I hope you'll like the third and last part of the Movie Arc. There will be a scene from "Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha The MOVIE 2nd A's" a bit later in the chapter that inspired me a lot. And there will be some intense action.

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

Chapter 61: Bonds Beyond Time – Part 2

I wasn't a fool. I knew he wasn't the Signer I was familiar with. I was far into the future for him to be alive anymore. This was the future Yusei; Z-one.

Z-one looked just like Yusei, except he was wearing the WRGP riding suit and he had his helmet on to not let people see that head device that made him think and behave just like the Signer.

I could still see his left eye. His glance was full of surprise as if he hadn't expected me to appear in this devastating era. But then again, I never thought Paradox was going to teleport me to the future.

Z-one snapped out of it and walked over to me. He looked at me up and down before he opened his mouth. "Are you okay?"

I could help but shiver a bit when he spoke. Even his voice was the same as Yusei's vocal pitch. My God, did he go that far to be a complete clone?

Z-one noticed my body shivering. "Are you cold?"

I snapped out of my trance and shook my head. "I'm fine. Just a little bit…shocked after seeing those Meklord Emperors."

Z-one glanced down on my activated Duel Disk, seeing the Trap card still inserted in the device. "Did you use psychic powers to destroy them?"

"Yes", I nodded as I deactivated the Duel Disk. "I'm a psychic Duelist. I was looking for survivors and shelter when the robots appeared out of nowhere."

Z-one pondered for a moment before he held out his hand. "I have a place where I'm residing with a friend of mine. There's still enough room for you, if you wish to come with me. I'm glad to see other survivors coming forward."

I looked at the offering hand for a second before looking at the man. His eye shone with the same gentleness as Yusei's, and not a single doubt. Perhaps I should go with him until I could figure out a way to get back to Yugi's era and join the three main protagonists.

"I accept the offer", I smiled before shaking hands with Z-one, deciding to act like I knew he was a legend. "Thank you… Yusei. That's your name, right? The legendary Duelist?"

Z-one nodded with a tiny smile. "Yes, I'm Fudo Yusei. Pleased to meet you…"

"Estelle. Estelle Goodwin."

For a brief moment, I felt Z-one's grip on my hand tighten a bit before letting go of me. "Estelle… It sounds familiar…"

"Hm?" I hummed softly, still keeping up with the act.

"No. It's nothing", Z-one shook his head. "We better leave now before more Meklords appear."

"Right", I nodded.

I followed Z-one to his modified Duel Runner that had a cannon attached. He got on the Runner first before I sat down behind him. I wrapped my arms around his waist before he drove off to a safe area.

XXXXXXXXXX

Z-one stopped in front of a ruined building, but the ground floor was still intact. However, the windows were covered by planks, as if no one was allowed to take a peek inside. I was about to ask him where we were when part of the wall slowly moved up to reveal a passage that led underground. I held onto Z-one as he slowly drove into the passage. I looked over my shoulder to see the wall come down and cover the secret opening.

The passage was dark and was only lighten up by Z-one's Duel Runner's highlights. The inside smelled fresh as if there were no signs of the devastation outside.

Z-one drove into a big garage that caught me off guard. Compared to the high-technology I was acquainted with in New Domino City, this was even more modern. There were cranes with robot arms for advanced constructions resting against the walls along with tools I recognized from Yusei's garage.

There was another familiar Duel Runner in the garage that a tall figure was working on. He looked up when Z-one braked his Runner. I recognized the other man; it was Antinomy, but he was obviously the real man, so I was going to call him Johnny. He looked exactly like his android self with the same suit and hairstyle. At the moment, he didn't have those red sunglasses on him, so I could see his indigo eyes.

"Welcome back, Yusei", Johnny greeted with his deep voice. "Did everything go well?"

"Yes", Z-one nodded. "I found a survivor who's a psychic Duelist."

"Really? It's been a long time since we've seen a psychic Duelist…", Johnny trailed off as Z-one and I got off the Runner, his eyes widening at the sight of me. "No way… You are-"

Z-one raised up a point finger to his lips to signal his friend to stay quiet. Johnny stopped himself from saying more. I was quite curious why they were so quiet around me. Did they know about me from the past? Was I somehow recognized? Maybe by the Fortune Cup, but there was no way I made an impact in the history books.

