A/N: Hey everyone! I'm back with a new chapter. As promised, I'm planning to update this story regularly (with at least 2 chapters per month). Before we get back into this story, let me answer a few questions:

Why did I choose Elemental HERO Ice Edge to be my MC's duel spirit?

I chose Ice Edge to be the MC's duel spirit because of the meaning he stands for. He's a "weak" monster who packs a big punch. His effect will let him attack directly at opponents who will either decide he is too weak or insignificant enough to activate whatever traps they set down for bigger and stronger monsters. Then Ice Edge would shock the hell out of them when his second ability lets him destroy those traps and clear the way for his bigger brethren. The fact that Ice Edge was designed to be sent on attacks to destroy enemy traps/spells which can result in his destruction to clear the way for other monsters represents what the word "hero" truly means. When people think of heroes they usually think of big, strong individuals who are insanely strong and have no character flaws whatsoever. The truth is heroes are regular people like you and me who, when the time comes, step up to fight for something bigger than themselves with whatever they have so, sometimes even sacrificing themselves so that others can be safe. That's why I chose Elemental HERO Ice Edge.

Now we return to the story! Our hero has won the Underworld Tournament and has been crowned King of the Underworld, but he's not out of the woods yet. Now he has to deal with the aftermath of his victory!

Disclaimer: I do not own anything from Yu-Gi-Oh except my OC(s). Everything else belongs to Konami and Kazuki Takahashi.

"You're going down!" = Normal speech

'Hope he's not hearing my thoughts' = Mental thoughts

"I will end you!" = When a character is using some form of power or is possessed.

(ATK: 2500, DEF: 2000, LV: 4): level 4 monster in Attack mode

(ATK: 2500, DEF: 2000, LV: 4): level 4 monster in Defense mode

*Edited on 23/8/2022: Had to fix a few mistakes, but they were mostly spelling/grammatical ones.

Somehow I'm in GX!

Chapter 7: Underworld Aftermath!

SI POV:

I was standing at the edge of a large clear lake in a clearing with a dark forest surrounding me. The full moon was out with its light shining down on the clearing. I looked down at the lake to see my reflection staring back at me.

Suddenly, a black hand that seemed to be made of ink emerged from my reflection and reached out to grab me, but I was able to take a step back and away from its reach. The hand was soon followed by an arm, then a shoulder, then a torso, and finally a head. At the same time, the lake was turning black with ink that seemed to spread from the dark figure that was forming out of the lake.

Fully formed, the dark figure turned towards me with blood-red eyes and began to slowly walk out of the black lake towards me with his hand stretched out. I turned to run but then tripped and fell to the ground. Looking down at what tripped me, I saw a black rope, which seemed to have sprouted out of the ground, wrapped around my leg. More ropes emerged from the ground and quickly pinned me down. As I struggled to get up, the ropes continued to wrap themselves around my limbs and hold them in place.

"Cenric"

I stopped struggling as the dark figure uttered my name while slowly reaching out to grab me with its hands. My heart was pounding with fear, and I struggled even harder as it got closer and closer while repeating my name over and over again.

"Cenric"

"Cenric"

At this point, I was frozen with fear as the figure reached me and bent down to grab my throat. 'It's going to strangle me!' I thought with panic. Its voice was getting louder and louder.

"Cenric"

"Cenric!"

"CENRIC!"

"CENRIC!"

With a gasp, I sat up and looked around. I was back in the locker room of the underground arena. There were no trees, ropes, or lakes around. The mystery figure was also gone. Was this all… What? A dream? Nightmare? Vision?

"Cenric!"

Startled, I looked around to see who was calling my name and saw-

"Joe!"

Almost immediately, my fear was replaced by relief as I saw my friend for the first time since we were separated. That relief, however, was slowly turning into guilt as I took in Joe's appearance.

His clothes were ruffled and torn in several places and there were several rope burns on his wrists. There were several bruises along his arms and legs that made it look like he curled into a ball while taking a beating. Finally, his left eye was blackened, and there was a nasty cut on his right cheek which proved that Joe wasn't able to protect his face while he was getting beat up.

