"Wait, you guys..."

Iori looked behind her, stopping Kurosaki, Momoka, Busujima, and I from going any further. We hid behind one of the pillars, watching from afar as Kuyou was standing by the exit of the tunnel, talking to an older woman who looked a lot like him.

She had blonde hair tied in a high curled ponytail and wore a traditional yellow kimono. More strikingly, she had the same sly fox-like eyes that Kuyou had. Was she one of his relatives?

"Who is that?" Busujima said.

"Maybe his sister? Mother? Aunt?" Momoka said.

"But I thought his family wasn't coming to watch him..." I said.

"Could it be his girlfriend?" Iori said.

"K-Kuyou-san has a girlfriend?!" Kurosaki said.

"No, they look too similar to be in a relationship..." I said.

We went silent as Kuyou sighed, narrowing his eyes at the older woman.

"What are you doing here? I told you not to come."

She meekly looked away, nodding.

"Aru-kun... I know, but... I still wanted to come anyways, to come support my little boy."

My eyes widened.

"So, she's his mother?" I said.

"S-she's pretty..." Kurosaki said.

"I guess one person showed up for him at least." Momoka said.

"Must be nice..." Iori said.

Kurosaki frowned, seeing the other girl's reactions. Well, it's understandable why she'd feel that way since both her mother and father showed up, but... I couldn't help but side with Momoka and Iori with this one a little more.

Kuyou's mother shuffled back as Kuyou leaned forward, imposing his tall figure onto her.

"What, and you were gonna keep it a secret from me?"

Dripping from his voice was pure disgust. He was staring at his mother with eyes that burned with hatred. What happened between them...?

"Y-yes, but..."

Before she even had a chance to explain herself, Kuyou shoved her aside to leave.

"I don't need you to look after me anymore. If you're going to support me, then do it by letting me do what I want."

"Yes, but... it's also my responsibility as your parent to make sure you're okay. I could tell, you know? During that match, those words that your opponent said... they really affected you deeply, didn't they?!"

As Kuyou's mother tried to reason with her son, Kuyou's face twisted in an expression I had never seen before. It was similar to when he started putting the blame on all of us, but this... this was more demonic.

It was like someone took a pinch of hell, distilled it to its most concentrated form, and dropped it upon Kuyou's face. It was a kind of anger I had never seen before in my life— it wasn't loud, but it wasn't quiet either. It was just... anger in its blackest form.

As he turned his head over his shoulder, showing that hellish expression towards his mother, she quivered and took a step back. Reflected in her eyes... was a monster.

"Don't act like you know me, you hag."

Just as Kuyou began walking away, I stepped out and grabbed him by arm.

"Oi. Who the hell do you think you are, talking to your own mother like that?"

I narrowed my eyes at him. Kuyou narrowed his eyes at me.

I...

I don't know what spurred me to suddenly get involved like this.

At first, I was going to let all of it slide... even if he was being difficult to deal with, none of that was my business.

Whatever problems Kuyou had with his parents weren't for me to comment on. I wouldn't understand, after all.

But the moment those horrible and disrespectful words escaped his lips, my body began moving on its own.

And... before I knew it, I squeezing down on Kuyou's arm so hard, even he couldn't shake me off.

"T-Takamine-san?!"

"Huh? What do you think you're doing?!"

From behind me, I could Kurosaki's reaction and Iori's reaction.

"Ku ku... what are you losers doing here?"

"Loser? Huh? The real loser is you, you disrespectful piece of shit!"

I dragged Kuyou in, surprising him as we butt heads. He then snarled, grabbing me by the shirt.

"Don't give me your vigilant justice... you don't know what the hell my life is like!"

"And I don't care. I'm not going to let your shitty behaviour slide, you insufferable asshole!"

"Piss off. If you have a problem with me, deal with it through your cards. Oh wait, you can't! Because you're not strong enough to beat me, ku ku!"

"I'm going to fight someone when it's clear you're in the wrong. Take back what you said and apologise to your mother!"

"Why should I?"

"What? Are you stupid? She's your mother! She carried you for nine months and spent fifteen years of her own life taking care and raising you! The least you can do is show some appreciate she went out of her way to come here and support you, you piss poor excuse for a son!"

"Ku ku... ku ku ku. Oi, what's wrong with you, Takamine?"

"Huh?"

"You're crying, dumbass."

I blinked, not realising I had tears rolling down my cheeks.

"H-huh...?"

Why... why was I crying...?

"Ku ku ku! So much for acting tough! You're the biggest loser there is, ku ha ha ha ha!"

Kuyou threw his head back, howling with laughter.

"Alright, that's enough you two!"

Iori pried herself between us, trying to separate us. By this point, I was so confused at what was happening, I just let things run its course. I could feel Kurosaki and Momoka yank my hand off his arm, while Busujima removed Kuyou's hand from my shirt.

"Kuyou-san, can we please talk?"

Immediately, Iori went over to try and reason with him. Kurosaki turned to me, giving me her handkerchief.

"T-Takamine-san, are you okay...?"

"...yeah."

I wiped my tears away using her handkerchief before giving it back to her.

I still don't understand... why did I start crying there...?

"A-are you sure...? You're still shaking..."

"I think it's from the adrenaline."

I mumbled, hugging my body. Kurosaki was right - I could feel myself tremble from head to toe.

Why was I like this...? Was I really that scared to confront Kuyou despite all my grievances with him? Or was I shaking for some other reason...?

I put my hand to my head, taking deep breaths to try and steady myself.

"I already told you I'm not associating with you losers. Leave me alone."

"At least explain yourself! Why are you acting like this? If you don't say, we won't ever understand!"

"Have you ever considered that I don't want to be understood by others?"

Iori's eyes widened.

"What... w-what do you mean, by that?"

Kuyou put on a thin smile.

"It's like I said. I don't want to have to explain myself to other people all the damn time. I'm not obliged to tell you all my thought process. And why are you guys even that interested? If you look at the facts, it's obvious why I'm through with being with you guys."