Johnny got over his slight shock and cleared his throat before walking over to me. "Hi. My name is Johnny Borrelli. Who are you?" he introduced himself before holding out his left hand for a handshake.

"I'm Estelle Goodwin", I introduced myself as I shook hands with him. "Are you Yusei's friend?"

"Yes", Johnny nodded as he smiled nervously.

We let go of each other's hands before I took a few steps forward to look around in the garage. "It's an impressive garage. Is it here you maintain your Duel Runners?"

"That's right", Z-one nodded. "We're fighting for our survival and for our future."

I could feel the sad aura from both men, but they were still standing tall and hopeful to change the future and restore the peace. "It's amazing what you're doing", I told them with a smile, hoping to cheer them up. "You two are an inspiration."

The men's expressions looked like they got a bit thrown off by my words, but then returned the smiles. "Thank you", Z-one said softly. "It means a lot."

"Is there any way I can help you?" I wondered. "Find survivors? Fighting against the Meklords?"

Z-one and Johnny looked at each other, but they didn't say a word. It was like they were communicating with their eyes. They nodded once before Z-one walked over to me. I couldn't tell what he was thinking because he had the exact same poker face as Yusei, and I always had a hard time reading poker faces.

Z-one looked at me for a few seconds before he smiled and held out his hand again. "We appreciate your help, Estelle. Welcome to the team."

I smiled softly before I shook hands with him. "Thank you. I promise I'll do my best."

And at the same time, I was going to try figuring out a way to get back to my time.

XXXXXXXXXX

I had been in the future over a month now. Z-one and Johnny let me live at their place while we found more survivors for each day and rallied them together and spread hopeful messages to increase the positive emotions. The Meklords stopped fighting us when we approached them, each one of us full of hope. It was mainly Z-one's doing, but Johnny and I helped out as much as we could.

Right now, Z-one and I were outside alone in another part of the ruined New Domino City while looking for other survivors. I sat on a boulder as I watched Z-one working on his Duel Runner. The vehicle got some errors, so he wanted to fix them immediately.

I glanced up at the sky, wondering how much longer I was going to stay here. While I enjoyed my time with Z-one and Johnny, I missed everyone else. My friends, Goodwin…

And my Yusei.

It was so clear for me now. I loved Yusei, and I wanted to be with him. I missed the way he looked when he was in deep concentration. I missed the way he smiled when he was in a good mood. I missed his tiny touches whenever we gave each other a hug or accidently bumped our hands against one another.

Sure, I could use Z-one as a substitute, but… He wasn't the same. He may have his appearance, voice, and behavior right, but my senses told me he wasn't my Yusei.

How was Yusei? Did he manage to defeat Paradox? Or did he fail? No, that couldn't be it. If Yusei, Judai, and Yugi failed to defeat Paradox, then the future would obviously look a whole lot different right now.

I didn't notice how dark clouds covered the sunny sky and a soft rain shower began pouring. Luckily, I had a roof over my head, so I didn't get wet.

"Estelle, we should head back!" Z-one shouted, but I was still in my trance. "Estelle?"

I blinked my eyes, snapping out of it, and turned to the man. "I'm sorry, but I'd like to stay here a little bit longer."

Z-one looked confused by my selfish request, but he shrugged and walked over to me. He sat down next to me as he left his Duel Runner in the middle of the street. "Then I'll wait for you", he told me softly.

The rain echoed around us as the air was moist and made my hair curl a little. The rain smelled refreshing. The only thing that was missing was the vegetation. I barely saw any grass and trees around when I was scouting and rallied people.

I decided to finally be frank with Z-one and speak out the truth. "Yusei…", I slowly began. "I know you're not the real one. You're someone who took his form to spread hope for everyone and brighten up the future. Did Yusei…really make such a big impact that people still remember him?"

