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Override: V/Reboot timeline Psyqualia Zombie plan

Chapter 1

— divergence point : end of episode 33 — the sound of a train rattles overhead as Ibuki lurks beneath the riverside bridge, watching the night sky and murmuring about what a wretched place the city is — above him, the moon glows as if something unnatural about it, while the thought of the Miyaji Cardfight Club who visited Fukuhara occupies his thoughts — a rainy afternoon pounds the windows of Miyaji's high school building, Shingo looking out and remarking how grim the weather is — in stark contrast, Naoki is energetic as he fights Misaki, with Aichi and Kourin watching on, the latter making comment that they should take some solace that the Student Council appears to have left them alone for the time being — though the fight goes to Misaki, Naoki feels content with his performance, receiving praise from Aichi regarding his strengthening play — the club chats casually about the mundane, though Aichi remains curious about Ibuki — his thoughts are put to the side when Naoki remarks that he hasn't seen Aichi and Kourin fight yet; the pair agree and start up a match — at Fukuhara, Ibuki skulks around and found by Asaka, who questions what he's doing — when he refuses to give an answer, she becomes aggressive, jabbing at Ibuki's refusal to engage in Vanguard despite enrolling at a school with its speciality — Ibuki tonelessly proposes a fight, as a means of giving her an insight to why he doesn't fight — Kourin wins her fight with Aichi, who is still fascinated by the formation of the Gold Paladin, pointing out to Naoki and Shingo when they're astonished by his loss that he still has a long way to go — Ibuki and Asaka's fight reveals to her the existence of Link Joker and the Deletors — throughout the fight, Ibuki makes his motivation clear: he enrolled in Fukuhara with the intention of reaching Ren, the strongest fighter, and Deleting him — that plan hit a snag when Aichi triumphed at the Asia Circuit, but with Fukuhara's emphasis on Vanguard, it remained the prime place to begin his campaign, with players such as Aichi, Leon and Kenji in sight once Ren was toppled — Ibuki wins the fight, Deleting Asaka, whose knees buckle and she remains slumped there as he takes his leave

Chapter 2

— on Cray, Ezel senses something amiss and reports to the United Sanctuary palace, where he meets with Alfred, the clans reach an understanding that the ominous light looming in the night sky is growing larger: the nearing of the planet Brandt's malicious power — Minami finds Asaka and discovers her sickly-looking, raising hell as he rushes her to the infirmary — from her, he learns about Ibuki's role and storms off to hunt down the man in question — sans Kourin, who leaves for idol work, the Cardfight Club venture to Card Capital, where they meet with the other regulars — Emi, still learning the game, fights Kamui and wins, leading to some teasing from Naoki and Shingo — Minami tracks down Ibuki and the two fight, resulting in Minami's Deletion — at the Tatsunagi estate, Takuto meets with the Ultra Rare girls, where he discloses something is terribly amiss and he needs them to keep a watch out for their respective circles

Chapter 3

— while hanging out, Rekka remains evidently distracted by the warning levied by Takuto, which Emi identifies and tries to help with — Rekka assures her with a fabrciated story about how tough idol work is — similarly, Kourin remains quiet during club activities; something that Naoki picks up on — as the group leave, Naoki urges the others to go on ahead, allowing him and Kourin a chance to talk — although she doesn't express the truth about the Tatsunagis' position or mission, talking with Naoki helps her feel at ease and her appreciation shows — Suiko overhears the commotion of Asaka behaving strangely — as word spreads, Tetsu and Ren investigate, allowing Suiko to follow their trail and overhear when Asaka discloses her condition to them, and Ibuki's part in it — Suiko contacts Takuto with the news, receiving the order to identify Ibuki and coordinate a meeting — at home, Kai dwells on how Aichi seemed bothered when the regulars converged at Card Capital — Miwa brings up a rumour that someone has been going around the underground circuit causing mayhem, believing it to be remnants of Foo Fighter who refused to give up their way, Kai assumes that may be the cause — Suiko locates Ibuki and invites him to the Tatsunagi estate — as they leave campus, Ren catches sight of them, but stands back and watches as they climb into Ushimaru's car and are driven away — he reports back to Tetsu and Asaka that Ibuki has left, but he assumes things will be sorted as Suiko was with him, given her connection to Takuto — Suiko leads Ibuki into the estate where they meet Takuto — when questioned about the fight with Asaka, Ibuki handles the conversation matter-of-factly, his lack of cooperation wears down Takuto's typical façade, spurning a more stern demeanour as the topic progresses — as it becomes clear Ibuki won't budge and won't re-evaluate his methods, Takuto challenges him to a fight — Ibuki wins the game, resulting in Takuto's Deletion

Chapter 4

— Takuto collapses as his body is vacated of the spirit dwelling within it, allowing the Destiny Conductor to move in — through their contract, Suiko is brought to her knees — Kourin stumbles and encourages Naoki to go on ahead while she hides in a restroom — Rekka runs off from Emi, who gives chase, crying out her friend's name — Ibuki shrugs off the performance and takes his leave, only then does the Destiny Conductor move Takuto's form — by his instruction, Suiko gets up, her (and by extention, Rekka and Kourin's) status as a Psyqualia zombie revealed — Kourin staggers along the street, crossing ways with Morikawa, who's elated to see her, but holds back when he realizes she appears under the weather — Aichi lounges at home, thinking about Naoki passing on a message that Kourin appeared to fall unwell, and Ibuki's curiosity about Blaster Blade — Emi sits beside him and the two confide in one another about Kourin and Rekka, resolving to do what they can to help the girls — however, when the following day comes, Kourin is absent from school, to the club members' dismay — Suiko makes her way into Fukuhara, quick to spread the infection — word reaches Tetsu, who is researching what he can on Ibuki with Asaka absent and Ren on the hunt in the city — he make his way to the training room where Suiko awaits, with numerous Psyqualia Zombies around her — as afternoon classes begin, Aichi notices Naoki has gone missing during the lunch period and asks Shingo about his sudden absence, neither have an explanation as to where he's gone — as she triumphs over Kyou, Rekka is approached, to her surprise — Tetsu and Suiko's fight escalates in line with her personality becoming more devious and vicious — from the Tatsunagi estate, Takuto grins maliciously, ecstatic about the rapid spread of the infection