"But the truth you're presenting is clearly a lie!"

Kuyou scoffed.

"Ku ku... so what? A white lie is occasionally better than the dark truth."

"I want to know the truth because I— and everyone else on our team— care about you, Kuyou-san!"

"I don't think he cares for me."

Kuyou's eyes lingered onto me. I didn't have the courage to look back at him, though.

"Whatever problems you and Minoru-san have, we can work through them later. But rest assured, the rest of us do care. Otherwise, we wouldn't have the made the trip together as a group to come see you."

"Iori-san. Since you're a nice girl, I'll tell you this for your sake— learn when not to pry into other people's lives. I've already stated I don't wish to be understood. So respect it, alright?"

While he was being annoying on purpose, Kuyou wasn't entirely wrong. Since he already made it clear he didn't want us to know the truth, we'd just be trampling his boundaries if we continued to try and pressure him into telling us what was going on.

Personally, since this guy's an insufferable prick anyways, I was through trying to understand him. That's why I was fine with letting this matter go and never understanding Kuyou. However...

Seeing how stubborn he was being, Iori looked even more determined to find out the truth. She sighed, shaking her head.

"Alright... fine."

"Thank you."

Kuyou then walked away, leaving us. However, there was a mischievous glint in Iori's eyes that showed she hadn't truly given up yet.

"Are... you okay?"

To my surprise, Kuyou's mother approached me. I was surprised, but I nodded.

"Ah... yeah, don't worry."

Even though I said those words to make her feel better about the whole situation, she still frowned anyways.

"I deeply apologise on Aru-kun's behalf for how he's treated you... no, each and everyone one of you. I am so sorry!"

Seeing her bow and sincerely apologise just made me more pissed off at Kuyou. Now he was making his mother clean up the mess he made... does the concept of taking responsibility not exist to this guy?

"Ah no, it's okay Ms. Kuyou! Please, don't prostrate yourself for that..." I said.

"Y-yes, it's okay ma'am!" Kurosaki said.

"We know it's not your fault. To be blunt, Kuyou's difficult to deal with in general..." Momoka said.

"He can be a real diva." Iori said.

Busujima nodded in agreement.

"Thank you, but still... it's the least I can do. I don't want you all to think poorly of my son... he's just... very misunderstood."

Kuyou's mother was far more calm and gentle than Kuyou was. I guess he took after his father more than anything else.

"Misunderstood is an understatement... he actively wants it to be that way." Momoka said.

"It's not be my place to comment on it, but I can assure you there's a reason why..."

Iori's eyes perked as she heard that from Kuyou's mother. She stepped forward, shaking her head with a sweet smile. Looks like she was scheming something...

"No, no, please! I insist, as we're all Kuyou-san's teammates, I think it would be better for us if we knew why our teammate is acting like this!"

"I agree, but... Aru-kun would probably hate me more if I said it..."

A depressing smile appeared on her face. I looked up at Kuyou's mother and shook my head.

"He can't hate you any more than he already does. Whatever negative feelings in his heart he has towards you... they've already become a 4-of, so to speak. No matter how much you hold back for his sake, that's not going to fundamentally change the feelings in his heart."

Kuyou's mother's eyes widened. Iori nodded in agreement.

"It's exactly as Minoru-san says. Even if you hold back, he's not going to appreciate it. To him, you're already... well..."

Iori's eyes shifted away as she remembered the cruel way Kuyou addressed his mother.

"I... I understand. I knew it deep down in my heart, but... I just wanted to protect my child..."

Seeing Kuyou's mother beat herself up over him made me feel even worse for her. Just how crap does he treat her...?

"That's understandable, Kuyou-mama. But... we can't move forward and try to mend things with him if we don't know what any of the root issues are." Iori said.

"Yes... I agree. Which is why, if I tell you... would you please at least keep it a secret amongst yourselves?"

"Of course. Hopefully, this will help us find a way to connect with him."

Iori was one smooth talker... I never realised her communication skills were so high. With a little bit of nudging, she managed to convince Kuyou's mother to explain a bit more about her son.

"Umm, before we do though..."

Kuyou's mother turned to me, blushing slightly.

"You're Takamine-san, right?"

I nodded.

"Umm... this might be embarrassing coming from an old lady like myself, but... thank you. I really appreciated when you stepped in to defend me on my behalf... I must admit, my heart is still pounding from that dashing move."

I started blushing as well as Kuyou's mother began praising me.

"A-ah, i-it's no worries at all! Uh, my body just moved on its own honestly... it was like a reflex to go confront him after hearing what he said to you."

"Yeah, it looked like something straight out of a shoujo manga." Momoka said.

Kuyou's mother smiled.

"I can see why his opponent said Aru-kun was scared of you... just from observing you a little bit, I can tell you're a generous soul. You want to help everyone around you get better, regardless of what others say. It's the complete opposite of him..."

"What do you mean?" Iori said.

"Um... well, ever since he was little, Aru-kun has been the competitive type. He always loved winning and being on top, so he enjoys working diligently to be better than everyone else. That drive is how he became Category Ace, which I'm really proud of! But... because he was always so much better, he ended up bragging a lot and looking down on others."

"Yeah, that guy's got the arrogance of a pompous king." Momoka said.

"What a twisted personality..." I said.

"Yes... I should've done more to correct it, but... I wasn't home often. I think a large part of Aru-kun's disdain towards me is because neither me or his father were there for him. As such, he went down a bad path..."

Kuyou's mother blamed her poor parenting for how Kuyou ended up this way. I mean, I could see it... with no older figure to check Kuyou's arrogant behaviour, he continued to grow with that inflated sense of self-ego, leading him to act the way he does today.

"Ahh... yeah, my parents are the same. Neither of them are home often either." Iori said.

"Same here." I said.

"W-what do you do for work, if I may ask?" Kurosaki said.

