Cardfight!! Vanguard SC: Defenders of the Gate

Chapter 24: Fox Spirit against Dragon Lord Prt.1 - Who's Flame is Hotter?

Kiniro, Rei and Izo were chatting by the bar (not drinking), laughing and having a good time. Though, it wasn't long before the noticed a commotion starting to arise at a table not far from them. Izo sighed, already knowing why.

"Yudai...what have you gotten yourself into now?" The three went over to see what was up.

Yudai and Kenji were setting up the field, getting ready to fight. Yudai had a serious expression on his face while Kenji had a wide grin on his face. Yudai noticed this and narrowed his eyes.

"This kid? Why is he grinning like that? There's something seriously up with him. He claims to be the Oracle of the Dawn: the Oracle Think Tank Clan Guardian. And he already know who I am. That means, if he's telling the truth, he's probably already accepted his destiny. So why cardfight me?" As if he heard his thoughts, Kenji spoke up. Through Kenji's eyes, he saw Yudai radiating in bright crimson from his body.

"Your aura....it's so strong. The power you have, your determination, your passion, I can feel it all. I'm cardfighting you to see if your aura is the same as..." Kenji stopped mid-sentence and looked behind him. He saw the three others approaching him, each of them having incredibly strong auras. But his eyes were locked on one of them in particular. Izo. Kenji flinched a bit.

"His aura. It's overwhelming. It's....like a flame. It's the same as his...."

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"Apocalyptic flame that knows no mercy! Burn the world to ashes! Attack, Dragonic Overlord the Great!" The great dragon let out an overwhelming flame, destroying everything in its path, including his opponent.A younger Kenji's damage flew into the damage zone, declaring his opponent the victor. He was considerably older than the eleven year old boy, seventeen to be precise. He had spiky brown hair and a stoic expression.

"Aww,man! That's the sixth time I lost to you today! Let's go one more time. I know I'll win, for sure!" He started to reset the field. The other individual grinned and looked at the sky. Night had fallen.

"Your skills are impressive for someone your age. I'd like to say that I can fight you again, but won't your parents be worried about you? It's getting pretty late." Kenji continued to reset the field, not even looking up.

"Parents? I don't have those, never met 'em. Doesn't matter anyway. I don't need anyone else but myself. I've made it this far on my own, why stop now?" The young man opposite him knelt down to his level and met his with his trademark stoic gaze.

"Listen, kid. I can understand you. When I was your a child, I lost my parents and I was alone too. I continued to lead a life of solitude, only thinking about myself and hurting the people the people I cared about; my mates. You could say I became a monster. A demon. I would. Even now, I'm still atoning for the sins I committed. But my friends were there for me. They didn't hold grudges, they didn't spite me, they didn't even seem to be upset. They all welcomed me back with open arms. You see, kid. I don't want you to see the world as I did. The best thing you can do is go out there and find a mate of your own. Someone you can depend on." The young man got back into a standing position and starting to leave.

"And someday, we'll fight again. And I'll able to see just how hot your flames are." Kenji looked in awe as the young man walked away.

"My....flames?"

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Kenji walked away from Yudai and came face-to-face with Izo. The two locked eyes for a while. Izo had the same intense look he always had, while Kenji looked at him with wonder in his eyes. Kenji finally spoke. breaking the silence.