Deckard rounded the corner and threw a quick glance over his shoulder. Griff was still on his tail. Deckard’s mind raced, thinking of an escape. His house wasn't anywhere near here. He’d take the shortcut through the alley and make it to the mall. The guards there wouldn’t let anything happen to him. At least, that was the hope.

  As soon as Deckard turned the corner, out of Griff’s line of sight, he sprinted. Leaving the main road and the safety of a crowd to cut through a dark alley didn't feel like the most brilliant move, but Deckard didn’t hesitate. It was his best shot.

  He burst into the alley, where the dim light barely reached, casting long, eerie shadows against the graffiti-streaked walls. The only sounds were of his feet splashing in the puddles and his heart drumming in his ears. The air smelled of damp concrete and decay. He was almost there.

  A sharp pain exploded in Deckard’s stomach and knocked the wind out of him. Blinking away tears and gasping for air, he looked up to see Tank grinning down at him, arms crossed and legs planted like tree trunks.

  Should’ve known, Deckard thought grimly.

  Before he could get to his feet, Griff arrived, grinning as he hauled Deckard up by his collar and slammed him against the rough brick wall. “Cough it up, Dexie.”

  “What are you talking about, Griff?” Deckard rasped.

  “The rare card! The one worth 100 credits.”

  100?! Was that how much Pete said Trampling Stampede was worth?! What a sore loser. No wonder these two had come chasing after him.

  “Even if I had something like that, do you think after all these years being bullied that I'd be dumb enough to carry something that valuable?” Deckard shot back, trying to keep his voice steady despite the pain.

  “Search his bag, Tank,” Griff ordered.

  Tank grunted and grabbed Deckard’s bag, roughly flipping it upside down. Books and papers spilled out, scattering across the dirty alley floor. Deckard grinned to himself despite the fear gnawing at him.

  He never carried his cards on days when his mom couldn’t pick him up from school. He never wore glasses on those days either, opting for contacts instead. Habits gained from a lifetime of being bullied. Let them search; they’d find nothing, and he’d have pristine glasses to wear tomorrow.

  “There’s nothing here,” Tank growled as he rifled through the contents.

  “No way!” Griff said, his hands moving quickly to pat down Deckard’s jacket pockets. “Where is that stupid card?”

  “I told you already,” Deckard said slowly, enunciating every word. “I. Don’t. Have. It.”

  A sharp whistle blew, grating the ears and echoing off the walls of the alley. “You two! Stop right there!”

  Two people approached, running. One of them was a kid their age, taller than Griff and Tank, and the other was an older man in a blue uniform.

  “Over there, officer! Those are the two that were talking about bombing the city hall! Quick!” the younger voice said.

  “Where on earth did Andy find a cop?” Tank said, baffled.

  “Shut up and run, Tank!” Griff barked, taking off without a second glance. Tank hesitated only for a moment before bolting after his friend.

  As the officer gave chase, his belly jiggling with every step, Deckard did the quick math. With those two jerks being on the athletics team and the officer… well, not, it was obvious they’d get away. But for now, at least, he was safe.

  Andy jogged over and knelt to help Deckard gather his scattered belongings. “Those jerks! I thought they’d stopped bugging you.”

  “Yeah, that was before Pete started running his mouth about the epic card I pulled last week. Now they see me as if I were a bank or something.”

  “How did Pete even find out about your Trampling Stampede?”

  Deckard smirked. “I challenged him for his Invisible Shield.”

  Andy chuckled, shaking his head. “You took the card to school? And bet Pete? Maybe you did deserve a couple of those punches.”

  “Well worth it. You should’ve seen that weasel’s face when I took his precious card.”

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  Finally, they finished stuffing everything into Deckard's bag and started walking out of the alley.

  “How did you know they were after me?” Deckard asked.

  “I spotted them trailing you. It didn’t seem right, so I figured I’d follow.”

  “What about the policeman?”

  Andy laughed. “I found him writing traffic tickets down the street.”

  “You lucky duck,” Deckard grinned, but something about Andy’s expression made him pause. “Why are you so smug today? It’s not just because you played the hero,” Deckard said, narrowing his eyes.

  Andy’s smirk widened. “How did you know?”

  “You’ve saved me from bullies before, but something’s different today. What’s going on?”

  Andy looked around, checking to make sure they were alone, and then slowly reached into his pocket. “Check it out, Dex.”

  Deckard’s heart skipped a beat as Andy pulled out a card. His hands trembled as he took it from Andy, the weight of it almost too much to bear. “No… It can’t be,” he whispered, his voice shaking.

  Andy shrugged, failing to hide his smug grin. “Got it yesterday. I was waiting for the right time to tell you.”

