Chapter 014: Friends

Rex was watching the upcoming fight through a big screen in the master bedroom.

"We are not friends," Reiji answered Jun.

''"Is there a chance we could be?" Jun then asked.''

"I don't have time for this. Let's just fight."

"Alright then."

''Stand Up! (My!) Vanguard!!!"''

As the fight began, an underling entered the room to update him on some news. "The machine is almost ready, Mr. Kido," he said.

Rex smiled. "Excellent. Keep up the good work."

"May I ask, sir," the underling began to ask, "What is the machine for?"

"This is the machine that will change the world," Rex answered him. "I call it Operation: Transcendence."

"Change the world...? Sir?"

"I've dedicated my life to two things," Rex continued, "Vanguard and making the world a better place. Who would have thought that one involved the other and vice-versa?"

"I wouldn't have thought of it, sir."

"That's why I'm the boss and get paid big money," Rex answered him.

"Of course, sir." The underling then left the room, allowing Rex to continue watching the fight.

"Ride!" Reiji declared. "Emblem Master! Yellow Bolt's skill: Soul Charge 2." He had called Doreen the Thruster and Dimension Creeper earlier, even though he could not attack his first turn. "Skill activated, Counter Blast! Then, I search my deck for three cards with the same name as a unit on my field and put them into the soul. I choose Dimension Creeper. Doreen's skill, Power+15000. Emblem Master's skill: When I have seven or more cards in the soul, Power+5000. Attack!"

"No guard," Jun responded.

"Drive Check, Heal Trigger. Power to Emblem Master. Recover one damage." Jun didn't check a damage trigger.

"Stand and draw!" Jun said as he began his turn. "Ride! Turbo Blitzer! Skill activated, Counter Blast! I get an Imaginary Gift and I place it on vanguard."

"An Imaginary Gift on Grade 2?!" Reiji asked. "That shouldn't be allowed!"

"It's what the card says, Reiji-kun," Jun answered. "Prefer the old days when we were friends and cards were weaker?"

"Don't remind me of those days," Reiji answered back. "In those days, I was weak. But now, I am much closer to perfection."

"If anything," Jun responded, "You're farther away. Just ask Makoto. Turbo Blitzer attacks!"

"Don't bring up that kid! No guard!"

"Drive Check, Critical Trigger!" Reiji's second damage was a critical trigger.

Reiji smiled as he drew his next card. "Behold my avatar!" He slammed his card onto the table. "Gaze into the heart of darkness, and see the pure despair gaze back at you! Demonic Madness Dragon, Kuromi! Imaginary Gift: Protect I! Also, Kuromi's skill: Soul Charge 2, and Kuromi gets Power+2000 for every two cards in the soul. There's ten cards, so that's Power+10000. Doreen also gets Power+10000."

Jun only smiled at the sight of the card most people would have been afraid of. "Some things never change, I guess."

"Call! Blood Sacrifice, Ruthven, Emblem Master, and Variants Killer Tail. Ruthven's skill: Place a damage card into the soul and place the top card of the deck into the soul. Since it was Vroukalakas, Counter Charge." Doreen got another 5000 Power. Eleven. "Emblem Master, Counter Blast. Search for three Killer Tail and put them into the soul." Doreen got another 15000 Power. Fourteen. "Killer Tail, rest, place a damage card into the soul, and place the top card of the deck into the soul. As there are three Killer Tail in the soul, Counter Charge and stand Killer Tail." Doreen got another 5000 Power. Fifteen. Doreen was now sitting at 41000, Kuromi at 22000.

"That must be a pretty big column," Jun said to his opponent.

"It is," Reiji answered, his smile getting even more gnarled by the minute. "Attack."

"Perfect Guard! Cheer Girl, Marilyn!"

"So you opened with a Perfect Guard in your hand?" Reiji asked sarcastically. "A rookie mistake, as always. Checking the Twin Drive: Critical Trigger! Critical Trigger!! All effects to the Vanguard!"

"Of course you would pile on the Critical Triggers," Jun replied. "Typical Reiji-kun."

