Chapter 002: The Gauntlet

''Reiji began to walk to the table. "Vanguard is about one thing. And that is the strong dominating the weak. And no Vanguard fighter is stronger than I."''

"We will see about that," Makoto answered back, as he walked towards the other end of the table.

''"Stand Up, My Vanguard!" Reiji began the fight.''

''"Stand Up, Vanguard!" Makoto answered. The fight was on.''

"Ride! Starburst Dracokid!" Within the fighters' imaginations, Makoto transformed into a small white and blue dragon.

"I ride! !" Reiji transformed into a demon wearing a full body cape.

"Since you challenged me," Reiji told Makoto, "tournament rules say you go first." Makoto nodded, and drew his first card.

"Ride! Starburst Squire!" Makoto then appeared in white armor, carrying a shield with a starburst pattern. "With Dracokid's skill, draw one." He nodded to Reiji to start his turn.

"Now I ride! !" Reiji then transformed into a large monster, chained to the ground. "Call! Crucio Vampir and Prisoner Beast!" A small vampire and another large monster appeared as well. "Skill online: Soul Charge!" Reiji then placed two cards into his soul, one for each Prisoner Beast.

"Crucio... Vampir...?" Makoto asked, confused.

"You wouldn't know that card," Reiji answered, "It was a regional promo." Reiji then rested his rear-guard Prisoner Beast. "Attack!"

Makoto took his first damage. No trigger.

"Now, Prisoner Beast and Crucio Vampir, boosted attack!" Makoto took his second damage. Neither fighter checked a trigger. Reiji just stared blankly at Makoto. "Is that the best you can do? I'll finish you off quickly then..."

Reiji then placed his Crucio Vampir in his soul, which allowed Prisoner Beast to attack again.

" will guard that one!" Makoto said, blocking the attack.

"My turn is over... I guess..."

Makoto drew his next card. "I ride! Starburst Knight! Then I'll call Starburst Squire and to the rear-guard." A young knight and a strange ghost appeared next to Makoto in his imagination.

"Well this is going to be... interesting..." Reiji said to Makoto, "Let's raise the stakes, shall we? The winner gets the loser's deck."

Makoto nodded, before resting Silent Tom.

"Silent Tom, attack!" Reiji didn't guard that, so he took his first damage. "Now it's my turn! Come with me, Squire!" Makoto as Starburst Knight, charged towards the monster. "Skill of Starburst Squire, discard one card to add 5000 Power to Starburst Knight!"

"Call the Guardian! and !" Two creatures appeared in front of the beast, blocking the attack, but...

"Drive Check! Draw Trigger!" Makoto replied, giving Starburst Knight enough power to break through the guardians. "And since that attack hit, Starburst Squire's skill allows me to draw two cards. As well, Starburst Knight lets me Counter Charge by paying one Soul Blast."

"Heh..." Reiji smiled, a rarity for him, "Not bad for a beginner, but now it's my turn. I ride !" Reiji then became a smaller beast, one more dangerous than the previous monster. "Prisoner Beast moves back, then call! Blue Dust and Crucio Vampir!" Reiji then began to turn cards sideways in rapid succession, leading his monsters into battle.

Makoto checked his third damage, a critical trigger. However, the attack from Sieger hit as well. Only a heal trigger prevented that damage from going up to four.

"Crucio Vampir's skill. You know what happens next," Reiji said to Makoto. He then did the same as before, restanding his vanguard.

--

As that was happening, two children snuck into the fighting room: Makoto's little sister, Hanako, and her friend, Hiroto.

"It's not looking good for your brother, Hanako," Hiroto told her.

"Shut up!" Hanako snapped back, "Makoto is gonna figure something out..."

"He had better hurry," Hiroto answered, "It is coming..." They started recording the fight. Makoto managed to guard the attack.

--

"Reiji," Makoto began to ask, "Why are you stealing cards from kids?"

"It's none of your business what I do," Reiji snapped back. "But if you must know... I am getting rid of the competition."

"Competition?"

"I seek perfection," Reiji answered, "Plain and simple. Getting rid of the competition allows me to do just that." Makoto was not impressed.

"That's just one more reason for me to defeat you, Reiji," Makoto then told him.

"I'd like to see you try," Reiji responded.

"Ride! ! Then I get an Imaginary Gift: Protect!" In their imaginations, Makoto suddenly appeared wearing Amaterasu's robe and regalia. Reiji started laughing.

"Why would you ride a girly unit like that?!" Reiji could no longer keep his cool. This was probably the first time he laughed in years, so he lost control for a moment. Once Reiji stopped laughing though, Makoto began his attack.

"Twin Drive Check! Draw Trigger! Critical Trigger! All the effects go to Amaterasu." Reiji did not guard that, so he checked two damage, one of which was a critical trigger as well. Unable to attack the Vanguard with Silent Tom, Makoto silently ended his turn.

