We have our second review shout-out for the new version of CSP! The lucky winner is ultima-owner! Congratulations! Next shout-out will be by the 500th review and that will be extra special! Not will the winner get a shout-out, but they will also get a one-shot written by yours truly! They can decide what the one-shot will be about, as long as it's within the Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's franchise! OCs are also welcomed to be added, and the theme can be anything, but the rating must stay within K to T.
Disclaimer: I do not own any Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's characters! I only own my OCs!
Chapter 7: The Fortune Cup
After the event with Akiza AKA Black Rose Witch in the Daimon Area, Yusei drove Leo and Dexter home before returning to Blister's garage. Blister himself packed his stuff and left us before the moon conquered the sky, promising us he would contact us as soon as he would reach Yusei's hideout.
Yusei slept in the garage, just like last night. I got to sleep in Blister's bed while Tanner and Yanagi shared the couch in the apartment. I first offered Yanagi to sleep in the bed, since he was the elderly, but he insisted that I should get proper rest for the Fortune Cup.
I couldn't fall asleep at first because of the many thoughts and questions in my head. To tell the truth, I was worried about the Fortune Cup. Who was I going to replace and who would I end up Dueling? Which chains of events would change its course due to my interference? I tried to shut my brain down and not dwell on it, and think of something pleasant instead. Soon, my eyes closed and I was lost in the world of dreams once again.
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I woke up to the smell of bacon and eggs coming from the main apartment, causing my stomach to rumble in hunger. I got out of the bed and entered the apartment, seeing Tanner had cooked up a small feast.
"Mornin', Estelle!" Tanner greeted as he placed two plates with eggs, bacon, and toast on the desk in the middle of the room.
"Good morning…", I yawned while I covered my mouth.
"I'm glad you woke up!" Yanagi grinned as he sat by the desk and ate his share of the breakfast. "I was just about to check you."
"I'm fine, but thank you, Yanagi", I nodded as I rubbed my eyes underneath my glasses. "I'll just wash my face before eating."
"Sure, but you better hurry or the food'll get cold", Tanner said as he went to the door leading out of the apartment. "I'll go get Yusei so he can eat as well."
I went to the bathroom and did my business before returning to the main room and sat down to eat my breakfast. Seconds later, Tanner returned with Yusei who once again didn't have the jacket on. I assumed he woke up early in the morning to check his Duel Runner again.
"Good morning", I greeted Yusei, secretly eyeing his arms, before returning my glance on my plate of breakfast.
"Morning", he nodded as he sat down next to me.
"Did you sleep well?" I asked.
Yusei nodded, "Thanks, I did." He glanced softly from the corner of his eye. "You?"
"Pretty much okay", I confessed. "I had a hard time falling asleep first."
"Well, at least you got few hours of rest, Estelle", Tanner commented from the other side of the desk. "You're gonna need a clear head for this huge tournament."
"That kinda scares me, since I've never Dueled in such a tournament before", I told him.
"We're both in the same boat", Yusei commented before eating a piece of bacon.
"Still, I don't like the feelin' I have 'bout Goodwin", Tanner said while crossing his arms. "He's got some kind of weird obsession with you, Yusei. You need to be careful how you play your cards, and I don't just mean your Deck."
"That was a nice pun, Tanner!" Yanagi laughed heartedly. "I can't wait to see more of your cards, youngsters! Make sure you give everyone a great show!"
"I'll try my best to fulfill that wish, Yanagi", I smiled softly. "After all, I haven't revealed my Ace Synchro yet."
Yusei stopped his actions before turning to me with slightly widen eyes. "You mean, none of the Synchros you've summoned so far is your Ace Monster?"
"That's correct", I nodded. "Let's say my Ace Synchro is…a bit complicated to summon."
"Well, look at that! A star can keep her secret safe and sound!" Tanner laughed. "Now I'm curious 'bout your trump card!"
"Me too!" Yanagi exclaimed in joy. "Maybe it's one of the dragons of the Signers!"
"What do you mean, Yanagi?" Yusei questioned. "Is it because Estelle had a glowing Mark too?"
"Why yes, of course I mean that!" Yanagi nodded. "Estelle must be part of the Signers, just like you and Jack Atlas!"
"But why did Estelle's Mark look like a star?" Tanner asked after he sipped some hot coffee from a mug.
"I don't remember the details yet, but maybe Estelle's Ace Synchro will trigger the gears in my head! After all, I'm gettin' old", Yanagi laughed sheepishly.
"You're not that old, Yanagi", I chuckled. "Your body might be, but not your spirit. You're still very lively."
Yanagi laughed heartedly. "Thank you, lass!"