"I'm a head shrine maiden. My day starts very early and I spend most of my time at the temple... as such, the one who is at home more often is his father."

"S-shrine maiden...! That's so cool...!" Kurosaki squealed.

"No wonder you look so good in a kimono." I said.

"Please don't compliment this old lady too much, my prime days have since long passed..."

Kuyou's mother was incredibly bashful. Seriously, if you told me he was her son, I wouldn't have ever believed it... they were nothing alike aside from their looks.

"Even if that's the case, I don't think bad parenting alone would result in Kuyou-san's behaviour today. After all, Minoru-san and I had similar parents growing up, but we turned out fine— mostly." Iori said.

"I would hope so... I don't think I'm as arrogant as he is." I said.

"Kuyou-mama said you were basically his opposite, so..."

Kuyou's mother nodded.

"It's not the only factor, but I think it's an important part to acknowledge. After all... that arrogance of his is also what led to the biggest scar in his heart."

We became silent as it felt like we were now one step away from the truth.

"The biggest scar in Kuyou-san's heart?" Iori said.

"Aru-kun used to have a very tight knit friend group back in middle school. There were seven people total. But one day... he lost them all."

"Huh?" I said.

"Lost them all?" Momoka said.

"What do you mean by that, Kuyou-mama?"

Iori raised an eyebrow. She lowered her head.

"I... I don't know the specifics. Aru-kun refused to tell me... but from what I gathered, Aru-kun said some... very horrible things, as a joke... and that made all his friends leave him. Ever since, he's suffered from some... very severe trust issues."

My eyes widened.

I was instantly reminded of when he blew his lid at all of us in the GEN Academy room.

It was like history was repeating itself.

"Trust issues... so that's it, huh? That's why he wants no one to understand him. Oh, it's so freaking obvious now...!"

Iori sighed, slapping herself on the cheek for not putting the pieces together earlier.

"S-so... does that mean... K-Kuyou-san said all those nasty things to try and protect himself...?"

Kurosaki frowned.

"I think it's more like he didn't want to become friends with us in the first place and used that as his ticket out of it."

I gave my speculation.

"But what about the stuff Manyuda-san said about him hating Minoru-kun? Do you have any insight on that, Ms. Kuyou?" Momoka said.

"I would assume it's because he's jealous of Takamine-san's genuine nature to be able to trust others without judgment. People usually hate the things which they lack the most."

"Yeah... that would make sense."

I said that, but there was actually something else I had thought of.

While Kuyou's mother definitely had a point, I think that wasn't the true reason why Kuyou hates me.

I think Kuyou originally wanted to protect himself from making friends by isolating Kurosaki and making her the class scapegoat.

By doing that, there would an easy mutual agreement between everyone that Kurosaki was the "worst", thus creating a sense of trust between him and the others without actually gaining their trust.

Hence why Momoka, Iori, and Busujima were so easily able to switch sides - even though the hung out with Kuyou for longer, their connection wasn't genuine, so the moment he started attacking them, they didn't hesitant to turn on him.

But since I rejected the notion and sided with Kurosaki, he failed to get everyone on his side, and started hating me because of it.

This, combined with his competitive nature and the analysis from Kuyou's mother and Manyuda, perfectly explains why he hates Kurosaki and I.

He hates Kurosaki because he thinks all Category Zero are losers and doesn't want her to reach her potential with my help. He hates me because I'm the reason his veil of false trust failed to work, resulting in us learning the truth of his erratic behaviour.

...but that's my conjecture though. There's no way to confirm it without hearing it from the man himself.

"...seriously, what an asshole."

I sighed, looking up at the ceiling with tired eyes. I can't believe I wasted so many brain cells thinking about Kuyou of all people...

Interrupting our conversation with Kuyou's mother was a pop-up announcing the next game.

<Commencing next game>
[Jinrai] Kumohiko Hayase vs [Alba] Agon Ikuto

"A-Agon-san's playing next!"

Kurosaki's eyes lit up as she excitedly tugged my sleeve.

"Huh... oh crap, his game is next, huh?"

The last game of the first round was about to begin. I don't know whether or not he was lucky to go last, but... I hope Agon wins.

"Guess we better go back. Thanks for all your help, Kuyou-mama!" Iori said.

"Ah, I should be the one thanking you all... it might be arrogant of me to say this, but... if you could extend a hand to my little boy and help him overcome the scars in his heart... I, as his mother, would truly be grateful."

Kuyou's mother bowed once more. Ugh, seriously... if only Kuyou was a tiny bit more redeemable. I might have felt more inspired to try to help him for her sake, since she's an incredibly sweet person.

"We'll see what we can do."

Iori reassured her before we started to make our way back to the GEN Academy room.

"A-ah, wait... Takamine-san."

"Hm?"

I hung back as Kuyou's mother called out after me. She came up to me with a small smile.

"Um... if this is wrong, please forgive me, but... as a fellow mother... I'm more than certain your mother loves you very much. If she saw what you did today, she'd be very proud of you... I'm sure of it."

My eyes widened as my face burned red.

"H-huh? I-I mean, t-thanks, b-but... w-where's this suddenly coming from?!"

"Takamine-san was crying... so, I thought... maybe... you might have been angry at Aru-kun because he has what you don't."

My chest squeezed tightly.

So that's why I was crying, huh?

I held my phone in my pocket tightly.

For a moment, it felt like Kuyou's mother could see through me entirely.

No wonder she's head priestess... I guess all temple people are good at reading others.

"...thank you, Ms. Kuyou. You're right... my mommy couldn't make it here because of work, so..."

My vision started to mist up.

Damn it, why am I so weak when voicing these sensitive words...?

I didn't want to embarrass myself by crying again, so I squeezed my eyes shut and turned away from her.

"Takamine-san... I know I'm not your mother, and I'm just an old woman... but is it alright if I give you a hug?"

"H-huh?"

