"In the blue corner, it's the twin of Kane Naku, the winner of his round, the powerful oracle in this room, it's Tai Naku!" The announcer exclaimed.
Tai walked out as he pushed his bangs up and let them fall over his forehead. "Damn, maybe I should get a hairclip... This hair is an annoyance." He mumbled to himself.
"In the red corner, it's the powerful stealth rogue in this room, it's Maverick Ichinose!" The announer exclaimed.
"Ichinose reporting for duty!" Maverick exclaimed, army like.

"His obessession with armies didn't die." Payic sweatdropped.

"Are you ready?" Maverick asked Tai.
"Yup, let's go." Tai smirked.
"Stand up Vanguard!" They exclaimed.
"Stealth Rogue of Wintry Wind, Kamojigusa!" Maverick exclaimed, vanguard circle expanding dark orange.
"Imperial Shrine Guard, Hahiki!" Tai exclaimed, vanguard circle expanding a pale deep gold.
"I'll start us off! Draw! Ride, Dark Cat! Skill, we can draw a card each." Tai declared. "I'll draw a card."
"Thank you for the plus." Maverick smirked.
"Pull back Hahiki and call another Cat! Draw!" Tai declared.
"...draw?" Maverick looked at Tai slightly confused.
"Turn end." Tai grinned innocently.

Tai:
Hand: 6
Damage: 0
OXO
XXO

Maverick:
Hand: 7
Damage: 0
OXO
OOO

"Stand and draw. I ride Katarigitsune and pull back Kamojigusa. Attack! (7000 > 12000)" Maverick exclaimed.
"No guard!" Tai replied.
"Drive check! (Stealth Dragon, Shiranui) No trigger." Maverick sighed.
"Damage check! (Rigid Crane) Nothing." Tai sighed.
"End." Maverick replied.

Tai:
Hand: 6
Damage: 1
OXO
XXO

Maverick:
Hand: 8
Damage: 0
OXO
OXO

"Stand and draw! I ride, Akagi and call Kuroikazuchi and Psychic Bird. Bird's skill, into soul and draw. With a boost from Hahiki, Kuro attacks!! (9000 > 14000)" Tai exclaimed.
"Guard with Samidare! (7000 > 17000)" Maverick exclaimed.
"Akagi swings in! (9000 > 16000)" Tai declared.
"No guard." Maverick replied, monotone.
"Drive check! (Flip Croony) Nudda." Tai laughed.
"Damage. (Living Method Stealth Rogue, Shigure) Darn it, a heal..." Maverick sighed.
"Hah! Wasted heal~" Tai cooed as he ended his turn.

Tai:
Hand: 6
Damage: 1
XXO
XXO

Maverick:
Hand: 7
Damage: 1
OXO
OXO

"Stand and draw! Ride, Tamahagane! Bind, your Dark Cat! At end of turn, it returns to hand. Spam time! Two Nibikata, Chigire and Oni, call! With a boost from Oni, Nibi! (9000 > 13000)" Maverick exclaimed.
"Guard with Ame-no-Murakumo! (9000 > 14000)" Tai declared.
"That card knows that Nuba's supreme." Maverick grinned. "Vanguard! (9000 > 14000)"
"Cringe, and no guard." Tai replied.
"Drive check! (Stealth Dragon, Noroi) Crit! Power to standing Nibi and crit to vanguard! (9000 > 14000) (1★ > 2★)"
"Damage check! (Lozenge Magus, Supreme Heavenly Battle Deity, Susanoo) Heal! Healing one, power to vanguard!" Tai smirked.
"The power cancels out. With a boost from Chigure, Nibi goes in! (9000 > 16000)" Maverick declared.
"No guard! (Dark Cat)" Tai replied.
"Turn end." Maverick said as the Dark Cat in the bind zone returned to Tai's hand, Maverick retrieved the one Nibikata, Kamojigusa, Chigure and Onibidoushi to hand. "Afterimage..." Maverick said quietly and darkly.
"There you go folks! Nubatama's Bermuda Triangle ripping skill, Afterimage! When a bound card is returned to the opponents hand, if you have less than six hand cards, you can return cards to hand until it goes to seven!" The announcer exclaimed.
"Damn..." Tai laughed. "A mirage deck."

Maverick:
Hand: 7
Damage: 1
XXO
OOO

Tai:
Hand: 6
Damage: 3
XXO
XOO

"Stand and draw! A brilliant mind that resides in the greatest battle deity! I ride my avatar, Supreme Heavenly Battle Deity, Susanoo! Call, Dark Cat. Skill, we can both draw a card." Tai and Maverick drew a card each. "Call, Lozenge Magus and Kusanagi. With a boost from Magus, Kusa attacks! Skill of Magus, add 3000 power! (4000 > 10000)" Tai exclaimed.
"Nibi, shield me!" Maverick exclaimed wildly. Tai grinned at Maverick, taunting him.
"Magus goes into deck, and I shuffle, Susanoo attacks! Kusa's skill, into soul, draw a card, and add 5k! (11000 > 18000 > 23000)"
"No guard." Maverick said calmly.

