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!
"I think we'll be going first!" Demeter suddenly called out before leaning down to Lily's ear.
"Now just draw a card, Sweetie, just like we practiced."
Lily nodded, taking a deep breath before reaching down to her deck and drawing a card, holding up her hand for Demeter to inspect.
"Hmm, very good. Okay, Sweetie, first I want you to use that one." Demeter explained as she pointed to a certain card in Lily's hand.
…Well, looks like you were gonna be dueling Demeter herself rather than Lily.
Good. Hopefully this would actually be a bit of a challenge rather than you bullying a literal kid and metaphorically stealing her lunch money.
"Okay, Mommy. First off I activate, umm…" Lily trailed off as she stared at the card for a moment before Demeter leaned down and whispered something into her ear.
"Ah! Thank you! I activate my Cycle of the Four Seasons!" Lily called out as the Field Spell slot opened up.
Oh-ho? Well, you'd never heard of that card before. It must have been one of the support cards Lucian had made for the XIII that Ami's note mentioned.
Though as the card activated, you looked around in confusion when the surroundings didn't change at all.
"Hmph! You'll see the power of my Cycle soon enough, fool! For now, merely enjoy what little life you have left!" Demeter declared before leaning back down to Lily. "Now summon your sister, Sweetie. The three of us together will defeat the bad man." she cooed.
"Yeah! Now I'll Special Summon Big Sis in Defense Mode!" Lily called out as a woman with green, plant-like hair appeared on her field, shooting you a gentle smile before taking a knee in front of Lily.
.
---------->
.
…As you stared at her you couldn't help but feel a sense of fondness run through you from somewhere deep within your soul.
Huh, guess it made sense the big guy would be happy to see his wife.
…He better not try and pull any BS when you destroyed her though.
Demeter, however, seemed to take offense at your staring, glaring over at you with a snarl.
"...Do not even conceive the notion of touching my daughter, you ingrate! If you even attempt to do so then I promise you that your death shall not be quick!" she threatened.
You just smirked.
"Heh, you don't need to worry about me stealing her away from you like with Hades. When I take her, I can assure you you'll be right there with her." you taunted.
Demeter's snarl only deepened, but rather than responding she shook her head and looked back to Lily's hand, who seemed uncomfortable at your words.
…God, why couldn't Demeter just duel you on her own? Now you felt like an ass.
"Just ignore him, sweetling. First—"
Suddenly, without warning Lily's expression turned to a fierce glare.
"No! I'm not going to let you take away Mommy OR Big Sis! I activate Big Sis' effect!"
A soft green glow surrounded Persephone before flowing into Lily, restoring 500 Life Points.
Demeter, for some reason, grimaced at that even as she reached out and gently rubbed Lily's arm.
"...It's okay, Sweetie, but you need to listen to me, remember? Don't let the bad man trick you. You should have summoned her first." Demeter explained gently as she pointed to another card in Lily's hand.
Lily stared at it for a moment before her eyes widened.
"...Oh... sorry, Mommy..."
Demeter simply planted a kiss on the back of Lily's head.
"It's fine, baby. Just remember to listen to Mommy and everything will be okay. Now summon that one." she said, still pointing to the same card.
Lily nodded before grabbing it and placing it onto the field.
"I summon my Aromage Jasmine in Defense Mode!"
A small flower sprite appeared beside Persephone, kneeling in front of Lily.
Ah, you saw the problem now. If she'd summoned Jasmine first, then Persephone's Life Point gain would've triggered Jasmine's effect and let her draw a card.
A small misplay, but nothing too serious. Now just to see if she could—
"And with Jasmine on the field, while Lily and I have more Life Points than you, we're then allowed to Normal Summon an additional Plant monster this turn! And so we shall summon our Botanical Lion in Attack Mode!" Demeter called out as she helped Lily place another card onto the field, an impressive lion seemingly made out of wood, with rose petals in place of a typical mane.
The lion's ATK immediately rose from a mediocre 1600 to an impressive 2500.
"You see, Botanical Lion gains 300 ATK for each Plant monster we control, and with three currently on the field our Lion gains 900 ATK!" Demeter declared, a smug smile appearing on her face before she leaned down and whispered to Lily once more.
"N-Now I'll set two cards face-down and end my turn!" Lily cried as two cards appeared in her back row.
As you looked over Lily's opening board—three respectable monsters backed up by two face-downs—you couldn't help the grin that spread across your face.
…Well, it looked like you were getting your wish for a decent workout after all.
.
-------->
.
"Heh, not bad, kid! But let's see how you handle this!" you call out as you pull the top card from your deck.
.
--------->
.
…Hmm, Tri-Horn wasn't exactly the draw you wanted here, but it could've been worse. At the very least it was an easy Level 8 tribute towards Regent, and if the duel dragged on you could always hold onto it as Fusion material.
Then again… you were getting a bad feeling from that Field Spell. You had no idea what it actually did, and letting an unknown card stick around rarely ended well.
…Maybe taking it out as soon as possible should be your priority.
Yeah, getting rid of that Field Spell was the way to go.
"To start things off I'll activate my Pre-Preparation of Rites! Allowing me to add any Ritual Spell from my deck to my hand!" you call out as you flip through your deck, grabbing your tried-and-true—
"And let's not waste any time! I immediately activate my Advanced Ritual Art! Allowing me to send Normal Monsters from my deck to the Graveyard in order to Ritual Summon a monster whose Level matches the total Levels sent!" you explain as you send your Dark Magician and D.D. Trainer to the Graveyard.
Then your eyes widen as dark crimson flames suddenly engulf you.
What the fuck—?!
Before panic can set in, you realize the fire doesn't hurt.
Instead, it begins to cling to your body, hardening into pitch-black armor piece by piece until you recognize exactly what was happening.
…Oh, fuck yes~.
A grin slowly spreads across your face as you look over at Demeter, taking particular satisfaction in catching Kaiba's eyes widening from the corner of your vision.
"And with it, I Ritual Summon my Lord of Red!" you declare, striking a dramatic pose.
.
------------>
.
"Next up, I'll activate Lightning Vortex from my hand! By discarding one card I can destroy every monster you control!"
There.
If this resolved, the duel was practically over.
But even if it didn't—
"Not so fast, cur! We activate our set My Body as a Shield in order to negate your Lightning Vortex!" Demeter declared as her Spell flipped face-up.
.
----------->
.
Heh.
Got 'em~.
-x-X-x-
-x-X-x-
"Ha! Thanks for that, because now I can activate my Lord of Red's effect! Once per turn, when you activate a card or effect, I can destroy one Spell or Trap on your field! So say goodbye to your Field Spell! Red Burning!" you call out, striking another dramatic pose as the same dark crimson flames from before erupted from your armor, taking the shape of a roaring dragon before hurtling straight toward Lily's Duel Disk.
Ha! With this, whatever she was planning was about to go up in smoke—
Your grin vanished.
The fiery dragon suddenly veered off course, diving toward Persephone instead as your heart skipped a beat.
She calmly stepped forward, raising both hands and... caught it.
The blazing dragon struggled in her grasp for a brief moment before Persephone slowly compressed the flames between her palms until they disappeared entirely. When she finally opened her hands again, not even a spark remained.
Demeter smirked at your stunned expression.
