Chapter 2932 - YuGioh 20

You immediately tense as soon as Blondie opens his mouth, while you could sense 'something' from the five lackeys; they were practically drops in the ocean compared to the dark aura emanating from him.

…

…

…

…So what? If he tried anything, you'd put him in the ground all the same.

"Heh, I'm always happy to make time for fans, though something tells me you're not gonna ask me to sign your Duel Disk." You scoff as you slowly bring up your Duel Disk.

Blondie just chuckled at that, completely unconcerned as he continued to speak as if you were just old friends having a chat.

"Ah, I may take you up on the offer; an autograph from the King of Games would probably fetch a high price." He said with a grin that only grew as you glared at him all the harder. "But first I suppose we should get the business out of the way."

He stepped forward at that before waving his arm, as if dismissing his followers behind him.

"I'm aware you've already spoken with my… 'boss' but he can be so inelegant, can't he? It'd be such a shame if we skipped right to such uncouth methods of getting what we want if, instead, we could simply find an accord through a dialogue, so how about we all head back to our base of operations, and we can discuss this over drinks?" He asked with what some may claim is a charming grin as he held his hand out to you.

You just click your tongue at that. Offended this fucker really thought that'd work on you.

"You can cut the BS, Mr. Nice Guy act, asswipe. I already told Marik to go fuck himself, and like hell my answer would change just cause some underling asked, so how about we skip the pleasantries?" You say with a click of your tongue as you continue to glare over at the pompous dick.

In response, Blondie just sighs as if disappointed, though it doesn't last long before a smirk comes to his face.

"...Ah well, nobody can say I didn't try. Though this may be for the best in all honesty, I'm not sure if I'd have been able to hold my friends here back for that long~" Blondie purrs as you finally turn your attention from him to look at his lackeys, each of them staring daggers at your Millennium Ring with a familiar intensity, well, all except the big guy for some reason, who instead was just grinning over at you, staring you right in the eye.

…Well, you had a pretty good idea who these fuckers were now.

"Ha! Now you're speaking my language! How 'bout I put each of you in the ground right now?! I've been meanin' to hunt down those XIII of yours anyway! All you've done is save me the trouble of hunting you down!" You call out with a grin as you activate your Duel Disk, each of the weaklings swiftly following your cue.

Heh, now to show these assholes why you were the king—

"Enough!"

You're startled by a sudden shout from behind you, quickly turning so your back is against the alley wall as to see who had suddenly called out while keeping Blondie and his gang in your sights.

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…Tch! Three more of the fuckers? It made sense, you suppose; they probably assumed you would try to run and had tried to block your escape.

But it didn't matter, six or nine the only people in this alleyway with you were dead men!

Though before you could make a comment, it seemed Blondie was one step ahead of you.

"Ah, Celestia, how good to see you! I suppose I should have expected you to intrude; you could never mind your own business after all." Blondie sighed as he stepped back, for some reason deactivating his Duel Disk.

The strangely familiar woman just glared at that for some reason, pure hatred in her eyes as she looked at Blondie.

"...Don't address me so casually, monster; if you wish to try and claim Hades, you will have to go through me first." She hissed at blondie who just grinned in response.

"...Ah, I'm hurt, truly, but the time for our battle is not yet at hand. So I suppose I can spare you for now." With that, he suddenly turned and began to walk away, though he stopped as he noticed his lackeys weren't following, still enraptured by your Ring. "...Did you all not hear me? We're leaving."

The one in the more elaborate purple cloak stepped forward at that, outrage in her voice.

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"But Lucian! All of our targets are here! If we take them now, then all we have to do is find Ami and the kid and then hunt down Poseidon—!"

Suddenly and without warning, an unfathomably heavy weight fell over the alley, bringing everyone to their knees except for you, Blondie, and the big dude along with the newcomers at the mouth of the alley, and even you felt yourself nearly buckle for a moment before drawing upon the power from your Ring and Scales.

"Oh, Lyra, I truly do appreciate your enthusiasm, but I shan't condone disobedience. I shall forgive it this once since clearly it comes from a well-intentioned place of wanting to help me fulfill my dream, but next time you disobey, then I suppose I shall have to find a new user for Apollo…" The now-named Lucian said coldly as he glared down at the purple-robed woman, who was obviously struggling to breathe under the full brunt of whatever the hell he was doing.

The cloaked figure with the moon Duel Disk crawled his way over to her, obviously struggling before holding out his hand.

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"W-We know Lucian! We understand! She was just a bit too enthusiastic like you said! We'll leave!" The dude practically begged as the girl began to gasp, desperately trying to suck in a breath.

Just as suddenly as it arrived, the weight left, Lucian just smiling down at the begging man.

"Ah, always so sensible, Caelum. I've always liked that about you. Now pick up your sister and follow me, Axel. Get Lily; it looks like she couldn't handle the pressure." Lucian orders before turning and making his way further into the alley as the dude begins to get to his feet, helping the purple woman up as they follow him.

The big guy grunted at that, reaching down and grabbing what you were pretty sure was just a kid and throwing her over his shoulder.

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"...Tch, and I thought we were about to have a good time; what a shame." Though before he turns to leave, the big dude turns to you, a massive grin on his face. "Still, it's not all bad, I suppose; it just means you and me get to have a more intimate one-on-one encounter later, Yuzuki! I'm looking forward to it!" The big guy said with a joyful laugh before turning and walking away, though not before kicking the remaining member of their little posse in the side, who was still collapsed on the ground.

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"Get up, pipsqueak; the boss ain't gonna be pleased if you fall behind, so get your ass moving." The big dude said with a grunt but otherwise ignored the collapsed man as he followed Lucian along with the other two as the dude's eyes widened at that, quickly scrambling to his feet and chasing after them.

"I-I'm coming!"

…

…

…

…Fuck!

That's the only thing that comes to your mind as you see Lucian and his little band leave, desperately trying to come up with some justification as to why you let them leave that wasn't just the fact a part of you wasn't sure you'd have managed to come out of that encounter unharmed.

You turn to the intruders, glaring at them as you grit your teeth.

"I had it handled! If it weren't for you all spooking them off, I'd have won that!" You hissed at them as you kicked a nearby can into the wall.

The GILF—wait, that sort of rang a bell—sighed at that and slowly approached you.

"I apologize. I acknowledge your skills as a great duelist, but nevertheless, I'm afraid even you would not have been able to defeat them all alone; that thing is—"

You cut her off as your eyes widen, snapping your fingers as you finally remember where you'd seen her before.

"I remember you! You were watching me at BurgerWorld!"

The woman blinked at the sudden interruption but nevertheless nodded.

"Yes, I believed it best to try and get a read on you before approaching so me and my aides here have been observing you since your Duelist Kingdom victory, though we have only managed to view a few of your tournament runs in person." She suddenly clicked her tongue as if she'd realized something.

"Ah, I apologize; we've yet to introduce ourselves, haven't we? My name is Celestia Rosier; it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance." She said elegantly with a slight dip of her head.

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"— This is Roland Forge." She gestured to the fat man with a walking stick.

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He just grunted at that and nodded to you but otherwise did not respond.

"And this is Cassandra Vale, ex-head of the Industrial Illusions Rare Card Authentication and Preservation unit." She finished gesturing to the silver-haired woman in a mask.

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"A pleasure, Mr. Yuzuki. I was impressed by your efforts in Duelist Kingdom; I would never have imagined anyone would have been able to defeat Mr. Pegasus." She said respectfully with a slight dip of her head.

Hmm, you didn't recognize either of them, which made sense for the fat ass, but you were shocked you didn't recognize the woman; maybe she was a bit more subtle?

Still…

"Whatever, it doesn't change the fact I didn't need your help here." You grunt out, eyes darting back to where the others had left, wondering if you could potentially go find them and finish this thing…

Celestia brought your attention back to her with a sigh, stepping forward and placing a hand on your shoulder.

"I understand your frustration, truly I do, but to try and face them all together would be the height of foolishness. How about you join the rest of us back at our headquarters so I may explain the whole situation?"

…A part of you was tempted to blow her off and go after them against her advice, but you supposed more information was never a bad thing.

…

…

…

And if they tried anything? Well, you'd be walking away with three more XIII in your collection.

-x-X-x-

You didn't make much conversation on the way to their "headquarters." You were still too tense after your previous encounter, and the others had obviously picked up on it.

As you followed them through a side street and descended a flight of stairs, you found yourself growing more and more on edge, increasingly convinced this was going to end in violence. But as you approached the door, two muffled voices drifted through from the other side.

"We have to go! What if they're in trouble and need our help?!"

"...Well, like, for one, that's not my problem. I only stopped you from running off and getting yourself killed 'cause I felt like it. And if they needed help from a brat like you, they're probably fucked anyway."

