Cardfight!! Vanguard Gatekeepers

Stride 1: A Thousand Steps Starts With One

    August couldn't have screeched by any slower for Aaron Portare. Although he felt some obligation to not waste the remainder of his precious summer, he still didn't have enough motivation to get out of bed despite the fact that it was already 2:00 P.M. So, instead of mulling over his conflict, Aaron decided to roll over and try to sleep.
    "AARON PORTARE!" a great beast roared before his bedroom door came crashing down. He immediately jolted upright in his bed and moved as far away from the hulking figure in the doorway as possible.
    "Y- yes, mother?" Aaron squeaked uncertainly as she stomped into his room. Her eyes swept over the area rapidly before landing on her son, who looked as if he was still half asleep and was wearing only underwear. If it had been possible for her to start foaming at the mouth, it would've happened then.
    "YOU ARE A THIRTEEN YEAR OLD BOY IN HIS LAST FEW DAYS OF SUMMER!" she raged throwing her arms in the air. "I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU DO! GO PLAY ON THE SWINGS, OR GET A GIRLFRIEND; AT THIS POINT, IT REALLY DOESN'T MATTER! JUST GET OUT," his mom continued, entering his closet and throwing clothes at his face, "OF MY HOUSE!!!"
    "Yes ma'am!" Aaron shrieked, grabbing the clothes and rushing into the bathroom. Once he was out of sight, his mother sighed.
    "What am I going to do with that boy...."

***

    Aaron hastily put on the clothes his mother had thrown at him. Luckily, she had picked out one of his favorite outfits; a maroon jacket with a dark blue shirt underneath, topped off with a regular pair of jeans. His sunglasses were laying on the counter, and he picked those up before leaving the bathroom.
    "Well," Aaron called to his mom as he stepped into the living room, "I'm about to go, I guess."
    "Finally! It's about time!" she said exasperatedly from the couch. "Just kidding, honey. I really am glad that you're getting out of the house though." His mom turned to look at him. "Do you have any idea where you're going to go?"
    Aaron shrugged. "Not really, if I'm being honest. Whatever, I'll find a place."
    "I figured as much, so I left something on the counter that might be able to help you find something to do." She waved her hand in the direction of the door. "Now go along. Don't stay out too late though!"
    "You don't have to worry about that," he grumbled under his breath as he went to see what his mother had left for him. Sitting on the tabletop was a lonely Vanguard deck.
    "What's this?" Aaron asked, his voice strained as he stared at the cards in front of him. Just them being there was bringing back memories he hadn't necessarily wanted to remember.
    "Oh, it's a Vanguard deck," she said nonchalantly. "Do you not remember? You and your sister used to play that game all the time before she got accepted into Fukuhara America. I don't know, I found it in the garage and thought you might enjoy playing it again."
    "Yeah, sure," he mumbled, drifting off into thought about all of the matches he'd lost to his sister. Aaron shook off the memories and clutched the deck tightly in his hand. He hadn't planned on it but getting back into Vanguard might not've been such a bad idea. Plus, it would give him and his sister something to talk about when she visited home, even if it was just her telling him to stop playing like she did last time...
    "OUT!" his mother suddenly shouted, effectively ending his daydreaming.
    "I'm going, I'm going!" Aaron claimed, putting the cards into his pocket and running to the door. He had no clue where he was going, but anywhere was better than stuck in the house with his furious mother. Then he threw open the door and ran outside.

