(GS3) Field: Rijuku Residential Area

[Jello]

"W-Wait!!" Haruka yells after him, but it's already too late. Itou has began his mad-dash towards the car into the shopping district. Haruka sighs and begins a long trudge towards the inner parts of the city.

"I need to sleep." With that remark, he begins his walk towards the inner city.

So much for sleeping... Tch. What a stubborn boy.

"You're right on that one, haha.." Haruka grins a big grin and keeps walking. Slowly but surely.

Hana Espoir +1

Itou -0/+0

Miyuki +1

[Beryl]

Satoshi sat at the curb, thinking about his purpose. What was it, then, if it wasn't significant? Why could he talk to his cards and see other card spirits if there wasn't some reason for it? Everything had a purpose, didn't it? At least, that was how he was raised...even if that purpose wasn't big, it was still something...

"I don't suppose you've figured it out yet, have you?"

A voice out of thin air. Satoshi looked around, trying to figure out where it came from before looking forward and noticing a gentleman with flowing green hair just sort of...hanging there, in the middle of the street. Floating.

"Wh...who are you?" he asked, clearly perplexed by his ability to hang in the air indefinitely.

"Tell me what you remember about getting that suit," the figure replied, pointing at his clothes.

Satoshi scratched his chin. He remembered the lady saying she saw great potential and purpose in him despite looking outlandish, and wanted to help him fit in with the rest of the people in the city so he could pursue that purpose. Nothing about floaty guy, though.

The figure grinned. "That lady who helped you is one of my associates. There are a few of them around, here and there." He stopped floating and stepped forward, extending a hand.

"I am known by many names, but you can call me Seph."

Satoshi went to shake his hand and watched his fingers go right through. Seph chuckled. "Pardon, I forgot that I was a spirit for a moment. It's a pleasure to finally meet you, though, Satoshi Kurosaki."

Satoshi scratched the back of his head. "S-so...Mr. Seph...why are you here? I mean, I appreciate the suit and all, but..."

Seph nodded sagely. "No, you're correct. That's not entirely why I'm here." He bent down on his knees, even though he definitely didn't have to, and pointed in the direction of Satoshi's heart. "I'm here about this, actually." Satoshi looked down at his chest with a quizzical look.

"My heart?"

"Well, your motivation, if anything." Seph leaned back a bit, resuming his float. "You see, you do have an important task involving the planet Cray, albeit it's not...that significant."

"What is it?" Satoshi stood up, now genuinely curious in what Seph had to tell him. "Am I going to help in some major quest like the one Miss Yuki is doing?"

"Well...no, Hikari's task at the helm of the clan Royal Paladin is something a bit more...significant. But your task does involve assisting those like her." Seph floated up a bit to meet him at eye level. "See, Cray's clans and nations...they need leaders---no, not leaders. Champions." He pointed at Satoshi. "And I vouched for you as the champion of Neo Nectar. A lot of others don't necessarily like that, but I wanna help you help me prove them wrong."

"What exactly is it I have to do?"

"Well...essentially, as the champion of Neo Nectar, you're part of the forces that are fighting for the preservation of the current state of Cray. You're not leading the charge, like Hikari is with Royal Paladin. The Royals are in charge, we're more of...how do I put this..." Seph scratched his stubble for a bit before raising a finger. "Ah, lieutenant. That's a good word."

Satoshi bit his lip. "W-well...that seems important and all, but...what exactly am I supposed to do to help, beyond just being there?"

Seph shook his head. "That is something you have to determine as you proceed. What I can tell you for sure is that as long as you find those who share your trait or genuinely respect it, you will be with someone you must help protect. Such is the way of the champion gardener of Neo Nectar." He pat Satoshi on the head, which the boy noticed he actually felt this time. "I'll be with you via your deck when you need me. Just keep at it and you'll figure out what's going on. You're a smart young guy." Seph then disappeared into Satoshi's pocket, which took him by surprise until he noticed what card was at the bottom of his deck, facing out, as he went to go and look through.

He smiled. "So you're in Glass Beads right now...I see." He stood up. "Well, I can't let you down, can I? Especially after you've given me this chance and all." He walked off, aiming to find others who could speak with the cards, just like him.

[Kuro]

It was late at night, but at last, Haruki reached the place he needed to be. The Rijiku Apartment Complex was a pretty place, painted with a nice variety of spring colors, and flower gardens everywhere. He ran straight to the door marked "203" in bright numbers, then knocked politely. It took a few minutes until Haruki realized that no one was home.

