Fanfic / A Mother's Touch

A mother's touch lingers in everything she does. And a mother's touch can be the most impactful thing in a child's development. Even when I stepped down as Queen of the Sirens, that protective side of me, the side who wants to help others, can't just stand by doing nothing.

— Yoko Sakaki

A Mother's Touch is a Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V fanfic written by Green_Phantom_Queen, rewriting the first half of Season 1 through the lens of Yuya Sakaki's mother, Yoko.

Like in the canon show, Sylvio has framed Yuya for attacking him and Reiji is ready to use this as a reason to buy You Show Duel School in an attempt to take Yuya's Pendulums for himself. In worry, Yuya texts his mother about the potential buy-out, and unexpectedly changes his life, and the course of the series when Yoko Sakaki, Queen of the Sirens, takes matters into her own hands.

The story was uploaded on September 11, 2023 and completed on September 17, 2023.

A sequel is in the works, "A Father's Flame", which is in the perspective of Shuzo Hiragi as he deals with his relationship with his daughter and the aftermath of this story's ending.

---

A Mother's Touch contains examples of

• Abusive Parents:
  • Implied to be the case with Sylvio's father, Furio Sawatari. Furio threatened to throw his son into military school over the entire stunt tainting his political campaign, didn't care when Sylvio won a trophy, and barely eats dinner with his son.
  • Himika and Leo are this by default. Leo abandoning his family to create an army, Himika's coldness and pressure on Reira. Yoko even comments their neglect rubbed off on their son.
• Accomplice by Inaction:
  • While Sylvio is at fault for putting Yuzu, Ayu, Tatsuya, and Futoshi in danger, neither Reiji or Sylvio's goons do anything to stop the duel or tell Sylvio to get the kids to safety. Yoko even lampshades Sylvio's stooges had a bad case of "bystander syndrome". Reiji could've suspended Sylvio prior to the warehouse duel against Yuto, but chose not to. Sylvio's "Kiss my ass" club also could've come to the conclusion it wasn't Yuya who fought Sylvio.
  Yoko: (As Mamabe mutters an excuse that Sylvio was too focused on the duel to notice) Well, what about you? You egged him on! You told him to keep focusing on Yuya and not care about the consequences! Why didn't any of you ask Sylvio to stop? Did you not hear them screaming for help or how they were seconds away from falling to their dooms? Why didn’t you try to help? Or were the three of you blind to the children of butchers, marine biologists, and engineers? Are all of us poor and middle class people the same in your eyes?
  • In Chapter 5, Yoko points out how Himika doesn't have any clean hands either. She could've told Reiji to do something as his mother. If she loved him, she should teach him to do what's right. Better yet, she could've messaged Yoko herself, but didn't. The same could be said about Nakajima, but while Yoko doesn't chew him out, she glares at him and points a razor at his neck, as if daring him to fight back since he's nothing but a glorified Yes-Man for Reiji.
  • In The Sledgehammer's only appearance, he internally notes that he's responsible for why Yuya was heckled by the city. He could've accepted the duel against Yuya instead of leaving the boy to be laughed at.
• Accusation Fic: No surprise coming from Green Phantom Queen. Yoko spends the first two chapters of the story verbally eviscerating Reiji and Sylvio for their greed and entitlement which caused Yuya to be a laughing stock, for Yoko to be without her husband for three years, nearly losing You Show for a tiny scratch on the shoulder, and the near deaths of four children for two stupid cards. Chapter 5 has her attack both Reiji and his mom as well. Reiji had technology which identifies Extra Deck Summonings, meaning he knew this entire time Yuya didn't duel Sylvio but still decided to join in on Sylvio's accusations. Himika is torn apart for not telling Yoko herself or perhaps suggesting to Reiji to not keep the Sakakis in the dark.
• Action Mom: Yoko is a former sukeban and while she doesn't get into fights, she's still ready to verbally eviscerate those who hurt her children, and pins Shun to the wall before he can try carding her.
• Actually Pretty Funny:
  • Yuzu can't help but snicker when Sylvio said Reiji rewatched Yuya's duel against the Sledgehammer "as if he was binging the latest Korean drama." Yoko even tells Himika how she could've made her son get off his "drama-binging ass".
  • When Sylvio shows his proof of how Yuya "assaulted" him, he reveals a tiny scar on his shoulder. Yoko, a former gang leader, laughs at this because it is tiny to what she's dealt with.
  • Yuto actually laughs when he recalled how Yoko terrified Shun.
• Adaptation Distillation:
  • Chapter 4 gives Yuya's duels against Eita Kyuando and Mieru Hochun just a brief sentence to gloss through.
  • Day 1 of the Tournament is briefly summarized in a few paragraphs, with more focus on Shun vs Sora.
• Adaptation Expansion:
  • It's never mentioned how Yoko and Yuya stayed afloat if Yusho was gone. Yoko admits to Yuya she's had to gain her GED and Bachelor's online, take loans from banks, and work two part-time jobs to pay the bills.
  • Yoko's biker gang regularly babysits Yuya. They also work regular jobs and raised families of their own.
  • Gongenzaka rarely interacts with Yuya unless for plot reasons. The first chapter reveals they send text messages and Gongenzaka arrives at the Sakaki residence when he saw a bunch of bikers with a copy of Yuya pass him by.
  • The parents of the You Show kids were never elaborated on. Yoko reveals Futoshi's parents are butchers, Ayu's are marine biologists, and Tatsuyas's are engineers.
  • Yaiba Kido is the heir to a dojo like Gongenzaka, adding more of a personal connection to the Superheavy duelist.
  • While LDS holds a monopoly on extra deck summoning, the story notes a few schools do use Fusion (like Ryopanzaku) while it's rare to find those who can use Xyz or Synchro.
  • Ruri never gets to duel anyone except her brother and Yuya/Yuto. Chapter 7 reveals that Akaba commanded her to duel Sora both as a way to test the parasite in her brain and also punish Sora for showing up empty-handed.
• Adaptation Relationship Overhaul: Yoko rarely interacts with anyone outside her son and Sora. Since she's the main character of the story, she gets more time to interact with other characters.
  • Yoko and Yuya were completely understanding and patient for Yusho's trip across the dimensions. Here, the two are heartbroken to learn why he did such a thing, but learn to move on and do the best they can.
  • Yoko acts like a mother figure for Yuzu in Chapter 4, telling her she needs to confront Yuto, Yugo, and Shun instead of waiting for someone to do it for her.
  • In the anime, Masumi, Yaiba, and Hokuto were annoyed with Sylvio's antics. In the story, Sylvio states that the three look down on him because he's the top duelist for Tribute Summoning along with his smug attitude.
• Adaptational Angst Upgrade:
  • Yoko was fine with how her husband disappeared for three years. The story reveals she's actually a Stepford Smiler doing all she can to stay afloat and learning of her husband's whereabouts makes her break down over the truth hidden from her all these years.
  • Yuya was heavily impacted by his father's disappearance, with Yoko stating she was afraid he'd eventually throw himself off a rooftop.
  • Reiji shows no signs of angst in the anime. In the story, he openly wept over learning the horrors of the Xyz Invasion and admits he's terrified over having to learn he needs to fight his own father.
• Adaptational Badass: In Chapter 7, Yuzu duels Yuri and defeats him, whereas the two had an mostly offscreen confrontation in canon Yuzu had to run away from.
• Adaptational Context Change:
  • Masumi vs Yuzu never happens due to Yoko's interference, so Yuzu decides to learn Fusion not because of Masumi kicking her butt, but because she was inspired from how Sora used it in his duel against Yuya.
  • Yoko was the one who decided to combine Michiyo's recipe with a pancake in the anime. Here, Yugo exclaims to just end the cooking and the torture on his empty stomach by putting her food in a pancake.
• Adaptational Dumbass: Reiji was a Manipulative Bastard in the anime. Here, he's shown to have a Complexity Addiction to the point that a Mundane Solution is completely beneath him and he never doublechecked who actually owned You show.
• Adaptational Early Appearance: Zarc appears in what would've been the halfway point of Arc-V Season 1, when he initially doesn't debut until the end of Season 3.
• Adaptational Explanation: Why did Reiji specifically choose Sylvio as his card thief? Because Sylvio was the top duelist of the Leo Duel School Tribute division, and learning how Pendulums work would change the way monsters are summoned. Sylvio also never learns other summoning methods because no one shows him respect.
• Adaptational Intelligence:
  • While Yoko was already known to be perceptive, she's gained a GED and Bachelor's in Business and has enough knowledge of law to point out that Reiji has broken multiple ones trying to steal her son's cards. She's also the first one to realize Sora's from the Fusion dimension after noticing how Sora stopped coming for pancakes after Yuto, Yugo, and Shun arrived and recalling how Sora remarked how "everyone knows Fusion where I come from".
  • Yugo is known to have his thoughts bounce from one after another and can be so stubborn that it takes a while for him to listen. Instead, he's capable of stepping back and listening to reason, which means that he and Yuto never get their brawl that ended up Yuto being absorbed into Yuya.
• Adaptational Karma: Reiji, Sylvio, and those connect to them, ended up getting away with their crimes in the anime, especially Reiji for keeping Yusho's whereabouts mum from Yuya and Yoko for three years and making Yuya the laughing stock of Maiami City and never apologizes for anything he did. Naturally, Yoko's presence makes them eat karma until they puke.