As the others stepped inside, you were greeted by the sight of an admittedly cozy-looking bar. A beautiful girl lounged at one of the tables while some brat dressed in a DIY superhero costume paced back and forth, looking about ready to wear a groove into the floor. The moment all of you entered, he spun toward Celestia, his eyes lighting up.

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"Ms. Celestia! You're back!"

He threw himself forward, wrapping his arms around her in a hug. She returned it without hesitation, looking down at him with a maternal smile as she gently patted the top of his helmet.

"There, there, Hiro. I told you we would be fine, did I not? Have I ever lied to you?"

She comforted him softly before giving his shoulder a gentle squeeze, her expression turning slightly more serious.

"...And what's this I hear about you trying to run off?"

The kid immediately began to stammer, only for the gorgeous girl at the table to casually speak up, idly twirling a strand of hair around her finger.

"Found the twerp trying to trail after you or somethin', so I grabbed him and dragged him back here."

She sounded utterly bored throughout the entire explanation.

Celestia smiled warmly at the girl, unconsciously pulling Hiro a little closer after hearing how much danger he'd apparently been in.

"...Ah, Ami. It is good to see you again, my dear, and you have my eternal gratitude for keeping Hiro safe."

Ami simply rolled her eyes, setting her phone down before leaning back in her chair.

"...Don't get the wrong idea. My answer about joining your little club's still the same. Just would've been inconvenient if I'd let the brat get you all killed trying to help. Then Lucy and his gang would've been free to focus all their attention on me."

As soon as she finished speaking, her gaze shifted to you, slowly traveling up and down your body.

...You might've felt exposed if you didn't have to deal with Ruby doing the same thing every day.

"So, Makoto Yuzuki in the flesh. Looks like Granny and her little gang managed to save your ass before Lucy got to you."

Your pride immediately flared.

"Tch! More like they got in the way! If they hadn't interrupted, Blondie and his little posse would've been dead in an alley by now!"

You slammed your hand down onto the table as you spoke, thoroughly offended by the implication that you'd needed saving.

Ami didn't seem to hear a word of it. Her attention had already drifted elsewhere, her eyes fixed squarely on the Ring hanging around your neck.

"...That's a snazzy piece of jewelry you've got there, cutie. Don't suppose there's anything~ I can do to convince you to part with it?"

She purred as she reached out, practically molesting the Ring as she played with its prongs.

Before you had the chance to respond, Celestia stepped forward with a quiet sigh and rested a hand atop Ami's head. A pulse of... something... passed between them, and Ami suddenly blinked as though she'd snapped back to reality. She let out an annoyed groan before glaring down at her Duel Disk.

"Urgh, don't do that, stank! We both know the deal—you've gotta ask before trying to come out and play!"

For just a moment, you could've sworn you heard soft, melodic giggling before it faded into silence.

"...Forgive her, Ami. It is simply her nature to become enraptured in the presence of a Millennium Item. Even Hera nearly lost control of herself when I first laid eyes upon it."

Celestia offered the explanation calmly, though Ami simply brushed her hand away.

"Yeah, yeah. I've heard the whole speech before, bitch. No need to give it again."

She picked her phone back up and resumed scrolling as if nothing had happened.

You cleared your throat, drawing Celestia's attention back toward you.

"...So? You brought me here to explain, didn't you? So explain."

You took a seat at one of the nearby tables. With another small sigh, Celestia sat across from you.

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"Well... I suppose before I begin, it would be best to know how much you already understand about the Olympus XIII."

You simply shrugged, leaning back in your chair while offering Cassandra a grateful nod as she passed you what appeared to be a glass of red wine and handed Celestia a cup of tea before returning to the bar alongside Roland.

"I think I've got the basics. The Greeks were at war with Egypt. Egypt had magic, so they won. The Greeks got greedy and did a whole bunch of immoral shit until they made the XIII. A couple thousand years later, Pegasus found them, turned them into cards, and now here we are."

Celestia nodded before taking a delicate sip of her tea.

"Ah, I see. You are mostly correct. However, it was not Pegasus who first discovered them... it was Lucian."

She hesitated on his name, a note of unmistakable anguish creeping into her voice.

"...He was the one who originally uncovered the tablets in Greece. He alerted Pegasus and became his primary aide in transforming the XIII into the cards you know today."

She paused for a moment before continuing.

"Unfortunately, Pegasus deemed them a failure and intended to lock them away for good. But Lucian, who had devoted years of his life to creating them, had become obsessed. He could not bear the thought of all that effort amounting to nothing, so he stole the cards and fled.

"It did not take him long to realize they were far from ordinary. They brought him nothing but misery. Hoping to salvage something from his work, he began selling them one by one to the highest bidders he could find. He nearly succeeded...

"...if not for that man."

She fell silent, taking a slow, shaky breath. Hiro quietly walked over and slipped his hand into hers, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

"You don't have to keep going if you don't want to, Ms. Celestia."

Celestia smiled at him, gently squeezing his hand in return.

"...It's alright, Hiro. I can continue. But thank you for being such a sweetheart."

She took another steadying breath before continuing.

"Now, where was I? Ah... yes. That man. Marik Ishtar."

"I'm afraid I do not know every detail of what transpired, but before Lucian could rid himself of the final Olympus XIII card in his possession, he was approached by Marik and challenged to a duel."

She suddenly swallowed.

"A duel he lost."

"During the duel the last remaining member of the XIII in his possession—Zeus—somehow found its way into him. From there... it twisted him. Corrupted him. Piece by piece, the man Lucian once was disappeared beneath the torrent of that monster's ego until nothing remained."

The warmth in her expression vanished as her eyes hardened with quiet resolve.

"The goal of my friends and me is quite simple. We intend to destroy the thing controlling Lucian and ensure the Olympus XIII can never harm another soul by placing every one of them into responsible hands."

You leaned back in your chair, quietly turning the glass of red wine in your hand as you mulled over everything she'd told you.

"...And? Where do I fit into all this?" you asked before taking a sip. "Am I one of these 'responsible hands?' Or are we gonna have a problem?"

Celestia slowly shook her head.

"...I do not believe so. From what my associates and I have observed, you have not used Hades for any malicious purpose. As long as that remains true, I see no reason for us to come into conflict."

She paused only briefly before leaning forward slightly, conviction burning in her eyes.

"But that is a secondary matter."

"What I truly wish to ask... is whether you would be willing to aid my friends and me in our mission. Help us free Lucian from Zeus' influence and ensure the Olympus XIII never again fall into the wrong hands."

You considered her proposal in silence.

Honestly...

They didn't seem like bad people.

If anything, they seemed almost painfully genuine.

...But none of that changed your plans.

At the end of the day, your goal remained exactly the same.

The Olympus XIII would be yours and yours alone, not for any grand moral reason or the like, or even the fact Ishizu had asked, they were gonna be yours simple because you wanted them.

...

...

...

Still...

There wasn't much point making enemies of them yet.

Blondie and his Rare Hunters were a much more immediate problem, and if these people truly intended to oppose Lucian, then your interests happened to align—for now.

The real question was how you wanted to play this.

You could be upfront about your intentions and risk turning potential allies into enemies before you'd even dealt with the Rare Hunters...

...or you could simply play along for the time being, tell 'em what they wanted to hear and then once the main problem was dealt with turn on 'em.

....Fuck it.

If they took offense, you'd deal with them here and now. Skulking around with lies and deceit wasn't something a champion like you should be bothering with.

You leaned back in your chair, casually taking another sip of your wine before answering her.

"…For the first request? Sure, I can do that. I was already planning on taking down that asshole and his crew. The second one..." You shrugged. "I can sort of do that too, just probably not in a way any of you are gonna like."

"I agree the Olympus XIII should be in the hands of responsible people."

"...I just happen to think the only person responsible enough to wield that kind of power is me."

The atmosphere in the bar instantly grew tense.

Even Ami looked up from her phone.

Before anyone could jump to the wrong conclusion, you quickly raised your hands.

"Not right now, of course. I've got bigger fish to fry in that lunatic and his goons. But afterwards?" A grin spread across your face. "Well... you'll probably be seeing me ag—"

Your words caught in your throat.

A powerful presence suddenly manifested in the center of the room.

It began as little more than a shimmer before steadily taking shape, resolving into the figure of a striking woman who stood in the middle of the bar, glaring down at you with unconcealed disdain.

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"....So, you believe you can claim me from my chosen wielder?"

Her voice dripped with contempt.

"The sheer arrogance on display is truly staggering."

As the spirit—a member of the XIII?—spoke, an immense weight settled onto your shoulders, just like it had back in the alleyway.

You simply grinned.

With a little help from the Ring, you ignored the pressure and rose to your feet, even as Celestia hurriedly stood as well, trying to calm the furious Duel Spirit.

"Yup. That's exactly what I plan to do."

You shrugged, meeting Hera's glare head-on.

"I can respect loyalty and all that, and I swear I won't hurt Celestia. But I've got a mission of my own."

You raise an eyebrow at her, as if daring her to contest your words.