Guilt welled up inside of me at what was done to my friend. All because of me. 'If he hadn't come along then none of this would have happened to him.' I thought sadly, "Shit, Joe! Did they-"

"Nah, I'm okay, kid." Joe interrupted me, "Just a few punches and kicks from those bastards to make sure I 'didn't cause any trouble '. I even managed to get a few hits in before they tied me up."

Joe then stopped and took in my shabby appearance with concern, "But I wasn't the only one who had a rough night, was I? You alright kid? What the hell did they do to you?"

"It's a long story, but I'm fine." I told him, "Nothing a few nights' rests won't be able to fix."

"Good," Joe replied with a relieved smile right before he smashed his fist onto my head.

"OW! What was that for?!" I exclaimed in shock and pain

"THAT was for getting into this damn tournament, dumbass!" Joe roared out as his face turned red, "What the hell were you thinking?! I told you those guys were into some shady shit!"

"Who're you calling a dumbass, old man?!" I shouted back with outrage, "I'm not the idiot who tagged along!"

"Of course, I was going to go with you, you stupid brat! Who else would save your sorry suicidal ass?!"

"YOU WANNA GO, GRAMPS?!"

"BRING IT YOU LITTLE SHIT!"

The two of us stared at each other with rage for a few seconds until Joe cracked a smile and started to chuckle. That triggered a smile and a snicker from me, and pretty soon the two of us were laughing our asses off. Maybe it was the fact that we can still go at each other's throats despite being in the shittiest situations which made us laugh this hard. Or maybe it was the sheer relief we felt about surviving this god-damn tournament. All I knew as I clutched my stomach was that this made me feel better after all the shit I was just put through.

After we finally calmed down, Joe told me that he was ambushed by security shortly after we were separated. Despite his best struggles, they tied him to a chair in an empty room and took turns beating him up for the trouble they went through in capturing him. Then, they kept him there until more guards came and dragged him towards the locker room where I was left after I passed out from the final duel. Joe spent the last few minutes trying to wake me up while calling my name in a panic.

I gave him the short version of what happened to me tonight. From my duel with Bandit Keith to my duel with Panik, I told Joe just what I was put through to win this tournament. I left a few things out, such as when I went berserk on Panik.

I didn't want Joe to find out how I physically and psychologically turned the so-called "champion" into a wreck of a man. I could barely find words to describe what came over me that time, and I didn't want to deal with the guilt and shame of what I did to hit me all over again.

After I was done recounting what happened to me, I looked at Joe to see him staring angrily at the door with his hands clenched so hard that the veins in his arms were popping out. The silence lingered for a few minutes before Joe let out a sigh, "I'm sorry you had to go through all of that kid. If I knew what would have happened, I would have-"

Joe never got to finish that sentence as the door to the locker room opened to reveal a few guards who quickly entered the room and surrounded the two of us. Their leader looked at us with a blank expression, "Mr. White would like to have a word."

Joe and I quickly looked at each other in surprise and wariness before deciding that disobeying the possibly armed guards was not a good idea. We slowly got up and followed the guards who led us out of the room and into the hallways.

I tried to memorize the turns we took in case we needed to make a run for it, but we were moving at a pace too fast for me to properly memorize the route we took. After several turns, we finally made it to a lavishly decorated office that just emphasized just how rich and important the owner must be.

The room itself was designed with all the couches and chairs directed towards a large desk which was at one end of the room. On each side of the desk stood large cabinets. All the walls were decorated with paintings that must cost thousands (if not millions) of dollars. The floor itself was covered with equally expensive rugs. All the wooden furniture was made out of rich mahogany, and the couches and chairs were made out of equally rich leather.

The guards then ushered us into the room and made us sit on one of the couches before taking positions behind us and at the exit to make sure we wouldn't be able to take a single step without their permission.

Joe and I simply sat there in silence as we waited for Mr. White to arrive. I tried to pretend to admire the office's decorations while discreetly looking for an unguarded exit like a window or a vent. Unfortunately, the only entry and exit were through the door which was guarded by a pair of mean-looking security guards.

After a few minutes, Mr. White arrived with Midget, who I hadn't seen since the start of the tournament, and more guards to tighten security. The silence was deafening as White went to sit at his desk while Midget went to stand behind him. The guards then locked the office door and went to take their positions.

