#toonshipping

Jou: Yes.

Kaiba: I was hula hooping. Pegasus and I both attend a class for fitness and for fun.

Jou: Oh my god.

Kaiba: I mastered all the moves. The pizza toss. The tornado. The scorpion. The oopsie doodle.

Jou: Why are you telling me this?

Kaiba: Because no one will ever believe you.

The grand halls of Pegasus’s château in France were bathed in golden candlelight, the air thick with the scent of aged wine and freshly painted canvases. Outside, the rain fell in a rhythmic patter against the arched windows, but inside, the man himself sat in his usual state of indulgence—legs crossed, a silk robe draped lazily over his shoulders, a glass of red wine balanced between his fingers.

It had been four years.

Four long years since he had retired from the Duel Monsters industry, allowing the world to evolve without his hand guiding it. He had spent that time losing himself in lavish parties, eccentric art projects, and whimsical distractions. And yet, despite it all, inspiration had struck him like a storm.

He could see them—new creatures, new game mechanics, new ways to revolutionize Duel Monsters once more. His dreams were consumed by them, his sleepless nights haunted by designs sketched in candlelight.

And so, it was time.

Time to return.

But of course, no comeback could be made without first consulting him.

Seto Kaiba.

A business partner. A rival. An ally, if only in necessity. Their relationship had been a game of strategy, shifting through phases of cooperation and bitter enmity. Pegasus had created Duel Monsters; Kaiba had elevated it into a technological empire. Their business dealings had always been… tense, to say the least.

Duelist Kingdom had turned them into enemies.

But the industry had kept them bound together.

The tournaments, the duel disks, the expansion of the game itself—it had all been built on a fragile alliance, held together by necessity rather than any notion of camaraderie. Their meetings had been cold, full of barbed words wrapped in flowery diplomacy. Kaiba never insulted him outright, no—his vocabulary was too refined for something so vulgar—but his condescension dripped from every syllable.

And yet, Pegasus had always found it amusing.

But now, it seemed, his dear partner had decided to ignore him altogether.

The first call rang. No answer.

The second. The third. The fourth.

Finally, after persistence—

Pip. Pip. Pip.

A sharp click. Then a voice, clipped and cold.

"What the hell do you want?"

Ah, there he was.

Pegasus leaned back in his chair, swirling the wine in his glass with an indulgent smile.

"My, my, Kaiba-boy! Is that any way to greet an old friend?"

"You're not my friend," Kaiba snapped. His voice was laced with something beyond its usual irritation—tension, exhaustion. "State your business or stop wasting my time."

Pegasus chuckled, unbothered. "Oh, but I do so love wasting your time. It’s one of my favorite pastimes."

A sharp exhale from the other end. "I'm hanging up."

"Ah-ah, not so fast, my dear boy," Pegasus purred. "I assure you, this is a matter of business."

A pause. A silence filled with scrutiny. Kaiba was considering it.

"Go on," he finally said, voice edged with skepticism.

Pegasus smirked, reclining further into his chair. "I've had… a vision, Kaiba-boy. A new era of Duel Monsters. Concepts that will shake the very foundation of the game itself. And, naturally, I could think of no one better to discuss such matters with than you."

"I don’t have time for whatever nonsense you’ve dreamt up in your overpriced château," Kaiba bit out. "And I certainly don’t have time for your dramatics."

"Tsk, tsk," Pegasus mused, tapping a finger against the rim of his glass. "You wound me, truly. I thought you’d be thrilled to hear about my grand return. After all, you wouldn’t want your beloved Duel Monsters to stagnate without its creator, would you?"

Kaiba’s patience was wearing thin. "The game doesn’t need you anymore, Pegasus. It moved on. I moved on."

"Ah, but did you?" Pegasus’s tone was almost teasing, but there was something knowing beneath it. "You've been running Kaiba Corp with that sharp little mind of yours, innovating and expanding, yes, but tell me… have you really created anything new?"

A beat of silence.

Pegasus smiled. There it was. The flicker of doubt, of irritation. Kaiba hated being questioned, challenged.

"Watch your mouth," Kaiba growled. "Kaiba Corp’s advancements have taken Duel Monsters beyond anything you ever imagined."

"Beyond anything I imagined?" Pegasus echoed, feigning shock. "Oh, Kaiba-boy, I created the game! You may have built the stage, but the soul of Duel Monsters? That was mine first."

"Then stay in the past where you belong."

A cold statement. Final.

Pegasus exhaled, twirling a lock of silver hair around his finger. "Oh, Kaiba-boy… Still so stubborn after all these years. It’s almost endearing."

"Is that all?" Kaiba asked flatly.

Pegasus hummed. "I’ll be in Domino City soon. We will discuss this properly."

"You’re wasting your time."

Pegasus grinned. "Oh, my dear Kaiba-boy… That’s what you said the last time I made an offer."

Another silence.

Then—

Click.

The call ended.

Pegasus chuckled to himself, setting his phone down beside his wine glass. Kaiba could act as cold as he wanted, as dismissive as he pleased. But Pegasus knew him far too well.

There was a part of Kaiba that would never stop listening.

a little remaster of this 📧

toonshipping

done some time ago