Swarms of people buzzed around the Card Cashe. Stock flew off the shelves and the tables were packed in the side room. Shouts of joy and despair occasionally peaked over the low drone of people conversing and excitedly chatting.

“I haven’t been here in a sec, what the hell is going on?” Sarah sat at a table with the Jefferson twins, Tim, Jim, Kyle, Marty and, their most recent addition, Isaac. “Is it because of the sale?”

Isaac crossed his arms, decidedly dressed less mid-2000’s punk today, “There’s that, and today is sign ups for the first official tournament.”

“Yeah, don’t you remember? You were there watching the announcement with us.” After Tim spoke Jim contentedly nodded after.

“Oh shit. I can’t believe I forgot something like that. That’s so unlike me!”

The table gave her an agitated stare. “Bruh.” Mike added.

“Regardless, this is one of the few shops that is hosting the first tournament, so everyone’s kinda showed up for prelims.” Jim pulled out his deck during his partner’s explanation. “Montgomery said you need to win three matches today for proper seeding in the 64 man tourney tomorrow.”

“I’ve already got mine done!” Mica shouted, dressed in her typical regalia.

“Me too.” Mike chimed in.

“Been done since I got here this morning.” Isaac added in his raspy voice.

“Jim’s got one more and then we’ll go back to judging.” Tim lifted the badge on his matching wolf shirt, hitting the other large man with the back of his hand.

“I also got mine done bright and early! By the way, did you know that I usually get up at four in the morning to get my workout in before starting the day right before breakfast? They say that exercise is necessary to live a happy and healthy lifestyle. By the way, speaking of breakfast, did you know when they say it’s ‘the most important meal of the day’ it was actually just part of a marketing campaign by a big cereal company? It’s kind of like wedding rings. By the way, wedding rings are similar in that sense because the idea of diamonds being rare was only due to artificial scarcity? Speaking of wedding rings, Mart-”

“Sh- shut up, Kyle! We both got ours done early.” It was one of the few times Sarah had ever seen Marty act anything more than tired. A sly smile crept across her face.

After a second, Sarah counted around the table. “Wait… So you all got your qualifiers done already?”

Jim angrily pointed at himself.

“Right, Jim still has one.” The orange rays of the sun crept in from the large window on the far wall. “Shit! Jim, duel me right now! We’ll make it quick! Three shields!”

He held his arms up in a panic, looking towards Tim.

“Sorry Jimbo, but you do need to get that game in so we can get back to judging.” Pointing the deck box on the table he continued, “You pulled your deck out and everything, so square up.”

Sarah and Jim sat across from each other at the table, their three shields laid before them, as everyone gathered around for the best of one match.

“Do you really fucking play on that mat?” Sarah put her finger on Jim’s playmat that featured the same lightly dressed ballerina with long leather gloves and socks.

“Hey, that’s a $500 collector’s Spurt-san mat!” Tim crossed his arms as he sat between the two, officially presiding over the match, “I got that for his birthday last year.”

Mike sat on the side with the rest of the group, “Geez! Those Mahou Shoujo Yuri Magica Arashi mats are way too expensive!”

“I’m sure it cost a lot more with all the shipping! By the way, did you know-”

As Kyle prattled on, Isaac sat farthest away, but had his eyes glued on the mat.

Jim motioned that he was going to start and drew his first card. Picking it up and shuffling his hand, he placed a face down card on the field after flipping one counter he used as his play points.

With a hand wave to his opponent, Sarah drew her own card.

Shit. That’s a trap. I haven’t seen one of those in a sec…

She envisioned herself back in the void with Bruno and Ricardo once again. She shook her head as the memory felt strangely detached from her.

“I’ll pass.”

Jim adjusted his glasses and started his turn. With much less thought, he placed another card on the field face down, this time costing two play points.

Off to the side of the table, Mike elbowed Isaac, “Bruh. He brought out the trap pet deck, didn’t he?”

Isaac rolled his eyes and brushed off his side, “Yeah. The midget’s going to get tempoed out of this game like she did with me.” He adjusted the long bang that covered his right eye, trying to get a good look at how the two carried themselves. Jim looked as pensive as ever whereas Sarah seemed to be jittering in her seat.

“Okay, I’ve got something this turn!” Adding her second fish rock, Sarah picked the one card she put towards the end and slapped it on the table, causing the twins to cringe. “I’ll cast my Rapid Growth!”

