Chapter 022: The Next Stage

"Stand and draw, then ride!!! Lost Break Dragon!!!" Rex declared. "Then call! Gun-bezel Dragon!"

He keeps using the same strategy against me that he used against Reiji… Makoto thought to himself. Better keep my guard up…

"I attack your vanguard!" Rex told Makoto.

"No guard…"

"Drive Check, Critical Trigger!"

"Not good…"

"I give the power to Gun-bezel, and the critical to the vanguard!"

"Damage check… second check.. Heal Trigger! Power to the vanguard." Makoto managed to keep himself to two damage with that heal. However, he felt a great pain in his chest. Clutching it in agony, he asked, "What's the big deal?"

"Here in Convexity, our connections with our units increases hundredfold, maybe even thousandfold," Rex explained to him, smiling. "Naturally, any pain our units feel, we feel as well. A nice touch to the battle, wouldn't you say?"

Makoto remained silent.

Rex's smile turned upside down. "Gun-bezel attacks, with a Counter Blast, add 10000 Power and when the battle is finished, it binds itself."

"I'll guard that one! Oracle Guardian, Nike, help me out!"

"Grr… I end my turn."

I have to end this game quickly… Makoto thought to himself.

On Earth, the others weren't sure what was going on. Was Makoto going to be okay? Where did he go?

The machine was silent, not giving anyone a glimpse of what was happening.

The others were silently hoping everything would turn out just fine.

Hanako gave out a quiet "Please be safe, Makoto onii-chan…"

Destiny looked up at the moon, not knowing that was exactly where Makoto was, fighting for the fate of two worlds.

Asahi clenched his fists, wanting himself to be the one fighting, rather than Makoto, not because of jealousy, but because of a genuine concern for Makoto.

Everyone in the room knew that Makoto was a good fighter, but not a very competitive one. Their concern for him came from the fact that none of them knew for sure how Makoto would handle someone like Rex Kido. They realized he was watching all of them to see how good they each were at the game. Rex was also a businessman first and foremost, meaning he had a strategy for just about any scenario he could imagine. Rex seemed to have everything figured out.

"Ride! CEO Amaterasu!" Makoto declared as he began his turn. "Imaginary Gift: Protect I!"

"Excellent, Makoto," Rex encouraged his opponent. "Show me the strength of your image!"

"I call Battle Sister, Torte to the rear-guard. Next up, Amaterasu's Counter Blast allows me to draw a card, then look at the top card of the deck. That one is going on the bottom. Add 5000 Power to Amaterasu! Attack!"

"Ring-ring Worker guards!" Rex responded with his typical quick thinking.

"Twin Drive Check, Critical Trigger! Draw Trigger! The attack goes through!"

"Damage Check, I get a Draw Trigger as well. That's 10000 to the Vanguard."

"Battle Sister, Torte attacks! With her skill, that's 10000 Power and an extra critical!"

"Lukewarm… Gun-blast Dragon guards that attack…"

"..." Makoto silently ceded the turn to Rex.

"Ride!" In the space above them, a temporal vortex opened up, allowing the leader of the Gear Chronicle to emerge onto the battlefield: Chronojet Dragon. "Imaginary Gift: Force I! Call! Lost-break Dragon!"

"Here it comes…"

"Using Wedgemove Dragon as the cost, now show me, Gear Chronicle! Show me the future I truly desire! Transcend the Vanguard!!! Chronodragon Nextage!!!" A burst of wind swept through the area, nearly sweeping everyone, units and people off their feet. Everyone, however, remained standing. "Chronojet's skill: Counter Blast 2 to draw a card. Torte returns to the bottom of the deck."

Makoto marveled at the sight of the great dragon. "Why would you reject such magnificent beauty?" Makoto asked Rex. "You would be willing to sacrifice the Planet Cray just so we can live a life without pain?" That question irritated Rex, even if just a little.

"Lost-break Dragon attacks!"

"Silent Tom intercepts!"

After a brief moment of silence, Rex finally said, "We've discussed this a hundred times already. I don't care about what happens to them." He turned Chronodragon Nextage sideways, signaling the attack. "I will save our world no matter the cost." His twin drive revealed a Draw Trigger and a Critical Trigger. Makoto's two damage checks revealed nothing. For some reason, Rex chose not to re-ride Chronojet Dragon through Nextage's skill. "As a wise man once told me in my foolish youth, Makoto, weakness is a sin."

Reeling from the pain, Makoto responded: "A sin huh?" He drew his next card. "If that's the case, I must be the biggest sinner in history. Because I'll be the first to admit my own multitude of weaknesses. Ride!" Similarly to Chronojet Dragon's temporal vortex, Starburst Dragon, Makoto's own avatar, appeared on the battlefield in a beam of light. "Dragon born of starlight, spread your wings and blaze a path to victory! Starburst Dragon! Imaginary Gift: Protect I!"

