Heart of the Cards!

Content Warning: The following contains copious inside jokes and references to a particular card game. As such, you will either have no idea what I am talking about and be utterly lost or understand and appreciate it immensely. There is no middle ground.

---

Sophia Maoulin

Sophia and Levi couldn't have more contrasting mindsets in their current situation. Levi, his eyes wide with fear, surveyed the vast, empty expanse of the cosmic void surrounding them. In stark contrast, Sophia radiated excitement, her heart racing with exhilaration at the endless possibilities.

"Maybe we should call this off until we figure out what's happening," Levi suggested.

Sophia looked utterly offended by the idea. Gripping her hand dramatically, she made her proclamation: "Don't you dare back down! This is what I was seeking. Our duelist spirit is so strong that mere cardboard could not contain it! Destiny itself has manifested a shadow game as our battleground."

"Uh..."

"So come at me, my rival! Let the heavens tremble at our battle!"

Levi was still worried, but Sophia's excitement was far too infectious. He looked over to his Breaker the Magical Warrior, the card still manifested in the flesh.

Taking a deep breath, Levi continued to play. "I set two cards face down and end my turn."

"My turn! Draw!" Sophia shouted. "To begin, I play the spell card Pot of Greed. This card allows me to take the top two cards of my deck and move them to my hand."

Shining light flashed in Sophia's hand, materializing two additional cards. The girl smirked upon seeing them. "It's time I dismantle your meager offense."

Sophia raised her first card above her head and loudly announced its arrival: "I play Fusilier Dragon, the Dual-Mode Beast!"

A massive tank with the head and neck of a dragon appeared before them. The creature had missile launchers where its eyes should be, and it emitted a metallic roar.

"Though it would typically require a tribute, I may cut its original stats in half to play it for free," Sophia explained. "Ask me why I did that!"

Levi furrowed his brow. "Uh, why did you..."

"Because I care not for its might!" Sophia interrupted. "Instead, I only required a level 7 monster to instigate the engine of your demise. Behold, Metamorphosis."

Upon revealing her spell card, fleshy clumps erupted from the machine, quickly absorbing the entire mass into a quivering ball of meat.

"Metamorphosis lets me replace any monster with one of an equal Level from my fusion deck," Sophia explained over the sound of the transformation. "Fusilier was Level seven, so say hello to Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon!"

A reptilian monstrosity exploded out of the flesh ball. It stood on four legs and possessed two gaping maws, one jutting from its back. Electric arcs radiated off its body, making Levi's hair stand on end.

Sophia swung his arm forward to point at her foe. "Go, my dragon, destroy his Breaker!"

Lighting blasted out from the dragon's two mouths towards the knight. Before it could reach its destination, however, Levi pointed to his face-down card, causing it to flip up. "I activate Waboku. So the attack is blocked."

Sophia crossed her arms in irritation. "Don't say it like that," she said softly.

"Huh?"

"You just stopped a cataclysmic dragon in its tracks," Sophia pointed out, like an increasingly patient teacher. "Show some drama."

"Oh, I see." Levi took a deep breath, suddenly feeling like he was performing on stage. He outstretched his arms and clenched his fist in a way he hoped would make him seem epic. "Your futile attack is... futile, for my trap nullifies your attack... with... uh... my powerful magic."

Sophia let out a hammy cry of fury, putting Levi's acting to shame. "Curse you! But no matter. I set one card face down and end my turn."

"My turn," Levi declared, drawing. "I play Monster Reborn to resurrect the card you just sacrificed."

Sophia took a step back, doing her best to tremble. "You mean..."

"That's right. Fusilier Dragon, the Dual-Mode Beast! Back at its original strength of 2800!"

Sophia's old machine burst from a blinding light beam, letting out a metallic roar toward the creature that had replaced it.

"Destroy her dragon!" Levi ordered.

"I won't let that traitorous monster defeat me!" Sophia countered. "Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon, destroy him as well!"

