You awake?
Roddy here found you passed out.
Getting you back here and in bed all by myself was a ton of work, y'know?
Is this what you're worried about?
My card—
You're freezing, boy. Your body temperature is way too low.
You should stay in bed.
You work for Theodore, don't you?
You reek of it.
I can tell, you know?
My nose is better than his.
Who are you?
"What you need is manners, grace, and a readiness to risk your life."
I'm a High Card.
I am so blind
Still running
Running out of sight
In the night
I'm feeling goosebumps
Betting against the odds again, I'm being swayed like in a dance
No more Blah Blah Bluff-filled Table
Just tell me how to figure it out
Inside my head, I'm painting the town
Addition is affliction
Something's missing
(Oh you really got me wrong)
I wanna get out so I'm taking a chance
I gotta advance
You know who I am?
I'm a trickster
Just take a chance
Play the game
It sounds insane
Fate smiles at the borderline
Rather than dance to someone else's tune, I wanna dance to my own.
Yea I'm moving like that
Give it a try
Keep on going down
I just need something real
Then we need no fakes
I'll let my soul be wild and free
This is the sleeper train Chris and Finn were aboard.
It's approximately 25 kilometers north of the station where they were to disembark.
It seems they encountered another player.
Any word from them?
Not yet, I'm afraid.
I believe it's safe to say they've met with some sort of trouble.
We should go to Polostick after them!
I agree.
No.
Master Theodore has ordered High Card to be on standby.
But Chris and Finn might be waiting for our rescue.
We're a team, aren't we?
Leo!
No matter what happens, orders must be followed.
Your suit was tailor-made by Wizardsman, I see.
Old Maid Street, huh?
Now then...
you came to steal my card, yet I ended up saving you.
You're a silly player, aren't you?
What did you mean when you said you're a High Card?
It's ancient history.
So there were others before us?
"Us"?
I'm also a High Card.
That's right...
Do you know what happened to the train?
Was there an accident?
More on the sleeper train that made an emergency stop early this morning.
They've found fallen rocks across the rails
just meters ahead of the stopped train.
What exactly led up to the emergency stop remains unclear,
and investigation is ongoing.
I was on that train.
Guys from the Klondike Family attacked us after being tipped off.
And Chris...
Chris?
My colleague from High Card.
He was on the train with me.
Chris from High Card...
Would that happen to be Chris Redgrave?
Er, yeah, that's him.
You're kidding...
My goodness.
Chris—
Come on, come on, come on! What is this?!
What the hell?!
Where's the card?!
Damn it!
Are you sure you searched everywhere?
You should try being more thorough.
I already did that!
Where is it? Where's the card?!
Tell me!
Spill it!
I forgot.
You're making a fool of me, aren't you?
You have been all this time, huh?
Well, not anymore.
I'll be thorough, all right. So get ready for a thorough thrashing.
Now... where's the card?!
Eat up.
Thank you.
But why go out of your way?
Aren't I a nice gal?
It's only natural, you know?
I happened upon you passed out, so I carried you here.
Your clothes were soaked, so I dried them.
You were injured, so I patched you up.
That's just how it goes.
Besides, I'm sick and tired of folks dying in front of me.
Even if they're after my life.
Hey, what are you doing?
Get eating while it's still hot. Warm yourself up from the inside.
Come on.
You wanna go rescue Chris, don't you?
Jeez. You're a handful, aren't you?
You said you were sick and tired of seeing people die...
Did something happen with High Card?
You sound like you know Chris, too.
You show up here.
You're a High Card.
And you're curious about my past.
This could naturally all be a coincidence.
But there must be meaning behind it.
That's what I want to believe.
It's a boring story.
When I first started working as part of High Card...
Let's see... It was about 25 years ago now.
I just kind of enjoyed it.
I felt like I'd become a hero.
I saw my share of danger.
I'd get dragged into fights too.
I was in love with my work as a member of High Card.
It was my life.
But... the trigger was the death of a colleague, who was a messenger.
What are you doing?
Find the player who escaped.
Get going.
I want to stay by his side.
Collecting the cards is our top priority.
Once my mind was seized by a certain thought, I couldn't shake it.
The emotions I tried to ignore started to overflow.
After more than ten years with High Card,
they'd accumulated like dregs at the bottom of my heart.
