To better prepare Gao for the ABC Cup, Baku and Kuguru construct a new deck that gives Gao more defensive options, especially with the addition of the card Thunder Knights, Halberd Dragon. However, Gao does not like the idea of using others to protect himself and rejects the deck. As the group leaves school, Baku bumps into someone and drops his card case, but that person picks it up for him. The next day, Baku tells Gao that his original deck has been stolen by that person he bumped into before: Jin Magatsu, a shady 7th-grade student from Aibo Academy. Gao and his friends track down Jin, who will only return the deck if Gao beats him in a Buddyfight. So, with the new deck, Gao fights against Jin, who is using the original deck. When Gao is pushed to a corner, he eventually comes to realize from Halberd Dragon that everybody has something that they must do; in Halberd Dragon's case, it is to protect Gao. So, with Halberd Dragon's defensive ability to shield him from attacks, Gao manages to defeat Jin. After the fight, it is revealed that this entire fiasco was just an act set up by Baku, Kuguru, Kiri, and Jin, who returns the deck back to Gao. Having also realized his friends' efforts into making the new deck, Gao apologizes to them and accepts the newly named "Soleil Dragon Deck". Then, Jin reveals that he will participate in the ABC Cup along with Team Seifukai, Magoroku, and Suzuha Amanosuzu, the rich daughter of the large Amanosuzu company's founder. Despite the appearance of new opponents, Gao welcomes the challenge.