Chapter 001: The Crossroads of Destiny

''It was the National Circuit Finals... Two fighters are locked in an intense match: Reiji Midorihara, who led the army of darkness, Dark Irregulars, and Joe Yumeno, who led the knights shining brightly, Gold Paladin...''

Joe had just accomplished what many Vanguard fighters find incredibly difficult (and incredibly annoying): The Gold Paladin Double Superior Ride while the opponent was still at grade 1.

Reiji was the reigning champion, but Joe's expert planning (and lucky draw) pushed Reiji to four damage in just one turn.

The announcer noticed that Reiji was actually having a tough time. "It looks like Reiji is in an unusual situation, but let's see what he will do next, shall we?"

Reiji nervously draws a card. "What's with all the worry? We're just getting started," he says to the crowd. Joe begins to laugh. He knows Reiji can't attack, so he begins his turn.

"NO WAY!" Joe retorted, "I'm just getting started!" He turns a card on his Accel circle sideways. "Say hello to the Knight of Heroism, Tornus!" Reiji says nothing, allowing the attack to go through.

"FIVE DAMAGE! REIJI ISN'T EVEN FLINCHING!!!" the announcer shouted in excitement. Reiji checked a draw trigger, but Joe wasn't concerned.

"This is it! Raven-haired Ezel attacks!" Reiji, however, had other plans.

"Call the Guardian! Vroukalakas!" The attack was blocked, and Joe couldn't push forward with his drive check.

"Wha-?! No way...!" Reiji smiled at the sight of his opponent's frustration.

"That was a decent attempt," Reiji said to his opponent, "But you never has a chance of winning." Reiji draws, and the crowd was on its feet. It was Reiji's ace.

"It can't be!!!" Joe cried out.

"Kuromi! Arise!!" In the fighters' imaginations, a large, ghastly-looking dragon burst out from the ground. Joe, as Ezel, was shaking in his boots. This isn't good...

Reiji called three rear-guards, which made light work of Joe's rear-guards. Two were eliminated by the skill of Scarlet Vampir, and Joe's Viviane was attacked by Blue Dust. Reiji then attacked with Kuromi.

"Attack the Vanguard! Eternal Black Fury!!!" In Reiji's imagination, he saw the ground get ripped apart by Kuromi's attack. Joe, however, couldn't let the attack go through.

"G-g-guard!" Reiji, however, checked a critical trigger and a draw trigger, which, combined with the extra critical gained by Kuromi when it was ridden, dealt Joe a total of three damage. 2→5 Joe slammed his hand on the table. "I... won't... give... up!" he said to Reiji, who had already turned his last card sideways.

"Suit yourself..." The attack hit, but Reiji had already begun to leave the stadium. He won... again...

''How irritating... he thought to himself as he exited the stadium. If that's the best competition I can find... I need a real challenge... This game doesn't feel the same way as it used to...''

--

Across the country, however, another Vanguard fighter thought very differently... ''Watching the stars at night can be so relaxing... The wind in your hair... The songs of the crickets... Yep... Just me going wherever the wind will take me...''

Makoto was taking a nap on the roof again. However, a certain someone had other plans.

"MAKOTO ONII-CHAN!" He knew exactly who it was.

After waking abruptly, he look down from the roof to see his sister, Hanako. Yawning, he said, "Hana-chan? Wha-? What is the matter?"

Hanako was quick to reply, "Get down from there! Uncle Kenji is going to kill you if he sees you up there again!"

"*sigh* Alright..." Makoto then decided to jump off the roof of the house. He probably thought in his mind that he was doing a swan dive, but he landed quite roughly on the grass, just shy of where Hanako was standing.

"Makoto..." she said with a facepalm, "Why did you have to do that?"

Makoto, with a bit of pain in his voice, replied with "Just going with the flow... I guess..."

--

The next day, Makoto was challenging his buddies at school. At the moment, he was in the middle of fighting Kotaro Mitoshi, a Gear Chronicle player.

"Alright, Makoto, check this out! Steam Expert, Zerix attacks your vanguard!" Kotaro then rested his vanguard, which, oddly enough, didn't have an imaginary gift.

Makoto thought for a bit, then decided to guard the attack.

"Come on, twin drive!!" Kotaro then said, before not checking a single trigger. "Aww..."

It was Makoto's turn. "Stand and draw! I ride CEO Amaterasu! Attack!"

Kotaro was rather embarrassed. "Thanks a lot, Makoto... How many does this make now? 10?"

"Why are you counting?" Makoto then asked.

"I am counting how many times I lose to you before I defeat you!" Kotaro answered. "I need to keep track of my record. Got any advice for me?"

"Well..." Makoto tried to answer politely. "First off, why are you running Zerix? Lost Legend is much better. Second off..."

"Second off, why are you running Gear Chronicle in the first place?" Another student stood nearby interrupting Makoto. He was wearing a hoodie so no one could see his face. "Gold Paladin. Narukami. Bermuda Triangle. Pick one."

Makoto looked to see the student standing next to him. "That was a bit uncalled for."

