Nakadai Ginko

*Nakadai Ginko* is a recurring supporting character. In pre-Discord Vanguard RPs, she was initially a minor antagonist and developed into a major protagonist, alongside Suenami Midori. In Seaside, she served a supporting role. Despite her minor role, she's a relatively important character in the setting, as her interactions with Midori helped create the landscape for Seaside's setting.

## Personality

A misanthrope with a dour personality. Midori and her aunt, Suenami Murasaki, are almost the only people Ginko treated as actual human beings, although she was surprisingly kind to her adopted daughters. Ginko was a raging alcoholic when she was younger, which Midori helped to break her out of.

Despite that, she has a heart-melting smile. When she was much younger she was very sweet, but her bad experiences damaged her.

## Biography

### pre-Discord

Nagi was used as a minor antagonist in early Vanguard RPs, although she started to mellow out after Midori began sheltering her from the elements. Initially she mostly tolerated Midori, but their apparent attraction to one another, sexually and otherwise, eventually lead to her acknowledging her emotional attachment.

In her youth, Nagi (then Ginko) was a Vanguard child prodigy, and rose to the top of its championship circuit in Japan before her 10th birthday. Her parents were killed in a car accident when she was young, and the traumatic event awakened Ginko's latent PSYQualia abilities. Suenami Murasaki took notice of her abilities after hearing rumors about an unbeatable young girl, and eventually adopted her, becoming her guardian.

Nagi was responsible for initially gifting Midori with PSYQualia, as part of Murasaki's plan to find suitable cardfighters to employ against Void. Unfortunately, Midori was one of only two people Nagi could find who were worthwhile candidates, and Midori just barely so. Nagi used her PSYQualia abilities while she was searching, causing Uminari City to be hit by a series of freak weather events, up to and including hurricanes.

During the Dimensional Quake, Nagi was possessed by Void, who used her as a vessel for a final challenge with Murasaki's chosen team. Ultimately, her affection for Midori allowed her to suppress Void's possession, giving Midori a window of opportunity to win an otherwise losing game.

When Midori ascended the Suenami Zaibatsu, Ginko married her, although that was kept secret and Ginko didn't officially take the family name, only using it in casual settings. She worked as Midori's secretary, and despite her bad attitude, things still managed to get done.

### Seaside Rumble

Ginko was referenced by Suenami Ryuko to Azure Talon, described alongside Midori as a 'monster'. She didn't make a direct appearance at any time in Rumble, only occasionally speaking on the phone.

### Seaside Ride 1

Ginko, in her 'Nagi' persona, trained Takahara Akahito in Vanguard, and participated on his team during the ill-fated Vanguard Tournament. Like Midori, she didn't lose any of her games, but her team was still defeated in the quarter finals.

### Seaside Rumble 2

Ginko made her largest appearance at the end of Rumble 2, where she arrived to prevent Loptr from Devouring a weakened Azure Talon, at Midori's request. She used her PSYQualia to Realize her cards and engaged Loptr with a Buster Blader deck; when she was defeated, she used the last of her strength to collapse a building on herself and Loptr's avatar, denying the Devourer a warm meal and delaying her further, giving Midori time to arrive.

After the Universal Reset, due to Loptr never becoming unsealed, Ginko survived and remained with Midori.

## Abilities

Ginko was a child prodigy of Vanguard, rising to the top of the professional circuit before her 10th birthday. During Ride, she demonstrated that she was still near-unbeatable, even without access to the abilities she had in her youth. Like Midori, Ginko was also raised to fight, although she prefers to fight dirty, and carried a stun gun at all times; that tendency was passed on to Ryuko.

### PSYQualia

Ginko was the original holder of the PSYQualia ability possessed by Suenami Midori, and, unlike Midori, was able to share fragments of her power with other people. Ginko's ability, to manipulate her deck or simply know what was coming, is more in line with canonical depictions of PSYQualia, and she lacks Midori's tremendous physical abilities. When possessed by Void, however, her abilities skyrocketed; when she was defeated and Void exorcised, Midori absorbed a significant portion of Ginko's own abilities in addition to Void's, weakening Ginko's abilities. During her duel with Loptr, however, she demonstrated the ability to Realize her cards and inflict real damage on the surroundings, which she used to delay Loptr further despite her defeat.

## Relationships

### Suenami Midori

Midori met Ginko in her assumed identity as Nagi during pre-Discord RPs and developed a soulmate-like relationship with her, which occasionally overrode her better judgment and interfered with other relationships. The two seemed to be drawn to one another, falling apart and meeting again as if by fate. Their relationship allowed Midori to defeat Void, who was possessing Nagi, as Nagi's affection for Midori allowed her to briefly overpower Void's control, creating an opening for Midori to exploit. After Midori ascended the Suenami Zaibatsu, she married Ginko, although this was kept secret from the world at large.

During Seaside, Ginko acted as Midori's secretary, for better or worse. Midori refused to show any grief over her loss publicly, but mourned her intensely and privately for months afterwards.

### Suenami Murasaki

Murasaki was Ginko's guardian after the death of her family, and helped her to hone her skills with PSYQualia and in Vanguard. Murasaki is one of the few people that Ginko will listen to and even let order her around. Ginko doesn't necessarily respect her, but she holds Murasaki in great esteem, as a child would a parent.

### Suenami Aoi

Ginko and Aoi interacted more in Aoi's childhood, where Ginko helped her hone her native PSYQualia abilities with more technique than Midori could. Aoi's quiet, somewhat dour personality appears to have been inherited from Ginko, although Aoi takes more after Midori. Unlike Midori, who treated Aoi as an equal, Ginko tried to be more of a mother to her, passing on what she learned as Murasaki's ward.

### Suenami Ryuko

Ryuko takes more after Ginko than Aoi does. Unlike Aoi, who puts on a dour front, Ryuko is actually an introvert, although Ginko is the one who helped to bring her out of her shell. Ryuko was taught to fight by Midori, but Ginko is the one who taught her to win. Although Ryuko is mildly scared of her, Ginko tended to dote on her.

### Takahara Akahito

Ginko mentored Akahito in Vanguard during Seaside Ride 1, and supported him in the tournament. Despite her demeaning attitude towards him, she was genuinely impressed by his determination and willingness to put up with her strict (read: mean) teaching style. The two didn't become friends, though, and didn't meet again after the ill-fated tournament.

## Decks

### pre-Discord

In her youth, Ginko played a Kagero deck. When she met Midori, she had switched to playing a Gold Paladin deck centered on Spectral Duke Dragon. When possessed by Void, she played a Liberator deck.

### Seaside

During Seaside Ride 1, Ginko played a Kagero deck centered on Dragonic Nouvelle Vague against Akahito, and used an Eraser deck with a similar premise in the tournament. At the end of Seaside Ride 2, she played a Buster Blader deck against Loptr, although she lost.