Lise rolled over in her bed. She smacked her lips sleepily, rubbing away some drool. Her clock read just after six in the morning.

She got up to pee. Her eyes were barely open, and she yawned widely.

She closed her bedroom door behind her to go back to sleep, but paused. The bed was empty. None of the pillows or blankets on Yusei's side had been disturbed since Lise had gone to bed.

"Guess he slept on the couch again," Lise said to herself, throwing the covers back over herself.

Yusei had slept on the couch for the past three days. He had been working on a few duel runner repairs lately. There was a lot to do now that their engine plan was back in the right hands.

Still, Lise let her hand rest on the cold side of the bed for a moment. There was no warm cheek to meet her palm. She shivered and rolled over, not wanting to face the unusual emptiness beside her.

/

Surprisingly, Crow was up and about. Not on deliveries that morning, but in the graveyard.

The grave of his friend was like any other. Plain, with just a name. Flowers marked the grave as special, thanks to Crow.

"Robert Pearson," Crow sighed. "Man time flies. It's already been three years."

Crow remembered the day like yesterday. Flames everywhere, consuming all of Pearson's home and hard work. A fallen lantern must have started it. Pearson was pinned under collapsed beams. He was going nowhere. The last thing Pearson had done before he died was give Crow his duel disk, duel runner, and the kids he cared for. If it wasn't for his friends, and Pearson's friend Bolger, Crow knew he would have ended up in a much darker place.

He mounted his duel runner, looking out across the waters. Sunlight sparkled on the calm waves, and birds flew overhead. Crow would have preferred Pearson alive, of course, but a grave by the sea wasn't a bad last resting place.

Crow donned his helmet, and gunned the engine. Instead of switching on, as usual, the display fizzled. It couldn't seem to decide whether it wanted to be on or not, like a computer that couldn't settle on its own brightness setting. "That Bruno. He did something weird again," Crow rubbed his chin. "Geez, I can't tell if he's fixing it or making it worse."

He tried again, and the engine spurred into life. "Oh good," he sighed. "See ya, Pearson, I'll be back." Crow saluted and drove back into the city.

/

Bruno scowled at his computer as he typed away. "That's strange. Why won't the engage system work if I activate the decompresser?" He scratched his head and tried something else.

Everything seemed to be working just fine. Except whenever Bruno thought he'd fixed something, something else went wrong. He was getting tired of the droning error message that blared in his face. "What even is this error, anyway?"

More error messages popped up. This team even more insistent, and complete with flashing lights. A red dot kept blinking over the center of Crow's duel runner blueprints displayed on the computer.

"Haven't been able to fix it yet?" Yusei asked, yawning a little. He threw the blanket off the couch, and stood up.

"No, there's something weird about this circuit."

"Strange circuit?" Yusei rubbed one of his eyes, bending over to see the computer screen too.

Bruno pointed to his screen. "It looks like it has something to do with this part, but…"

"That is weird," Yusei said.

Crow walked in laden with groceries a moment later. He gasped and dropped them all, rushing to his runner's side. "Hey! Hey! Hey! What are you trying to do this time?!"

"Oh, Crow," Bruno said. "I was adjusting the program and found a strange circuit."

"Strange circuit?" He peered over Yusei and Bruno's shoulders to see the computer screen.

"No matter what I do, I can't access it any further."

Crow hung his head in defeat. His mechanically gifted friends never let a mystery go when they'd sunk their teeth into one. "Well, in any case, be careful and try not to break it. If I don't have Black Bird, I can't do my job."

"It's okay, Crow. We won't do too much," Yusei said.

"Shall we investigate it further?" Bruno couldn't help but smile.

Crow did not like that smile one bit. What had he gotten his beloved Black Bird into?

"Let's look at this part," Yusei suggested quietly.

"Excuse us," Trudge greeted. He and Mina had walked through the open garage doors.

"Sup," Crow responded. Nothing against the two of them personally, but Trudge and Mina never seemed to show up with good news.

"Got a minute, Crow?"

"Uh, sure," Crow followed the two officers outside. "So what's this about?"

"The truth is, it's about Robert Pearson," Trudge said.

"Pearson?!" Crow's mouth fell open. "How do you know him?!"

"I was stationed in Satellite a long time, ya know. I picked up a few things."

"But why now?"

"We have something we wanted to ask you regarding Pearson's death," Mina said.