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Yusei and I drove to the Kaiba Dome with the young man's Duel Runner shortly after we finished our breakfast. Tanner and Yanagi took a cab, so we waited for them once we registered ourselves for the Fortune Cup by showing the receptionist our invitation letters. Just as the Facility Duo, as I called Tanner and Yanagi, reached the dome, we met up with Leo, Luna, and Dexter backstage. Leo introduced us to Luna who was dressed in a disguise consisting of a yellow newsboy cap and an orange jacket that looked thick, but was very light and easy to wear in summer, that hid her outfit.
Leo had brought a bag with him, which contained some of Luna's clothes, so he rushed to a private bathroom to change his clothes. It took him five minutes to come back to us, dressed as Luna. He had his hair tied into two pigtails, and he even went so far that he put on makeup, which made him look more like a clown than a girl.
"Well? What do you think? How do I look, guys?" Leo asked curiously.
"Leo, you're just as good as Luna as Luna is", Yanagi replied with a grin.
"Yahoo!" Leo cheered happily while bouncing up and down.
Luna rolled her eyes before she kicked her brother on his foot to snap him out of his moment. "Don't embarrass me!"
"C'mon, Luna. Just chill out. I'm about to make you a Dueling legend", Leo patted his sister's shoulder before turning to me and Yusei and spoke next with a girly voice. "What do you say, Mr. Amnesia Man, Estelle? Ready?"
The twins and Dexter learned my name when I introduced myself to them when we met up in the dome.
"Yup, but I think the makeup should go", Yusei answered.
"Okay, but only if you tell me your name", Leo said.
"You'll find out soon enough."
"Awesome! I bet it's really cool", Leo grinned, but that grin got replaced by a yelp when I suddenly crouched down and tried removing his makeup with a clean tissue. "Hey!"
"Sorry, Leo, but you better remove the makeup", I said. "You look more like a clown than a girl."
Leo groaned before he took the handkerchief to wipe the remaining makeup. "Yeah, thanks, Estelle."
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Yusei, Leo, and I shared a locker in the lounge where we put our bags and Duel Disks before we were guided to a platform that would elevate us to the surface of the Duel field for the opening ceremony. I could hear how the MC spoke to the audience and how the audience cheered loudly in excitement for the Fortune Cup. I would be lying if I said I wasn't nervous. I was very nervous. Thousands of people were going to watch me. I hoped I wouldn't do something embarrassing and become the laughing stock. I've been humiliated so many times in my childhood by bullies who teased me for even the smallest things I did. I knew I should let go of my past and move on, but the fear was still inside me.
An alarm set off, warning us contestants that the platform was about to elevate. I bent my knees a bit when the platform started rising up to the surface. I stood between Yusei and Leo as we slowly made it out to the sunlight.
"Here we go. This is it…", Leo commented before he looked around, seeing the thousands of people in the dome. "Wow! Look at all the people!"
The audience cheered for us eight contestants. I tried to look carefully to my left to check the other contestants. Shira stood next to Leo, and then came Greiger, but due to his giant form, I couldn't see the other contestants.
"Now, let's hear it for the always mysterious Shira, the great Greiger, the Professor, Izayoi Aki, Sir Randsborg, the lovely Ms. Luna Collins, Ms. Estelle Malmström, and Fudo Yusei", the MC introduced us.
So Commander Koda was missing… Meaning I had taken his place in the tournament. Did it mean I would Duel Aki if I made it through the first round? However, I was glad now to confirm what her actual name was here in this dimension.
"So your name's Yusei?" Leo asked Yusei.
"Yeah."
It didn't take long before the audience started booing and threw profanities at Yusei for having a criminal mark, chanting "Lose the loser!". Yusei ignored them completely, but I didn't like it how the people were being so evil and prejudice. The MC noticed the change in the atmosphere and didn't know what to do or say to break the negative spell, but Greiger beat him to it as he stepped forward and grabbed the microphone out of his hand.
"I have to say something", Greiger announced, causing the audience to grow quiet. "My name is Greiger. I know things are different in this city, but where I come from, you judge a guy on his spirit." He turned around to point at Yusei. "This kid right here might have been branded by your people as a no-good, but when I look at him all I see is a Duelist." He turned back to the audience. "And being a Duelist myself, that means I have to respect him until he gives me a reason not to. Because a Duelist doesn't judge another Duelist based on where he comes from, or who his family is, or how much money he has. That isn't what really matters."