White said nothing as he stared at me with a blank expression. I struggled not to squirm under his icy-blue stare which looked like it could see into my very soul and pull out my deepest, darkest secrets. I returned the stare with an equally blank expression despite feeling as if I was looking at a wolf wearing a man's skin, but I knew deep down that I could not afford to show weakness in a place like this.

Finally, White broke the silence as he addressed me, "I admit that I was quite surprised by the outcome of this tournament. You certainly left quite the impression, Red Hood. Or should I say, Mr. Cross?"

My heart leaped to my throat, and I could barely breathe as I stared back in shock. These people knew my real name.

Shit.

White merely smiled at my shock, "Oh don't be so surprised, Mr. Cross. I always run background checks on every participant in my tournaments. I didn't take long for my people to figure out who was under that red hoodie."

Leaning forward, he continued, "I must say, though, that I was quite surprised. Of all the duelists that came here year after year, I never expected for an orphan of all people to be able to beat the reigning champion despite all odds."

I tried to keep my voice level as I replied, "You don't need to be an adult to be a good duelist. And your 'champion' would have lost a lot sooner if he didn't resort to cheap tricks every time he dueled."

"True." White chuckled, "Panik wasn't the most skilled duelist I ever saw, but he was certainly the most ruthless. That is until he faced you."

I struggled to keep my face blank as Joe leaned closer and whispered, "Kid what is he talking about?"

"I only did what I had to do to win. Nothing more, nothing less." I replied, but the uncertainty in my voice made it seem like I was trying to convince myself of what I just said.

With a skeptical smile, White got off his chair and walked toward one of the closets next to his desk. He opened it to reveal a large flat-screen TV installed inside it. Taking the remote from one of the closet's compartments, he return to his desk and turned it on.

The screen came alive to reveal recordings of every duel that occurred during the tournament. My blood turned cold when he then skipped towards the final duel. Nobody said anything as we all watched the duel in silence. The duel, which I thought took hours, took only 20 minutes.

They saw it all. How Panik tortured me throughout the duel, and how he kept pushing me towards the breaking point. They saw how I finally snapped before I unleashed hell on Panik. They… They saw how I nearly drove Panik insane with fear with a smile on my face. Finally, they saw how I suddenly looked like I had just woken up before saving Panik from the buzz-saw.

Throughout the entire deal, I kept my head down. I didn't want to even look at the screen. I didn't want to be reminded of what I almost did. Every now and then I would glance at Joe only to see him stubbornly staring at the screen with an expressionless face.

After we got to the point where I fell unconscious on screen, White then turned off the TV before turning back to me with a smug smile.

"It seems to me that you did far more than what could be defined as 'necessary', Mr. Cross." He said with a smirk, "I must say, however, that never have I seen such a duel more electrifying than yours."

Midget and the guards all let out chuckles and laughs at his pun. I just stood there trying to swallow the guilty lump which seems to have lodged in my throat. The laughter only served to piss me off.

"Is there a point to all of this? I don't sign autographs if that's what you want." I growled to put an end to the charades.

The laughter quickly stopped and the air in the room turned serious. Midget sputtered in outrage while the guards began to reach into their jackets to pull out their weapons but quickly stopped as White raised his hand to signal them to stand down.

Still smirking, White replied, "Straight to business, huh? I like that. Here's the deal kid: For the last couple of years, I had a champion who was so sadistic that he forewent any money in favor of getting his rocks off torturing every duelist I scrounge up for him to face."

He then dropped the smirk and narrowed his eyes at me, "After you showed up, that champion is now too scared to stay in a locker room by himself, much less duel in front of a crowd. On top of all that, I now have to pay you 50,000$ for winning this tournament, so now I have a big problem thanks to you. How do you think I should solve this?"

The sounds of a pistol being cocked behind me quickly made my hairs stand on edge as my body tensed. To my right, Joe was equally tense as he gripped the edge of the couch with white knuckles.

I looked back at White who was staring at me intently. 'He's testing me and waiting for my move. If I give him the wrong answer, then we're as good as dead.' I realized.

I quickly considered my options before answering, "You're a businessman, Mr. White, aren't you?"

