LoneStar: "It's like this. Ideas flow like rivers, right? There's no telling in which direction the river will flow, so you just go with the flow, correct?"

Talis: "That's usually how it works, I think."

LoneStar: "Glad you agree, Talis. It makes me feel so much better about this now."

Talis: "About what, LoneStar?"

LoneStar: "About putting your story on hold to write this one, of course!"

Talis: "Wait, what?"

LoneStar: "While Talis takes a minute to figure out what just happened, I'll remind you that I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's or any of the characters or cards created by Kazuki Takahashi-san or Konami. I especially don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's - Episode 144. A couple of the characters may be a little OOC, but that's all in good fun. Hopefully I don't stray too much. Enjoy the story, guys. I hope you like it."

LoneStar: "Oh, before I forget, any monster cards mentioned will be written in this format: Card Name (ATK/DEF), but only the first time it is mentioned. Other times, they will just be written like this: Card Name. Enjoy the story!"

~~~~~T~L~~~~~

True Limits

Chapter I: Battles of the Past

"You may have surpassed your own limits, but you've only barely begun to scratch the surface of the current situation." Bruno, or rather, Antinomy smirks as Yusei just destroyed his Tech Genus Metal Skeleton (1100/?) with Shooting Star Dragon (3300/2500).

"Because, regrettably, the limitations you believed yourself to have surpassed were not you true limitations!"

Yusei is confused. "What do you mean by that?"

Antinomy's face turns serious as he explains: "Accel Synchro is meant as nothing more than an exhibit! A mere display of what lies beyond it!"

"What?"

Antinomy points out towards Yusei as he exclaims: "Allow me to show you! This is what lies far ahead and beyond that surreal world of yours!" With this, he accelerates far beyond Yusei's D-Wheel's capabilities. "My turn!"

Antinomy: 1800 LP, 4 SC

Yusei: 1600 LP, 4 SC

Antinomy holds up a monster and declares its effect. "This monster allows me to reduce the ATK power of one Machine-Type monster on my field by 1000 points in order to Special Summon it from my hand. I Special Summon Tech Genus Gear Zombie (600/0)!" In the space above Antinomy, a zombie with gears sticking out of its shoulders, arms, and legs appears.

Yusei looks on surprised as Antinomy's Tech Genus Blade Gunner (3300/2200) then loses 1000 ATK (3300 → 2300/2200).

"Next, I Summon Tech Genus Drill Fish (100/?)!" A red and blue swordfish with a drill for a mouth as opposed to a sword-shape appears next to his other two monsters.

"I'm Tuning my Level 1 Drill Fish with my Level 1 Gear Zombie!"

As Antinomy performs his Summon chant, Gear Zombie turns into a star and makes a ring around Drill Fish. The combination then makes a column of light. "Limiter removal, Level 2. Regulator, open. Navigation, all clear! Go! Synchro Summon!"

Out of the column of light comes a mechanized dragonfly with four wings like a fan surrounding its head. "Come on! Tech Genus Recipro Dragonfly (300/300)!"

"Recipro Dragonfly's Monster Effect lets me return one Synchro Monster to the Extra Deck and then revive the Monsters used as Synchro Material." As he says this, Blade Gunner dematerializes.

"Revive! Wonder Magician (1900/0)! Hyper Librarian (2400/1800)!" A female brown-robed mage with blue wings and a white-robed man with shades and a book appear in the place of Blade Gunner.

Yusei continues to be shocked by Antinomy's actions. "He actually returned an Accel Synchro Monster to his Extra Deck?"

Antinomy pumps his fist as he proclaims: "This is the answer to what lies beyond Accel Synchro!"

He continues to accelerate as Yusei queries. "What are you about to do?"

The slipstream begins to form around Delta Eagle as Antinomy speaks. "The state of supremacy beyond the limits of your own being...Top Clear Mind!" The slipstream then forms a column of green light, looking almost like circuits.

Yusei is taken aback, and doesn't hide that fact at all. "What?"

"Yusei, watch carefully! I'm Tuning my Level 2 Recipro Dragonfly and my Level 5 Hyper Librarian with my Level 5 Wonder Magician!" Wonder Magician's blue wings disappear as she dissolves into five stars which travel ahead of Antimony and form five giant rings around the track.

The chant begins as the energy continues to build up off of Delta Eagle. "Limiter removal, Level MAX! Regulator, open! All clear! Infinite power, piercing through time and space. Open to a world unknown! Go, Delta Accel!"

The energy that collected around Delta Eagle transfers itself to the star the track surrounded and causes the star to condense and then implode. Yusei is nearly blown off the track by the magnitude of the energy released.

"COME ON! Tech Genus Halberd Cannon (4000/4000)!" A black and orange robotic behemoth that looks like it came straight from a lovechild of a Transformer and a Gundam robot flies out above Antinomy and Delta Eagle, swinging its halberd before posing, its halberd at least one-and-a-half times its own length pointed out towards the sky.

"What is...?" Yusei looks around in the light left over from the star's implosion.

"Yusei, did you see that?" Antinomy looks back at Yusei while he speaks. "It's a Synchro Summon using three Synchro Monsters! This is a Synchro surpassing Accel Synchro!" He makes a fist as he speaks the last words. "It's called Delta Accel Synchro!"

"Delta Accel Synchro?"