"And that mission ends with every last one of you in my hands."

Hera's glare only intensified.

The pressure steadily increased.

Oh?

She wanted to play a game of chicken?

Well...

You'd never been one to back down from a beautiful woman.

You kept the smirk firmly planted on your face as the crushing aura continued to mount. More and more power flowed from the Ring and the Scales to keep you standing, and before long you felt Hades begin lending his strength as well. Dark energy spilled from your body like thick black fog, filling the room.

Before either side could claim victory in the silent clash of wills, another voice cut through the suffocating pressure.

"Hera! Enough!"

Celestia stepped between the two of you, facing the towering spirit without the slightest hint of fear.

"He is a guest in this place, and I will not allow him to come to harm on my behalf!"

Hera's eyes shifted toward her wielder, though the pressure never relented.

"...You say that knowing he intends to separate us?" she hissed. "I say we destroy him here and now."

Celestia stood her ground.

"No matter his intentions, I invited him here as my guest. Until he gives me reason to believe otherwise, that is how he shall be treated."

Her voice sharpened.

"Now... cease this at once."

For several long seconds, Hera remained perfectly still.

Then, with one final venomous glare in your direction, she dissolved into motes of light.

As the pressure finally lifted, so too did the glow surrounding your Millennium Items.

You let out a chuckle, leaning casually against the table.

"Heh~ What a woman."

You rubbed the back of your neck.

"Looks like your XIII is a lot chattier than my Hades. The guy's spoken to me exactly once since I got him."

Celestia looked at you with open concern.

"...Are you truly alright? I've never seen someone stand so firmly in the face of Hera's fury before."

You laughed, waving the concern away.

"Ha! I'm fine. It wouldn't be the first time I've had to deal with an angry woman. Compared to some of them, that was practically peaceful."

Something about your answer seemed to set Hiro off.

He stepped forward, glaring at you with balled fists.

"How can you be so casual?! You just told us you're going to take our partners, and you're acting like everything's fine!"

You simply shrugged.

"...I mean... it is."

You see his eyes widen as your words even as you continue.

"Like I said, Lucian and his gang come first. Until they're dealt with, I've got no problem working with you guys."

A mischievous grin spread across your face.

"You only need to start worrying afterwards."

Your eyes drifted toward the boy.

"...Unless you want to deal with me now?"

Celestia's eyes widened.

So did nearly everyone else's.

Ami, meanwhile, merely leaned farther back in her chair, silently watching the exchange with narrowed eyes.

Hiro...

Hiro took the bait.

"Fine!"

He roared out as he stepped forward

"If you're gonna be a threat to Ms. Celestia, then I'll deal with you here and now!"

He thrust out his arm, activating his Duel Disk.

Celestia immediately grabbed him by the elbow, trying to pull him back.

"Hiro! Stop this nonsense immediat—"

"Heh."

You cut her off with a grin as your own Duel Disk sprang to life.

"Unfortunately, beautiful, it's far too late for that now."

You held up your arm.

"Battle City's rules say a duelist can't refuse a challenge. If I back down now, it'd be my pride on the line."

Your grin softened into something almost reassuring.

"Don't worry too much, though."

"I promise I'll be gentle~"

Celestia visibly wilted at that, slowly retreating toward the bar as she clasped her hands together.

"...Please."

"Just don't hurt him."

For a moment, your cocky grin faded.

You looked over at her, giving her the most sincere smile you could manage.

"I promise."

"We'll talk more after this."

Then you turned back toward the still-glaring Hiro, your grin returning in full force.

"Alright, kid!"

"Let me show you what happens when you challenge the King!"

-x-X-x-

Hiro begins, drawing and then smirking, immediately NSing Elemental HERO Bubbleman in DEF and activating his effect, allowing Hiro to draw 2.

Hiro the immediately activated "Oath of the Winged Herald" tributing his Bubbleman along with his Avian in hand in order to summon Hermes, Herald of Olympus before setting 1 card and ending his turn.

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You draw and get D.D. Trainer.

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…Okay, shit draw but not like you needed it.

You begin with a smirk, immediately slapping down Coronation and tributing Tri and Germ to summon your brand new monster, Grand Ritual Regent to the field as the crowds eyes widen.

You then immediately activate his effect, tributing the tokens in order to summon your Hades to the field, then using Hades effect to revive Tri-Horn.

You then activate Regents effect again, tributing your newly resurrected Tri-Horn and Sorceress in order to summon Ruin, Supreme Queen of Oblivion!

Next up on the very small possibility he survives whats coming you summon your D.D. Trainer in face-up DEF and set your Crush Card.

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Now~ do you go for the kill or maybe you should play with your food a bit, really try to send a message.

Nah, you still had a tournament to participate in, you couldn't waste to much time here.

You attack with Hades, smirking as it goes through and destroys his Hermes who lets out a squawk of offense once he see's who's attacking him.

You then raise an eyebrow at Hiro as he shakes, telling him THIS is what happened when he tried to play grown-up games, he had to face grown-up consequences.

You then order your Regent and Ruin to blast him with a double attack, wiping out his Life Points in one fell swoop as he falls to his back.

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DUEL WON!

100 DP

A HERO emerges!: Start the duel with Polymerization and the materials to make 1 random Elemental HERO fusion monster in your starting hand.

-x-X-x-

Omake: The HERO's Origin

Honestly, when Tyler suggested you all go explore the abandoned train station—Stephanie said it was because they were building a new one or something, and you trusted her because apparently her mom was really important—you figured it'd be kind of boring.

I mean, it wasn't that old, and it was still on the outskirts of the city, so it wasn't like there'd be wild animals or anything hiding inside. Still, it wasn't as though you had anything better to do.

Dad was probably just drinking again...

You quickly shook the thought from your head and hurried after the others.

"Tyler! I thought you said this was gonna be exciting! There's nothing here!" Marcus whined as you stepped into yet another empty room. It looked like some kind of storage room, maybe. There were rows of old lockers, but anything worth taking had long since been cleared out when the station was abandoned.

"There is! There has to be! There's always something cool in abandoned places in video games!" Tyler shot back as the two immediately began arguing.

...Maybe you all should've just gone to the park instead.

With a sigh, you leaned back against one of the lockers.

The moment you did, a sudden burst of wind exploded from inside it.

"Wah!"

You stumbled backward, landing hard on the floor as the locker door flew open with a loud BANG!, instantly drawing everyone's attention.

"Hiro! Are you okay?!"

Stephanie hurried over and helped pull you back to your feet while you blinked away the tears stinging your eyes after banging your knee.

"Y-Yeah... I'm fin—"

"Whoa!!"

Marcus practically shouted over you as he peered into the now-open locker.

"Look! There's treasure inside! I told you we'd find something!"

He was practically vibrating with excitement as he reached inside and pulled out a small wrapped package.

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"Ooh! Ooh! Let me open it!"

Marcus eagerly reached for it, but before he could, Stephanie snatched the package away.

"No! Hiro found it, so he gets to open it!"

She turned and proudly handed it to you.

Tyler and Marcus grumbled for all of two seconds before immediately crowding around you again.

"Yeah! Open it, Hiro! It might have diamonds inside!"

Your heart started pounding.

What if it actually did have treasure inside?

Carefully, you began peeling back the wrapping.

Before you could get very far, though, a massive hand suddenly reached down and snatched the package right out of your grasp.

"And what do we have here?"

You spun around.

Thomas.

Standing beside him was Adam, another one of the older kids from school.

"Hey! Give that back!" you shouted, stepping toward them. "We found it!"

"Oh? Did you?" Thomas asked with a cruel grin. "Then why am I holding it? Looks to me like I'm the one who found it."

Adam chuckled behind him as Thomas tore open the package.

"Whoa! It's a Duel Monsters card! But I've never seen one like this before!"

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"Heh. I think I'll keep it. It's gotta be some kind of super-duper rare card."

Without another thought, he slid the card into his Deck.

Something about that made your frustration boil over.

That was your card.

"That's not fair!" Stephanie protested from beside you. "We found it, and you know it! It belongs to us!"

Tyler and Marcus quickly joined in, loudly voicing their agreement.

Thomas just laughed.

"Doesn't matter. It's in my Deck now, so that makes it mine."

That was enough.

You marched right up to him and got in his face.

...Well, you tried to.

He was still almost a full head taller than you. You barely came up to his chin.

But that didn't matter.

You knew your growth spurt was coming any day now.

"I'll duel you for it!" you declared, glaring straight into his eyes. "If I win, you give me the card. If you win..."

You took a deep breath.

"...I'll give you my entire Deck."

Behind you, your friends gasped.

Thomas blinked, clearly wondering if he'd heard you correctly.

Then a slow grin spread across his face.

"You're on! This'll be easy, especially now that I've got my brand-new super rare monster!"

He strutted over to one of the nearby tables and confidently slammed his Deck down on top of it.