Chapter 5

— the fight at Fukuhara continues, Tetsu recognizing that Suiko's power has been applified by her zombie status — through the match, the two discuss Ren's Psyqualia, granting Tetsu insight to Suiko's role in his development and confirming the power to be related to her current state — a call comes through from Ren, allowing Tetsu to warn him to keep Asaka away from the school — when Ren questions why, Suiko presses on with the fight, forcing Tetsu to preemptively end the conversation with a promise to explain later — on the other end of the line, Ren complains about Tetsu being rude and heads towards Asaka's home — Suiko overwhelms Tetsu and brings him into her ranks, completely controlling Fukuhara in Ren's absence — with her work done, Suiko leaves with Rekka in Ushimaru's vehicle, at which point, Kyou watches with Tetsu as they leave, Kyou heading off afterwards — Kai and Miwa arrive to their club to find Inenaga and Izaki present, though an ominous feeling looming — Miwa cracks a joke about Morikawa's absence, but the two have no reaction, which he finds peculiar — the pair reveal themselves to be Psyqualia zombies, pitting themselves against their seniors ; Kai vs. Izaki & Miwa vs. Inenaga — the fights end swiftly, liberating the pair from their control and collapsing on the spot — when questioned about Morikawa, Izaki haggardly discloses that he was heading towards Card Capital, which alarms the pair

Chapter 6

— memories of Ibuki's time with Kai and Miwa open the chapter, leading into Kai's disappearance after his parents' betrayal and Miwa's hurt causing the two to drift apart and the origin of his hatred for Vanguard — troubled by Naoki's vanishing; Aichi, Misaki and Shingo choose to head to Card Capital in hopes of distracting themselves as no attempt to contact Naoki succeeds — when they arrive, the three discover Morikawa with several others hovering around, who he claims to have beaten — Misaki doesn't buy the story, with his reputation, but the evidence speaks for itself — Morikawa challenges Aichi, harkening back to the day when he stole Blaster Blade — as it's apparent that something is terribly wrong and the idea of love for Vanguard being twisted on his friend, Aichi accepts, though Shingo has his concerns, if Morikawa has become a competent fighter — during the fight, Morikawa laments how he lost his positon at the shop when Kai came around and his fall from grace in lieu of the other regulars, though Misaki makes jabs that he never had that sort of reputation to begin with — regardless, he appears to have a legitmate grievance against the others — Kai and Miwa race towards the shop — Miwa urges Kai on when he pauses to catch his breath — as they've no time to waste, Kai begrudgingly continues — Aichi wins the fight, Morikawa collapses — a message comes through on Aichi's phone from Naoki; worried that he's unaware of the situation and potentially vulnerable, he heads off to meet up with him at the clubroom while leaving Morikawa and the others in the care of Misaki and Shingo — Ibuki comments that Miwa was always much more observant than he let on as the two meet for the first time since their childhood

Chapter 7

— from Miwa's perspective, the fallout of Kai's move highlights the guilt he had over pushing Ibuki away after the two of them separated, but he was never able to find his friend again to make amends — when Kai returned to Hitsue, Miwa was optimistic that it would allow for them to meet with their friend again, though with that very event happening, he sights that, like Kai, Ibuki has lost his childhood innocence, and apologizes for the loneliness he pushed onto the other with his selfishness — far from the expected reaction, Ibuki dryly thanks Miwa, for freeing him from the spell that Vanguard cast over them and making clear his stance that he has no desire to return to the days of their past — Miwa comes to the conclusion that Ibuki was the one thrashing the undergrounds fighters, but when he believes the other to be responsible for Inenaga, Izaki and Morikawa's transformation, Ibuki declines any knowledge, as it'sthe first he's heard of it — adamant not to allow Ibuki to disrupt Kai's peace, Miwa challenges him to a fight, experiencing for himself the Deletors — Kai makes it to Card Capital, where he comes upon Shingo and Misaki caring for the others, he asks about Aichi, hearing from them that he went to check on Naoki — Aichi arrives and Miyaji and races inside — Ibuki backs Miwa into a corner, letting his stoic mask slip as he unleashes his rage about their past — as the end closes in, Miwa apologizes, both to the Ibuki of the past and Kai of the present, before he's Deleted — Ibuki glowers over Miwa's crumpled body, declaring an end to the trio's friendship finalized here and now; Miwa's mental image of their past days fades away

Chapter 8

— Aichi reaches the clubroom where he meets with Naoki, who claims he caught up with Kourin — the two walk through the building with Naoki taking the lead — Morikawa stirs at Card Capital and reveals Kourin was the one who turned him — Naoki accosts Aichi and throws him into Ushimaru's car, which takes off for the Tatsunagi estate with the two inside — Misaki, Shingo and Kai take off from Card Capital, Kai stopping when he discovers Miwa limping towards the shop — the other two continue, frantically attempting to contact Aichi, whose phone is stolen by Naoki — Aichi attempts to warn Misaki, but Naoki swiftly silences him — between the outburst and muffled attempts afterward, it's clear to Misaki how dire the situation is becoming and she determines the clubroom is a dead-end, the pair change their course to the Tatsunagi estate — Ushimaru, Aichi and Naoki arrive at the building, where Naoki drags Aichi inside, bringing him before Takuto and Kourin, whom he learns has also been turned — Takuto arranges a fight between Naoki and Aichi, using not only his friend as leverage, but a zombified Emi — a crestfallen Aichi surrenders to the demand and fights with the intent of rescuing Naoki, Emi and Kourin — Kai learns from Miwa about Ibuki and is horrified to witness the drastic effect his Deletion has had on Miwa's spirits — Naoki conveys his feelings of regret about not helping Aichi in the past and his desire for their present to last forever, fearful that Aichi will continue to grow and reach heights well beyond Naoki's grasp — he acknowledges the irony of Aichi walking onward without him after their past and his selfishness to want to freeze their present so it lasts an eternity, but that is what fuels him to fight with all his strength — using his Psyqualia, Aichi navigates the fight, however at the last moment, the game deviates from his image and Naoki snatches victory — Takuto interjects himself and helps with Aichi's corruption wth a blackened insignia in order to keep his natural Psyqualia under control — Aichi crashes onto the floor, with Emi showing no sign of care as she gazes vacantly at her brother's body