  • Reiji is cowed by Yoko into confessing what truly happened to Yusho, and she files lawsuits over the emotional trauma, false accusation, theft, bribery, and other crimes he created for Yuya's cards. And the news immediately announces the story, which causes students from Leo Duel School to be pulled out and the world to hate his guts.
  • Sylvio's actions in taking part of Reiji's schemes and his false accusations on Yuya have him and his goons suspended from Leo Duel School until further notice. However, they're also given a light sentence of community service from Yoko instead of being taken to a juvenile detention center.
  • Yuri doesn't get punished for effectively causing Leo Akaba to get all of Ray's counterparts and never felt sorry for it. Not only does Yoko derail his plan to kidnap Yuzu but he ends up trapped in his little world as part of Zarc, so now he can't do anything but slowly waste away and not even realize it.
• Adaptational Nice Guy: The Sledgehammer acts like a Jerk Jock champion who belittled Yuya in the anime. In the fanfic, he realizes how he's also at fault for causing many of Yuya's problems and vows to train to have a proper rematch next time they duel.
• Adaptational Wealth: Thanks to the lawsuit, Leo Corp has no choice but to pay a hefty fine to the Sakaki family and associates, meaning the You Show group have lots of money to burn.
• Adapted Out:
  • The big "LDS vs You Show" duels never happen because Yoko getting the truth of Reiji's scheme causes them all to skedaddle.
  • Masumi's arc to find the whereabouts of Professor Marco is omitted because Shun never cards him. This also means Furio Sawatari's scene of being confronted by Shun is also removed.
  • Yuto and Yugo never have to duel each other because they end up reconciling.
• The Alcoholic: Yoko chugs two beer cans in front of Sylvio as she rants at how he is a privileged prima-donna who steps on people to climb to the top.
• All for Nothing:
  • Sylvio's actions to steal cards for Reiji ended up for nothing. He's now suspended from Leo Duel School until further notice and Yoko's threats made Reiji finally realize he could just let Yuya test the cards out in his company in exchange for some money.
  • Leo Akaba has spent years mustering up an army to card people and for Yuri to obtain the other fragments of Ray. But Yoko throws a massive monkey wrench in his plans which leads to the rebirth of a kinder, gentler Zarc.
• All Part of the Show: People livestreaming the scene of Yuya and his counterparts fusing into Zarc call it a freaky light show.
• Always Someone Better: Shun is this compared to Hokuto as Xyz duelists. The two apparently clashed, and the narration said the Constellars never stood a chance. In the same vein, Yugo has defeated all of the LDS Synchro Division and no one has a monster that can stop Clear Wing Synchro Dragon for long.
• Arc Words: "Not a monster". These are what Reiji and Sylvio state to Yoko to prove that they are sorry for the shit they put on her and Yuya.
• Armor-Piercing Question: As part of its nature as an Accusation Fic, many of these are thrown around.
  • Yoko asks one simple question over Reiji's stupidity.
  Yoko: If you want my son's Pendulums so badly, then why didn't you ask him for them?!
  • In Chapter 5, Yoko asks Reiji, Himika, and Nakajima one question over how they deliberately kept her in the dark just because they saw her as lower class.
  Yoko: (calmy) Were any of you ever going to tell us [her and Yuya] the truth?
• Artistic License – Law: Averted. Yoko points out how flimsy Reiji's excuse to buy You Show out really was. He doesn't ask for the co-owner to sign papers, he tries forcing it out of Shuzo who is only the principal. He also neglected how he broke several laws to get Yuya's cards. Yoko even points out that on a technicality, he didn't sign an NDA with Yusho over what happened, meaning she has every right to sue him for everything he's worth.
• Ascended Extra:
  • Yoko goes from mother of Yuya to the main character of the story. Author notes pointed out GPQ wrote the story specifically because Yoko was such an awesome character who deserved more love.
  • The Sirens are only tied to Yoko's backstory, but they have a big role in the climax when they fight off Obelisk Force and revealed to be Yuya's babysitters.
  • Gongenzaka doesn't have any impact in Season 1 outside dueling Yaiba since Sora refused to do so. Here, he's part of the story from the get-go as he learns about Yuto and Yugo early on and takes part in the battle against Obelisk Force in the penultimate chapter.
• Awful Truth: Yoko learns from Reiji about what happened to Yusho. Needless to say, Yuya breaks from it all. However, the truth finally allows him to fully feel his emotions instead of hiding it under a mask.
• Awkward Collar Pull: When Yoko says confronting Sora with the knowledge they have of him being a spy might result in them rewriting their memories, Reiji is shown nervously tugging his sweater since the anime reveals he used memory-altering tech on Masumi, Yaiba, and Hokuto.
• Beat Them at Their Own Game: Yuzu schools Yuri through the use of Fusion Summoning when her Bloom Diva the Melodious Choir thrashes Starving Venom Fusion Dragon.
• Because You Were Nice to Me: Sora breaks down plenty of his walls to Yoko because she always cared for him.
• Be Careful What You Wish For: Before Yuya's duel with Michiyo, Yoko is making a fancy breakfast which Yugo agrees to but Yuya wishes for pancakes instead. But after seeing how long it takes to make this fancy breakfast, he ends up wanting pancakes just like Yuya wished for.
• The Bet: The LDS Synchro division has one over who can stop Yugo's Clear Wing Synchro Dragon. The closest anyone got is through The Fabled Unicore^note Shuts down the opponent's card effects as long as both duelists have an equal amount of cards in the hand then Yugo just attacked Unicore straight on.
• Beware the Nice Ones: Yoko. One moment she's giving food to everyone and telling them to eat up. Next moment you're face to face with a former sukeban and Mama Bear ready to claw your eyes out.
• Big Eater:
  • Yugo is seen devouring a lot of Yoko's cooking. Justified because he didn't have chances to eat so much growing up as a Commons.
  • Sora is this when it comes to sweets, particularly Yoko's pancakes. Yoko exploits this in Chapter 6, making the most irresistible chocolate pancakes so Sora has no choice but to eat them.
• Big "SHUT UP!": When Himika futilely tries to defend why Reiji wants Yuya's cards, Yoko roars this at her face.
• Biker Babe: Yoko was a former sukeban, and she still keeps her motorcycle in tip-top condition. Yuzu even comments that being a mother made her hotter.
• Bittersweet Ending: On the sweet side, the Invasion to kidnap Yuzu ended in utter failure as the Sirens arrested every Obelisk Force soldier with no casualties. Yuzu was saved by Yoko just in time as well. On the bitter side, Zarc is resurrected due to all four of his fragments in close proximity and there's no way to separate them for the time being (and even then there are concerns for Yuri going on a rampage), but he doesn't have thoughts of destroying the dimensions so that's a bonus. And even then, Akaba still has his army, Xyz is still rubble, and Rin and Ruri are still stuck in their prisons, completely unaware of what's going on with Yugo and Yuto. So there's a high chance Akaba might put the parasites in their brains in the immediate future. The story even ends with Oneiros wiping the tears out of Yoko's eyes as she sleeps, praying that she will put an end to Akaba's nightmares once and for all.
• Bland-Name Product: Instead of YouTube, there's DuelTube.
• Boring, but Practical: In contrast to Reiji's super computers, Yoko locates Yuto through the help of her bikers. Since Yuto already has Yuya's face, and the Sirens have babysat Yuya in the past, they know exactly who to look for. They also find Yuto due to him, Shun, and Yugo buying food to sustain themselves instead of waiting for him to start dueling again.
• Break the Haughty: Reiji, his mother, and Sylvio are utter wrecks after Yoko is done talking to them. But considering how far they would go to ruin Yuya's life, this was well deserved. Unlike most examples of this in an Accusation Fic, this enables them to be more open and change for the better.
• Breather Episode: Despite the bittersweet tone, Chapter 6 is the break after Yoko finally rips apart the Akabas for their apathy and just before the Arc League Championship begins.
• Brick Joke:
  • During the limo ride to You Show, Yoko chugs at least two beers in front of Sylvio without side effects. At the end of the chapter, she remarks that she needs to eat something to counteract the beer in her stomach.
  • In Chapter 3, Yoko jokes that there should be such a thing as a sushi Xyz archetype since Xyz monsters have their materials stacked underneath them like sushi. Two chapters later, she sees Reiji is designing a Sushi Xyz archetype.
• Broken Pedestal: Yusho becomes this to most of You Show (and Gongenzaka) when they learned why he ditched his family without telling anyone about it. Shuzo's final scene is to flip a picture of him and Yusho around as he realizes that Yusho's "dueling for smiles" philosophy is practically worthless now.
• Bullied into Depression: Yuya was bullied for his father's actions, to the point someone told him to die by placing a flower vase on his desk. Yoko tells Himika that her son wouldn't go to a school for a month because of that stunt.
• The Cameo: Strong "The Sledgehammer" Ishijima is briefly seen in an airport in America, looking in disbelief over what he did to Yuya in the past.
• Cassandra Truth: No matter how many times You Show has to tell Sylvio or Reiji that Yuya didn't duel him, they don't care. Justified because they are using any trick in the book they can to get Yuya's cards/petty revenge.
• Cathartic Crying: Upon learning about how Reiji willingly let Yusho enter another dimension and never said anything, Yuya starts wailing and lets loose three years worth of bottled emotions. The third chapter reveals this helped Yuya finally feel again instead of putting on a smiling mask.
• Central Theme:
  • Mothers and how they impact a child's life. Yoko's love for her son is what drives the entire story as it's she who confronts Reiji for his apathy and greed. She also extends this towards Yuzu, Yuto, Yugo, and Shun as well. In contrast, Himika doesn't show any love for either Reiji and Reira and both of them end up as cold, greedy and apathetic, or emotional wrecks.