Missiles shot out of the Fusilier as the Thunder Dragon released its lightning bolts. The two sets of projectiles narrowly missed each other in midair and struck their respective targets simultaneously. The monsters let out their **** cries as the fight left both destroyed.

Levi pointed across the empty field to Sophia. "Now that you have no monsters on the field, Breaker may attack you directly!"

Breaker leapt from its feet and arched through the air until it was above Sophia. Swinging its sword in midair, it slashed her as it fell, a streak of light following its blade. The attack did no physical harm to her, but she still pretended to feel the impact as her lifepoints dropped to 6100.

"I placed a card in defense position and ended my turn," Levi began but stopped abruptly as he noticed an unexpected aftermath of his move.

"What is it?" Sophia asked, sensing Levi's hesitation.

"Your... uh... your..." Levi stammered, pointing at her.

Sophia looked down at herself and immediately understood his reaction. Her shirt was gone, and her black bra was the only covering above the waist. She was also now barefoot, but that hardly registered.

After the surprise wore off, Sophia laughed bombastically. "Why are you shocked? We both knew the stakes of strip Yu-Gi-Oh! The shadow game merely enforced our deal."

With her stance made clear, she moved on to her turn. "My draw!"

---

Elena Mendez

Elena sat in the tea room, arms tightly crossed, glaring daggers at Ji-Woo with an intensity that made the secretary too scared to look at her.

The tension was thick enough to cut, and an awkward silence filled the space. Sitting between them, Tomoko shifted in her seat, nervously tapping her fingers on the table. "So... um, I thought it'd be nice if we—"

"Nice?" Elena cut in, her voice sharp. "Is that what you call this?"

Tomoko winced but stayed silent, hoping someone would take the opportunity to speak.

Fluttering above Elena's shoulder, Elena's new fairy companion, Nym, decided this was the perfect moment to chime in. "You know, when you're in an awkward situation like this, you should just say the first thing that pops into your head. That'll break the ice! For example, did you know penguins can't fly?"

Elena shot her fairy an irritated glance. "Seriously?"

The silence stretched again. Tomoko gave Ji-Woo an encouraging look, silently urging her to speak. After a few more moments of hesitation, Ji-Woo finally took a breath and spoke.

"I... I know you're angry, Elena," Ji-Woo said softly, her voice wavering. "I shouldn't have done what I did. It was wrong, and I—I'm sorry."

"What a surprise. Another useless apology," Elena growled. "How many has it been? Three hundred?"

"I am, though," Ji-Woo pressed.

"Oh, I'm sure you are," Elena laughed. "But not that you hurt me. No, you're sorry you got caught. Just like you only ever feel for Levi when you have something to lose."

Ji-Woo averted her gaze. "That's... that's out of the scope of what we're discussing."

Elena got to her feet. "Of course it isn't, you coward!"

Tomoko tried her best to smile. "Now, Elena, there's no need for name-calling."

"Jesus Christ! What are you even trying to accomplish here, Tomoko?" Elena asked, turning towards her. "Did Ji-Woo **** you to do this?"

"What? No," Tomoko insisted. "I just thought having a safe space to talk things out would be nice."

Elena groaned, immediately regretting taking a harsh tone with her. "Tomoko, you're a very nice and forgiving person. Even when you thought Levi abandoned your kid, you were still willing to be nice to him." She sat back in her chair. "I'm sure Ji-Woo guilt-tripped you with crocodile tears. Just like she did to me this morning."

"I... well..." Tomoko stammered.

"This is bigger than the two of us," Ji-Woo offered. "That's what you said, right Tomoko?"

The Japanese-American nodded. "That's right. We gotta work together, not fight."

Elena shrugged dismissively. "Who's fighting? I'm already done with her. I promised I'd tell Levi after the challenge, and I did. There's no need to keep hammering on this."

"But you broke your promise!" Ji-Woo snapped. "You said you'd allow me to tell Mr. Summers myself. Instead, you outed me while we were still on stage!"

Elena chucked. "So? It was still after the challenge, right?"

Ji-Woo got to her feet. "What was I supposed to do? Tell him while we were all mourning Lauren-Two?! That would have been highly inappropriate."