"Your face... it looks like you're suffering so much. I... don't like seeing children in pain."

"Uh..."

Damn... as much as I would like to be comforted right now, I would feel bad making Kuyou's mother do it... she's already got enough on her plate, she doesn't need to deal with me and my emotions either.

"N-no, it's fine, Ms. Kuyou... I think your son would be mad at me if I did, ha ha."

"Mm, alright... make sure to give your mother a good hug the next time you see her then. I'm sure she'll appreciate it."

I nodded.

"Yeah. I will."

If... she can find the time for it, at least.

I waved goodbye to Kuyou's mother and walked away.

On my way back, I crossed paths with Agon as he was heading towards the tunnel we were just at.

"Agon-san!"

"Takamine-san."

We greeted each other with a nod.

"Good luck with your fight man!"

"Thank you."

I noticed that Agon was wearing sunglasses, like Kurosaki suggested, to reduce his nausea.

"Oh, did you take any nausea-reduction medication too?"

"I did. Tsuruha-san practically forced them down my throat beforehand."

"That's a scary image..."

"She is gentle."

"From that description, it doesn't sound like it!"

I laughed before showing him a fist. Agon raised his eyebrows before fist bumping me.

"You've got this. Go out there and prove to everyone that Category Zero isn't to be underestimated!"

"Of course. I do not want to let down Alba Academy."

"That's the spirit!"

"See you on the other side."

Like that, we parted ways, with Agon stepping inside the tunnel and me returning to the GEN Academy room, excited to see the fight.

By the time I got back, the match was already beginning. I briefly met Kumohiko when Kurosaki went to see Etou, so I knew he was more of a delinquent type. Though, to be honest, I was more interested in seeing what Agon would play.

A blue card each descended in front of them, with Agon grabbing his with two fingers and Kumohiko front kicking his. A burst of special effects ignited the cards, realising their decks.

A navy blue crest of a skull and crossbones in front of a mess of tentacles appeared over Agon's deck, while a scarlet crest of a pulled back crossbow appeared over Kumohiko's deck.

The system decided Agon would go first.

"Stand up, Vanguard!"

"Dream Nibbling."

"Scarlet Flame New Soldier, Buckish!"

"Stand and draw. I ride Rancour Chain. Chain's skill, draw 2 and discard 1. Turn end."

Kumohiko, much like the rest of the audience, blinked as he was confused at what he was seeing.

"Eh? T-that was fast!"

Kurosaki was also shocked at how quickly Agon played. I was surprised too.

"Considering his nausea, Agon-san is probably trying to finish the game as quick as possible so he won't get sick."

"Y-yeah... that's a really interesting way to do it... you can get through your turn way quicker just summarising the effect!"

Kumohiko scratched the back of his head, narrowing his eyes at Agon.

"Hah? Ya not gonna explain the skills properly?"

Agon closed his eyes, most likely to prevent himself from getting any more nausea.

"Why would I? If you're aiming to go pro, you should know what these cards do."

"Course I know. But what about the viewers at home, huh?"

"They can look it up themselves."

Kumohiko scoffed, raising an eyebrow. Looks like there was controversy was already bubbling from Agon's style of play as it was very unpopular with the people...

"Look at you, acting so arrogant despite being a Category Zero."

Agon opened his eyes, his ice blue eyes staring directly into Kumohiko's orange eyes.

"This is war. I will beat you with the most efficient tactics as possible."

Suddenly, the entire stadium started booing Agon.

"E-eh? T-they're all being mean to him..."

"They probably didn't like when he said Vanguard is war... you know how touchy that subject is."

In the past, war was incredibly common. It wasn't until the 2030s that it was codified worldwide for all forms of physical fighting to be banned. That's why these days, people only ever fight using their cards— we're all aware war is bad.

So, for Agon to so brazenly and insensitively compare the current world's peaceful method of resolving conflict to such the past world's barbaric methods felt like a spit in the face to many people.

Even though he used such inflammatory language and the reaction to his words were justifiably negative, none of the outcry seemed to bother him though. He continued to stand unfazed with his eyes closed, waiting for the game to continue.

"If you care so much 'bout being efficient, why don'tcha use a meta deck then, huh? It's a helluva lot better than Stoi-pile and takes less time to pilot."

"I don't need to play a meta deck to win."

"Ah, I get it... you're going to show me with yer skills, yea? That's a lame joke, since yer nothin' but a Zero."

"I'm not going to use my skill either."

"Huh?"

"Because you aren't a worthy enough opponent to go all out against."

"Haaaah? Ya got a death wish, dumbass? That's some big-ass words coming from a big-ass Zero!"

Damn, Agon sure is fired up... he's even trash-talking, I've never seen him do that before.

Agon:
Hand: 6
Damage: 0
Energy: 0
OXO
OOO

Kumohiko:
Hand: 5
Damage: 0
OXO
OOO

Obviously, with how arrogant Agon sounded within the first few seconds of the fight despite his low ranked Category, people's first impressions of him were terrible. Everyone was cheering for Kumohiko to beat him and chanting for Agon to lose.

"P-poor Agon-san... h-he's somehow drawn all their hate towards him..."

"Agon-san's a magnet of misfortune... this is insane."

I've never been booed in a fight before, so I can't imagine how it must feel, especially for Agon who was also struggling with nausea.

"Stand and draw! I discard to ride Rising Star, Vyrgilla! I get the Energy Generator with 3 energy and draw from Buckish! I'm gonna cook ya, Agon! Vyrgilla swings! (8000)"

"No guard."

"Drive check! (Stealth Fiend, Shenryi) Nothin'."

"Damage check. (Fairy of Flower-nectar, Coutir)"

"Turn end!"