  • Kindness and unconditional love can change the world. Yoko's love and kindness triumphs over Reiji and Sylvio's power and money, ultimately changing people in her inner circle and letting fate swing her way.
• Character Development: A long talk with Yoko has Sylvio decide he needs to make a change, leaving Reiji's limo to bow in apology and promise to work for as long as it takes to make amends. By the end of a month, he's decided to stay at You Show after his community service is complete.
• Character Perception Evolution: In-Universe. Yuya was nothing more than a clown and coward's son by most of Maiami City due to his father's disappearance. After it's revealed Reiji had a hand to play in this, people start seeing the boy as a broken soul who keeps smiling and doing all he can to defend his father's honor. As the story puts it, "Suddenly, calling Yuya a coward's son wasn't funny anymore."
• Circus Brat: The story implies Yusho was raised in a circus, as Yoko has a memory of them getting engaged at his old circus.
• Combat Pragmatist: Yoko and her Sirens fight dirty, and plan to fight Obelisk Force through the use of weapons or running them down with a motorcycle.
• Comically Small Bribe: Reiji and his mom make a parallel of Yoko serving them store bought sushi is the equivalent of bribing a bodyguard with 300 yen (the equivalent of $3) to see what he can make of it.
• "Could Have Avoided This!" Plot:
  • Yoko has to beat it into Reiji's thick skull that all he had to do was talk to her and Yuya to borrow his Pendulum cards. Chapters later, she also tells him he fucked up when she learns that his technology detected an Xyz duelist fighting Sylvio, meaning he had all the information about Yuto this entire time and still wanted to beat Yuya to the ground and steal You Show just for kicks.
  • Upon seeing the tiny scratch on Sylvio's shoulder is the reason for Reiji wanting to buy out You Show, Reiji lets it sink in he should've asked how big of an injury it was instead of jumping to conclusions.
  • Chapter 5 has Yoko rip Himika apart for her bad parenting. If she raised her son right, she could've told him to confess the truth about the dimensions and Yusho to his family instead of staying silent and look down on them for being uneducated middle-class who would probably spit on them when they end up on the streets.
  Yoko: You could’ve been a mother this entire time! You could have told your son to get his drama-binging ass off that fine leather seat, march to our school, our home and explain everything. Or better yet, YOU could’ve called me, emailed me. I’ve been stuck at home for the past three years doing all I can to save my son from despair! But all you cared about were all the schools in the world. The only time You Show was in your radar was so you can get your manicured nails on two. Stupid. CARDS! Cards that I should rip apart right now so no one can use them against my son! Why didn’t you tell me? Huh? Or am I still just a stupid little housewife to you?
• Cover Innocent Eyes and Ears: Yoko's threat to Reiji is so shocking that Gongenzaka and Sora have no choice but to cover Ayu and Tatsuya's ears...and then realize they can't cover Futoshi's since Masumi, Hokuto, and Yaiba are unwilling to work alongside You Show.
• Corrupted Character Copy:
  • Reiji is this to Seto Kaiba. While Kaiba did show a more violent side to him in the anime and manga, at least he was honest about what he was doing and didn't rope other idiots into his schemes. Reiji refuses to get his hands dirty and puts up a patsy in Sylvio to do his dirty work. Reiji also refuses to talk about why he needed those cards, not out of pride like Kaiba but because he needs them as tools to fight his father, and refuses to pay money for it compared to Kaiba initially asking to pay Sugoroku for his 4th Blue Eyes before he dragged the old man to a duel to the death. While Kaiba is able to be resourceful and athletic, Reiji doesn't think of using resources except for LDS affiliated schools. And unlike Mokuba being the only light in Kaiba's darkened soul, Reira plays little importance in Reiji's mind, so he mostly is shown as a corrupt a-hole instead of a Well-Intentioned Extremist.
  • Sylvio is one to Jun Manjoume. Jun constantly changes decks but he never went as far as seeing his cards, specifically the Ojamas, as useless. Sylvio constantly tosses decks aside after one loss in a bit to have power, and he doesn't care who he hurts if that's the case. While Jun has a Freudian Excuse of having two older brothers putting pressure on him, Sylvio's excuse of wanting to be notice does not hold because he's throwing around his father's money and power as a politician instead of actively working on himself. The worst Jun ever tried to do with Judai was try to get him expelled in GX Episode 2 by having them duel late at night whereas Sylvio put the lives of children on the line for his own greed and power high.
• Corrupt Corporate Executive: Reiji allows one of his classmates to steal cards from Yuya, puts four people to death as a bargaining chip, and falsely accuses Yuya for "assaulting" Yuya all for two cards.
• Creator Thumbprint: A rewrite of a series focusing on a female character? Food Porn? Calling out on a Double Standard in an Accusation Fic? Heaps of deconstruction? Yep, Green Phantom Queen is at it again.
• Crippling Overspecialization: Obelisk Force's strategy is to fight 3 v 3 in Duel Monsters. They don't know how to fight outside of some trading card game or how to fight if separated. The Sirens have actually fought for their lives, and have more experience kicking butt, with the soldiers unable to strike back when their Duel Disks are taken away.
• Curse Cut Short: Before Yoko can call Reiji a "selfish greedy bastard", Himika tries to explain why Reiji wanted to buy out You Show. Not that Yoko will let her explain.
• David Versus Goliath: Yuzu's Bloom Diva is the David to Yuri's Straving Venom Fusion Dragon being the Goliath. Bloom Diva wins.
• Deconstruction Fic:
  • The first chapter obliterates the traditional "rival CEO character duels hero in order to get their cards" plot by having Yoko point out how stupid it is and the numerous amounts of laws broken from this alone, pointing out that all Reiji had to do was simply ask Yuya and pay him money for his time. Yoko states how utterly ridiculous that the top CEO would stoop so low for two. stupid. CARDS!
  • Chapter 2 takes a sledgehammer to Sylvio's treatment throughout the anime of being an arrogant blowhard who never develops outside of this characterization and how he was never properly punished or acknowledge how much harm he put onto You Show.
  • Yoko also tells Reiji his plan to get cards was useless because he doesn't know how they work. Having cards and using them are two completely different things, especially since all he told Sylvio to do is how to set the scale with two Pendulums and Pendulum summon monsters, not the Pendulum effects.
  • Yoko seemed to be well off despite her husband disappearing. The story reveals the opposite. She's breaking on the inside and how she's had to work herself to the bone to give Yuya a normal life, detailing just how much work a former sukeban who probably never finished high school would have to struggle in order to maintain a normal lifestyle.
  • Reiji's role as a teenage CEO is put into light. It's not a glamorous or easy job, as he's had only three years of running a company, and he doesn't proper experience when it comes to making business transactions. He decides to have someone steal what is essentially Yuya's property without considering paying them, when a smart CEO would politely have Yuya sign a contract that would allow Reiji to borrow the cards and give monetary compensation to return.
• Deadpan Snarker: The narration doesn't pull punches on snark when it comes to Sylvio and his goons.
• Deconstructed Character Archetype: Like most stories written by Green Phantom Queen, deconstruction is abound in the story.
  • Yuri's role as a sadist has one major flaw; the fact that he loves to draw out the suspense and fear in his opponent means he spends plenty of time he could've used to just kidnap Yuzu to duel her instead. It doesn't work when someone is courageous enough to stand up to him and doesn't play for his mind games, and it also means that Yuri is literally helpless when Yoko saves Yuzu, because not only does he have counterplan for it, he can't chase after his prey because he doesn't know how to navigate Maiami City.
  • Reiji deconstructs Grade-School C.E.O. by pointing out that for all of his business acumen, he's also a kid who is dealing with stresses of running a multi-million dollar business and not having proper social skills to confess what he did to the Sakaki family. He also doesn't use knowledge an experienced CEO would use to obtain Yuya's cards through a simple contract. Rather, he uses his power to have a patsy steal them for data, and then forcefully buy out You Show for what are essentially ink on cards.
• Delayed Reaction: In Chapter 3, Yuya sees three pairs of boots, has his mom introduce him to Yuto and Yugo, gets a small conversation on food-based Xyz archetypes and then seats himself down for dinner. It's only then does he realize two of the guests are doppelgangers of him.
• Demoted to Extra: Due to the story distilling most of Season 1 into eight chapters and focusing on Yoko, many characters got shafted.
  • Masumi, Yaiba and Hokuto were rivals to Yuya, Yuzu, and Gongenzaka in Season 1. But due to Yoko stopping the big buy out from happening, their presence is lessened. Masumi gets hit with it the most since her subplot to find the whereabouts of Professor Marco is erased because Shun doesn't card him in this story.
  • Reira has little importance in the fanfic, with her duel with Ayu given just a few paragraphs in Chapter 7.
  • Nakajima was already an extra, but he gets no speaking lines in the story.
  • Sylvio's father is only mentioned in a throwaway line over how he threatens to send his son to military camp.
  • Shuzo and Sylvio had important parts in the first two chapters of the story but essentially vanish as the story focuses on the dimensional war.
  • Many characters are regulated to narration, including Eikyu Kuuando, Mieru Hochun, Gongenzaka's dad, and Gen Ankouji.