"I guess I'll drop these off in the room," Haruki said to himself. He unlocked the door and entered to see an apartment that's barely been touched. There was no furniture or colorful paintings on the walls... just empty. He looked inside and found all of the rooms were the same gray, blank space, he couldn't even tell what the rooms could have been for. Only one of them had a closet in it, so he assumed it would have become a bedroom, but when he opened the door, it was completely black, except for a few small, white words scrawled into the back wall.

you shouldn't have come here

Haruki took a step back from the eerie text, but there was nothing to step back to. The doors were shut behind him, and he could hear echoing voices coming from the outside.

"This was your own mistake.. invading my home. If you think you can escape now.. you don't stand a ghost of a chance.. Haruki."

The enclosed area he was in collapsed, and Haruki found himself in a graveyard. In front of him was a tombstone shaped like a cardfight table, and across the way was a child, no more than 2 or 3 years old by the looks of it, covered in extreme burns markings all over his small body. He was also standing by one of these tombstones, and in his hand was a vanguard deck.

"Wh-wh-what's going on?" Haruki finally spoke after experiencing this shocking series of events.

"This will be your final resting place. I know you were there that night, the night I was killed." The child spoke in a deep, ominous voice, seemingly matching with his decrepit appearance. "Your fate will be decided with these cards, the cards that my family has always used."

"WHAT!? I don't wanna die yet! Auauu~!" Haruki teared up slightly, but his vanguard deck began to float out of his bag onto the stone table. "This is omega spooky, but I have to win to get out of here. Fine, I'll fight you ghost baby!" A determined look from Haruki showed that he was pumped up for a fight.

"Stand up, Vanguard!" they both shouted.

"Mecha Trainer," Haruki said.

"Guiding Zombie," the child responded.

Their cardfight ensued, with Haruki's life on the line. Towards the last moments of the fight, the child attacked with Monster Frank and dealt a massive triple critical attack to Haruki. He managed to survive though, and won the game by being able to free up his front row with Juggernaut Maximum's skill, then superior calling two more after checking them with General Seifried's twin drive. The child was dealt his sixth damage and dispersed with a few last words.

"You can go free, but I will remain here.. Never leaving until I can have my revenge.." his words echoed as he faded away.

"Hey! Wait!" Haruki shouted at the ghostly figure, but it was too late. The graveyard around him shattered, and he was back outside the door marked 203. "What was that even?" Haruki said to himself as he looked in his hand and noticed the keys were missing. He continued to the train station towards his home without another word.

[Kisaragi Zane]

"What happened...?" holding his head in pain and his deck in his hand, the blonde-mixed Jellal was struggling down the residential area from the underground slums. He face had 2-3 dirt marks while his clothes were dusty. His blonde hair had patches of spots that settled. His hands were ashy and dry, yet still were gripping his Shadow Paladin deck. It was like he was in pain, he couldn't figure out what exactly was up, but he continued down the area. All that he could remember was being defeated by Hana and then blacking out.

"Ugh.." he thought at the sound of another defeat. He stopped and leaned against a brick wall, holding up his deck. "Why do I feel so... weak...?" he asked himself. Not just cardfight-wise, but physically, mentally, and spiritually weakened down. It was like he was struggling to continuing to find his destination. However, he knew the answer right away. It wasn't him, entirely..., but rather, the deck he is using. Sliding his back against the brick wall, sitting on the street while trying to recover, Jellal stares into his avatar card, waiting for a sign.

[Hope]

The very ground around Zellal shakes, and a large gust of wind blows all around him.

The ground rips apart and the houses are torn apart by large gusts of wind. Dust flies away without even a chance to scatter.
Trees are cut down by the sharpness of the storm and are taken away, the very world around Jellal turns to dust. It begins to rain heavily.
The pieces of the world gather in the distance, twisting into a tornado.

"Do you dare to step forward and become one with the storm?"

----------------------------------------------------

(Zellal has been summoned into the rift, step forward if you wish to proceed.)

[Nobody]

After his exhausting trek from the beach, Shiki rested against a wall of some unknown house with his back full of sweat. It was one of the other reasons why he didn't enjoy going to the beach, the trip from his house to it is just too exhausting. And on top of that he didn't get any manga with him to read for the night. A night without manga wasn't a night at all, this quest was more important than his life, so even though he barely had any strenght to go forth, he had to do it.

After resting a bit against the cold wall he pushed himself forward, nearly tripping before fully getting on his own two feet, he then sloppily made his way towards the shoping district, full of hope he'd reach it before dying from exhaustion.

[Jello]

Haruka stares up at the sky. He holds onto a 100 yen bill with one hand, and a bar of sea-salt ice cream. He watches clouds drift, silently.