Elena narrowed her eyes in a **** glare that nearly made Ji-Woo faint. Finally, the Amazon shrugged. "Okay, fine. I should have given you more time. But let's be honest, it's not like you would have told him anyway."

"I wou... might have!" Ji-Woo said, swapping her words at the last moment.

"Besides, the situation had changed anyway," Elena pressed. "I had to warn them all about you."

"What do you mean?" Tomoko asked. "What changed?"

"Azure's new elimination rule," Elena reminded them. "There's now even more incentive to screw people over. They had to know what a threat you are."

"How dare you!" Ji-Woo spat. "What motive would I have to eliminate someone?"

"You get a lot of points after the fourth elimination," Elena answered.

Ji-Woo was utterly appalled. "What kind of monster do you think I am? I was trying to save myself from that terrible fate. I would never inflict it on someone else!"

Elena jumped to her feet, "ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!"

For a long, terrifying moment, the other two women were worried that the Amazon would snap Ji-Woo in half. Elena was certainly imagining it. "How dare you play the saint! You turned me into an idiot!" she finally snarled, her voice dripping with venom. "You made me make Levi feel terrible. I nearly killed Oliva because of you!"

"What?!" Tomoko shrieked in alarm.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Ji-Woo asked.

"Don't play dumb! Your fucking card drove me into a rage when Olivia was badmouthing you. It took every fiber of my being to restrain myself!"

"I... I had no idea that would happen," Ji-Woo stuttered.

"LIAR!" the giant boomed.

"I LITERALLY CAN'T LIE!" Ji-Woo shouted back.

Elena stomped her foot, shaking the room and causing tea sets to fall off their shelves and shatter on the ground.

"That doesn't matter! You still did it!" the wall of muscles barked. "I bet you didn't intend to fuck Levi up either, but you still did it! Your selfish ass thinks that you're excused from blame if it wasn't intentional. You're a child!"

"Uh, everyone's upset. But if we all sit down..." Tomoko started, but Elena wasn't having it.

"Damn it, Tomoko! I like you, but you're pissing me off! Why do I have to forgive her when she doesn't have to do anything?! How the fuck am I the one at fault here."

"No one said you're at fault," Tomoko weakly attempted.

"Then there's nothing to discuss!" Elena marched to the exit and slammed it behind her, Nym just barely able to squeeze through before the door shut.

"That... could have gone worse..." Tomoko said softly.

Meanwhile, the fairy caught up with Elena. "You yelled at Tomoko. That will make it harder to bang her," she advised.

"Then it's Ji-Woo's fault," Elena countered.

---

Sophia Maoulin

Sophia drew her next card with a flourish. So over the top was her draw, that music began playing to aid the drama. She smiled wickedly upon seeing what she had received. "It was a good duel, Levi, but I'm afraid it is all over for you."

She waited a moment for Levi's reaction. Realizing that was what she wanted, he gasped in exaggerated horror.

Satisfied, she continued. "I special summon Cyber Dragon by its effect."

A robotic serpent, encased in silver armor, uncoiled itself and let out a roar directed at Levi.

"I then activate the spell card Dark Hole, destroying all monster cards on the field," she declared.

A singularity formed between the two duelists. The black hole grew, warping space as it expanded. Levi's Breaker, his face-down monster, and even Sophia's new Cyber Dragon were caught in the gravitational pull, dragging them to their doom. With the field devoid of creatures, the singularity shrunk into non-existence.

After getting over the shock of the appearance and disappearance of a black hole, Levi bit his lip in confusion. "Why did you play Dark Hole after you summoned your monster? You just destroyed it."

"Two reasons," Sophia smirked, lifting that many fingers. "First, I couldn't have special summoned Cyber Dragon it if your field was empty. But more importantly, I needed it destroyed!"

"What?"

Sophia chuckled sinisterly. "You see, the graveyard is just another resource, one that I needed to be filled with a Light and Dark monster to summon my champion."