"Congrats for stating the obvious, kid." White replied with an unimpressed look, "But what's your point?"

"My point is that we both need something," I continued as calmly as possible, "You need a new champion, while I need the prize money. We can both get what we want and leave this building happy."

White's eyes gleamed as he looked at me, "And what makes you think that I even want you as a champion? I could simply find another duelist that's skilled enough to be my champion and leave you with nothing but the bruises you got tonight. At worst, I can simply snap my fingers, and you would never go home again."

I thought carefully as I called his bluff, "You said it yourself, Mr. White: you haven't seen a duel this entertaining in your life, and being champion is more than just being skilled with cards."

"Oh? So what does it mean to be a champion in dueling?" White asked with a raised eyebrow.

"It's about being able to be at the top of your game during every duel, to leave both your opponent and any bystanders in awe of your skills. Most importantly, it's about fighting till the end no matter how tough the odds you're facing." I replied without hesitation.

White looked at me with both his eyebrows raised in surprise. I then leaned forward, "Now tell me: how many duelists can you find who can do all that?"

White also leaned forward before saying, "You have my attention, kid. What do you have in mind?"

I then leaned back before replying, "Here's the deal: I'll walk out of here with the prize money as the new King of the Underworld. In exchange, I'll be your arena's new champion, and defend my title in your tournaments. I also have two conditions if you want me to duel."

"Name them," White ordered as he interlaced his fingers on his desk while focusing on me.

"First condition is no gadgets when I duel. No shock collars. No chains attached to buzz-saws. None of them. I want a clean classic duel." I demanded.

"And here I thought you were smart, brat." White leaned back with a scoff, "Nobody wants to see you duel with kiddie gloves on. The crowds come here to see more than just cards, boy. Did you forget that?"

"It's hard for me to forget that when the crowd cheered every time I got zapped," I retorted, "But putting those collars into these duels is counter-productive."

"Those collars force the duelists to try their hardest," White argued, "Also, they give the crowd something to see."

"My only thought when I was dueling with those things on was to finish the duels as fast as possible. I didn't care about entertaining the crowd or showing off my skills. The other duelists were no different. If a duelist needs those things to win a duel or to simply entertain a crowd, then they suck at both dueling and entertainment." I quickly shut down that argument.

"Then what would you suggest?" White challenged with narrowed eyes.

"Have every participant start by putting up their best and rarest card as ante when they enter the tournament." I suggested, "Every time they win a duel and progress to the next stage, we raise the stakes higher and higher by making them bet more cards to keep on going. If they ever decide to quit, then those cards are confiscated and they're banned from ever participating in a tournament. Also, you can spread rumors about them backing out which would ruin their reputation beyond repair."

"And if they keep winning?" White asked.

"Then they would eventually reach me in the finals." I answered, "To keep it fair, I'll bet the same number of rare cards as the challenger. If he/she wins, they'll get my title, all the cards in the pool, and the prize money involved."

"Pretty high stakes involved, kid." White commented with raised eyebrows, " And if you win?"

"I get to keep my title, my cards, and I get to choose 5 cards from the pool. Everything else, including the prize money, goes to you. That way, you'll be making much more of a profit than from just the rich people attending the tournament."

White then closed his eyes in thought for a brief moment before opening them again, "Hmm. Alright, kid, we'll do this your way. If it works, then we keep the changes permanent. If not, then we stick to my way."

He then looked back at me, "What's your second condition?"

"Second: I want to get paid for every duel I participate in." I proposed.

"Fair enough." White agreed without hesitation, "How much do you want?"

"10,000$ per duel." I immediately claimed.

"In your dreams, kid. Don't expect me to treat you like royalty just because you're 'King of the Underworld'." White countered, "I'll pay you 1,000$ per duel."

"I bet you used to pay more than that just to cover for Panik's entrances." I argued, "I can lower it to 7,500$ per duel."

"What you're asking for is still way higher than I used to pay for Panik. I'll give you 2,000$ per duel."

"That's still way too low. 6,000$."

"You do realize I have a gun pointed at the back of your head, right? 2,500$ is as high as I'll go."