"Ha! You believe yourself so clever, don't you, thief? Did you truly think I would leave my Cycle unprotected? As long as Persephone remains upon the field, my Field Spell cannot be destroyed by card effects!" she declared triumphantly.
You clicked your tongue.
Tch... how fucking annoying.
There was a reason you spent hours of your life keeping up with every card in the game, and it was to avoid getting blindsided by bullshit exactly like this.
Still...
A grin tugged at your lips as the storm cloud summoned by Lightning Vortex drifted away from Lily's monsters and instead settled directly above Lily and Demeter.
A deafening crack split the air.
A bolt of lightning came crashing down.
Your heart lurched as Lily let out a frightened cry, stumbling to her knees—
—but before the lightning could reach her, Demeter stepped in front of her daughter and raised an arm.
The bolt bent toward her as though she'd become a living lightning rod, slamming into her body instead. She grimaced, smoke rising from her shoulders even as both her and Lily's Life Points dropped by 1500.
"...I told you, wretch. While I still draw breath, no harm shall ever befall either of my girls." Demeter declared, glaring at you through the lingering smoke.
.
--------->
.
Well.
Looks like she really did care about the kid.
Part of you had figured she was just manipulating Lily for her own ends, but this looked less like manipulation and more like an extreme case of being a helicopter mom.
...Still.
It was your turn.
So how exactly were you going to pivot from here?
Well, first things first…
"Next, I set a monster and one other card face-down!" you announce as you set your Magician of Faith and Mirror Force. Both of those could definitely come in handy later.
The question was what to do now.
Part of you had a bad feeling about her remaining face-down, and there was also that faint part of you that didn't really want to hurt Persephone...
Especially not so directly.
Before you could end your turn, however, your ears perked up as you heard Kaiba scoff from beside you.
"...What a joke. Are you really having this much trouble with one little girl and some plastic-surgery bimbo? How pathetic."
You grit your teeth, your hand balling into a fist.
…Fuck it.
Even if she had something, it couldn't be that bad considering Lord of Red's effect.
"Now! It looks like I'll be sending your Persephone to the Underworld after all! Here I come, Scarlet Knuckle!"
You suddenly crouch low before exploding off the ground with every ounce of your newfound strength. Your wings flared behind you, carrying you into a shallow glide as you rocketed toward Persephone, your fist wreathed in crimson flames.
Demeter merely glared.
"I told you, fool! No harm shall come to my girls! We activate our set Wall of Thorns!" she cried as her Trap flipped face-up.
Instantly, dozens—no, hundreds—of thorn-covered vines burst forth from her trap, surging toward you in a tangled wave.
.
--------->
.
Tch!
Just like you thought...
But still—!
As the vines encased you, you smirked even as you felt them begin to tighten, slowly crushing the air from your lungs.
"H-Heh! Not so fast now, beautiful! I activate my Lord of Red's effect!" you called out through gritted teeth.
Demeter merely scoffed, glaring at you.
"Fool! Keep your meaningless bluffs to yourself. You already informed me that your effect is once per turn, and even if it were not, you still cannot destroy my Cycle!"
You just grinned, even as the vines squeezed tighter, your armor barely shielding you from the countless thorns.
"Ha! You're right about that! Lord of Red can only destroy one Spell or Trap per turn with his effect... but who said I was targeting a Spell or Trap?"
Your pitch-black armor suddenly erupted into familiar crimson flames, instantly reducing the thorny prison to ash and dropping you back to one knee.
"Not only can I destroy a Spell or Trap you control—I can also destroy one monster you control! So go, Lord of Red! Destroy her Persephone! Red Burning!"
The crimson fire once again took the shape of a roaring dragon, this time flying exactly where you intended.
Your heart clenched for the briefest moment as Persephone's gentle eyes widened before she was completely swallowed by the scarlet flames.
Your attention was immediately stolen by Demeter.
"ARRRRGHHH! YOU WRETCH! I SHALL RIP THE FLESH FROM YOUR BONES! BOIL YOUR BLOOD WITHIN YOUR VEINS! I SHALL MAKE YOU SUFFER FOR WHAT YOU'VE DONE!" she screamed, true fury ringing through her voice as fat tears streamed freely down her face.
.
------------->
.
Before you could even think of a response, Lily suddenly spun around and threw her arms around Demeter's waist, hugging her as tightly as she could.
"It-it's okay, Mommy! We put cards in my deck to get Big Sis back if this happened, remember?!" Lily cried desperately, trying her hardest to calm her mother.
Demeter froze.
Then she took one long, shuddering breath.
"...You're right, dear. My beautiful little angel..." she whispered, slowly wrapping her arms around Lily. "All we need to do is find the right card, and we can bring your sister back. There is no need to panic."
...She sounded like she was trying to convince herself just as much as Lily.
Welp, it looked like getting rid of Persephone really was the quickest way to throw Demeter completely off her game.
"Well! I look forward to seeing you try! Feel free to bring her back—I'll just drag her back down to me again and again~" you purred with a smirk, deliberately twisting the knife.
Demeter's tear-filled glare met yours.
"...You have made a grave mistake, thief."
The quietness in her voice somehow felt far more threatening than the screaming.
She said nothing else.
.
----------->
.
Winter trait activates.
As Lily drew for her turn, you had to brace yourself as the world suddenly began to shake. Behind you, Tea and Solomon both let out startled cries as the dingy back alley melted away, replaced by a gorgeous spring forest.
.
------------>
.
"Mine and Mommy's Cycle Field Spell enters its first season! During each of our Standby Phases we'll progress through the seasons, and the effects change depending on which season we're in!" Lily explained proudly.
You raised an eyebrow.
"And what does each season do exactly? And what happens once you reach the end?"
Lily opened her mouth to answer, but Demeter gently placed a hand over it, pulling Lily back against her chest.
"...I suppose you shall simply have to wait and see, slime. Assuming you survive long enough to find out." Demeter hissed, her glare never leaving you.
Ah well, worth a shot.
You did notice, however, that Botanical Lion immediately gained another 300 ATK and DEF as soon as Spring arrived, while Aromage Jasmine remained exactly the same.
...Hmm. So only EARTH monsters received the boost?
Before you could dwell on it any longer, Demeter tapped Lily on the shoulder and pointed to the freshly drawn card in her hand.
"Quickly now, dear. We mustn't leave your sister in that wretched place for even a second longer." she urged, unable to completely hide the desperation in her voice.
Lily nodded vigorously.
"Mhm! First I'll activate my Magical Fertilazer!"
...Okay, that was admittedly kinda cute.
"Next I'll use the effect of my Fertilazer—"
Demeter leaned down and whispered into Lily's ear.
"—Thank you! Fertilizer! And bring back Big Sis!" Lily corrected herself proudly.
At her command, Persephone almost seemed to sprout from the grass itself like a blooming flower, her gentle smile never wavering. She looked over at you and gave a playful wink.
...Though, for just a moment, you could've sworn the hem of her dress was stained almost black.
...Dirt maybe? The holograms were advanced enough for something like that, you supposed.
Still, you couldn't help clicking your tongue. With Persephone back on the field, Botanical Lion's attack climbed all the way to a whopping 2800.
...Annoying.
Thankfully, you had a certain surprise lying in wait.