"Don't act like you know me!" Reiji protested. "You don't know me! And we're not friends! Demonic Madness Dragon, Kuromi's skill! Kuromi, Double Attack!"

That attack is 93000 Power... Jun said to himself. "No guard!"

"Checking the Twin Drive: Critical Trigger! Power to Ruthven, Critical to the Vanguard! Heal Trigger! Power to Emblem Master!"

Jun now had to check four damage. "No trigger. Draw Trigger! Power to the Vanguard. No trigger. Critical Trigger! Power to the Vanguard! That's now 30000 Power."

"Tch, turn end." The damage was five to one. Jun was at a massive disadvantage. However, Reiji had already gone through at least six triggers, possibly more, depending on what exactly Reiji put into the soul that Jun didn't already know. Jun was going to use that fact to try to make a comeback. He smiled as he drew his next card. It was one Reiji had no idea he even had in his deck.

"You're not the only one with new surprises, Reiji-kun," Jun said, holding a card so Reiji couldn't see the front. "Behold my new grade 3. Ride! Deadheat Bullspike! Imaginary Gift: Force I!"

"Deadheat... Bullspike...?" Reiji was actually confused, concerned even. Maybe he knew he might be the one at a disadvantage, and not Jun. Sure, he pushed Jun to five damage, but that's five damage, of course. Then again, he thought to himself, Good thing I went with Protect I.

"Scared?" Jun asked. "You should be. Call! Thundering Odarona! Two-Headed Lineman! Snapper Devil! Blasting Fullback! Lineman's skill: Counter Blast, and search for a Delta Attacker to call to rear-guard. Since I called, Lineman gets 15000 Power. As well, Delta Attacker's skill. I get an Imaginary Gift!"

Three Imaginary Gifts? Reiji thought to himself, Won't matter given my defense.

"Deadheat attacks your vanguard!"

"Won't work!" Reiji responded, "Imaginary Gift: Protect!"

"Twin Drive! No trigger. Critical Trigger! All effects to Delta Attacker! Deadheat's skill: Since my attack didn't hit and the unit that attacked had a Force marker on it, I draw one card, and I'll retire Doreen. Delta Attacker attacks! Deadheat's Soul Blast: I move all the Force markers to Delta Attacker!"

"Guard!" Reiji threw down two Critical Triggers. "Ruthven intercepts."

"Delta Attacker's Double Blast!" Jun proceeded to Counter Blast and Soul Blast once each. "Restand Delta Attacker, add 10000 Power. Thundering Odarona attacks! Skill activate: Counter Blast to move all the Force markers to its circle, and thanks to Odarona's skill, it gets Critical+1! Also, Odarona's Counter Blast: Give 10000 Power to Delta Attacker. Snapper Devil boosts!"

"I'll let this one go," Reiji answered. The crowd was shocked. He had a huge lead! Why would he let the attack through? Neither damage was a trigger.

"Delta Attacker attacks once again!" Jun declared. "Blasting Fullback's skill: Counter Blast 1 and Soul Blast everything! Add 10000 to Fullback and for this attack, you must call three guardians at a time!"

"No need," Reiji answered again. "No guard." Once again, neither damage check was a trigger. The damage was now five to five. Jun was surprised. ''Why would he let those two attacks through? Unless...''

"Listen, Jun," Reiji then began to say, "I refuse to allow the past to haunt me."

"Then forgive and forget," Jun replied. "Then we can return to the old days."

"The old days are gone," Reiji answered him. "Friends will only hold me back. Friends will only prevent me from achieving the future I desire."

"Reiji..." Jun tried to say. "It doesn't have to be like this."

"You and Asahi are weak. I cannot allow myself to associate with weak people. Stand and draw!" Reiji said as he began his turn. "FINAL TURN!!!"

Rex heard that loud and clear. "He can't be serious..."

"Call!" Reiji then said, skipping the ride. "Doreen!"

He had those cards in hand... Jun realized, That's why he didn't guard...

"Skill of the Dimension Creepers in the soul," Reiji continued, "Counter Blast for each one, return them to the bottom of the deck, and Soul Charge 3 for each one. And you know what that means?"