Adam followed behind him, snickering and egging him on.

Just as you were about to walk over, Stephanie gently grabbed your sleeve.

"...Are you sure about this, Hiro?" she asked quietly, biting her lip. "I heard Thomas's dad is really rich. He probably has a lot of rare cards."

You looked back at her and flashed your biggest, most reassuring grin.

"Don't worry, Steph!"

You gave her a confident thumbs-up.

"The HERO always wins when things look their toughest!"

With that, you marched over to the table, took your seat, and began the duel.

-x-X-x-

...The HERO was very much not winning.

That was the only thought running through your mind as you sat there with a measly 200 Life Points, staring down Thomas' Royal Guard and Turtle Bird. You only had three cards in your hand and nothing on your field as Thomas ended his turn with a smug grin, already assured of his victory next turn.

You bit your lip as you looked down at your hand. Elemental HERO Bladedge, Elemental HERO Necroshade, and H - Heated Heart. Nothing that could help you now.

...Was this it? Did you really talk such a big game just to lose?

...

...

...

...No!

The HERO never lost! Even in the toughest moments, with his back against the wall, the HERO always found a way to pull through!

"Ha! Look at him, Thomas! He's practically shaking with fear!" Adam snickered from his place behind Thomas.

Thomas just grinned.

"Heh! After such a shitty performance, I'm not even sure I'd want your Deck! Maybe when I get home I'll throw it in my dad's paper shredder!" He smirked as he looked over your empty field. "So why don't you hurry up and draw your last pathetic card, Hiro?!"

You gritted your teeth and tore the top card from your Deck.

"My Deck doesn't have any pathetic cards! And I'll show you here and now! I summon my Elemental HERO Clayman in Defense Position!"

You slapped the card onto the table.

Thomas gasped as he leaned over to look at it.

"2000 DEF?! That's bullshit!" he shouted, slamming his hand down on the table.

You couldn't help grinning.

At least you'd bought yourself another turn.

Though the moment Thomas started his turn with that same smug grin, the feeling immediately turned to ash in your mouth.

"Heh! Maybe this was a good thing, since now I get to show off my brand-new card! I activate Oath of the Winged Herald!"

He sent Turtle Bird to the Graveyard before revealing his new monster.

"Now get him, Hermes! Destroy his Clayman!"

You flinched as he declared the attack, already preparing yourself to send Clayman to the Graveyard and accept defeat.

"Hey! You can't do that!"

Without warning, Stephanie stepped forward and pointed at Hermes.

"Your Hermes only has 2000 ATK! It doesn't have enough to beat over Hiro's Clayman!"

You all blinked before quickly looking down at the card.

...Huh.

Why did such a super rare card only have 2000 ATK?

Thomas finally looked at the card himself before letting out an angry groan.

"Urgh! This card's useless! But don't think that means I'm letting you off that easily! I'm still winning this thing!"

He immediately slapped another card onto the table.

"I Tribute Royal Guard and Hermes to summon Despair from the Dark!"

Your eyes widened as the massive monster hit the field.

.

-------------->

.

2800 ATK.

Thomas grinned as he took in everyone's reactions.

"Like it? My dad bought it for me on my last birthday. It's the strongest card in my entire Deck!"

...It was over.

There was practically nothing left in your Deck that could deal with a monster like that.

Maybe...

Maybe it'd just be better to save yourself the embarrassment and concede.

Though before you could reach down and scoop up your cards, you felt a hand gently clasp your shoulder.

Looking over, you saw Steph smiling at you with complete confidence.

"You've got this! I know it! After all..." She giggled. "HEROs always win when things look the toughest, don't they?"

...

Yeah.

Yeah!

You straightened in your seat.

"Yeah! You're absolutely right! I'm gonna win this thing here and now!"

Thomas just rolled his eyes.

"Get real! We both know you don't have anything in your Deck that can stop me!"

You ignored him and drew.

Magic Theft.

...

You blinked as you looked down at the card.

Wasn't this Stephanie's?

How had it ended up in your Deck?

As the realization hit you, you looked over at her with wide eyes.

She simply winked before bringing a finger to her lips.

...

Still...

What should you do with this?

It let you pay half your remaining Life Points to add a Spell Card from Thomas' Graveyard to your hand. He'd used Pot of Greed earlier in the duel, so that was probably your best option.

With that, you slapped the Spell Card onto the table.

"I activate Magic Theft! By paying half my remaining Life Points, I can add one Spell Card from your Graveyard to my hand, and I'll choose—"

Suddenly, you stopped.

For some reason, your eyes drifted away from Pot of Greed and toward the top of his Graveyard.

Hermes.

...

...

...

"...I'll add Oath of the Winged Herald to my hand!"

As your fingers brushed against the Ritual Spell—and Hermes' card atop it—you felt a strange surge of satisfaction.

"Next I activate Oath of the Winged Herald! By Tributing my Elemental HERO Necroshade from my hand, I Ritual Summon Hermes, Herald of Olympus!"

Thomas frowned.

"You can't do that! Hermes is my—"

Without warning, a powerful gust of wind tore through the abandoned station.

Hermes' card suddenly lifted itself out of Thomas' Graveyard before sailing across the room and landing neatly on your side of the field.

Everyone stared in stunned silence.

"Wha—?!"

"Holy shit!"

"Dude!"

You barely heard them.

"Next! Because Necroshade is now in my Graveyard, I can activate his effect! Once while he's there, I can Normal Summon a Level 5 or higher Elemental HERO monster without Tributing!"

You slammed another card onto the table.

"So come on out, Elemental HERO Bladedge!"

For just a split second, you could've sworn you saw the faint image of a towering golden warrior standing atop the card.

Thomas gulped.

But he quickly forced himself to grin again.

"S-So what?! Neither of your monsters has enough ATK to beat over my Despair from the Dark! I still win next turn!"

You just smirked as you held up the last card in your hand.

"Heh~ You won't be getting another turn, Thomas! I activate H - Heated Heart! It gives one of my monsters 500 extra ATK... and I'm choosing Bladedge!"

You watched in satisfaction as Thomas' face paled.

"N-No..."

"Go on, Bladedge! Destroy Despair from the Dark!"

You pointed toward him.

"And now finish him, Hermes!"

"HERO Hurricane!"

The instant the words left your mouth, a genuine hurricane burst into existence around Hermes, roaring across the room before slamming into Thomas and Adam and hurling them into the far wall.

You blinked in surprise.

...That definitely wasn't supposed to happen.

Slowly, you looked back toward Hermes.

Hovering just above the card was the translucent figure of a handsome young man, smiling up at you.

"...Heh."

"I think this is the beginning of a beautiful partnership, kid."

-x-X-x-

As the bell rang, signaling the end of another amazing day at school, you jumped up with a grin, quickly waving goodbye to your friends before making your way toward the exit.

Ever since you and Hermes had formed your partnership, life had never been better! You were more popular, you did better at school, and for some reason even your dad had stopped drinking as much.

Really, life couldn't be better these days, and it was all thanks to Hermes.

Suddenly, you felt the familiar sensation of a hand ruffling your hair beneath your makeshift helmet. Looking up, you saw your partner floating beside you.

.

----------->

.

"Heh~ Careful, bud. Compliment me too much and I might just get embarrassed."

Hermes wore his usual carefree grin as the two of you made your way home.

"But you deserve it, Hermmy! I mean, before you came along my life was so boring, but ever since I met you it's just been..." You trailed off, unable to find the right words for everything he'd done for you.

Hermes' grin softened into a more genuine smile as he looked down at you, a gentle breeze brushing through your hair.

"Heh, I know, bud. Trust me. But even if I'd never come along, things would've gotten better eventually. A heart like yours would've never been content leaving things the way they were."

You couldn't help grinning at that as the two of you continued chatting on the walk home.

But as you passed an alley just a few blocks from your house, you suddenly saw Hermes' eyes widen in panic.

"Hiro! Look out—!"

Before he could finish, something grabbed the back of your cape and yanked you into the alley.

You let out a startled yelp, squirming against whatever had grabbed you before you were suddenly hurled deeper inside, crashing painfully into a nearby wall.

Blinking the tears from your eyes, you looked up to see three cloaked figures standing in front of you.

.

--------->

.

"Well, well, boys. Looks like we've found our target. How 'bout we have ourselves a little chat, kid?"

One of the creeps grinned as you slowly pushed yourself back to your feet with a wince.

"W-Who are you guys?! I don't have any money or anything on me, so just leave me alone!"

You backed against the wall, your eyes darting between the three strangers. Beside you, Hermes hovered protectively, glaring at them.

"...I don't think these guys are after your money, Hiro."

The goons only grinned wider, oblivious to Hermes' presence.

"Well, that's good for you, kid! 'Cause we ain't after your wallet. We're after something a little more specific."

The man casually took another step closer.

"You see, a little birdie told us you might've found something that belongs to us..."

Your eyes widened.

