God, when did you grow a heart?
You wave off the cheering audience and make your way over to Vicky, crouching awkwardly in front of her for a few seconds.
...To be honest, you'd hoped you'd think of something smooth to say on the way over, but it looked like you were just gonna have to wing it.
You sigh, dragging a hand across your face.
"...Look, we both know I'm really fucking bad at deep emotional stuff, so I won't embarrass myself by trying to play the comforting guy. All I want to do is tell you how I feel, and that is that it breaks me up inside seeing you do this to yourself—no, seeing what I did to you. You were the strongest, most confident woman I ever knew. Hell, I probably wouldn't have ever gone pro if not for you, so..."
You trail off, frustration building as you struggle to put your feelings into words.
"God, I just... I want to see you get back to the person you were. I'm not asking you to forgive me—God knows you have every right to hate my guts. Hell, I'm not even gonna ask you not to make it your goal to put me in my place. I'll welcome that with open arms. God knows I can always do with some good competition, but don't let it consume your life. Try getting back on the tournament scene properly. Make some money. Find some other goals. Hell, maybe—"
You almost say find another boyfriend, but stop yourself, the ugly, jealous part of you recoiling at the thought of her fully moving on.
...God, you really were such a hypocrite.
"...Look, I just want to see you get better. And next time I beat you, I want to be met with that classic glare of yours rather than this."
You finally look up properly, finding Vicky already staring back at you.
"...Why? Why did you do it? We were happy, weren't we? That's the one thing I can't understand. I think back over our relationship every night, looking for the signs that you weren't happy, but I can't think of anything." she asks quietly.
You take a moment to gather your thoughts.
"...It's probably a bit of a cliché, and you'll probably want to slap me for saying it, but genuinely... it wasn't you. It was me. You were great. Everything I could've ever wanted and more. You were so supportive. Hell, if not for the Magician's Quintet you gave me, who knows if I'd have gotten as far as I have? But I'm an egotistical piece of shit. I won some nothing tournament, a girl approached me, and then I just..."
You trail off, the both of you knowing full well what happened next.
Vicky's glare hardens, her fingers digging into the grass beneath her.
...Well, it was better than her sobbing, at least.
"...I hate you, and nothing you can do or say will ever change that. I don't even know what I ever saw in you—"
You almost interrupt to say you could think of a thing or two, but thankfully manage to stop yourself.
"—but you're right. I've let you dictate my life for an entire year at this point, and the truth is... you're just not worth it." she spits, her glare only growing fiercer. "But don't think this means you're getting off scot-free! I'm going to crush you eventually, but when I do it'll be on my terms, not yours!"
With that, she gets to her feet and turns to leave, only stopping at the last moment. Reaching into her Deck, she pulls out two cards before turning back toward you.
"Take these, but know for a fact I'll be coming back for them eventually! So until then, you better not lose to anyone!"
She tosses the cards and her Locator Card toward you. You catch them and look down.
.
---------->>
.
...Well, that went about as well as could be expected.
You sigh as you watch Vicky march out of the park, the crowd splitting around her like the Red Sea.
...She really did have a great ass—
The thought is cut off as someone places a hand on your shoulder. You blink in surprise and look back to see Tea staring at you with a concerned expression.
"Wanna talk about it?"
You just shake your head, your usual smirk returning to your face.
"Nah, the matter's settled. More importantly, I've got my first Locator Card. Just five more and I'm in the finals! So why don't we go see if I can find any more prey?" you say with your usual gusto before glancing over at Yugi's Grandpa, who's still watching from the sidelines. "...Suppose you can come too, if you want, old man. Maybe you'll get to watch me knock your grandson out of the tournament if we run into him."
Yugi's Grandpa—you should probably learn his name at some point—just throws his head back and laughs at that.
"Oh-ho! I wouldn't be so confident if I were you, young man! I'll admit you're very skilled, but Yugi has grown leaps and bounds since Duelist Kingdom! I have no doubt he'd win that duel!"
You just chuckle.
"Well~ I suppose we'll have to see then~"
And with that, you set off to find your next victim.
...Hopefully they'd be a little less emotionally taxing.