"Haruka. You're not yourself. You must accept these losses happen." Haruka stopped mid-lick. "I lost because I wasn't strong." He wasn't wrong, in his eyes. He accepted he lost, but he can't manage to pull himself together. He had one chance at discovering true strength. He felt too weak to check, so he was unaware of the tournament competitor's. Haruka felt weak. He realized that he had no chance. Satoshi and Yukino were already so far ahead of him and he was so far behind that at his rate all Haruka can do is work twice as hard for half the profit. He finds himself taking his sweet time with the ice cream. It's not a particularly hot evening, so the ice cream isn't exactly melting too fast.

"Haruka. Are you listening. Haruka!" Haruka's eyes widen. "W-What...?"

Haruka snaps back into reality. "What do you want-"

"It isn't over! You are My Vanguard, and I am yours. Now please, try again. Do not stop fighting. Don't let the flame go out." Haruka bites the last bit of ice cream off the stick and tosses it to the side.

His eyes focused on the sky are now facing in front of him. "Y-You're right. You are..." His hands were shaking, but now they're steady. His mind is focused. "Okay. I'll fight again. No matter how many times I fall down-"

"You will always stand back up." Overlord took the words straight from Haruka's mouth.

"Now go. Find your resolve once more. And once you do. Burn everything in your way to ash."

Haruka's mouth opens to say something, but instead morphs into a smile. "Right. To ash." Haruka clenches his fist and starts off out of the Residential District.

[Chr0nexia]

Shrouded in darkness lay a young man, rather disheveled.
The bed was soft and a cool breeze was blowing, however, the man seemed in visible discomfort.
Beads of sweat stood out on his forehead while he restless curled and turned in his slumber.
His eyes were closed, his eyelids twitching.

In his dream, Daichi sees nothing but a faint light.
Lost in the darkness, and what seemed to be the abyss closing it's very gates on an uninvited guest.

"Do not be scared. I am the answer to all your Questions. Come to me. Find me."

He walks towards this light.
The light intensifies as Daichi takes his steps slowly towards it.
The void almost seems to disappear due to it, and Daichi has to shield his eyes due to the intensity of the glow.

As the light dims, Daichi is now standing in a street that seems familiar.

"India? Home?", he thinks to himself.
His thoughts are interrupted by the screech of tires. He watches a car crash into a truck.
He does not know how to respond but rushes into the scene. The road seems rather empty, the car turned over, and the truck, nowhere to be seen.
He rushes to one of the open windows and sees something he cannot believe. It is his sister, but she does not seem to be in pain.

"You know who did it. He is around you. Oni-san, help me, this last time."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

With trembling hands, Daichi gets hold of his glasses, covered in cold sweat. He rushes to the tap and washes his face multiple times.
He opens a box, cracks a tablet and drops it into a glass of water. He gulps it down in one go.
Still trembling from the experience he just had and covered in cold sweat, he picks up his mobile and texts Haruka.

"Meet me up ASAP. I need to discuss about something."

 

[Jello]

Coffee scents the air. Haruka was awake rather late last night, consoling his new friend Yukino, as well as his rival and pal Satoshi. None of them managed to make Nationals, yet with instilled confidence and a reason to stand back up, Haruka awakes with a smile on his face. He grabs the nearest hoodie and puts it on. Normally he's equipped with one of his many scarves, but when nobody is around, there isn't much of a point in hiding his burns.

"Mmmm... Smells good." As Haruka goes to reach for his bedroom door, he hears a buzzing sound from his dresser. "Cell phone? Who has my number? I haven't given it to Yukino or Satoshi.. Maybe Hana-" Haruka reaches out for it before he freezes. "Daichi." He quickly grabs the phone and gets the message.


"Let's meet up, ASAP. -Daichi"

Haruka sighs out and reaches for his scarf. "I really wanted that pot of coffee too. Maybe when I get back..."

After finishing his somewhat quickened morning routine, Haruka is dressed in his casual outfit. White tank top, navy blue cardigan, a pair of dark jeans and the scarf of his choosing. Today it was a red one with black stripes.

He dashes out of his apartment building and over to Daichi's home across the neighborhood in a nearby complex.

"What's wrong?" Overlord inquired.

"A friend in need." Haruka had no time to waste.