Agon:
Hand: 6
Damage: 1
Energy: 0
OXO
OOO

Kumohiko:
Hand: 7
Damage: 0
Energy: 3
OXO
OOO

"Stand, draw, charge. I ride Split the Preordained. I call two Shadowcloak and a Coutir. I dump Caliburn, Fine Drink, and Unnatural Death. I play Unnatural Death from drop, binding it and returning two orders to hand. Shadowcloak. (10000)"

It felt really strange to see Agon go through his plays so quickly... even I struggled to keep up a little. But since he called Shadowcloak, it confirmed his deck was Zorga.

"No guard! (Dragritter, Dirgham)"

"Preordained. (10000)"

"Conduct Spark! (23000)"

"Drive check. (Romantic Bloom, Pentelanse) Coutir boosts Shadowcloak. (10000 > 18000)"

"God damn you've got a dry way of playing... no guard! (Burning Flail Dragon) Tch. Late crit."

"Turn end."

Agon didn't even so much as take the provocation as he immediately passed and closed his eyes. He was only ever opening them during his turn, but it was probably fine since he went so fast.

Agon:
Hand: 5
Damage: 1
Energy: 3
XXX
XOO

Kumohiko:
Hand: 6
Damage: 2
Energy: 3
OXO
OOO

"Stand, draw, and charge! Vyrgilla's skill, when I would ride, I can soulblast to ride up! I ride Scarlet Flame Bow General, Dipaanel! I call Dragontree Wretch, Trice Qimrud! Qimrud's skill, I energyblast 3 to add a Masque of Hydragrum from deck to hand! Dipaanel swings! (10000)"

"No guard."

"Drive check! (Refreshing Wind Dragon, Dinobreeze) Heal trigger! Healin' a damage, power to Qimrud! (10000 > 20000)"

"Damage check. (Planar Prevent Dragon)"

"Qimrud swings! (20000)"

"Planar Prevent, nullify."

The crowd went wild with laughter as Agon used his perfect guard so early on, especially on such a low attack. They began insulting him further, saying that he was reinforcing his Category Zero status by doing so.

"Hah, a PG this early on? What a dum-dum. Turn end!"

Agon continued to ignore everything else, focusing solely on the fight in front of him. He had a strong mind, that was for sure...

Agon:
Hand: 3
Damage: 2
Energy: 3
XXX
XOO

Kumohiko:
Hand: 8
Damage: 1
Energy: 3
XXO
OOO

"Stand, draw, charge. I ride Zorga Nadir. Preordained's skill, I add Caliburn to hand. Zorga's skill, energyblast 2 and bind Evil Dream to revive Planar Prevent and Pentelanse with +10k. (6000 > 16000) (8000 > 18000) Pentelanse's skill, +5k and soulcharge. (18000 > 23000) I alchemagic Caliburn and Unnatural Death. I draw 2 and bind Caliburn. Both Shadowcloak's skills, soulblast to bounce Planar Prevent and the other Shadowcloak, and get +5k. (10000 > 15000)"

"So that's why Agon-san used his perfect guard early... so he could revive it with Zorga and bounce it back to hand with Shadowcloak..."

Kurosaki was mesmerised by the technical skills Agon was displaying. I was impressed too, since Zorga had a lot of moving parts that was greatly affected by how good his fengshui was, so it was prone to bricking if it didn't find what it needed.

"Zorga Nadir. (13000) Deliverance Recollection."

"Dinobreeze guards! (25000) Two to pass!"

"Twin Drive. (Elegy Pixy) Heal, all to Pentelanse. (23000 > 33000) (Tear Knight, Rothion) Front. (15000 > 25000) (13000 > 23000) (33000 > 43000)"

"Don'tcha wish you put it on Vanguard now?"

"Not particularly. Coutir boosts Shadowcloak. (25000 > 33000)"

"No guard! (Sparkle Rejector Dragon)"

"Pentelanse. (43000)"

"No guard! (Bolt Bremar Dragon)"

"Turn end. Pentelanse retires."

Agon:
Hand: 10
Damage: 1
Energy: 4
XXO
XOO

Kumohiko:
Hand: 7
Damage: 3
Energy: 3
XXO
OOO

"Stand, draw, and charge! I discard to ride Scarlet Flame Marshal Dragon, Gandeeva! Dipaanel's skill, my vanguard's ACT ability's cost is reduced by counterblast 1 this turn! Qimrud's skill, I counterblast and bind him to get a Dragontree marker and scry 7 for a Masques unit! However, since he's the first copy in my bind, I get to search my entire deck instead! I add Gandeeva Masques! Time to activate my Arcana!"

Kumohiko roared as scarlet circuits lit up all over his body, surging towards his face and torso before a Roman numeral appeared on his left cheek.

VII.

"Chariot ability, activate."

"Riderless Samsara! I revive up to three units from your drop zone and they lose all their abilities until end of turn! I choose Nibbling, Chain, and Preordained! Gandeeva's skill! I choose five cards with different grades - yer G2 Shadowcloak, G1 Chain, and G0 Nibbling - then reveal the top five cards of my deck! If I reveal any cards with the same grade as the chosen rear-guards, I get to retire them! Go, Scarlet Flame Wild-hitter!"

Kumohiko flipped over the top five cards of his deck before smirking.

"Booyah! I got a G2, G1, and G0! Yer rears die, proccing Gandeeva's other skill! When yer rear-guard is retired, I bind a card from my drop face down! Since I retired three, three cards get bound! Masques of Hydragrum's skill from drop! I put it into my soul to superior ride from my hand a Masques unit! The bow forged by Brahma is bestowed upon the great dragon warrior who shoots at the world! Burning flames of revelation, bet everything on this wild attack and give everything a new karma! I ride my avatar, Scarlet Flame Ash Dragon, Gandeeva Masques! And since yer vanguard's a grade 3, I activate Persona Ride! (13000 > 23000) Gandeeva Masques's skill! I soulblast to retire a rear! I retire Coutir then bind a card in drop face down! Gandeeva Masques's skill again! I remove a Gandeeva from my drop to give him +1 crit and activate one of its ACT abilities without paying the cost! (23000/1 > 2) Scarlet Flame Wild-hitter rolls again!"