It wasn't too long after that you, Tea and Solomon—thank god you had come across someone who called out to him—were wandering the city, seeing if you could find any opponents worth a damn.
Tea sighed as she walked along beside you.
"Ha… I don't get why you don't just challenge any of the duelists we've come across. I mean, part of the rules for the tournament is that you have to accept ANY challenge, isn't it?"
You just snorted at that, throwing your arms behind your head as you scanned the crowd while you walked.
"It's the principle of the thing. Like, of course I could have six Locator Cards within the hour if I decided to bully trash, but have I really earned my spot in the finals if I get there by sweeping up garbage? When I get my six Locator Cards, I want to have earned them fully." You explained idly.
Solomon tilted his head at that as he stroked his beard.
"...Not quite the way I would have phrased it, but there is a certain honor in choosing to only defeat difficult opponents rather than only picking fights you know you'll win."
You just chuckled at that, looking over at him with a raised eyebrow.
"Oh, don't get me wrong, I KNOW I'll win all my duels no matter the opponent. I'd just like a bit of a workout before I put 'em down~"
Solomon sighed at that, but before he could say anything all of you stopped dead in your tracks as you felt something wash over the area.
As you looked up to the sky, your eyes caught the faint, dissipating silhouette of something eerily familiar hovering over the city.
.
---------->
.
You didn't know what that was, or who had it, but you already knew that...
It
was
yours...!
Before you even realized it you were rushing toward the source of the wave of power, vaguely hearing Tea and Solomon calling out from behind you but paying them little mind. The only thing you were interested in right now was whatever the fuck that figure was.
After running over some blond dude passed out in an alley—fuckin' drunk—you eventually reached the mouth of the alley, your eyes widening as you saw who was standing at the entrance, his back to you.
.
--------->
.
Mokuba looked behind him, oversized briefcase in hand, blinking as he saw you.
"Oh, Seto! Makoto's here!"
Kaiba stopped at that, slowly turning to stare at you.
The two of you continued your staredown for a few moments as you heard Tea and Solomon finally catch up to you, Solomon immediately hunching over and panting, but you just ignored him, your focus solely on Kaiba.
"...I take it that big fuck-off monster was yours then?"
You watched a smirk slowly crawl its way onto Kaiba's face at your question.
"And if it was? What are you going to do about it?"
You felt your arm twitch, ready to bring up your Duel Disk and take down this gnat right here and now, the thought of knocking Kaiba out of his own tournament in the preliminaries sending waves of satisfaction through your entire body.
…
…
…
…
After taking a deep breath and letting it out, you banished Hades' influence trying to snake its way through your body.
Tch, as if you'd let yourself get controlled twice.
You just shook your head to banish the thought and smirked over at him.
"Well then, I thought I'd congratulate you. It looks like you finally managed to get a monster worth a damn that doesn't require one of mine to make~" You taunted as Kaiba's eyes narrowed.
…Yeah, when you took Kaiba down it would be in the finals, somewhere the entire world could witness your domination and his humiliation. That was how this little rivalry ended, not here in some filthy back alley.
"Big talk from the slacker who's only dueled once so far. Don't think I'm ignorant to that little trick you pulled to get your whore into the tournament. What's next? Are you gonna give the Locator Card you have to the cheerleader behind you? Or maybe the old man?"
You just threw your head back and barked out a laugh at that even as Tea glared over at Kaiba.
"Ha! Maybe I should. Gotta give myself a challenge, you know? With all the fodder in this tournament I'm just having a hard time finding any entertainment. I know they may be tough duelists to someone on your level, but someone like me needs a bit more stimulation here~"
Kaiba just glared all the harder at that, but right as he opened his mouth to return your taunt—
"Stop right there!"
Both of you stopped, blinking as you looked to the side where a small figure had somehow managed to sneak up on you both.
.
--------->
.
"Makoto Yuzuki! I'm here to challenge you and take your Hades!" the small figure called out, throwing her arm toward you challengingly.
Wasn't she…?
The awkward silence seemed to get to the kid after a couple of seconds as she began to hunch over and pull her hood even further over her head.
"...Umm... please?"
Before you could respond, Kaiba took a step forward and narrowed his eyes.
