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Cassandra made her way to the girl’s locker room. As she walks away from her father she could hear Mr. Zyta, who was walking towards the lobby of the Decca stadium, talking on his holo-phone to a hotel receptionist. They were planning to stay in a hotel that was near the tournament event. Now that Cassandra was eliminated on the first day, there was no need to stay overnight. “Yes, yes, Roland Zyta. I just want to cancel our hotel reservations.” 217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1I1GUBoUqn
Sumi at the time was getting her Decca armor evaluated by the stadium's personnel. Sumi saw Cassandra pass by the area where the Decca fighters get their armor fitted and evaluated. She was able to lock eyes with Cassandra, but only for a few seconds. Sumi wanted to speak to her but there was a hand full of things that a Decca fighter needs to calibrate when wearing the complex armor, it was part of the Decca leagues rules and regulations for those who continue participating in the tournament. Sumi could only watch as Cassandra walks towards the girl’s locker room area. 217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQcgCJzByRJ
Cassandra didn’t have the opportunity to congratulate her on her victory. She figures she could call her one day and do that over the phone. She wasn’t allowed in the calibration chamber. Besides even if she could go in and congratulate Sumi, the last thing on Cassandra’s mind was talking to anyone in the Decca tournament, even a close fighter like her. Although she felt better after what her father told her, she still felt embarrassed for zoning out during her match with Kaito. 217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyw5kg2CQKn
Once she made it to the locker room, Cassandra made her way to her locker. The thumb print machine scans her thumb. She then lifts her sunglasses for a few seconds as the locker proceeds to scan her eyes. Once complete, the locker grants her entry to her belongings. She began by pulling out her gym bag and placing all her personal gear into it. As quickly as she could, she starts stuffing her things in her bag without looking, and even acknowledging anyone around her. 217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpdZ7JanBWl
As she packs up her things, Cassandra could hear the whispers of the other girls in the locker room talking about her. She pays no attention to what they were all saying. She just wants to get all her things ready so that she could leave. Other fighters gave a quick glance at her, trying not to make it obvious. To the other fighters, from a distance, Cassandra looks agitated and upset. 217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAIRWhUykfU
Most eliminated Decca fighters decide to stay and sit in the bleachers to scope the rest of the competition so that they can prepare for next year’s tournament. But Cassandra did not have any interest at all to stay any longer on the Decca stadium grounds. 217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsO4rAkrNDb
“Close. Final.” Cassandra says the code word to her locker. The door automatically closes and locks on its own as she zips up her gym bag, picks it up and turns to face the exit of the locker room. Cassandra makes her way towards the exit. In that moment, through the exit door, walking towards her, appears a Decca fighter that Cassandra was not familiar with. Although Cassandra notices the girl, her sights were just fixated on moving towards that exit. As Cassandra passes her, she could feel a strange energy come from her just by walking side by side with her for only a split second. The girl pauses, thinks about something, and then turns around. “Oh, it’s you.” 217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡniMZqj5FSV
Cassandra stops in her tracks and has a bad feeling in her mind about this person, even though she had never met her before. It’s as if her very bones could feel that something bad was about to happen. The last thing on her mind, as of this moment, was to strike up a conversation with another Decca fighter, but for some reason her body froze in place, and she couldn’t explain why. Perhaps some part of her was curious and wants to know why this person was even speaking to her in the first place and who exactly she was. 217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8H8slZOw14
Despite having a million thoughts rushing through her body and many of her thoughts saying, ‘don’t talk to her’, and ‘don’t turn around’, Cassandra ends up turning around and speaking to her. 217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjpxqN5hWDB
“Ah, yes, uh, Cassandra, Zyta, right?” The girl had a big smile on her face. “I was just heading towards the fitting station to get my Decca armor ready and, wow, I got to say, didn’t expect to bump into a former champ. I can tell it was you. Your cap and sunglasses aren’t enough to fool me.” 217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj2BZ3W7a26