"No! You can't!" Levi shouted, suddenly realizing what card she was preparing. Even he, someone with only a passing familiarity of the game, had heard of the cards summoned in this fashion.

Sophia raised both hands above herself, palms outstretched. "I banish the Dark Fusilier and the Light Cyber dragon from my graveyard."

Two beams erupted from the ground, one of blinding white, the other of pure darkness.

"COMBINE THE FORCES OF HEAVEN AND HELL TO OPEN THE GATES OF CHAOS!"

The two beams arched towards each other until they collided. A devastating explosion ripped a portal in reality, showing an incomprehensible dimension beyond. Standing as a silhouette within the bedlam was a lone knight.

"Behold, Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning!"

The knight jumped out of the portal, which collapsed behind him, landing in front of its master, Sophia.

"Black Luster Soldier, strike my foe directly!" Sophia commanded, with a mad look of megalomania in her eyes!"

The embodiment of chaos unsheathed its sword and leapt toward its foe in a single bound. Though he felt no pain, Levi couldn't help but scream as the massive blade cleaved through his body. His outer jacket, along with shoes and socks, were disintegrated. Despite that, he tried his best to look determined.

Sophia shuddered in satisfaction at the pure bliss of her power trip. "I set one card face down and end my turn."

"My draw," Levi announced, knowing he was in trouble. However, his attitude turned 180 when he saw what he had gotten. "I play Raigeki to destroy all of your monsters!"

A thundercloud formed in space, launching a tremendous lightning bolt at Black Luster Soldier. But Sophia was prepared.

"I won't let you! Go, Solemn Judgement. By paying half my life points, I can negate your spell!"

The lightning dissipated in thin air as the cloud faded. Sophia's lifepoints dropped from 6100 to 3050. In response to her sacrifice, her bra deteriorated, leaving her topless.

"But why?" Levi asked. "You just gave up 3000 lifepoints for..." The boy stopped mid-sentence as he noticed what Sophia's play had done to her clothes.

"Fool, every gamer knows that Life is a resource!" Sophia laughed, either unaware of her exposed chest or simply not caring. "The only Life Point that matters is your last one!"

Flashing Master (Chest): +6 VP

"Uh, Sophia. You're top," Levi blushed.

Sophia scoffed. "I am a duelist! If I can achieve my ideals, I shall gladly discard such foolish humanity."

Levi could hardly argue with that. "Fine. I set one card face-down, along with one face-down monster." With this action, Levi ended his turn with no cards in his hand.

"Pathetic!" Sophia sneered, fully embracing the villainess role she had apparently assigned herself. "I've already gotten you on the defense. But I won't let you escape."

She drew her card with a flourish and immediately played it. "I summon Witch of the Black Forest!"

She continued. "I then attack with Envoy of the Beginning! Destroy his face down!"

Levi's hidden monster flipped up as it was attacked, revealing a Goblin's Attack ****, which the knight struck down without effort.

Sophia continued her advance. "My soldier's not done. When he destroys a monster in battle, his special ability allows him to attack again."

Black Luster Soldier swung his sword again, slashing Levi again for critical damage. Yet, even with that, Sophia wasn't done, as she ordered her Witch of the Black Forrest to attack as well, shooting him with dark magic.

Levi fell to his knees as his life points dropped to 900. His pants and undershirt faded, leaving only his boxers to maintain his modesty.

Sophia crossed her arms. "It's over for you now. You have no monsters on the field and no cards in your hand. It's finished."

"That's not true," Levi grunted as he got to his feet. "I still have one more draw!"

"What?!" Sophia exclaimed in shock while internally overjoyed that Levi was playing along. "You fool! There's no way you'll draw the one card you need to stop me!"

"Wrong!" Levi proclaimed, channeling his inner Shonen protagonist. So strong was his resolve that the soundtrack changed, as if to cheer him on. "I believe in the heart of my cards and the strength of my friends!"

Sophia was absolutely ecstatic. This whole scenario was a dream come true. "YOU HAVE NO HOPE!" she declared, acting out her own villainous breakdown.