A giant sword was lifted into the air by a deity with a wide grin and long black, somewhat spiked, hair. He crashed it down on the chocolate brown coloured ninja bear, whose purple scarf danced around him as he was hit.

"For Tai's Twin Drive, he pulled a critical and Ame-no-murakumo! Very impressive!" The announcer exclaimed. "However, Maverick countered the other attack with a guard!"

Tai:
Hand: 7
Damage: 3
XXO
XXO

Maverick:
Hand: 5
Damage: 3
XXO
OOO

"Stand... And draw." Maverick said calmly, as a card was added to his hand. Tai smirked at him as Maverick slammed a card onto the vanguard circle. "Powerful taboo that has been released, show them the abyssal third eye! I ride my avatar, Stealth Dragon, Shiranui!" The vanguard circle expanded a greyish orange.

An abyss dragon with three, cold blue beady eyes rose from the ground up, as a dark light surronded him.
"Feel the burning abyss of the end!" He hissed as a dragon arose from the light, two katanas in hand, each brimming with purple, clear- almost ghostly- energy. A mask covered his face as chains moving could be heard, as he flapped his wings to go into the sky. The Oracle Think Tank's base had been attacked by the Stealth Corps of Nubatama.

"I stride! Rikudo Stealth Dragon, Gedatsurakan! Stride skill, counterblast! Bind your Cat and I force you to discard!" Maverick exclaimed. Tai discarded a card with little emotion. "Call, Fuuki! Skill, counterblast and into soul! Binding a card in your hand face down!" He pointed a finger gun at the card, and lifted his hand upwards, the card flying out of Tai's hand and going face down. "Call, Dreadmaster and Kamoji! Skill, discarding your face down bind zone card! (Flip Croony) And I countercharge. With a boost from Kamoji, Nibi! (9000 > 14000)"
"Guard with Morningstar! (11000 > 16000)" Tai replied.
"The vanguard! (26000 > 33000)" Maverick called out.

The abyss dragon rose up, swords ready to kill. Susanoo smirked and ran in, large sword heaved, as the two clashed blades, a sudden red came through the boy's cream coloured clothes. Piercing through peach flesh was the metal blade, now tainted in red, unlike it's best state in a silver.
"Hehe..." Susanoo laughed quietly. Gedatsurakan looked at him questionly.
"Why are you laughing...?" He asked.
"Because it's a mere sting." Susanoo smirked wildly, angring the dragon.

"No guard!" Tai exclaimed.
"You played yourself. Triple Drive!! (Stealth Dragon, Shiranui, Stealth Beast, Tamahagane, Stealth Rogue of Veils, Kurenai)" Maverick tched.
"Damage check. (Divine Sword, Ame-no-Murakumo)" Tai grinned.
"On hit skills, activate! Dreadmaster, counternlast, and since I ha-" Maverick looked eye widended.
"Your triple drive made that two cards hand to a five card one. Fortunately, I have four cards." Tai grinned. Maverick gritted his teeth at his miscalcuations.
"Crap, I didn't plan on my triple drive..." "The vanguard's on hit forces you to discard!" Maverick exclaimed.
"Fine." Tai discarded a card and Dark Cat returnded to his hand.
"Afterimage!" Maverick returned his starter and Nibikata to hand.

Tai:
Hand: 4
Damage: 4
XXO
XOO

Maverick:
Hand: 7
Damage: 3
OXO
OXO

"Stand and draw." Tai drew a card. "Perfect~!" He cooed, raising the card into the air. A red aura was felt around him, as Maverick shivered in what was going to happen next. "Best battle deity, raise your swords to the piercing dark heavens, and bring sins to your thorny path. I ride my true avatar. Supreme Hell War Deity, Susasnoo...

"Яeverse"."

The vanguard circle expanded blood red. After uttering that word, the stadium was in shock, and so was Maverick.
"Яeverse?! I thought that was a myth, a legend!" Maverick thought, as blood red lines appeared under Tai's now lifeless eyes.
"Ok, ok, everyone." Tai was grabbing everyones attention. "I am part of the Яeverse. We don't mean harm, not at all. We want to play Vanguard... Our way." He explained. "Our leader developed these new Яeverse cards- this will bring a new way to play in vanguard. So, be prepared for a tougher experience." Tai said smoothly, and so cold and calculating. "Back to the match... Generation, Stride. Raincloud-calling Nine-headed Dragon King!"

Susanoo, who no longer resembled his former self, with darker vibes and more dark clothing, was transformed into a cosmo dragon with nine heads, skin and scales a pearly white... Yet the eyes looked messed up, and red marks were underneath it. Blood red.