Your hand instinctively shot to your pocket where your Deck rested.

The figures exchanged knowing grins.

"Ah, quick on the uptake! It's always nice dealing with smart people."

The lead figure crouched down, resting his hands on his knees as though trying to meet you at eye level.

"See, that card of yours? It actually belongs to a friend of ours. No need to worry, though! We know you didn't steal it intentionally. A good kid like you? No way."

He spread his hands with a fake smile.

"So how 'bout you come with us and meet our buddy? I'm sure we can all come to an understanding. Hell, you might even get to keep it."

Every word made your skin crawl.

Hermes' glare only hardened.

"As if!" you shouted back. "You really think I'm gonna trust three creeps who dragged a kid into an alley?!"

The lead man let out an exaggerated sigh.

"Ah, well... boss can't say I didn't try. Looks like we're doing this the hard way."

With one swift motion, he threw his cloak back, revealing the strange device strapped to his arm.

.

---------->

.

"W-What's that...?" you asked.

The creep grinned as one of his companions pulled another one of the strange devices from beneath his cloak before tossing it toward you.

"This? This is what we call a Duel Disk. A nifty little invention Seto Kaiba's cooking up that'll let you duel anywhere just like you're standing in a Duel Arena. Ain't on the market yet, but let's just say our boss has... connections."

He chuckled to himself.

"And it's what we're gonna use to take Hermes from you."

...

A portable Duel Arena?

You'd never actually gotten to use one before.

But if these guys were gonna take Hermmy…!

Gritting your teeth, you picked up the Duel Disk and hurriedly strapped it to your arm, fumbling with the controls as you glared at the three men.

"Fine! If you want Hermmy, then come and try to take him! I bet I could beat all three of you clowns at once!"

...

Why were there so many buttons?!

"Oh? How scary." The man smirked. "Especially coming from a XIII User. I suppose if you're gonna be so gracious..."

He stepped back as his two companions moved forward, both of their Duel Disks springing to life as well.

Your eyes widened.

"W-What?!"

"Why the surprise?" the leader chuckled. "You said you could take all three of us at once. Now put your money where your mouth is, kid."

Before you could answer, you felt Hermes materialize beside you, resting a reassuring hand on your shoulder.

"...Hiro, I know you don't wanna hear this, but you can't win this. I'm gonna make a distraction, and then I need you to run."

Before Hermes could finish laying out his plan, all of your attention was stolen by another figure slowly walking into the alley.

"...Teaming up against defenseless children now? Truly, you all grow more wretched by the day."

An elderly woman calmly approached the three men.

Your eyes widened.

.

------------>

.

She could get hurt!

You had to do something—

Before you could act, the lead Rare Hunter turned toward her with a grin.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't the traitor herself~ Out for a little stroll, Celestia? Staying in shape in your age?"

"...I was," the old woman replied with a quiet sigh. "Unfortunately, this beautiful day has now been ruined by the sight of you three."

She looked at them as though they were little more than a nuisance.

"Now run back to your master with your tails between your legs. If you wish to lay even a finger on the boy, you'll first have to go through me."

"Heh~ I'm sure the boss'll be thrilled if we drag back not one but two members of the XIII."

His grin widened.

"So I'll gladly take you up on that offer. But if you want to take the brat's place, you've gotta accept the same conditions."

He spread his arms toward his companions.

"All three of us... against you."

Your eyes widened.

Without thinking, you rushed forward and grabbed the old woman's hand.

"Just run, miss! I can take these guys on my own! You don't have to get hurt because of me!"

You stopped as you felt a gentle hand rest atop your helmet.

Looking up, you found her smiling down at you with the kindest, warmest smile you'd ever seen.

.

------------->

.

"...It will be alright, dear."

Her voice was impossibly gentle.

"Just sit back... and allow me to handle this."

She stepped past you, and only then did you notice the Duel Disk strapped to her arm.

"Ha! Now that's what I like to hear!"

The lead Rare Hunter laughed as he activated his Duel Disk.

"Let's duel!"

The lead Creep wasted no time, immediately drawing a card adding it to his hand and grinning.

"Heh, it just ain't your day, Celestia! To start things off, I'll activate my Level Limit - Area B! As long as this card is face-up on the field, all Level 4 or higher monsters are immediately switched to Defense Position!"

He slapped down another card.

"Next up, I'll activate Wave Motion Cannon! This bad boy's a special little treat I 'acquired' recently. For each of my Standby Phases it stays on the field, it gains a charge. Then I can destroy it and inflict 1000 damage to you for each charge it's built up!"

A third card hit the Duel Disk.

"Lastly, I'll set two cards face-down and summon Giant Soldier of Stone in Defense Position!"

You felt your heart begin to sink at the thug's opening move, and it only got worse as his friends' turns began.

"Ha! Great opener, boss! I think I'll follow it up by activating Vengeful Bog Spirit and Dark Room of Nightmare! Then I'll set one card and end my turn!"

The second Rare Hunter finished with a grin.

"You're finished now, bitch! I activate Burning Land! During each Standby Phase, the turn player takes 500 damage! But that's not all!"

Another card slammed down.

"I'll also activate Chain Energy and end my turn!"

Your eyes widened as you finally realized what they were doing.

"Hey! You can't do that! You obviously built your Decks to support him!"

The lead Rare Hunter just shrugged.

"...So what? No rule says we can't. Now hurry up and take your turn, Celestia, so I can finish this."

You gritted your teeth and nearly rushed at him, only to stop as Celestia gently rested a hand on your shoulder.

"...It is quite alright, dear. They would need to do much better than this if they hoped to defeat me."

She actually giggled.

You stared at her.

Was she crazy?

No one could look at a field like that and be so calm.

As she drew her card, flames erupted from Burning Land.

The thug immediately grinned.

"Hope you didn't forget about my Burning Land, you old crone! And thanks to Dark Room of Nightmare, you'll take another 300 damage!"

You instinctively stumbled backward as the flames rushed toward her.

Celestia merely sighed as the fire washed over her, lowering her Life Points by 800.

"...How truly wretched. There truly is no hope for you."

And with that, she calmly selected a card from her hand and placed it into her Duel Disk.

"To begin, I shall activate Marriage of the Gods. By Tributing my Infernal Flame Emperor, I may call upon my dear partner."

A warm smile spread across her face.

"Come forth, Hera, Queen of Connections."

Suddenly, a brilliant flash of light exploded across the field.

You were knocked onto your butt as the alleyway lit up like a miniature sun.

Blinking the spots from your eyes, you looked up and saw an absolutely gorgeous woman standing in the center of the field.

.

---------------->

.

".....I suppose dealing with these scum is an appropriate use of my time, very well Celestia! Let us destroy these dogs!"

The men hissed and shielded their eyes, but seemed unable to hear to gorgeous woman.

"Hold up!" one of them shouted. "I hope you didn't forget about Chain Energy! You activated a Spell Card, so you lose another 500 Life Points! And another 300 because of Dark Room!"

A dark crimson glow engulfed Celestia for a moment, lowering her Life Points yet again.

She didn't seem remotely concerned.

Instead, she gave the man a mildly condescending look.

"...Are you quite finished?"

The thug scowled.

"If so, I shall continue."

She gestured toward her Extra Deck.

"Marriage of the Gods possesses a second effect. By revealing a Fusion Monster from my Extra Deck, I may add one of the materials listed on that card from my Deck to my hand."

A massive translucent peacock briefly appeared above her before fading away.

"...Tch! So what? Add all the monsters you want!" the lead creep cried out. "They're just gonna end up in Defense Position because of Level Limit! And every card you play just makes the countdown to your doom go faster!"

Celestia just ignored him completely.

"Next, I shall activate Hera's effect. By discarding one card, she allows me to fuse any two monsters from my hand or field."

She placed two cards onto her Duel Disk.

"I shall be choosing Argus Panoptes, Hundred-Eyed Sentinel and Simorgh, Bird of Divinity."

Suddenly, two enormous figures appeared behind her.

.

--------->>

.

One was a towering giant covered in countless eyes.

The other was an immense green bird radiating divine power.

"Now go, Divine Vows!"

With that command Hera raised a hand to the sky and with a single snap of her fingers, another burst of light swallowed the alleyway.

When your vision finally cleared...

Both monsters were gone.

In their place stood—

.

---------->

.

A peacock?

The thugs stared at it for a moment.

Then they burst out laughing.

"Hahahaha! I can't believe I was actually worried for a second!"

"What's a monster with 1000 ATK supposed to do?!"

"It doesn't matter how much DEF it has! We're killing you with burn damage!"

Celestia simply ignored them.

She set two cards face-down and visibly grimaced as Chain Energy and Dark Room punished her yet again.

When the energy faded, she was down to a mere 800 Life Points.

The men laughed even harder.

"The bitch has completely lost it!"

"Don't you realize what you've done?!"