• Did Not Think This Through:
  • Reiji's plan to get Yuya's cards boiled down to "make Sylvio steal them and use them in a duel" or "use Sylvio's accusations of Yuya almost killing him as an excuse to buy out You Show and the cards". Needless to say, Yoko is quick to point out how idiotic this entire scheme is. He's broken numerous laws, committing theft and putting lives in danger, for this stunt. He didn't properly ask to see the damage done to Sylvio (a tiny scratch on his shoulder), and his attempt to buy out You Show fails because Shuzo's only the principal, not co-owner. And then there is the matter of actually knowing what Pendulum Cards do outside of their scales, since Reiji has only watched Yuya's initial summoning and didn't know of the other Pendulums he carried, and Reiji could've just asked Yuya to borrow cards. Really, Reiji is this trope incarnate.
  Yoko: And did it have to be only Stargazer and Timegazer Magician? Two of the oldest and most precious cards in Yuya's deck? You could've asked for some of the other Pendulums in my son’s possession.
  • Sylvio did not care for the carnage of four children dying in his duel against Yuya so long as he had Pendulum Cards to wipe the smirk off of Yuya's face. After Yoko spells it out to him, he comes to realize that he was ready to murder people for power.
  • In regards to Reiji allowing Yusho to hop dimensions, he realized too late that he never prepared a trans-dimensional communicator. The second Yusho was gone, there's no way to contact him.
  • Yuri didn't think that prolonging his capture of Yuzu by having her duel means that he just made it easier for someone to save her, and makes him completely lost in a city he has no idea how to navigate.
• Digging Yourself Deeper: Sylvio is already in trouble for endangering the lives of others, but he dug his grave when he reveals the wound "Yuya" gave him. A tiny scratch on the shoulder. Reiji realizes that he has completely ruined his reputation.
• Dirty Coward:
  • For all of Reiji and Himika's bark, they have no bite. Yoko is quick to intimidate them and to do something involving pancakes and kitty litter that Reiji has no choice but to reveal the truth.
  • Sylvio couldn't fight Yuya head on. No, he needed leverage by putting four of his friends on a precariously high tower. And this is after he stole Yuya's cards to use for himself.
• Disappointed by the Motive: Yoko is not amused how Reiji and Sylvio's plans were all to get Yuya's Pendulum Cards for themselves. The same can be said by Yuya and Yuzu themselves, given how much emotional trauma this gave them.
• Disappointed in You: The Sledgehammer sent an email to Reiji stating how the former champion is disappointed for never telling him about Yusho's disappearance that led to Yuya being ostracized as a coward's son for three years.
• Disproportionate Retribution: Why is You Show being sold? Because Yuya attacked Sylvio through a tiny scratch on the shoulder. This backfires on Reiji and Sylvio when Yoko gets the truth out of them.
• Dope Slap: Yuzu gives this to Yugo in Chapter 4 after he calls Yoko "mommy" and "queen".
• Double Standard: Brought up by Yoko. Sylvio gets away with his false accusations even though he was the one who stole Yuya's cards, puts four kids in danger, and was ready to beat the snot out of Yuya when he lost. But Yuya is the one who is accused for "assaulting" Sylvio despite everyone knowing he doesn't use Xyz and wouldn't hurt a fly?
  Yoko: So tell me, Reiji Akaba...why exactly is a student from your school escaping punishment for his crimes when my son, who never hurt a fly and is being falsely accused of assault, is being attacked? Let me guess. Is it because he's poor? Is it because he was a coward's son? Or....is it because you want his cards for yourself?
• Drama Queen: Sylvio whined and complained that Yuya was a monster who killed him...when really it was Yuto who attacked him with a spear that caused a scrape on his shoulder. Reiji ends up realizing he completely fucked up his case to get Yuya's cards when he sees Sylvio's red badge of courage.
• Dramatic Irony:
  • As You Show eats sushi, Yoko explains everything Reiji told her about other dimensions. Shuzo and Yuya laugh it off, with Shuzo stating there's no way they're having sushi with sliders at the moment...just as Sora nearly chokes on some sushi.
  • Yuto tells Yuzu the only time Ruri will ever use Fusion if she was blackmailed or brainwashed. Cut to Season 3...
  • Yoko states that if they confront Sora over him being a Fusion spy, he would lie, change the subject, tell a half-truth, or wipe their minds. On the last one, Reiji is nervously tugging his sweater because Leo Corp. has mind wiping technology that he used in the canon series.
• The Dreaded: Shooting Star Yoko makes everyone look ready to piss themselves. Be it a pompous braggart, a hardened Xyz duelist, or even a teenage CEO. Nico Smiley even reassures Yuya that he emailed his mother about being the boy's manager.
• Driven to Suicide:
  • Yoko tells Himika that Yuya was close to killing himself a few times, and she feared he'd eventually flip off a rooftop.
  • It's implied that Yoko has contemplated suicide. She admits to Yuya she's tired and wants to end everything, and there are two scenes that note that Yoko has cuts on her wrists. Word of God states that most of Yoko's characterization came from her mother who did scream how she wanted to die many times.
• Dub Name Change: While all the characters use their Japanese names, Sylvio is the only one who goes with his dub one instead of being called Shingo Sawatari.
• Dude, Not Funny!: When Yoko makes a joke that her being injured by Obelisk Force will be all the motivation for her son to get serious, Yuya feels ready to slap her across the face with Yuzu's harisen.
• Epigraph: Each chapter is preceded by a quote which relates to the subject of each chapter.
• Establishing Character Moment: In the fanfic, Yoko Sakaki first appears being late, her appearance being described as plain compared to Himika. She's brought sushi for everyone as well. When Himika notes there's nothing Yoko can do to stop the buy-out of her husband's school, Yoko says there is something...revealing she is co-owner of You Show. Then, all bets are off as she shows off her Mama Bear side to Reiji, ready to strangle him for what he did to her son and his friends.
• "Eureka!" Moment:
  • During Yuya's duel with Michiyo, Yoko is struggling with one of his recipes. Yugo, who originally wanted it instead of Yoko's pancakes, ultimately shouts to just put it in a pancake and get it over with. Yoko does that exactly.
  • Yoko makes two connections of Sora being from the Fusion dimension. His look of disbelief earlier when Shuzo doubts they're eating sushi with a slider, and Yuya's comment that "everyone knows Fusion where I come from" when Sora initially was asked how he knew Fusion.
• Even the Girls Want Her: Yuzu internally notes that Yoko in her biker outfit makes her even gorgeous and she aged gracefully.
• Everyone Has Standards:
  • Once it sinks, Sylvio proclaims to Yoko that he is not a monster to let four people nearly die for the sake of cards.
  • Reiji begs Yoko to not kill the Obelisk Force soldiers. For all that he is, he's not a monster like his father. Yoko vows that she won't do anything like that, since a former sukeban has codes.
  • Himika silently vows to treat Reira better after Yoko's words get to her. She may want Reira to be a powerful duelist, but she doesn't want the girl dead.
  • Yoko points out how, as a sukeban, she and her girls had many rules. The most important is no attacking innocents.
• Exact Words: As Yoko notes, in order to make a business deal with You Show, Reiji needs to talk to the owner of the school. Shuzo is only the principal of the school, she's co-owner.
• Exhausted Eyebags: When Reiji is seen in Chapter 2, Yuzu notes that he has dark circles under his eyes which Yoko also comments on three chapters later. Presumably, he's gotten them from the stress of his shady dealings being exposed and the stress from his father's invasion in general.
• Explain, Explain... Oh, Crap!:
  • As everyone at the dinner table muse about where Yusho could've landed, Yugo points out that he couldn't be in Synchro since a guy like him sticks out. Yuya then has a horrifying realization; his dad landed in Fusion.
  • After Yoko tells Reiji that Sora is presumably from Fusion, Reiji asks who Sora hangs out with aside from Yuya. Yoko answers he hangs out with Yuzu the most...and quickly recalls that Yuto and Yugo had girls with her face, kidnapped by Fusion Yuya.
• Failed a Spot Check:
  • Reiji Akaba, a CEO, didn't double check who owned You Show before he made his deal with Shuzo. Shuzo is the principal of the school, not co-owner. When Yoko reveals her papers, Reiji realizes he screwed himself twice over. Later, when Yoko learns that Reiji has computers that detect energy signals of those who play Fusion, Xyz, or Synchro, Yoko realizes that he knew this entire time that Yuya didn't duel Sylvio in the warehouse yet chose to believe Sylvio anyhow.
  • Sylvio whined how Yuya attacked him but never properly described Yuya. Yoko asks him if the "Yuya" who attacked him had a pendulum or played Xyz...and Sylvio realizes he shot himself in the foot.
• Females Are More Innocent: Nope! Himika is just as guilty as her son for what happened with Yusho and You Show, because she could have told Reiji to do more or talked to Yoko directly. She also didn't try to investigate what happened with Sylvio and trusted Reiji immediately.
• Fix Fic: The story fixes the Karma Houdini status Reiji and Sylvio obtained in the first part of the series, not only making them face the consequences of their actions, but also making them grow into kinder people. It also gives chances for Yuya to properly interact with Yuto and Yugo, gives Yuzu moments of character growth, and Yoko role as a mother is given much more emphasis.
• Flipping the Bird: Yoko delivers this to three Obelisk Force goons who tried to intimidate her with their hunting hounds.
• Foil: Yoko and Himika are polar opposites to each other. Himika is Chairwoman of a multi-million dollar company, dressed in suits and wears makeup. Yoko is upper-middle class and wears mom jeans who is content as a housewife. Himika is cold and abusive to her children, Yoko is nothing but firm but loving to her (adopted) son and those she calls her children. Himika sits on her ass and does nothing when it came to Yusho disappearing (particularly never telling this to the Sakaki family) while Yoko is quick to protect her loved ones and is not afraid to speak her mind if need be and gets physical.
