Cardfight Vanguard Dimension!! Neptunia x Vanguard Story!

Chapter 24: Focus Shift

"You fought Nome?! And won?!" Alice freaked out.

"Mhm! He was kind weak, actually. But I don't exactly remember how he beat me in the first place." Saikoa says.

"And you used his own power against him...?" Raptor mutters.

"Then maybe that's why Maelstrom "R" is still here too." Alice nods.

"Yes, that's right. He and I have made this dark power our own. Now then, can I please have my cards back?" Azura asked and extended her hand.

"Uh, right, here." Alice nods and gives her sister the cards. "Yeah, the cards seem normal now. I don't feel anything from them. But if you beat Nome, then why is that ring still there...?"

"Hey, doesn't it seem dimmer than before?" Hoshi pointed out.

The group looks up, and takes note of it as well. "Yeah, it is. If only a little." Raptor comments.

"So it's like a boss health bar then?" Alice wondered. "Awesome. Let's storm the Tatsunagi building and bring the pain! We can't let this go on any longer!"

"I would agree, but..." Raptor pulls out his phone to show the group the current time. "It's pretty late at this point. We should probably rest up and continue our way tomorrow."

"Believe it or not, Reverse fighters are still just normal people. They need sleep as well." Azusa chimes in. "The hotel we stayed in for the Koshien is nearby. Let's shack up there for the night."

"I guess you make a good point..." Alice says reluctantly. "Okay. We'll rest up and continue this tomorrow. I'll text brother and everyone else."

———

As Nanu walked around the park, wondering what possible route Alice's group could've taken to the Tatsunagi Building. As he looked, he felt his phone buzz in his pocket. He checks what it was, and saw it was Alice.

'Guess who we found?' The caption said, with a picture of her, Saikoa, and Azura. 'We're going to be staying the night at the nearby hotel. We'll be safe, so don't worry.' She added.

Nanu sighs in relief and texts his mom to tell her that Azura and Alice are okay. He turns around and is about to head home, but he feels something off. He turns around again to meet eyes with Nepgear.

"Nanu? What are you doing out at this time?" She asked.

"I could ask you the same..." Nanu says suspiciously. He narrows his eyes and tries to notice anything off about his stepsister. He takes hold of his deck, just in case. She seemed normal enough. But just to be sure... "Hey, Nepgear. Wanna have a fight?" He asked.

"Hm? Isn't it a little late for that?" Nepgear asked.

"We have plenty of time before the sun goes down. C'mon, entertain your stepbrother." Nanu says casually, holding his deck up. If she really was reversed, she'd accept in a heartbeat.

"Hahaha. As much as I love to, I'd much rather eat something before we fight." She giggles.

Nanu sighs. "Alright, fine. Guess I'll head home then."

"Oh, I'll go with you. My place is pretty far, so is it okay if I stay the night?" Nepgear asked.

"Guess it couldn't hurt..." Nanu shrugged, but keeps an eye on her in case something, anything, tips Nanu off to the mere chance of her being Reversed.

But the entire time, she just seemed...normal. No matter how much Nanu sized her up, Nepgear was just Nepgear. He finally decides it's time to drop his guard a bit, as the pair enter the home.