Proudly setting another fish rock, she crossed her arms.

As he picked up his next card, Jim showed his hand to his partner seated at the head of the table on a stool. After some weird hand motions back and forward, Jim gently placed down a card while Tim commentated, “Jim’s going to play Melchias, Cute Trickster.”

The card featured a younger looking girl admittedly wearing a cute outfit. With bright pink hair and a short skirt and suspenders, the character actually looked human and stood before a bright pink background.

“Wow. Cute card.” Sarah threw out flatly.

The two looked back at each other and snickered. “Definitely!” Tim snorted, “He’s certainly our favorite card!”

As Tim emphasised the ‘he’, Sarah rolled her eyes this time. “Is this another one of those anime things you guys like?”

Jim crossed his arms, taking on a stoic expression, as Tim put his hands on his knees, “Excuse you! Anime is a cultural cornerstone and truly a gentleman’s passion.”

She was lost on whether the offense was genuine or some sort of joke she was not a part of. But the idea of a boy dressing up like that was kind of cute.

“Alright you fucking weebs, it’s my turn.” Adding her fourth fish rock for her third turn, she flipped over three of them, “I’m summoning Sixth Storm Oracle, giving me another play point!”

Placing down her now fifth fish rock, Jim made a show of flipping over one of the cards he had face down. “Jim’s going to activate Subspace Assault. When you summon a creature, it-”

“Yeah, yeah, I fucking know. I used to play this one. You make the creature I just summoned strikeless.” She turned the freshly summoned creature sideways.

“Well,” Tim continued, “Since a trap was activated while Melchias is on the field, Jim gains an additional play point.”

Jim nodded in approval as he placed another counter on his weird BDSM ballerina mat.

“Cool, well I got nothing!” Sarah shrugged and put down her hand on the table.

“Yeah, Jim likes this deck,” Tim pulled a little too close to Sarah, causing her to move back in her seat subtly. “The whole thing’s built with common and uncommon cards. Very budget friendly.”

Flipping four of his five counters, Jim placed down his first Miracle creature of the match, a Triton, Firmament’s Wings. Drawing the card off of it’s effect, Jim shuffled his hand as he planned his next move. With a mute shrug, he summoned a Scrapper on the field, a card all too familiar with Sarah, and turned his Melchias sideways. Pointing at her shield, she could not do much in the way of stopping it.

Shit. He really is playing a crap deck. Sarah looked at her opponent’s Strike Leader. A Cardinal Corgi, it did nothing to help out his slower deck as the card only let the owner draw cards while it is on the field and a shield is broken. I really need to pick this up…

Drawing her card, the play came to her.

“First, I’m going to summon my Lucky Cricket!” Placing down the ultra rare holographic card always made her grin, “With it, I get to send two cards in my hand to the grave and gain that many play points!”

Suddenly, her 6 play points became 8, really ahead on just turn 4. “And then,” She continued, “I’m going to attack your Melchias with my Oracle!”

While she expected her opponent to block with his Triton, he instead flipped up the other face down he had, “Jim’s going to use Reinforcements, giving his Melchias 3 more attack points.”

Since her 1 attack point creature was in battle with his now 4 attack point creature, Oracle loses and was placed into the grave.

“And since another trap was activated with Melchias aboard, Jim gains another play point!” Tim patted the man in the matching wolf shirt on the back.

“Oh come on, Sarah! That move was as plain as day!” Mica shouted, standing up from her seat. “Even Marty could see that play from a mile away and she doesn’t play this game!”

“It’s true, I don’t.” Marty shrugged.

As his opponent bit her lip, Jim drew the card for his turn. With a deep sigh, the first sound Sarah has ever heard him make, he placed a card from his hand utop Melchias.

“Jim’s going to go ahead and evolve Melchias to Leilah, Night’s Wing. It’s a 3 play point EVO creature with 5 attack points that can go on any creature with ‘thief’ as it’s race.” As Jim let the red haired man finish his explanation, he turned both his Scrapper and Leilah sideways. “He’s going to attack both your shields. Also, [Shield Skills] won’t work, since Leilah negates them.”

With a disappointed grunt, Sarah placed the two cards into her hand, “Too bad I didn’t have any anyways…”

Setting down one more card on the field face down, Jim motioned back to his opponent.