"That's a Rare Hunter uniform, isn't it? They must be even more pathetic than I thought if they're recruiting actual children." Kaiba scoffed as he approached the kid.
Then suddenly his eyes widened and he seemed to hunch for a moment before, with obvious effort, straightening his back and glaring.
"What...?!"
"...Do you believe I would let you anywhere NEAR my daughter, you cretin?" a voice hissed as slowly a figure began to form behind the kid.
.
------------>
.
…Holy fuck, those put even Ruby's to shame. You'd only seen a size like that when you entered your Soul Palace to fuck around with Samara.
The woman—presumably Demeter, if Ami's information was to be accurate—immediately turned her glare toward you.
"As for you, wretch, do not presume to look upon me with such a filthy gaze, though I should expect little better from the thief's partner." Demeter scoffed before crouching down and wrapping her arms around the kid.
"...It is okay, my dear. I know it is frightening, but mother is here, and she won't let the bad men hurt you~" Demeter cooed into the kid's ear, who seemed to relax back into her ample bosom.
"That's right, sweetie. You just need to do things as we discussed and then we can go back home. But as long as the bad man is around we'll never be truly safe, so we first must deal with him... permanently." Demeter said, her glare returning to you before she disappeared.
Kaiba, apparently sick of being ignored, swiftly shot his gaze over to you.
"Tell me what's going on. Now."
You just scoffed at that as you walked across from the kid.
"As if I'd tell you that. It's none of your business, Kaiba, so why don't you just sit back like a good boy and watch your king in action?"
With Kaiba chastised, you turned your attention to the girl, who almost seemed to trip over her oversized cloak as she took her place in front of you.
"...What's your name, kid? I already know it, but it's good form for opponents to introduce themselves."
…Of course, you weren't exactly gonna admit you'd forgotten the name Ami gave you, so this would have to do.
The kid seemed to puff out her chest at that, trying to glare at you from beneath her hood.
"M-My name's Lily Harper! And I'm the one who's gonna defeat you!" she called out with a slight stutter before beginning to fumble with something beneath her cloak.
"...Wanna just take that off? It looks like it's getting in the way." You offered.
"A-Ah, yeah, that'd be good. Thank you!" she said, seeming to forget she was supposed to hate you for a moment as she quickly slipped off her cloak, revealing her full face and the Duel Disk strapped across her chest.
.
------------>
.
…Made sense that something that little wouldn't be able to wear the Duel Disk properly, you supposed.
"Well alright then, Lily Harper! If you're really gunning for my Hades, I suppose it'd be rude to turn you down! But beware, once I defeat you that means your Demeter is also mine for the taking!" you called out dramatically.
Lily gasped at that and took a startled step back.
…Huh?
"Y-You'd take mommy away?!" Lily suddenly cried, just for Demeter to appear behind her once again, wrapping her arms around her.
"Shh, shh, sweetheart, that won't happen. Mommy promises. We'll beat the bad man and live happily ever after, I swear~" she cooed as she grabbed Lily's hands and seemed to use them to activate her Duel Disk.
"Just listen to Mommy, baby."
And with that, your second duel of Battle City officially began.
-x-X-x-
Spring trait activates!
Lily begins her turn by immediately activating "Cycle of the Four Seasons"
She then immediately Special Summons "Persephone, Child of Spring" Demeter explaining she can do so as long as a face-up field spell in on the field.
Lily then activates Persephones effect, allowing her to gain 500 LP but as tthe glow surrounds her it suddenly intensifies as she explains one of the effects of Cycle is whenever she gains LP she gains an extra 300.
Lily then NS' her Aromage Jasmine in face-up DEF and explains that while she has more LP than you Jasmine allows her to NS an additional Plant Monster, allowing her to NS her Botanical Lion in ATK, which then gains 900 ATK from her controlling 3 Plant Monsters
Lily then sets 2 cards face-down and ends her turn.
.
----->
.
You draw and get Tri-Horn.
.
------->
.
To start you activate your Pre-Prep, immediately grabbing your ARA.
You immediately activate it, milling DM and D.D. to summon your Lord of Red, feeling a suit of armor enshroud you.