Chapter 9

— Naoki loads an unconscious Aichi into a guest room of the manor, receiving praise from Takuto for his remarkable strength and the promise that his wish has now come true — he adds that the remaining members will certainly be on their way in order to complete Naoki's eternal image — Kamui arrives at Card Capital, finding the mess of exhausted fighters and learns from Kai about what's happening, disheartened to hear about Miwa, whose lack of cheer is jarring — though unsettled by the Miyaji members being out in the city, Kai and Kamui agree it's safer not to leave the worn fighters unattended, lest they be targeted again — Shin volunteers himself to hold down the store, referencing that when he took over as manager, he had all kinds of hurdles to cross in order to keep it safe, so he's plenty experienced — bringing Miwa along with them, Kai and Kamui head off — Misaki and Shingo infiltrate the Tatsunag residence, managing to find Kourin — Misaki challenges her to a fight, which Naoki walks in on, quick to be questioned by the pair about Aichi's status — once they learn of his loss to Naoki, it becomes more imperative that Misaki win over Kourin; the root of the boys' corruption — as Misaki gets the upper hand on Kourin, Naoki becomes alarmed at the prospect of losing his frozen present and tries to prevent Misaki from launching her final attack in vain — the control over Kourin is broken and she slumps at the table, setting Naoki free with her — Kai, Kamui and Miwa are surrounded by underground fighters, including former members from Foo Fighter, who were turned by Kyou — Kamui challenges Kyou, eager to bring him back — Naoki awakens and reveals to Misaki and Shingo what he learned from Kourin during their fight; that she's bound to Takuto and his defeat would erase her memories of everything, reducing her to a blank slate

Chapter 10

— Kamui launches into his fight with Kyou, making clear his hope for them to team up and liberate the fallen as they did with Foo Fighter's captive shops — Kyou voices his complaints about what Vanguard took from him, how it raised everyone else up but he was never acknowledged as anything worthy — the argument gets under Kamui's skin, who speaks fondly of his friendship with Kyou and wanting to carry on forward together, as he felt lonesome with his friends all being older, aware that one day, they would reach adulthood while he kept chasing them, but Kyou gave him a friend whom would be able to travel that journey at the same pace as him — similarly, he understands that Kyou has been pressuring himself in hopes of receiving Ren's attention, but wants him to recognize that he isn't alone, as Kyou has a friend in him — the fight turns on Kyou, allowing Kamui to bring him back — Kai looks to Miwa, as he has throughout the match, but nothing appears to help him stir from his dazed state — he receives a call from Ren, who complains about how Fukuhara's been overrun with Psyqualia zombies and doesn't want to clear them out by himself — the group agree to help out and head towards the school — Kourin stirs, to the relief of her clubmaters, who try to assure her they'll figure something out about her position — from the doorway, a cry of relief that the four are alright comes from Aichi wearing his Legion Mate attire

Chapter 11

— Aichi rushes towards the others, checking if they're all okay; they all claim to be, withholding the truth about Kourin — the subject changes to his attire, Aichi appears somewhat confused as he admits that he was changing when something happened, alluding to the end of Misaki and Kourin's fight — the doors slam shut, sealing the five inside the room — Takuto emerges, smirking regardless of the numbers lost and thanks Kourin for her service — when Takuto alludes to it, Aichi turns to the others, revealing himself to still be a Psyqualia zombie, bound by the black marker on his head — with it apparent they don't have a means of escape, Misaki takes up Aichi's challenge, stressing to Shingo and Naoki that their priority is to escape with Kourin if things go against them — Kai, Kamui, Kyou and Miwa arrive at Fukuhara and meet up with Ren, helping to clear a path towards Tetsu — when they reach him, the group hear of Tetsu's intentions to assist in handling Asaka's transfer to another school, infuriating Ren, who demands Tetsu face him — the pair's past underlines their fight, Tetsu's investment in understanding Psyqualia and finally experiencing for himself what Ren saw, intending to return that Ren and resume Foo Fighter's activities, leading to the extremes of his loyalty — Ren, meanwhile, disputes his need to use the power as crux, feeling himselfhaving become plenty strong by himself — as a damaged kid from an abusive household, he feels he's no right to lead Tetsu any longer, but admires his friend's work ethic and wishes to grow more disciplined himself so that he may become the leader Tetsu envisions him to be, but to do so, he has to first reclaim the territory that was stolen from underneath his nose — at the fight's climax, Tetsu finds himself reflecting on Ren and Aichi's fight, coming to understand how far astray he's gone — once returned to himself, Tetsu apologizes for the trouble and vows to help Asaka, as he understands her place is with Ren — against the earlier advice, Ren suggests they bring Asaka along in hopes they can restore her spirit, with Miwa serving as a reminder of her state

Chapter 12

— Aichi and Misaki's fight gets underway, although his distorted personality unnerves the others immensely — through Kourin's deduction, the four come to the conclusion that they're not dealing with Aichi and the black mark signifies Takuto's absolute control over him, which lines up with his unhinged personality and what they've seen of the Destiny Conductor — Misaki attempts to break through to Aichi, though no effort appears to make a difference — while the fight unfolds, Kourin explains the nature of Takuto to the others and his Psyqualia — what should have been Giver in other timelines was unnecesary in their own, as Ren, Kai and Aichi already possessed Psyqualia by the time of his entrance to the stage — as a result, Takuto's Psyqualia manifested as Conductor, allowing him to manipulate Aichi's Psyqualia into viewing a false image in his fight with Naoki and leading to defeat, making Takuto an Anti-Psyqualia fighter — as the tide turns violently against her, Misaki orders the others to run before they can be backed into a corner — though Kourin is reluctant, Naoki takes her wrist and drags her along as the three force their way out, calling over his shoulder that he's trusting Misaki to come back — with their escape seemingly secured, Misaki makes her final stand against Aichi before falling to his strength — outside the gates; Naoki, Shingo and Kourin watch as Misaki approaches Aichi, making it clear she's been turned against them

