01x49 - Kai's Battle

[bunniefuu]

Here, take this.

Listen... Picture it in your mind.

Picture yourself big and strong,
like the warrior in that card!

If you can picture it, one
day you'll get that strength!

Get strong?

I won't ask you the reason.
Use it as you please.

You're as unfriendly as ever...

Well, good luck.

I owe you one.

Picture it...

Me...

Having obtained strength...
having gained true power.

Blaster Dark...

I'm relying on you for the next fight, too...

...my dependable avatar.

Who...?

Who's calling out to me?

Kai's Battle

Please come quickly.

Hey! What are you doing here?

I don't remember inviting you!

Please don't bother about me. I'm
just meeting someone here.

Meeting someone?

This shop isn't a rendezvous spot!

Oh, what's the harm? No
need to be so picky...

More importantly, I'm thirsty!

So... what...?

I'm a customer here.

Here's some coffee!

Instant?

Yeesh! Why'd I even bother making coffee?

Easy, easy...

Hey, let's close the shop early today!

I'm sure whoever he's waiting for
can't be anyone we'd want in here.

Oh? I don't dislike the boy myself...

Huh? You know who it is?

I have a good idea...

I'm not sure whether he'll
really come, though...

What do you mean?

It seems like Kourin's meddling...

Kourin? Meddling?

Come to think of it, I haven't
seen her since this morning.

Somebody...

...is calling me.

Kourin?

Come with me, Aichi Sendou.

There you are! I figured you'd be here.

What do you want?

It pains me to say this, but...

...please! Fight Brother!

I'm asking you, too.

You know how Aichi's been acting
strangely lately, don't you?

I'm not saying it's your fault, but...

Aichi, I can't fight you.

Since then, he...

Aichi's changed!

So if Brother fights you, I'm sure he'll...!

You don't have to tell me that.

It's why I'm standing here right now.

Sounds like the man of the hour is here.

Kai...?

Go on.

R-Right...

Get your deck out, Aichi.

I'm challenging you to a fight.

Why? Didn't you say you
weren't going to fight me?

Yeah. So I did.

Then you've finally realized how strong I am!

No, you're weak.

Hey, now...

And I'm going to prove that to you here.

I see. You still think of me like that...

So be it.

After all, you'll learn
better when you fight me!

I'm counting on you, Toshiki Kai.

I'll show you how strong I am... Kai!

Why can't we watch from next to Brother?

This is their battle.

Let's allow the two of them
to be in their own world.

And honestly, it's tough in that field...

Hmmm...

Well, I suppose it's better for
them not to hear background noise.

Yeah, you're right...

Stand up, Vanguard!

Stand up the Vanguard!

That's a Motion Figure System, too?!

I guess this is what you'd
call a "fateful fight"...

Fullbau!

Barcgal!

I don't believe it! That deck...

Yes. That's the Royal Paladin deck
that Aichi Sendou used to use.

I see. So that's what this is about.

I'm going to show you the true power
of this deck that you threw away.

Try it, if you think you can!

I draw!

I ride Blaster Javelin!

I activate Fullbau's skill.

Come to me, my avatar... Blaster Dark!

You call Blaster Dark your avatar, Aichi?

I'm going to come at you
full-strength until we collide.

I won't make the same mistake I did then...

Four years ago, I lost my
parents in an accident.

In that moment, I lost the ordinary
life that I'd taken for granted.

An elementary school student
can't survive on his own...

...so I was taken in by my uncle's family...

...and left this town behind.

And then... I met him.

Toshiki Kai

This guy is the Vanguard fighter
that transferred into your class?

That's right.

Name?

Ren Suzugamori.

Not you, that guy!

"Thatguy"?

Umm, I'm pretty sure his
name wasn't "Thatguy".

It's my fault for asking you.

Forget it. I'll ask him directly.

Who cares what my name is?

What?

You interrupted my nap because you've
got business with this, right?

Huh! You catch on quick.

Stand up, Vanguard!

Stand up the Vanguard!

"The", huh? Cool!

That's the end of my turn.

Hey!

It's my turn!

Go, Dragonic Overlord!

Burn everything to ashes!
Eternal Flame!

I lose.

No big deal.

It was no big deal, right?

Who asked you?

So how did it feel to fight him?

I have no complaints.

How about it? Would you
like to join Foo Fighter?

Foo Fighter?

That's our team.

Although at the moment, it
only consists of me and Ren.

You know about the Vanguard
championship, right?

That's a team battle.

You need at least three
fighters to compete there.

We've been looking for our third
member for the longest time!

You want me to join your team?

Yeah. I'm Tetsu Shinjou.

This is...

...Ren, right?

Yep! I'm Ren Suzugamori.

Well? Will you think about it?

Are you sure you want me?

I have no gripes about your fighting skill.

More importantly, Ren likes you as a fighter.

What does that mean?

He's kind of weird...

...but anyone he takes a shine to turns
out to be a good guy, for some reason.

Can I look at that deck?

Y-Yeah...

The Vanguard championship,
huh? Sounds like fun.

