, the heavy, comforting weight of the shield in her hand, the weightlessness of flight, and the towering aura of Aichi's Royal Paladin army charging forward.

She turned her gaze back, looking behind her—and there they were. Her own forces, the deck her parents had built for her, standing shoulder-to-shoulder in complete solidarity. Amaterasu, Libra, Nike, Chocolat, Tom, Inaba, Tsukuyomi and many more—all of them shining with a vibrant, living warmth.

Then, she heard it.

A roar.

A true, terrifying dragon's roar that shook the very foundation of the heavens.

Misaki looked up into the endless sky, her wings flapping desperately against the surging pressure. Descending upon her was Soul Saver Dragon. Six shimmering orbs of holy energy materialized around the dragon's massive form, spiraling into a brilliant vortex of divine light.

With a final, thunderous roar, the sacred dragon unleashed the entire payload, and a colossal column of pure energy tore through the clouds, aimed directly at Tsukuyomi!

And in the card shop, on MIsaki's damage zone, Misaki's sixth card finally fell.
 
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