Cassandra didn’t even react to the ‘former champ’ remark. She knew very well it was competitive trash talk. Cassidy made sure that Cassandra’s mind and ears were always focused on winning and not on what the opponent releases from their mouth. She knew that in her first match she didn’t quite put any of her old advice into practice. She was just confused why she would even bother saying something like that, especially not being in the middle of a match. Cassandra’s patience was wearing thin. At this point her mind was screaming, ‘I don’t want to be here’. 217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRorXjo5Syf
Cassandra puts on a half-smile. “Yeah, Cassandra Zyta.” Cassandra replies with an uninterested tone in her voice. “Look, I need to go. It was nice meeting you, uh…” Cassandra turns around to face the exit as she says those words. She faces the doorway, and the automatic sensors opens the door for her. She places one foot outside the room while the girl finishes the rest of Cassandra’s sentence. 217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡttgOJzzWs9
“Ara… Ara Ryme.” Cassandra looks up and stops trying to move forward but instead brings her foot back into the room. The door’s sensor notices her stepping back and the door slides shut. She places a tighter gripe on her gym bag shoulder strap and comes to realize something. 217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWwGbTEl46k
“I’m… Kaito Ryme’s older sister, well stepsister to be exact. It was quite an interesting match between you two.” Ara starts to roll her eyes. “Well, when I say interesting, I mean pathetic, really. I just don’t understand how my little brother could have won against a high-ranking fighter like you. I mean, come on, the guy sucks at Decca, no talent at all. I guess what the tabloids said about you and your sister were true after all.” Cassandra proceeds to turn around. In this very moment she was emotionally vulnerable. She’s at the tipping point of losing control over her actions and letting her emotions get the best of her. 217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNxxuSwHS5W
Cassandra had no idea who Ara was. It was her first time meeting her. Cassandra gives her a look from head to toe. She did know about Kaito, but she didn’t know how long he and his sister have been competing in the tournament years prior. Cassandra was only mainly familiar with the top champions and a few regulars to the tournament. Thousands of new fighters from Earth, Saturn’s colonies, and Mars’ colonies enter each year to battle in the tournament. So, it would have been easy to miss Kaito and Ara in the past if they were both low-ranking fighters. 217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdvPdT4DXf0
Every word that came out Ara’s mouth was making Cassandra angrier by the minute. “And what exactly did they say?” Cassandra turns around and drops her gym bag on the floor and proceeds to take off her sunglasses and place them in her pocket. Cassandra knew exactly what she was talking about. On a daily basis, low end news outlets spread rumors and inaccurate information about popular Decca champions. After years of being in the public eye, she’s no longer fazed by any false media coverage. 217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡptCfyqMWhu
Everything that Ara was saying to her was on purpose. For whatever reason, Ara wants to get into her head, to intimidate her as much as possible. Cassandra had enough of what she was hearing, she was just about lash out at her. She could feel her whole body begin to shake with anger. 217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEvroBa10ji
“Oh, you know, that your sister was the real talent in the family and that you just depend on her to help you win all your matches. Oh yeah, and there was this part about bribing the Decca League Counsel…” 217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGfOXNrgwoz
“That stuff isn’t true!” Cassandras interrupts her. Her voice echoes throughout the girl’s locker room. Everyone in the room became silent. Some girls even stop what they were doing and start to look at what was happening between Ara and Cassandra. “Listen, Ara, I don’t know who you think you are but it’s rather rude to come up to a person you don’t know and start talking about things you don’t understand. So, my suggestion for you is to shut your big mouth!” Cassandra took a step forward towards her. Ara stopped smiling and puts on a serious face. This is what she wanted. She wants Cassandra to get all worked up. 217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVNaRYQ5I7g
“Well, I may not know much about you and much about your sister, but I do know this, I’m going to be the next champion, and Cassidy’s championship Decca title… is mine.” Ara took a step forward towards Cassandra. 217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOuEkPpdDA0
“You have nothing on Cassidy! You can be the champion all you want; you’ll never have the talent she has.” Cassandra took another step forward, rips the cap from her head, chucking it to the floor and cracks her knuckles. 217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRmqB2oPxqm