"Yusei was a legendary Duelist who connected bridges between people. He brought New Domino City and Satellite together", Z-one spoke up. "He inspired many people to pick up Dueling. That caused the humanity to evolve, but the evolution came too fast and we had to pay the consequences, hence the Meklords. It was our own fault that we forgot about caring for one another. We became selfish and greedy that we forgot what was most important. We began forgetting the kindness Yusei showed everyone he met and inspired. I thought… If I could become him, perhaps I can save our future from further devastation and spread positivity."

I stayed silent, not having the heart to tell him it was actually too late. It was only a matter of time before the major Zero Reverse would occur and all hope would be lost.

"Yusei was, unfortunately, a very lonely man", Z-one continued.

"Eh…?" I gaped softly, not expecting to hear that.

Yusei, a lonely man? How? He always had his friends around him.

"He once openly admitted he had someone he deeply loved, but one day she vanished right in front of his eyes", Z-one explained. "He searched for her for a long time, but had no other choice but to give up. And he never got married."

My brain tried to comprehend what I just heard. Yusei loved someone so much he went looking for her and didn't get married to stay loyal to his lover spiritually?

"What was…his lover's name…?" I asked softly.

Z-one sighed deeply before answering. "Estelle Goodwin."

I held back a gasp as I covered my mouth. Was this a trick? Or was it real? Yusei… He actually loved me? Our feelings were mutual?

I still had a hard time to believe it. Yusei could have anyone he wanted, but he wanted me? I should be happy, but… I wanted to hear it from him, not from someone who had read about it.

I needed to verify it. I had to go back and see him.

I snapped out of it when I felt Z-one gently grab my right hand and gave it a soft squeeze. I looked up and saw his left eye shone almost in the same gentle way as Yusei's eyes.

"Estelle… I cannot speak for him, but his feelings for you must've been strong that you inspired him to live a long life", Z-one said softly.

I was quiet as I finally figured out the truth. "You and Johnny recognized me immediately, didn't you?"

"Yes", Z-one nodded. "You were mentioned several times in the old articles around Yusei. You weren't just one of his friends or rivals, but also someone he admired." His grip on my hand tightened a bit. "Estelle… Do you want to stay with me?"

"Huh…?" I gaped softly at the offer.

"I think…", Z-one began hesitantly. "…if we're together, we can bring a brighter ray of hope and save the mankind. So… What do you say?"

I felt my heart tug at the request. Z-one wanted me to stay in his era to try saving the future? While I had grown close to him and Johnny, I knew this wasn't my era. I needed to go back to the past to guide my friends to the path of saving this apocalyptic future from further devastation.

I gently pulled my hand out of Z-one's grip and stood up to take a few steps forward. The rain had lightened up, but tiny drops were still pouring upon me.

"I'm sorry, Yusei", I spoke up while looking down on the ground. "I wish I could stay here, but…" I turned around to give him a sad smile. "I have to go back…to where I belong."

Z-one's eye shone with slight sadness, but he quickly covered it with a poker face. He got up and walked to me. It looked like he softly bit his lower lip, but it could have been a hallucination.

"I understand…and I'm sorry", he said. "I didn't mean to force you to stay here. I just…wanted to spend a little more time with you, but that would be selfish of me. Your friends must be waiting for you. Yusei too, if his feelings for you were truly and deeply powerful."

My eyes got a bit watery. I felt a little guilty for being selfish and leave Z-one and Johnny after we had created a bond. Next thing I knew, Z-one pulled me into a warm hug as he softly patted my head. I gritted my teeth before I put my face against his shoulder and cried a little.

"I'm sorry…", I sobbed softly. "I'm so sorry…"

"Don't be…", Z-one hushed gently. "You gave me and Johnny a little more hope of changing the present, so…thank you for coming to our era."

I bit my lower lip as I tried holding back my sobs. The way his soft voice sounded was just exactly the same as Yusei's when he spoke in a calm and comforting voice. Oh God, it made me miss him even more.

It took me this long to finally realize how much my feelings for Yusei had grown in the last several months while being in the apocalyptic future. I had to go back and see him, and maybe grab the courage to confess to him.