"You can't activate anything anymore! Chain Energy will finish you off!"

Your stomach dropped.

They were right.

She couldn't play another card.

And once she ended her turn, the leader could simply activate Wave Motion Cannon and finish her.

...

Yet Celestia didn't seem worried in the slightest.

Instead, she calmly raised an eyebrow.

"...Truly?"

She glanced toward the field.

"Perhaps my eyes are failing me in my old age, but I do believe there is one thing your Chain Energy allows me to do without spending any Life Points."

The men's laughter instantly died.

Their eyes widened.

"...Oh."

Celestia smiled.

"That is correct. There is no cost whatsoever to activating a monster's effect."

She gestured gracefully toward her Fusion Monster.

"So I shall activate the effect of my Panoptes, Sacred Peacock."

The peacock spread its magnificent wings.

"It possesses a variety of effects, but at present I require only one."

Her smile sharpened.

"While there are ten or more Spell and Trap Cards on the field, Panoptes, Sacred Peacock may force each of you to discard your entire hand before inflicting 1000 damage for every card sent to the Graveyard."

Your eyes widened.

You immediately looked toward their hands.

One card.

Three cards.

Four cards.

...

Eight total.

"So that's—"

"8000 damage?!" one of the bastards screamed as he realized what was about to happen.

The peacock's wings unfurled completely.

"...That is correct."

For the first time all duel, Celestia looked genuinely unimpressed.

"Now, my peacock."

"End this farce."

"Sacred Winds."

The peacock beat its wings.

A massive typhoon exploded through the alleyway.

You were immediately knocked to your knees as hurricane-force winds tore through everything around you.

Your ears popped.

Dust filled the air.

The men screamed.

...

You weren't entirely sure how long it lasted.

But when the winds finally died and you managed to lift your head...

The three men were gone.

Only Celestia remained.

She stood before you wearing that same warm, gentle smile.

Holding out her hand.

".....Now then, dear. Why don't you come with me? I promise I'll explain everything."

You stared up at her.

At the woman who had casually defeated three grown men without ever once looking worried.

The woman who had stepped in front of you without hesitation.

The woman who looked more like a HERO than anyone you'd ever met.

...

And you simply couldn't find it in yourself to say no.

-x-X-x-

As you walked up the stairs out of the underground bar, a smirk still lingering on your face from finally getting to see your Regent in action, your attention was suddenly drawn by a voice calling out from behind you.

Looking back, you see the knockout from before standing there, hand raised in a wave.

.

------>

.

"Yo, don't suppose you've got a minute, do you?" she asked casually, as she leaned against the wall.

You raise an eyebrow at that, slipping your hands into your pockets.

"...This isn't some scheme to try and steal my Ring, is it? Looked like you were a few seconds from pouncing on me for it in there." You say with a chuckle.

Ami just rolls her eyes.

"You don't need to worry about that. The bitch just got a bit excited and wanted to fuck with me, and after your duel with the kid, I know I haven't got a chance in hell of beating you. And something tells me I wouldn't be able to convince you to hand it over, unless..."

Suddenly, she leans forward, making sure her cleavage is very prominently on display as she raised an inquisitive eyebrow.

.

------->

.

....She DID have nice tits, you had to admit.

Still...

"Ha! Unfortunately not. Don't get me wrong, you're hot as hell and I wouldn't be opposed, but certainly not in exchange for my Ring. Plus if I ever take you to bed, it'll be because you jumped into it." You comment with a smirk.

Ami leans back with a sigh.

"A shame, but oh well."

She shrugs before looking at you again.

"Still, my offer's still open. Wanna come back to my place? I can give you a bit more info on everything. Even some stuff Celestia conveniently left out."

You raise an eyebrow, wondering what her angle is here.

"...And what's in it for you? No offense, but you don't exactly strike me as the type to do this out of the kindness of your heart."

She shrugs again, one hand instinctively drifting toward her Deck Box for a moment before she catches herself.

"It's pretty simple, really. From what I saw in there with your duel against the kid, you obviously live up to the hype about your skills. What I want in return for helping you out and telling you everything I know is a promise that you'll protect me. Lucy and his squad are gonna come for me eventually, and I want your word that when they do, you'll keep me safe."

Suddenly, she tilts her head as though listening to something.

"...Maybe also a promise to leave me for last on your little XIII hunt. The skank can be an annoying bimbo, but I suppose she's grown on me."

Hmm.

Those weren't the worst terms you'd ever heard.

And in all honesty, it was probably in your best interest to make sure Lucian didn't get his hands on her XIII anyway, so this was almost a win-win for you.

…Still, you supposed you could turn her down.

Or maybe negotiate for a few more terms first.

Tch, suppose you should take this somewhat seriously.

"That's a pretty big ask there. Having me at your beck and call all for some information I can't even be sure will be useful? How 'bout this: I get one free question, and then I can decide whether this deal is worth it."

A smirk seems to come unbidden to Ami's face.

"Ooh? Think I'm tryin' to trick ya? I'm hurt~"

She places a hand over her chest as though she'd been stabbed before straightening again.

"But whatever. Sure, I can get behind that. What d'ya wanna know first?"

...A part of you is tempted to do what you'd done with Ishizu and ask for her three sizes.

Or maybe what color panties she's wearing.

But you HAD decided to take this seriously.

You reach behind your back and pull out the Scales you keep tucked into your belt, holding them between yourself and Ami. Her eyes immediately dart down to them as you reach into your Deck and pull out a card, placing it on one of the plates.

"...Nice, though I think I'd prefer the Ring. Can't exactly pass that off as jewelry." Ami comments, unconsciously raising a hand to caress the top of the Scales.

"Heh, tell me about it. They're a pain to carry, but they DO come in useful at times like these. See, the Scales have a rather nifty ability—they can tell if a person is lying. Perfect for this sort of situation."

Also perfect for a horny game of Truth or Dare with the girls, which was how you'd figured this ability out in the first place.

...You'd always known Mai loved getting cum on her face.

"If you lie to me, the plate without the card lowers, weighed down by the weight of your lie. But if you tell the truth? Well then the plate with the card lowers. Simple, really."

You finish your explanation as Ami nods.

"Sure, if it'll make you feel better. I have no intention of lying here."

She says it with a shrug, though she still seems enraptured by the Scales.

"Alright then. What do you want with the XIII, and what exactly are your goals?"

Ami finally looks up at you at that, eyes narrowed.

"...That's two questions, but whatever. Not like it'll reveal much. I couldn't give less of a fuck about the XIII, honestly. The only one I care about is my Aphrodite. It'd be nice if I could get my hands on all thirteen of them, don't get me wrong, but I'm not exactly frothing at the mouth for it."

She then shrugs, finally releasing your Scales as she leans against the wall again.

"As for my goals? Well, if I had to put it into words, I'd say luxury and safety. I wanna live like a queen and not have to worry about jack shit except enjoying myself. Which is why I want you to protect me."

She finishes her explanation as you watch the plate with the card lower, indicating she is being completely truthful.

...

...

...

Had you somehow stumbled across Mai's long-lost sister or something?

Still, as she said, that all seemed pretty straightforward. And it didn't seem like she was planning to stab you in the back or anything.

The question was whether that was enough for you to take her up on her deal.

-x-X-x-

"Alrighty, with that cleared up, I suppose I can agree to your deal. I look after you and leave Aphrodite for last when I hunt down the XIII, and in return you help me out by telling me everything you know—"

Suddenly, you're cut off as you feel something click into place between yourself and Ami.

You stop, looking over at her as a smirk slowly grows on her face.

"...You're not the only one with some magic, big boy. While I can't do much, my Aphro HAS taught me how to make sure people stick to their agreements with me. If either of us tries to break our end of the bargain, then..." She trails off, tilting her head. "...Actually, I don't know what'd happen, but probably something bad." She finishes with a shrug.

...

This little bitch.

Ami raises her hands in surrender at your glare.

"Hey! No need to get angry now. Like I said, this just makes sure both of us keep our word, nothing more! Can't exactly fault me, can you? For all I know, I tell you everything and then you just wipe your hands of me."

You take a deep breath, trying to calm yourself.

...

That was fair, you supposed.

Probably something you'd have done yourself if you were in her position.

Didn't mean you had to like it, though.

"Fine, whatever. What's done is done. Now tell me what you know." You demand, fixing her with an icy stare.

Ami pushes herself off the wall and starts walking, and you quickly fall into step behind her.

"Not here. To be honest, the only reason I left my place in the first place is 'cuz Lucy and his group were busy with you. I don't wanna risk one of them stumbling across me out here."

She says it casually as she leads you off toward who knows where.

...

You can already tell this girl's gonna be a pain in the ass.

-x-X-x-

...You'd like to say you arrived at her place soon enough, but that'd be a lie. Ami's attention kept getting snagged by things in store windows that she apparently just HAD to grab, delaying your arrival by something like an hour.