Chapter 13

— a dejected Kourin volunteers to break the news about Misaki to Shin, feeling herself responsible — Naoki and Shingo remain to support her, but are astonished that Shin doesn't freak out (except for the possibility of an even shorter temper) — rather he expresses his happiness that she has such friends who would go so far and is confident they'll be able to get her back, initially offering to go and fight her himself but Kourin insists on wishing to fix her own mistake — Kai and Ren's party pick up Asaka — with Fukuhara exhausted, they deem Card Capital a safer place for her — while they speak with Naoki on the phone, Ren entrusts Asaka to Tetsu while breaking away — by this point, night has fallen and Ibuki glares up at the night sky with the Deletion of another fighter occuring in front of him — the news of Aichi and Misaki's capture leaves the mood at the shop heavy, with Kai growing more agitated — Miwa addresses the frustration, saying that, while he gets it means a lot to Kai, it's just a game — a statement that twists the knife deeper, with Miwa's understanding of Vanguard's value to them prior to his Deletion — as he heads outside for some air, Kai realizes Ren is missing and presses Tetsu for an explanation — Ren arrives at the Tatsunagi estate and makes his way inside with the intention of meeting Takuto directly, however is blocked by Rekka — seeing that he has no choice but to handle her first, Ren fights her with Emi watching on — on the phone to Shizuka, Shin spins the story that Aichi and Emi are staying over at the Tatsunagis by using their friendships with Kourin and Rekka as an excuse — Kourin expresses her thanks for his cooperation and promises to bring Misaki home to him — Naoki asks if Kourin is really alright with fighting against Takuto, with the price she would pay in mind; Kourin's assertion is that she would rather sacrifice herself for the sake of the friends who gave her such a wondrous place to belong than selfishly cling onto something that would crumble into nothingness under Brandt's reign, contrasting Naoki's selfishness whilst on the enemy's side — she, Kai, Kamui, Kyou, Naoki and Shingo lead the charge, with Tetsu and Shin watching over Miwa and Asaka — Ren wins over Rekka, releasing both her and Emi, and clearing the way to Takuto

Chapter 14

— Ren reaches Takuto, who stands with Suiko by his side; Misaki and Aichi emerge from the residence, enlightening Ren to their capture — despite their history, Ren makes clear he has no interest in fighting Aichi right now and hones in solely on Takuto — his first fight with Suiko comes up during the match when Takuto speaks of his long-standing intrigue around Ren — determined to prove that he's nor willing to play the part of a pawn, Ren puts all his might into the match, pushing Takuto to the brink — however, as Kourin predicted, even with his back agains the wall, Takuto reveals that any image of victory that Ren perceived was an illusion, allowing him to pull back and seize victory — as Ren succumbs to the corruption, Takuto lets slip the toll the fight took on him; that although he appeared to be in control, Ren pushed him dangerously close to defeat, even with his power — with a warped smirk, he looks towards Aichi and Misaki, declaring his victory assured as the emblems upon both his own and Aichi's heads glow — standing over Ren, Takuto cackles as he reveals that, in controlling Aichi directly, he has a back-up body to transfer to in the case he had lost, the reasoning for Aichi's outfit change into something more resembling a ritualistic look — the boast is the last that Ren is able to register before the control over him is complete — still en route to the manor, the resistance establish that, although things remain dire, Takuto's faction is collapsing, believing it to still consist of himself, Aichi, Misaki, Rekka, Suiko and Emi, granting them hope that they can see things through before much longer

Chapter 15

— outside Card Captial, Miwa and Asaka discuss how they don't understand why the others are in such an uproar over the situaiton, unable to comprehend why they're taking Vanguard so seriously — Tetsu and Shin remark about what a painful sight it is to see them stripped of their spirits — the two outside notice the moon looking peculiar — Emi wakes up to find herself in a building she's unfamiliar with, Rekka lying close by, which draws her closer — she attempts to wake Rekka, though the process is a slow one — as she begins to stir, Naoki's voice echoes through the halls, calling Aichi's name — Emi calls back, leading the group to the pair — as Rekka's senses come to her, she asks what's going on, Kourin confesses to her that she's turned against Takuto, prepared to sacrifice her memories if it means stopping him and apologizing to the younger Tatsunagi that she's, by extension, surrendered Suiko's and her's along with them — a moment passes where Rekka tries to process the news, glum as she voices her understanding that, ultimately, it's for the better, a regretful Kourin leaves the two together so they can share their remaining time together while the others move on — Emi asks about Aichi, Kamui assures her they're going to rescue both him and Misaki — after they leave, her recollection during the time of being a Psyqualia zombie comes back to Emi, horrostruck as the truth sinks in — in the gardens, Ibuki reveals himself to Takuto's faction, receiving playful comments from the emissary and thanking Ibuki for removing the Concert Master, allowing for him to enter the fray — Ibuki voices his dismay that Takuto beat him to trumping Ren, having claimed two of Ibuki's targets for himself, Misaki moves in front of Aichi — Kourin's voice interrupts the confrontation, positioning herself in front of Misaki, earning a scoff from Ibuki, who takes a stab at Kourin being a woman who's lost her purpose, she fights back that she's making her own decisions rather than being dictated to — the discovery that Ren has been converted into a Psyqualia zombie astonishes the pack, Kyou in particular struck by the possibility that Ren could lose to anyone other than Kai or Aichi — as someone who lost everything as a child and his relationship with Vanguard eroded, the similarities between them has Kai take up the challenge of bringing back Misaki — when she's defeated, it becomes apparent to Aichi that everyone dear to him stands on the opposite side, leaving him alone, which the Destiny Conductor uses to toy with his head — Naoki asserts his intention to fight Takuto, who threatens him with Aichi — Shingo intervenes, warning that it's too dangerous for anyone to be fighting him

