Disclaimer: I do not own any Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's characters! I only own my OCs!

Chapter 36: The Truth about Mr. Bashford

I forgot to mention something about the area where Martha's house was. They had built a retirement home for elderly people fifty meters from Martha's. When I wasn't busy with babysitting or running errands for Martha, I also part-time worked in the retirement home to get some pocket-money. I was more like Dr. Schmidt's assistant when he worked there.

Today I was taking care of some of Crow's young "siblings" who had been living with him before the Satellite got connected with New Domino City. They were visiting Martha as their foster parents were at their jobs. The children looked fresh with their clean clothes and good hygiene.

We got a call earlier from the Satellite Trio (Yusei, Jack and Crow) that they would show up and pay Martha a visit. The children got excited when they heard Crow was coming that they kept waiting outside as Martha, Dr. Schmidt, Blister and I talked about an urgent matter, concerning an old man named Mr. Bashford. You could imagine how surprised I was when I heard Mr. Bashford's first name was Opa. He didn't have an English first name. He only had in the Japanese and German versions of the anime.

But since I grew kinda bored of the talking, I decided to head to the kitchen and bake chocolate cookies for the children. Decoy Dragon couldn't help but show up and take a bit of the dough for the cookies once in a while when I wasn't looking.

I made three batches of cookies and kept them cooling before I placed some of them on a plate and brought it out to the dining room where everyone had now gathered, and by everyone I included Yusei, Jack and Crow. They must have showed up only minutes ago, since Crow was getting the address of Mr. Bashford's home from Dr. Schmidt.

Yusei was the first of the three to notice me. "Oh, hey, Estelle."

I smiled lightly in return. "Hello."

"Hey, did you make cookies?" one of the small boys wondered.

"Can I have one, please?" one of the little girls asked.

The children suddenly gathered around me while they kept asking for a cookie or two. I chuckled at their reactions and held down the plate to their reach. "Sure, have some cookies, but don't forget to brush your teeth twice before bedtime."

"Okay!" the children sang as they almost took every cookie from the plate.

"Well, someone's certainly popular", Crow commented. "But…" He walked up to me with a pair of puppy eyes. "Can I have a cookie, please~?"

We all laughed at Crow's childish acting. Sometimes he was just too much, but he was still being cute for that.

"Sure, since you're behaving really good, like a puppy", I retorted playfully.

"Hey! I'm not a puppy! I'm a bird!" Crow turned back to his old self again.

"Hard to believe that", Jack commented in the background.

Crow picked a cookie and threw it into his mouth, chewing it before swallowing. His eyes widened and it spread to his mouth that turned into a smile. "Hey, it's really good! I expected the cookie to be hard, but this is really soft."

"It's a recipe I memorized from my dimension", I replied. "I got the recipe during middle school." I put the plate on the dining table as I looked at everyone. "You're heading to Mr. Bashford?"

"Yeah", Yusei nodded. "We'll try convincing him to come live with Martha. You want to come along?"

I nodded, "Of course. I know Mr. Bashford has a couple of traps and it would be safer if I forewarn you about them."

"No traps will stop me, that's for sure!" Crow said proudly.

"We'll see about that, Crow", Dr. Schmidt warned. "Last time I was there, I almost got hit by a trash can lid."

XXXXXXXXXX

Blister decided to come along so I sat in the side-cart he had installed on his Duel Runner. That way I wouldn't have to sit behind one of the boys and be clamped between the driver and the Runner.

The ride was 15 minutes long, but when we got to the place… I was literally stunned. I knew I had seen the cartoon version of Mr. Bashford's place, but it was nothing comparing to what I saw. The piles of scrap, junk and garbage were too big and almost covered the whole house. The biggest problem was the piles were looking unstable.

"Somebody lives here?!" Crow couldn't believe his eyes. "It's a mountain of junk!"

"It's more like a mountain reigned of junk", Yusei commented.

"This must be the only place in Satellite that kept the old style", I added.

"Are you certain this is the right place?" Jack asked Blister.

"This is it", Blister replied.

"Alright, guys, I'm on it!" Crow told us.

But just as he was about to take a step forward, a loud voice echoed around us.

"That's close enough, punk!"

Both Crow and I covered our ears due to the voice coming from a megaphone, but we recovered fast.