You let out a sigh as Ami hops out of yet another store, a skip in her step as she looks at you with three bags in both hands, eyes darting down to them for a moment before returning her gaze to you.

"...Hope you don't expect me to offer to carry any of those." You state bluntly.

Ami sighs and turns, beginning to walk again as you follow behind her.

"Haaa... Truly, chivalry is dead, I suppose."

You shrug as you fall into step beside her.

"Hey, it's not exactly like we're on a date here. I just need the info and that's that."

Your anger had cooled during the little impromptu shopping spree, but nevertheless, getting tricked still left a bad taste in your mouth.

Ami tilts her head at that before nodding.

"Fair. I suppose I'll just have to wait until I convince you to take me out."

After that, she continues skipping along, doing admittedly fabulous things to her ass before taking one final corner and looking up.

"Ah! And here we are! My current abode~"

You look up and see—

.

--------->

.

...

Hold on.

Wasn't this the fancy hotel you and Mai stayed in?

Ami looks over at you and nods, obviously mistaking the cause of your confusion.

"Yep~ It's a hotel. I'm staying in the penthouse suite. Dueled some old dude with the bet that if I won, he'd pay for my stay indefinitely, and if I lost..." She trails off and shrugs. "Well, I'm sure you can guess. Of course, he probably had no plans of holding up his end of the bargain, but as you know, people tend to keep their deals with me~"

The two of you step inside, Ami shooting a quick wink at the same receptionist from before. He blushes before blinking in surprise upon seeing you, but Ami simply ignores him as you both walk toward the elevator.

She lets out a relieved sigh as she leans against the wall.

"Haaa... Good to be back. Honestly, with Lucy out there, it feels like I can hardly show my face these days. Luckily, this place's security is top of the line, so I don't need to worry about them trying anything stupid."

She suddenly tilts her head.

"...Well, until I'm the only one left, I suppose. But hopefully you or Celestia can deal with him before it comes to that."

As the doors open, you almost feel a twinge of nostalgia as you step inside the room. In the grand scheme of things, it really hadn't been THAT long since you and Mai had gotten together here but still...

.

--------->

.

"Alrighty! You go find somewhere comfortable and I'll put these away and get us some drinks. Then I'll answer all your questions."

Ami wanders off toward the bedroom while you idly look around.

Though as you wander your attention is suddenly caught by a sight over by the swimming pool that practically steals your breath away.

.

---------->

.

...

You wanted her.

And you wanted her now—

The instant that thought crosses your mind, you feel the invisible line connecting you and Ami suddenly tense, reminding you of its presence.

...

Wait.

Did that mean—

"O. M. G. Really? You couldn't contain your skank self for even a few more minutes without needing to shake your flat ass around?" Ami hisses as she walks up beside you, two glasses of cola in her hands.

She's glaring at the woman in the pool, who merely smirks in response, flopping back down on her floaty and lounging completely carefree.

"Oh, come on, Ames! We already got him to agree to leave me for last, so it's not a problem now, is it?" The woman says lazily.

Only then do you notice that her floaty isn't creating any ripples in the water.

...

Ah.

She was a spirit.

Though a remarkably tangible one.

She wasn't transparent at all.

The woman smirks as she notices your stare.

"Heh~ Careful, cutie. Keep looking at me like that and I might just charge. Though for a hunk like you, I'm sure we could come to a more pleasurable arrangement~"

Ami merely sighs and takes a seat at one of the tables by the pool, setting the drinks down. The noise finally breaks your fixation.

"...Well, suppose I should get this over with. That skank over there is Aphrodite, as I'm sure you've already guessed."

She explains as you take a seat beside her, having to physically fight the urge to let your eyes wander back toward the woman lounging in the water.

...

Damn.

Were all the female members of the XIII going to be criminally beautiful?

Well, not like you needed another reason to collect them.

You take a breath and regain your composure, turning toward Ami as you prepare to get down to business.

"So—"

"—First of all, you said you knew some things Celestia 'conveniently' left out. What are they?"

Ami tilted her head thoughtfully as she took a sip of her drink.

"Hmm, there's a few things, but I suppose I can start with the current roster of the XIII. Celestia and her little squad have: Hera, Athena, Hephaestus—"

You hear a gagging noise come from the pool at that, but you use all your willpower to keep your attention on Ami.

"—And Hermes. You already know who has Hera and Hermes, but as you can probably guess, the big dude has Heph and the slender chick has Athena."

"As for Lucy and his little gang, well, as she told you, he has Zeus, and his little posse has: Demeter, currently held by the kid, Lily Harper. Honestly, she's a little sweetheart, but Demeter's spirit is UBER overprotective of her. Then there's Apollo and Artemis, and surprise, surprise, the twins have them. Caelum and Lyra Vesper. The chick's a massive bitch who thinks she's God's gift to the world, and her brother's a pretty boy who kind of just follows her around and does whatever she says."

Ami takes another sip of her drink.

"Then you have Ares, whose current wielder—"

"Captor."

You blink as Ami is cut off, looking over to the pool and seeing that Aphrodite has finally gotten out. She seems to manifest some clothes as she walks over and takes a seat beside you and Ami, her voice ice-cold and completely devoid of the playful teasing tone from before.

.

----------->

.

"His captor. Don't ever mistake that, Ami."

Ami sighs, giving Aphrodite a look filled with something you can't quite decipher.

"Yeah, alright. His 'captor' is the big fucker, Axel Krieg. Complete psycho through and through. The few times I've been unfortunate enough to see that fucker duel, it's been a bloodbath. He doesn't care about winning as much as causing as much violence as possible. Honestly, if I were you, I'd leave him till last. I'd say just fucking shoot him, but if you want to get his Ares, well..." She trails off with an awkward shrug.

"And lastly there's the bitch, Elliot Mercer. Honestly, I can't even tell you much about him. Dude'd rather be a shadow on the wall than do anything. All I know is he apparently has Hestia and is good with machines. He was the guy who helped modify all the Duel Disks for Lucy and his guys."

She lifts her arm to show off her own Duel Disk.

.

---------->

.

You narrow your eyes as you run that over in your head.

"...And why would a Rare Hunter have modified your Duel Disk? And how do you know this much in the first place?"

You already have a pretty good idea of the answer.

Ami rolls her eyes, clearly hearing the accusation in your question.

"Yeah, yeah, as you can probably guess, I used to run with them. Shortly after me and Aphro got together, I got approached by Lucy and some of his goons. Long story short, they gave me the choice to either join them or lose Aphro. So me, being the genius that I am, immediately agreed. Honestly, it would've been worth it just for the looks on their faces. I don't think many people take them up on that offer."

"His expression WAS pretty funny~" Aphrodite hummed, her cheerful mood seeming to return as she began running her foot up and down your leg.

Ami immediately notices and tries to kick her leg away.

...Of course, she seems to have forgotten Aphrodite is just a spirit, so her foot passes right through her as Aphro smirks and sticks her tongue out at her.

Ami scowls but continues.

"...After that, I stuck around for a bit, learned what the fuck was going on and some other useful tidbits, learned some magic from the skank here, and once I felt I was ready, I just left. Originally, I thought about joining up with Celestia and her merry band of misfits, but then fuck getting involved in that whole mess. Current plan is to just sit back and wait till this situation resolves itself."

You pick up your drink and take a sip, running all the information over in your mind.

"...Noticed you left someone out there. You brought up ten of the XIII. Obviously, you've got Aphrodite and I've got Hades, but what's up with Poseidon and his user?"

Ami just shrugs.

"Your guess is as good as anyone's, to be honest. No one seems to have a clue where the fuck he is or if he's currently in anyone's possession. I think Lucian and Celestia are both just hoping he pops up one day, but if you ask me, my bet's that he's overseas. Probably got imported or something."

You chew on that information for a moment before nodding.

"...Alrighty. Before I leave, I want you to write down anything you can tell me about each of the XIII and their effects. Leave no detail out. But for now, I wanna know more about Celestia. There's obviously some kind of connection between her and Lucian. What is it?"

Ami thinks about that for a moment.

"Hmm, well, for the pure facts, I know Celestia used to be a part of the Rare Hunters, but this was before my time with them, so everything I'm saying is second-hand knowledge. Apparently, she was Lucy's right hand, and I don't know the entire story exactly, but I know something happened and one day she just up and left. Apparently Roland—the fat fucker—was also part of the Rare Hunters and left with her."

She pauses, obviously thinking over her answer.

"As for the exact nature of their relationship... they were definitely close somehow. I don't THINK they were fucking, at least that's not the vibe I get, but she obviously cared about him. And if you ask me, I think the reason Lucy—or I suppose it's better to say Zeus in this case—hasn't gone after her is because there's some lingering affection there. Even when I was part of the Hunters, he absolutely refused any idea of going after Celestia first. It was always about hunting down Poseidon or Hades, or picking off members of her faction, never trying to cut off the head of the snake."

Hmm.