Chapter 16 + 17

— Kourin steps up with the suggestion that if Takuto has no more use for the Walkers, then he won't be opposed to her fighting Suiko — Takuto hums playfully about the stand being an active symbol of Kourin's betrayal, which she confidently agrees — Aichi tries to initiate a fight, but Takuto uses the control of his body to hold him back — Kourin and Suiko take to the table — Suiko uses the fight to play with Kourin's head, trying to have her second-guess her decision — however, in looking to her teammates — Naoki and Shingo's unwavered support as well as Misaki and Aichi's suffering — she remains resolute and pushes through — Rekka and Emi reach the back door of the manor, watching from behind the group spectating — the girls' pasts within the Tatsunagi household and with the true Takuto give some insight to their childhood — in her spirit form on Cray, Kourin channels the true Takuto, who fights alongside her, helping to awaken Suiko to how wrong her position is — the two succeed in breaking through and winning the fight, reducing Destiny Conductor's force down to his two Psyqualia champions — Misaki wakes to see the tables turned in their favour, but with the strongest adversaries left, an uncomfortable feeling continues to linger in the air

Chapter 18

— Ibuki grumbles about how Takuto's primary force of fighting remains Vanguard despite his goal, voicing his disgust — Takuto smirks, pointing the hypocrisy of Ibuki, who uses the same, unveiling that the Deletors are his units; soldiers dispatched from Brandt in order to deliver their judgment and conquer the two worlds that entered their planet's path — exasperated by the emissary's teasing, Ibuki proposes a fight between them to see whose ideal should be realized: his own of Vanguard and Cray's more immediate eradication, or Destiny Conductor's, who aims to use the planet as food for his own — Takuto offers up Aichi as an opponent fulfilling the desire of both boys, which Ibuki accepts — Misaki pleads for him not to go through with it, as for the rest of them, they recognize the match-up to be a lose-lose scenario — with his own mind deteriorating and Destiny Conductor's control over his body continuing to spread, Aichi's distorted personality resembles the emissary's even further — Ibuki comments that her overheard Takuto's intentiont to use Aichi as a vessel if need be, assuming the transformation meaning his body is prime for taking over at any time — the revelation horrifies Kai and the others — Miwa starts to wander away from Card Capital, his sights fixated on the moon — Ibuki plays with Aichi's head about how Vanguard has stripped him of everything it gave him — he iterates his hatred stemming from the same experience and his intention to release everyone from that suffering; after Aichi himself, he'll move onto Kai — the threat sends Aichi over the edge, alarming the others with both his and Ibuki's aggressive and unstable performances — Kamui rushes back towards Rekka and Emi, hoping to protect the latter from seeing her brother in such a state — Kai in particular finds himself disturbed and struggling with the helplessness he feels from sitting on the sidelines and inability to bring Miwa back — he tries to persuade Ibuki that they never intended to leave him, but he understands the wrath that fuels him, having once wished to watch the world burn to Dragonic Overlord's flames — though Kai makes it clear he wants to make things right, Ibuki refuses, sinking into the depths of the Deletors' madness and proclaims he'll erase everything so that there will be no pain to feel

Chapter 19

— Naoki laments seeing the two fighters suffering so tremendously and how much it's warping them — with both fighters' madness worsening, Destiny Conductor grimaces that his control over Aichi is becoming disrupted, glaring at Ibuki — Ibuki accuses Aichi of allowing himself to be locked in a cage after Kai gave him Blaster Blade, awaiting release by someone else's hands, and even then, he's been enslaved by the game, daring him to see where it has led him to — Ibuki demonstrates himself to possess Psyqualia, throwing off Takuto, who was unaware, due to his role not fitting the Giver of other timelines — he infiltrates Aichi's head, hoping to examine his image, but with Aichi's inability to focus through his growing instability, his Psyqualia is going haywire, making determining what he sees difficult — Kai manifests as Blaster Blade, worsening Ibuki's wrath, as he believes himself to have been abandoned over and over, viewing his past self in Aichi and his future in the deranged boy standing in front of him if Vanguard continues to thrive — with the Deletors taking the wheel, Ibuki decimates Aichi's forces, using it to demonstrate how empty Aichi is without Vanguard and his "liberation" allowing him to begin anew and grow into a true person — the final blow is dealt, shattering Aichi's seal and filling his Damage Zone; a horrified Aichi can do nothing more than face the incoming attack which eradicates his astral body — to the horror of everyone, including the Destiny Conductor, the feedback from the Deletion tears into Aichi and his body topples onto its side, Ibuki cackling trumphantly while Kai yells out to Aichi and rushes to his body — having won over his anthithesis, Ibuki demands Kai understand that Vanguard has caused him only pain and to release himself, otherwise Ibuki intends to set him free personally — Kai refuses to fight immediately, with Aichi's condition his primary concern; Ibuki glowers as he sees glimpses of the young Kai in his former-friend's current self — as Aichi stirs from Kai's persistant efforts, it becomes apparent that his connection with Vanguard is gone — the group head inside to gather themselves before Kai's fight with Ibuki; Aichi is sat down, though remains catatonic in the face of his friends' distress — Emi embraces her brother, regretful for her part in his fall, although Rekka absolves her of responsibility, being the one who turned her after her game with Kyou — a voice reaches out to Kai — though he mistakes it for Aichi, as it sounds the same, it identifies itself as Psyqualia, having taken on Asia-hen Aichi's form (see: Legion Mate) in the main timelines, it urges him, as the only one capable of overturning the situation, to buy it time — Kai advises the others to look after Aichi while he deals with Ibuki, leaving the room alone, as he struggles to look at Aichi any longer — Naoki gives chase, adamant to follow, as he can't just stand back and watch Aichi suffer as when they were kids; Kai doesn't look back and leaves the decision with him — Kourin, Rekka, Kyou and Kamui follow Naoki's lead, leaving Aichi in Misaki, Emi and Shingo's care — Ibuki speaks about how he's been waiting to face Kai ever since hearing he'd returned to the city, evidently hurt that Kai never sought him out, even as he tries to mask it — Kai, on the other hand, makes clear his intent to finally reach through to the childhood friends he let down by disappearing and by failing them in the current crisis — the fight between them begins and is quick to turn vicious wth emotions running high — Takuto scowls, vowing to eradicate Ibuki whatever the outcome as payment for costing him his ideal vessel — Miwa continues his way towards the estate