~~~~~T~L~~~~~

Yusei wakes up, shocked by his dream, but not because of the dream itself. His eyes begin to water as he remembers the battle and the dear friend he lost after it ended. "Bruno..." Just as before, just as always, he cannot stop the tears from falling. "Why did so many have to be lost in order to save this world?"

He sits up and looks at his alarm clock. "Four-thirty a.m., that's later than usual. Guess I'll be behind today." Yusei gets out of bed and walks to his bathroom, grabbing his towel on the way.

Twenty minutes later, Yusei locks up his house and gets on his D-Wheel, affectionately dubbed Yusei Go, and rides off onto the empty streets of Neo Domino City, his turns and twists almost automatic as he rides through the city.

Once he reaches the highway, he decides to ride to the Duel Arena, for old times' sake. The confetti from the victory celebration still remains from the previous day, and Yusei smiles a little to himself as he remembers holding up the trophy alongside his friends Jack Atlas and Crow Hogan for the third time in three years.

"Reminiscing on yesterday's events, Yusei?" Another duelist rides up on a dark D-Wheel, the rider's head covered with a helmet colored green and black, hiding the person's face from view.

"You're up early." Yusei laughs a little to himself.

"I could say the same thing to you, but that would be pointless talk, now wouldn't it?"

"Not necessarily. Banter's good for your health, you know?"

"And you'd know all about that, wouldn't you, Yusei?"

"Indeed I do, but it takes two to banter, now, doesn't it? And how do you know my name?"

"You're right about that one. And everyone knows the King of Riding Duels. What say we take this banter on the road, huh?" The pair, by this time, has pulled up to the starting line of the arena.

"Really? A Riding Duel at five a.m.?"

"Is the King scared?"

"Of course not! Are you crazy? I'd never turn down a duel!"

"Alright then, let's do this!"

The Duel Track, surprisingly, activates, and the countdown from 10 begins.

"Let's go then, King Yusei! Riding Duel -"

"Acceleration!"

The timer completes its countdown to zero and the Duelists race down the track.

"I'll let you go first, stranger!"

"All right then. My turn! Draw!" The stranger draws a card and adds it to his hand. "I Summon Biofalcon (1700/1200) in Attack Mode!" A mechanical bird with a blaster fan attached toits back appears on the field. "I Set one card face-down. That's all for now."

"I'm up next, and I'm not gonna hold back! My turn!"

Yusei: 4000 LP, 1 SC

Stranger: 4000 LP, 1 SC

Yusei draws a card and adds it to his hand. "Sweet! I'm gonna send my Level Eater (600/0) to the Graveyard to Special Summon Quick Synchron (700/1300)!" For a split second, the image of a red spotless ladybug appears, quickly replaced by a mechanical gunman.

"Nice card! But he pales in comparison to my Biofalcon!"

"Not for long! I activate the Effect of the Level Eater in my Graveyard. By lowering my Quick Synchron's level from 5 to 4, I can Special Summon my Level Eater!" The spotless ladybug returns, flies through Quick Synchron, and lands, sporting a yellow star on its once-empty back.

"Now it's time to call out an old friend. I'm Tuning my Level 1 Level Eater with my Level 4 Quick Synchron!" Quick Synchron shoots the air in front of him before fading into four bright stars, which form rings around Level Eater.