"I have my hope right here in my hand!" Levi closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "I draw!"

Time seemed to stop for each player, begging that he drew what he needed. Looking at his new card, he was dumbfounded that he was actually rewarded.

"I play Snatch Steal to take control of your Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning!"

The endorphins running through Sophia's body were greater than any orgasm. "IMPOSSIBLE! Are you saying you performed a MIRICLE?"

As Levi's card took effect, the Black Luster Soldier flew over to Levi's side of the field, turning to look at his old master as his new enemy. It was now Levi's turn to feel the power trip. He laughed like a madman, drunk off of the thrill.

"But that's not all!" he pressed. I activate my face-down card! Axe of Despair. This card raises my monster's attack by 1000."

Black Luster Soldiers' cosmic blade was replaced by a wooded axe, muffled cries of the damned emanating from its core.

"Envoy of the Beginning, destroy Witch of the Black Forrest!" Levi declared. With a single swing, Black Luster Soldier beheaded Witch of the Black Forrest, dropping Sophia's lifepoints to a mere 150. With the damage applied, Sophia was left in nothing but her panties. However, she showed no concern whatsoever, neither from her exposure nor her impending defeat.

Panty Flash Master: +2 VP

Seen it Before: -2 VP

Levi barely had a moment to see her underwear before his soldier's effect allowed it to attack again. It launched itself at the girl to perform a killing blow.

"Sorry, but you don't get another chance!" Sophia countered. "Activating trap! Draining shield!"

A barrier formed itself around Sophia. As Black Luster Soldier axe made contact, the shield absorbed the kinetic energy, stopping it in its track. The **** of that impact then converted into a glowing green energy, which flowed into her, converting the damage into healing instead. Her life points rose by 4000, causing her skirt and bra to repair themselves.

Levi was confused. 'I don't get it. Why didn't she use that against the first attack? She could have saved her monster and avoided a ton of damage.'

With no other cards in his hand, he had **** but to end his turn, paranoid at what Sophia had planned.

---

Lauren Peterson

Lauren lay curled on her bed, her face pressed into the pillow, her limbs heavy and unmoving, just as she had been for the past three hours. The space remained as still as a tomb, the barricade she had constructed keeping all invaders out of her place of misery. Her stomach twisted with hunger, but the idea of getting up, of seeing anyone, was too much.

"Mrs. Peterson?" a monotone voice asked, so soft that Laurens didn't even notice. Only when it asked again did she look up.

Alison stood in the middle of the room, her teleportation bypassing the barrier. She gazed at the depressed girl with her usual disinterest.

"GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM ME!" Lauren shouted.

"You missed dinner," Alison observed, totally ignoring the goths' demand. "You also did not partake in lunch, and your breakfast was relatively small. It is recommended that you consume something to avoid loss of functionality."

Lauren threw her pillow at the maid. "That's none of your fucking business!"

The pillow bounced harmlessly off Alison without comment. "The health of contestants is of utmost importance," she explained. "If you are worried about weight, you need not be, as Azure has ensured you will not gain any during the show." She tilted her head. "So there is no need to revert to your prior anorexic habits."

"SHUT THE FUCK UP! Don't you dare fucking pity me! I fucking hate you!"

"I am aware," Alison nodded. "Though I feel no pity for you."

"FUCK YOU!"

Lauren scooted to the edge of her bed and swung a fist. Alison dodged it without even trying. "You should also be reminded that this room is shared by Olivia Booker," Alison pointed out, as if she wasn't currently in a fight. "Blocking her from entry could be seen as encouragement of unsportsmanlike behavior."

"GET OUT! GET OUT!" Lauren screamed.

Alison nodded. "As you wish."

The maid vanished. Moments later, Lauren fell to her knees, sobbing.

---

Sophia Maoulin

"I begin my turn! The last turn!" Sophia decreed. "As I draw, your snatch steal grants me another 1000 lifepoints." Her lifepoints rose to 5150, though this was not enough to regain an article of clothing. However, she was far more focused on her drawn card, which made her cackle manically. "It was a good duel, Levi. But the game is now over."