Chapter 20

— Kai and Ibuki continue to clash with their own struggles from the aftermath of Kai's moving away — Kai makes his arguments for Vanguard saving him from the depths of despair and voices his regret that Ibuki was left behind, adding that Miwa confided in him and the both of them have bee eager to make amends — when the case of his opponent shakes him, Ibuki struggles to keep his thoughts straight with the Deletors whispering in his ear that Kai is simply having him lower his guard so he can backstab Ibuki once again, pointing to his priority being Aichi after the fight as justification for suspecting the worst — Misaki watches the fight through the window, as Shingo struggles to try and console Emi — Kai activates his own Psyqualia to battle with Ibuki's, enlightening Takuto to the unique manifestation as opposed to other timelines where Kai holds the Negator title (see: Season 1/Asia Circuit) — on Cray, Psyqualia and Ezel race towards an unspecified destination; Ezel asks if what they're going to do is possible, Psyqualia admits that without a force such as Knight of Cray, Vanguard (see: Asia Circuit), it's uncertain, as their endeavour is to be a tremendous one — Kai's and Ibuki's aces continue to clash, though with each Delete, Kai finds himself nearing the edge — at the height of the battle, Psyqualia reaches out to Kai, blessing him with a card: the Harmonics Messiah from the Messiah Scramble of the main timeline (the one native to the timeline hasn't been awoken and the humans hadn't me conditions to enforce its rise) — with Psyqualia's blessing, Kai rides the messiah, helping to dispell the madness clouding Ibuki — with its immense power, the deity is able to repair Asaka, Kawanami, Miwa and Aichi's bonds with Vanguard, bringing them back to their senses — with his spirit reinvigorated, Miwa's limp becomes a fervent run — at Card Capital, Asaka becomes alert; Tetsu and Shin pile into the latter's van with her to chase Miwa and race to the Tatsunagi residence, leaving Sub-Manager holding down the fort — Emi, Shingo and Misaki are overcome seeing Aichi come back to himself, Shingo rushes ahead to let the others know the good news — using Harmonics, Kai helps to show Ibuki the truth, the two of them catching glimpses of the main timeline's Messiah Scramble and Aichi and Kai's joint-effort to rescue Ibuki through their Psyqualias — with its job complete, Harmonics vanishes, returning to its proper timeline — Ibuki grapples with his guilt over what he's done and having been the traitor all along, but Miwa, who manages to arrive with the help of Shin says the blame lies with him, for leaving Ibuki behind because of his own hurt — Asaka rushes towards Ren, only to see he remains a Psyqualia zombie — Takuto expresses his desire to fight Ibuki, but Kai steps in defence of his friend and demands that if Takuto faces anyone, it'll be him, sick of his friends being toyed with

Chapter 21

— Takuto smirks, determining that taking Kai for himself will not only destroy the enemy's morale, but eyeing him up as a potential vessel, with the immense power he possesses, even without his Psyqualia — from the manor's back door, Aichi emerges with Misaki and Emi in tow (the latter holding his school uniform in her arms), requesting that Kai look after Ibuki so he isn't threatened by the Deletors' manipulation further — with his prized vessel active again, Takuto agrees to take on Aichi, declaring that as soon as the fight is over and he reclaims the boy, he'll snatch his body and use him to have everyone else submit — despite the price they'll pay, Kourin and Rekka give their blessing for Aichi to take out Destiny Conductor, Suiko following after — Takuto reveals that by severing Vanguard's connection with Earth, by way of the Psyqualia zombies holding off resistance for Brandt to take over Cray, all memory of it will be erased on Earth — the truth twists the knife in Ibuki, who realizes his friendship with Kai and Miwa would vanish altogether and he's been used as a pawn the whole time — with the battle underway, Kourin warns Aichi of Takuto's power as Conductor to manipulate his Psyqualia — as Kai watches the fight, his power allows him to observe the sight of the smaller Aichi beside his friend fighting, identifying it as Psyqualia's chosen form as it spoke of — Takuto describes that the Psyqualia zombie infection is a byproduct of combining Psyqualia's power native to his current vessel with the soldiers of Brandt, leading to the distorted power not unlike Reverse spawned by the Star-Vaders — both branches of Void — though it's unable interfere directly, Psyqualia instils in Aichi with power matching his Liberator Psyqualia from the main timeline, which can separate the Concert Master Takuto from Destiny Conductor — as Brandt grows dangerously close, Cray's armies mobilize in preparation for the war with the Deletors — Aichi rides Alfred and, joined with the king of United Sanctuary, acknowledges htat he's reached the pinnacle of what the young Kai envisioned for him, intending not to betray that vision or all the anguish that everyone has been through; that suffering he wishes to see ended and the harmed healed as Harmonics demonstrated is possible