Then...

I'm Kai. Toshiki Kai.

Good to meet ya, Kai.

Same here.

That's not fair! Let me be part of it, too!

We aimed for the championship...

...but back then, Foo Fighter
definitely wasn't a strong team.

Tetsu's fighting was still unpolished,

but, most of all, Ren's crazy speech and
behavior were on display even during fights,

which made me laugh many times over.

I didn't hate being with those two.

That's right. It was fun.

But those days didn't last long.

Why don't you know that guarding
isn't going to do you any good?

Vanguard
Club

I told you it was settled from the beginning
that I was going to win this turn.

Tetsu!

Get a hold of yourself!

Y-Yeah... Kai?

That's the game.

I thought you could fight a little
better than that. Too bad, Tetsu.

Stop it! Don't be like that just
because you win once in a while!

Once in a while? That's incorrect.

What?!

Tetsu, tell him, please.

Ren is... strong...

And I mean scary strong...

Scary?

Yes. I've been reborn.

What are you talking about?

I can hear the voices of the cards.

The voices... of the cards?!

I've obtained incredible power, Kai.

Now, no one will ever be
able to beat me again.

I've become the strongest fighter ever!

What was the power that Ren got ahold of?

At the time, I didn't know.

The only thing I did know
was that Ren had changed.

Kashiwagi Construction

What's this?

Foo Fighter's headquarters.

I'm going to gather powerful fighters
from all across the country here.

What's the point of doing that?

Gathering fighters is the first step.

Top-class fighters will fight each other,

and the one who wins will
be met with the next fight.

And so on, until only the winners, the chosen few,
will be invited to join Foo Fighter's top team.

I thought we were Foo Fighter.

If you want to form a team with me,
you'll have to win the fights here.

Kai... I know you have it in you.

I see...

I have high expectations for you.

Watch Your Head

Together, we can conquer the whole country.

Kashiwagi Construction

Together, we can soar
to even greater heights!

I refuse.

Get your deck out, Ren!

Kai...

I challenge you to a fight!

Stand up the Vanguard!

I wanted Ren to remember...

...the Foo Fighter that
we had been aiming for.

And those fun days that we used to have...

...but...

Final Turn!

Can you see yourself, fallen on
the ground of the planet Cray?

What?!

This is...!

What do you think of my image?

This is an image?!

That's right. It's different from
the one you're always talking about.

Now this is the power
of the true imagination.

And you're going to lose here...

...to my avatar, Blaster Dark!

Don't foist your images on me!

Enfold everything in midnight with
your sword of darkness...

...my avatar, Blaster Dark!

Ren!

What's wrong?! Are you okay, Ren?!

Kai... I got stronger, didn't I?

You're leaving.

And you're staying, huh?

I can't desert Ren.

I see...

I walked out on Ren.

No. "I ran away" is more accurate.

And so I returned to this
town and began living alone.

Kai! Kai, is that you?

It is you, Kai!

It's me! Miwa Taishi! You
remember me, don't you?!

Leave me alone!

W-Wait a second, Kai!

Kai, I say!

I was peeved...

...that I couldn't stop Ren...

...and, more than anything,
at my own weakness!

If I had beaten Ren then, I might
have been able to stop him.

If only I'd had the power
to overwhelm Psyqualia...

I decided to become stronger.

To earnestly seek out power...

And one day...

G-Give me my card back.

What's lost in a Vanguard fight can only
be regained through a Vanguard fight.

T-Then, will you fight me?

Sure, I'm game.

Stand up, Vanguard!

Stand up the Vanguard!

I taught that beginner the rules
during our lukewarm fight.

Normally, I would've refused.

But...

Stand up, my avatar! I ride...

...Blaster Blade!

...I was actually enjoying the fight.

Just like back then...

I had forgotten...

...that Vanguard fights are, by nature, fun.

You made me remember that... Aichi...

And yet...

I've gotten stronger, haven't I?

Fight me!

I'll make you understand
just how strong I've gotten!

Are you afraid of losing to me?

I couldn't stop Ren...

...but this time will be different!

I can't afford to run
from or lose this fight!

I ride Young Pegasus Knight!

I move Barcgal and use her
skill to call Flogal!

With Gancelot's skill, I add Blaster
Blade to my hand from the deck.

Blaster Blade...

Do you remember this card?

Of course.

It was my former avatar, but I
threw it away to become stronger.

Wrong.

Then and now, your only avatar
has been this Blaster Blade.

Aichi, this time I'm going to teach you...

...what true strength is...

...and I'm going to stop you!

I've gotten stronger! Why
won't you acknowledge that?

Aichi... I'm responsible for your
fixation on getting stronger.

Not at all. I'm grateful to you, Kai.

You taught me Vanguard...

You made me remember what I'd
forgotten, the fun of Vanguard.

I wanted to get closer to you,
the fighter who's stronger

and shines more brightly than
anyone, and look how far I've come!

Next time: At the End of the Battle...

I can see Kai on the ground at my feet...

Now that is an image!