Or wait with the confession to the very end of the World Racing Grand Prix, depending on if the Ark Cradle or Divine Temple was going to appear as in the original anime.

XXXXXXXXXX

Z-one, Johnny, and I went through a plan to figure out a way for me to go back in time. I didn't tell them Paradox's name, since I knew they were going to meet him later (at least his human form), but I came up with the theory that there could be some kind of wormhole in the plaza where I woke up. So if I could use my Priestess powers to tap into the remaining energy of the time slip, I could get back to Yugi's era.

We headed towards the plaza with the still intact clock, except we noticed a change in the area. There were dozens of Meklords; not just the Emperors, but the other Monsters in the Meklord archetype.

I sat behind Z-one on his Duel Runner while Johnny had parked next to us with his Runner on a cliff to see the horde of Meklords. "I've never seen so many Meklords gathered in one place like this…", Johnny mumbled.

"I think they got attracted by the leftover energy of the time slip", Z-one said. "Because they were created by the negative Ener-D, their source of power is negative emotions and unusual energy."

It made me think about Paradox's powers for a minute. What if he used Ener-D as a power source to travel through time and send me to the future?

"We can't handle so many at once, even with our weapons", Johnny concluded.

"Maybe we can, if I summon my non-Synchro Monsters", I pointed out.

"That could work", Z-one nodded.

I got off Z-one's Duel Runner to activate my Duel Disk. I went through my Deck and grabbed five Monster cards to use for the battle.

"Blue-Eyes White Dragon, Divine Dragon Lord Felgrand, Dragon Spirit of White, Arkbrave Dragon, and Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon, help us clear a path!" I yelled as I placed the five cards on the Duel Disk.

The five dragons flew out of one large gate before roaring to the sky, getting the Meklords' attention. Without hesitation, the dragons flew ahead to rip both the tiny and large Meklords into pieces. I got onto Z-one's Duel Runner again before he and Johnny took off to take part of the battle.

I could hear explosions of the Meklords that got destroyed by both my dragons and the two men's weapons. When some Meklords spotted us, they tried firing their weapons at us, but they were destroyed before they could hurt us.

Everything seemed to go well until the ground suddenly started shaking as if there was an earthquake. We barely paid attention to it until the ground in front of us exploded. The men stopped their Runners in time before we could get engulfed by the thick cloud of dirt and crushed debris.

We all heard an echoing shrieking cry from the smoke before it cleared up to reveal a massive version of Meklord Astro Dragon Asterisk.

"What is that?!" Johnny cried in disbelief. "I've never seen this type of Meklord before!"

The Meklord dragon seemed to stare at us before it leant its head up and released another metallic-like cry. The other Meklords responded to the cry and gathered around the dragon. I was getting a very bad feeling, since I remembered Meklord Astro Dragon Asterisk's card effect.

"What's going on?!" Z-one questioned.

"Åh nej… (Oh no…)", I mumbled worriedly.

The symbol inside the Meklord dragon's head glowed before it sent energy tentacles that were wrapped around the other Meklords. The men and I watched in horror as the Meklords were absorbed by the enormous Meklord dragon. As it ate the Meklords one by one, the light blue symbol began shifting colors to red.

"The Meklord is absorbing the other Meklords to get stronger!" Z-one concluded.

"Does this mean we can't get past it or destroy it?!" Johnny questioned.

Meklord Astro Dragon Asterisk finished absorbing the Meklords and released another deafening cry that almost split my ears apart. I was forced to cover my ears while closing my eyes to endure the pain. When I opened my eye, I gasped as the Meklord dragon collected energy before it launched the attack at us.

Z-one and Johnny didn't have enough time to dodge the attack, but my dragons quickly flew ahead and tried blocking the energy beam together. They used their wings to hold back the attack, but I could see how their scales were getting burned and ruined.

"GO!" I yelled at Z-one and Johnny.

They didn't waste another second to turn around and try getting to a safe distance. I could hear my dragons' painful cries as they were slowly destroyed by the Meklord dragon. I looked over my shoulder and felt my eyes widen in horror as I saw the light of the energy beam approaching us in a fast speed. I could feel the heat of the attack as the light came closer.

