Jack dreams of a man who might finally satisfy him.

"It was a good attempt, but even you can't stand up to the power of my rugged soul, Red Daemon's Dragon!" Wheel of Fortune's engine roared as he tore down the track. Red Daemon's soared overhead. Everything was as it should be, but they both somehow felt...off.

Both his D-Wheel and his dragon didn't seem to be themselves. A detail here or there, the way they acted, even the card itself weren't what he was used to. Yet it all felt right, like this was how things had always been even though he knew that wasn't true.

Then his opponent spoke. "Jack," he said in what seemed like a voice he'd heard thousands of times before. "I can tell how much you've improved since our last duel. You really are the best." Then he chuckled. "But I won't be losing that easily!"

He played a monster unfamiliar yet familiar on the field. "When I control no monsters, I can Special Summon the Tuner Monster, Unknown Synchron, from my hand. Then, I'll play my second Tuner, Junk Synchron!" This was logically the first time he'd ever seen either of these cards, but that didn't change his instincts of having fought then before.

"When Junk Synchron is Normal Summoned, I can Special Summon a Level 2 or lower monster in my Graveyard with its effects negated on the field. Be reborn, Tuning Supporter!"

"Impressive, three monsters at once. Even so, none of those weaklings can defeat the King!"

"I'm not done. When I control a Tuner Monster, I can Special Summon Bolt Hedgehog from my Graveyard. And, when a monster is revived from my Graveyard, I can summon Dopplewarrior from my hand." His field was flush with monsters. The only move left was obvious.

"I'm tuning my Level 2 Bolt Hedgehog, Level 2 Dopplewarrior, and Level 1 Tuning Supporter with my Level 3 Junk Synchron! Clustering wishes will become a new shining star! Become the path its light shines upon! Synchro Summon!"

Here it was, a monster that he had simultaneously never seen yet faced hundreds of times in the past. "Take flight, Stardust Dragon!" The white dragon let out a roar as it faced down his own, keeping pace with the two as they rode down the highway. Its majesty and ferocity nearly outclassed Red Daemon's.

But that wasn't the end. "When Tuning Supporter is used for a Synchro Summon, I can draw 1 card. Furthermore, if Dopplewarrior is used as Synchro Material, I can summon a Dopple Token to my field in Attack Mode."

He scoffed. "Replenish your hand, summon your dragon. We both know you can't overcome Red Daemon's power with such typical moves, -" The man's name was lost on him. His own ears couldn't even pick up what he'd just said.

"Jack, you know better than anyone I have another strategy." It was the truth, and what's more, it thrilled him to think about.

"I'm tuning my Level 1 Dopple Token with my Level 1 Unknown Synchron! Gathering wishes will call out a new speed's horizon! Become the path its light shines upon! Synchro Summon! The power of hope, Synchro Tuner, Formula Synchron!"

Synchro Tuner? He knew this should be a more shocking revelation, but he didn't seem to react to it as such. Rather, it seemed typical. What was going on here?

"Here I come, Jack! Clear Mind!" His opponent began to pick up remarkable speed, overtaking him like it was nothing. "Clustering crystal dreams, open the door to a new evolution! Become the path its light shines upon! Accel Synchro! Be born, Shooting Star Dragon!" In an instant, his D-Wheel disappeared entirely, a shockwave threatening to knock Wheel of Fortune over were it not for his expert riding ability. Then, just as suddenly, he appeared again with a thundering blast of sound, an even more powerful dragon flying beside him.

And then it ended. Jack sat up in bed, sweat pouring down his face. He peered down to find his hand shaking, though it was clearly out of excitement rather than fear. Just to be safe, he checked the deck resting inside a nightstand beside him, confirming that Red Daemon's Dragon Scarlight was the same as always.

Who was that man? Why did he keep having this dream? Every single time, it was a different part of the duel coming closer and closer to the ending, and every single time, he felt content. None of it made any sense.

"Yu...sei..." Was that his name? He'd said it without even thinking. No one he had ever met in his entire life – not Commons, not Tops, not even an outsider – had that name, so why else would he know it? And not even that. It was more that the name felt right in a way. Almost like, what other name would someone like him have besides Yusei?

He walked to the floor length windows in his penthouse bedroom, gazing out over the City. His hunger for power may have been sated, but there was no denying that it was lonely at the top. Not in mundane ways like a lust for companionship, but in a lust for a true challenge. Every opponent he'd faced since assuming the throne was a pathetic excuse for a duelist who could barely hold his interest for the length of a single ride.

But this man was different. He could feel it in his soul itself. This man was a true challenge, even a peer. Maybe even a superior. He clenched his fist as hard as he could, longing for that challenge once again, to at least be allowed to finish that dream just once.

Dream or not, he knew that man was out there. He didn't know how he knew it, but he knew it. Somewhere, there was this "Yusei" he seemed to know, and one day they would get to have their duel, he was sure of it. Something drew them together beyond either of their understanding.

And until that day, he would wait at the top.

Just finished rewatching 5D's, so there's your explanation for this.

Probably not a super original premise at this point, but I still wanted to get my take on things out there. I'm almost certain this exact story has been told at least once already, though, so not entirely convinced this story was needed in the end.

This takes place before Yuya showed up to muck about in the Synchro Dimension, obviously, so Jack is still King right now. The 5D's segment, though, takes place after the end of the show and probably past the point of the flashforward in the last episode. Jack's probably come home to Neo Domino for another shot at Yusei here. Honestly, though, it could be any point in time given the nature of the two of them.

I didn't intend to write this as any shippy, but if you want to take it like that, I certainly won't stop you. The love of Yusei's life died in a tragic black hole accident and he couldn't accept Aki's feelings because of their mutual need to separate, and ARC-V Jack doesn't have anyone to get with since this Crow has Shinji and Carly doesn't seem to exist.

Just like I said on my Valentine's Day story, maybe I'll use this as an excuse to flesh out my version of what a post-ARC-V world might be, but we'll see.

That's about all I have to say. Thanks for reading. Always remember to Google people who you see in your dreams to check if they're real or not.