Ara chuckles arrogantly. “Oh sweetie, you mean, had”. Cassandra has heard enough. She was just about to lunge at her. Cassandra clenches her teeth. Ara’s natural reaction was to lean back in anticipation of her move, that’s when a Decca coach jumps in between them to stop the altercation. 217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUQj1qf3kqD
“Hey you two! Stop it, right now! The Decca coach pushes Cassandra back a bit while trying to keep eye contact with both fighters. She lifts her hands up, trying to keep them both separated. “There is to be no unauthorized fights off the stadium battlefield. If you engage in any unauthorized fights, you will both be disqualified and suspended from the event and any future events. Am I making myself clear?” Ara breaks eye contact with Cassandra to look up at the Decca coach. 217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjolOJfG9ME
“Yes ma’am.” Both girls said in unison. Cassandra and Ara gave each other one last stone-cold stare at each other. The Decca coach notices their cold stare at each other and decides to ask them both another question. “So, do we have a problem?” 217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRoGt5itLtL
“No ma’am.” Once again both girls respond in unison as Cassandra breaks her eye contact with Ara and gathers her things. She turns around and begins to exit the girl’s locker room placing her sunglasses and cap on. The Decca coach stares at both now walking in the opposite direction of each other. All the other girls in the locker room continue with what they were busy doing, some disappointed that a fight didn’t break out. 217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxKchuthJ49
“Aargh! She’s so unbelievably annoying! Kaito’s sister? I just want to scream!” As Cassandra walks away from the girl’s locker room, she grips her gym bag tight in anger. At the end of the hallway, she decides to let out a big scream to get her emotions all out. “Aaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh!!” 217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5awVUsqVRM
Mr. Zyta, Cassandra, Sarafina, and Daru began walking outside the stadium grounds. The stadium lights can be seen shining brightly outside in the night sky as everyone could hear the crowd go wild again. Once her father unlocks all the doors, she quickly opens the door to the car and gets in. She didn’t speak a single word to any of them while walking towards the car, not even when they first met up after leaving the girl’s locker room area. Sarafina and Daru could tell she wasn’t in a talkative mood. 217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡis47cheao6
As Daru, Sarafina, Cassandra and her father hop in Mr. Zyta’s hover car, Cassandra takes one final look at the tournament stadium through her passenger window. She lets out a short sigh. “That girl doesn’t deserve the title of a champion, ever.” Cassandra thought as her father’s car automatically straps her in as he initiates the car. The car begins to lift itself from the ground. 217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMkps5M8YBU
Cassandra just wants to shut her brain off. She no longer wants to think about anything involving the tournament. She didn’t even want to think about what she would do if someone like Ara ever claims Cassidy’s championship spot. 217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCCmqwHXaXz
“Awesome!” Daru yells out, breaking the silence. Daru lifts his holo-VR glasses up onto his head realizing he spoke out loud by mistake. He lifts his eyes and makes eye contact with Cassandra. He could see she had a sad expression on her face. “Oh. I’m sorry Cassandra. It’s just I’m… I’m watching the rest of the tournament… and…” He points to his glasses where he was watching the next match between two different Decca fighters. 217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDmaxPOaIft
“It’s ok…” In just those two words, Daru could hear something in Cassandra’s voice. He could hear the moment her heart began to drown in sadness. She lowers her eyes and shakes her head. Daru felt a bit of guilt after breaking the awkward silence. Daru and Sarafina still didn’t know exactly why Cassandra didn’t win her match. 217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtBTkEV5bEg
Sarafina looks a Daru with menacing eyes. She nudges him with her elbow. Sarafina whispers under her breath. “Way to go, idiot.” Daru sighs realizing he messed up, big time. 217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpvj4BIRPFS
The drive back home was a bit silent. Daru was still watching the tournament, but he was curious to what went wrong with Cassandra’s match. He gave Mr. Zyta a quick glance first. Mr. Zyta knew that Daru wants to say something to Cassandra who was in the front seat. Mr. Zyta and Daru now lock eyes through Mr. Zyta’s rear view mirror. Cassandra’s father begins shaking his head a bit while he looks at Daru. That was the sign he needed. 217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjtybT49XeT
“I better keep my mouth shut.” After seeing Mr. Zyta do that, Daru knew that it was a bad time to try and get any information from Cassandra about her match. He went back to looking at the tournament on his holo-VR glasses.