• Food as Bribe: Subverted. Himika assumes Yoko bought sushi to convince her and Reiji to cancel their buy-out of You Show. Nope, Yoko honestly brought it for everyone to eat.
• Food Porn: Again, another GPQ trademark. Yoko serves everyone sushi in the first chapter and cooks omurice and hamburger steak for Yuto, Yugo, and Shun in the third one. There's even art to accompany the scenes! Chapter 6 starts with a loving detail on some delicious pancakes Yoko made and how she's going to make a delicious apple pie with custard. This one is justified though; Yoko is trying to lure Sora so she can get answers about why he's in Maiami City in the first place.
• Forgiven, but Not Forgotten: Yoko is frustrated with everything the Akabas and Sylvio did to her family, but she decides to forgive them because there's more problems on the horizon.
• Freudian Excuse Is No Excuse: Sylvio explains he joined Reiji because that means he was special and noticed. No one cares he's a champion of Tribute. Not his dad, and not the likes of Masumi, Hokuto, and Yaiba. When he whines how no one notices him, Yoko curtly tells him that no one cares because he tosses his daddy's reputation and money around instead of actually giving a damn of his improvement. However, she does allow Sylvio a chance to work on himself through community service and understands that Sylvio isn't a sociopath, just a boy who doesn't have a loving adult in his life.
• Genre Savvy: Yugo makes an insightful talk about how people attack loved ones or do things that's not them due to blackmail or mind control. Given what will happen to Rin and Ruri in Season 3...
• Get A Hold Of Yourself Man: When Yuya blames himself for not focusing more on his dueling and instead just goofing off like a clown, Yuzu slaps him with her fan to tell him that the entire dimension stuff was something he never could've predicted. Yuya is quite grateful for this.
• Girlfriend From Canada: Non-romantic version. Yuto and Yugo are given the excuse how they're Yuya's cousins from Canada and everyone in LDS agrees with it.
• Good Is Not Soft: Yoko is kind and loving to those she cares about. But to those who hurt her family, well, hope they can survive the wrath of a sukeban Mama Bear.
• Greed: Reiji and Sylvio's flaw is this. Sylvio wants power and doesn't care who he hurts or how he willingly agreed to steal cards under Reiji's orders. Reiji doesn't want just Yuya's cards, but also You Show Duel School for his own wishes without even paying Yuya a single yen to borrow them for a few days.
• Green-Eyed Monster: Sora is annoyed that Yuya and Yuzu are spending time with Yuto, an Xyz duelist. He's even pissed off at Yugo getting Yoko's attention because he's a biker. And worse, these two (and Shun) are eating Yoko's pancakes!
• He Who Fights Monsters: Reiji is afraid he'll become this trope when it comes to fighting his father. Were it not for Yoko pointing out his hypocrisy and callousness for nearly letting four children die, he probably would've ended up like his canon self if not worse.
• Honor Before Reason: Yuya points out how Yoko could ask her Sirens to bring their children as students for You Show. Yoko refuses because it goes against the Siren code and she doesn't want to drag them into her personal affairs unless necessary. Yuya agrees, comparing it to how he wants to revolutionize Pendulum monsters through his own merits, like how Yusho displayed Action Duels through hard work and determination.
• Hourglass Plot:
  • Sylvio was shown to be proud, haughty and given attention for being a LDS student compared to Yuya being the coward's son. By the end of Chapter 2, Yuya is seen as a martyr and broken boy for dealing with people's abuse for so long, while Sylvio is now suspended from LDS and despised for his Sore Loser attitude and how he disregarded the lives of Yuya's friends.
  • Reiji was well-known for being rich, a CEO, and an expert duelist. Yuya was mostly seen as a coward's son although people started to see him differently after he beat The Sledgehammer. By the end of Chapter 2, Reiji is now seen as a corrupt piece of shit for what he did to the Sakakis, while Yuya is given sympathy once they realize how much Yuya was trying to shoulder on after Yusho's disappearance.
• Humble Pie: Reiji and Sylvio are forced to eat this when Yoko knocks them down a peg over their idiocy and callousness over people's lives being ruined so long as they get what they want. Sylvio grows from this experience and ends up staying in You Show.
• Ignorance Is Bliss: Discussed. Yuzu says Yusho didn't say anything about where he was going so Yuya could be a teenager discovering himself.
  Yuzu: He wanted to keep you from going down a dark path, and enjoy your youth for a little bit longer. Everyone deserves to have the chance to actually be a kid.
• I Just Want to Be Loved: Sylvio's reason for being an Attention Whore is for people to look at him for once. His father barely has time for him nor cares about his achievements, and Masumi, Yaiba and Hokuto look down on him cause he only uses Tribute Summoning. Reiji choosing him to playtest Pendulum made him feel noticed.
  Sylvio: All I’ve ever wanted was to be noticed! For my dad to pay attention to me and the amazing things I do! Why doesn’t he care? Why doesn’t anyone care?!
• Inferiority Superiority Complex: Sylvio acts the way he does because he's looked down for not being a master of something other than Tribute Summoning and due to him having a father who doesn't care for him outside his political work. It is not an excuse for all the trouble he put upon Yuya and his family, but Yoko doesn't have the hear to put him in juvi and instead makes him do community service for You Show.
• In Spite of a Nail:
  • The LDS vs You Show duels never happen thanks to Yoko, but Yuzu still wants to learn Fusion from Sora and Gongenzaka talks to Yaiba about learning Synchro.
  • Yoko bitterly remarks even if she knew ahead of time what Reiji and her husband were planning, she wouldn't have been able to convince Yusho to teleport to Fusion.
  Yoko: No, even if I was told the truth, rode my motorcycle to stop him as fast as I could, commanded my girls to pin him down, Yusho would have still left. He made the decision to leave so others wouldn't suffer.
• In-Universe Catharsis: Subverted; Yuzu feels like she should beat Sylvio up with her paper fan as payback for all he did to her and Yuya but ultimately does not go through with it.
• Instantly Proven Wrong: Himika boasts there's nothing Yoko can do to stop her and Reiji from buying You Show. Yoko then pulls out papers that proves she's co-owner, and it all goes downhill from there.
• Irony:
  • Masumi is proud of being an Excellent Judge of Character but she couldn't see any signs of Yoko being a former sukeban and is just as shocked as the rest of the LDS representatives.
  • Yoko was once a sukeban who rebelled against authorities. She lays the smackdown on Reiji and Himika through her knowledge of the law.
  • Yugo is the one who insists on a fancy rich meal when Yuya is starving for breakfast just before his duel against Michiyo. He ends up begging for pancakes after learning how long it takes for Yoko to complete the recipe.
• I Should Have Been Better: When Yuya sees Masumi, Yaiba, and Hokuto for first time, and later talking to Yuzu, he says that he should've spent more time learning an Extra Deck Summoning instead of focusing on Tribute. Thankfully, Yuzu tells him that it's not his fault, and this spurs him to find Yuto to learn Xyz for real.
• It Runs in the Family: The Sakakis all partake in Honor Before Reason, wanting to build their lives from the ground up instead of taking the easy way out. Yoko refuses to gather the Sirens unless it's for a serious matter so they can all have normal lives, Yusho revolutionized Action Duels through his own determination, and Yuya wishes to showcase the potential of Pendulum Cards by himself.
• Kids Are Cruel: Along with Yuya being bullied for his father's actions, Yoko comments how someone once left an empty flower vase on his son's desk.^note In Japanese schools, a flower vase is left on a deceased student's desk. If left on the desk of a living student, it tells the victim they should drop dead.
• Japanese Delinquents: Yoko's past as a sukeban is frequently brought up in the story, as she uses her skills as Queen of the Sirens in order to get the truth out of arrogant blowhards. Her old Sirens also fit this trope and are ready to scare the pants out of Yugo, Yuto, and Shun when they meet.
• Jerkass: As if this page and the tropes remind you, Reiji and Sylvio willingly created a plan to steal two cards from Yuya that involved threatening the lives of four others, accusing Yuya for a crime he didn't commit, Reiji's inability to tell what happened to Yusho has made the boy a broken Stepford Smiler, and they're about to steal all that's left of Yusho's legacy because they like it. Thankfully, Yoko is able to make them confront that their jerkwad attitudes by not being direct about how they're acting but willing to show compassion in their lowest points.
• Jerkass Has a Point:
  • Sylvio is being a braggart putting Yuya down, but he isn't wrong to point out Yuya is only getting everything handed to him because he called his mom for help.
  • Himika stutters that the buy out was to give money to You Show, even though it was really an excuse to steal Yuya's cards. However, You Show is dying out with only five students (six if you count Sora) and it's not going to last much longer unless someone came in with financial aid. In Chapter 5, she also points out that Yuya wouldn't make a good soldier because he's not taking the matter seriously. War isn't a circus, and in the anime, the first thing Yuya tries doing with Security officers is put on a show instead of actually fighting for his life.
• Jerkass Realization:
  • Strong Ishijima realizes what an asshole he was towards Yuya when he learns the truth about Reiji's actions. He could've been an honorable champion and take on Yuya's duel for his father's name. Instead, he was no better than the audience heckling him.
  What type of a champion duelist lets a child be subjected to laughter and mockery? What was he teaching all of the aspiring duelists who looked up to him? He silently vowed to become stronger so he could really give Yuya a proper duel; it was the least he could do.