"Now I'll use Big Sis' effect again! And because it's Spring, whenever I gain Life Points I gain another 300 straight away!" Lily announced excitedly.
A warm green light surrounded both Lily and Persephone once again as her Life Points rose.
"And because we've gained Life Points, Aromage Jasmine's effect activates! Once per turn, whenever we gain Life Points, we may draw another card!" Demeter added, helping Lily draw from her deck.
Tch. Guess you couldn't expect them to forget that interaction twice.
"Now we enter our Battle Phase! Botanical Lion, attack his pathetic set monster!" Demeter ordered.
Their lion immediately pounced toward your face-down Magician of Faith.
.
------------>
.
Damn. If only she'd summoned Persephone in Attack Position.
Still, it looked like she was in full overprotective mother mode now.
The question was whether to use your Mirror Force.
Your Life Points weren't under any real threat, and it'd only be a simple one-for-one trade.
On the other hand, if you activated it now, you'd keep your Magician of Faith around as both a defensive wall and potential tribute fodder later...
Tch! It didn't feel good, but ultimately that Lion was too big a threat to leave alive, and at this rate you'd probably have to Mirror Force it next turn anyway.
"Not so fast now! I activate my set Mirror Force!" you called out as a transparent barrier suddenly appeared in the path of the charging lion.
Before it could collide with the barrier, you saw Demeter's eyes flick down to the card in Lily's hand for the briefest moment. Then they shifted to Persephone.
...She did nothing.
The lion crashed into the shield, shattering into a million glittering fragments.
...Alright, there was a very good chance that card was some sort of protection, and she'd deliberately chosen to save it for Persephone instead. Good to know.
Even as Lily pouted over at you, Demeter simply smiled softly and ran a gentle hand through her daughter's hair.
"...Don't worry, sweetling. He loses more with every passing turn, while we only continue to grow stronger. Sooner or later he'll run out of petty little defenses. For now, simply set the card in your hand and end your turn."
Lily nodded obediently before setting the card from her hand face-down.
.
---------->
.
"Ha! I wouldn't be so sure about that, Beautiful! Even the most beautiful garden can be reduced to ashes by a single spark!" you called out confidently as you tore the top card from your deck.
.
---------->
.
Of course, a raging inferno worked just as well~.
"I think I'll start things off by bringing back an old reliable. Come on, Monster Reborn!" you called out with a smug grin, thoroughly enjoying the way Demeter's eyes widened in panic as familiar black armor once again enshrouded your body.
"Next, I'll flip my Magician of Faith face-up!" you declared, throwing your arm out beside you as your Magician revealed herself with what you could have sworn was a quiet sigh.
...Thoughts for later.
"And when my Magician of Faith is flipped face-up, I get to add any Spell Card from my Graveyard back to my hand. I think I'll take back my Lightning Vortex... but before I do..." You trailed off, a smug grin slowly spreading across your face.
"...Did I forget to mention that my Lord of Red's effect can be activated in response to either of us activating a card?"
Demeter's eyes immediately widened in alarm, while Lily merely blinked in confusion.
"That's right! So now I'll chain Lord of Red's effect to my Magician of Faith and finally take MY Persephone back once and for all! Red Burning!"
The familiar crimson flames erupted from your armor once more, coalescing into a roaring dragon as it flew straight toward Persephone.
Now you just needed her to—
"Argh! No, you don't! I activate our second My Body as a Shield!" Demeter screamed.
At once, the dragon veered away from Persephone, crashing into Demeter instead as she threw herself in its path.
The crimson flames engulfed her completely, drawing another scream of pain and fury from her lips
.
------------>
.
Though if you wanted to press your advantage, you needed to move quickly.
You could already feel the armor covering your body beginning to crack under the strain of Demeter's My Body as a Shield.
"Oh? Did you just activate a card, beautiful? Well, you know what that means! I activate my Lord of Red's effect again! This time I'm targeting your Miracle Fertilizer! Go! Red Burning!" you called out.
The cracks racing across your armor suddenly flared crimson, the black plating exploding into a torrent of fire that surged across the field and engulfed Miracle Fertilizer, reducing it to ashes before finally burning itself out.
As the flames around Demeter finally faded, she remained standing, smoke slowly rising from her body as she fixed you with a venomous glare.
"...I know exactly what you intend to do, fiend, and I urge you to reconsider. I had intended to grant you a swift and merciful death... perhaps I may even have spared you. But if you follow through with what you are planning, then I swear you shall spend the rest of your existence in nothing but ceaseless, unending agony." she hissed, the desperation bleeding through despite the menace in her voice.
.
------------------>
.
You couldn't help but chuckle.
"...Heh, sorry, beautiful, but if threats like that were enough to stop me... then I just wouldn't be Makoto Yuzuki."
"So let's get this show on the road! I activate my Lightning Vortex! By discarding one card from my hand, I destroy every monster you control!" you called out, discarding your Tri-Horn as an enormous storm cloud gathered above Demeter's field.
A heartbeat later, lightning rained down in merciless succession, obliterating Aromage Jasmine...
...And, more importantly, Persephone once again.
As the storm finally subsided, your eyes immediately found Demeter and Lily.
Demeter was clutching Lily tightly against her chest, her entire body trembling with barely restrained fury.
"...There shall be no mercy for you. From this moment until the end of time, the only thing you shall know is pain. Suffering beyond mortal comprehension. You shall beg me for death—for release—and I shall look upon you..."
She slowly raised her tear-streaked face to meet your eyes.
"...And I shall tell you no."
.
-------->
.
Beside her, Lily looked up at her mother with growing concern.
...Well.
You'd really done it now, hadn't you?
-x-X-x-
As Lily began her turn, the spring forest slowly melted away, replaced by a beautiful summer meadow bathed in warm sunlight.
.
------------>
.
A gentle breeze rolled across the field, carrying the scent of wildflowers as you felt the sun kiss your cheeks.
...It really was quite pleasant.
But almost the instant that thought crossed your mind, your eyes widened.
The flowers at your feet began to wither.
The lush grass yellowed and died, turning black.
The leaves overhead blackened, curling in on themselves as if scorched by an unseen flame.
Above you, the sky steadily darkened until the sun itself seemed to rot, becoming a pitch-black sphere that loomed over the dying landscape.
.
-------------->
.
Had she—?
"...I told you, didn't I, wretch? Your suffering has only just begun." Demeter hissed.
Beside her, Lily looked around with wide, frightened eyes, shrinking into herself even as Demeter absentmindedly stroked her hair in an attempt to comfort her.
Then, without another word, Demeter reached over and plucked the freshly drawn card from Lily's hand.
...Or rather, she simply took it.
Her hand no longer passed harmlessly through the cards.
She slotted it into Lily's Duel Disk herself.
...Well.
Looks like things had just gotten a bit more serious.
That was the only thought running through your mind as you steeled yourself for the Shadow Game that lay ahead.
.
---------------->
.
You quickly drew, looking down at your card before a smirk spread across your face.
"Heh! Sorry, beautiful, but you'll need to do a lot worse than this if you want to frighten me!" you called out as you immediately slapped the card onto your Duel Disk.
"First up, I'll activate my Pot of Greed! Allowing me to draw two more cards from my deck!" you declared, watching Demeter grit her teeth while Lily instinctively clung tighter to her dress, still looking around at the landscape.
