The Regional Tournament

"Guard," he called out as the other Critical was placed on the field along with a Blaukruger. "Go ahead... prove me wrong..." Nova declared.

"Ok~ Amon and Devil Child attack! Since I have 7 cards in my soul, Amon gains +1k And since there's more than 6 DIs in the soul, Devil Child gains +4k for a total of 27k!!!" The monster roars, flyign over to Rocketman.

A small robot with two swords jumped in front of Amon, stopping it in its tracks. "Twin Blader... guard!" he called out with a grin.

That did it. She pouts, stomping her feet on the ground. "Argh!! Hurry up and drop dead already!!! Twin Drive!" she flips over the top card, revealing nothing. Flipping over the second card, it glows lightly. "Here it is! Stand trigger! All effects to Amon g2!!!" She stands the monster, granting him 16k.

"He better have enough guard...or I swear..." Zora bites her lip, clenching onto her arm as the girl rests the grade 2. "This is it! Final attack!"

"Clara..." Nova called out as the damage hit. He flipped the top card, revealing a Heal Trigger. The crowd was awe struck at the fact that not only did it happen, but it happened for the second time in the battle. "It looks like this isn't the Final Turn... after all..." Nova said as his hand was noticeably starting to shake. Some would think it nerves, but it was more obvious from his fatigued and pain ridden expression after the attack that he was in actual pain.

The girl's eyes widen as she screams, holding onto her head. "What?! No no no!! You're suppose to drop dead, not heal!!!" She whines. "F-fine! Turn end!"

"You can't defeat me so easily," Nova said as he drew his card. His voice was slightly short or breath as he looked at his card. "Blaukruger... Call!" he called out as a smaller version of his own armored self appeared. "Tough Boy, assist my attack!" he called out as the armored Nova charged forward at Demon Eater.

"N-No! I can't lose! I-if I loose, then Shinra...Shinra will..Ahhhh!!!!!" The girl screams, getting hit with the attack as she crumbles to the floor in defeat. Her sixth damage lays there, revealing a stand trigger.

Nova closed his eyes as he won the battle. The announcer raised his hand and called out, "Winner, Nova Egret!" As Nova walked away from the fight table, he stumbled as his eyes went blank. He hit the ground, passed out as his mouth seemed to be leaking blood lightly.

"Nova?!" Zora dashes over to the fallen green haired boy, picking him up. She saw the blood coming out of his mouth and cursed. "Oi, shorty, I'm leaving then ext fight to you!" She shouts, throwing Nova's arm over her shoulder. "We need to get him to the infirmary fast, and I don't think their going to wait for us!"

"Wait, me!" Forte said as he held his arm out. It was too late though, she was already gone. He turned to the arena as the Referee was already calling the next two competitors. Forte started to walk forward slowly, giving a sigh as he said, "Okay... I just have to do my best... even though I couldn't win before... and I ran from the other fight... I just have to... do my best..." His voice was obviously that of a scared child.

"Oh? So the scared little boy decides to fight?" Zeiro said from behind Forte, grinning lightly with his arms crossed. "With that kind of attitude parred with your fear, You're not going to win and save your little friend, you know.

"H...Hey!" Forte said as he turned around quickly, clenching his fist. "I'll help my friends just fine! I'll win this match and we'll win this whole tournament! Are you gonna look down on me because I'm small?"

"Small? Who cares about something so insignifficant.?" Zeiro shrugs in his defense, grinning more. "If I'm not mistaken, you ran from your so called friends because of yoru past. Why, right now, you're absolutely terrified of the enemy. If you really do cared about your friends, you wouldn't care of the outcome of them match or the opponent as long as you actually fought rahter than run off with your tail between yoru legs."

Forte growled at his words, unlike Nova who was all but unaffected, Forte took it all in, and they stung hard. He turned to the arena again and said, "I'll show YOU who's afraid!" He then rushed to the Fight table as the Referee was looking to see who would be coming for Team Cray.

"Go ahead and try, kid." Zeiro said. In actuality, he was trying to lighten up the kid's spirit and fight without fear...though, this is Zeiro we're talking about.

Back at the infirmary, Nova was in the bed, breathing heavily as he was clutching onto his deck. His eyes slowly started to open as he tried to look around to what was around him. "Wh... why am I here?" he said, his tone seeming different from usual. He seemed much more vulnerable.

"Apparently you passed out. One of yoru teammates dropped you off here." Said a familiar voice as a red haired woman walks up to Nova, her arms crossed. "Are you that surprised, boy?"

He tried to sit up before he felt a sharp pain in his chest, the area he was struck in the cardfight, even though that wasn't a real strike. He coughed into his mouth, seeing blood in the palm of his hand. "Damnit... its just like before..." he said as he turned, trying to see if Sera was still in bed.

Sera was still sleeping. She looked much better than befoer when she passed out.

"Here." The woman places a cup of water and some medicine next to Nova. "They dropped this off for you since you had a similar outcome like the girl here."

Nova had his eyes closed as he took the medicine. He placed the medicine itself on the deck and drank the water, then laid his head down again. "So, you never left here, and Sera's here as well. That's good... I exerted myself for nothing..."

"There was no reason for you to exert yourself for any reason...It was your own worried mind that forced you to think something would happen." The woman sits against the wall. "I told you I'm here for a job. If I was here to harm the girl, I would have done it earlier."

"You never said... what that job was..." Nova said as he turned to Sera once again. "I said I'd protect her... I had to do whatever I could to make that happen, and now..."

"And like I said before, I am unable to tell you what my job is. That is what the client requested." The woman replies. "I would think you of all people would know what it is...as well as my boss."

Nova sighed lightly as he said, "There's a few people it COULD be, all giving you different objectives. I didn't know which and that's why I worried. Its worse that Shin's goons didn't know you..."