Sarafina also remained quiet. She knew that Mr. Zyta and Cassandra had already talked it out and hopefully with time everything would be alright. Sarafina knows that Cassandra has a fiery spirit and that she always bounces back no matter how upset she gets. Sarafina just wants the best for her good friend. She worries about Cassandra, especially when anyone around her mentions anything about her sister. Cassandra tends to become very defensive when people say anything negative about her sister. Sarafina is confident that with time Cassandra will be back to her old normal self. 217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ12ZYj6v2LC
However, normal wasn’t really something Cassandra was feeling especially after her sister’s disappearance. Cassandra proceeds to close her eyes, all she wants to do is sleep and for at least a second forget about her match, about Cassidy’s disappearance and about Decca. 217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKI1PLN8uJk
Mr. Zyta had his hover car on autopilot while he studies an electronic display panel in front of him trying to map out a proper course to get back home. He was a bit frustrated. He knows that every time they need to return from a Decca League Tournament, they would have to face bad traffic. Mr. Zyta began to mutter some words, talking to himself, as he looks forward trying to get a good look at the traffic ahead. “…must be some sort of accident.” He sighed and continues his observation of the electronic display panel. “It’s 2285 and we still can’t get better roadways. This is ridiculous.” For a while he notices that cars on the road we’re not moving. 217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwqCThijSRG
Cassandra remains with her eyes closed during the trip back home. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t stop thinking about her older sister Cassidy. From time to time she would doze off but then awaken again due to the constant noise of traffic. In the moments she was awake, she would think about the first time they both started learning about Decca. They we’re both looking around in a local hobby shop for a game to purchase when they lived back on Earth before they moved to Saturn. That’s where they found the Decca cards and learned a bit about it. Cassandra didn’t want to spend any money on an odd card game she knew little about, but Cassidy, including the enthusiastic hobby shop owner, convinced them to purchase the starter decks. 217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ6wP1BEFIx
Decca was becoming popular at the time, but on Saturn, for some reason, Decca was spreading faster amongst the colonies. Everyone wanted to battle and test their skills. Cassandra remembers she was only 10 years old at the time and Cassidy was 13. 217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLNZ4bkE1YC
Right after their father finally bought them their first starter decks in that hobby shop, they had to move. Mr. Zyta wanted to leave Earth due to how divided it was over the issues of a new race at rise, the androids. Many people and androids alike moved out to Saturn to live, not only to have a better life but to live in a world without racial divide and discrimination. After leaving all their friends behind back on Earth, Cassandra and Cassidy felt alone, but they soon remembered that they had their Decca cards to play with. At the time Mr. Zyta, Cassandra, and Cassidy didn’t fully understand what Decca was all about. That would soon change after Cassidy saw on Saturn TV the Decca tournaments that were being held in the Crescent Colony, the colony where Decca was born. After Cassandra thought about that, Cassidy’s diary crosses her mind. She thought that as soon as she gets home, she wants to immediately skim through a few of the pages before falling asleep. 217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHKUUN9R8Os
Mr. Zyta notices that the autopilot stops the car for the 100th time but this time it was very abrupt due to all the traffic in front of them coming to a screeching halt. That’s when they all notice the flashing yellow lights. Cassandra could hear the loud sirens and lights begin to shine everywhere. She was in a hypnagogic state. At first the lights in front of them was starting to irritate her eyes. All the cars on the road were heading straight in the same direction where the source of all the noise and lights were being produced. 217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMyGHlHVC42
“What’s going on up there?” Mr. Zyta squints his eyes while he adjusts his glasses to get a better view. 217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlQwcy1e1y5
Cassandra looks to her right; wanting to look away from the blinding irritating lights. In that moment something caught her eye. She places her hand in front of her face to block some of the light in front of her. She could see now a figure running in their direction as she squints her eyes to get a better look. She couldn’t quite make out who or what was running towards them, but she could tell that whatever it was, it was coming at them at great speeds. To get a better view at it she decides to lower her window. Light was reflecting off the figure that was getting closer to them. 217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs8NTL1PcLj