"You could have ordered me killed the moment you first sat down. You didn't do that because you're a man of opportunity. The profits from the cards alone will be far higher than you ever got before. What I'm asking for is reasonable enough in comparison. 5,000$ is as low as I'll go."

White stared at me with a serious look. I returned the stare without fear. This moment was one of the most crucial. If I back down or break eye contact, then White will take that as a sign of weakness, and that will be the end of me. We kept staring at each other for a few seconds, daring the other to blink or break.

Suddenly, White threw his head back and laughed as if I just told him the funniest joke he'd ever heard. Even Midget and his guards looked surprised to see their boss laugh so hard.

'Guess they didn't know he had a sense of humor.' I thought to myself as I waited for him to finish laughing.

White then got his laughter under control and looked back at me with an approving grin, "Oh I like you, kid. Ruthless, not afraid to get your hands dirty, and with balls made out of steel. Hell, you remind me of myself when I was younger."

"I'll take that as a compliment," I replied dryly.

"Trust me, it is." White chuckled, "If there's one thing you should know about me, Mr. Cross, is that I don't hand out praises freely."

"I'll take your word for it." I nodded, "So it's a deal?"

"It's a deal kid." White agreed before nodding towards the guards behind me who then put away their weapons. Next to me, Joe let out a breath that he'd been holding in since we started the negotiation.

White then looked at Midget and ordered, "Get our new champion his prize money and be quick about it. Chop chop!"

Startled, Midget quickly replied, "Y-yes sir, of course!" before scampering out of the room with a couple of guards in tow. A few minutes later, he returned with a black business briefcase and quickly deposited it on White's desk before returning to stand behind him.

White then turned the briefcase towards me and flipped its two locks before opening it to reveal one of the most satisfying sights which would make all the bullshit I was put through worth it in the end. I stared in awe at what was in front of me.

Piled neatly in stacks of 100$ bills was the grand prize of the tournament. 50,000 motherfucking dollars. White then gestured towards me, "Well, 'King', here's your prize: 50,000$ as agreed. Feel free to count it if you want to."

It took me a few seconds before breaking out of my trance. I then closed the case and gave it to Joe who took it wordlessly as he too was in shock at seeing so much money in one setting. I then turned to White, "Could you give my friend here some space to count the money?"

"No problem, kid," White replied before gesturing towards one of the guards who went to stand next to Joe who finally broke out of his daze. Joe nodded toward me before following the guard out of the room.

Once they were gone, White spoke, "Now that's out of the way, I have something for you kid."

I looked back at him to see him opening one of his desk's drawers and retrieving a small envelope. He then handed it to me, "Since you like to use HERO cards, I figured you can put these to good use."

I opened the envelope which revealed several HERO monsters and support cards which included: Elemental HERO Flash, Wroughtweiler, and even Elemental HERO Grandmerge (1). There were several Spell and Trap Cards including Hero Counterattack, Change of HERO- Reflector Ray, and HERO's Bond.

I looked at the cards in shock as they were not that easy to come by (especially Grandmerge!) before looking back at White, "How did you get these cards?"

"Some no-name duelist came here a couple of years ago. I was a bit short on contestants at the time so I had my men look for any willing duelist." White explained with a scowl as if the fact that he let an amateur into his tournament left a bitter taste in his mouth, "Guy sucked so badly that he quit dueling forever by the time Panik was done with him. I decided to take his deck seeing as he wasn't going to use it anymore."

"You had another duelist who used HERO cards before?" I asked in surprise.

"Not a damn chance." White snorted, "The idiot used a mishmash warrior deck that included those cards. That deck was built so badly that I still have no idea how he managed to reach the finals."

'Huh. Oh well. One man's trash is another man's treasure, and this is some pretty good treasure!' I thought to myself as I sifted through the cards greedily. However, there was one thing that was still bothering me.

"Why would you just give them to me? You could just sell them for a small fortune." I asked White suspiciously.

White simply chuckled, "I have to make sure my champion is at the top of his game, and the money you'll make for me should trump anything these cards could bring me, so think of them as my investment in you."

'And to make sure to buy my loyalty with rare cards.' I thought shrewdly. Still, it was both stupid and rude to refuse such gifts.