.
---------->
.
Red and a Giant Germ.
Tch! Not exactly the game-changing draws you'd been hoping for.
Still, if this duel kept dragging on like it seemed determined to, you could always tribute summon for Red and put a hefty beater on the field.
...That was a consideration for later, though.
The question was, what should you do right now?
.... Well, 1000 damage wasn't nothing, you supposed.
"Okay! Let's get this started! I summon my Giant Germ in Attack Mode!" you announced as the grotesque little monster appeared on your field.
"Now go on, Germ! Attack her Life Points directly!" you called out, throwing an arm forward as your monster charged across the field.
Lily flinched as the Giant Germ rushed toward her.
In an instant, Demeter stepped in front of her, one arm sweeping Lily behind her protectively as she raised the other to intercept the attack.
The Germ slammed into her forearm before Demeter violently swatted it away, sending it tumbling back toward your side of the field. Acid clung stubbornly to her arm, hissing as it bubbled and burned at her flesh.
"...Don't worry, sweetie," Demeter said softly, never taking her eyes off you. "Mother will never let anyone hurt you."
You only grinned at the murderous glare fixed upon you, spreading your arms wide.
"Ha! Careful, beautiful. Keep looking at me like that and I might just start thinking you're interested! Though who could blame you, really? Certainly not your daughter~" you purred, deliberately trying to provoke her.
Demeter's glare somehow grew even colder. Without a word, she sharply flicked her arm, sending the sizzling acid flying harmlessly from her skin.
"...Enjoy this while you can, thief. This shall be the last pleasure you ever experience. Before your turn ends, Lily and I activate our Solemn Wishes."
Her set Solemn Wishes suddenly raised.
...Hmm.
A little annoying, but in the grand scheme of things, 500 Life Points a turn wasn't going to matter much.
.
---------->
.
-x-X-x-
As Lily began her turn and drew—gaining 500 Life Points from Solemn Wishes—the world around you shifted once again. For a brief moment, you caught a glimpse of what the scenery was supposed to be.
.
------------>
.
But just as quickly it twisted. The trees withered, their bark blackening as though centuries had passed in an instant. The baskets of vegetables scattered along the path rotted before your eyes, becoming infested with flies and mold as a sickly sweet stench filled the air.
.
-------->
.
You weren't the only one to notice. Lily scrunched up her face in disgust, and even Kaiba grimaced for a brief moment before returning to his usual stoic expression. Behind you, you heard Tea gag.
Demeter, however, didn't seem to notice the corruption at all. Her attention remained fixed on the card Lily had drawn before she reached out and gently took it from her hand.
"Good. This is exactly what I need to put you in your place for good, boy. I summon my Lonefire Blossom!"
.
--------->
.
Your eyes widened at the sight of the monster. Out of the corner of your eye you caught Kaiba's doing the same, while Solomon let out an audible gasp behind you, prompting Tea to hurriedly ask what was happening.
"I suppose I can explain for the ignorant members of our audience," Demeter said with a malicious smile. "Lonefire Blossom is one of, if not the strongest, Plant monsters in all of Duel Monsters. Once per turn, I can Tribute one face-up Plant monster I control to immediately Special Summon any other Plant monster directly from my Deck."
She spread her hands theatrically.
"Unfortunately, I control no other Plant monsters, so I must Tribute Lonefire Blossom itself. But that matters little considering what I intend to summon. Go, Lonefire Blossom! Grow into your true form! Verdant Awakening!"
Lonefire Blossom immediately began to grow, its vines twisting and writhing as it rapidly expanded until it became a hulking plant monstrosity, its enormous crimson blossom opening like a hungry maw.
.
----------->
.
Fuck!
Demeter's smile widened as she savored your reaction.
"Ah... so you really are knowledgeable. For everyone else, allow me to explain. This is Gigaplant—a Gemini Monster. Gemini Monsters possess effects so powerful that they must be Normal Summoned a second time while already on the field before they can use them. Unfortunately, I've already used my Normal Summon this turn."
She gave a disappointed sigh that didn't match the delight in her eyes.
"But next turn, my Gigaplant shall awaken its true power, allowing it to endlessly Special Summon any Plant monster from my Graveyard!"
You clenched your fist as her Life Points rose by another 300.
"...You gonna explain that too?"
"Hm?" Demeter blinked before realization crossed her face. "Ah, that. It's quite simple. One of Autumn's effects is that whenever a monster is sent to the Graveyard, Lily and I gain 300 Life Points."
She wrapped an arm around Lily as she spoke.
...That didn't seem to be the only effect.
That thought crossed your mind as Gigaplant's ATK and DEF suddenly dropped by 300.
...You had to pray she attacked your Giant Germ. If she did, you'd be able to summon Red next turn and deal with that behemoth before it spiraled out of control.
Judging by the smug look Demeter was giving you, though...
"...I warned you, boy. Enjoy yourself while you still could, because from here onward you'll know only despair. Gigaplant! Destroy his Magician of Faith!"
You grimaced as Gigaplant raised one of its massive arms before bringing it crashing down onto your Magician of Faith, crushing her instantly. As she disappeared, Lily gained another 300 Life Points, and Demeter threw her head back in laughter.
"Ha! I like that expression, boy! I'll make certain the creatures of the Shadow Realm keep your face intact so I may visit and savor that look whenever I wish!"
.
-------->
.
…
...You still would.
A chuckle escaped your lips before you could stop it, amused that even now your brain had immediately gone there.
When you looked back up, Demeter's grin had vanished, replaced by the now-familiar glare she'd been directing at you all duel.
"And what exactly are you laughing at? Have you finally gone mad from fear?"
You simply straightened your back and answered with an easy grin.
"...Just the fact you've already convinced yourself you've won. It's always entertaining watching arrogant people build themselves up before I knock them back down."
.
----------->
.
Though even with that said, things weren't exactly looking good.
Everything depended on this draw. You needed something big to turn the tide.
...Then again, it wasn't like your deck had ever let you down before.
You reached up and pulled the top card from your deck, a grin slowly spreading across your face as you looked at it.
.
------------->
.
Heh... just what you needed.
"Heh."
"Ha…"
"Hahaha…"
"HAHAHAHAHA!"
You couldn't help yourself. The moment you processed what was about to happen, you threw your head back and burst into hysterical laughter, the sheer absurdity of the situation getting to you.
Eventually your laughter died down as you looked over at Demeter. She was gritting her teeth, glaring at you as though you'd killed her daughter.
...Oh, wait~
A smirk spread across your face.
"What'd I tell you, Demeter? I just can't help but enjoy cutting arrogant people down to size! So now, I'll banish a LIGHT and a DARK—!"
You drank in the way her eyes widened, the panic blooming across her face as she realized what was about to happen.
...This was going to be glorious—
"Summoning conditions not met."
The robotic voice from your Duel Disk cut through the moment.
You blinked.
...Huh?
You frowned down at your Duel Disk before tapping the side of it.
"What the fuck are you talking about? I've got a Magician of Faith and like seven DARK monsters in my Graveyard! I more than meet the conditions!"
"Incorrect. Five DARK monsters detected in your Graveyard."
...What?