***

    "What the heck am I doing?" Aaron muttered to himself as he walked aimlessly down the bustling streets of Beachwood, Virginia. A few people shot him strange looks due to the fact that he appeared to be talking to himself, but he was too busy brooding to notice.
    "I really wish I could've gone into one of those shops I passed earlier," he thought bitterly, shoving his hands into his pocket, "but of course, they just had to be closed today."
    He sighed heavily and continued walking toward a small park where he planned on resting for a while before going back home. Returning to his house now would leave his mother in a frenzy, so killing some time there definitely wouldn't hurt.
    Aaron crashed down onto the bench and closed his eyes. He knew he shouldn't fall asleep because he'd probably end up getting mugged, but he couldn't help it. Anyone would have trouble staying awake in the park with the peaceful chirping of the birds, the slight rustling of the trees in the wind-
    "T- THERE'S NO WAY!" someone screamed suddenly, breaking the serene atmosphere. Aaron pried an eye open to look at where the voice came from and saw three people standing around a table. On the left side, there were two boys, one of which was the person who had been yelling at the girl across for him. He had straight brown hair that started to point upward at his forehead and brown eyes that were currently sparkling with fury. In his hands, he was tightly holding a few Vanguard cards.
     Next to the first boy stood a guy with golden blonde hair and concerned green eyes. He was staring very intently at the Vanguard cards Aaron assumed were on the table.
    The girl, who seemed to be Cardfighting the first teenager, snickered smugly and tossed her jet black hair behind her shoulder. "I'm sorry, kid, but you know what this means! My Vanguard is going critical and there's absolutely nothing you can do to stop it!"
    Aaron had to stifle a laugh considering the girl looked to be the same age, if not younger, than the boy she was calling 'kid'. In fact, they looked as if they could be going into the eighth grade similarly to Aaron.
He didn't have long to ponder about it, though, because the brown haired fighter had suddenly slammed his first against the tabletop. "I- I don't believe this! How could you beat me with that second-rate deck!?"
    For the first time since the start of this ordeal, the fair haired boy spoke up. "Kevin, provoking her right now might not be the best idea..."
    "He's right, you know," the girl said with a smirk. "After all, I just won your favorite unit, and I'm the one who ultimately decides what happens to it!"
    Even from the distance Aaron was sitting, he could see Kevin's eyes widen in fear. "N- no. I won't let you have him!" He lunged forward for a card on the table, but the girl reached down and grabbed it in one fluid motion.
    "You knew the deal," she said smugly, lifting up the card and looking at it triumphantly. "And it's not like I forced you to fight or anything. I gave you the terms, and you agreed to them." She giggled innocently before turning the card around to face her opponent again. "How much do ya think this will sell for?"
"N- no!" Kevin stammered, slamming his fist onto the tabletop. "I won't let his happen! Let me fight to get my card back!"
    "Alriiiight," the girl said slyly. "If I win this time, though, I'll be takin' two of your cards!"
    "What!?" Kevin yelled, reeling. "But I'll already be fighting with a disadvantage!"
    She shrugged. "That's really not my problem. Now, do you want to do this or not?"
    Kevin's head snapped over to the guy standing next to him. "C'mon, Chase, you could beat this girl no problem! You know I don't like asking for help, but..." he clenched his fists, "could you please win my card back for me?"
    The blonde boy, whose name was Chase apparently, sighed and averted his gaze. "How many times do I have to tell you, Kev? I- I don't Cardfight anymore."
    "Chase-!"
    "Plus, I don't even have my deck on me," he continued guiltily. "I'm really sorry."
    "Well, then what am I supposed to do!?" Kevin yelled angrily. "Play at a handicap with the chance of losing more of my cards or give up now and definitely lose one?" He grit his teeth violently together. "I guess there's only one real choice... I'll fight again, and this time I'll win!"
    "You could always see if someone else would play for you... like that guy standing over there," Chase suggested. "He looks like he could be a Cardfighter."
    "Think so? Whatever, it's worth a shot. Hey you over there!"
    Aaron looked up from the cards on the table to see who the two boys were talking about and saw that they were both staring straight at him. He blinked once and realized that Kevin and Chase were referring to him.
    "Are you guys talking about me?" Aaron asked, skeptically raising an eyebrow and pointing to himself.
    Kevin exhaled exasperatedly. "Well, considering there's no one standing behind you..."
    Chase covered his friend's mouth with his hand and smiled sheepishly. "What Kevin's trying to say is that he would appreciate it if you fought for his card back. Isn't that right, Kevin?"
    Instead of nodding, Kevin licked Chase's hand, causing the blonde haired boy to remove it from his pal's mouth in horror. "I'm quite capable of speaking for myself, thank you very much," he claimed, crossing his arms grumpily. "Now you- black haired kid- are you going to help me out?"
    "Uh..." Aaron began, slightly wishing he had just gone to sleep when he had the chance, "I'm not really sure that you should let me play when the stakes are so high..."
    "Can you just say no, then?" the girl, who had remained silent for quite some time, barked in annoyance.     "Unfortunately, I can't stick around and win cards off of you guys all day."
    "You'll do fine," Chase said passionately, approaching Aaron and grabbing his wrist before starting to drag him to the table. "Do you have a deck?"
    "Well, yeah," Aaron confirmed, struggling against the boy dragging him towards the tabletop. "But I literally just got back into the game today. I'm not ready for a challenge like this yet."
    Chase waved his hand dismissively. "Don't worry, this girl isn't that good; Kevin only lost because he was stupid!"
    "HEY!" the girl yelled while Kevin grumbled, "I lost because I made bad decisions, not because I was stupid..."
    Aaron sighed in distress and wondered how he had got himself caught up in such a mess. He and Chase had finally reached their destination, and as Kevin stood up, Aaron was forced into his seat.
    "So what's your name, kid?" the girl inquired as he pulled out his deck and riffled through it for his starting Vanguard.
    "Aaron Portare," he responded distractedly as he looked at the unfamiliar cards in his deck. "Yours?"
    "Jessica Pierce but most people call me the Card Reaper for obvious reasons." She lifted up her deck and pulled her starting Vanguard out. "Speaking of that, we need to establish our agreement. How about something like this: If you win, I will gladly give the weak boy's card, but if I win I get to take a card of my choice from your deck. Deal?" She reached out her hand to shake Aaron's.
    "Sure, whatever," he mumbled, ignoring her gesture and placing a card facedown on the Vanguard circle. "Let's just get started already."
    Jessica laughed and shook her head. "Are you sure about that? I mean, you haven't even drawn your hand, shuffled your deck, or taken your G-Units out." He blushed bright red while Kevin groaned beside him.
    "Which ones are the G-Units again?" he asked embarrassedly. "I kinda forgot..."
    Kevin's groans got louder, but Chase merely picked up Aaron's deck and pulled out two cards with red bottoms. "These are the G-Units you have so far; you can tell by the unique bottoms they have. They're used to change the tide of the battle when you need it most, but I'll elaborate on that later."
    "And what about this one?" Aaron questioned, revealing a card with a green bottom and a strange insignia on the side. It slightly resembled a G-Unit but was very different at the same time.
    "Don't you know anything!?" Kevin exclaimed irritably. "That's a G-Guardian!"
    Aaron sent a glare at the obnoxious boy. "Try not to forget just who's fighting for your card back." Kevin promptly shut up.
    Once he had placed his G-Units in the proper area, Aaron quickly mixed up his units and pulled five cards off of the top of his deck. The rules of the game were slowly coming back to him, and not every card seemed completely alien anymore. There was no doubt in his mind now; this was definitely the deck his sister had taken away from him as a kid.
    "Good hand," Chase commented, glancing over his shoulder. "You have all of the grades, so you don't have to worry about G-Assisting." When Aaron looked at him curiously, he waved his hands dismissively. "It doesn't matter now, that's something you can learn about later. Anyway, you're good to go!"
    "Took you long enough," Jessica complained, rolling her eyes. "Whatever, let's just get started!"
    "Hold up!" Chase exclaimed suddenly, stopping the two from beginning their game. "First, we must imagine..." Jessica snorted while Aaron closed his eyes, a small grin on his face. The first time he had ever played, he had been told the exact same thing. "You've left this realm and become astral bodies on the planet Cray, the battlefield where you will wage war. This particular bout with take place in a mountainous region located within the United Sanctuary." Aaron nodded as a picture began to form in his mind. Snow capped peaks surrounded his and Jessica's translucent bodies as they stood tense, prepared for battle. "Now that you both have the image-"
    "We can finally start!" Jessica yelled, reaching for her starting unit. "Stand up sacred Vanguard, Shine Wing Seraph, Odiya (Grade: 0, Power: 5000)!"
    Aaron's eyes snapped open. "Stand up righteous Vanguard, Origin Sword Champion, Jarin (Grade: 0, Power: 5000)!"
    On Cray, cyan light burst out of his body to counter the bright purple radiance that had begun to surround Jessica. In a matter of moments, Aaron's figure was replaced with that of a young knight donned in armor that was much too big for him while his opponent had taken the form of a young girl with wings made of pure light hovering behind her.
    "You're taking the first turn," Jessica claimed, leaning back leisurely in her chair, "because I really don't feel like it."
    "Fine," Aaron replied as he reached for the top card of his deck. Just before he drew, though, he hesitated, remembering all the times he and his sister had fought.