I had questions about the way Theodore did business and suspicions about Pinochle.
And then...
something decisive happened.
Tyler, how's the kid?
Tyler...
If I use X-Hand with my cards, I can save Chris.
We have to. It's the only way.
I can't allow that.
Theodore!
The king prohibits the playing of cards for personal use.
No one is allowed to break that rule.
Especially not members of High Card.
I'm sure you know this already.
And X-Hand is out of question.
Please, I have to save my son!
Aya, collect his card.
But... this is the only way to save my boy.
Please, I'm begging you to look the other way.
I don't want my son to die.
You're a father too, so you must understand.
Come on, Theodore.
Please... I'm begging you.
Chris is going to die!
It's fate.
Aya.
I'll right this wrong with my own hands.
D-Don't do it!
You're the one who's wrong, Theodore!
Tyler! Now's your chance!
Don't you dare, Tyler!
Play! X-Hand!
Tyler!
Tyler played a hand of four cards to save his son... at the cost of his own life.
I became disenchanted with everything and lost sight of who I was.
I left High Card without telling anyone and wandered the nation.
Eventually, I found my way here and settled in.
With this fella.
Back then, I thought I was in the right.
I was sure Theodore was wrong.
But as a result, Tyler died.
With X-Hand, the bigger a hand is, the stronger it becomes.
And the bigger the hand is, the greater the toll on the player.
Playing four cards killed Tyler.
If Tyler hadn't used X-Hand, he'd still be alive.
But then, Chris would have...
I don't regret what I did.
But looking back, I'm not sure whether I or Theodore was right.
The jack of clubs...
Aya Tawawa's card has yet to be collected.
Sir.
The Klondikes intercepted the train bound for Polostick.
We've lost contact with Chris and Finn, who were en route to collect it.
I'm worried.
Get on with it.
Sir.
For a jokester, you're made of pretty tough stuff, huh?
Man, I've had enough of this.
Just fess up and tell me where the card is.
Come on. Tell me.
Wh-Where did...
Huh?
...the other one go?
You mean Alex?
He's looking for your partner who fell in the river.
We're trying to move up in the family,
so he won't be letting your friend get away.
We'll take his card...
even if it's off his dead body!
How are you feeling?
All better. I can move now.
Thank you.
Aren't I a nice gal?
Theodore has left me alone for over a decade.
And now he sends a new High Card to collect my card.
Just as the next king-to-be is assassinated,
the capital is under martial law, and the whole nation is in crisis.
Aya...
I know.
If you were in my shoes, what would you have done?
I joined High Card because I wanted to save Sun Fields.
I collect cards because it's my job.
I don't have any sort of guiding belief or ideals.
But if something like that happened to me...
I'd work my ass off!
I like you.
I said what I had to say.
I trust you to draw your own conclusions, boy...
Finn Oldman of High Card.
There you are.
A player!
Roddy, you go and hide.
Finn! My card!
Play!
"Coming Home"!
Whoa!
"Coming Home" lets me pull anything in my field of vision toward me.
Incredible...
Oh, boy.
I haven't run like that in years.
One more card...
Jeez, this is so tiring.
Tch, he moved to an open area...
Damn it! What gives?!
Roddy!
Chris!
I'm glad you are okay!
That wound... Aren't you going to heal it?
Here.
Thanks.
Is that boy Chris?
With this...
Hey!
I've collected Aya's card according to plan.
You get the other player's?
Knock that off!
We collected the card.
Our mission's complete.
Chris?
I didn't want you to know.
I'm sorry, Finn.
We move on, kicking away a crisis
Dare to cause a dramatic upset
To those of you in the safe zone who hate to rock the boat
Over here, I'm barely surviving today
In exchange for my MP
I can't cool down this burning passion
Bring it, weak-ass monsters!
With that said, my knees are shaking
But I still dream on
Because I don't want to make myself a liar
(Are you all ready?)
And don't be afraid
Let's get sassy
I'm sharpening the senses I lost
Repeating a desperate act to get in the zone
We move on, welcoming any phenomenon
I challenge myself on the lifeline I run on
Please let it slide if I take a huge tumble
I smile as I go, dedicating my whole life
That's why I get serious
So I can leave my tracks
Shake up the destiny in my hand
Next time: "CHRIS."