"Okay…"

Mina continued. "Before the accident occurred, we realized that Pearson was dueling someone." She pulled a small packet used for evidence gathering out of her coat. "This is the card the opponent was using during that duel." She handed the bagged card to Crow.

"We're looking for the person who used this card," Trudge said. "Have you seen it before?"

"Blood Mephisto… Never seen it before," Crow said. He was telling the truth, but the card itself made his spine go cold. It looked like a wizard draped in black, or a vampire considering there was 'blood' in the monster's title.

Trudge sighed, putting his hands on his hips. "I see."

"It happened a long time ago, but at one time cards with new effects were undergoing research," Mina explained. "Among them were some dangerous cards that could inflict real damage to players."

"Real damage? Like in psychic duels?"

Mina nodded. "Of course, research was stopped immediately. However, during the process a few of the cards were lost. That's one of them."

"So that means Pearson was killed by this card's effect damage?" Crow had half a mind to tear the card to pieces on the spot. He was quite literally holding the very reason his friend had died.

"In any case, the cards are few in number. If we find the owner of this one, we can find Pearson's killer too. We thought you might know something," Trudge said.

"Blood Mephisto…" Crow murmured, glaring down at the card.

/

Jack smiled to himself. The crisp morning air was a perfect match for his favorite Blue Eyes Roast coffee at the nearby café. He brought the china teacup to his nose. "This aroma…always so great."

Crow pulled up beside Jack's table. Only he wasn't riding his own duel runner. "Jack!"

"Huh?" Jack paused in his enjoyment of his coffee.

"I'm borrowing this!" Crow shouted. He bolted out of Fountain Plaza before Jack could even stand up.

"Hey!" Jack glared daggers at Crow's vanishing back. "That guy, taking my Phoenix Whirlwind! What're you planning, Crow?"

"Um excuse me, Jack?" The café waitress said.

"What?" Jack faced her, too quickly, and spilled his coffee all over the cobblestones.

"Sorry…um, more coffee?"

/

Crow sped across the highway. He might not know anything about this card, but he knew someone who might. Bolger had been Pearson's closest friend, and he was just a short drive away.

He pulled up to and parked in front of a duel runner manufacturer. Holo screens and advertisements were everywhere. There were so many visuals and so much noise, all trying to get viewers and listeners to buy duel runners. Crow was only on the outside of the building, but already his head was spinning. Even so, he kept going. He had to get answers now that he was so close to them.

/

Bolger rode in his private car back to his company. Gone were his tattered jackets and jeans he wore in the Staellite. He wore proper business attire as a CEO should, and his glasses completed the look. The only evidence that Bolger wasn't your average CEO was the fiery colored, small, fauxhawk he sported.

He clenched his briefcase of rare cards in his hands. His usual business partner was getting gutsy. First editions of older cards no longer satisfied him. Now, of course, he wanted the legendary Black Feather Dragon.

A card Bolger didn't have.

His car was pulling up to the front gates of the company just as his security team was throwing Crow out.

"Let go! Let me go, I said!"

Crow grunted as he was thrown unceremoniously on his rear. "What the hell?! I have business with Bolger!"

"If you want to meet the president, then set up an appointment," the security guard said.

"No," Bolger walked into their conflict. "It's okay. I don't mind if it's him. He's one of my close friends."

Crow's face lit up. "Bolger!"

He smiled down at the teenager. "It's been a while, Crow."

/

"Sorry about the guards," Bolger said. He'd lead Crow up to his private rooms. It was the only place he could pour himself a drink. He needed it after such a disastrous deal earlier. "I didn't expect to see you today. Want something to drink?"

Crow smiled. "No, I'm fine." He returned his attention to Bolger's numerous photos of his many accomplishments. "I heard the rumors, but you've become quit an accomplished businessman. As expected of the world's best duel runner maker."

"Our new test course was finally completed too," Bolger smiled, chest puffing up with pride. "Our employees worked hard."

Bolger took a sip of his drink and sat down. "It sure has been a while."

"Yeah," Crow put the photo down he'd been looking at and leaned against Bolger's bar. "Three years."

"Three years? I see, almost to the day. To think…something so terrible would happen…" He trailed off as both of them remembered that horrible day.

"See, that's why I'm really here," Crow said. "We might be able to find Pearson's killer."

"What?" Bolger leaned back in his chair, his hand tightening its grip on his drink. "Pearson's killer?"