Chapter 22

— Takuto calls on Brandt's strongest to handle the formation Aichi calls, backed by the friends around him lending their own strength — as the fight reaches its climax, Takuto forces on Aichi the image of a world without Vanguard, where none of his friends have suffered the hardships they've endured — within the land dubbed IF, Aichi alone witnesses those he holds dear living peacefully — Misaki without the reminder of her lost parents in her face everyday — Kai, Ibuki and Miwa with their friendship untarnished — Naoki who is't plagued with guilt — Shingo who feels accepted — Kyou and Kamui stopping by hobby shops — Kourin, Suiko and Rekka free to live ordinary lives — Ren able to escape his abusive father — Emi with a red-haired girl and not having to worry about her brother getting himself into trouble — Takuto insinuates that by fighting for Vanguard, Aichi is depriving these people much happier lives, all to fill the void within himself as, without Vanguard, he's nothing — Misaki's voice cuts through the illusion, reprimanding Takuto for using her parents against Aichi and having come to see Vanguard as something they passed onto her, it's something that connects her to them even when they're no longer in her life; a declaration that touches Shin — Kai, Kamui, Naoki and Shingo share similar sentiments, voicing their belief that connecting with Vanguard gave them far more than it ever took away, and they would always choose the hardships they've been through than to erase them if it meant losing everything else — Rekka holds Emi's hand, speaking her opinion that, even if she forgets, Vanguard will be something that she and her friend will share in their hearts, so she'll believe in a future where they can meet again — hearing the words and taking them to heart, Kourin looks to those gathered around and speaks her wish that a future in which Cray and Earth can continue in unison is what she desires, no matter what becomes of herself, so long as her loved ones can live on — the IF illusion shatters, allowing the fight to resume and the spirits of the friends around him to spurn Aichi onwards — his eyes meet with Ren's, the sole remaining Psyqualia zombie, who smiles, conceding that Aichi fits the role of Psyqualia's chosen and, at that moment, rides Majesty Lord Blaster, allowing him to finish the fight — with his Liberator Psyqualia, he's able to extract Destiny Conductor from Takuto's body, eliminating Brandt's greatest threat from the fray, and with Harmonics' lingering power, Brandt's distortion begins to recede, awaiting the revival of the timeline's native Harmonics to embrace it among Earth and Cray — Ren is returned to normal and the Ultra Rare girls give their farewells to their friends — in the coming days, the altered reality settles itself; the Cardfight Club dedicates itself to protecting what Kourin sacrificed herself to save, recruiting Akari to keep its numbers within regulation, while Ibuki and Miwa work to patch things up — Ultra Rare resume their idol work, with Emi and Morikawa cheering them on as fervently as ever, Emi switches her clan to Angel Feather as a means of keeping Rekka close to her — the schools prepare themselves for the Vanguard Koishien, where they hope to meet with Ultra Rare once more and show to them that they can protect the world the three entrusted them with

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SEQUEL ARC

variation of -IF- more faithful to its anime’s setting / separate from the already WIP -IF-

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FIGHT RECORD

— Misaki vs. Naoki | Misaki wins [chapter(s) 1] — Aichi vs. Kourin | Kourin wins [chapter(s) 1] — Asaka vs. Ibuki | Ibuki wins [chapter(s) 1] — Kamui vs. Emi | Emi wins [chapter(s) 2] — Ibuki vs. Minami | Ibuki wins [chapter(s) 2] — Ibuki vs. Takuto | Ibuki wins [chapter(s) 3] — Kourin vs. Morikawa | Kourin wins [chapter(s) 4 (off-screen)] — Rekka vs. Kyou | Rekka wins [chapter(s) 4 (off-screen)] — Suiko vs. Tetsu | Suiko wins [chapter(s) 4, 5] — Rekka vs. Emi | Rekka wins [chapter(s) 5 (off-screen)] — Kourin vs. Naoki | Kourin wins [chapter(s) 5 (off-screen)] — Kai vs. Izaki | Kai wins [chapter(s) 5] — Miwa vs. Inenaga | Miwa wins [chapter(s) 5] — Aichi vs. Morikawa | Aichi wins [chapter(s) 6] — Miwa vs. Ibuki | Ibuki wins [chapter(s) 7] — Aichi vs. Naoki | Naoki wins [chapter(s) 8] — Misaki vs. Kourin | Misaki wins [chapter(s) 9] — Kamui vs. Kyou | Kamui wins [chapter(s) 9, 10] — Ren vs. Tetsu | Ren wins [chapter(s) 11] — Aichi vs. Misaki | Aichi wins [chapter(s) 11, 12] — Ren vs. Rekka | Ren wins [chapter(s) 13] — Ren vs. Takuto | Takuto wins [chapter(s) 14] — Kai vs. Misaki | Kai wins [chapter(s) 15] — Kourin vs. Suiko | Kourin wins [chapter(s) 16, 17] — Aichi vs. Ibuki | Ibuki wins [chapter(s) 18, 19] — Kai vs. Ibuki | Kai wins [chapter(s) 19, 20] — Aichi vs. Takuto | Aichi wins [chapter(s) 21, 22]

#Override

IF24 speculation screaming

Preview

With all of the preview caps available, there’s been a lot to take in; from Ibuki with Majesty Lord to Emi’s fairy wings to all the boys’ younger selves playing together in the park. So this might be a tad all over the place but hoping to condense thoughts coherently.

— Emi and Aichi are both shown to be wearing their powered forms; this might be as part of a flashback which covered Emi’s first interaction with Aichi after his disappearance, allowing Shuka to remain in the season past her sacrifice. For Aichi, there seems little reason (or even if it’s possible) for him to done the Alfred costume at this stage, and with his eyes normal, I’ve my doubts that the new screencap of him takes place in the present, more so after the glimpse in the preview after IF23. Something assuming full control isn’t likely to care what state he’s in or continue any pretense that he has any control over himself. It might be in part why Aichi hasn’t paid that much attention to Ibuki, picking to brutalize Ren instead, when their history might be crucial in the foundation of IF’s story. It may come from Emi and Kai’s taking flight, comparing the Aichi of then to the one of now radiating all kinds of ominous energy or Nome’s recounting earlier events. The point for Emi when Aichi was no longer missing but the enemy; she was well aware by her and Shuka’s infiltration in the first episode and we’ve been shown notable moments through their fight, but not the moment when they discovered the identity of the Jammers’ commander-in-chief.

— Twitter Fanguards are excited at the prospect that the young boys playing in the park is a sign that the timeline’s resolution will grant the ideal timeline where no-one is left alone. To be cautiously optimistic, the thought that had come to my mind initially was the scene being a depiction of a timeline that Kai and/or Ibuki are fighting for or one they imagine might have come about if they had done something differently, sparing Aichi the anguish of his IF childhood and connecting everyone far earlier. If it’s the former, there’s hope that IF25 might serve as an epilogue to emphasize on giving us an glimpse at this perfect timeline while the Outside World characters establish all is well on their end and returning to their normal lives.

Destiny Conductor 2.0 Nome

The glow of Nome’s screencap insinuates his usage of the Akashic Records, but the smile he has is rather ominous, suggesting that his taking off after recruiting Ibuki and Suiko always had a much more sinister undertone to it. The possibility that’s been sprouting personally since Kourin was debunked as being the one pulling Aichi’s strings is that Nome has been the one in that position all along.