  • Sylvio gets one after Yoko tells him how he's so privileged over Yuya, and he had so many blessings compared to her son, realizing he would've let people die for a taste of power.
• Know When to Fold 'Em: After Yoko eviscerates him and provides proof she's co-owner of You Show, Reiji has no choice but to explain everything as to why he wants Yuya's cards and how he's responsible for Yusho vanishing. The LDS trio also decide to skedaddle, realizing that they would become the next victims on Yoko's "Rich Assholes to Rip Apart List" if they stayed any longer.
• Lack of Empathy: Reiji, Sylvio and his cheer-up squad didn't give a damn over four kids potentially dying, but rather focused on victory or some cards. This later becomes subverted once Yoko gives them some harsh reality checks and understands it's not that they don't care, rather it's that they grew up with parental figures who never teach them how to care or show them any sort of compassion.
• Lampshade Hanging: In regards to Sora's huge Sweet Tooth, Yuya questions how he gets money to purchase sweets and Yuzu is amazed how he hasn't gotten cavities yet.
• Late-Arrival Spoiler: Yoko's delinquent past and Reiji's connections to Yusho's disappearance are the big spoilers revealed in the open.
• Line in the Sand: The second half of Chapter 6 mentions this trope. To Yoko and Yuya, learning about Sora being a Fusion agent is their line in the sand, and they must move forward knowing that there is war on the horizon. In Yoko's past, she herself drew a line in the sand for any new recruits who wished to become a Siren.
• Little "No": Reiji utters one after Yoko calls him a third-rate rich boy with fourth-rate dueling skills, realizing how he destroyed his reputation for Yuya's pendulums.
• Lonely Rich Kid: Both Reiji and Sylvio are loaded, but they're also lonely.
  • Reiji is a CEO who has to prepare for a war against his father. Yoko also notices a framed photo of him holding a trophy with neither of his parents in shot, assuming Nakajima took the photo.
  • Sylvio eats dinner alone since his father is always busy with his work. Even with his self-esteem team, he doesn't feel like he belongs with the likes of Masumi, Hokuto, and Yaiba, who constantly look down on him for being in Tribute Summon.
• Lotus-Eater Machine: Yuya and his counterparts are trapped in one when they fused with Zarc, each of them based off something important to them. Yuya entertains a crowd in a circus, Yuto patrols a dark forest, Yugo travels on his D-Wheel handing gifts to the Commons, and Yuri is isolated in a closed garden.
• Love Redeems: Yoko's love towards Yuya, Yuto, and Yugo is felt within Zarc when they reunite. This is enough for Zarc to stop his genocidal wishes to destroy humanity and for him to return to the entertainer he was before he saw the ugliness of humanity.
• Mama Bear: The story is essentially "Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc-V but if a mother was the main character". If anyone tries to hurt Yoko's kids, she is ready to beat the ever loving shit out of them. She doesn't care who you are, be it a pompous braggart or a CEO. You mess with her kids, you get her claws.
• Minor Injury Overreaction: Played for Drama in Reiji's case. He immediately trusted Sylvio in how he got attacked by Yuya, so he never thought to think if Sylvio wasn't going full on Drama Queen and asked if the attack was that severe. When Sylvio revealed to everyone all he got from Yuto was a tiny scrape on his shoulder, Yuya and Yuzu are shocked that this is what caused Reiji to create his plot to buy out You Show, and Reiji realizes he screwed himself twice-over.
• Missing Steps Plan: Reiji's plan was to somehow get Sylvio to steal Yuya's cards or buy out You Show to make them his, without thinking of an easier and safer plan. Yoko points this out in her rant towards him, stating greedy people like him have no common sense.
• Money Is Not Power: Reiji and Sylvio are rich, but it doesn't save them from Yoko tearing them apart. In fact, Yoko was able to find Yuto's whereabouts faster than Reiji's computers did. She used her connections with her Sirens, many of them babysat Yuya in the past, to locate him.
• Morton's Fork:
  • Reiji can either confess why he did what he did or say nothing. If he confesses, then his reputation is completely ruined. If he doesn't, he'll have to go through the beating of a Mama Bear ex-sukeban and then he'll be forced to confess.
  • With Zarc returning due to his fragments fusing together, Yoko and Yuzu come to one of these. Either keep Zarc as he is with little to no chance of saving Yuya or the others. Or they can split them up but have to deal with Yuri, who will not go down so easily and refuse to change.
• Mundane Solution: Yoko is capable of making simple solutions to Reiji's convoluted ones.
  • Shuzo is in a pickle in how to stop Reiji from buying out You Show with Reiji suggesting a Best of 3 duel to decide ownership. A better suggestion? Have Yoko reveal she's co-owner, meaning she has full say on how the purchase goes.
  • Reiji's got super computers that can help him locate Yuto and Yugo's whereabouts. What does Yoko have? Her old biker gang who know Yuya's face because they babysat for him. Yoko even reveals many of the places Yuto, Yugo, and Shun bought food were from establishments they worked from. The Sirens called Yoko and then followed them to their hideout.
  • Reiji doesn't show any signs of an army when the Battle Royale strikes^note His defense against Obelisk Force were nine upper duelists with only one survivor, and it takes seven duelists not named Yuya or Yugo to defeat three Obelisk Force soldiers Yoko decides to gather her Sirens to prepare themselves, spread the word to numerous retired gangsters, get their kids involved, and basically talk to schools not LDS involved. And if nothing else, either beat the ever loving shit out of Obelisk Force, steal their Duel Disks, or run them over with a motorcycle.
• Mundane Utility: Subverted; Yuya realizes Yoko could ask her fellow Sirens to bring their children in to You Show as a favor. Yoko refuses because she didn't want to drag her Sirens in for something so petty.
• My God, What Have I Done?:
  • Numerous people who belittled Yuya over the years realize how they were a bunch of a-holes when they learn how Reiji had a hand in all of this. Suddenly, calling Yuya a coward's son isn't funny amore.
  • Sylvio gets one when Yoko points out how he would've let children die and put Yuya in jail for power.
  • Reiji and Himika look in horror when Yoko points out how they would destroy Yuya's life for his cards and didn't think twice to tell him the truth about his father.
• Mythology Gag:
  • The news announcer in Chapter 2 is named Takahashi.
  • The DuelTube critic is named V Liscio, a nod to the dub VA for Yuya and his counterparts, Michael Liscio.
• Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: If Yuzu told Yoko that Yuto teleported away from her thanks to her bracelet much sooner, then she could've been used to separate Yuya and his counterparts instead of having all four turn into Zarc, because Yoko drove Yuzu back to her house in an attempt to save her.
• Nice Job Fixing It, Villain: Had Yuri just kidnapped Yuzu like he was supposed to instead of drawing out the terror and despair she was going to receive from Starving Venom Fusion Dragon, nothing would've stopped Akaba's plans because no one had a way to teleport to Fusion. Instead, he just handed Yoko the keys to get Yuzu out and derailed Akaba's plans and ends up fusing with his counterparts into Zarc, none the wiser.
• Noodle Implements: Whatever Yoko plans to do to the Akabas in Chapter 1 involves a frying pan, kitty litter, and pancakes.
• No Smoking: When Yoko confronts Shun, she puts a lollipop in her mouth. A comment notes she never liked cigarettes.
• "Not Making This Up" Disclaimer: One of the luxury foods Yoko brings up in her scathing speech to Sylvio are watermelons, specifically cube-shaped watermelons. The author notes reveal that yes, Japanese have a thing for luxury watermelons. And there are such things as cube-shaped ones.
• Not So Stoic: Reiji is always stone-faced, rarely showing any other emotions until the ending of the series. Being confronted by his actions has him ready to downright piss himself. And when he learned about the Invasion of Xyz, Nakajima notes he saw Reiji sobbing in horror at what his father has done.
• Now You Tell Me: Yoko saves Yuzu from being carded by Yuri and drives the two to her house. But upon seeing a video of Yuya and his counterparts reuniting, Yuzu decides now is the best time to explain that her bracelet teleported Yuto out of the warehouse.
• Oh, Crap!: Reiji's default expression in the first chapter when Yoko verbally eviscerates him.
• O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Yuya is mostly smiles, but when he learns the truth about Yusho, he breaks. It's so unexpected that everyone is scared of him crying in agony.
• Papa Wolf: Shuzo is protective of his daughter and the You Show Kids, standing up to Himika over how she could care less if his daughter died, and getting the parents of Ayu, Futoshi, and Tatsuya to prepare lawsuits over the emotional trauma this caused.
• Parents as People:
  • Yoko is a caring mother who does her best to make sure her son is safe. But deep down, she struggles in keeping everything afloat and has to smile to keep her son from worrying over how hard it is to deal with her husband's disappearance.
  Yoko: “I've been taking on two types of finances ever since Yusho left. I've gone through hell to borrow money from the bank so you and I weren’t thrown into the streets. I worked and studied hard because I wanted the best for you… I should have shared with you more. Told you all the scary things because I’m sure you’ve had your own scary thoughts too, Yuya. Losing someone is…so hard no matter how you lose them. There are days where I feel like riding my bike and never coming back…but I stay because I have you, Yuya. You need me more than anything. Sometimes I feel like I won’t wake up. Some days, it’s impossible for me to open my eyes. Sometimes…I feel like ending everything. I’m tired. So very tired.”
  • Yuzu and Yuya have a talk about Yusho being this. He did something very stupid and reckless in going to another dimension to stop Akaba without saying anything, but he kept mum about it so Yuya could just be a normal kid and not get tangled up in a war. Yoko even admits that Yusho would've gone through no matter how hard you had to pull him away, since he was selfless like that.