I closed my eyes and prayed that we would survive the attack as the light of the attack swallowed us.

XXXXXXXXXX

I didn't know for how long I had been unconscious, but I woke up by pain aching through my body and the noise of a metallic cry. I slowly opened my eyes and was met by the sight of ruined concrete. I blinked my eyes to get rid of the grogginess before I slowly got up on my knees. I was still feeling dizzy, but it slowly faded away so I could comprehend the surrounding. I spotted Johnny lying on the concrete next to his smoking Duel Runner. I could hear soft groans from him, so I knew he was alive.

I looked around and saw Z-one laying a couple of meters from me. His smoking Runner lied against a pile of debris. I could see Z-one's body was moving while breathing, so he was alive as well.

I looked up when a large shadow covered me. Meklord Astro Dragon Asterisk was hovering over me while making soft metallic noise. The symbol in its face had regained its original blue color. It almost looked like the Meklord dragon was studying me and tried to determine if I was a threat or not.

Or so I thought.

Meklord Astro Dragon Asterisk's symbol changed into red again as it collected energy for another attack. I knew for certain we couldn't survive the next attack, especially this close. Both men were down and their Duel Runners were demolished. I could try running away, but I couldn't abandon them.

I concentrated on my Mark and slammed my right hand on the ground, causing a crimson magic circle appear in a radius big enough to reach both Z-one and Johnny. A large energy dome covered us just before the Meklord dragon fired its attack. The energy beam collided with the energy dome as I pushed myself to keep the barrier up long enough until the attack was over.

I clenched my teeth as I pushed myself mentally to keep the shield up. I could see cracks forming on the surface while debris and crushed concrete got thrown up by the Meklord dragon's attack and bounced on the barrier. The noise around me was so loud I thought I was really losing my hearing.

I quickly realized I had to tap deeper into my powers to survive the battle against Meklord Astro Dragon Asterisk. I had to transform, but I had a feeling my Priestess Form wasn't strong enough to battle the Meklord.

I needed to tap further into my powers.

I had to evolve.

I had to become a warrior!

"CRIMSON STAR EVOLUTION!"

I felt myself being embraced by a warm aura as the Meklord ceased its attack. I hugged myself as I allowed the new power flow through me and give me the strength I needed to survive.

I opened my eyes and realized I was standing on the ground. I took a quick look at myself and saw I was wearing a warrior-like outfit. It was mainly red, crimson, and dark red, and it had some kind of sexy feeling to it. I looked over my shoulders to see a pair of red bird wings on my back. My glasses were missing, but I could see perfectly fine.

I heard loud grunts and saw Johnny and Z-one were waking up. I reached both my hands towards them and created two energy domes to protect them from the Meklord dragon. Once I determined they were safe, I turned to the big metallic dragon with a glare.

"It's just you and me now, Meklord Astro!" I yelled.

The Meklord responded by firing several small energy beams at me. I focused on opening my wings before I flew up to the sky. For a brief moment, I had a hard time controlling my flying before I quickly got the hangs of it.

Meklord Astro Dragon Asterisk turned to me with a groaning metal sound before firing new energy beams. I dodged as many as I could, but one hit at the edge of my left wing, but I barely felt it.

I reached my right hand to the left wing to pull a feather from it. I used my imagination to shapeshift the feather into a katana to attack the Meklord dragon. The blade of the katana was in a normal size, like the other katana swords I had seen on the Internet.

I had zero experience with swords, so I tried copying from what I have seen in different anime. I used both my hands to grab the handle and raised the katana up while flying towards the Meklord dragon. I let out a battle cry as I swung the sword against the head of the Meklord.

The screeching noise of metal against metal overwhelmed my ears. I found it highly disturbing to my senses and hearing it so close was the worst. I put my heel-clad feet against the head and pushed myself back to get further away from the Meklord.

I had to get some assistance to take down this beast. I focused on gathering some energy on the blade of my katana before slashing the air, creating a gate to the Spirit World.

"Five-Headed Dragon! Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon! Join me!" I commanded.