“Dad?” Cassandra whispers and couldn’t quite put enough strength in her voice. She tries a few times to get her father’s attention, but he was too distracted with what was happening up ahead. 217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡALlwaVKUOV
Sarafina, Daru, and Mr. Zyta could see emergency hover vehicles swarming all over the place just a short distance up ahead of them. Cassandra was paying attention to something completely different. To her it looked like a man wearing a dark colored suit. Suddenly, as quickly as she noticed the man, he disappears into one of the city allies. The strange figure was out of Cassandra’s peripheral vision. Confused and not completely sure what she just witnessed, Cassandra proceeds to rub her eyes not knowing whether what she saw was real or not. 217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1LYlU6fVxG
“Dad…” She tries to get his attention one more time pointing her index finger outside the car. 217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqyCbQMn9p3
“I knew it!” Mr. Zyta slams his hand on the cars control panel. “Every year is the same thing” Mr. Zyta interrupts her. “There’s always some kind of accident on this road. Now the GPS says we’ll get home in about another half an hour. I can’t believe this.” His hand slapping the front dash of the car startled everyone onboard. When he looks around to see everyone’s reaction, Mr. Zyta smiles and began to apologize. “Sorry everyone, if I scared you but… this, this highway is unacceptable.” Mr. Zyta sighs as he points towards all the lights and the emergency vehicles in frustration. 217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJs2dyw00QT
Cassandra just scratches her head and closes her window. She could have sworn the mysterious figure was wearing some strange dark suit and an odd-looking bike helmet. She just dismisses it and closes her eyes again as the traffic finally starts moving forward. 217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLOaNIq4g1F
Cassandra felt the sudden stop of the hover car and when she opens her eyes, she realizes that Sarafina and Daru weren’t in the back seat. Mr. Zyta had already dropped them off. She rubs her eyes and begins to stretch out her arms. It amazes her that they had already arrived. She was asleep the entire time. She thought that perhaps the incident that occurred on the highway was her imagination, but her father assured her that it was all unbearably real. However, to her the ride felt like it took only seconds after she closed her eyes the second time. For Mr. Zyta, that was a totally different story. The car ride leaves him drained and completely exhausted. Before she steps out of the car she yawns and slightly covers her mouth while closing her eyes. 217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHjeQEfc8UI
“We’re finally home, Cassandra.” Mr. Zyta sighs, now glad that they made it home. It was late around 1 in the morning. Cassandra steps out the car and grabs her gym bag full of her things. That night she said one last thing to her father before heading upstairs to her room. 217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡslHMAPxPdp
“Thank you for talking to me dad, back at the stadium. Sorry about the long drive.” She was exhausted both mentally and physically. 217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwQRwjLrViW
“No, it’s alright cupcake. Whenever you need to talk, just let me know. Now run up and get to bed, it’s late.” 217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc5MSec9TBN
“Dad! I’m not 8 years old. But I am tired. Goodnight.” Cassandra’s father leans in and gave her a kiss on the forehead. 217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPq20gq8UFb
“Goodnight, Cassandra.” Mr. Zyta let out a loud yawn as he stretched out his arms in the air. Cassandra went upstairs straight to her room. 217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD3lBGjymxq
Once Cassandra got to her room, she changes into her pajamas quickly and jumps into her bed. She felt an overwhelming feeling of relief to finally be in her own room and in her own bed. She of course grabs the diary from her nightstand, that was always on her mind ever since she went to the tournament. She wanted Daru to take a look at it as soon as possible because she remembers that the AI thought she was Cassidy. Cassandra would zone out and lose herself in deep thought, thinking about what her reaction would be if she was able to find her sister all on her own, to finally lock eyes with her again. 217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdXVojXChDE
During some long tournament events, she and Cassidy have been a part of in the past, her family would have to sleep overnight in a hotel room. That was something Cassandra wasn’t ever quite fond of. She hated the idea of being in a bed that wasn’t her own. It didn’t feel right to her, even if it was comfortable. 217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZkmyGrCcJJ
Cassandra laid there in her bed staring up at the ceiling of her bedroom. The diary now sitting on her lap she ultimately decides to place it back in her nightstand and call it a night. However, something was bothering her. She would come to realize that she wasn’t in the mood to sleep. But she also didn’t have the energy to stare at Cassidy’s diary either. That was the moment when reality finally started to catch up with her. She no longer was part of the tournament this year, and she knows that her loss would drop her from her current ranking as a Decca fighter. Cassandra knew that as a fighter, her reputation has also taken a hit. People were going to talk about her loss for weeks, and not because of the loss itself but because she’s the little sister one of the world’s most successful player. She was about to tear up, but she stops herself from crying. 217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhfaWzPZ8Fr
Cassandra left her bedside lamp on. She had placed her deck on the nightstand. She now turns to look at it. She thought of the moments when Cassidy would give her advice on how to construct her deck. She was the one that would break everything down for her and show her how the Decca cards would work. 217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjHE72S0tbZ
Cassandra’s sister’s voice echoed in her mind. She remembers a particular digital page in the diary, where Cassidy left herself a voice note to remember something important. The moment Cassandra heard her voice, a tear fell from her eye. Cassandra can clearly remember the tone of her voice, calling out her name. The sound was unmistakably her sister’s voice. It was like the warm sounds of a protective mother. She began thinking about the past. 217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD87b531GhG
“So, are you listening Cassandra? ...Cassandra?” 217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP7u9hSzAxg
“Huh? Yeah, I am. I was just looking at the crazy symbols of this card.” Cassandra held the teleport Decca card in her hand. She looks at all the shapes and every detail of the card. The card grabs her attention the moment she saw it. 217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh7wc6KkUa7
“Oh okay, since you were listening, you can easily repeat to me what I was just saying to you. What are the different types of Decca cards you can put in your deck?” Cassidy put a smile on her face and stares at Cassandra. She then raises her eyebrow. She knew her sister very well. She knew Cassandra wasn’t paying attention.
“Well, uhmm...” Cassandra starts to think, staring down now at the teleport card. “You can put… I know you can put elemental cards in your deck… I guess.” Cassandra scratches her head and shrugs a bit. 217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ2cfars5FW
Cassidy sighs and decides to repeat herself. “Okay, pay attention. I’m not going to say this again. You’re right, you can put elemental cards in your deck but there’s so much more Cassandra. You can load your deck with self enhancement cards. These cards give the user strength, agility, defense and recuperative powers. These cards only last for a few seconds, and on top of that you must discard two cards from your deck to activate them, so you must use them wisely. “Cassidy picks out each card from a deck in her hand and shows each card, one by one to Cassandra. “Can you at least stop playing with that teleport card for a second and look at the cards?” 217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBOqUA7sjwT
“Oh, I’m sorry!” Cassandra didn’t want to upset her again, so she places the teleport card down on her lap.
Cassidy continues explaining to Cassandra a few more things about the Decca cards. “You also have weapon cards that you can equip. For example, you can materialize a sword and a shield if you like. There is also Focus cards. These actually are really good.” Cassidy keeps showing her one card after the other as she searches for a Focus card. “Ah. Here’s one.” She took it out of the deck and shows it to Cassandra with a smile on her face. 217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlYnAhnr2v0
“Focus cards are dropped in the middle of the battlefield. It’s to increase the power of your elemental attacks. Once a Focus card is linked to an elemental attack that’s in your hand it can’t be unlinked. So that means if the Focus card or your elemental card is destroyed then the other goes with it, straight to your discard pile.” 217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWyXZLWniUn
“Yeah, I guess that makes sense.” Cassandra now starts looking down at the teleport card on her lap and picks it up. 217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQH3fvpU4uN
“There is also one more thing about elemental cards you should know. You should also use the energy wisely out of these cards. Once you consume all the cards’ energy, it goes away. The card will light up and once the light diminishes, the card will no longer be usable. After that it will immediately go to your discard pile.” Cassidy shuffles through her deck once again. 217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIrNNGxEODZ
“What about the shield cards, Cassidy?” 217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ73upOOWce0
“Oh yeah. Good job Cassandra, you at least remember those cards. Various shield cards are good to have in your deck. They can easily block strong attacks that are played against you. That’s why I carry a few in my deck. You have to try and have a good balance of all these cards.” Cassidy looks around through the cards searching for a particular card she has in mind. “Hmmm… Wait I almost forgot about these awesome cards too.”