During the PsyZombie arc, it’s possible that, whether through Takuto or by another means, Nome became infected by Brandt’s power, positioning him as his brother’s successor. With Brandt defeated once, by taking hold of the Akashic Records, he/it was able to take an entirely different approach: if it couldn’t twist the original timeline to its will, it would use another. The starting point: the boy who crushed Brandt’s ambition.

As established by Takuto as the strongest, Aichi became the primary target of this second effort. Whether the Aichi of IF is his Outside World self pulled within the world and overwritten to live a second childhood like Kai-kun, or the one native to IF World, it works either way. — Outside World Aichi, who might have still held a fragment of Brandt’s power within him from Destiny Conductor’s direct involvement in his sealing, through his Psyqualia which has remained tainted since, thus never freeing him entirely from the power, even though he was unaware ever since, had that exploited as a seed from which his imagination would fester from the below. — IF World Aichi, whose life was monitored by Nome, to prevent any future possible encounters with Vanguard. Using the Akashic Records, Nome mapped out both Kai-kun and Aichi’s so the former’s would be as happy and peaceful as possible while the latters’ plunged him into the depths of solitude, haunting him with images of Kai-kun to ready Aichi for breaking, by his own hand or seeing Kai-kun by happenstance. As a result, Aichi’s power had no outlet and festered, spilling over ultimately when Takuto appeared and turned the key. In the scenario of Outside World Aichi, his line “it’s been a while, Kourin” would reference their time together directly, but in the case he was native to IF’s timeline, it might be Brandt speaking through him. In a manner of speaking, IF serves the same purpose as the Sanctuary from Legion Mate; a means of containing Aichi so that he can’t wreck havoc, whether in good way or bad.

The colour scheme of Aichi’s power has resembled Brandt’s and his binding Kai-kun resembled Link Joker’s (a clan with which Brandt has a connection) power to Lock — Ibuki even saying “Unlock” while Superior Realizing Harmonics Messiah — so until it’s 1000% debunked, I’m still clinging to this theory that’s been building over the past few months.

Aichi isn’t Nome/Brandt’s sole target, however. Charged with their duty to oversee the multiverse, the Tatsunagis are in the enemy’s sights. Takuto and Kourin placed half of the family within IF straight away, Rekka and Ren following and we were witness to Nome roping in Ibuki and Suiko. Aichi was used as bait in order to draw the family in its entirety within a world that is distorted to the point of requiring intervention, where the strongest fighter has been twisted into the enemy. There’s simply no coincidence about collecting them in one place, Takuto was used as the objective for Rekka and Ren. — Takuto specifically has the additional motivation of being the failed first Destiny Conductor. If Brandt has been within Aichi, that might have been reflected in his demeanour leading up to and during the meeting with Takuto; there’s not enough to discern if IF Aichi truly has the hostile side we’ve been seeing or that be a result of the current crisis. — Like Aichi, if IF Kai-kun is the Outside World version sealed, that would likewise remove him from being an immediate threat, as one of the strongest Vanguard fighters. Meaning that Ren and Ibuki, as the other greatest threats to a Brandt resurgence, were perfect candidates for the remaining Tatsunagis’ teams, bringing all the vital players for Brandt’s previous failure onto the board.

And in a world without Vanguard, a world where Aichi is overflowing with power that even he couldn’t control, it’s the perfect time for Nome to step onto the stage and reveal himself.

Emi, Kai and Aichi

The screencap of a winged Emi and Kai gives the impression that they, alone, are heading to the final battle with Aichi, and it’s tremendously fitting. Emi began this journey with one partner by her side, and this way, she would end it with one. Though the nature of that partner will have changed drastically: from someone important to her, who belongs to another world, to someone invaluable to Aichi, presumably native to the timeline with them.

The dynamic between IF Emi, Kai and Aichi is quite unique; with the state of the multiverse in mind, Emi represents the life of isolation Aichi has lived until this point, the only person who was with him throughout years of torment and loneliness. Whereas Kai embodies the possibility wrought from other timelines; what Aichi could and should have grown into, the friends around him that Aichi was meant to have connected with. They represent Aichi’s family and friends respectively, the two people most important to him in IF’s timeline where one was his reality, his daytime, and the other his long-off dream, his nighttime. Both, equally, want him back, even if it might cost the existence of the three of them — like Aichi, they’re prepared to sacrifice themselves if it means grasping what they believe is right.

For those who know Fate/Grand Order, IF very much resembles a Lostbelt, so at the resolution of the fight, with its correction, the world is likely to vanish — with anyone who belongs there. If Aichi, Emi and Kai are all native to IF — and they’re the only characters at the heart of this story who we don’t know for certain come from the Outside World — Emi and Kai separating from the others spares their friends the anguish of losing someone else right before them. The Outside World characters know the cost, but they don’t have to witness it, and can remember Emi and Kai by their happier times. Ibuki and the others instead are charged with stopping Nome’s ambition with the family and their partners gathered as well as seeing the small Kai-kun and Aichi meet, so their assignment to correct history is complete.

Emi and Kai’s battle with Aichi is a much more personal one, so they go ahead to save him by their own hands. Emi to get back the brother she’s been chasing all along, Kai to see the happiness he was gifted shared with the person who gave up so much to protect it, whom he wants to see smile by his side, who he wants to return Blaster Blade to. When Aichi is rescued, the three of them remain together, accepting the end of their world and their anguish. Kai-kun doesn’t return to his parents, having already made the choice of Aichi and the original timeline over them long ago, it serves as a demonstration for Aichi’s eyes that he won’t be left behind in the shadows anymore. After losing so much, none of the trio are alone as they watch their world fading away, reconciling and huddling or even Kai-kun and Aichi having a cardfight so that Kai can share with Aichi the fun they were supposed to have, Emi watching as her brother shows the side she’s always known him to have before someone else. It’s bittersweet, but all three of them could be united and experience true happiness at the end.

#Cardfight!! Vanguard #Cardfight!! Vanguard IF #cfv spoilers #speculation #goes out there hard for maybe one last time for this season #IF is honestly a blessing for all the fun theorizing it's brought back to me #no matter how bumpy it got at times I love it for that alone

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