"Yeah. Before Pearson was killed, he was dueling somebody." Crow's gray eyes searched Bolger's. He had to have some answers. Crow would take anything at that point. "And they used this card." he pulled out the evidence bag, placing it on the bar between them. "I thought you might know something."

Bolger's eyes widened at the sight of the card. His lips practically disappeared into a thin, white line. Bolger got up from the bar, his back facing Crow.

"You do know something! Tell me; who killed Pearson! Bolger!" Crow shouted at his friend.

"Just forget about it, Crow," Bolger finally said.

"Huh?"

"What's the point of finding the criminal now?" Bolger made the effort to look Crow in the eyes. "Even if you did find the killer, would that really make Pearson happy?"

Crow didn't know what to say to that. It wasn't like he could ask Pearson. That was the whole reason he was there in the first place.

"More importantly," Bolger kept going, putting his hands on Crow's shoulders. "I'd love to have you test my new course."

"Are you…being serious? About all of this?" Crow pushed Bolger away. "I can't believe you would say that! That I should forget about Pearson! He was your friend! I get it," He turned away. "For the successful president, there's not time to think about the past, huh? I was so stupid for coming here. Sorry to bother you."

"Crow!"

His hand was on the door handle by the time Bolger finally spoke. Crow stopped.

"Fine," Bolger said, a hard edge to his voice. "If you're so insistent, I'll tell you. But only if you defeat me in a duel!"

"A duel?"

"That's right. I'll tell you if you can beat me." Bolger went to his window, staring out at the city. "However, if I win, I take your Black Feather Dragon."

"Black Feather Dragon?" Crow repeated. It sounded familiar, but the card had never been Crow's. "Oh, you mean the one Pearson used? I thought the fire…"

"Don't try to hide it," Bolger spat. His gold eyes had narrowed, the kindness from earlier gone. "I already know that Pearson entrusted Black Bird and Black Feather Dragon to you before he died."

"What are you talking about? I never had that card."

Bolger sighed through his teeth. "I'll be honest. I'm in trouble right now because I'm low on capital. At this rate, the whole company will go under. But if I have Black Feather Dragon, I can use that as collateral to gain an investor!"

"Collateral?"

"I know what you're going to say. You can't forgive me for using the card Pearson left behind like that, right?" Bolger stopped in front of his wall of pictures, slamming his fist into the wall. "But just let me say this… Pearson was also my close friend, and he was probably thinking the same thing."

"He was?" Crow glanced at the photos of smiling people with Bolger. Even if Bolger said that, it somehow didn't feel right.

"Think about it carefully; whether or not Pearson wanted something like that," he pointed at Crow. "If you still want to know, challenge me to a duel. The location will be my new test course."

/

Crow pulled up to Martha's house a short while later. Yusei, Jack, Lise, Akiza, and the twins were already there. Even Carly was there.

Kids were playing on Jack like he was a jungle gym. The self-proclaimed master of faster seemed to be having trouble keeping track of them all, and holding them up by just his arms. Carly sat nearby, using her deck to read some of the kids' fortunes. Their eyes grew wider and wider with each prediction. Yusei was quietly fiddling with a couple smaller duel disks, obviously kid sized, by himself. Leo and another boy were dueling on an old duel mat by the house's door. Luna sat nearby to give her brother pointers, and to color with a few other kids in coloring books. Lise was with a few other kids, and what looked like a family of birds. Crow remembered Lise's bird Stupid, the largest one that was nibbling affectionately on Lise's hair, but there were others too. Judging by the bright yellow and black plumage, the birds were Stupid and his family. The kids were taking good care of them.

Crow wanted to join in, with any one of them, but he was still lost in thought. Bolger's words and his challenge had really rattled him.

"Crow?" Akiza came up to him. Judging by the white flowers in her hair, she'd been in the gardens. "Everything okay?"

He hesitated for a half a second. But when he opened his mouth, the whole story came flooding out. Crow even showed Akiza Blood Mephisto.

"Oh no," Akiza's expression softened. She knew what a card that dealt real damage could do. "Then Pearson is really…?"

Crow nodded. "He's dead, but he entrusted me with Black Bird. It was before Kalin was arrested. I was lost and wandering around aimlessly. Then one day, I tried to defend a man being kicked around by some grimy Domino City businessmen.