"Susanoo's stride skill! I counterblast! My vanguard gets a skill." Tai smirked. "Then I call Cat and draw." Maverick drew one aswell. "Skill added by Susanoo "Яeverse", activate! Everytime a card is added to my hand by a rear-guard effect, I draw a card." Maverick gritted his teeth.
"No way..." He thought.
"With a boost from Hahiki, Kuro attacks. (9000 > 14000) Kuro's skill. Counterblast, and I draw a card." Tai replied. "Then, I draw another thanks to Susanoo's skill."
"Guard with Kata! (11000 > 16000)" Maverick replied.
"Continue to struggle. You will just suffer." Tai replied. "Vanguard, attacks! (26000 > 34000)"
"Never!" Maverick replied, voice sterner than before, as he slammed Kurenai onto the vanguard circle. "Perfect guard!!"
"Wasted..." Tai sighed as he flipped three cards. (Psychic Bird, Flip Croony, Imperial Shrine Guard, Akagi) "Dammit." He groaned as he remembed. "Dragon's skill! Shuffling back three unwanted cards into deck and re-drawing three~!"
"Oh no... It's gonna be a plus 6 using his-" Maverick started, gloom and doom looming over him as Tai cut in.
"It says rear-guard effects. Unlucky it doesn't say vanguard and rear-guard effects, or I'd continously stride Dragon King." Tai shrugged. "I end."

Tai:
Hand: 9
Damage: 4
XXO
XXO

Maverick:
Hand: 5
Damage: 3
OXO
OXO

"Stand and draw! Reaper of the ninja world, harvest their hand! Generation Zone... Release!! Rikudo Stealth Dragon, Tsukumorakan!" Maverick declared, vanguard circle expanding greyish-orange.

"Let me harvest your tenacity..." The purple dragon hissed, golden mask on and chained scythes ready.

"Stride skill, counterblast! Binding Dark Cat and you discard a card!" Maverick declared as Tai did so. "Call, Tamahagane! Skill, I bind Kuro! Then I call two Kamojisuga's! Skill, both yo drop zone and I countercharge two! Now, time for your demise! Counterblast two and G Blast! Half of your hand gets binded face down!!" Maverick exclaimed with passion as four cards flew out of Tai's hand and was binded face down. "Call, Miyabi! With a boost from Kamoji, Miyabi attacks! Skill, counterblast, and add 3k! (9000 > 14000 > 17000) And since I have less cards in hand, I bind a card in yours face down!"
"Bind, after bind! Tai's massive nine card hand has been obliterated to a mere three cards!" The announer exclaimed in shock. Tai gritted his teeth and smiled weakly.
"No guard! (Lozenge Magus)" He smirked. "Healing one, power to vanguard! (13000 > 18000)"
"So be it, Tsuku!! (26000 > 34000)" Maverick declared.

Chained scythes spiraled around in the air as they aimed straight at Susanoo, who dodged the first, but was pierced by the second.

"No guard..." Tai mumbled.
"Triple Drive!! (Stealth Dragon, Noroi, Stealth Beast, Katarigitsune, Stealth Dragon, Kegareshinmyo) Critical trigger! Critical to vanguard, power to Tamahagane! (9000 > 14000) (1★ > 2★)" Maverick smirked as Tai looked defeated.
"Damage check... (Tankman Mode Morningstar, Dark Cat)" Tai froze at his loss. The crowd went wild with Maverick's epic win. Tai packed up his cards silently as he had a small smirk on. He walked away.

In the hallways, a shadowded figure looked at Tai who was smirking.
"You did good, Tai." The voice said.
"Thanks. Is your plan ready?" He asked.
"Wait a bit... I'll perform it we get to that stage." The voice replied.
"Tonight?" Tai asked as the voice nodded.
"Tonight is the last day S----------- will see --------." The voice replied coldly.

Maverick returned to where Ryuzaki and Payic were, as they stood up to see the victor, cheering and hugging him.
"Alright Maverick, you got this!" Ryuzaki smirked.
"Make sure to win this tournament!" Payic exclaimed.
"Don't worry guys..." Maverick picked up his can and opened it. "I got this in the bag."

================================

A/N

Ok!

So Tai is part of the Яeverse, not a big shock there... So we have Zeon and Tai as two suspects. Anyone else wanna take guesses? XD

Anyways, here's the match ups of round 2!

Round 1
Dax vs Zak

Round 2
Kazue vs Backlion

Round 3
Rachel vs Max

Round 4
Yza vs Mai

Round 5
Maxios vs Kane

Round 6
Shika vs Kurakuya

Round 7
Aya vs Ayato

Round 8
Ryu vs Maverick

So look out for those matches! I'm exicted mostly for the next chapter to come, which'll be a very fun one for me to write, and may not be so fun for Goldinator ;) (Follow him if you haven't and check out his vanguard fanfic(s) cause they're good :))

Anyways, that's all, Fox out!