  Deckard turned the card over in his hand, revealing the intricate holographic animation of the legendary Tiger Warrior. An armored tiger with glowing red eyes stood majestically, its claws digging into the ground as if ready to pounce. The tiger’s fur shimmered with gold, and every muscle seemed alive as it prepared to strike. On the back, the Nova Cardia logo gleamed.

  For a moment, all Deckard could do was stare. Envy gnawed at him, but it was drowned out by a genuine thrill for his friend. “I think you’re the first person in school to get a legendary card,” he finally said, handing the card back with a grin.

  “Too bad it won’t make me more popular with girls,” Andy joked, though Deckard could hear the false modesty. Plenty of girls already liked Andy, and both of them knew it.

  Deckard shook his head, smiling. “I’d trade places with you in a heartbeat if I could get a card like that—even if it meant all the girls in school would hate me. Imagine having it for the school tournament! You’re going to win it, no question.”

  “Unless I don’t draw it,” Andy replied, a flicker of worry passing through his eyes.

  “Hmm, I suppose you’re right. Even the best card in the world is useless if it’s at the bottom of the deck.”

  Andy paused, his eyes lighting up. “Wait a minute… I just thought of something.”

  “What?”

  “The reward for winning the tournament is a full box, right?”

  “Yeah, so?”

  “Fifty packs, Dex. Fifty!”

  “I know how many packs are in a box, Andy.”

  “Instead of entering the tournament separately, maybe we should combine our best cards and build an unbeatable deck. We’d dominate the whole school with my Tiger Warrior and your Trampling Stampede. That way, even if one of us doesn’t draw the Tiger Warrior, we still have a good chance of winning. Then we can split the packs between us. What do you think?”

  Deckard’s eyes widened. “That's genius!”

  For a moment, the two friends walked in silence, imagining how great it would be to have 25 extra packs of cards. With Deckard's allowance, he could only buy one pack a week, and that was only because Andy’s dad gave him the friends-and-family discount.

  They stepped out of the dark alley and back onto the busy streets. Deckard's mind was settled. “Let's do this, Andy. Can you come over to my house? I’ll give you all my cards, or if you’re willing to wait until Wednesday, my mom will take me and pick me up from school. It should be safe to bring the cards then.”

  “What are you talking about?” Andy shook his head with a grin. “I’m not the one who’s going to play.”

  “What?”

  Andy held out the legendary card to him again. “You’re the one who'll play and get us that box.”

  “But you’re the one who drew it. You should be the one playing,” Deckard protested.

  “I might have the strongest card, but you’re the better player, Dex. You’ve always been better at building decks.”

  Deckard hesitated, glancing in the direction Griff and Tank had fled, doubt gnawing at him. “If those two realize I have a legendary card, I’ll be dead meat.”

  Andy slapped him on the back, making Deckard stagger slightly. “Quit the nonsense. I’ve got your back.”

  Deckard chuckled despite himself. It was true—since they’d become friends last year, bullies had mostly left him alone. “Alright. I’m in.”

  “Great! Start thinking about the best possible deck we can assemble with our cards. I'm already late to help my dad at the store, but I’ll come over tonight with my other cards, and we can do some mock battles.”

  “Oh, man! We’re going to be invincible!”

  Andy chuckled, fist-bumping him. “What are you talking about, dude? We already are.”

  As Andy left, Deckard watched him go. He couldn’t wait to get home and start building the ultimate deck. His mind was already racing with ideas, different combinations, and strategies.

  Clutching the legendary card close to his chest, he broke into a run, eager to prepare their game plan.

  *

  After hours of trying different combinations, Deckard narrowed it down to three possible decks. He knew most of Andy's cards by heart, but it was different to write a decklist and actually play with it.

  Andy would bring his collection of cards over at any moment, and they could test the decks out. He couldn’t wait to show his ideas to his friend.

  The sound of the phone ringing barely registered as Deckard focused on the legendary Tiger Warrior card, admiring its artwork.

  There was a knock at the door.

  “Come in,” Deckard called, still focused on the card.

  His mother entered, her eyes red and swollen. Deckard jolted upright, alarmed by her expression. “Mom, are you okay? What’s wrong?”

  She didn’t respond immediately, sitting on the edge of his bed, staring at the floor.

  Deckard’s stomach twisted into a painful knot. “Mom?”

  “Honey… I…” Her voice broke, and she took a deep breath. “Andy was on his way to his father's store, and a truck… it lost control. He… there was nothing the doctors could do.”

  The world froze. Deckard’s mind refused to process the words. “No. He’s coming over. We’re going to play cards.”

  “I’m sorry, honey. Andy is gone.”

  The sentence stunned Deckard. Andy died while he was on his way to his dad's store. That was after they talked.

  The Tiger Warrior fell from Deckard’s hand, landing on the floor face up. Tears clouded Deckard’s vision as he looked down. The legendary card lay on the floor, its once vibrant glow dimming under the weight of a loss no deck could ever replace.

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