***

    "How are you going to win with a weak draw like that, Aaron?" his big sister asked with frustration lacing her voice. "If you're not even confident in picking up a card, you have no hope of claiming victory at all!"
    Aaron threw his cards onto the ground and angrily crossed his arms. "I don't want to play against you anymore! Every time we fight I end up losing, so what's the point in me even trying!?"
    His sister's anger evaporated and she ruffled his dark hair affectionately. "That's to be expected, kiddo, you just started playing the game! The most important thing is that you put effort into it so that you can get better later." When he continued pouting, she leaned over until they were looking eye to eye. "Hey, no one's great when they first pick up a deck, but over time some of those noobs actually turn into pretty decent fighters. And that's because a thousand steps always start with one."
    That made Aaron feel a little better, but he didn't want his sister to get the satisfaction of knowing that. "Don't call me kiddo," he complained grumpily. "You're only two years older than me."
    She laughed and stood up to her full height. "How about this? If you can beat me in a fight, I will never call you that again!"
    He nodded vigorously. "You've got a deal!"
    "Then go ahead and draw!"

***

    Aaron disregarded thoughts of the past and began to focus on the match he was currently in. Right now the only thing that mattered was beating the foe in front of him.
    So he took a deep breath and drew a card.

A/N: W- what's that? An UPDATE? WE ALL THOUGHT YOU WERE DEAD!!!!
Thaaaaat's probably what you're all thinking right now, and I seriously need to apologize for not updating in the last century. I swear, the universe has been making it a point to not allow me to have any time EVER.
Anyway, you're probably also thinking something along the lines of, "WHAT THE HECK, AUTHOR? WHY ARE WE BACK AT FREAKIN' CHAPTER 1!?!?!??!?!?! DID YOU FORGET HOW TO COUNT?" Well, to put things simply, I went back and read my first chapter and thought it sucked. So... second times the charm? Maybe? Whatever, lemme go work on chapter two so that we won't all be grandparents by the next time this is updated. Hope you enjoyed chapter 1 and see ya next time!