“Which ones? Cassandra raises the Teleport card in front of Cassidy while smiling.
Cassidy looks up to see Cassandra holding the Teleport card. “No silly…” Cassidy searches for the cards in the deck as Cassandra frowns and lowers the Teleport card. 217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM81wQISlrv
“Look, I’m talking about the Trigger cards. These cards are special.” Cassidy now removes the card from the deck and shows one of them to Cassandra. “You just throw them down on the battle grounds just like you would with a Focus card and when you or your opponent does a move that’s indicated on the card, then the effect activates, hence the name given to the type of card it is, a Trigger card.” Cassidy raises her index finger in the air, proud of her extensive knowledge of the different Decca cards. 217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY5WV1Lh5KR
“But… what about the Teleport card Cassidy? Where does that fit in?” 217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCaW4wwGLfT
“Cassandra, you’ve been playing with that card the whole time! The teleport card is just a special move card. There are many different types of those kinds of cards in Decca. Besides there’s no way you can even use that card right now. That’s a high-level card Cassandra. We’re still beginners. And just so you know…,” Cassidy took the card away from her and places it in the deck,” …a Decca fighter must keep themselves at top physical condition. So, we need to start working out.” Cassandra’s eyes widened after hearing that.
From that moment on, Cassandra could only remember her obsession with wanting to pull off the teleportation card’s effect to impress Cassidy. However, all Cassidy wanted to do was first teach her the basics about Decca. There were moments that Cassidy would become frustrated with Cassandra’s obsession. Training together was always a constant struggle for Cassidy. At times Cassandra could not keep up with her intense regimen.
Cassandra reaches out for her deck on the nightstand and searches for the teleport card she had used in the tournament. She stares at the card and thought of the moment when Cassidy was able to save up enough money to get an Emulator Hologram Projector machine, or a EHP machine. It was a device that could display all the different effects of the Decca cards. Both Cassidy and Cassandra outside could now have mini-Decca fights in their backyard. But Cassidy wasn’t satisfied. The battles weren’t the same as the ones she could see on TV at the Crescent Decca Stadium. She knew the EHP machine had its limitations, and it was only intended to be used as a visual aid for those who wanted to learn how the cards worked. 217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiZMhxhtoAM
On TV, Cassidy would watch the matches every afternoon after coming home from school. Mr. Zyta would instruct Cassidy that she could not watch TV until all her homework was done. However, every time he would mention it, Cassidy would take out her homework and show it to him. To his amazement, it was all done. He was impressed. Cassidy was so passionate about Decca she would work on her homework right on the bus on her way home from school and get it done as soon as she could, just to see the battles. 217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWRg4NNfDXL
When Cassidy would watch, she would make note of all the key fighters and their strategies. She would know the fighters by name, and she even knew the name of their specialty cards. Cassandra was interested in Decca as well but seeing her older sister want to battle so badly, pushed her into liking it a lot too.
Cassidy, who was now 15 at the time, realized that many Decca training gyms were opening up in all four colonies on Saturn. One gym she wanted to visit, and rent out a space to train, was near their home. She had worked hard during the summer to save up enough money to finally rent out a space in the local Decca training gym. She was so anxious to go together with Cassandra, and get the full experience of Decca, the same experience she would see on TV. Cassidy on her own was able to visit the local gym near her home before hand on weekends and check out other fighters. She would sit in the bleachers and watch matches between local fighters who would play Decca for fun. She’d notice that not many girls were involved in Decca, but that didn’t stop her from dreaming of becoming the best Decca fighter. From there on in, she was inspired to be one of the top Decca fighters. 217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjMa9enD8AU
Cassandra thought about the past as she flicks the teleport card in the air up toward the ceiling of her room and catches it as it falls towards her. She couldn’t wait for it to be morning to further investigate Cassidy’s diary. 217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ41iJR2E3mk
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Diary: It was all because of him… His name was Devin. My heart was in fear, yet it was also burning in anticipation to fight him. I knew the moment I loaded my deck in to battle him, that our journey as Decca fighters would intertwine on many occasions. It was the beginning of something grand, much more than anything anyone could have ever imagined. In that very moment, I underestimated profoundly the effect he would have on my life.
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