Never before have Cardcaptors fought in such a manner... Only time will tell if they ever will again.
On this battlefield, you are not only fighting a Clow Card, but its captor as well. It requires more strategy than any normal Clow Card capture. It is a lightning-quick, winner-takes-all fight. It is.... THE ULTIMATE CHALLENGE!

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The stadium burst with cheers as the lights went down. The competition was about to start.

Someone walked out onto the sand-covered stadium area, and a spotlight shone down on them. That "someone" was none other than Whiskin, a Cardcaptor whose face showed the signs of age, but whose body was light and quick-looking. She was clad in her old capturing outfit- shocking pink, silk robes, with a white moon on the front. Her capturing device- a fairy-type wand with a yellow star on top and two pink and white ribbons coming down from it- was clutched tightly in her left hand. In her right hand was a microphone. As she began to speak, the fans in the stadium became deathly silent.

She began, "I was once a great Cardcaptor. But that time is over. It is time for new faces to rise up and assume greatness. And so, I welcome you, one and all, to... The Ultimate Challenge!"

The crowd cheered once again, as Whiskin reached into her pocket with her wand hand and drew out a card, which she threw in front of her. It hovered there.

"Shield card," she shouted, raising her wand and twirling it in her fingers like a baton, "Release and dispell!" She brought the wand down with a great swish of her arm, and the tip landed on the card, which began to glow. A huge, transparent shield went up all around the stadium area. This was to protect the audience, should anything go awry.

"And now," announced Whiskin, "Let us meet the challengers!" The spotlight moved to a door on one side of the stadium.

"Hailing from the plant Namek, the youngest of our challengers. He fights with the help of the Dash card... Dende!"

As the crowd cheered, a small green figure wearing purple parachute pants and a purple cape walked out onto the stadium. On closer examination, one would see that he had had two antennae on his head. Dende walked behind Whiskin and stood there.

"She describes herself as funny, nice, smart, and helpful, but she may need more than that to win. She fights with the Erase card. Please welcome... Kity!"

Once again, the crowd cheered. A young girl wearing a silky outfit and carrying a wand walked out into the stadium, waving to the crowd. She too walked behind Whiskin and stood next to Dende.

"This next challenger is a demon seeking to gain power from the Clow Cards. He possesses and fights with the Fight card... Gouki!" A tall boy carrying a large fan strutted into the stadium amid the cheers that rose at the mention of his name. He was wearing a long, dark blue velvet coat. Underneath that he had on a white shirt, gray pants, and black boots. He stood next the Kity.

"And now for a treat, folks." Whiskin said when the crowd had died down, "A young boy whom, I think, none of you were expecting to see tonight. The descendant of Clow Reed himself, fighting with the Thunder card... Li Syaoran!"

The crowd was even louder than before. Li stepped out into the stadium wearing his robes and carrying his sword. He stood next to Gouki. "The next challenger is our oldest, at 21 years of age. We'll see if his experience can help him in this competition. He battles with the Mirror card... Mitsirigi!"

A young man wearing a turquoise vest with a white t-shirt underneath, sweat pants, and boots, carrying a shining silver samurai katana, walked out and stood next to Li, while the crowd once again welcomed the challenger with cheers.

"Challenger number six... He was a student at the Academy of Magic for three years, and he will use the Sword card for this competition. Please welcome... Locke!"

Once again, the crowd burst into cheers. Locke, a teenager wearing fighting robes and carrying a fire spear walked proudly out onto the stadium, waving to the crowd. He stood beside Mitsirigi.

"Our seventh challenger... he first came to Earth to get the seven dragon balls, and in this competition he will be using the Time card. Please welcome... Vegeta!"

A young man wearing a sayin armor outfit walked onto the stadium and stood beside Locke. The crowds applauded for him as well, then quieted down to wait for the final challenger.

"Last, but not least, our eighth and final challenger... She says she loves working with friends and changing outfits. She battles with the Power card... Luna!"

A young girl walked out as the sound of the crowd reached its peak, cheering for both her and all of the challengers. She was carrying a fairy-type wand like Whiskin's. She stood next to Vegeta. Then the whole stadium lit up. The challengers stood there, some standing tall and proud, some grinning, others waving to the audience. "And now," Whiskin said, her eyes shining, "Let the battles begin!"

She walked away from the crowd, toward the announcer's booth. All but Vegeta and Luna walked back out the entrance.

It was time to start.

Continued...


The Ultimate Challenge archive is at http://www.expage.com/tucstory