Kumohiko flipped the top five cards of his deck over.

"I revealed Bravaldin, which activates his skill! When he's revealed by Gandeeva, he also counts as a G2 and G1! I retire Preordained then bind a card from drop! And since I only retired one unit, I get to draw and bind again! Now I activate my Regalis Piece, Forbidoll Surrogate! I call two grade 3 units from my deck or drop! Appear, Scarlet Flame War General, Bravaldin and Scarlet Flame Bow General, Stirgna! (13000 > 23000)"

"S-Stirgna..."

Kurosaki started quivering as she saw that card.

"Bad memories?"

She nodded.

"I-I hated playing Deeva when it was meta... the mass retire, the mass draw, the pseudo-Persona and crit going first... it was such a terrifying deck!"

"You have a lot of bad experiences with Dragon Empire don't you, Kurosaki-san?"

"A-and you don't?!"

I thought back to the decks which were meta and laughed nervously.

"...point taken."

"The Dragontree marker adds +5k to Stirgna! (13000 > 18000) Stirgna's skill! I soulblast and bind Bravaldin face down to retire a rear! But since I couldn't, I draw and bind a card from drop! I call Dragritter, Alfaqaar (10000 > 20000), Dragritter, Dirgham, Dragritter, Ghaanim, and Stealth Fiend, Shenryi! Dirgham's skill! I soulblast and energyblast 3 to retire a rear! But since I couldn't, I draw and he gets a new skill! And since I played an order this turn, he also gets Boost! Ghaanim's skill! I soulblast and scry 7 for a grade 3! I add Gandeeva Masques to hand! Since I added, I bind a card from hand face down! Now finally, Gandeeva Masques's CONT skill! For every face down card in my bind zone, my front row gets +2k! I have 9, so add +18k! (20000 > 38000) (23000 > 41000/2) (28000 > 46000) Boosted by Shenryi, Alfaqaar swings! Shenryi's skill, since ya have one or less rear-guards, she gets +5k! (38000 > 46000 > 51000)"

"No guard. (Shadowcloak)"

"End of battle. Shenryi goes to soul and I draw! Boosted by Ghaanim, Stirgna swings! (46000 > 54000)"

"No guard. (Abyss Temptation) Critical, all to Zorga. (13000 > 23000)"

"Boosted by Dirgham, Gandeeva Masques swings! (41000 > 51000/2) Alfaqaar's skill! When my vanguard attacks, I counterblast and bind him face down to scry 5 and call a unit from among them! I call Bolt Bremar Dragon! (10000 > 20000 > 38000) And since another card was bound, another +2k is added to my front row! (38000 > 40000) (51000 > 53000/2) (46000 > 48000) Redeeming Arrowhead!

"Planar Prevent, nullify."

"Twin Drive!! (Dragritter, Alfaqaar, Blaze Maiden, Parama) Front trigger! (40000 > 50000) (53000 > 63000/2) (48000 > 58000) Dirgham's red text skill! End of battle my vanguard attacks, I restand a rear-guard! I choose Stirgna! Ghaanim's skill! When another rear-guard stands in the same column as it during battle, I stand this unit as well! Bolt Bremar swings! His skill, +5k! (50000 > 55000)"

"Fine Drink. I draw and get +15k. (13000 > 28000) Heiress, Trudeliese, and Impending Karma. (28000 > 48000 > 48000 > 58000)"

"Boosted by Ghaanim, Stirgna swings! (50000 > 58000)"

"No guard. (Rancour Spear Trooper)"

"Turn end! Ghaanim's skill! He goes to soul since I restood him this turn!"

Agon:
Hand: 5
Damage: 4
Energy: 4
OXO
OOO

Kumohiko:
Hand: 9
Damage: 3
Energy: 3
XXX
OXO

"Stand, draw, and charge. Persona Ride Zorga Nadir. (13000 > 23000) I call Shadowcloak (10000 > 20000) and mill Black-magic. Zorga Nadir's skill, I energyblast 2 and bind an order to revive Planar Prevent and Pentelanse with +15k. (6000 > 21000) (8000 > 23000) Pentelanse soulcharges and gets +5k. (23000 > 28000) I alchemagic Wandering Souls and Unnatural Death. I counterblast and discard an order to get an extra drive (23000/2d > 3d), bind Wandering Souls, and add two orders to hand. Shadowcloak's skill, soulblast to bounce Planar Prevent and get +5k. (20000 > 25000) Impending Karma's skill, I revive him with critical +1. (10000 > 20000/1 > 2) Zorga Nadir. (23000/3d) Deliverance Recollection."

"Ya really do have some pitiful gameplay, Category Zero. Sanctitude perfect guards!"

"Triple Drive. (Aspiring Maiden, Alana) Critical, all to Karma. (20000 > 30000/2 > 3) (Planar Prevent Dragon, Fill the Skies, O' Brand of Corpses) Pentelanse boosts Karma. (30000 > 58000/3)"

"B-by stacking the critical on Karma, Agon-san managed to make a lane that Kumohiko-san has to guard no matter what or else he dies!" Kurosaki said.

"If only he used Abomination's energyblast skill... that would bump his column up by another 25k, making it a 83k monster. That's basically PG or die territory." I said.

"M-maybe Agon-san is the type of player not to take risks? There was no way he could predict he could get a critical now, even with the additional drive check... after all, if he uses his energy now, next turn he won't have enough for Karma, who would be more likely to kill this turn."

"Yeah... maybe he has more crits in hand than we realise, so his odds of checking one wasn't that high to begin with."

"What an opportunistic attack... Dragveda overGuards! (63000)"

"Shadowcloak. (25000)"

"No guard! (Scarlet Flame War General, Bravaldin)"

"Turn end. Pentelanse retires."