"Clustering stars will call upon a new force! Become the path its light shines upon!" Level Eater becomes a single star which then shoots a column of light through the rings. "Synchro Summon! Show yourself, Junk Warrior (2300/1300)!" A blue armored man with silver knuckles and red eyes flies out of the column of light and punches the air in front of him.

"Nice job! Now come at me, Yusei!"

"You got it! Junk Warrior, attack his Biofalcon with Scrap Fist!" Junk Warrior flies at Biofalcon as his fist glows purple and slams through the mechanical bird. Sparks fly as the stranger's Life Points are reduced by 600.

Yusei: 4000 LP, 1 SC

Stranger: 3400 LP, 1 SC

"Impressive moves, Yusei, but that's not all I've got! My turn!"

Yusei: 4000 LP, 2 SC

Stranger: 3400 LP, 2 SC

"I activate the Speed Spell – Spirit Burner (A/N 1) and equip it to your Junk Warrior!" A glyph appears underneath Junk Warrior and he kneels and crosses his arms in front of his helmet.

"What'd you do?"

"Spirit Burner allows me to, once per turn, change one Monster into Defense Mode!"

"Didn't see that coming!"

"Of course, this comes at a price. I have to give up the two Speed Counters I have, but I can live with that. Take your turn, Yusei!"

"Alright, draw!"

Yusei: 4000 LP, 3 SC

Stranger: 3400 LP, 1 SC

"Since my Junk Warrior's outta commission for the time being, I'm gonna call out another good friend of mine: Speed Warrior (900/400)!" A man in a green track suit, skates, and goggles appears on the field. "His ability allows him to double his attack strength for this turn's Battle Phase! (900 → 1800/400) Let's go, Speed Warrior! Sonic Edge!"

"Uh ah ah, did you forget my facedown card, Yusei? Trap card activate, Dimensional Prison!" A vortex opens, protecting the Duelist from Speed Warrior's attack. "When a Monster declares an Attack, this little number removes that Monster from play!" Speed Warrior spins right into the vortex, which closes immediately.

"Ng...I'll end my turn."

"Thought you might say that. My turn!"

Yusei: 4000 LP, 4 SC

Stranger: 3400 LP, 2 SC

"I place one Monster face-down and Set a card. Then I'm calling it a turn."

"Let's go! My turn! Draw!"

Yusei: 4000 LP, 5 SC

Stranger: 3400 LP, 3 SC

"I'm gonna switch my Junk Warrior back to Attack Mode and then take out your face-down Monster! Go, Scrap Fist!" Junk Warrior punches down through the card, revealing a gold and silver flak cannon shaped like a pterodactyl.

"Snap! You just took out my Armored Cybern (0/2000)!"

"Gotta duel fearlessly! That's how you win battles! I Set a card, then end my turn."

"Then I'm up again! Draw!"

Yusei: 4000 LP, 6 SC

Stranger: 3400 LP, 4 SC

"Oh, here comes the fun! Looks like this Duel's just about over, Yusei!"

"You're crazy; it's only just begun!"

"So you think! Thanks to my empty field and your Monster, I get to Special Summon this bad boy, my Cyber Dragon (2100/1600), to the field in Attack Mode!" A metallic dragon with sharp fins and razor-like teeth slithers onto the field, ready to strike.

"A Cyber Dragon? I haven't seen one of those except in history books!"

"If you're surprised now, just wait. Next, I Summon the Monster known as The Light – Hex-Sealed Fusion (1000/1600)!" An oddly-shaped amalgam of things with light poking out through the cracks appears next to Cyber Dragon.

"And you've got a Hex-Sealed Fusion card? I've never even seen one of those in action!"

"Well then, I better show you up close and personal. I activate its Effect!" Cyber Dragon and The Light – Hex-Sealed Fusion disappear, leaving a small portal.

"What? Where'd they go?"

"You see, Hex-Sealed Fusion's Effect allows me to bypass the need of Fusion cards and get right to the high-powered action. By sacrificing it alongside the proper Material Monsters, I can Special Summon a Fusion Monster. So come on out, Cyber Twin Dragon (2800/2100)!" The Cyber Dragon returns through the field through the portal; he doesn't come alone, however. He brings along a second head, complete with 700 more attack points.

"This is history right here. Amazing!"

"Let me teach you a bit about the Cybers. This one here packs a punch. With Cyber Twin's effect, I can attack you twice this Battle Phase!"

"Wait, what?"