Reiji stood confidently over his field. "This is it, the Final Turn..."

"Final Turn?" Makoto asked, dumbfounded.

"Indeed," Reiji answered, "This is the FINAL TURN!" Reiji placed a card from his hand onto the Vanguard Circle...

"Gaze into the heart of darkness, and see the pure despair gaze back at you! I ride Demonic Madness Dragon, Kuromi!!!" A large, black dragon with cracked skin and ten eyes appeared in Makoto's imagination.

"Imaginary Gift: Protect!"

--

"It's Kuromi!" Hiroto screamed. Hanako was not pleased.

"Stop screaming! You're going to get us caught!" Hanako ordered him. "Also, what's Kuromi?"

"Kuromi is Reiji's ultimate unit. Nobody has ever been able to survive an attack from it," Hiroto answered.

Hanako could only look as her brother struggled.

"Makoto..."

--

"Kuromi's skill: Soul Charge! Then call! ! Place Vroukalakas in the damage zone into the soul, then place a card face down in my damage. However, Ruthven's skill: Counter Charge!" Reiji barked out skills in rapid succession. Makoto could only watch as Reiji expertly charted out his formation.

Ruthven attacked first, followed by Blue Dust. Makoto guarded both attacks.

"Demonic Madness Dragon, Kuromi, attack the Vanguard!" Reiji said as he rested his vanguard. The dragon charged towards Makoto in their imaginations. "Eternal Black Fury!!!"

"Imaginary Gift, Perfect Guard!" Makoto shouted just in time. But Reiji only smiled.

"A rookie mistake..." Reiji told Makoto, "But then again, everyone makes that mistake... Kuromi's skill activates." He flips over two of his damage cards and discards two cards from his hand, then restands Kuromi. "FINAL ATTACK!"

Makoto just stood in place, shocked. In his imagination, he saw Kuromi obliterate his vanguard.

"Twin Drive! Two critical triggers!" Reiji's smile became gnarled and ugly, before turning into his usual frown. He knew he had won. Hanako and Hiroto simply sat where they were, stunned.

Makoto began to check his three damage, but Reiji began to leave the room. "Don't even bother," he said, "We both know the end result. It's the same result every time..." Makoto, however, smiled.

"It's not over until I check my last damage," Makoto said to Reiji. "Second check, no trigger..."

Reiji simply said, "Whatever..."

"Third check..." Makoto said, somewhat to himself, somewhat to Reiji. He showed his last card to Reiji, whose face suddenly changed to one of shock. "Heal Trigger! I got it!"

"What the-?!" Reiji was having trouble finding the words. No one has ever survived Kuromi's double attack... No one! He then looks at Makoto. How did he...?

Makoto smiled. "It's my turn, isn't it?" Hanako smiled as well, and Hiroto continued recording.

"Stand and draw." Makoto looked at the card. It was the Starburst Dragon card!

"Spread your wings and take flight, dragon born of starlight!" In their imaginations, Makoto floated into a rapidly expanding beam of light. "Ride! Starburst Dragon! My Vanguard!" Emerging from the beam came a dragon that appeared to be made of light. This was the Starburst Dragon. Reiji was starting to worry.

"Imaginary Gift: Protect! Then call! CEO Amaterasu!" Makoto's field was set and ready to attack. Reiji, however, had a Perfect Guard ready in response. Makoto was not fazed.

"Twin Drive Check! First, Critical Trigger! The effects go to Amaterasu. Second Check, Critical Trigger! The effects go to Silent Tom!" All Reiji could hope for was a heal trigger of his own.

"Amaterasu, attack the Vanguard!" Makoto ordered as he rested the card. Reiji guarded with a critical trigger. Then, Makoto rested Silent Tom. Reiji had no cards he could use to guard against that attack. Makoto had won.

Reiji began to leave the room in a huff. But Makoto stopped him, asking, "Aren't you forgetting something?" Reiji began to give Makoto his deck, but again, he was stopped.

"Not that. You can keep that," Makoto answered, "But there is one thing I need you to do."

Reiji looked at Makoto, his face finally visible. "What..."

"Return the cards you stole," Makoto asked him. "That's all." Reiji simply turned away from him.

"Whatever," Reiji responded. "You got lucky is all."

--

"Hurry!" Hanako told Hiroto, "Send it! Send it!" Hiroki did as he was told and uploaded the video to every major video sharing site. They then sneaked out of the house so Makoto didn't see them.

--

Later that night, Makoto knocked on the door of the card shop, which was also his house. When Uncle Kenji welcomed him, he showed Kenji the Starburst Dragon card he managed to keep. Makoto had won, but he felt a little uneasy.

''Maybe I was just lucky... But then again, next time, we will be fighting on a more equal level... This I promise you... Reiji...''