That did seem to fit what you'd seen.

It had seemed kind of weird that Lucian had just run off the minute Celestia appeared. You'd have been able to take on his entire group on your own, of course, but conventional logic would say that he and his five lackeys could've handled you alongside Celestia and her people.

…

…

…

Hmm, there were still probably some questions you could ask, but you were burning daylight as it was, and you wanted to end the day with at least one Locator Card.

You abruptly jump to your feet and clap your hands, causing Ami to look up at you.

"Alrighty, I think that's everything I needed to know for now. If I have any more questions, I'll call you later. For now, though, pass me your phone so we can swap numbers, and while I do that, write down all the information you can on the XIII."

Ami blinks at your abrupt command but nevertheless goes along with it. You put your number into her phone just as she finishes scribbling on the paper.

You look down at the list with a raised eyebrow, wondering if this is really all there is.

"Hey! I didn't exactly see them in action every day, you know! Plus, that's just the TLDR."

You shrug but nevertheless tuck the list into your wallet.

"Welp, Ami, it's been 'fun,' but before I go, I wanted to test something real quick."

You look at her for a moment before your eyes drift down to her skirt.

"...What color panties are you wearing right now?"

Ami blinks in surprise.

"Gonna need to take me out before I answer that, handso—"

She abruptly stops, her mouth forming a cute little 'O' as your smirk widens.

"...Huh. Well, that's gonna be annoying."

That practically confirms your suspicions. Looks like Ami was forced to answer ALL of your questions, lest she break her end of the deal.

Ultimately, though, Ami seems to let the knowledge roll right off her back as she shrugs.

"Oh well, I still think I came out ahead here. As for your question, they're dark red with black polka dots, got some sexy black frills around the waist."

You chuckle, turning and preparing to head out.

"Ah, well, 'partner', I'll be seeing you around. If Lucian or any of his people try anything, just give me a call."

Suddenly, your gaze shifts to Aphrodite, who is floating idly behind Ami sending you smoky eyes.

"As for you, Gorgeous, you might've bought yourself a little time, but that's just a bigger incentive for me to finish off Lucian and his cronies quickly. So enjoy your vacation while you can. Once you're mine, I'll be putting you to work~"

Before either of them can respond, you step into the elevator and begin your descent.

...

Maybe this deal won't turn out to be such a pain after all.

-x-X-x-

(AMI BACKSTORY PLACEHOLDER)

-x-X-x-

As you step out of the hotel you let out a sigh of relief.

…Okay, that's like half the day gone already but you still had plenty of time to wipe the floor with some losers, the only question was where to make your hunting ground.

Hmm, suppose you could start with the park. Plenty of space for people to watch your duel, which was always a nice bonus.

Though as you walk into the park, you watch in satisfaction as everyone with a Duel Disk takes one look at you and immediately turns to leave.

Heh.

They were lucky you didn't feel like mowing down fodder right now.

As you walk deeper into the park, you blink in surprise as you spot Tea sitting on one of the benches, sipping a milkshake with a pensive look on her face.

Well now, that just wouldn't do.

"Yo! Fancy seeing you here!" You call out as you slide onto the bench beside her.

Tea blinks over at you in surprise.

"Ah! Makoto! What are you doing here?"

"Heh, looking for the first victim of the day, of course! Unfortunately, it looks like the rabbits are wise enough to run when the hawk flies overhead." You boast, pounding a fist against your chest.

"What about you, though? I'd have thought you'd be with Yugi or Joey, cheering them on."

Tea's pensive look immediately returns.

"...Ah, I tried to, but I lost them this morning. I've been trying to find them again, but I haven't had any luck."

She lets out a sigh.

...Oooh?

Well, you couldn't have that now, could you?

Tea's poor little heart was made to cheer and encourage others!

"That's too bad. How 'bout you stick with me, then? I could always use the support, and we might come across one of them while I hunt down some competition."

You offer with completely pure intentions that have absolutely nothing to do with the thought of her in a cheerleader outfit rooting for you.

.

-------->

.

...Nope.

Nothing like that at all~

Tea's eyes light up at that, and you internally fist pump.

"That'd be great! So where should we—"

"There you are! I've finally found you!"

Tea is abruptly cut off by an angry yell.

The both of you look over to see someone marching toward you.

.

-------->

.

...Oh fuck.

Victoria stops in front of you, glaring down with her hands planted firmly on her hips before her eyes dart toward Tea.

"Tsk! I should've known you'd be wasting your time flirting with tramps instead of taking this competition seriously! Weren't you on a date with some bimbo not even an hour ago?!"

Tea gasps in offense and immediately jumps to her feet.

"Excuse you?! I'm not a tramp! And me and Makoto are just friends!"

"Oh, like I'd believe that!" Victoria scoffs, rolling her eyes.

"Let me guess. You wanted some of his money? Spread your legs, let him hit, and pray he'll throw some pennies your way? Go find some old geezer if that's what you're after, floozy."

You swear literal fire begins rising off Tea.

...Okay, as hot as a catfight would be, you should probably step in.

You stand and grab both of them by the shoulders, separating them.

Victoria immediately jerks away with a hiss, as if your hand were covered in acid.

"Don't touch me, you bastard!"

You let out a sigh and turn toward her.

"...Look, leave her out of this, Vicky. I know you have your problems with me, but don't drag other people into this."

You trail off, a grin spreading across your face as you activate your Duel Disk.

"...And besides, I don't think you're here to argue."

Victoria's glare somehow intensifies even further as her own Duel Disk springs to life.

"...I told you, don't call me Vicky anymore!" Vicky hissed out as a crowd slowly began to gather around you both, sensing a duel was about to start.

"Put her in her place, Makoto! Put this hag down!" Tea cheers from behind you as the crowd began to join her in cheering you on and insulting Victoria.

Victoria's expression somehow becomes even more venomous.

...

Your cheerleader dreams had turned against you.

And with that, your first proper duel of Battle City officially began!

-x-X-x-

Vicky begins and activates Ritual Sanctuary and immediately activates its effect, discarding a Spell Card in order to add Dark Moon Ring Proposal to her hand.

She then activates her Graceful Charity, drawing 3 cards before discarding 2.

She then activates her Ring, tributing 2 monsters in her hand in order to summon Lunar Princess Ranni in DEF.

On resolution the secondary effect of her Ring activates, summoning a Blaidd the Half-Wolf Token in ATK.

On summon Ranni's effect activates, placing a Dark Moon Greatsword counter on her Blaidd.

Vicky then sets 2 cards face-down and ends her turn, scowling over at you.

.

-------->

.

You begin your turn, drawing and getting Ray.

.

------->

.

To start you NS your Breaker and use his effect, attempting to pop her middle backrow, Vicky bites her lip for a moment but ultimately allows it, destroying her Gorgon's Eye.

.

------->

.

To start you activate your Pre-Prep and add ARA to your hand.

You then activate your ARA, sending Dark Magician and D.D. Trainer to the GY to summon your BLS and then—

"Not so fast! I activate my Ritual Sealing to destroy your BLS!"

.

-------->

.

Does this change anything?

There was really nothing else you could do, so you set Solemn Judgement and Magic Cylinder face-down and end your turn.

.

--------->

.

Victoria smirks as you do, laughing as she explains shes constructed her deck specifically to take YOU down!

Victoria draws and smirks, immediately turning her Ranni to ATK and entering her BP.

She then attacks your Breaker with her Blaiid.

.

-------->

.

Activate Cylinder?

You activate Cylinder, negating Blaiids attack and redirecting it to Vicky as she scowls, ignoring your bluff as she orders her Ranni to attack your Breaker.

Vicky then sets a card and ends her turn.

.

--------->

.

You draw and get Fiend's Sanctuary.

.

---------->

.

You set your Fiend's Sanctuary and Advanced Ritual Raven face-down and end your turn.

.

-------->

.

Vicky draws for turn and scowls for a moment before letting out a breath, immediately then entering her BP and attacking your set Ray with Ranni.

.

-------->

.

You activate your Fiend Sanctuary, summoning a token as Ranni's attack is redirected to the token as her eyes widen.

Though before the attack can connect Vicky activates her Rebellion, attempting to take control of your token.

.

---------->

.

As your token begins to take control of the token you can't help but feel a twinge of something in your chest as you activate Solemn Judgement, negating her Rebellion as her eyes widen, her Ranni's attack slamming into your token and destroying it, wiping out the rest of her Life Points as the crowd cheers.

.

--------->

.

DUEL WON!

300 DP!

+1 Locator Card (You're officially in the tournament!)

Traits Revealed:

Wedding bells~: Start with Ritual Sanctuary in your opening hand.

Mulligan X2: Twice you can mulligan your starting hand.

Even as the crowd cheers from around you your attention is only taken by Victoria as she collapses to her hands and knees, tears falling from her eyes even as she clenches them shut.

.

------->

.

Should you approach her and say something?