"Take one! Cyber Twin Dragon, blow away his Junk Warrior! But first, I'll flip a Trap Card! Rising Energy!" An orange aura surrounds Cyber Twin Dragon as its attack points increase. "Rising Energy provides any Monster I choose a 1500 attack point boost until the end of the turn! (2800 → 4300/2100)"

"No way! You gotta be kidding!"

"Nope, no joking here. Now go, Twin Dragon! Energy Pulse!" Cyber Twin Dragon's first head opens its maw and releases a blast of blue energy that tears through Junk Warrior.

Yusei: 2000 LP, 6 SC

Stranger: 3400 LP, 4 SC

"And now, Cyber Twin Dragon, attack Yusei directly with Evolution Twin Pulse!" Both of Cyber Twin Dragon's mouths open, releasing blue and white energy beams which converge on Yusei's form, causing him to groan as his Life Points decrease to 0.

Yusei: 0 LP, 6 SC

Stranger: 3400 LP, 4 SC

Yusei's D-Wheel's air brake activates, slowing him down involuntarily. Yusei thinks to himself: That guy is simply amazing!

The helmeted stranger rides up next to Yusei and gets off of his D-Wheel. "It was nice to make your acquaintance, Mr. Fudo, and even nicer to duel you. I can see why you're the King. You may have lost, but it was sheer luck that I drew the cards I did to win. You've got true skill, Signer."

"Thanks, stranger!" Yusei extends his hand and the two share a heartfelt handshake. "I never got your name; you're also an incredible Duelist."

"Just call me LoneStar, Yusei."

"Alright, LoneStar, we'll definitely have to duel again sometime."

"Of course! It's an honor to duel the King." LoneStar bows.

"Stop it with the title, man. I'm not one for all that stuff." Yusei chuckles.

"You got it, Yusei. I'll see you around, I've got some business to attend to, but we'll definitely meet again. Ciao, Yusei Fudo." LoneStar gets back on his D-Wheel, revs the engine, and rides off into the morning's rising sun.

"I'd better get back to my house. Someone may be waiting for me."

"Yusei Fudo!" A voice crackles on his D-Wheel's radio. "Where are you?"

"Oh boy. I'm gonna get it now..."

~~~~~T~L~~~~~

Featured Ace Cards of the Chapter:

Shooting Star Dragon

LV 10

3300/3000

1 Tuner Synchro Monster + "Stardust Dragon"
This card can be Synchro Summoned on your opponent's turn. Once per turn, you can reveal the top 5 cards of your Deck. Shuffle them back in, This card can attack monsters your opponent controls by a number of Tuner monsters that were revealed. Negate the activation of a Spell Card, Trap Card, or Effect Monster's effect that destroys a card(s), other than this card, and destroy that card. During your opponent's turn, you can remove from play this card to negate 1 attack from a monster your opponent controls. When this card is removed from play by this effect, it is returned to the field during the End Phase of the turn it activated this effect.

Tech Genus Halberd Cannon

LV 12

4000/4000

1 Tuner Synchro Monster + 2 or more non-Tuner Synchro Monsters

You can negate the Summon of a monster, and destroy it. This effect can only be used up to the number of Synchro Material Monsters used to Synchro Summon this card. When the effect of an opponent's monster activates that would remove itself from the field, you can negate that effect, and have that monster lose 800 ATK. When a Spell/Trap Card you control targets this card, you can halve this card's original ATK and DEF. When this card is destroyed, you can draw 1 card. When this card is removed from the field, you can Special Summon 1 "Tech Genus Blade Blaster" from your Extra Deck.

Junk Warrior

LV 5

2300/1600

"Junk Synchron" + 1 or more non-Tuner monsters
This card gains ATK equal to the total ATK of all Level 2 and lower monsters you control.

Cyber Twin Dragon

LV 8

2800/2100

"Cyber Dragon" + "Cyber Dragon"
This card can attack twice in the same Battle Phase.

~~~~~T~L~~~~~

A/N 1:I took the liberty of making Spirit Burner a Speed Spell so as to avoid the 2K LP penalty. I hope that's OK with you guys. :D

~~~~~T~L~~~~~

LoneStar: "Another chapter complete. What a duel! I had fun writing that one. Thanks to everyone who's already added this story to their alerts without there being much of anything yet. I love that you guys have faith in me; I hope this story will live up to your expectations. Salus in Lux Lucis!"