Agon:
Hand: 9
Damage: 4
Energy: 5
XXO
OOO

Kumohiko:
Hand: 6
Damage: 4
Energy: 3
XXX
OXO

"Stand, draw, and charge! The bow forged by Brahma is bestowed upon the great dragon warrior who shoots at the world! Burning flames of revelation, bet everything on this wild attack and give everything a new karma! Persona Ride my avatar, Scarlet Flame Ash Dragon, Gandeeva Masques! (10000 > 20000) (13000 > 23000) (13000 > 23000) Gandeeva Masque's skill! I remove a Gandeeva in drop from game to get a crit and activate his ACT! (23000/1 > 2) I choose your lone Shadowcloak! Scarlet Flame Wild-hitter!"

Kumohiko grit his teeth and flipped the top five cards of his deck over, before smirking.

"Booyah! Retire! Then, I bind! And since I retired one or less, I draw and bind again! Gandeeva Masques's other skill, soulblast to retire a rear! But since I can't, I draw! I call Alfaqaar (10000 > 20000) and Ghaanim! Ghaanim's skill, soulblast, scry 7... damn, and add nothin'. Gandeeva Masques's CONT! I have 12 face down cards in bind, so add +24k! (20000 > 44000) (23000 > 47000/2) (20000 > 44000) Boosted by Ghaanim, Alfaqaar swings! (44000 > 52000)"

"No guard. (Fated One of Taboo, Zorga Nadir)"

"Gandeeva Masques swings! (47000/2) Alfaqaar's skill! I counterblast and bind him face down to scry 5 and call another Alfaqaar! Ghaanim's skill, he restands! And since I have another card in bind, another +2k! (44000 > 46000) (47000 > 49000/2) (10000 > 46000) Redeeming Arrowhead!"

"Planar Prevent, nullify."

"Twin Drive!! (Stealth Fiend, Futakuchiyo) Front trigger! (46000 > 56000) (49000 > 59000/2) (46000 > 56000) (Blaze Maiden, Parama) Front trigger! Booyah, looks like it's my lucky day! (56000 > 66000) (59000 > 69000/2) (56000 > 66000)"

"T-that's the worst combination of triggers Agon-san could see right now...!" Kurosaki gasped.

"No... sure, Kumohiko-san's columns are massive right now, but... Agon-san will be fine."

"E-eh? R-really? What makes you say that, Takamine-san?"

"His deck is like mine. We both specialise in defence and play for the long game."

"B-but, I thought Zorga was an aggressive deck with lots of crit pressure..."

"Most standard builds are, yeah... but haven't you noticed, Kurosaki-san?"

"E-eh?"

"His deck isn't like the usual Zorga list. Just like how you use your own version of Thegrea... Agon-san also uses his own version of Zorga. Even if his build goes completely against the norm, this is the version of the deck he believes in the most."

Kurosaki's eyes widened.

"So his deck... was made to tank?!"

"That's right. It's why he plays so little and repeatedly bounces his sentinels to hand using Shadowcloak. He's aiming to last longer than his opponent and strike them when they're weak."

"Agon-san... I believe in you, Agon-san! You can do it! Agon-saaaaan!"

Kurosaki began cheering wildly for him, shouting at the screen.

"Time for you to die, Category Zero. Bolt Bremar attacks! His skill, +5k! (66000 > 71000)"

"I play Fine Drink. I draw and get +25k. (13000 > 38000) Alana, Pixy, and Trooper. (38000 > 53000 > 68000 > 73000)"

"Bolt Bremar's skill! I counterblast and retire him to retire a rear! Since I can't, I draw and bind a card from drop face down! Add another +2k! (66000 > 68000) Boosted by Ghaanim, Alfaqaar attacks! (68000 > 76000)"

"Planar Prevent, nullify."

"Turn end! Ghaanim goes to soul!"

Agon:
Hand: 2
Damage: 5
Energy: 5
OXO
OOO

Kumohiko:
Hand: 10
Damage: 4
Energy: 6
XXX
OXO

"Stand, draw, and charge. Persona Ride Zorga Nadir. (13000 > 23000) Zorga Nadir's skill, I energyblast 2 and bind an order to revive Trudeliese and Trooper with +25k. (8000 > 33000) (10000 > 20000 > 45000) I alchemagic Nectar and Miasma. I counterblast to give Trooper +20k and a critical (45000 > 65000/1 > 2), revive Pentelanse, and give my front row +5k. (65000 > 70000/2) (23000 > 28000) Pentelanse soulcharges and gets +5k. (8000 > 13000) Impending Karma's skill, I revive him with critical +1, then energyblast 4 and bind an order to get +30k. (10000 > 20000 > 25000 > 55000/1 > 2) Trooper gets +30k. (70000 > 100000/2)"

My jaw dropped. Kurosaki spat out her drink. The stadium went silent seeing Agon create a 100k unit so casually and not even bat an eye at it.

"H-huh...?"

"No way..."

I was in pure disbelief as Agon whipped out a combo no one saw coming. It was a meticulously and delicately prepared finisher, made for the late game when the opponent would be on high damage and have exhausted the majority of their resources.

"Wait... wait, wait, wait, run that by me again...?" Momoka blinked.

"It's Rancour Spear Trooper's effect... that card is his real ace in the hole." Iori said.

"It gets +5k for every order in bind zone. Since Agon-san has accumulated six, it gets +30k." Akitani said.

"I would not like to be on the receiving end of that thing... it's way too big!" Kazuraba said.

"Unless Kumohiko-san can sack heal triggers, I don't think there's any way for him to survive... especially since two PGs were out." Momoka said.

"Yeah, each swing is threatening lethal since Agon-san still has crits in deck. Even if Kumohiko-san gambled by taking the vanguard, he'd still have to contend with the other two columns." I said.

"Agon-san! A-Agon-san, you can do it!"

Kurosaki was more hyped over the 100k/2c column more than anything else. Good for her, honestly... I'd hate to be the one having to guard it without sentinels.