You had Tri-Horn Dragon, D.D. Trainer, Dark Magician...
No, wait. Lord of Red was FIRE. Magician of Faith was LIGHT...
You slowly looked up at Demeter, wondering if she'd somehow done this, but she looked just as confused as you.
...For all of two seconds.
Then her eyes widened as she stared down at Lily's Duel Disk.
A black glow began to seep from Lily's Graveyard slot before a figure slowly crawled her way out of it.
.
------------->
.
What?
Persephone(?) simply giggled at your confusion.
"You're so silly, husband. Did you really think I'd gain no effects from being your wife? And Mother, I can't believe you forgot my third effect! I know Lily's deck doesn't make much use of it, but to forget it completely? I'm hurt~"
She let out an exaggerated pout before immediately breaking into another fit of giggles, floating lazily through the air as she kicked her feet.
"Oh well! I guess it's up to me to explain! You see, Persephone, Child of Spring—though I personally prefer Persephone, Dread Queen in this form—has three effects!"
She suddenly floated over in front of Lily and gently booped her on the nose.
"The first is that I give my user 500 Life Points every turn, which means this little cutie patootie~!"
Lily squeaked before giggling and hiding her face against Demeter's leg to escape Persephone's wandering fingers. After teasing her for another second, Persephone floated away again.
"My second effect is protection! While I'm on the field, any Field Spell my user controls can't be destroyed. Mother gets the same treatment too! While I'm around, she can't be targeted or destroyed by card effects either! I even give her one more little bonus... but I'll keep that one a secret for now~"
She dramatically placed a finger against her lips before giggling again.
"And those are the effects I get from Mother! But of course I've got more than that! Because I'm married to my ever-so-cheerful husband, I also gain effects while I'm in the Graveyard... like turning every monster in both Graveyards into DARK monsters!"
She floated over until she was right in front of you before reaching out and booping your nose.
"Who'd have thought the effect that's supposed to help you would end up fucking you over like this?"
"Persephone! Do not use such foul language!" Demeter snapped almost on instinct.
"Sorry, Mother!"
Persephone immediately turned back toward you, covering her mouth with one hand as though sharing a secret.
"I'm not sorry. I'm a super bad girl. I swear... and I smoke."
She punctuated the statement with finger guns before floating backward, laughing all the while.
"But oh well! Looks like you might be in a little trouble, husband. Who would've thought your own wife would betray you? Ooh, the drama~!"
.
----------------->
.
Was she right?
As long as Persephone remained in the Graveyard, every monster there would become DARK.
Which meant your Chaos Emperor Dragon was completely offline.
...And with Monster Reborn already spent, you had no way to get her out of there.
Fuck that!
That was coward talk if you'd ever heard it.
You were Makoto fucking Yuzuki!
As if one little setback was ever going to stop him.
"Tch! Keep talking, Sephy! I plan to win this duel and take you, your mother, and hell, I might even take your sister while I'm at it!" you called out.
Persephone placed the back of her hand against her forehead and let out a theatrical swoon.
"Ah~ how romantic~. Are you gonna make each of us eat a pomegranate too?" she cooed.
Before she could continue, Demeter reached up and grabbed her by the ankle, yanking her back down with a startled yelp.
"...Enough of your nonsense, Persephone. Sit quietly. I shall put this degenerate out of our misery soon enough, and then the three of us can finally be a proper family."
Her glare immediately settled back onto you.
You simply smirked.
"...And you will be. Trust me. It'll just be under me."
Demeter's glare somehow sharpened even further.
Persephone, meanwhile, swooned all over again.
...Heh.
You could enjoy that later.
Right now, you had a duel to win.
"First things first! I'm entering my Battle Phase!"
Demeter's eyes widened.
"What?! Why would you do that? Your monster is nowhere near strong enough to defeat mine!"
You grinned.
"And that's exactly the point! Go on, Giant Germ! Attack Gigaplant!"
Your brave little—well, giant—Germ charged fearlessly across the field, hurling itself at the towering plant monstrosity.
It never even got close.
Gigaplant lazily pulled back one enormous arm before swatting Giant Germ away like an insect.
...Oh, fuck.
This was a Shadow Game—
You barely had time to finish the thought before Giant Germ slammed into you, launching you backward. You skidded across the ground before finally coming to a stop at a familiar pair of feminine legs.
..... >
.Nice.
You quickly forced that thought out of your head and pushed yourself upright as Tea grapsed at her skirt with a blush, just as Giant Germ burst into its familiar crimson cloud, the poisonous mist drifting toward Lily and Demeter.
Without hesitation, Demeter stepped in front of both Lily and Persephone, shielding them as the poison washed over her instead.
"...Is this your plan, cur? To kill my precious Lily through Shadow Game damage? Is that it?"
You chuckled as you climbed back to your feet, rubbing your sore neck.
"Heh. Believe it or not, even I'm not heartless enough to do something like that. No... my plan's a lot simpler."
Two more Giant Germs suddenly burst onto your field.
"I just needed tribute fodder."
Demeter's eyes widened.
"Now! I'll Tribute both Giant Germs to summon Red-Eyes Black Dragon from my hand!"
Your Giant Germs dissolved into crimson mist as Red-Eyes erupted onto the field behind you, roaring a challenge toward the colossal Gigaplant even as Lily's Life Points rose by another 600.
.
------------->
.
Okay.
Far from perfect, but workable.
Best-case scenario? Winter lowered Gigaplant's ATK even further, leaving Red-Eyes comfortably in control, and there wasn't anything Lonefire Blossom could fetch that could beat over it.
Most likely? Winter ended, Gigaplant returned to its normal 2400 ATK, she revived Lonefire Blossom, summoned another respectable Plant, and was forced to crash Gigaplant into your Red-Eyes to clear it.
...Worst-case scenario?
Winter somehow buffed Gigaplant instead.
Or weakened Red-Eyes.
Or she had something in her Deck with more than 2400 ATK waiting for Lonefire Blossom to summon.
...Yeah.
You decided not to think about that possibility.
-x-X-x-
As Lily drew for turn she gained another 500 Life Points from Solemn Wishes, causing Persephone to pout for some reason, but you didn't have any time to question it as the environment shifted once again.
The dead and rotted forest fell away, replaced by gently falling snow as a true winter wonderland overtook the field.
.
-------------->
.
Nice place.
Now what horrific environment was it about to change into?
You waited a few seconds, blinking as you looked around, trying to figure out if you were missing something, but as far as you could tell everything stayed exactly the same.
You looked over to Demeter for an explanation, only to raise an eyebrow as you saw Persephone hugging her from behind, rubbing her cheek against the back of Demeter's neck while the older woman simply smiled peacefully.
"...It's okay, mama, I'm here. I think you were frightening Lily before, so why don't we calm things down a little? For her sake." Persephone said softly.
Lily nodded at that, turning around and wrapping both arms around Demeter's thick thigh.
"...Yeah... I didn't like it. It was scary... and smelly."
Demeter opened her eyes, looking down at Lily before kneeling and pulling her into a hug.
"...I'm sorry, baby. Mama didn't mean to frighten you. She was just a little angry that your sister was gone. It's all better now though. We just need to beat the bad man and everything will be perfect~" she cooed before rising to her feet and fixing you with another glare.
