The playmat was unrolled across the table as both players settled into their seats, their expressions gradually shedding the casualness they had maintained during their conversation.
Katsumi and Izaki sat opposite one another, with the imaginary battlefield now lying between them.
Without another word, both placed their starting Vanguard cards onto the Vanguard Circle before drawing their opening five cards.
Katsumi lowered his gaze to his hand, scanning each card once before instinctively categorizing them.
One Grade 3.
Two Grade 2s.
One Grade 1.
One Grade 0.
His expression remained unchanged.
It’s not too bad.
Although the distribution was far from ideal, it was still workable, and at the very least, he had a complete ride line, ensuring that the most fundamental part of the game would proceed without any problems.
Across the table, however…
“…Ugh.”
Izaki grimaced as soon as he finished looking through his opening hand, his disappointment impossible to hide.
Without wasting another moment, he selected three cards and returned them to the deck before drawing three replacements.
“I’ll take a mulligan.”
The cards slid smoothly into his hand, and although his expression relaxed slightly, it was obvious that the new draw hadn’t completely solved his problems.
Katsumi let out a faint whistle.
“That bad, huh?”
“Yeah.”
Izaki answered without trying to hide it as he reorganized the cards in his hand, but then, as though suddenly remembering something more important than his opening hand, he looked back up.
“But is there any reason you suddenly wanted to cardfight?”
He rested his elbows lightly against the edge of the table, his curiosity returning.
“You still haven’t answered my question.”
Katsumi’s sudden demand for a cardfight had left Izaki and the others rather confused.
One moment, the reserved Katsumi had been caught in a dilemma over whether he should participate in the tournament, and the next, he had demanded a cardfight without offering much of an explanation.
Katsumi calmly arranged his hand.
“The reason is actually very simple.”
His eyes remained on his cards as he continued.
“You might be able to figure it out yourselves.”
“Is that so?”
Izaki arranged his own hand before looking at Katsumi with a confused expression.
Katsumi finally raised his gaze and pointed toward the other two boys standing nearby.
“If I’m supposed to be your ace, then what do I get?”
“What do you mean?”
Izaki looked even more perplexed.
“Don’t we just play for fun?”
Katsumi sighed softly.
“The cause of fighting for our school is great, but…”
He looked directly into Izaki’s eyes.
“I don’t really see any reason to participate.”
Izaki’s expression dropped slightly at the declaration.
“So this cardfight is for…”
“Yes.”
Katsumi gave a firm nod.
“To see if there’s any worth in becoming part of this drama.”
Izaki stared at him for a moment before slowly understanding what Katsumi meant.
“So you’re testing us?”
“Something like that.”
Katsumi glanced down at his Vanguard and looked back at Izaki.
“Let’s stone-paper-scissor for deciding who goes first.”
Katsumi held his free hand up and suggested the old school method of choosing.
“Okay!”
Izaki affirmed and went ahead.
First throw.
Katsumi threw scissor and izaki threw scissor.
Second throw.
Draw.
“Quite the coincidence, don’t ya think?”
“Not really.”
Third throw.
Katsumi threw stone and izaki threw paper.
“Yeah, I won,” Izaki excitedly exclaimed.
“Now I draw one card.”
Izaki drew his sixth card and looked down at his hand once more, the earlier disappointment on his face having faded into something closer to anticipation.
“Then I’ll go first.”
Katsumi nodded.
“Go ahead.”
“Stand up, Vanguard!”
Battleraizer was revealed on his Vanguard Circle, its small mechanical frame immediately becoming the center of the battlefield.
“I draw!”
He pulled a card from the top of his deck and added it to his hand before looking over his field.
“I ride!”
He placed a Grade 1 Nova Grappler over Battleraizer.
“Death Army Guy!”
The mechanical soldier appeared on the Vanguard Circle, its weapon raised toward Katsumi’s side of the field.
Because it was the first turn, Izaki couldn’t attack, so he simply proceeded through his main phase, calling another unit to his rear-guard circle.
“Call!”
A second Grade 1 appeared.
“Queen of Heart!”
Katsumi quietly watched the field develop.
Two Grade 1 units.
Nothing particularly threatening yet.
But Izaki’s deck was beginning to take shape.
“End turn.”
Izaki lowered his hand.
Katsumi immediately drew.
“Stand and draw.”
He placed his hand over the deck for a moment before pulling a card, reaching six cards as well.
“I ride.”
Dragon Egg was replaced by a Grade 1 Tachikaze.
“Sonic Noa.”
The dinosaur-like soldier took position on the Vanguard Circle, while Dragon Egg’s ability activated when another Tachikaze rode it.
“When another Tachikaze rides this unit, you may call this card to the rear-guard.”
Katsumi called Dragon Egg to his rear-guard circle.
Izaki seriously commented.
“So you’re already recycling your starter?”
“There’s no reason not to.”