I wasn't able to do anything. I couldn't even help one man. Then out of nowhere, these two guys on the most amazing duel runners I'd ever seen show up. It was Bolger and…Pearson."

Akiza smiled softly, her almond-shaped eyes warm. "What did he look like?" She asked gently.

Crow cracked a smile too. "Cool as hell. He wore green, his favorite color. He had red hair, but darker than mine. It didn't stick straight up like mine, but it was messy and, in his face, all the time. Big eyebrows, and brown eyes. He also had a crappy beard cuz he just never bothered to shave the patches."

"Sounds like a stand up guy."

"He was. He and Bolger parked between me and the city folk. Of course, they challenged him to a duel. He won with Black Feather Dragon. I never forgot that, or the looks on those idiots' faces. They ran for it, and that's how I met him.

Pearson took care of kids in Satellite, like I did, but he also worked to allow those kids to reach their full potential. I believed in him too, and I helped him with his research. Pearson gave me the hope I needed to keep on living.

His dream was to create an engine with parts from Satellite that would shock all the people in New Domino City. But that day, I found him half buried under his burning home.

After losing Pearson, I did my best to keep the kids happy by stealing cards. Bolger's done so much more though. He carried on Pearson's will by bringing the duel runner to Satellite. In the end, I'm not so sure I did anything to carry out Pearson's dream." Crow clenched his fists. It took everything he had to keep his tears in.

Akiza waited a minute before she spoke. "I might not know what you all went through growing up here, but from my perspective that isn't true at all."

"What?" Crow raised his head.

"I'd say you carried out Pearson's will just fine," Akiza said. "Look." She pointed at the kids Crow had been taking care of before they stayed at Martha's.

"Big brother Crow!"

"What're you doing?!"

"Yeah! Let's hurry up and play!"

"See their faces? Looks like those kids always had some hope things would get better, thanks to you," Akiza said.

Crow cracked a smile, rubbing his eyes a little.

"I'm sure Pearson loved duel runners, but he cared about these kids more. Just like you. You did the right thing, and you've never stopped."

He took Akiza's hand. She balked a little at the sudden touch, but let him squeeze just once. "Thanks, Akiza." He let her go as quickly as he had touched her.

"Anytime."

/

That night Crow worked tirelessly on his bike. He, and all his friends, knew he didn't have Black Feather Dragon. It didn't matter. He needed answers, which meant his bike had to be in tip top shape.

Crow had to wipe away a few tears when Bruno, Lise, and Jack got to work to help out. Yusei, wordlessly, joined in later.

/

Ashes.

Ashes coated Yusei's face, his body, and even his tongue. He gagged on the unpleasant taste, spitting it out of his mouth. He stood and looked around.

The city was gone. That was why he woke up in ashes. Skyscrapers had been leveled. The new bridges were rotting, falling away into nothing. Wind blew through the empty streets, rustling the ash.

"My…my friends," Yusei muttered to himself. He stumbled, corrected himself, and took off at a run.

Shattered glass and debris crunched under his feet. What little was left of the buildings hung open like festering wounds. Bodies lined the streets.

"No… No! NO!"

There in the square lay Leo. Luna was close by. Rally, Nervin, Blitz, and Tank, bloody and lifeless. Jack lay curled on his side, as if he were sleeping. Carly's glasses and camera were shattered, just like her broken body. Martha and all the orphanage kids were tossed about in puddles of horror, Crow beside them. Akiza and Lise's hands were nearly touching; they must have been holding hands when it happened.

Dead. All of them.

"No…" Yusei sank to his knees. "How did this happen? Who did this?" Tears streamed down his face. His friends were gone. Forever.

"Who did this?" The same ovular creature he, Sherry, Bruno and Lise had encountered hovered in front of Yusei. Its laugh came out tinny and mechanical. The mechanical monstrosity opened, revealing brown boots.

Yusei kept looking up the figure. A belt kept blue jeans in place. A blue coat over a red and black shirt. Brown gloves and orange accents. Black and gold hair. A mark. Dark blue eyes. Yusei was staring at his own face.

His double laughed again. An unusually cruel smile played across his lips. "Who did this, you asked? That's obvious. It was you."

/

Yusei woke with a start. Sweat beaded on his forehead, and his breathing was heavy. It took him a moment to realize he was crying.

He put his forearm over his eyes as he calmed down. He was on the couch in the garage. It was still dark out, but it was a long time before Yusei fell back to sleep.