Director Goodwin stood up from his seat and started clapping his hands. That caused a chain reaction and the whole dome was now applauding for Greiger's speech. The big guy bowed to Goodwin before returning the microphone to the MC and walked back to us, giving Yusei a small nod. Yusei returned it while he kept his poker face. Leo looked touched by Greiger's speech, and I was relieved that Greiger seemed to be the same as in the anime.
"Thank you for those well-chosen and heartfelt words", Goodwin told Greiger before turning his attention on the audience. "In our world, social status and personal wealth draw a line between ourselves and our fellow men. But I had a vision of a Duel tournament that would, if only for a fretfully while, remove that line. A tournament separate for the competition of life where the haves and the haves not could meet each other on a level playing field and prove themselves to each other and to the world. Fellow Duelists, welcome to the Fortune Cup!"
The audience cheered loudly as they were excited to see the upcoming Duels. I was glad the dark spell was broken and everyone could focus on the Duels instead.
"And now, let's turn to the bracket shuffler and find out who's Dueling who in the first match!" the MC announced.
I turned my eyes to the screen that showed the tournament schedule and how the pictures of us eight Duelists kept shuffling around until they settled down. The Duels turned out to be as in the anime, except I was going to Duel the Professor in the first round.
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Once the opening ceremony was over, we were led to the lounge by the staff to prepare ourselves and wait for our turn to Duel. The first Duel was going to be between Luna AKA Leo and Greiger. They had some time to prepare their Duel Disks and Decks before it was showtime. Yusei, Leo, and I sat together by a couch while Sir Randsborg and Shira sat on another couch. Greiger sat by a table while Aki sat alone on another table at the other side, her back turned to us all. The Professor was nowhere to be seen, which gave me a suspicious feeling. I had never liked him in the anime, especially what he did to Luna. Was he going to try hypnotizing and manipulating me as well?
"This Duel Disk you fixed up for me rocks!" Leo told Yusei after he inserted his Deck in his Duel Disk.
"Glad you like it", Yusei said with a small smile.
"I can't believe I'm actually about to do this. You don't have like any last minute pointers for me, do you?" the boy asked.
"Yep. Remember to adapt to your opponent", Yusei said.
"And remember you're never alone out there at the stage", I added. "Believe in your Deck and your cards will respond when you're in a crucial situation."
"I can do that", Leo nodded with determined eyes.
"Ms. Luna? Mr. Greiger?" a male staff member spoke up from the doorway while holding a clipboard. "It's time for your Duel."
"Thank you!" Leo called in a girly voice before turning to me and Yusei. "It's time! Wish me luck!"
With that said, Leo ran out of the lounge while Greiger walked over to the lockers to pick up his Duel Disk. Once he had the device on his left arm, he turned around and walked out of the lounge, looking big and strong. I wasn't the type who was attracted to big guys with big muscles, no. My type was… I think you knew that already.
I turned to Yusei, seeing he had his poker face. "How do you think Leo will do out there?"
"I don't know what kind of Duelist Greiger is, but something tells me he's packed with power", Yusei replied as he turned to me. "If Leo's playing with his own combos and doesn't adapt to his opponent, he will certainly lose."
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The Duel between Leo and Greiger went as predicted. Leo lost in the same way as in the anime, meaning Greiger was going to the semi-finals. The small boy entered the lounge with a lowered head and grabbed his bag with change of clothes before running out with an upset aura.
Yusei and I exchanged glances and without saying something, the two of us walked out to the corridor to meet up with Leo as soon as he changed back to his clothes.
"Leo did well", Yusei suddenly said, getting my attention. "He learned how to adapt in the end."
"Greiger was a tough cookie for him", I added. "He had him trapped in a corner with his Reactor Monsters."
Yusei nodded before narrowing his eyes. "Still, it felt like Greiger was trying to get Leo emotional on purpose. I wonder why…"
I nodded softly, knowing what he meant. Greiger was one of the four Fortune Cup assassins paid by Goodwin to find the Signers by agitating them in the Duels. He failed to do so with Leo, since Luna had been in the stands and she was the real Signer.
I looked up when I heard the voices of Leo, Luna, and Dexter as they walked down the corridor. Leo had changed back to his iconic outfit and had tied his hair into a ponytail. Luna had removed her disguise now that the Duel was over.
"Hey, try and cheer up, Leo", Luna told her twin brother who was still sulking. "It's not like everyone saw you lose."
"Yeah, she's right", Dexter nodded before grinning teasingly. "15,000,000 Tops."
"Thanks", Leo replied sarcastically with a pout.
"It's not a loss if you'd learned something", Yusei spoke up. "Now you know more than you did before, right, Leo?"
The three children noticed me and Yusei and stopped in their tracks.