"...Be thankful for my daughters' kindness and mercy. It seems you WON'T be spending the rest of your days in the Shadow Realm after all, but that doesn't mean you'll be winning this duel!"
She threw an arm forward.
"First, I shall Normal Summon my Gigaplant, allowing it to awaken its true effect!"
Her Gigaplant glowed as the Gemini Summon completed.
Here we go.
Now was the moment of truth.
"Next I shall use my Gigaplant's effect to revive my Lonefire—"
She suddenly stopped.
Her eyes drifted to the hands still wrapped around her neck, then to the card in Lily's hand. She bit her lip.
"I-I…"
She froze completely until Lily gently reached up and took her hand.
"...It's okay, mommy. If we're going to win, we should win the right way! As a family!"
Demeter stared down at her daughter for several long moments before closing her eyes with a quiet chuckle, reaching down to stroke Lily's hair.
"...You're right about that. What a smart, beautiful girl I've raised~"
She looked back toward you.
"Then, me and Lily shall activate Gigaplant's effect! Special Summoning—"
Suddenly Lily stepped forward beside her, throwing her arm out alongside her mother.
"Persephone, Child of Spring!"
"Big Sis!"
…Huh?
The undead, almost gothic Persephone clinging to Demeter's back began to glow. Color returned to her skin, the black faded from her hair until it was once again that vibrant forest green—
—and unless your eyes were deceiving you, she lost a cup size in the process.
…Why?
Why would they ever do that?
Reviving Lonefire Blossom was objectively the stronger play.
Now your Chaos Emperor Dragon was back online.
Demeter seemed to read your expression immediately, lifting her chin proudly.
"Hmph. I can see that look upon your face, fool. Winning is not everything. Especially not if you must cast aside the things you cherish most in order to claim it."
You went still.
…Yeah.
She was completely right.
Victory bought by sacrificing something precious wasn't true victory at all. True victory came because you were simply stronger. Better. Brilliant enough to win without giving anything up.
Your gaze drifted toward Kaiba.
…That was what he'd taught you back at the castle.
Unaware of your thoughts, Demeter continued.
"But do not count us out just yet! Next we activate our Ritual Spell, Season Blessing!"
…Oh?
Was big mama herself finally taking the field?
"By tributing our Gigaplant, I Ritual Summon myself! Come forth... Demeter, Mother of Seasons!"
The towering plant monster dissolved into countless motes of green light, gathering around Demeter as she stepped away from Lily. Her toga shifted into a flowing emerald dress, vines and flowers blooming across the fabric as Persephone remained happily perched against her back.
.
---------------->
.
"While I am face-up upon the field, all monsters we control are treated as the Attribute and Type listed by our current Field Spell! During Winter, all WATER monsters gain 300 DEF!"
Both Demeter and Persephone's DEF rose.
Okay.
No big deal.
They were both in Attack Position, so the DEF boost meant practically nothing. Better than Winter giving them ATK.
"But I'm not finished! Next I activate Persephone's effect!"
The familiar green light surrounded Demeter and Lily once more.
Your eyes widened as both Demeter and Persephone gained another 400 ATK.
Persephone giggled at your expression.
"Remember that little bonus I mentioned before, husband? Normally whenever we gain Life Points, mother boosts all our monsters by 200 ATK. But while I'm on the field... it doubles to 400!"
That means—
"Yes. With my daughter's assistance, I now possess enough strength to destroy that dreadful dragon of yours."
Demeter stepped forward, the earth trembling beneath her feet as she slowly raised one hand toward the heavens.
For a moment you wondered what she was doing.
Then the snowfall began.
Gentle at first.
Then heavier.
Then heavier still.
Your eyes widened as every snowflake that landed upon Red caused her to roar in pain, frost spreading across her scales wherever it touched.
"...Winter's Requiem."
The snowfall exploded into a full blizzard.
You had no choice but to shield your eyes against the storm.
By the time it subsided, Red-Eyes Black Dragon stood completely encased in ice, trembling as she desperately fought to remain standing before finally collapsing, shattering into countless frozen fragments.
Shards of ice whipped toward you, tearing through your clothes and leaving a fresh cut across your cheek.
…Tch.
Guess even calming Demeter down couldn't stop a Shadow Game from being a Shadow Game.
As you looked back toward their field your eyes barely had time to widen as you saw Persephone flying towards you.
.
------------->
.
"Bloom—!"
Before you could react she drop-kicked you square in the chest, sending you stumbling backward as every bit of air was blasted from your lungs.
"—before Dusk!"
Dark energy coated her second leg as she spun gracefully, planting another kick across your cheek and snapping your head to the side.
You staggered back, rubbing your rapidly bruising face as Persephone skipped happily back to Lily's side of the field.
…
"...You know for sure I'm punishing you for that one later, right?"
Persephone only grinned, flashing you a peace sign as Demeter shot you another glare.
"...We shall end our turn here."
Then she turned back toward Lily, standing before both her daughters as she gently rested a hand atop Lily's head.
"...Know this, Lily. No matter what happens... Mommy loves you. And everything will be okay."
.
------------->
.
Looks like she knew how this was going to end.
Well, the least you could do was make it quick.
You placed your hand atop your deck, focusing on the one card you needed before drawing.
…Cerberus.
Heh.
Looks like Persephone was finally coming home.
But first…
"Now! With Persephone no longer in the Graveyard I can finally banish a LIGHT and a DARK from my Graveyard in order to summon a true engine of destruction!"
You slammed your card onto the Duel Disk.
"Come forth! Chaos Emperor Dragon! Envoy of the End!"
Your dragon erupted onto the field behind you with an earth-shaking roar.
.
---------->
.
Demeter visibly stiffened as Chaos Emperor Dragon appeared.
Heh.
But you were far from finished.
"Next, by banishing another monster from my Graveyard, I can Normal Summon my Cerberus! Hound of Hades!"
The massive black hound emerged at your side, letting out a low growl as all three heads fixed themselves upon Demeter's field.
Persephone, however, lit up the instant she saw him.
"Ooh! Spot! I missed you!" she squealed. "I can't believe Zeus let that nasty meathead keep you away from me!"
In an instant every ounce of Cerberus' intimidation vanished.
His tail wagged furiously as he dropped into a playful crouch, panting happily at the sight of Persephone.
…
God.
Did he have to do that in front of Kaiba?
Oh well.
You sighed before giving the oversized mutt a lazy wave.
"...Go bring her home, boy."
Cerberus bounded forward without hesitation, charging toward Persephone with all the enthusiasm of an overgrown puppy. Judging by the way his tongues lolled from his mouths, he looked far more interested in licking her face than attacking her.
Before he could leap, though, Demeter calmly stepped in front of him, raising a single hand.
Cerberus skidded to a halt.
Demeter gently rested her palm atop one of his heads before letting out a quiet sigh.
Then she turned to Lily.
"...Remember what I told you, sweetling? Everything will be alright."
She smiled.
"Please surrender the duel."
Lily blinked.
"B-But... doesn't that mean...?!"
Demeter simply stepped closer, placing a gentle hand atop her daughter's head.
"...Do not worry. Mother will always be with you."
Lily swallowed, uncertainty written across her face as her gaze slowly drifted toward you.
You met her eyes and nodded.
