Avatar of Spike Brothers

A/N: Obviously I don't own Vanguard. I decided to write this upon finding out that there was to be a reboot of the original series, as a type of tribute to the original, which is one of my favorite anime ever, and one that got me through some rough times in middle/high school, as well as to my favorite clan, Spike Brothers.

Chapter 1: A new challenger approaches?

"You'll never play again." Those were the words that haunted Asuma's every waking moment, the words that never seemed to give him space to think about anything else, or even to breathe. They were the words he heard when he watched his former teammates practice, when he looked in the mirror, when he ran mile after mile, just trying to escape the memories. He didn't want to remember, but it didn't seem to matter. The thoughts came unbidden, of that day. The day he was supposed to lead his team to victory, to the top of the tournament. But then, he got caught off guard, for one play. He was too busy looking downfield to see the defender approaching, and when he was driven to the ground, more than just the ball went flying. His helmet, mouthguard, and though he didn't know it, his future on the field. It was simple, really. This chapter of his life was over, and there was nothing he could do about it. But little did he know, another chapter was just about to start, as the paged was turned almost of its own accord.

Asuma was out for a run one day, as usual. His reflection was his only company, his purple hair, gray t-shirt and black shorts reflected in the buildings of the city as he passed. No one else seemed to be on this route today, until he crossed paths with a couple of boys he recognized from his school. A shorter boy with blue hair, and two taller boys with spiky black hair and curly brown hair, respectively. He couldn't recall their names at the moment, but he knew he'd seen them before. Asuma wouldn't be able to remember why they caught his eye, nor would he remember making a conscious decision to follow them but follow them he did. It wasn't very far to their destination, only a few blocks at most, and when they got there, the place was unassuming. Just a small storefront labeled "Card Capital" with ads for all kinds of trading card games. Asuma had never really played card games much before, but he decided to head in nonetheless. It was like entering an entire new world, with people smiling and laughing on all sides as he simply wandered, unsure of himself. After a couple of minutes, he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"You're a new face around here, interested in buying any cards?" Asuma turned to find a slim man with poofy brown hair and glasses that somehow hid his eyes, a kind smile on his face. "Sorry, I probably startled you. My name's Shin, I'm the manager here at Card Capital."

"My name's Asuma, and I don't know, actually. I just kind of wandered in here to be honest." Asuma replied, wondering what exactly compelled him to come into this shop in the first place.

"Well, what do you think about trying Vanguard? It's the most popular game right now, with something for just about everyone." Shin gestured around the shop, where many different people: boys and girls, both younger and older than Asuma were playing what looked like the same game. "Maybe, I've never really played card games before, but I'm willing to give it a shot," Asuma replied, deciding to get out of his comfort zone and try something new.

Shin seemed ready to show Asuma the basics, but suddenly there was a hand on the young man's shoulder. "Hey there newbie, you looking to play Vanguard? Because if so, there's nobody better than me, Katsumi Morikawa! And don't you forget it!" The spiky-haired boy from earlier was getting in his face, so Asuma stepped back and turned to Shin. "Is this loudmouth really the best?" Asuma thought back to his football days, where the loudest players were often the least skilled.

"Well, we haven't had a tournament here in a long time, so it's kind of unclear. But Morikawa, Asuma here hasn't even played before. If you want to cardfight with him, you'll have to let me teach him while you play." Shin shrugged, used to Morikawa's antics by now. The taller boy just grinned and laughed, sitting down at a table with his deck. "I'll be here whenever Shin thinks you're ready."

Asuma stepped over to the counter, scanning his eyes over the cards. "I've seen guys like him before. Think you can help me take him out in my first game?" Shin pushed his glasses up, the lenses shining as he pushed a few boxed decks out in front of Asuma. "Take your pick of these trial decks. I'll even let you have it for free, just this once." Asuma looked over the different decks, from the blazing dragons of something called Kagero, to the shining white paladins of Royal Paladin, as Shin explained the clans of the game to him. "These clans are groups of units on the planet Cray, who come together for a common goal, like a team or an army."

Asuma just didn't see anything that clicked with him, until Shin pushed aside a deck of Shadow Paladins, and Asuma caught sight of a box with a purple design, and something inside him just pressed him forward to grab the deck. "Hey Shin, what's this one? Spike Brothers?"

Shin looked over and smiled. "I should have realized you would like that clan, they're a loose group of players from many teams that play the most dangerous sport on Cray: Gallows Ball. "Gallows Ball, huh? I think I'll give them a try." Asuma cracked open the box and looked at the first card, a unit called Dudley Mason. The aggressive, powerful giant on the card resonated with Asuma, and he decided to go sit across from Morikawa. "Alright Shin, how about you show me what exactly I'm doing here?" He said as he shuffled the deck.

"Well first, you need to pick a grade 0 from your deck and place it face down on the vanguard circle, the center one in the front row." Shin pointed at the circles on the play mat, and Asuma picked a unit with a 0 in the upper right-hand corner. "Now, imagine. You and Morikawa have been transported to the planet Cray as spirits, too weak to fight on your own, but with the potential to ride a unit to gain strength. Flip your card, and call out 'Stand up, Vanguard'!" Asuma almost laughed at Shin's enthusiasm, but he did it anyway, a surprisingly clear image of himself and Morikawa on another planet appearing in his mind as he flipped over his starting vanguard "Stand up, Vanguard! Mecha Trainer" Asuma called, feeling himself bond with the mechanical humanoid, and seeing Morikawa's unit, Lizard Soldier, Conroe.

A/N: So that's my first Chapter! I know it's pretty short, but I just wanted to get something out there for a little bit of self-confidence. Feel free to let me know what you think!