  • Himika is a cold-hearted businesswoman who looks down in disgust at You Show, particularly Yuya and Yoko. And she's emotionally abusive to Reira. However, Yoko can show sympathy to her because she's dealing with the horrible truth that her husband is a militaristic asshole who would commit genocide without blinking an eye and it's up to her and Reiji to prepare the dimension for war.
• Pass the Popcorn: Lampshaded in Chapter 1, where Sora wishes for a bag of caramel popcorn as he watched Yoko tear Reiji to bits.
• Pet the Dog: Strong Ishijima silently vows to train so he can give Yuya a proper rematch upon realizing he's partially to blame for Yuya being a broken child.
• Point of Divergence
  • The story's biggest change comes from Yuya actually texting Yoko about Reiji wanting to buy out You show. This leads to Yoko racing to the school and revealing she is co-owner, and then leads to Reiji to confess the truth of what's really going on, meaning Yoko and Yuya learn what happened to Yusho sooner than in canon. This also means the buy-out duels for You Show never happen as Reiji has no leverage. This also leads to Sylvio being suspended from Leo Duel School for his false accusations. Plus, Yuya is allowed to deal with his emotions earlier in canon so he becomes much more mature instead of constantly hiding his problems.
  • Yuto and Yugo actually talk things out, so neither of them falsely assume the other kidnapped Rin/Ruri. This also means Yugo doesn't crash the party in the Battle Royale nor accidentally take him and Yuzu back to Synchro.
  • Shun never cards Professor Marco in the series, so Marco is still alive and Masumi never goes on her pursuit for him. This also means Reiji doesn't have to resort to erasing Masumi, Hokuto, and Yaiba's minds either.
  • Because Yuzu tells Yuya and Yoko about Yuto much sooner — she wouldn't reveal this to Yuya and Gongenzaka until Episode 35 — then Yoko makes it a mission to go so search for him, leading to Yuto and Yuya meeting much sooner.
  • Yoko rescuing Yuzu from Yuri meant that she wouldn't be kidnapped and sent to Academia...but that also means she can't use her bracelet to separate Yuri from his counterparts, leading to the rebirth of Zarc.
  • The biggest change comes in the final chapter. Because of Yoko's love and compassion towards Yuya, Yuto, and Yugo, when Zarc is resurrected, he doesn't have a desire to destroy everything. Rather, he has a Heel Realization when he feels the love and kindness given to his fragments to the point that he reverts to the person he was before he engaged in his bloodlust.
• Poor Communication Kills: Not a GPQ story without this.
  • Everything Reiji suffers in the first two chapters is all due to his inability to ask Yuya for his cards or not telling him or Yoko about what happened to Yusho. For example, he immediately bought Sylvio's excuse that Yuya attacked him, but didn't ask how big of an injury it was.
  • Sylvio doesn't properly explain the Yuya who dueled him, even when others point out Yuya was at You Show when the duel happened, and his opponent used Xyz. He lands himself in hot water for the crime of false accusation.
  • Yuzu averts this by telling Yuya and Yoko about Yuto sooner, instead of waiting until after Sora's defeat by Shun. However she never mentions how her bracelet was responsible for making Yuto teleport until after Yoko saves her from Yuri, meaning that there's no one to stop Yuya and his counterparts to fuse as Zarc. To be fair, Yuzu was not thinking straight that night and everything going on since then made her forget about that detail.
• Pose of Supplication: Sylvio performs one to Yoko as he apologizes for how he let his ego nearly led four children to their deaths.
• The Power of Love: Yoko's love towards her family and those she sees as her family is what makes them change for the better. This includes dopplegangers of her son, a golden-eyed vengeful duelist, and even a Supreme Dragon King!
• Precision F-Strike: Yoko isn' afraid to lay down f-bombs. When Himika tries to interrupt Yoko on why they wanted to buy You Show, Yoko shuts her up with a, "Fuck you, I'm not done!"
• Privilege Makes You Evil: Reiji and Sylvio are rich and they can use their money and power to get away with everything, be it theft or near murder. The quote from Chapter 2 states this trope best.
  The privileged man, whether he be privileged politically or economically, is a man depraved in intellect and heart.
  • This is later subverted when the two apologize for their actions and Yoko is willing to work with them.
• Privileged Rival: Everyone from Leo Duel School is this by default to You Show, but Sylvio and Reiji take the cake. Both are rich, have power, and can do whatever they want while Yuya is chewed out all because of his father's disappearance. They also don't care for what they have to do to get what they want.
• Reconstruction: Of an Accusation Fic. Yes, Yoko completely tears everyone who has done her and Yuya wrong, and all of them actually did do something to hurt them. But at the same time, Yoko steps back and also is willing to reach out to help them. Accusation doesn't mean just tearing people down for catharsis; it's meant to help acknowledge what was wrong and make the accuser learn to be better.
• "The Reason You Suck" Speech: As part of it being an Accusation Fic, Yoko drops mom bomb after mom bomb over the rich idiots who tried to destroy her son's life and she's entirely justified for it.
• Rich Bitch: Male example. Reiji and Sylvio are assholes who are loaded, and they walk around like they own the place, not caring for the people who they hurt and are able to pay money to ensure all their crimes are swept under the rug.
• Rich in Dollars, Poor in Sense: Yoko accuses Reiji of this. Despite being a CEO at 16 and knows all the Extra Deck summonings, he apparently didn't have the common sense to talk to her or Yuya about borrowing cards, instead exploiting Sylvio's unreliable words as a basis to sue the two to Kingdom Come. In Chapter 5, Yoko learns that Reiji has machines that detect energy levels of Fusion, Synchro, and Xyz Summoning, meaning that he knew someone using Xyz dueled Sylvio...and yet chose to blame Yuya anyways.
• Right for the Wrong Reasons: Yoko assumes Reiji wants to steal Yuya's cards to mass produce them and line his own pockets. While Reiji is using unscrupulous methods so he can mass produce weapon to fight his dad, Yoko is right that Reiji was unwilling to pay Yuya a single yen for them.
• Rousseau Was Right: Reiji, Himika, and Sylvio are complete assholes, but Yoko admits this is all due to circumstances they're dealing with. When given empathy and kindness from Yoko, they open up and start working on bettering themselves. Even Zarc is shown to fit this trope, as Yoko's love for his fragments is enough for him to not want to destroy everything.
• Running Gag: Every time Sylvio's "friends" (Ootomo, Mamabe, Kakimoto) are brought up, the narration uses loving descriptions of them. Calling them lackeys, stooges, Sylvio and his amazing friends, etc.
• Sadist: Yuri loves hunting his prey down, loves the smell of fear. He even tells Yuzu that he could just kidnap her, but it wouldn't be that much fun. Unfortunately for him, his desire to play with his food ends up backfiring when Yoko catches up to him and takes Yuzu back to her place.
• The Scapegoat: Brought up in author's notes that this is presumably Sylvio's role in Reiji's scheme.
• Screw the Rules, I Have Money!: Reiji and Sylvio are loaded, so they could just fall back on their money if things go wrong. Yoko makes them face reality and the wrath of a Mama Bear.
• Screw This, I'm Outta Here:
  • Masumi, Yaiba, and Hokuto quietly leave You Show after they see Yoko chew Reiji and Himika to shreds, realizing that associating with the Akabas is going to have them dead by Yoko's mom bombs.
  • After the truth is revealed over many of Reiji's actions, numerous parents withdrew their kids from Leo Duel School in outrage.
• Serious Business: Deconstructed. Yuya's cards are a big deal, but it gets to the point that Reiji and Sylvio have no qualms over theft, murder, blackmail, bribery and false accusation in order to achieve what they want. Yoko even states how fucking ridiculous this all is.
  Yoko: (as she tells Himika she was a horrible mother) But all you cared about were all the schools in the world. The only time You Show was in your radar was so you can get your manicured nails on two. Stupid. CARDS! Cards that I should rip apart right now so no one can use them against my son!
• Ship Tease: Yuzu gives Yuya a peck on her cheek in Chapter 3 before she runs off in embarrassment.
• Shout-Out:
  • Ayu says what she knows about business is "business, business, business, numbers."
  • The narration sarcastically calls Sylvio's tiny scratch his red badge of courage.
  • The summary for Chapter 3 explains how Yoko is going to prepare the battlefield. For massacre.
  • Author notes reveal Yugo shouting, "Steeeaaak" from Chpater 3 was originally going to be "Fsteeaaak"
  • When confronted by Yoko, Shun threatens that he has three minutes of playtime to kick her ass.
  • Sora would rather eat fried shrimp covered in natto than duel Yuri or confess the truth to Yoko.
• Skewed Priorities: A dying school connected to the man who they left stranded in another dimension? Doesn't matter cause we'll just acquire it. The cards his son holds? Gimme, gimme, gimme! This is how the brains of the Akabas work, as Yoko is pissed how Himika only cared for You Show for her son's cards, and not the fact that they should show concern over how the Sakakis suffered for three years without answers — answers that she held the entire time.
• Sore Loser: Sylvio was so pissed off at Yuya beating him in a duel, he wanted to beat the stuffing out of the boy. He then went as far as to accuse Yuya for attacking him, causing Reiji to swoop down to purchase You Show. When word gets out, the media calls him Sylvio "Sore Loser" Sawatari.
• Spanner in the Works:
  • Yuya hastily calling his mother over the CEO of Leo Corp. at their doorstep. If he never did that, Yoko wouldn't have learned the truth about the accusations and bribery Which leads to...