"Thanks," I replied with grudging respect while sifting through the cards. Say what you want about the guy, but he was pretty charismatic when he wanted to be. I reached the last card only to find it to be… a blank?

There was nothing there. Aside from its standard black cover, the card was completely white with no writing or colors. I couldn't even tell what type of card this was. I looked at White for an explanation.

"Yeah, I have no idea why the moron was carrying a blank card in his deck. Maybe he didn't have enough cards to make a full deck so he decided to use a blank to qualify?" White shrugged.

As I looked down at the card, I had a feeling that this card was more than simply a blank. Deciding to think about it later, I put it in my pocket with the rest of the cards White gave me.

Joe then returned with an escort. He gave me a nod to let me know that the money was all there. I then stood up and held out my hand towards White, "Well, it's time we were on our way. See you later, Mr. White."

With a smirk, White stood up and shook my hand, "See you later kid. It was nice doing business with you. My men will take you back to the place they first picked you up."

I nodded and then walked away from what seemed like the Devil in human form. Joe and I walked side by side out of that room… out of that corridor… out of that elevator… out of that god-forsaken place and into the morning light.

Mr. White POV:

White watched as the mysterious Cenric Cross left his office with his manager/friend. Behind him, his subordinate was squirming like the gross little toad that he was.

'Is it too much to ask for employees who have a little class and dignity?' he thought with irritation as he addressed the man behind him, "Is there something bothering you, Mr. Kaeru (2)?"

"N-no- I mean y-yes s-sir." His employee stuttered which only increased his annoyance, "I-I was just wondering why you let the kid go, sir. I thought we agreed that we were just going to kill him and his friend." He hesitantly asked.

Kaeru quickly blanched in panic as his boss turned to glare at him and hastily corrected himself, "I-I meant no disrespect to you, of course, sir."

"I don't recall hiring you to question my decisions, Mr. Kaeru, so I suggest you keep your curiosity to yourself." White growled, "Also, if you ever imply that I require or even want your agreement to anything I do, then consider yourself terminated. Am I clear?"

"Y-y-y-yes s-sir! O-of course sir!" Kaeru nodded furiously while sweating bullets.

"Good. Now all of you leave my office. I'd like a little privacy." White replied.

Immediately, Kaeru and his guards began to exit the room one by one until he alone remained in the office.

Once he was sure there was no one else in the room, White then picked up the remote off his desk and turned the screen back on. He then fast-forwarded the video to point just before Cenric Cross suddenly changed his mind to save Panik.

He studied the screen intently. At first, he thought that what he saw was simply a glitch in the system, but something told him it was much more than a simple error.

"What are you, Cenric Cross?" He murmured to himself as he stared at the screen.

The image he paused at had one startling anomaly in it. It was something that no one would otherwise claim without proof. In that image, standing over his opponent with a vicious smile, was Cenric Cross with his eyes wide open. And those eyes were pure black. (3)

SI POV:

After White's guards gave us a ride back towards the meeting point, I hopped on the back of Joe's motorcycle as he gave me a ride back to the orphanage. Neither of us said anything throughout the entire ride.

Finally, we arrived at the orphanage, and I quietly slipped off the motorbike. Joe took off his helmet and looked at me, "Well, looks like we made it out in one piece, kiddo."

"Yeah." I agreed before hesitating. I tried to think of a hundred ways to explain myself to Joe as to what happened to me in my duel with Panik, and I failed to find even a single reason.

Finally, I sighed, "Look, Joe. What happened at the arena at the end… I… I just don't know what came over me. He was threatening you and Serena, and I just-"

I faltered and stopped as Joe raised his hand, "I understand kid. I do. You forget I was a soldier who's been to war. I've seen and done things that I'm not proud of. I don't blame you for what you did to that son of a bitch. Hell, I would've done worse if I was in your shoes." He said firmly.

Joe then put his hand on my shoulder and smiled, "But promise me this kid: don't let what happened to you hold you back or change who you are. I've seen a lot of soldiers who were beaten down by the horrors they faced. They couldn't get back up, so promise me you'll stay strong."

I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding. It was as if a giant boulder was lifted off my shoulders. All this time I was afraid that Joe would be disgusted by what I did. That he would look at me the same he looked at the scumbags we both hated. But he didn't which shows why he's one of the few people I rely on these days.