/

Next morning, Crow showed up bright and early to Bolger's duel track.

Leo, Luna, Jack, Yusei, Akiza, and Lise watched from the observation deck.

Crow and Black Bird were ready at the starting line. Bolger was too in a flashy turbo dueling suit, and new runner.

"Are you really fine with this?" Bolger asked.

"Of course," Crow said. "I'll carry out Pearson's will in my own way."

"Fine, let's settle this, Crow."

Both duelists donned their helmets. Speed World 2 was set. The second the timer hit zero, both turbo duelists raced ahead.

Bolger pushed a button, and suddenly his duel runner blasted forward. In no time, he was far ahead of Crow.

"What's with that acceleration speed?" Jack gasped. Even from so far up he could see the duel runner's incredible speed and power.

Crow scowled deeply. "As expected of the top duel runners."

Crow gunned his engine, coming neck and neck with Bolger. It wasn't enough. Bolger's enhanced duel runner system allowed him to take the first corner with ease.

"Let's duel!"

Crow: 4000

Bolger: 4000

"I made it first, so I go first," Bolger said. "I summon White Warriors: Fog the Treasured Shield in defense mode!"

(White Warriors: Fog the Treasured Shield: Atk: 300 Def: 2000)

"I set two cards facedown and end my turn!"

Bolger's monster resembled an angelic guard. They had long red hair, white flowing robes, and a large shield. Both the monster and its shield had wings.

"Two thousand defense points?" Crow muttered to himself. "Then it's my turn! When only my opponent has monsters, I can normal summon this card without a tribute! I summon Blackwing Sirocco the Dawn!"

(Blackwing Sirocco the Dawn: Atk: 2000 Def: 900)

Like most of Crow's beasts, this monster resembled a giant bird man with blue feathers on its head, and black feathers on the rest of its body. The only human trait was the face peeking out from inside the bird's large beak.

"Next, this card can be special summoned when there's a Blackwing monster on my field. I summon Blackwing Bora the Spear! Through Sirocco the Dawn's effect, I can concentrate my Blackwing's powers into Bora the Spear!"

Sirocco flew above Bora, blasting him with blue light. The light increased Bora's attack points from 1700 to 3700!

"All right!" Jack grinned, raising a fist in support. "He surpassed that monster's two thousand defense points!"

"So naïve, Crow," Bolger said. "I activate my continuous trap White Out! White Out negates all of my opponent's monster effects!"

Crow gasped. His monster's power boost vanished!

"Individually, these monsters aren't very formidable, but companions call out to each other, and gather strength. That bond is the Blackwing deck's specialty! And if that's the case, I'll severe those bonds! Your Blackwings are isolated as long as I have White Out on the field. Blackwings can't rely on each other's strengths, or lend their strength to others!"

"Well, that's not good," Akiza remarked.

Crow grit his teeth. Walked right into that one. "I end my turn."

"It's my turn. I summon White Warriors: Hall the Iron Hammer."

(White Warriors: Hall the Iron Hammer: Atk: 1800 Def: 1600)

Like its predecessor, this monster sported white robes and wings. He did, like his name suggested, sport a hammer larger than himself.

"Next, my other continuous trap card Heaven's Arrow! In the End phase, both players take 400 points of damage for each of their monsters that were destroyed."

"Four hundred for every destroyed monster?!" Crow knew what that meant; trouble.

"Hall the Iron Hammer, attack Bora the Spear!"

Crow: 3900

Bolger: 4000

"And, when Hall the Iron Hammer destroys an opponent's monster in battle, it destroys another monster on the opponent's field!"

"No!" Crow watched, helplessly, as both his monsters imploded into yellow chips.

"And along with the end of my turn, you'll take the effect of Heaven's Arrow!"

As Crow looked on, two arrows descended from the sky. They pierced straight through him.

Crow: 3100

Bolger: 4000

"Crow!" Jack cried.

"Shit, I know how that feels," Lise winced as if she too had been struck by arrows again.

"He uses White Out to severe their bonds, and Heaven's Arrow for damage," Akiza speculated.

Luna gasped. "It's an anti-Blackwing deck!"

Bolger and Crow swept through the next curve of the track at top speed. Crow wasn't regretting the decision to duel, but he was thinking that he got more than he bargained for. In a bad way.

"Come on, Crow," Bolger smirked back at him. "It's your turn!"