  • Yoko completely derails the Akabas' plans just by confronting them. She ensures that the duel between You Show and LDS never happens because she reveals how she's co-owner of You Show, her love and compassion for Sora allows him to make his Heel–Face Turn sooner, she rescues Yuzu before Yuri can kidnap her, rallies her Sirens so that the Obelisk Force soldiers stationed there are instantly captured and when Zarc is reunited, he does not have any desires to destroy the world and wishes to go back to the person he used to be. All of this because of one mother.
• Spared by the Adaptation: Author notes reveal that Professor Marco never gets carded which subsequently means that Masumi, Yaiba, and Hokuto will never get their memories erased by Reiji since Masumi has no reason to chase after Shun.
• Spoiled Brat: Sylvio whines and complains for everything and is given them on a silver platter. This entire plot happened because for once in his rich little life, he didn't get what he wanted.
• Spiritual Antithesis: To Green Phantom Queen's famous work, Infinity Train: Blossoming Trail. While both are focused on a female supporting character having a bigger role, focuses on calling people out for their mistakes and points out a slew of Double Standards, the difference is how the females change the course of the story. While Chloe was a ten-year-old girl who threw around spite over how people never saw her point of view, Yoko knows when to extend an open hand to those who truly need help and only reserves her chewing outs for people who really are in deep shit. While Chloe's actions make things worse for Vermillion City because she can't let her anger go, Yoko's kindness and love ends up bringing positive changes to those around her because she's willing to move on from her wrath.
• Stating the Simple Solution:
  • Reiji goes through a convoluted and downright illegal act of making Sylvio steal Yuya's cards and later buy-out You Show for Yuya's pendulums. Yoko then gives him a better solution. Just ask Yuya to borrow them.
  • As Sylvio explains why he went with Reiji's plot to steal Yuya's pendulums, Yuya coldly remarks that Sylvio can just take advanced courses.
• Stealing the Credit: Yoko accuses Reiji of this. He wants to steal Yuya's Pendulum Cards in order to mass produce them for his own, and make Yuya and You Show even more obsolete by not paying royalties. Author notes reveal that Yoko was originally going to call Reiji Walter Keane as a comparison.
• Stepford Smiler: While Yuya was already this in the series, Yoko admits that she keeps smiling to keep her son from breaking.
• Stock Shoujo Bullying Tactics: Yoko confesses in Chapter 5 that someone put an empty flower vase on Yuya's desk once. The boy was so broken, he couldn't go to school for a month. And that's not counting how people called him a coward's son...
• Strange Minds Think Alike: Yoko and Reiji both think there should be a sushi Xyz archetype.
• Struggling Single Mother: Yoko works two part-time jobs, got her business degree online in two years, and took out at least two loans from the bank in order to keep Yuya afloat while Yusho is gone.
• Stunned Silence: Reiji, his mother, Sylvio and his lackeys, fall into this in the first two chapters due to having to hear Yoko's pipe-bombs.
• Surprisingly Realistic Outcome:
  • Reiji and Sylvio learn the hard way that being in a shounen anime where everything depends on how you play cards does not save you if you break the law. Yoko brings up how the two broke multiple laws just for Yuya's cards and she and Shuzo prepare lawsuits for all of their crimes.
  • Yuri's plan to kidnap Yuzu hits a snag when Yoko takes her away from him as he realizes he has no idea how to navigate Maiami City. It turns out kidnappings only work if you have a general layout of the location in mind, not to mention that he doesn't have a way to move around the city.
  • Obelisk Force's training in Academia made them good against Xyz because they worked in teams against the unexpected citizens. However they don't have any other strategies outside their Zerg Rush. They were never taught how to fight dirty like Yoko and her Sirens did, who decide to just skip the dueling and literally kick Obelisk Force's asses or chase them around on their motorcycles. Moreover, Yoko and her group knows the city by heart, so they are able to ambush them before Obelisk Force can activate their Duel Disks.
• Sweets of Temptation: Just like in the anime, Sora is known for his love of sweets and candy. Yoko exploits this in Chapter 6, making a delicious batch of chocolate chip pancakes and proclaiming she's making a delicious apple pie with custard, forcing Sora to come out of hiding to eat.
• Take That!:
  • The author makes no secret how she despises Reiji and Sylvio's actions in Season 1 and how they never get any punishment for them. The story takes a torch to Reiji and Sylvio's entitlement and greed and shows how a Mama Bear would react to these two a-holes willingly letting people die or frame them for a false crime because they're rich. The author notes constantly question why Reiji is supposedly a "good guy" when he does just as many horrible things as his father.
  • Chapter 5 starts off with some scathing remarks over the end game of Arc-V revolving around a baby Reira having Zarc's darkness inside her. And how Himika finally decides to act like a mother when she showed no care for Reira's PTSD prior. GPQ adds this quip in regards to how she's well-known for another fanfic about accusation.
  "But hey, at least this isn't one of those Ladybug salt fics that I keep seeing on Tvtropes. Those things are the true horrors in my opinion."
  • The final chapter has the author notes how much she despised Zarc's dub voice and stated Wayne Grayson (who voices Leo Akaba in the dub) should have voiced Zarc due to the fact that Wayne Grayson has voiced another bad guy (Dartz) and it would strengthen the parallels between Zarc and Akaba.
• Tempting Fate: Himika thinks so little of Yoko that the housewife can't do anything to stop Reiji from buying out You Show. Then Yoko brings up she's co-owner of the school...
• There Are No Therapists:
  • Yuya is broken for three years and therapy was never considered. Justified as it's implied that without Yusho to make ends meet, there was no way for Yoko to pay for one. Thankfully, Leo Duel School's settlement is enough for Yoko to arrange one for her son and he's been taking online therapy sessions inbetween his academics and Nico Smiley's trials.
  • Yugo, Yuto, and Shun are traumatic wrecks but they don't get therapists either. Justified given their living conditions as Yugo doesn't have enough money or would be seen as a Commons, whereas there probably aren't any therapists at all in Heartland at the moment.
• This Is Unforgivable!: A DuelTube creator screams this over how Reiji willingly allowed Sylvio to commit crimes for two cards, telling everyone to boycott the Akabas this instant.
• Title Drop:
  • Yoko brings up the title when Yuto asks why she's doing so much for a bunch of strangers.
  • Many of the titles come from a line of their respective chapters.
• Took a Level in Kindness: Sylvio and his three stooges decide to take a clean start in You Show after they were suspended from Leo Duel School.
• Tranquil Fury: When Leo sees how Yoko has completely upended his goal to capture Yuzu, he silently leaves his office.
• Underestimating Badassery: Many of the jerks and baddies, and even Shun, see little to nothing about Yoko Sakaki outside a housewife of a coward. They quickly change their tunes when Yoko reveals how she's a former sukeban and does not take shit lying down, ready to tear people apart physically or verbally.
• Unreliable Expositor: Sylvio is this to Reiji, proclaiming that Yuya is a monster, who almost killed him...when in reality it was Yuto (not that they knew at the time) and he was given a tiny scrape on the shoulder. Reiji realizes he has essentially caused corporate suicide for not asking Sylvio for the truth nor did Sylvio allow himself to use common sense to think maybe Yuya with his Xyz monster didn't attack him.
• V-Sign: Yoko does one ala Judai Yuki, palms inward, but in a more insulting version. She's holding two fingers up as she asks how much money was worth the two cards Reiji wanted to steal from her son.
• Was It Really Worth It?: Yoko ends her speech to Sylvio with this question. Judging by how he runs back to You Show to apologize, it wasn't.
  Yoko: So tell me, after everything that’s happened, I’m extremely curious to know. Was your pride worth it ?
• Wham Episode: Chapter 7 details Sora's loss to Shun and Yuri gathering Obelisk Force soldiers to Standard at the same time, Yuya, Yuto, and Yugo start chanting "Reunite." And the final scene of the chapter has Yuri joining in.
• Wham Line: Himika scoffs at Yoko's attempts to butter them up with store-bought sushi and says there's nothing she can do. Yoko's response?
  Yoko: As a matter of fact, there is something I can do. After all...(shifts into a Death Glare) Why are you all having a meeting about acquiring my husband's school without consulting the co-owner of it first?
• What If?: "What if Yoko Sakaki became more involved in Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V starting with the buy out of her husband's school?"
• When He Smiles: Reiji has been stone-cold stoic or terrified throughout the story. In Chapter 5, he lets out a relieved smile to Yoko, thankful she's here to help him.
• Why Don't You Just Shoot Him?: Yuri decides to duel and toy with Yuzu instead of kidnapping her immediately, taunting her by drawing out her fear like he did Rin and Ruri. This backfires on him when not only does Yuzu defeat him, but Yoko comes to rescue her since he spent more time playing with his prey than doing his job which in turn has him fused with his counterparts and turned into Zarc.
• Would Rather Suffer: In the context of having to go back to Academia to fight Yuri, or confess the truth to Yoko, Sora would rather eat natto topped fried shrimp
• Your Approval Fills Me with Shame: Sylvio breaks down in tears after he lets Yoko's words of congratulations make him realize how privileged he became and how he would hurt others to be the best.
  Yoko: You did something fantastic, you know! You were taught how to set the Pendulum Scale thanks to Reiji, while my son had to practice two hundred times before he got it right. And it was all at the expense of poor people's lives! Congratulations!
• Your Makeup Is Running: As Yoko tears her down, Himika's face is streaked with black tears from her mascara.

---