…Okay, you didn't know it did that, nice~
You then activate your Lightning Vortex, discarding your Poly to—
"Not so fast, Slime! Lily activates her My Body is a Shield! Paying 1500 LP to negate your card!" Demeter suddenly calls out.
.
--------->
.
You smirk and immediately activate your Lord of Reds effect and attempt to pop her Cycles, but Demeter just smirks and explains that while Persephone is on the field face-up field spells she controls cannot be destroyed.
.
--------->
.
Clicking your tongue you set your MOF and Mirror Force face-down, a part of you considers passing for a moment, having a bad feeling about the set card but then your eyes dart over to Kaiba standing by and watching.
…You weren't no bitch.
You immediately enter your BP and charge forward, fist pulled back as you ready to punch through Persephone.
"Fool! I won't let you hurt my daughter!" Demeter calls out as she activates her Wall of Thorns.
.
--------->
.
You smirk and explain that Lord of Red can actually use his effect twice, once for spells and traps and once for monsters!
So even as the thorns entangle you and begin to squeeze your armor suddenly bursts into the silohouette of a fiery dragon that dives forward and consumes Persephone as Demeter lets out a scream of anguish.
You then end your turn as Demeter glares over at you with a snarl.
.
-------->
.
Winter trait activates.
Lily draws and suddenly the setting around you transforms into a beautiful spring forest as Lily explains that during every SP that Cycles progresses through the seasons, gaining different effects.
You ask what happens when it goes through them all and Demeter just snarls and proclaims you'll see.
Though with the progression to Spring you see Lion immediately gain 300 ATK/DEF.
Demeter then immediately forces Lily to slap down Miracle Fetilizer, reviving Persephone from the GY.
…Annoying.
With Persephones revival Lion gains another 300 ATK.
She then activates Persephones effect, gaining another 500 LP that turns into 800 from Cycles.
Though as she gains LP her Jasmine suddenly begins to glow, causing Lily to blink in surprise as she is allowed to draw another card from her deck.
…Guess she didn't realize that.
Immediately Demeter has her enter her BP and attack your set monster with her Lion.
.
----------->
.
Hmm, to Mirror now or wait for a bigger target…
Ultimately that Lion is to big a threat to be left alive, so you activate Mirror Force.
Demeter seems to bite her lip for a moment consideringly, but then her eyes dart to Persephone kneeling on her field with a gentle smile and she does nothing as her Lion is destroyed.
Lily then enters her M2 and sets a card face-down before ending her turn.
.
------------>
.
You take a deep breath.
…You couldn't embarass yourself infront of the hoes.
You draw and get Monster Reborn.
.
---------->
.
First things first you MR and re-equip your armor.
And then immediately flip your MOF, activating her effect and targetting LV.
But as you do you activate your effect, targetting Persephone yet again with your effect as a fiery aura is summoned off you and towards Persephone.
But before it can impact, Lily activates her second My Body, paying 1500 LP to negate your Lord of Red.
.
-------------->
.
You activate your effect again, this time targetting Miracle, destroying it as Demeter grits her teeth, preparing for what she likely knows is coming next.
.
----------->
.
You immediately activate LV, discarding Tri in order to wipe her entire board as Demeter seethes in rage.
+1 Ego Counter
.
----------->
.
As Lily draws the field around you transitions into a beautiful summer day even as Demeter continues to glare.
Lily then set 1 card face-down and ended her turn.
.
---------->
.
You draw and get POG, immediately slapping it down and drawing 2 more, getting:
Red and Giant Germ.
…Not the best, but not the worse you supposed.
.
---------->
.
…Well, not your typical modus operandi but you suppose you have to go on the offensive eventually.
You NS Germ and immediately attack with it, doing 1000 damage as Lily flinches while Demeters glare just grows harsher.
As you end your turn Demeter has Lily activate her set Solemn Wishes.
.
----------->
.
As she draws, the enviroment changes around you to autumn as Lily gains 500 LP from her Solemn Wishes.
Demeter then has Lily summon her Lonefire Blossom and immediately activates its effect, tributing itself to summon her Gigaplant.