The two multiple-headed dragons roared as they flew out of the gate. They didn't need any further commands; they headed straight at Meklord Astro Dragon Asterisk to rip apart the machine Monster. I was about to join them when Star Eater suddenly flew out from the gate.

"Star Eater?!" I yelled in disbelief.

The Meklord dragon sensed my Synchro Monster and immediately activated some kind of defense mechanism that obviously represented one of its card effects. The two long antennas on its head began sparkling by electricity before firing a lightning bolt toward me. The attack came so fast I didn't have time to set up a barrier. Instead, Star Eater hovered over me and took the hit and got electrocuted.

"STAR EATER!" I yelled in shock and fear.

The attack ceased after a few seconds. Star Eater's body was smoking as he was taking deep harsh breaths.

"Star Eater, are you okay?!" I called as I touched his jaw.

"I am fine…", Star Eater panted. "Do not worry. I am stronger than what I appear to be."

My shoulders sank in relief before I turned around to see the two Fusion Dragons ripping the metal scales off of the Meklord dragon. The futuristic Monster shrieked as it fought back by firing several energy beams, forcing the multiple-headed dragons back.

"We have to destroy the Meklord to reach the plaza", I said.

"Yes, and while you may have evolved, your powers are still too weak to take down the Monster alone", Star Eater told me.

"I know", I nodded. "But what can I do?"

"Allow me to lend you some of my power."

I looked at my ace Synchro in slight confusion, but then nodded to him. I trusted him, so I raised my katana so it was in front of me. I closed my eyes as I felt Star Eater's power envelop me. I concentrated on accepting the power and transfer it to the blade of my weapon. I opened my eyes and saw the katana was glowing just like the sun that was part of Star Eater.

Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon and Five-Headed Dragon had stripped most of the Meklord dragon's armor, but now they flew back as they sensed my increased power, knowing it was my turn to battle. They quickly headed to the two fallen young men and used their bodies to shield them.

I flew towards Meklord Astro Dragon Asterisk with a battle cry as the blade of the katana glowed brighter until it was enveloped by a burning fire. I raised the katana up above my head as the Meklord's symbol began glowing red again. It was about to collect energy for its massive attack, but Star Eater fired a glowing beam to halt the machine's actions.

"Burning Star Slash!"

I swung the katana at the Meklord's head and hit it hard. This time, there wasn't a loud screeching noise as before and I could see how the blade of my weapon slowly sank deep into the Monster. I mentally pushed myself harder and imagined fire emitting from the katana that would burn the Meklord from the inside.

I could sense the heat from the sword and next thing I knew, Meklord Astro Dragon Asterisk began smoking while releasing painful cries. I could smell burning wires and melting metal as if the machine really was on fire. I pulled back my sword and flew back to make way for Star Eater to finish it.

"Go, Star Eater!" I commanded. "Use Starlight Breaker!"

Star Eater collected energy in his mouth before firing his signature move. The compacted energy beam swallowed the machine Monster while the colors of fire sparkled around it. The Meklord screeched so loud I was certain it could be heard miles away. The light of the attack got so bright I had to close my eyes and shield them with my left arm.

An explosion followed and a large cloud of smoke and ashes enveloped me. I held my breath while the smoke slowly dispersed with the help of Star Eater flapping his wings. I opened my eyes and saw the destruction of the battle.

The buildings nearby had become one with the ground. Meklord Astro Dragon Asterisk's smoking remains were lying on the ground while sparkling a little by the ruined wires and cables. Five-Headed Dragon and Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon were safe, except for a few burns on their scales. They straightened up to reveal Z-one and Johnny were unharmed from the battle.

I sighed in relief, happy that everyone, even my Duel Monsters partners, was safe.

XXXXXXXXXX

We didn't encounter any other Meklords after that, so we made it safely to the plaza with my dragon partners. I had transformed back into my casual outfit, since I didn't have to battle more. I was still a bit exhausted since I had used a bit more power than usual. I made a mental note to start practicing once I made it back to the 5D's timeline.

The dragons returned to the Spirit World by a gate that Star Eater opened, since he had a close connection to the Crimson Dragon. Speaking of, the dragon God hadn't made any contact with me. Maybe it was because he was watching over Yusei and lending him some of his power.

