Playing Your Cards Right

This is it...the final battle.

That's what Matthew keeps telling himself. Not out of melodrama, not because of the dramatic music in the background, but because if he doesn't tell himself this, he might collapse from exhaustion. Karis, Tyrell and Crown have already done so and while Heart has met the same fate, that still leaves her superior to deal with-Spade. Bad guy no. 1. The antagonist. The-...

"Face it kid. You've lost."

...The guy who's determined to follow the path all villains take and mock the protagonist.

"I haven't lost..." Matthew rasps, holding his weapons close to him. "I'll never lose..."

Spade raises an eyebrow. "Wait a minute. You can talk?"

"Yeah...why?"

"Oh, nothing..." the bad guy says, holding his weapons close as well. "Just thought you were meant to be a silent protagonist."

Matthew doesn't know what that means and makes a successful effort not to be distracted by it. Spade's the bad guy, he keeps telling himself, and if things turn out otherwise, that'll be dealt with in a sequel or something. All that matters is defeating him and putting an end to Tsaparang's plans. Eoleo, Harmony and the others are dealing with Club and Diamond. And it's up to him, the protagonist (of what?) to deal with Spade much like Heart was.

"You can't win you know..." Spade murmurs. "I hold all the aces."

"Maybe..." Matthew retorts. "But I've got aces coming out of my sleeves. Just wait till you see what I do when I actually get around to holding them."

"You won't, little boy. I'll have won before you get the chance to."

"Then prove it."

Spade thinks he holds all the cards. Spade thinks he's won. But Matthew knows differently. He knows how to play this game. He knows how to win. And by Sol, he's going to. So when his foe extends his weapons, Matthew does so as well. It's his turn. It's up to him to take the first blow of this final phase of the battle. A battle of epic proportions. A battle that will determine the fate of Weyard. A battle that after an eternity, after reflecting on Spade and everything his 'deck' of comrades stand for, he initiates...

"Got any fives?"

"Go-fish."

A/N

The idea for this came from (at this time of writing) the most recent character reveal for Dark Dawn. Concerning Eoleo...well, can't complain there. But naming the antagonists "Spade" and "Heart" of all things?

...hope we won't have to play cards against them. 0_0