Blister pointed up at the house where an old man with a Hawaiian-like coat stood with a megaphone in his hand by the open windows. "And that is Opa Bashford."

"What's up, you old-timer?! You wanna ditch this trash heap and come live in Martha's place?" Crow shouted back.

"Good, Crow. Nice and direct", Yusei said sarcastically.

Was it just me or had Yusei been slowly opening up? I didn't remember him being able to comment like that.

"This trash heap is my home!" Mr. Bashford retorted.

"But you're all alone! What if you fall down and can't get up?!" Crow tried to reason with the old man.

"The only way I'm leaving is you dragging me out!" Mr. Bashford retorted.

"Well, you heard him", Crow smirked. "Guess I got to infiltrate the fortress." With that said he rushed into the "garden".

"Crow, wait!" I called while trying to warn him. "Don't forget the traps!"

"He's gonna regret that", Blister sighed.

"You're coming with me, old man!" Crow shouted.

I looked up at the house to see Mr. Bashford pull one of those ropes, activating one of the traps. A doll that looked like the Trap card Scrap-Iron Scarecrow stood up in front of Crow, causing him to run into it. The force of the collision was so strong it made the carrot-head bounce back, flying into a pile of junk.

Crow crawled out from the pile while shaking in rage. "This means war, old-timer!"

"How many traps are there?" Yusei asked me.

"Three from what I know, and that was the first one", I replied.

Crow had just jumped over the first pitfall trap, but couldn't avoid the second pitfall so he ended up crashing down into it.

"The second", I commented.

"Knowing Crow, he can stand more than that", Jack said.

We watched as Crow climbed out from the pitfall and started walking over to the house, aware of the surrounding and looking for traps. He almost made it, but Mr. Bashford's third trap got activated before Crow could sing his victory song. The Blackwing Duelist got shot up into the sky and landed at the other side of the place.

The three men and I ran after him to see if he was okay. Mr. Bashford had disappeared too, probably to check where Crow had crash-landed.

"Crow!" Yusei called when we found the carrot-head standing on a homemade Duel Arena.

"You alright?" Jack asked.

"I'm good, but forget me. Look at this!" Crow exclaimed, gesturing at the Duel Arena. "It's a Duel Arena, like a real one!"

"Look at those supporting rocks! They're made of tire ribs", Jack said when he saw the shape of the Duel Arena.

"Yeah, I think this is a homemade job", Yusei nodded.

"Hey!" Mr. Bashford exclaimed behind us as he glared at Crow. "No one's allowed up there! Get down!"

"Easy there, grandpa", Crow told the man. "I'm only up here because you flung me up here with your little booby-trap."

"I don't care how you got up there! Just get down!" Mr. Bashford growled.

"I got a better idea", Crow announced. "Why don't you get up here and Duel me, century-man?"

"What did you say?" Mr. Bashford growled at the nickname.

"If I lose, I will quietly leave. But if I win, you have to come and check out what life is like at Martha's place!" Crow told the terms for Mr. Bashford who remained quiet. "Come on! You have this incredible Arena just standing here! You got to Duel me, grandpa! I've always wanted to throw down in a real Duel Arena like this one!"

The old man got surprised by Crow's enthusiasm for the Duel Arena. "You… Uh… You really like my Duel Arena, do you now?"

"Yeah! Of course I like it!" Crow nodded excitedly. "What's not to like?"

"Well then! Let's see how you like losing on it!" Mr. Bashford accepted the challenge.

"Are they serious about this?" Jack questioned.

"You and I Duel for silly reasons", Yusei told him.

"Plus we know Dueling can reveal the Duelist's feelings and true actions", I added. "There must be a reason why Mr. Bashford wants to stay here in his home and why he built this Duel Arena in the first place."

"What are you now? A psychic?" Blister asked me.

"A psychologist and a realist", I retorted.

XXXXXXXXXX

I was recording the Duel between Crow and Mr. Bashford with my smartphone to try gathering some "proof". If Mr. Bashford's sad family story was the same as in the anime, then I would try finding his son and convince him to come see his father for one time. I did capture those moments when Mr. Bashford had those illusions of his son standing on the Duel Arena and admiring it, and how the old man talked to himself.