Levi took a step back. "What?"

"You've played right into my trap! When you destroyed Witch of the Black Forrest, its effect allowed me to add any monster with 1500 or less defense to my hand! The one card I need to eradicate you! And with the lifepoints you granted me, the time of my perfect victory has come! Behold the engine of your destruction. Cyber Stein!"

Levi tried not to laugh as he saw her monster's puny stats. This only made Sophia grin wider. "My beast has a special effect. By paying 5000 lifepoints, I may summon any Fusion monster I want!"

This immediately wiped the smirk off Levi's face.

Cacking like a madwoman, the catgirl gave her order. "Cyber Stein! Take my life as tribute, and bring about the mechanical apocalypse!"

A brilliant explosion of electricity erupted from Sophia as her life points transformed into an immense source of raw power, arcing majestically toward Cyber Stein. The hulking, Frankenstein-like creature skillfully manipulated the energy, shaping it into a radiant sphere that shimmered with intensity. With a deliberate motion, it released the glowing orb into the air.

The sphere of energy erupted in the sky above them, casting a dazzling glow that revealed the outline of a colossal creature emerging from its radiant depths. An orchestra rang out, heralding the coming beast.

Descending gradually, a giant machine floated gracefully, akin to a deity descending from the heavens. This astonishing construct resembled a robotic hydra, featuring three massive, draconic heads that roared in perfect harmony, their echoes reverberating through the air. Its wings were so immense that when they unfurled, they generated a powerful gust of wind that swept through the surroundings.

"BEHOLD! CYBER END DRAGON!"

"With 4000 attacks, my dragon is equal in strength to your stolen creator god," Sophia explained, pointing to the axe weilding Black Luster Soldier. "But I will now surpass the divine with my final card. I reveal Limiter Removal, doubling all machines this turn!"

An aura of lighting enveloped Cyber End Dragon as it doubled in strength. The machine let out a roar that shook the heavens.

Levi could only gawk. "Eight thousand attack points?!"

Sophia leapt into the air. Without even questioning it, she found herself defying gravity itself, landing on top of the central head of her mechanical deity. "Levi Summers! You were a worthy rival, but you are still just a mortal! Behold, the god out of the machine!"

"GO CYBER END DRAGON! END THIS GAME!"

The three monstrous heads simultaneously released powerful beams of devastating energy, firing directly at Levi with godlike ****.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you, Sophia," Levi said, laughing in the face of the approaching end. "But this world has no more need for gods."

Sophia's legs buckled from the badass line. Even Levi wasn't sure where it had come from. Without further words, he revealed his face-down card.

"Behold! Ring of Destruction! This will destroy your machine, dealing us all 8000 damage, defeating us both absolutely."

The catgirl fell to her knees. 'It can't be! He's had that card face-down since the first turn. Was this the result he wanted?'

The fiery, metallic ring wrapped itself around the dragon's torso. The flames grew in intensity, mere moments from exploding.

Sophia moved to activate her remaining face-down card. Another Solemn Judgement. By paying half her lifepoints, she could cancel Levi's trap and take the win.

However, she stopped herself. She closed her eyes and grinned in indisputable happiness. 'No, he's right. This is the best way it could end.'

The ring exploded, enveloping them both in a blinding explosion of light. 'Thank you, Levi. I've never had this much fun in my life.'

---

The two teens were back in the basement, the aftermath of their card game spread out on the table before them. Both were entirely nude, the two of them having simultaneously lost the strip game.

"Well, that was..." Levi began. However, he lost the ability to speak as Sophia leapt towards him, hugging his naked body with hers as she pressed her lips into his.

After a moment, passion overcame his surprise, and he wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her back.

Fun Game: +2 VP

Kiss: +3 VP

Seen it Before: -3 VP

Naked Embrace: +4 VP

First to Touch Naked Master: +4 VP

Flashed Pussy at Master: +8 VP

Flashed Ass at Master: +5 VP