The Regional Tournament

Nova gave a single small chuckle as Twin Blader hit the guard circle. He discarded a Grade 3 unit and said, "I figured someone knew by now. If I was worried about you knowing that name, I would have continued to hide it."

"What are they talking about now?" Zach said, now becoming very confused, as did most of Team Divine Souls.

"Knowing a simple name means nothing unless there's a reason. "Zeiro simply said as he does his twin drive. Both of the cards shined. "Stand Triggers...power to both overlords and stands to their Bahrs."

"Wahhh! two total attacks of 29k?!" Mimi shouts, leaning out of the stands. "Noooo....That really cute guy has to win! HE has to, he has to, he has to!!!!!" She flails her arms before realizing she was starting to fall forwrad, crying out as she tries not to fall.

"I...I don't know..." Sera manages to say with a bit of hesitation. She clutches onto her blanket, a little worried with what Zeiro has planned.

"We can't count out the Nova Raizer just yet!" the MC said, taking the name that Zeiro gave him to heart as he watched the battle. "This battle is really heating up! There's no telling what could happen next!"

Nova grinned lightly as he heard the words. "I take it you don't know the meaning behind that name... You're worse than I thought." He revealed four cards in his hand, two Shining Ladies, a Red Lightning and a Round Girl Clara. "Is your turn about done?"

"You seemed worried," Zach said and then smiled. "I know its a pretty close match, but this is Nova we're talking about, right? There's no way he's gonna lose in round 1."

"Nyahh! He managed to block it...but does he have enough cards for the next attack?!" Mimi says, managing to regain her balance.

"I take it you don't know the meaning of my prescense..." Zeiro grunts as he rests the second Overlord and Bahr. "If I were to beat you right now, my little mission would result in a failure."

Sera blinks before smiling lighty at Zach. "Y-You're right, Zach...He wouldn't lose."

"But Zeiro is in a same situation," the MC called out, almost literally at the edge of his seat. "His hand IS his Twin Drive and he has No Intercepts! Can Nova draw the card that can lead him to victory? Its time to find out!"

Nova grinned as he drew his card. "Once a loser, always a loser, right Zeiro?" he said as he held up the card he drew. "Asura Kaiser, call... Rocket Hammer's skill... 2k power to my vanguard... Now Tough Boy will boost for Stern Blaukruger's attack!"

"No guard." Zeiro simply stated as he places his hand face up on the field. His hand reaches into his pocket, pulling out a cell phone as he hits the buttons with importance. "Go ahead and finish me off. I have morei mportant things to do than satisfy you."

Nova's Twin drive revealed no triggers, but his attack hit true, causing the 6th damage and the end of the match. "Winner, Nova Egret!" the announcer called out as the crowd all cheered.

"See, he won!" Zach said in excitement. "Now if that Zora girl can bring it home, then we'll be in the next round!"

As soon as the MC announced Nova as the winner, Zeiro sends his message and shuts his phone, returning to his smirking. "Well then, that's it for this battle...I'll let our little kid handle the rest."

Sera's face lightens up as she saw Nova winning. "Yeah! We'll be a step closer to winning!"

"Sirs, I've told you already, you cannot come inside. the patient needs her rest!" She looks up at the door, hearing the nurse from before gettling lcoser.

"Aw, man..." a young boy about Reimi's age said as he walked up to the stage. "I didn't actually wanna fight. I was just here to watch. If Zeiro woulda won, I wouldn't be here. What a pain."

"And I told you that it can't wait!" a voice yelled out sternly as the door opened. Zach jumped up immediately as he called out, "What the hell?! What's this about?!" A man dressed in a black suit with dark skin and a bald head looked at the two with a grin. "Blue haired girl. She's the one..."

"Bah....I don't wnana fight." Zora hisses as she walks up, setitng up her field. "Fine, let's get this over with!"

Another man with short brown hair wearing a hat walks in as well. Behind them the nurse was knocked out on the ground. "Back off, kid. The girl comes with us. No exception...unless yuou wanna end up like that pretty little whiteh aired nurse."

"H-Huh?!" Sera's eyes widen as she tries to back away tot hep oint her back was touching the wall. "W-What's going on?"

The boy yawned as he moved his deck to the stand. He looked half asleep as he moved his cards into his hand. "What a pain in the neck... Just try to end it quick, would ya? I could be nappin' at a time like this..." He flipped up the card and said, "Let's stand up... and get this over with..."

Zach moved in front of Sera and yelled out, "No way I'm moving!" The dark skinned man moved his hand out, smacking the boy across the face with his back hand. He snapped his fingers as instructions to continue pounding on the boy while he was down. With that, all that was left was Sera herself.

Zora's eye twitched at the rudeness of thsi boy. "Fine...we'll end this quick! Stand up, Ichibayoshi!"

"Z-Zach!!!" Sera cries out as she saw him being beat down. The man takes a step forward towards her. "All right, pretty lady...you're coming with us." He says, tilting his hat down. "Unless you want any more victims..."