"We're here…", Johnny mumbled as he looked around.

"Yeah", Z-one nodded before turning to me. "I guess…this is goodbye now."

I nodded with a slight sad face. "Yeah… But I'm really glad I got to meet you two."

I opened my arms to give Z-one a hug. He understood what I wanted and gently wrapped his arms around me, bringing me to his chest. I relaxed in his arms as his touch felt awfully similar to Yusei's. I gently patted his back as I enjoyed the moment.

"We're glad to have met you too, Estelle…", Z-one mumbled softly against my hair. "Hurry and go back…to your Yusei."

"Yes…", I nodded before we let go of each other so I also could give Johnny a hug. "Keep continuing spreading positivity and hope, you guys."

"We will", Johnny nodded as he hugged me. "But… Try to tell people in your timeline about the future, so our time can hopefully change."

"I'll see what I can do", I said before I let go of Johnny. "Now… It's time for me to use my powers one more time."

I turned around and walked to the middle of the plaza. I looked around for a second before I closed my eyes and allowed my Mark to glow again.

"Crimson Star!"

My clothes were replaced with my Priestess Form as a magic circle appeared under my feet. I stretched out my arms as energy flowed through me. I closed my eyes and used my senses to try finding an inch of Paradox's time slip powers. I narrowed my eyebrows as I tried to keep my concentration. My brain got a slight shock when I found a tiny gate with Paradox's powers.

I put my hands against another to create a tiny crimson energy sphere between the palms. I concentrated to create a two meter long golden wand with golden decorations based on the Signer Dragons, Star Eater, and the Crimson Dragon. The wand was smooth where I grabbed it while the tip had a large crimson gem orb that had my Star Mark on the inside like a core. The gold-shaped Crimson Dragon was wrapped around the orb in the same way as the complete Seal of the Dragon while the golden Signer Dragons were underneath the orb, as if they were using their bodies to hold it up while standing in a circle. A few inches underneath the Signer Dragons were a pair of open wings that were based on Star Eater's. The rest of the wand was slightly decorated with round rubies and diamonds.

I held the wand tight as I concentrated my energy to it, causing the crimson orb to start glowing. My clothes began ruffling by the energy flow like a warm summer breeze. I opened my eyes and aimed the wand at the direction where I sensed Paradox's time slip energy. The orb released an energy beam of fire to absorb the remaining energy. Once that was done, I slammed the edge of the wand against the ground to release my powers while still having control. The flowing energy was getting a bit violent as if the time slip power was resisting my powers.

Was it Paradox's doing? Did he suspect I would try returning to Yugi's era and set up a defensive mechanism to stop me from trying?

I gritted my teeth as I mentally pushed myself harder as the energy around me got as fierce as a hurricane. I couldn't give up now!

"Bring me back…to my loved ones!" I yelled. "CRIMSON DRAGON!"

I sensed the dragon God's presence along with an inch of the Signers' powers. They were lending me some of their strength to help me get back to where I belonged. The magic ring was replaced with an enlarged copy of my Star Mark and the Signers' Marks within it. The energy flow calmed down as I was enveloped in a crimson aura.

I slowly opened my eyes and gave Z-one and Johnny one last smile before I closed my eyes again and allowed the energy to transport me back to Yugi's era.

XXXXXXXXXX – Yusei's POV

When it looked like Yugi, Judai, and I were going to lose to Paradox and his Malefic Truth Dragon, I started losing hope. I forgot for a brief moment to fight back and sincerely thought our future was going to end up in ruins as Paradox said, but Yugi and Judai snapped me out of it. They reminded me that it was up to us to decide what our future was going to look like, and my friends were waiting for me in my era to continue walking toward a bright and hopeful future.

And…she was waiting for me too.

My Shining Star.

Yugi and Judai combined their strength to stop Malefic Truth Dragon's attack while I came back to my senses. Stardust Dragon returned to the field at the End Phase after I had used him to negate one of Malefic Truth Dragon's effects before and seeing him brought me back more hope.