"Doreen gets 45000 Power..."

"Attack."

Jun sighed. "No guard." He didn't have enough cards to guard an attack of 57000. Jun had lost. He struggled to remain standing. Something nearly made him faint.

Makoto noticed this was a similar reaction that Agrise, Miko, and Asahi all had. But before he could help out Jun, he was blocked by a masked figure: The Copycat.

"Oh no you don't," the Copycat told him. "You're not going to squirrel away from a fight like that. We are fighting now!"

"Can't the fight wait until tomorrow?" Makoto asked, trying to get around the Copycat, but unable to do so.

"Nope. The sooner we fight, the sooner I can proceed to the semifinal."

"Someone is hurt, we need to help him!"

Rex was watching the proceedings through his big screen.

Well, Rex thought to himself, ''One extra fight won't hurt... Besides... He's got that card...''

"You and I are fighting!" the Copycat was furious now. "Right here! Right now!" He showed Makoto a deck. The card that was facing Makoto caused Makoto to freak out a little.

"How did you...?! But how...?! That's impossible! There's no way!"

The Copycat began to laugh. "Did you honestly believe that your two copies of Starburst Dragon were the only copies in the world?"

"Obviously," Makoto answered him. "The copies I have belonged to my father. The card was practically made for him."

"Fool!" The Copycat shouted before laughing again. "This isn't some anime where there's only one copy of Blaster Blade in the world! I must admit though..."

"Admit what?"

"You are the first person whose deck was impossible for me to copy 100%," the Copycat finally admitted. "It's one copy of Starburst Dragon shy of being a perfect copy. Regardless, I can copy any deck in the world and play it better than the one who made it! After all, true strength is not in the player, it's in the cards..." ''Yes... true strength is in the cards... After all, that's what they told me at school...''

"Ride! Perfect Raizer!" Jack said in a flashback. His opponent was playing Nubatama.

"Why would you ride a terrible card like that?" his opponent asked him. "Why not play a deck like mine? Force your opponent to play NoFight NoGuard!"

"Or mine!" said another player. "Sink your competition with Glory Maelstrom!"

"No! Play mine!" said yet another. "The shadows of Pale Moon are calling your name! Who needs hand cards when you can call from the soul?"

"That's lame!" said even yet another. "You look like a Murakumo player!"

"You kidding me?" asked still yet another. "He looks like a Dimension Police player! Swing face with a 60k vanguard with quad drive!"

"If you're going by that logic," replied more players as the crowd got larger and more chaotic, "PLAY THIS!!!"

"Melody!" "Blasters!" "Phantom Blasters!" "Deletors!" "Beast Deities!" "Narukami!" "Shiranui!" "Cyber Dragons!" "Token Rush!" "Highlander!" "PLAY THIS!!!"

The crowd overwhelmed Jack, forcing him to run off, crying. Where did he run to? Who knows for sure?

''Of course... That's when I decided to play every deck. I would prove all of them wrong! I would be better than all of them by taking their precious strategies and using them to defeat them! All of them!! All the strategies!!!''

"Fight me, Makoto Sakaki!" the Copycat Fighter demanded. "And once I defeat you! And Reiji! And whoever else! I will be the greatest Vanguard fighter in the world!" Makoto couldn't see it, maybe he could tell some other way, maybe he wasn't sure, but behind the mask, Jack Shimano was crying. Jack was fighting the tears, hiding behind the persona of the Copycat Fighter. He revealed his weakness, and Makoto needed to exploit it if he was to challenge Reiji once again.

"Fine. I'll fight you," Makoto finally said. "And if I win, do not ever touch that Starburst Dragon card again."

The mask of the Copycat Fighter stared back at Makoto. "It's a deal!" ''It will also be a cakewalk. It always is. Besides, Jack thought to himself, Who else can take a terrible deck and win with it like the great me? No one!''

If I'm going to advance to the next round, Makoto thought to himself, I need to do something I never thought I'd be able to: defeat my own deck, my own avatar...