The three men tried to ask me why I was recording the Duel, but I shushed them so I could get the audio of the Duel. When they realized I would just keep hushing them, they leaved me alone.

Jack kept muttering about when Kid Junk would make an appearance, which grabbed Blister's attention. When Crow finally made some damage to Mr. Bashford's Life Points, the rumble from the Duel Arena caused the mountain of junk around us to become more unstable.

Yusei and Jack finally explained for Blister about the Junk family of Mr. Bashford's Duel Monsters and the only card that was missing was Kid Junk. I knew what had happened to that Duel Monster, but I didn't say anything.

Yusei decided to go and check Mr. Bashford's house, since he got a hunch about the whole dilemma.

"What is his hunch?" Blister wondered.

"I hope he hurry and get out of the house because the pile of junk is starting to become unstable", I said worriedly.

Just then, Mr. Bashford had made his big assault at Crow and caused the pile of junk to rumble due to the action from the Duel Arena.

"Whoa, what is that?!" Jack wondered.

"Feels like the commotion from the Duel is gonna bring the mountain of junk crashing down on us!" Blister said. "Crow, stop the Duel! We gotta get out of here!"

Crow nodded before turning to Mr. Bashford. "You heard him, gramps! Let's go!"

Mr. Bashford refused to listen so Crow ended the Duel with his Black Thunder Trap card, dealing 400 points of damage equal to every card the old man had on his field. So it became a huge knockout.

I stopped the recording and was about to put the smartphone in the pocket of my jacket when Jack grabbed my arm and pulled us away from the avalanche of junk with Blister following us. We heard Crow and Mr. Bashford's screams, but we had to get to safety first or else we wouldn't be able to help them if we ended up buried alive. Even the house got buried by the junk avalanche so I really hoped Yusei got out of there in time.

When the avalanche calmed down, we rushed back to the area where the Duel Arena had been and started looking for Crow and Mr. Bashford. Luckily, we found them unharmed inside an old refrigerator on the surface of the junk pile.

"Were you looking for us?" Crow smirked.

"Oh, good, you're safe!" Blister sighed in relief.

"Are you two hurt?" I asked while secretly picking up my smartphone again.

"Nope, we're fine", Crow replied as he helped Mr. Bashford out of the refrigerator.

Mr. Bashford walked shakenly over to his now broken Duel Arena, feeling devastated. "No… Adam's Duel Arena… This can't be…!" He was about to run to his buried house, but Crow held him back.

"Stay back", Crow told back the old man.

"Let go of me, squirt…", Mr. Bashford protested weakly. "I have to get into my house…!"

"I'm afraid there's not too much left of it", Yusei called as he rushed over to us.

"Yusei!" Blister exclaimed in relief. "What were you doing?"

Yusei walked over to Mr. Bashford. "I'm sorry. Your house was buried in the rubble, but I was able to get out there in time with this." He held up a photo frame to the old man. "I thought you might want it."

The old man took the photo frame that held a family photo of himself, his late wife and their son.

"Look at that… A nice family moment…", Crow mumbled in the background.

"Family? We figured you didn't have a family", Blister told Mr. Bashford.

"I don't… I… Well, I… I did…", Mr. Bashford confessed.

"You didn't summon Kid Junk", Yusei said. "I'm guessing that's because it's not part of your Deck, right?"

"That's right", Mr. Bashford nodded. "I used to have it, but… I gave it to my son. I was a sculpture artist, and I was so focused on my work that I neglected what was most important to me. When I realized how I had been acting, I built this Duel Arena to try to make amends, but… It was too late." He was close to tears. "I've woken up every day since, thinking maybe this will be the day my son comes back home for a Duel."

"So that's why you don't want to leave this place. You're waiting", Blister realized.

"Is that right?" Yusei asked the old man.

Just then, I saw a hidden pained face on the raven-haired man. I could imagine how it hurt for him when he listened to Mr. Bashford's sad family story, since he never got to know his biological father due to the Zero Reverse incident.

"Yes…", Mr. Bashford nodded. "I… I've spent an entire lifetime waiting…" He started sobbing as he let the tears fall down on the photo frame.

It was then I stopped recording in the background, since everyone was focused on Mr. Bashford. I suddenly felt angry at Mr. Bashford's son Adam who never tried to pick up the contact with his father again. Could it be that Adam's mother didn't allow him to call his father, or did Adam get so hurt by his father neglecting him?