At least there’s no crowd of strangers this time… As she looked across the table at her friends looking back, she began to wish they were strangers. Maybe that’d be less embarrassing…

Without any shields but at 9 play points starting turn 5, Sarah felt conflicted. This might be a serious game to decide my place in the tournament, but at least it’s not an ACE duel. She shuffled her hand as she continued to process, It’s weird. I feel like I should be more upset with this…

“Hey Sarah, have you figured out your next move?” Tim waved his hand in front of her face.

“Oh! Shit! Okay!” Quickly placing down Miraelle, The Great Fox, Sarah slid in two token cards next to it. Quickly turning Lucky Cricket, she motioned towards Jim’s strikeless Scrapper, “My two beats your one.”

Jim silently nodded and placed the Noble creature in his graveyard.

“Kinda surprised your trap didn’t trigger on that one.” Sarah raised her eyebrow, trying to see if she could glean some sort of tell out of the big guy. Shit! He doesn’t talk! I won’t get anything out of him!

With the expected response of a shrug and a draw from his deck, Jim scratched his short black hair. After a few seconds of postulation, he placed down a familiar card. “He’ll place down another Melchias and then…” As if on cue, Jim turned his Leilah sideways.

“I’ll block with a fox token.” Picking up the token, Sarah pondered her next move.

“Alright, I’ll draw!” She grinned as she placed down her tenth play point. “I’ll go ahead and call forward my Strike Leader, Artephius, Wild Researcher who lets me summon a 1 attack point creature from the deck.”

Pulling out her Gemless Carbuncle, she felt strange not adding an extra play point from his summon since she hit her maximum. “Next, I’ll evolve him into Bhuran, Legendary Guide for an additional two play points!”

I’ve already lost the game. With my four creatures that can attack and his blocker and all three of his shields, I would have to give up my only blocker that can defend me. Since he has two creatures on his field, it’s just basic math…

“Miraelle will attack your shield!” Turning the 10 attack point creature, her opponent flipped over the trap card finally.

“And there’s the Display of Might. It negates an attack from any card with over 5 attack points.”

Flushed and trying her best not to fall into old habits, Sarah held out her hand. “Good game, Jim. You got me.”

Silence overtook the table.

“What?” She looked at everyone who sat stunned.

Finally Kyle spoke out, “Who are you and what did you do to Sarah?”

“What? I’ve- I just-” Sarah stammered, turning bright red all the while from the attention.

“Hold on.” Isaac returned to his typical non-expressive self, “I’ve got a way to make sure she’s not possessed by an alien or something: you’re a short, top-heavy midget.”

Steam shot out of Sarah’s ears.

“So are you ready for Kyle to graduate?” Sarah leaned in with a mischievous aura.

Marty looked to the side, the bags under her eyes looking more and more heavy, “I guess so. It’d be nice to have him for more shifts.”

Sarah leaned in more, “For more shifts? Hmmm? Hmmmmm?”

As the gang left The Card Cashe to close, people said their goodbyes and got in their cars. Just before hopping into Ol’ Trucksie, a voice called out, “Hey Sarah, wait!”

Hiking up her dress, Mica ran up to the truck. Holding her high heels in hand, she took a second to breathe.

“Hey.” She cleared her throat and maintained her regal posturing, “I wanted to say good job on your games today. Aside from that first one, you did a really good job.”

“Oh, uh, thanks.”

“I wanted to ask you though…” Mica kinda trailed off before finally getting the courage to say something, “That match against Jim, you didn’t get mad or storm off or something. Is everything alright?”

Sarah crossed her arms.

It was true. Normally, losing a match ruined her day and demotivated her from playing for the remainder of it. While the match against Jim was a total blow out, it actually did not bother her.

“No, everything’s good. I think it’s because it was with my friends…”

Friends. She was not the type to get too sappy, but she really never had friends growing up. Too blunt, too entitled, too rich. The other kids always said she was one or more of these. Aside from Rebecca and Crystal, the only two too nice to say ‘no’ to her, all she had were acquaintances looking for something. Now that she has nothing…

“Yeah, it’s fucking stupid, but I think it’s kinda cool hanging out with you guys and doing stuff together…” Sarah started chuckling to herself.

Before she knew it, Mica was hanging around her neck.

“Geez, all you white girls do is laugh to yourself when you think no one’s looking…” Mica finally let go and straightened out her Victorian gown, “Mikey’s got a thing at a friend’s place tomorrow, so I was wondering if you want to come over to my place and hang out?”

Sarah was stunned.

“Sure.”