Cardfight!! Vanguard Dimension-D! New Generation, New Journey

Chapter 11: Beast of Calamity

America was, overall, mostly uneventful. The three Japanese players won all their games, making the Americans look like total pushovers. However, Nanna did get a weird feeling about one of the American players in particular. A girl by the name of Hoshino Raijin. She was apparently in America with her parent, Ishtar Raijin, for work study purposes, while also playing Vanguard on the side.

The strange feeling Nanna got when playing against Hoshino... She had the impression that she was only playing at half her level. She was holding back. While she wanted a private rematch with the woman, Nanna decided that it wasn't worth missing her flight home.

So now, with Nanna crashed out like a light, Alice makes her way to Wonder Hill alone today. She looks around the old theme park, and for once, found it completely empty. There would usually be three or four people here, Nanu included. But there was nobody. She walks up to the fight tables, then to the merry-go-round to find a surprise. Someone was there. It was her best friend, Saikoa Barley.

"Oh! There you are, Ali! I knew you'd come by after your trip." She greeted her friend with a welcoming smile, which in turn made Alice smile.

"Am I that easy to read?" Alice asked as she walked down to the fight table. "Since you're here, wanna play a round? Me and Orfist are itching for more combat." She asked.

"Little old me? Play the third place champion of the Deluxe? My goodness, I'm honored!" Saikoa says in a playful tone, as she already had her cards set up on the table. As if she was waiting for this exact moment.

Alice took a bit to shuffle her deck as well, and she even half cut it, despite this being a casual game. She just got so used to it that it's a habit now. After drawing her starting hand, she smiles. "Putting no cards back." She declares.

Saikoa also seemed confident in her cards, as she didn't put any cards back either. The two then rolled a pair of dice to see who would go first. The highest roll gets to choose. The roll went in Saikoa's favor. She smiled, and declares "I'll go second."

This was a bit confusing. Saikoa runs a Sylvan Horned Beast deck, which would benefit greatly from going first. Despite her confusion, Alice had no objections. She wanted to go first anyways.

"Stand up! The!"

"Stand up! My!"

"Vanguard!"

"Cardinal Fang, Phovi."

"Sylvan Horned Beast, Lotte."

"Draw. I ride Cardinal Noid, Routis. Set Energy Generator. When placed, his skill activates. I search my deck and add one World Order to my hand. I end my turn."

"I draw. I ride Rancor Chain." Saikoa pulls out a completely different card for her ride deck, rather than the usual one she uses.

"What happened to Charis?" Alice asked, even more confused.

"Huh? Oh, nothing. I just felt like switching things up to be more...optimal. I set my Energy Generator, then charge three. I then draw from Lotte's skill. Then with Rancor Chain's skill, I soul blast and draw two cards. Then I discard an Order card from my hand. I attack with Rancor Chain."

From she was playing, Alice was getting some bad vibes already. "I guard." She says, blocking the attack with a Front Trigger in her hand.

"Drive Check. Critical Trigger. Hm. All effects to Rancor Chain. I end my turn."

Alice takes no damage, but now she couldn't use the World Order she just grabbed for early pressure. "Draw. I ride up to Cardinal Noid, Cubisia. I play the Set Order, Hollowing Moonlit Night by paying a soul blast. When it's played, I draw a card. Then I call Cardinal Noid, Grunder. His skill when placed, I look at the top seven cards of my deck, and discard two World Orders from among them. Discarding two Overcoming an Eternity." She places the cards into her drop zone. "Call Cardinal Principle, Cagula. When placed, soul charge one. Then I use his skill to soul blast and retire him to call a Shadow Army Token. Cubisia attacks. 15k."