Katsumi sat across from a boy about his own age.
Both had already placed their decks onto the Vanguard table.
“As we agreed,” the boy said confidently, pointing at Katsumi’s deck, “if you lose, that card becomes mine.”
He pointed directly at the Blue-Eyes card.
“And if I lose, I’ll give you my Death Rex.”
It was a wager Katsumi had accepted rather reluctantly.
‘Fight!
Fight!’
Blue-Eyes White Dragon’s voice echoed inside his mind.
‘Only a true warrior proves himself upon the battlefield!’
“…Too late to back out now.”
“Let’s begin.”
Both players drew five cards.
“I’ll take a mulligan.”
Without hesitation, the boy returned three cards to his deck, shuffled, and drew three replacements.
“Mulligan…”
Katsumi quietly recalled the rule.
A chance to replace any number of cards from the opening hand.
Certainly something Yu-Gi-Oh never had.
He lowered his eyes.
Blue-Eyes White Dragon.
White Stone of Ancients.
Sage with Eyes of Blue.
Dragon Spirit of White.
Blue-Eyes Alternative White Dragon.
…
His eyebrow twitched.
An amazing Blue-Eyes hand.
An awful Vanguard hand.
Two Grade 3s.
One Grade 2.
Only Sage could be ridden.
“If I keep this…”
“…I’ll get stuck later.”
‘Father.’
Blue spoke unusually seriously.
‘Do not abandon our brethren.’
“This isn’t about loyalty.”
‘It is.’
‘War is not won through stubborn tactics.’
Blue fell silent.
Katsumi sighed.
“I’ll mulligan too.”
He returned Blue-Eyes White Dragon, Dragon Spirit of White and Blue-Eyes Alternative White Dragon.
After shuffling, he drew three new cards.
Protector with Eyes of Blue.
Maiden with Eyes of Blue.
Blue-Eyes Jet Dragon.
“…Much better.”
A Grade 1.
A Grade 2.
A Grade 3.
Perfect.
…
“Finished?”
“Finished.”
Both players placed their starting Vanguard face-down.
“Stand up…”
“The Vanguard!”
Both cards flipped simultaneously.
A crystal of ancient blue light appeared before Katsumi.
White Stone of Ancients.
Across from it stood a tiny dinosaur.
Babyrex.
“Heads or tails?”
The boy balanced a coin on his thumb.
“Heads.”
“Then tails for me.”
The coin spun high into the air.
It landed.
“Tails!”
The boy grinned.
“I’ll go first!”
“I draw a card.”
The dinosaur kid drew a card and then slammed a card on Babyrex.
“I ride!”
Babyrex leapt backward as another dinosaur replaced it.
“Sonic Noa!”
The Grade 1 dinosaur roared proudly.
The boy immediately followed.
“I call another Sonic Noa to my left Rear-Guard Circle!”
Two dinosaurs now stood on the field.
“I end my turn.”
‘Only two units…’
Katsumi studied the field.
‘Either he’s conserving resources…
or his opening hand wasn’t very good.’
Either way…
His turn.
“I Draw.”
He drew one card.
“I ride!”
White Stone dissolved into countless blue fragments.
They gathered into a young priest holding a silver staff.
“Sage with Eyes of Blue!”
The spectators gasped.
“Whoa!”
“Another one!”
“He really has hidden clan cards!”
The boy across from him frowned.
“I might’ve underestimated you…”
Katsumi ignored him.
“When Sage with Eyes of Blue is ridden, his effect activates.”
He searched his deck.
“I reveal Priestess with Eyes of Blue.”
He showed everyone the card before adding it to his hand.
The deck was shuffled.
“And now…”
“I call Protector with Eyes of Blue to my left Rear-Guard Circle!”
The armored guardian appeared beside the Sage.
Unlike the boy opposite him, Katsumi chose not to overextend.
One rear guard was enough.
For now.
“My Vanguard attacks your Vanguard!”
The Sage raised his silver staff.
A pillar of blue light shot toward Sonic Noa.
“Eight thousand!”
Sonic Noa possessed only seven thousand power.
There was no guarding.
“I won’t guard!”
The boy folded his arms confidently.
“The attack hits!”
The staff struck Sonic Noa squarely.
The tiny dinosaur staggered backward.
“Damage Check!”
The boy revealed the top card of his deck.
“…Critical Trigger!”
A chorus of excitement erupted around the table.
“A trigger!”
“He got a trigger!”
Since the damage had already been dealt, the additional Critical could not affect that attack.
The trigger’s effects still resolved.
“I give the +5000 Power to my Vanguard Sonic Noa!”
The Vanguard’s power climbed from 7000 to 12000 until the end of the turn.
The trigger card entered the damage zone.
“One damage.”
Katsumi silently observed.
“So that’s a Damage Trigger…”
Reading about it and witnessing it were entirely different experiences.
Even though it was obtained in the wrong turn.
‘Father.’
Blue chuckled.
‘The battlefield itself rewards courage.’
‘Or gambling.’
“I don’t have any more attacks.”
Katsumi rested his Vanguard.
“My turn ends.”
The gathered children whispered excitedly.
“His attack went through.”
“But he only did one damage though.”
“I wonder who might win…”
The boy opposite him smiled confidently.
“My turn!”
He stood both of his units.
“I Draw!”
He drew a card.
His smile widened.
“Hehehe…”
“This is perfect.”
He slapped a card onto the Vanguard Circle.
“I ride!”
Sonic Noa let out a cry.
Its body rapidly expanded.
Feathers burst from its sides.
Its limbs lengthened.
Its wings unfolded with a powerful roar.
“Skyreptera!”
The Grade 2 dinosaur spread its wings, glaring directly at Sage with Eyes of Blue.
The crowd collectively stepped back.
“Now…”
The boy pointed dramatically across the table.
“…let’s see if your hidden clan can survive Tachikaze!”