Katsumi calmly looked over his field.
Sonic Noa in the Vanguard Circle.
Dragon Egg behind it.
Empty rear-guard circles elsewhere.
He could have filled the field, but there was no reason to expose resources unnecessarily.
“Battle.”
Sonic Noa attacked Izaki’s Vanguard.
“Vanguard attack!”
The attack was only 8,000 power.
Izaki didn’t bother guarding.
The attack hit.
No drive check was performed because Izaki’s Vanguard was still Grade 1.
Katsumi ended his turn.
“Your turn.”
Izaki stood his units and drew.
“Stand and draw!”
His eyes immediately brightened when he saw the card.
“Ride!”
He placed a Grade 2 over Death Army Guy.
“Brutal Jack!”
The massive Nova Grappler appeared on the Vanguard Circle.
Its 11,000 power immediately made the field look considerably more threatening.
Izaki then called another unit.
“King of Sword!”
The 10,000-power Grade 2 took position on his rear-guard circle.
Katsumi watched silently.
Brutal Jack was particularly troublesome because its strength came with a cost.
To attack, Izaki would have to Counter-Blast one, making his damage zone an important resource.
But it was for the rear guard Brutal Jack, not Vanguard Brutal Jack.
So Izaki wasn’t concerned.
He had just reached Grade 2.
Now the real game could begin.
“Battle!”
King of Sword attacked Sonic Noa.
“Rear-guard attack!”
Katsumi looked at the numbers.
10,000 against 8,000.
He allowed it.
The attack hit, and Sonic Noa was damaged.
“Hmm,” Katsumi thoughtfully acknowledged the damage.
“Damage Check…no trigger.” New chapters come out on g.com first.
The top card fell into the damage zone, giving izaki the lead.
Izaki’s grin widened.
“Now Brutal Jack!”
Brutal Jack attacked Katsumi’s Vanguard.
The attack from Brutal Jack of power 11,000 aimed toward Sonic Noa’s position.
Katsumi considered his options before placing a card from his hand onto the Guardian Circle.
“I guard with a Grade 0.”
The additional shield brought his Vanguard’s defensive power high enough to stop the attack.
“Drive Check!
No trigger…”
Izaki takes the card, Death Army Bishop in his hand.
Izaki clicked his tongue.
“Fine.”
He ended his turn.
Katsumi stood his units and drew.
His eyes immediately settled on the card he had drawn.
A Grade 2.
“Ride.”
He placed it over Sonic Noa.
“Ravenous Dragon, Megarex.”
The dinosaur roared across the battlefield.
Katsumi then looked at Dragon Egg sitting in his rear-guard circle.
He could preserve it.
Or he could use it as a resource.
He chose the former.
“Call.”
A second rear-guard entered the field.
“Assault Dragon, Blightops.”
The field was beginning to fill.
Katsumi looked at Izaki’s Brutal Jack.
Then at his own Megarex.
Neither player had accumulated much damage yet, but the advantage was beginning to shift toward whoever could establish the stronger field.
“With the support from Dragon Egg, my Ravenous Dragon,Megarex attacks your Brutal Jack.”
Shifting both the cards to rest, the imaginary figure of Megarex attacked Brutal Jack.
Since Dragon Egg was assisting Megarex, Brutal Jack was overpowered by a attack of 10,000 + 4000.
Untill…
“I guard!”
Izaki placed down a Grade 1 guard.
“My Death Army Bishop will aid Brutal Jack with 5,000 shield.”
Katsumi’s attack was guarded against.
Izaki played defensively and protected his damage zone.
“Drive Check!”
Katsumi checked for a drive but luck was not on his side.
“No trigger…”
“Well then,” Katsumi turned his Blightops to rest and attacked.
“I rest my Blightops and attack your King of Swords.”
The imaginary dinosaur aiming it’s hulking body and crashed onto the mechanical King of Sword.
“But the attack won’t work.”
Izaki spoke up, leaving katsumi confused.
“What do you mean?”
“Your Blightops has 9,000 attack but my King of Sword has 10,000,” Izaki smirked slightly.
“So your attack is not passing through.”
The imaginary Blightops crashed onto the robot but the robot slashed the dinosaur away.
“Aw man,” Katsumi held his forehead in annoyance.
“I forgot about the damage difference.
Sorry, my bad.”
King of Sword has a higher attack than Blightops.
So the attack was nullified.
“No worries,” Izaki rubbed the back of his head.
“People make mistake time to time.
But I was rather surprised.”
The atmosphere grew slightly less tense.
“Surprised?” Katsumi asked with a tilt of his head.
“Yeah,” Izaki nodded.
“You seemed like a unapproachable celebrity at school.
But here you are…different.”
He scratched his head in slight frustration.
“It’s like looking at a completely different person.”
At that moment izaki realized that the boy named Morikawa Katsumi was not a pitifully unsocial person.