I smiled back at Joe, "I promise. Thanks, Joe. I needed that."

"Don't mention it, kid. I'm just glad we made it back in one piece." Joe said cheerily. I then turned to go inside the orphanage before stopping. Turning around, I told Joe, "How about you come in for breakfast, Joe? I don't know about you, but all the shit we just went through has left me starving."

"I'm fine, kid. I'm not even that hungry-" Joe said before his stomach interrupted him with a large growl of protest. At my amused look, he scratched the back of his head with an embarrassed laugh, "On second thought, breakfast sounds great, kid."

After he parked his bike, Joe and I both went inside the orphanage. As soon as we were inside, however, I was immediately hit by a bunch of munchkin-sized missiles who knocked me flat on my ass.

"Big Brother! You're back!"

"How did the tournament go, Cenric?! Did you win?"

"Of course, he won, dummy, Big Brother Cenric is the best duelist there is!"

"Did you win any good cards?"

"Can you teach us how to duel?"

"Can you help us with our decks?"

I simply laughed in a daze as I was assaulted with dozens of questions from a bunch of hyperactive little kids. They were talking so fast over one another that it was becoming hard for me to understand what they were saying.

"Alright, alright! Calm down, kids. I promise I'll answer all your questions after we finish breakfast. Don't worry, I'll teach you guys to duel and help you with your decks too."

The kids cheered as they finally got off me and I stood back up. Suddenly, the kids stopped cheering and adopted frightened looks. A large shadow loomed over me from behind as my danger instincts went wild.

I turned around in confusion only to see what could only be the stuff of nightmares: Misako Takahashi with a smile on her face and a frying pan in her hand.

"Cenric, dear, what did I ask you to do before you left?" Misako asked sweetly as she was flipping the pan in her hands.

A chill went down my spine, and my mind immediately went into red alert as I realized that I forgot to call Misako to reassure her. Misako noticed my panicked expression and her smile grew even wider as fear clouded my mind.

Shit.

I knew that I couldn't bullshit my way out of this one, so I immediately resorted to Plan B: Operation Cuteness Overload. However, this plan required the help of several bite-sized accomplices, so I turned back to plead for help only to watch with growing dread as my little siblings all ran up the stairs to escape the explosion that was about to be unleashed.

Even Joe didn't dare to help me as he grabbed two kids and used them to hide his massive frame while inching slowly towards the exit.

Fuck.

I slowly turned back around with growing despair to see Misako's smile nearly reaching her ears as a dark aura surrounded her. A silhouette formed behind her and began to condense to reveal Death who tucked his wings as he shook his head at me.

"Well? Go on, Cenric. I'm waiting." Misako asked as her eyes turned into a demonic red color.

All hope left my body as I tried to come up with an explanation, "Misako… I… um-"

"Time's up!" Misako said evilly as she raised her frying pan to deliver judgment.

"No, wait! NOT THE FACE!"

BAM!

And that was how I lost consciousness twice in 24 hours.

Home Sweet Home.

A/N: That's all for now, folks! Our MC has survived the Underworld Tournament intact, and has become King of the Underworld! Too bad he forgot to call Misako. Oh well. Stay tuned for the next chapter, where our MC finally begins his journey to Duel Academy! As usual, feel free to leave constructive feedback and advice in the reviews section. See you guys later!

(1): Elemental HERO Grandmerge is a Level 6 Elemental HERO Fusion Monster that needs two Normal HERO monsters. He looks like a fusion form of Sparkman, Avian, and Burstinatrix. His ATK and DEF points become equal to the two monsters' levels combined x 300. If he destroys another monster in battle: the player can tribute this card to summon another Elemental HERO Fusion monster, but that monster cannot attack monsters with equal or lower levels than its own.

(2): In case you're wondering, Kaeru is supposed to be Japanese for "frog", but that's just google translate talking. Please correct me if I got it wrong.

(3): Just imagine the demon eyes from the show Supernatural. There's no sclera, iris, or pupil. The eyes are completely pitch black. This is different from the Dark Signers in 5Ds whose eyes have black sclera but colored iris.