"Yeah, more about losing", Leo snorted while shrugging his shoulders. "I just can't wait to use that in my next match."
"No, Leo, he didn't mean it like that", I shook my head as I stepped over to the children and got down on one knee in front of Leo. "He meant that while you lost, you gained experience for your future Duels by learning how to adapt to your opponent. It's not always a bad thing to lose a game or two."
"Really?" Leo asked confusedly.
"Really", I nodded with a small smile. "I know myself due to experience in my past-"
"Excuse me!" a new voice spoke up in a rude tone.
I looked over my shoulder and saw Aki walking down the corridor with a nonchalant but cold expression. She walked past Yusei while giving him a small glare, which he didn't react on. I quickly got up on my feet and moved aside with the children as Aki showed no indication to walk around us. She walked straight forward as if she owned the Kaiba Dome.
"So what's her problem?" Leo mumbled irritably.
I couldn't help but feel empathy for Aki. I knew very well what she had gone through and how unstable her emotions were deep inside her heart. I was once in the same place as her emotionally. I didn't go through the same situation as she did with her family, but I was familiar with the feelings.
"Aki!" I called, surprising the children who looked at me in disbelief.
Aki stopped in her tracks and looked over her shoulder, her eyes glaring for a second before they shifted into confusion. She didn't say a single word.
I smiled gently. "Good luck out there. Show that knight who the queen is."
Aki looked surprised by my encouragement for a moment before her eyes shifted back to a glare and walked away without a single word.
"That was so rude!" Leo growled. "She could've said something back to you!"
"It's okay, Leo", I told him. "She might have given me the silent treatment, but I'm sure my words got embedded in her heart."
"Still, she didn't deserve that", Leo shrugged.
"Even the worst and lowest human being deserves an inch of kindness", I shook my head.
"You're strange, Estelle", Luna commented before a smile grew on her lips. "But in a good way."
I returned the smile to Luna before looking at the empty corridor. I knew I shouldn't interfere so much in the storyline, since it was Yusei's duty to free Aki from her darkness and from Sayer's claws before he could abuse her and her psychic powers, but I wanted to help out somehow, even if it meant I could only say a few words to her as encouragement or make her try to think for herself.
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Both Yusei and I had felt Aki's painful emotions in our right arms during almost the entire Duel. When she Synchro summoned Black Rose Dragon, the pain got worse, but it quickly calmed down when her heart and emotions settled down at the end of the Duel. However, the panic in the audience only rose when they realized Aki was the mysterious Black Rose Witch and threw profanities at her for being a cursed person. That upset me a lot, but I had swallowed back my anger. People could be so prejudice and criticize a person so quickly without trying to know them first. It was the same with people with neurological disorders, like autism, Asperger syndrome, ADHD, and more. There was more to us than what could been seen on the outside.
As soon as the Duel was over, I headed over to the locker to pick up my Duel Disk and Deck. I checked my Deck and changed a few Spell and Trap cards with the Side Deck before inserting it into the Duel Disk. I even removed Star Eater from the Extra Deck, sensing it wasn't the best time to try using him in the first round of the Fortune Cup.
I let out a soft sigh as I shut the locker gently and walked back to the couch where Yusei sat. Greiger had sat down with us during Aki and Sir Randsborg's Duel to have a small conversation. He sometimes asked us if we had a mystical bond with Aki when we said she would win. It felt like he was trying to search out clues of me and Yusei being Signers and report it to Goodwin.
I stood behind the couch while the big television screen in the lounge room showed how paramedics ran out to the Duel field to take care of Sir Randsborg. Aki left the Duel field with a poker face, ignoring the booing and profanities from the audience.
"This could be the last time we'll ever see Sir Randsborg in the Duels", Greiger commented as the paramedics left with Sir Randsborg on a stretcher. "He's lucky to be alive."
My eyes widened slightly at those words. Did this mean Aki had actually killed people before with her psychic powers? I couldn't see her as a murderer. She was just an unstable girl who needed help from the right people.
I felt a cold run down my spine, sensing someone was looking at me. I turned around and saw the lounge room was mostly empty. Shira had left some time ago during the second Duel. Two members of the staff were standing in a corner talking to each other. The Professor had never come to the lounge for even a minute. Was he planning something behind my back?
"You okay, Estelle?" Yusei spoke up, probably sensing I was nervous.
I turned back and saw both he and Greiger were looking at me with concerned eyes. "I'm fine", I smiled softly. "Just getting a bit nervous."
"Don't worry so much", Greiger said. "Duelists usually forget there's an audience when they start Dueling. Try to just concentrate on your opponent."
"I'll try. Thank you for your advice, Greiger", I nodded.