"Trooper. (100000/2)"

"Like hell I'll let you through! Sparkle Rejector, perfect guard!"

"Trudeliese boosts Zorga Nadir. She gets +7k and gives +10k to Karma. (28000 > 68000) (55000 > 65000/2) Divine Skill. I stand Trooper."

Kumohiko grit his teeth, a bead of sweat running down his brow as Agon restood his 100k/2c Trooper.

"Ahhh, god damn it! No guard! Come at me, asshole!"

"Twin Drive. (Fated One of Taboo, Zorga, Rancour Spear Trooper)"

"Damage check! (Scarlet Flame Marshal Dragon, Gandeeva)"

"Pentelanse boosts Karma. (65000 > 78000/2)"

"Parama, Futakuchiyo, Conduct Spark, Shenryi, Dirgham, and Bolt Bremar guards! Alfaqaar intercepts! (13000 > 33000 > 48000 > 63000 > 68000 > 73000 > 78000 > 83000)"

"Trooper. (100000/2)"

"Well then... oi, Agon. Ya ever heard of the Pandava myth before?"

"No."

"Then let me tell you. The Pandava brothers gambled their kingdom on a game of dice and lost. One of said brothers was Arjuna, the owner of Gandiva— the very bow this deck is named after. And now, just like those brothers, I'm going to gamble my place in this tournament on a double Heal trigger."

"I see."

"But, unlike those brothers... this time, I don't feel like I can lose at all! No guard!"

"Please don't get a heal, please don't get a heal..."

Kurosaki was praying for Agon's success, but Agon didn't even look the slightest bit scared or nervous at the thought of Kumohiko checking a miracle Heal trigger.

Could it be that his Arcana could nullify triggers...? After all, he still hasn't activated yet after all this time. Was he waiting for this moment in specific to do it?

"First check! (Refreshing Wind Dragon, Dinobreeze) Booyah! Heal trigger! Recoverin' a damage! (13000 > 23000)"

Well, I guess that confirms that's not it. If trigger nullification was his Arcana, then he could've stopped this heal and win the game on the spot.

"Noooooo! He checked one, why did he check one?! This is bad, this is bad! Please, please, pleaaaase don't get another!"

Kurosaki panicked as she saw Kumohiko check the first.

"Come on, Agon-san..."

I was also cheering him on, hoping he would be able to clinch the win here.

"Second check!"

Agon closed his eyes as Kumohiko went to draw the second damage.

"Tch... (Scarlet Flame Ash Dragon, Gandeeva Masques) No trigger."

The stadium went silent as the least favourite Agon managed to win.

"Good game."

He turned around, getting ready to walk away.

"Good game... oi, oi, hol' up. The hell you didn't use yer Arcana for? I was waitin' to see it the entire game."

Agon looked at Kumohiko over his shoulder.

"Like I said. I wasn't planning on going all out against you."

Kumohiko was stunned.

"Damn... ya really stuck to yer word, huh? Fair 'nuff. I'll get you back next time, Agon-san!"

Agon simply waved goodbye before exiting through the tunnel.

"Talk about an intense final round... Agon-san's deck was way scarier than I thought it would be. That 100k/2c combo is no joke..."

I sighed, stretching my back.

"R-right?! A-and the way he plays too... it's so clean and efficient... h-heck, with how coolly he was calculating everything, you wouldn't have even guessed he was feeling nausea!"

"That's what makes it more impressive... the fact he was doing all that while being sick... Zorga's too big brain of a deck."

"I-it does look like a headache to pilot, yeah..."

I felt a finger tap on my shoulder. I looked up, seeing it was Busujima. She was pointing to the door.

"Eh? Did you... wanna go outside with me?"

She nodded. I stood and complied, the two of us exiting the GEN Academy room together.

"Sorry for asking this of you so suddenly, Takamine-san."

"It's fine. Any particular reason you wanted to go?"

As we walked slowly down an empty corridor, Busujima looked both ways before leaning down and whispering into my ear.

"He's after me."

"...eh?"

Busujima quickly pulled away from my ear and slid a note into my hand. As we continued walking, I opened the screwed up paper and read what was written.

"Someone else in the tournament is also from Mars."

My eyes widened. Busujima snatched the paper from my hands and put it into her mouth.

"Do you understand now, Takamine-san?"

A shiver went down my spine.

A strange premonition lingered in my heart.

I looked behind me.

Someone else in this tournament was also a Martian.

And their goal wasn't to win.

It was to hunt down Busujima—

"Takamine-san."

My thoughts got interrupted as we crossed paths with Agon, who just left the tunnel. He glanced at me, then at Busujima.

"I do not believe we have met before."

Busujima smiled.

"Is that so?"

Agon nodded. Following just behind him was Tsuruha, who waved at Busujima and I.

I wanted to wave back, but I couldn't muster the strength to do it.

What Busujima told me was still on my mind.

"Takamine-san, are you okay? Your face is all pale."

Tsuruha, noticing my strange behaviour, checked up on me.

"Ah... sorry, I'm fine. Just tired from today, that's all."

"That's understandable, you should get some rest! Agon-kun and I are about to go get dinner, would you and Busujima-san like to join us?"

"Huh? Oh, I mean, yeah, sure! Mind if I ask Kurosaki-san too? She'll probably be sad if I leave her out."

"Yeah, that's fine!"

Tsuruha beamed.

"Sorry, but I think I'll decline."

"Oh, no worries! If you ever change your mind though, you're free to join."

Busujima nodded. She turned to me.

"I'll see you later, Takamine-san."

"Huh? Oh, right... yeah, see you, Busujima... san..."

My mind started feeling foggy and my body started feeling weak.

I tried to focus on Agon and Tsuruha, who were looking at me with indifference and concerned expressions respectively.

The last thing I thought of was....

—and kill her.

And like that, the fatigue on my mind disappeared.

I shook my head.

Huh... what the hell was I thinking about again...?