"Ah yes," Rex answered, "Your holy dragon of light versus my ancient gear dragon. A true battle for all time."

"Call! Battle Sister, Torte! Silent Tom! Silent Tom attacks!"

"Intercept!"

"Starburst Dragon attacks! Skill activate! I check the top five cards of the deck, then add all the normal units among them to the hand. And since I added two or less, your Vanguard loses 10000 Power! Starburst Pulse!!!"

"It is not a problem to me! Perfect Guard! Steam Guard, Kastilia!"

"I still have my Twin Drive! Heal Trigger! Draw Trigger! All the power goes to Torte!"

There's no way I can win without getting rid of those hand cards… Rex thought to himself. For the first time in years, he had felt genuine fear. I only have four cards in the bind zone… I've got no choice but to go all out on my next turn…

"Torte attacks!" The attack hit, leaving Makoto one step closer to victory. Rex had been pushed to five damage. Had Makoto stacked a Critical Trigger with his avatar's skill, he likely would have won. Rex, however, maintained a facade of stoicism and fearlessness.

"Transcend! Chronodragon Nextage! Then call!" Gun-bezel Dragon, Lost-break Dragon, and Retro-axe Dragon all appeared on the field with the giant gear dragon. "Gun-bezel Dragon, attack! Skill activated, add 20000 Power!"

That's an attack of 40000… "Imaginary Gift: Protect!"

"A Perfect Guard already, Makoto? Shame…" Rex taunted his opponent. "Gun-bezel binds itself, then Chronodragon Nextage, attack the Vanguard!"

"Perfect Guard! Weather Forecaster, Miss Mist!"

"That's four less cards in your hand, Makoto…" Rex continued to taunt him. "This is a Vanguard fight of the most intense level! You'll have to let the attack pass eventually! Twin Drive! Draw Trigger! Heal Trigger! All the effects go to Lost-break Dragon!" Rex was now down to four damage. "Then, Chronodragon Nextage activates its skill! I bind two cards from the hand to ride Chronojet Dragon from the soul! I give the Imaginary Gift to Lost-break Dragon. Attack! Lost-break Dragon!"

Lost-break has the power of two triggers and an Imaginary Gift… "Imaginary Gift: Protect!" Makoto was down to seven cards in hand. Not as many as he would have wanted, but definitely more than what he would have had if he didn't have Starburst Dragon as the vanguard. "You haven't defeated me yet!" Makoto declared boldly.

"Chronojet Dragon attacks the Vanguard!" Rex said, ignoring his opponent's boast.

"No guard!" Makoto answered, knowing full well he needed the counter blasts for his next turn, but also hoping to himself that Rex didn't check a Critical Trigger.

"A bold move not guarding at four damage, Makoto…" Rex was still taunting him. "Still, I want to thank you."

"For what?"

"If you hadn't defeated the one Vanguard fighter not even your father could defeat," Rex explained to Makoto, "none of this would be possible. We would not be fighting in this holy place at this moment. And most of all, I would not have been able to claim my final victory. But now, this Vanguard fight is over…"

"No…"

"Yes!!! Twin Drive!!! First Check, Draw Trigger! Power to Chronojet Dragon, and draw one card. Second check…"

Please no triggers…

"Unbelievable!" the rabbit with the speaker ears said excitedly.

"Wowee! I can't believe this!" the cat with the helicopter tail said to his co-worker. "This fight has swept me off my feet and the fighters have stolen my heart! I'm dizzy from the excitement!"

"Baka! All these distractions are preventing us from getting a good look at the action!" the rabbit answered. "We have to pray that Rex doesn't get a Critical Trigger! If he does, we're done for!"

"You don't think it's over, do you?"

"Of course not, baka! Makoto is going to check a Heal Trigger! I know it!"

Rex revealed the top card of his deck. "Critical Trigger! All the effects go to Chronojet Dragon!" Chronojet then charged towards Makoto and attacked him twice. The second attack sent him flying into a stone pillar. Despite being in the astral body, Makoto could still feel all the pain inflicted upon him, so the impact made him temporarily unconscious. After making contact with the pillar, Makoto fell a considerable distance and landed on the ground with a loud impact.

"Makoto!" both of the news crew shouted with extreme worry.

"Baka! We have to do something!" the rabbit told her co-worker.

"What about filming the fight?!"

"Forget the newscast! This is about us now! If Makoto loses this fight, we all die!"

"Isn't interfering with the fight against the rules?"

"Forget the rules!" the rabbit answered her co-worker. "We have to find a way to not die!"

Makoto still lay on the ground, not moving. The entirety of Convexity fell silent. Rex waited patiently for Makoto to get up so he could check his last damage or otherwise fade away so Rex could claim victory by default.