"Don't worry. I have absolutely no intention of keeping you apart."
You smiled.
"At least not for long. That's a promise."
"And I never break my promises."
Before Lily could answer, Persephone walked over and knelt beside her, wrapping the little girl in a hug.
"...You can trust him, Baby Sister. And if he turns out to be lying, you can trust Big Sis to beat him up and come right back to you."
Lily gave a tiny laugh through her nerves.
Then, after one last glance at her mother, she slowly raised a trembling hand to her Duel Disk.
"...I-I surrender."
.
----------->
.
Duel Won!
300 DP!
+1 Locator Card! >
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-
With Lily's declaration, the frozen landscape surrounding you dissolved away, the alley returning to its normal appearance as the duel officially came to an end.
…Alright.
Duel won.
Normally this was where you'd start gloating, rubbing your victory in your opponent's face until they wanted to strangle you or burst into tears.
Though considering Lily already looked seconds away from crying—and the fact Demeter and Persephone might actually murder you if you tried—that was probably a bad idea.
…God.
Two duels in a row where you'd ended up comforting your opponent.
You better not be getting soft. You had a reputation to keep up here.
Before you could say anything though, Kaiba clicked his tongue from the sidelines, drawing your attention.
"Well. That was quite the little performance. I don't know what your plan is with this little charade, but maybe once I eliminate you from my tournament and take your title for myself, you should consider a career in theatre."
You snorted. Did he really think you'd go out of your way and stage something like this just for him?
…
…
…
Well…
You shake that thought out of your head and turn to Kaiba.
"Tch. Believe whatever you want, Kaiba. I honestly couldn't care less."
Kaiba merely rolled his eyes before turning on his heel, Mokuba following close behind.
"Still... to think there are other cards from the same series as your Hades. How interesting..."
He sounded like he was talking more to himself than anyone else as the brothers disappeared down the alley.
…God, you hated that bastard.
Still, you had more important things to worry about.
Letting out a sigh, you walked over to Lily, who was still wrapped in the arms of both Demeter and Persephone as they stroked her hair and quietly whispered reassurances.
…
…Before you said anything, though, you should probably decide what exactly you were going to do with the kid.
You couldn't exactly leave her wandering around Domino by herself.
Maybe you could take her to Celestia? She seemed genuinely kindhearted, and considering her whole purpose was cleaning up after the XIII—and the fact she was apparently babysitting one kid already—what harm was one more?
You could hand her over to Ami until Battle City was over, though knowing Ami she'd absolutely expect something in return.
…
You supposed you could just look after her yourself for the time being.
At least until you found someone who actually knew what the hell they were doing.
…It'd probably make Demeter and Persephone happy too. Even if they'd almost certainly force you to visit her anyway no matter what you choose.
-x-X-x-
Fuck it.
While you were pretty sure Celestia was on the up and up, you couldn't be completely certain yet, and if anything ever happened to Lily you were pretty sure Demeter would straight-up murder you, let alone ever let you use her in a duel.
And who knew what Ami would demand in return for looking after her? One unbreakable deal was already more than enough for you.
…So, for now, you guessed looking after her fell to you.
…God, the poor kid was so fucked.
You made your way over to the trio, hands stuffed awkwardly into your pockets.
…How the fuck did you even start a conversation like this?
Demeter noticed your hesitation, slowly rising from where she'd been comforting Lily and fixing you with an icy stare.
"...I presume this is the part where you demand my card from Lily?"
You grimaced, trying to figure out the best way to answer.
"...How about she hangs onto you and Persephone for now? I can take her to get some ice cream or some shi—"
You caught yourself as you noticed Lily staring up at you.
"...Or something. Then we can figure out where we go from here. Sound good to you three?"
Lily nodded enthusiastically, her earlier distress seemingly completely forgotten the moment you mentioned ice cream.
Demeter continued studying you for a few seconds before finally giving a hesitant nod.
As for Persephone...
"Ooh~ Inviting my mother and baby sister out on our first date, husband? I didn't take you for that kind of man~"
You raised an eyebrow, finally deciding to question that.
"...Why do you keep calling me husband? Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining about a beautiful woman fawning over me, but last I checked I've got a bit too much meat on my bones to be your husband. Plus, unless I'm missing something, my hair definitely isn't on fire."
Persephone blinked, still hugging Lily.
"...I'm calling you husband because you are my husband, silly! You feel a little weird for some reason, but I can definitely tell you're him!"
You blinked, trying to parse what exactly she meant, while beside her Demeter narrowed her eyes.
"...I shall admit there is a strange connection between you and the thief. It is almost as though you and he are one. I would have assumed you had undergone the same process as Lord Zeus and his host... were it not for how differently you behave than I would expect from the thief."
…Huh.
You supposed it made sense that fusing with Hades to become Agesander had changed something. You'd known your connection to him had strengthened afterward, but definitely not to this extent.
Before you could dwell on it any longer, Lily stepped free of Persephone's embrace and looked up at you with some absolutely devastating puppy-dog eyes.
"...Can we go get ice cream now?"
You jolted.
"Ah, yeah. Yeah, sure thing. Just give me a second."
You looked over your shoulder as Tea and Solomon finally approached.
"Yo. Sorry to cut our little adventure short, but as you can see, something's come up on my end. I'll explain everything next time we meet, but for now it's probably best if you two go find Yugi or Joey on your own."
Considering the time, it probably wouldn't be much longer before most of the tournament called it a day anyway.
Well...
Except for the handful of lunatics who'd probably duel all night.
Tea nodded, walking over and resting a hand on your shoulder, though her eyes kept drifting toward the trio waiting behind you.
"...Okay. But take care of yourself, alright? And don't be afraid to call if you ever need help."
She gave your shoulder a gentle squeeze.
You chuckled.
Honestly, if it had just been the two of you, you weren't sure you could've resisted giving that perky ass of hers a quick swat.
Alas.
"Heh. Don't worry about me, babe. But I promise, if I ever need help, you'll be the first person I call."
You reached up and gave the hand on your shoulder a reassuring pat before Tea smiled and nodded.
"Good. Just remember your promise to explain everything next time we meet! Now come on, Grandpa! Maybe if we hurry we can still find Yugi or Joey!"
With that she grabbed Solomon by the hand and hurried off, practically dragging the old man after her as he let out a yelp.
Ah.
What a good girl.
Always so quick to follow instructions.
Honestly, hiring her as a maid was probably one of the better decisions you'd ever made while horny.
But enough of that.
For now, you had something more important to focus on.
Turning back to Demeter, Persephone—who was now staring at you with a strangely raised eyebrow—and Lily, you gestured down the street.
"Alright then. Follow me. I know a good place not too far from here."
And with that, your unexpected little group headed off together.
-x-X-x-
As you walked, you noticed no one seemed to pay Demeter any attention, presumably unable to see her. That was odd considering Kaiba had clearly been able to perceive her back in the alley, and last you checked he definitely wasn't aware of anything spiritual.
"So what's the deal with you XIII? How are normal people able to see you? Pretty sure everyone back in the alley could see you before the Shadow Game even started."
Demeter simply rolled her eyes.
"Do not mistake myself and my siblings for mere spirits. The powers that comprise us are far beyond the likes of their ilk. All we need do is focus our power enough for it to coalesce into a form even mortals may perceive."