As Lonefire Blossom hits the GY Lily gains 300 LP as Demeter explains that while in Autumn each time a monster is sent to the GY she and Lily gain 300 LP.
Though you note tghat for some reason Gigaplant seems to lose 300 ATK/DEF.
Demeter has Lily enter her BP and attack your DEF MOF, destroying it, but as its destroyed Lily and Demeter gain another 300 LP.
Lily then ends her turn.
.
------------>
.
As you go to draw you can't help but grit your teeth, feeling frustration bubbling at being pushed by a literal kid, even with the help of a very buxom spirit, especially with Kaiba watching you.
…You were ending this now.
You draw, looking and seeing CED.
.
----------->
.
You go to attempt to summon CED but for some reason your Duel Disk isn't allowing you to, as you look over you see that even Lily and Demeter seem surprised before Demeters eyes seem to widen.
Suddenly an astral figure of Persephone draped in darkness appeared over the field, as both of your GYs glow black as Demeter reveals that while in the GY Persephone changes all monsters in both GYs to DARK monsters, something it seems greatly pains her to admit.
.
---------->
.
Well, what now?
Whatever! You could still do this, just meant you got to enjoy dragging this out more!
You enter your BP and declare an attack with Germ, crashing into Gigaplant as Demeter scoffs asking if you're trying to surrender even as Lily loses 500 LP then gains 300.
You just smirk as yu summon your 2 other Germs and tell her you're nowhere close to done and enter your M2 tributing your 2 Germs and summoning Red to the field who appears behind you with a snarl even as Lily gains 600 more LP.
.
-------->
.
Lily draws, gaining 500 LP from Wishes as the world around you turns to a harsh winter.
Demeter bites her lip, staring up at Gigaplant, and then at her GY continously for a moment before jolting as Lily suddenly reaches up and wipes a tear from her face and smiles at her.
Demeter sighss and then Gemini summons Gigaplant, immediately using his effect to revive Persephone in ATK.
She then activates Seasonal Blessing, tributing Gigaplant in-order to summon summon Demeter, Mother of Seasons to the field as she stands up from behind Lily and steps on to the field.
As she does she explains her effect allows all monsters she controls to be treated as the type listed on any field spell, causing her and Persephone to gain 300 DEF from Winters effect.
She then activates Persephones effect, gaining 500 LP as Demeters effect then activates, increasing the ATK of all her monsters by 200, though she explains with Persephone on the field the boost is lifted to 400.
She then attacks and destroys Red, banishing it because of the secondary effect of Winter.
She then attacks you directly with Persephone.
Finally Demeter tells Lily to end her turn, and that everything would be okay.
.
----------- >
.
You draw and get Cerberus.
You immediately banishing a Germ and MOF in order to summon CED as Demeter sighs.
You then immediately activate Cerberus' effect, banishing another Germ in order to NS Cerberus as Demeter clicks her tongue.
You then enter your battle phase, attacking Persephone with your Cerberus but before he can finish her you see Demeter step infront of him and hold out a hand, stopping Cerberus in his tracks as she then calmly tells Lily to surrender.
.
-------->
.
Duel Won!
300 DP!
+1 Locator Card! >
"...Okay I suppose the XIII makes sense now."
Traits:
Spring: Start with "Persephone, Child of Spring" in your opening hand.
Summer: While "Persephone, Child of Spring" is face-up on your side of the field when you next draw you may add "Seasonal Blessing" to your hand instead.
Autumn: While "Seasonal Blessing" is in your hand when you next draw you may add 1 level 6 or higher monster from your deck to your hand instead.
Winter: Once, if "Persephone, Child of Spring" is in your GY, during your next DP you may add 1 card that would Special Summon her from the GY from your deck to your hand instead of conducting your normal draw.
Mother will always protect you: While "Demeter, Mother of Seasons" and "Persephone, Child of Spring" are on your side of the field if you possess no cards that may protect Persephone, during each of your DPs instead of conducting your normal draw add 1 protection card to your hand instead.
-x-X-x-
Ags spent a 69 on 15 Ritual Packs --->
9 Spellcaster Packs ---->
"…I could actually get behind this monster, I sense a ferocious energy from him." ------->
-x-X-x-