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A wave of dizziness, gone as fast as it came.
Ethan opened his eyes and took in his surroundings.
The inside of the Rift looked like a jungle — massive trees every forty feet or so, canopy thick but not impassable. Dappled light filtered through gaps in the leaves.
They were at the edge. About a hundred feet away, three Tier 1 monsters stood in a loose cluster — but whether it was because the group hadn't entered their detection range or some other reason, the creatures didn't approach despite dozens of people standing right here.
As Ethan finished scanning the area, the civilians who'd been sucked in started snapping out of their daze.
"What happened? How did we get pulled in?"
"I told you to just take a photo and keep moving, but you had to hang around and watch—"
"What do we do? There are monsters over there! Anyone have a Tier 3 card? I've only got Tier 1 and 2 Blues and Whites..."
Voices erupted from all directions. Most of these people were ordinary citizens — folks who'd stopped their education after high school, or graduated college and moved on to normal jobs.
A Tier 3 White card cost around 40 Spirit Crystals — roughly $40,000. Plenty of people who didn't participate in Card Master duels never bothered to buy them. Some had cards from university but sold them after getting married.
Card Master duels weren't everyone's whole life. Most people kept a couple of low-tier cards for household chores and called it a day.
"Everyone — please calm down." The officer who'd stopped Ethan earlier stepped forward, his voice carrying authority. "Although we don't know why the Rift suddenly expanded, we are all equipped with Tier 3 cards. Stay here and wait for rescue."
He looked at his colleagues, who drew their cards.
[Tier 3 Blue: River Warden]
[Tier 3 Blue: Stone Sentinel]
One controlled water, the other earth. Modest combat power — which was exactly why they were only Tier 3 Blue — but more than enough to hold a defensive line.
Seeing the situation stabilize, Ethan decided to move.
He looked at the monsters in the distance — Orcs, Goblins, Minotaurs, none particularly fast — and summoned Sideswipe.
The red Autobot materialized in car form, engine already purring.
The officer spotted him immediately. Before Ethan could climb into the driver's seat, the man was there, grabbing his wrist.
"It's very dangerous in here."
"I told you — I'm strong."
"We are responsible for your safety. It's our duty."
"Really. Trust me." Out of options, Ethan pulled out his Uzumaki Naruto card and held it up. "I made that Gold card that appeared last month. I'm probably stronger than most people in this Rift."
The officer took the card and examined it. His eyes widened.
When this card had first hit the leaderboards, it had been the talk of every precinct in the city. A new Gold card after a three-year drought. Everyone knew what Gold-tier combat power looked like — it wasn't something ordinary Purple cards could match.
He wavered.
"How about this," Ethan said. "I'll lend you some cards to guard these people, and you let me go find my friends."
"What do you mean?"
Ethan had already proven his strength. One Gold card likely outclassed their entire squad. But the officer still couldn't just let a student charge into danger.
He knew exactly what a sudden Rift expansion meant. The difficulty inside had spiked — possibly to Legendary level. Even if Ethan had a Legendary-rank card, Rift monsters fought differently than training simulations.
Then he watched Ethan pull six cards from his pocket and press them into his hand.
All six were Purple.
Even at Tier 1 and 2, Purple cards weren't cheap. And these looked like a coordinated series.
Was this some wealthy family's kid? Normal people didn't have this many Purples, let alone a Gold. Or maybe a once-in-a-generation Card Maker prodigy.
"Summon these," Ethan said, looking the officer dead in the eyes. "They're strong. They can protect everyone here. My deck is entirely Purple. I can protect myself."
After a few seconds, the officer accepted the cards.
"Thank you. My name's Hayes — Officer Hayes, badge number 33756. Once we're out, come find me to get your cards back."
He released Ethan's wrist.
"Normally, we would never let a student get involved. This is a move of pure desperation."
He studied Ethan for a moment. "Your Psionic isn't enough to summon all of these, is it? Do you need us to help activate them?"
Ethan's eyes lit up.
He only had 700 Psionic right now — 800 with the Spirit Energy Crystal. Not nearly enough for full deployment.
But if the officers helped summon...
"Won't that drain your Psionic?"
"Don't worry. There are plenty of people here — they'll all chip in. People are good like that." Officer Hayes smiled, pride in his voice.
After the System had appeared, unrest had broken out across the globe at various scales. But in America, the response had been swift and unified — communities rallied, volunteers organized, and people looked out for each other. It was something Hayes had always been proud of.
"Alright." Ethan made his decision and pulled out over half his deck. "I'll have to trouble you, then."
Officer Hayes stared at the handful of Purple cards. It was the first time he'd seen this many in the hands of a college student.
But a moment later, he recovered, took the cards to his team, and organized a summoning relay. Officers and civilians took turns, each contributing a sliver of Psionic.
The first card activated. Pikachu materialized in a flash of light — small, yellow, cheeks sparking with electricity. The nearby civilians gasped. One woman actually stepped back.
Pikachu looked around, spotted Ethan, and bounded over to leap into his arms.
"Pika!"
"Hey, buddy. We've got work to do."
The next card: Big Big Wolf. The cartoon wolf appeared in his Research Form — lab coat, goggles pushed up on his forehead, already scanning the environment with narrowed eyes. He sniffed the air once, then immediately turned to Ethan.
"Jungle biome. Good material density. I can work with this."
An officer blinked. "Did... did the wolf just talk about material density?"
Then Stitch. The blue alien popped into existence, hit the ground on all fours, and immediately swiveled his head in every direction at once. His nostrils flared. He spotted the three Tier 1 monsters in the distance and his pupils dilated.
"Ohhh. Meega nala kweesta..."
"No, Stitch," Ethan said firmly. "Not yet."
Stitch made a face but retracted his extra arms. For now.
Konohamaru appeared next — a short kid with a long scarf and a defiant expression. He sized up the jungle, cracked his knuckles, and looked at Ethan.
"So where's the fight?"
"Coming. Be patient."
Raphael materialized with both sai already drawn, spinning one in his three-fingered grip. He took one look at the jungle, the monsters in the distance, and the terrified civilians behind them. "Finally. Some action." Po appeared in a flash — and immediately sat down, looking bewildered about why he'd just been summoned into a forest.
"Is this... a field trip?" Po asked hopefully.
Then the Digimon: Tai and Agumon appeared side by side. Tai adjusted his goggles and gave Ethan a firm nod. Agumon sniffed the air and growled softly — he could smell the monsters.
T.K. came next, looking around with wide, alert eyes. And finally, descending from above with six white wings spread wide — Angemon. His arrival cast a golden glow across the clearing, and every civilian in the area fell silent.
An older man standing near the perimeter whispered: "What in God's name is that?"
"An angel," his wife said, phone already up. "I'm recording this."
Officer Hayes surveyed the assembled roster and shook his head slowly.
Almost every card Ethan owned stood ready. Even though they'd been summoned by different people, they were all Purple cards with independent consciousness. They immediately understood the situation — the officers hadn't given commands, only assisted with activation.
Without needing to be told, the cards organized themselves into two vehicle squads.
Sideswipe (Car Mode): Ethan, Tai, Agumon, Pikachu, Big Big Wolf.
Blurr (Car Mode): T.K., Konohamaru, Stitch, Raphael.
Po looked at both cars, then at his own round stomach, and climbed onto Blurr's roof.
"Be careful out there!" Officer Hayes called as they pulled away.
Plz Throw Powerstones.