[ryujiknight]

After the cardfight in the Umano Underground Slums, I decided to skip school and hed home, i wouldnt tell my mom I was in a dark alley cardfighting, as I passed Rijuku Residential Area  a stranger came up to me and asked "cardfight?" ever since i qualified for regionals alot of people been asking me to cardfight, somehow the word was getting around, i took a quick look at my watch and said, " Sure".  Withought my avatar, blaster dark, I lost against yuzuki, it was my first time going against nova grapplers, but i had a fellin it wouldnt be my last, instead of going back home I went to Card Capital to  see if the Manager had any "Blaster" units.

+1 affinity for yuzuki

[NeoBuster]

With his Vanguard deck and bookbag on his back, Neo walked into the district. While looking around, he noticed that there was no one to be seen, so he decides to look around the area. Neo comes across a bench and sits down to take a break from his journey. After taking a sip of water, he looks through his deck which contained the Kagero clan. Neo was one to always be ready for battle at anytime. So he decides to stay at the bench intil he figures out what to do next.

[Nezuko]

-yuzuki enters-

yuzuki see a guy on the bench and sees him with a vanguard deck yuzuki goes up to this guy whos looking through his deck and says "hi im yuzuki r u a cardfighter?"

[Kuro]

Haruki walked to the Rijiku Apartment Complex, the place where he was told to meet with Sydney. As expected, the sickly man was standing by the building waiting for the boy to arrive. He looked towards Haruki and made a gesture to go up to that room. As they reached the door marked 203, Sydney was the first to speak. "This place, I still remember the misfortune that was struck upon me here... to finally be released from it all.." He reached for the doorknob. The knob twisted, and a click was heard, then the door cracked open. They looked inside and Haruki lead the feeble man to the closet.

The doors were shut behind him, and they could hear echoing voices coming from the outside.  "So you've returned Haruki... I see you've brought the man I shall enact my revenge on... or... are you trying to defeat me? If you're trying to beat me... you don't stand a ghost of a chance."

The area collapsed just like before, and the two were in a graveyard with the ghost. Sydney explained, "This isn't any ordinary way to release a curse. If we want to set everything straight, it has to be done through cardfighting. In other words, we must both defeat him."

"Stand up, Vanguard!" they all shouted as they each turned over their starting vanguard. "Mecha Trainer!" "Workerpod Saturday!" "Guiding Zombie!" The two players gave it their all against this ghost child. Soon enough, Sydney dealt the sixth damage to the spirit with his Dimension Police. "Leading the way to Justice! Attack! Super Dimensional Robo, Daiyusha!

"Tsk," the ghost muttered in hatred. "You may have won once, but I still gain the full benefits of destroying you when I deal the final damage to Haruki. Haruki gave it his all, but he was with his back against the wall as the ghost kid came with attack after attack. He was at 5 damage. The child's field however, was filled with attackers.

"...I don't guard." Haruki was out of options and he was finally at his end. "Checking damage," he said, as he prepared for the worst... Cheer Girl, Tiara! Overjoyed, Haruki recovered his damage and was set for victory. "Final Turn." Juggernaut dealt the final blow as the spirit could guard no longer. He took the final damage and was vanquished.

Without a word, the ghost immediately transformed into a cluster of doves, and they flew off into the blue sky above. The door was now covered with all assortments of spring flowers, signaling a new beginning for the two fighters. "I'm finally cured from the curse," Sydney said with glee. "Thank you, Haruki. You've been the greatest help I could ask for! If you ever need something in the slums, I'm your guy."

"Sydney, you were amazing in that fight, and thanks for the help. I'll be sure to take your offer if need be, and maybe even fight against that amazing Dimension Police deck," Haruki replied with just as much happiness as Sydney. They walked their separate ways from the apartments, Sydney to the slums, and Haruki towards Card Capital to have some more fun games after a long adventure.

[Spectre Diamond]

Laying down on his single mattress Hikaru was thinking of the events from yesterday. Having failed to find fighters that would give him a real challenge he had checked on the slums just in case. What happened next was unsettling.

Laying on the floor were the fighters of the slums with their cards scattered around the area.

"What the hell... He walked over to one of them and picked him up by the collar. "Hey who did this to you all?

The thug open his eyes slightly and breathed out who had caused the mess. "...Europe..King of vanguard...glasses....girl with a final breath he want back to the realm of sleep.

He got off the bed after remembering the events of yesterday he headed out the door. "King of Vanguard or who ever you are i'll find you and make you regret ever crossing the underground.

[NeoBuster]

-yuzuki enters-

yuzuki see a guy on the bench and sees him with a vanguard deck yuzuki goes up to this guy whos looking through his deck and says "hi im yuzuki r u a cardfighter?"

Neo replies: Yes I am a cardfighter. You only would ask if you play Vanguard, so what business do you have with me?