"You know what…", Crow spoke up. "You've got yourself a new son right here!" He pointed at himself with a smile, causing Mr. Bashford to look at him confusedly. "In fact, you've got four! Four giant little boys!" He pulled me over to the group and locked me in a noggie. "And a daughter to boot!"

I laughed at Crow's actions. "Like you said, Crow."

"He's right", Yusei agreed. "I would love to hang out and learn a thing or two from you about junk Decks."

"Yes. I too would like to come around and Duel with you", Jack said bashfully.

Crow let go of me as I straightened up. "I would also like to Duel with you and sharpen my skills and spend time as father/daughter", I said with a small smile.

"And! If you live at Martha's, you'll be surrounded by more grandkids than you can shake a can!" Crow added.

"That sounds nice", Mr. Bashford smiled heartedly.

"Well then, what are we waiting for? Let's go and be united with your new family!" Crow cheered joyfully.

XXXXXXXXXX

Mr. Bashford moved in to Martha's place and helped out with the daycare. He said he had lots of energy left now when he got surrounded by children who wanted to spend time with him. In fact, he got inspired by Yusei's achievements and built a sculpture of Stardust Dragon outside of Martha's house with junk. It looked very impressive.

The Satellite Trio got invited for the vernissage in the early evening when Mr. Bashford got finished with it. Martha, Dr. Schmidt, Blister and I stood with the young men as the children in the daycare stared amazingly at the Stardust Dragon sculpture.

"It's like the real Stardust Dragon!" one of Crow's "siblings" commented.

"No, it's even better!" a girl added.

Mr. Bashford laughed bashfully as the rest of us smiled at the warm scene.

"It seems he's being happy here", Yusei stated. "You've done your good deed for the week, Crow."

"You think so?" Crow wondered.

"The Stardust Dragon sculpture is actually symbolizing the Satellite", I said, getting the group's attention. "The sculpture is made out of junk, which shows the old Satellite, but if you look with a deeper sight and can see the beauty of it, it shows how it went through the tough time and became something beautiful, like today's Satellite."

"My, you're right about that, Estelle", Martha smiled. "You surely can analyze the mystery of art."

I shrugged bashfully. "It's an ability my mother helped me to sharpen during the last few years."

"Hey, Crow, get over here! My shoulders are killing me! Come here and rub them for me, would ya?" Mr. Bashford asked as he climbed down the ladder next to the sculpture.

"Huh? Why do I have to?" Crow asked in surprise.

"Quit whining and help a tired old man, Crow! Don't you want to get the good deed for the week?" Mr. Bashford repeated the same words that Yusei had said.

"I did that!" Crow retorted.

Yusei nudged forward the carrot-head playfully. "Go on, Crow."

"You're his new 'son', remember?" Jack reminded him.

Crow frowned, but walked over to Mr. Bashford and started massaging him. However, they started arguing about how hard Crow should massage, which caused the rest of us laughing at their father/son moment.

I looked up at the orange sky, wondering how my parents were doing. Were they worried about me and wondered where I could be? It made me go into an inner conflict again. I wanted to stay in this dimension with my friends, but I didn't want to make my parents worried. I didn't want to be selfish, so I had to accept the fact I would get sent back to my dimension once my mission was done.

XXXXXXXXXX

The children that were sleeping over had gone to their beds and went to the dream world after I had been reading a bedtime story for them. I walked past Blister's room when I heard him talking to the Satellite Trio, which caused me to turn back and stand next to the door, listening at their conversation.

Blister told the three young men about that mysterious meteor that had crashed outside of New Domino City a couple of weeks ago. He mentioned that he had been looking around on the Sector Security network and was able to get little information, like the meteor was actually a stone tablet.

I heard enough and walked quietly to my room, shutting the door close gently behind me. The talk of the stone tablet made me remember the Three Pure Nobles. There had been no signs of them after the Ghost incident. I remembered clearly that the Ghost had mentioned his masters needed me for something so they were certainly after me. But why didn't they try coming after me?

I rubbed my forehead while feeling a small headache forming as I kept thinking about it. I decided to let it go and focus on the problems when they would truly appear.