She looked away, biting her lip.
"...Though admittedly it is rather taxing, and not something to be done lightly."
Persephone immediately hopped onto her mother's back, wrapping her arms around Demeter's neck.
"What she means is if they push themselves too hard they basically short-circuit and can't manifest themselves or use any of their powers for a few hours!" Persephone chimed in, idly kicking her feet.
Demeter hissed in annoyance, looking back over her shoulder.
"Daughter! Do not reveal our weaknesses to—!"
Persephone cut her off by rubbing her cheek against Demeter's.
"To who? My husband? Our new wielder? It's fiiine! We're all on the same team now, so isn't it better if we're honest with each other?"
Before Demeter could respond, Lily suddenly gasped.
All of you turned the corner to see her staring ahead with sparkling eyes.
"Gasp! M-Mommy! Look! Look at all the ice cream! I haven't had ice cream in forever!"
She pointed excitedly toward the little shop.
Demeter looked down at her, gently running a hand through her hair.
"...I see, dear. Then be sure to enjoy it. We cannot afford to indulge in treats too often if you are to grow into a beautiful young lady."
Lily's face lit up as she hurried toward the stand, forcing you to follow after her.
After getting absolutely blasted by Lily's puppy-dog eyes, you found yourself with no choice but to buy her an entire tub of Neapolitan along with a stack of cones for the authentic ice cream experience, all while feeling Demeter's distinctly judgmental gaze boring into the back of your skull.
Once you'd settled onto a bench a little away from the crowds—honestly, you were almost offended nobody had recognized you, though you supposed anyone interested in Duel Monsters was deeper in the city—you let Lily happily work her way through her ice cream for a few minutes before deciding to broach the awkward subject.
"...So..."
You trailed off.
Where the hell did you even begin?
...Probably best to figure out her situation first.
"What exactly happened to your real paren—"
Your body instantly went rigid.
A sensation like an icy dagger slid between your shoulder blades.
Slowly looking over your shoulder, you found Demeter standing directly behind you, one hand resting on your shoulder as she stared down at you with utterly lifeless eyes.
...
Okay.
Not that topic.
Thankfully Lily hadn't even heard you, completely engrossed in demolishing her second cone, this time strawberry.
"...We should probably talk about where we go from here."
Lily nodded without looking up.
"Mhm! I'll just go wherever Mommy and Big Sis go!"
...Right.
That certainly simplified things.
"If that's what you want, then you'll have to stick with me for the time being. Lucian and his little band of cronies are still out there, and I can't exactly let—"
"What's a crow knee?"
Lily tilted her head curiously.
Right.
Five... maybe six years old.
Keep that in mind.
"It means his friends. Like... Lyra and, uh..."
...
What were the others called again?
Thankfully Lily saved you before you had to awkwardly dig Ami's notes out.
"Oh! You mean Big Sis Lyra and Caelum?"
You nodded gratefully.
"Yeah, them. Along with the big guy and the other one. They'll probably come after me just like you did to try and take Hades. And since I have Demeter and Persephone now, that means if I lose they'll take them away too."
Lily's eyes went wide.
"B-But why would they do that?! We're a family!"
...
There was a lot to unpack there.
Unfortunately, you were possibly the least qualified person on Earth to unpack any of it.
"...It's just a misunderstanding. I'm sure once I beat them all in duels they'll come to their senses and apologize."
You shrugged.
"But until then, if you want to stay with Demeter and Sephie, you'll need to stay with me for a while."
You smiled at her.
"Is that okay?"
Lily thought about it surprisingly seriously.
"...Will I get my own room? And will Mommy and Big Sis still be there?"
You placed a hand over your heart.
"Hand on heart, you'll get your own room, and Demeter and Sephie can visit you whenever they want."
You'd already tested how far spirits could travel from their wielder with the boys and Silent, and thankfully your entire estate was well within the limit.
"After this whole... misunderstanding is sorted out, we can figure out what happens from there. Sound good?"
Lily nodded happily, as though the matter had been completely settled.
...Man.
Kids really could be that simple.
After she'd managed to polish off roughly half the tub, you finally confiscated it once it became obvious she was developing a brain freeze, promising she could have the rest tomorrow.
She pouted for all of three seconds before yawning.
Not long after, you found yourself giving her a piggyback ride as she wrapped sleepy little arms around your shoulders, already half-asleep before you'd even left the bench.
...
...
...
...Now how the hell were you going to explain this to Mai?
-x-X-x-
Thankfully, by the time you made it back home just as the sun was setting, you realized Mai still wasn't back yet, giving you enough time to pick out an empty spare bedroom for Lily—one of the few you and the rest of the girls hadn't "used" yet—and help her get settled in.
And by "help," you mostly meant standing around awkwardly while Demeter and Persephone handled absolutely everything.
After lingering for a while, you eventually excused yourself and headed back to the living room. There wasn't much point in hovering around when you'd only get in the way.
…Now all you had to do was figure out the best way to explain this to Mai before she got back—
"'KOTO!"
Before you could even react, something slammed into your back.
The impact sent you sprawling forward, the two of you tumbling across the floor until you finally came to a stop on your back. Blinking the stars out of your vision, you looked up to find Ruby sitting triumphantly on your waist, wearing her usual seductive smirk.
"Heh, got you~" she purred.
…Oh, fuck.
You'd completely forgotten about Ruby.
Somehow this situation had just become even more complicated.
Ruby leaned down for a kiss, only for you to stop her with a hand against her shoulder, gently pushing her back. She immediately frowned.
"Hey! Give me my loving!"
You grimaced, keeping her at arm's length even as she tried to lean in again.
"Look, Ruby, there's something I need to tell you first—"
"...And who is this, husband?" a sickeningly sweet voice suddenly asked from the hallway leading to Lily's bedroom.
You looked up to see Persephone approaching with her usual bright smile.
Except the aura rolling off her felt anything but cheerful.
.
--------------->
.
How the hell were you supposed to explain this?
"Who's the new babe?"
Without warning, unbothered Ruby sprang to her feet and bounded over to Persephone, who blinked in surprise as Ruby appeared right in front of her.
"You're super hot! I really like your hair! I've only met a few people with green hair before! And it even has actual vines! Are the grapes in your hair decorations or are they growing from it? Can I eat them? Oooh, what do they taste like?"
Persephone could only stare, completely blindsided by the barrage of questions.
"...And who exactly are you talking to, daughter?" Suddenly Ruby looked over Persephone's shoulder to where the voice had come from before she let out an audible gasp, stumbling backwards as she suddenly grasped her chest.
Demeter slowly made her way out of the hallway, narrowing her eyes at Ruby as she fell onto her ass, her eyes locked on Demeter's chest.
.
-------------------->
.
"W-W-W-W-W-W-W-What the fuck?! How?! That shouldn't be allowed!" Ruby suddenly whined, before her expression slowly shifted from stunned disbelief into a jealous glare.
.
-------------->
.
"Tch! That's bullshit! No one should be allowed to have tits that big except me!"
…And naturally, that was the exact moment Mai walked through the front door.
She took one look at you lying on the floor, Ruby gawking at Demeter, Persephone standing in the middle of the room, and let out a long, weary sigh.
"...Okay," she said flatly. "What happened?"