"Shut up!" the other student hit back. "Nobody asked you."

"Hmm... You seem to know a lot about Vanguard. How about we fight sometime?" Makoto asked him. The other student laughed.

"Me? Fight you?" he said to Makoto, "Not likely." He got in Makoto's face. "The pros would eat you up if you came to a tournament with that kind of attitude."

Makoto answered back, "Eat me up, huh..."

"Yeah. You have no chance to make it to the pros. You may as well give up." The hooded student then walked out.

"What's his problem?" Kotaro asked Makoto. Makoto just shrugged his shoulders.

"Dunno," Makoto answered, "But I guess he needs to learn the true value of Vanguard."

--

After school ended for the day, Makoto began to head home when he noticed someone crying nearby. He decided to run towards the scene. When he arrived, he noticed the hooded student bullying a middle schooler.

"Please!" the middle schooler cried, "Those are my cards!"

"You know the rules," the hooded student told him, "Lose a Cardfight, lose your best card." He begins to file through the kid's deck. "What is this garbage? You're no Vanguard fighter, you're garbage!" He tosses the deck at the kid, and the cards fly off in every direction. "These cards are pathetic!"

Makoto saw this and decided to intervene. "Why don't you pick on someone who actually has Cardfighting experience?"

The hooded student noticed Makoto approaching him. "You again?! I told you already, you aren't worth fighting."

"You won't know for sure until you fight me." Makoto then shows the student his deck. The other student gasped at the sight of the top card.

"That's not possible!" he said to Makoto. "There are only two copies of that card in the world. How did you..."

"It's yours! If you can beat me in a Cardfight." Makoto answered him. The student took a couple steps back, then tossed him a paper ball.

"That address. That time. Tonight. Bring your best cards." The hooded student then ran off. Makoto helped the middle schooler pick up his cards. However, the kid did not seem thankful for Makoto's help.

"What are you thinking?!" the kid shouted at him, "That was Reiji!"

"Reiji?" Makoto answered, "Reiji Takuyoshi?"

"Reiji Midorihara!" the kid answered, "The National Circuit Champion, Reiji Midorihara! Number One in the World, Reiji Midorihara! And you just challenged him to a Cardfight like he was some newbie!"

"What else was I supposed to do?" Makoto replied, "Let him bully little kids and steal rare cards from them?"

"Don't fight him!" the kid begged Makoto, "He has never been defeated in a Cardfight. Not once. You will guaranteed lose."

Makoto then thought for a while. "Listen, there's a first time for everything."

"But..."

"But nothing! Reiji needs to be taught a lesson. I must fight him!"

--

"I will not allow you to fight him!" Makoto's uncle, Kenji, scolded him. "Your father didn't raise someone to solve their problems with violence!"

"You misheard me, Uncle Kenji," Makoto replied, "It's a Cardfight, not a fist fight. And I bet my Starburst Dragon card on it..."

"Nope! No way! That's a million times worse!" Uncle Kenji replied. "Listen, Makoto, I know you meant well by helping that kid out, but Reiji is unbeatable. Not even your father could defeat him. He is just too good. And he will take your Starburst Dragon card for sure."

"But..."

"No buts! That was the card your father gave you when he died. I will not allow you to throw away his legacy like that. And that is final!"

Makoto sat in his seat for a while. Finally, he figured out what to say.

"My father wouldn't let kids be bullied," Makoto finally said, "not even by a champion. Didn't he say that Vanguard was about having fun and making friends?"

"You heard what Uncle Kenji said," Hanako interrupted, "No Cardfighting."

"Hold on, Hana-chan..." Uncle Kenji responded, "Continue, Makoto."

"My father would have fought. Sure, there's a chance he would have lost, but there was also a chance he would win and teach that bully a lesson about what Vanguard is really about!"

Give the world a big ohayou, and if the world says ohayou back, a miracle happens... Uncle Kenji muttered to himself.

"Huh?" Makoto asked.

"Those were the crazy words your father would say all the time," Uncle Kenji replied, "He truly believed that kindness was the answer to everything. You have definitely taken after him."

"Does that mean... you'll let me fight?"

"I'll let you fight Reiji," Uncle Kenji answered, "But you must promise me that you will come home with that Starburst Dragon card in your hand."

"I promise."

"Now go teach that bully a lesson."

--

"I can't believe it. You actually showed up!"

It was later that night, at Reiji's mansion. Reiji was prepared, having a Cardfight table set up in the middle of the foyer. He still wore the same hood from earlier, but more of his face was visible.

"You really want to lose that Starburst Dragon card, don't you?"

Makoto smiled.

"The only person who's going to lose tonight is you, Reiji!" He pointed at the champion as he finished that sentence.

"Do you know who I am?" Reiji asked him, "I am the National Circuit Champion, five times over. I have never lost a Cardfight. And I don't plan on starting tonight."

"There's a first time for everything, Reiji," Makoto answered, "Let's just try to have fun out there."

"Fun?" Reiji answered, "What are you? Five?" 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.