"Actually..." a voice said as a man walked into the room. The man had black long hair and cold blue eyes. He looked at the men and said, "This girl isn't going anywhere with you. If you want to try, you have to go through me."

The dark skinned man glared as he picked his hand up to slap the male in a similar fashion as he did Zach. The man caught the hand and threw him into the others that were assaulting Zach.

The man tilts his hat again as he turns to face the newcomer. "So sorry, but our boss ordered us to obtain the girl by any means necessary...he's rather scary if we fail, you see." He pulls out a gun, pointing it to the black haired man. "Even so, you'll still try to protect her?"

"H-Hah..." Sera was watching all this happen with wide eyes as she tries to find a way to hide herself.

"This is the end...Full Moon and Crescent moon attack!" Zora shouts as she attcks with her vanguard.

"MY boss told me to protect the girl," the man said simply before he ducked downward, moving his arms forward. One moved to the arm holding the gun, raising it as the other hit him with an open palm strike to the stomach. The speed of this was beyond what a normal person could do without martial arts training.

The boy sighed and said, "Yup, you got me..." His sixth damage was revealed as he accepted his loss. "Such a pain... I'm gonna nap now..."

"Winner, Zora!"

"Ngh!" THe attack hits, knocking the wind out of the man. However, that wouldn't stop him as he flips over, kicking his grip off his arm as he lands next to Sera. "Yo, idiots...do you WANT your asses kicked by the boss? Get your lazy butts in gear and let's go!" He shouts. Suddenly, he grabs Sera and uses his gun to shoot the window before using his entire body to break through, running away from the room as Sera tries to struggle from his grip. "L-Let me go!"

"Finally..." Zora stretches as the fight wa over.

"Wahhh! Divine Souls won! Yay!" Mimi cheers with a cheeky smile. "What are your thoughts about this battle, Mika-san?"

"Fools..." the man said as he jumped up into the air, kicking forward directly into the window. He crashed through and came down to Earth, straight on the spine of the man running away with Sera. He then looked around to see if anyone around them was around as well, before helping Sera to her feet by extending his hand to her. "That should be the end of it for now..."

"In a miraculous tournament battle, Team Divine Souls has advanced to the next round of the fight!"

The man lets out a painful cry as the savior lands on his back, forcing him to the ground as well as losing his grip on Sera. Even as the mysterious man helps Sera Up, she was still trembling with fear and looking at them with wide eyes. "H-Hah...."

"Yay!!!! Be sure to show us lots of good fights, DS!!!" Mimi cheers.

"Congratulations." Zeiro says as he walks up to Nova and Forte. Safe to say, he looked nowhere near pleased as he glares at Nova. "I have to applaud you for being a thorn on my side...Nova."

The man patted her on the head lightly and said, "I was given one more task. I am to escort you to the Regional Tournament, if that is where you wish to be. When there, you would be in too public an area to be pursued further, and you could help the friends you were watching just now."

"Its not as though you made it difficult," Nova said. He looked outward at the doorway as if to wait for something. "By the way, was that an eventful phone conversation you had?"

"T-The Regional...Tournament...?" Sera started to relax slightly as she looks at where her room was. "But...What about Zach?"

Zeiro pinches the bridge of his nose. "Bah...a bunch of useless fools, really." He grunts. "I have to admit though...I did'nt expect a brat like you to have someone as skilled and strong as HIM." After a few seconds, his smirk returns, smiling at Nova. "Ahh well...Once she gets here, it'll make things much more easier on me."

"The hospital will treat him," the man said as he helped her to stand. "This is the best place for him to recover from those wounds. If you need, I can return here and tell him where you are. I won't be able to stay there after I deliver you."

"Gets here? Skilled and strong?" Nova said, appearing to have no idea what Zeiro was talking about. "Just what happened there so soon?"

"Ummm...Ok...." Sera says. She hesitatnts before adding on. "Who...are you? Why did you protect me?"

Zeiro thought he was kidding at first, but a closer look at Nova shows that he honestly had no idea. "Ahh, nothing, nothing...Just talking to myself. No worries." He says, shooing it off as he walks away. "Just don't go losing this tournament...or I'll really have yoru head."

"That's... not something you need to worry about," the man said. "All I can tell you is that my name is Shuho." He walked forward, leading her to a Moped he had parked nearby. He passed her a helmet and said, "We don't have time to waste if you want to make it to the tournament."

Nova crossed his arms, now very confused as Forte walked up to Zora. "Hey, ya did it! Not bad for a lazy bum!"

Sera tilts her head before she fumbles at the Helmet Shuho passed her. She looks at him with a raised eye brow before nodding lightly, putting the helmet on as she gest on the Moped. "O-Ok...I trust you."

A vein appears on Zora's head as she turns around, hitting Forte on the head. "Oh, so I'm a lazy bum now? At least my ass wasn't handed by a girl whose younger than YOU!"

Shuho nodded as he started the Moped, riding off at fair speed on his way to the Stadium.

"Ow!" Forte called out as he was struck, holding his head as he glared at her. "The only reason you won was because he was a lazier bum then you! And I only lost because I can't go all out against those kinds of girls!"