Squall checked his watch. Still an hour before he had to meet Quistis. Just enough time to get properly equipped.

  He was heading toward the dormitory when he spotted the kid in the blue shirt sprinting down the hall, the same as always, like he was trying to break some invisible speed record.

  Squall stepped out just enough to block his path.

  The kid skidded to a stop. "Whoa! Sorry! Didn't see—hey, you're that guy from the gunblade class!" He chuckled. "Heard Seifer kicked your ass!"

  Squall narrowed his eyes. "You have a card. Minimog. I want to challenge you for it."

  The kid blinked, then smirked. "You're on. But no take-backs. I earned this one fair and square from Dr. Kadowaki."

  "Kadowaki plays?" Squall asked, genuinely surprised.

  "Hell yeah, dude. She's got some good ones. But let's do this."

  They dropped to the floor right there, cards out.

  The match started lightly. The kid led with a Funguar—basic. Squall responded with a Bomb card, swinging control with a double-sided edge. But then the kid threw down a Wendigo and flipped two in one go.

  Squall narrowed his eyes. "This isn't your first game."

  "I play every day," the kid said proudly. "Cafeteria, library, hallway—this is my turf."

  It's about to become mine, kid, Squall thought.

  The kid dropped a Geezard next, low numbers, but it baited Squall's Mesmerize card into a trap. The kid flipped it with Minimog, aided by a boost in the corner.

  Squall stared at the board, calculating.

  Then—Hexadragon. His last card.

  Three flips in a row. The board tilted.

  Final move.

  "Cough it up, kid. Minimog."

  The kid groaned. "Nooo. My Minimog! That was my lucky card!"

  Squall pocketed it. "Nothing personal."

  He got up, checking his watch again. Time to head to the front gate. He had kept Quistis waiting long enough.

  But first, he detoured to his dorm room, where he carefully arranged his new cards and checked his junctions. Shiva for ice and elemental defense. Quetzalcoatl for thunder magic. His stock of spells was decent, but not where it needed to be for the field exam. He could fill up on some of the draw points around the Garden.

  The card player's tip about the fastiocalon-f's might be worth investigating if he had time. For now, he needed to be prepared for whatever Quistis had planned.

  Squall headed for the front gate, of course challenging a few more people to card games along the way: a pair of girls, the gate guard, even a faculty member. He kept his Minimog card in reserve, not daring to risk it yet. He would stare at the holographic display, its fluffy cuteness. He almost smiled...almost. It felt like the start of something beautiful.

  Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

  When Squall reached the gate, Quistis was already waiting, arms folded, heel tapping.

  "You're late," she said, eyebrow raised. "I've been waiting for nearly an hour!"

  "Gear check," Squall said evenly.

  Quistis studied him for a moment, then her expression softened. "Remember, from the moment we leave Garden, your test begins. I'll be evaluating your combat performance, your decision-making, and your ability to work as part of a team."

  "How far is this cave, anyway?"

  "Not far. I've requisitioned one of the Garden buggies."

  As if the word were a summons, a buggy pulled up, driven by one of the Balamb Garden faculty guards. He handed Quistis the keys.

  "Let's move," she said, hopping into the driver's seat.

  As Squall climbed in, he felt a strange sense of anticipation. This wasn't about passing a test. Something about today felt... important. Like the beginning of something he couldn't yet see.

  "Whatever," he muttered to himself and slammed the door.

  The buggy hummed beneath them as they cruised along the Balamb coastline. To their right, the ocean shimmered in streaks of turquoise and deep blue, waves lapping at white sands. Palm trees leaned over the beach, their fronds brushing against the warm, salty wind.

  Quistis leaned an elbow on the wheel, sunglasses perched on her nose. "I could see myself out there lounging. Bright sunshine, cool surf... with the right company."

  Squall squinted toward the water, ignoring the obvious implication. "Heard there's a lot of monsters down there. Fastitocalon-Fs sometimes drop scales. You can turn them into Water spells with Quetzalcoatl's Card Mod ability."

  Quistis glanced over. "You're thinking strategically. That's good." She drove a little further, then added, "But sometimes, Squall, it's okay to enjoy the moment. Not everything has to be about training or fighting."

  "We're literally in an exam right now," he said.

  "True," Quistis said. "But working together with someone isn't just about business. It's about...camaraderie."

  Was she fucking serious? "We're here to test my combat readiness. Maybe we can kill some of those monsters on the beach. A few water spells will be effective in the Fire Caverns, right?"

  Quistis tapped the steering wheel, thinking. "That's...actually a good strategy. But we only have a few hours before we need to be back at the Garden, so we can't waste time."

  She pulled the buggy to a stop off the beach.

  They disembarked. The sun beat down. The air smelled like salt and ozone.

  The first Fastitocalon-F flopped up from the waves, screeching its weird, fishy screech.

  Squall stepped forward, gunblade in hand. He waited until the creature launched itself, then met it with a practiced horizontal slash, the gunblade's mechanism firing as it connected. The creature burst into energy.

  [Fastitocalon-F defeated. 3 AP earned.]

  Quistis cracked her whip beside him, striking down another before it could get too close. Energy shimmered into her GF slot.

  They ground like this for the next hour or so, Squall unlocking Quetzalcoatl's Water Magic refine ability in the interim. They had chosen a good spot.

  [Quetzalcoatl: Card Mod 36/40 AP]

  Another came. Then another. Squall kept slashing, with Quistis covering his flank.

  [Quetzalcoatl: Card Mod 40/40 AP. Ability unlocked.]

  A pulse of energy surged through his junction link.

  "Hell yeah," Squall muttered. They fought a few more, Squall turning them all into cards. What the guy in the hallway hadn't mentioned was that he also needed to unlock the Card Refine ability for his GF, too. That would take way longer. Time they didn't have.

  They had looted a fair bit of scales. Water spells shimmered into being, filling his mental inventory.

  "Nice to see you actually care about something for once," Quistis said, smiling sideways.

  Squall didn't respond. He always cared about getting an edge.

  But as another wave of monsters approached, he found himself strangely at ease. The rhythm of battle. The clarity of purpose. This made sense in a way that so little else did.

  Like cards.

  "Ready to continue to the Fire Cavern?" Quistis asked, dispatching one last Fastitocalon-F.

  Squall nodded, checking his junction setup. "Ready."

  As they walked back to the buggy, Squall felt more confident than he had in months. Between his new cards, junctioned GFs, and freshly stocked magic, he was prepared for whatever came next.

  Even if that meant facing the legendary Guardian Force, Ifrit.