Before Paradox could end his turn, I activated my Trap card that brought back the other Monsters that had been destroyed. I was about to begin my turn when a red light appeared above us. The four of us looked up and saw a red shooting star coming toward us.

"What's that?" Judai wondered. "A shooting star?"

"It looks like it's heading toward us", Yugi pointed out.

A red shooting star… Could it be…

My Mark began glowing as I sensed a familiar presence. My heart pounded hard as I realized who it was.

The red shooting star landed at the side of the plaza while emitting a bright light. I had to shield my eyes to not get blind by it. When it calmed down, I opened my eyes and felt my heart beat in joy and relief.

"Estelle!"

XXXXXXXXXX – Estelle's POV

I fell down on both my knees while still holding onto the wand to keep myself up. I breathed deeply as I felt like I had run the world's longest marathon. My body was exhausted after using so much power I was feeling dizzy.

"Impossible!" Paradox's voice echoed in the plaza. "How were you able to travel through time?! I made sure you wouldn't be able to do so without the Crimson Dragon's help!"

I looked up and saw Paradox had fused himself with Malefic Truth Dragon. I chuckled softly with a tiny smirk. "Y-Yes, that might be true…but I…have a connection to each Signer… And they lent me their strength…to help me come back…to where I belong…" I turned to the three protagonists. "Yusei… Judai… Yugi… Finish this Duel once and for all…!"

They nodded in response and Yusei yelled something, but I couldn't hear it as I was losing consciousness. I managed to stay awake to see Dark Magician and Elemental Hero Neos combine their power to increase Stardust Dragon's attack points up to ten thousand.

Paradox and his Malefic Truth Dragon were destroyed by the final attack, but just as I fainted I swore I heard Paradox yelling something about he would one day come back and get his revenge.

XXXXXXXXXX

I groaned as I was coming back to my senses. I could hear happy laughter and battle sounds of Duels nearby. I slowly opened my eyes and saw the sky was orange and pink, meaning it was sunset. I quickly realized my head was resting on something soft and Yusei's smiling face appeared in my field of vision.

"Are you okay, Estelle?" Yusei asked.

"Yusei…", I mumbled softly before slowly sitting up and rubbed my heavy eyelids underneath my glasses. "I think so… Is Paradox gone?"

"Yeah", Yusei nodded before he gently grabbed my hand and stood up with me. "The future is safe now."

I was too tired to say something about that, but I also knew it was best not to reveal anything about the ruined future. It still felt unrealistic that I had been in a ruined world, but it was an experience I was never going to forget. A world where everyone, and I mean everyone, lived in fear and questioned whether they were going to survive or not.

"I'm glad to hear that…", I smiled softly before looking around to see we were on the same rooftop where we had landed on our Duel Runners.

"Hey, you're awake!" Judai called as he walked to us. "Glad to see you're fine! Yusei was really worried, you know."

"Judai…", Yusei muttered before lowering his head down to hide his red cheeks.

I giggled softly. "I know he was. Say, where's Yugi?"

"He went to participate in the tournament sponsored by Pegasus", Judai replied. "The tournament is over now, so he should be back soon. He wants to see us off before we head back to our respective era. But, man, it was so nice watching all those Duels! Everyone was good, but no one can defeat Yugi! It's sad, though, the two of you missed it."

"Missed it?" I raised an eyebrow and turned to Yusei. "Didn't you watch the tournament, Yusei?"

"No", Yusei shook his head as his cheeks were back to normal. "But what happened in Paradox's era? Was the world really in ruins as he said?"

Uh-oh… I didn't want to reveal the truth, but perhaps I could say a white lie.

"Almost", I replied. "There was a war going on with many people in danger. However, there was a resistance that I joined and received protection and a roof over my head until I figured out a way to get back to you guys."

"You did your best to survive, Estelle", Yami Yugi spoke up as he stepped to us.

"Hey, Yugi!" Judai greeted. "I watched the tournament! Congratulations for winning!"

"Thank you", Yami Yugi nodded as he glanced down at the crowd in the plaza for a brief moment. "Are you guys going?"

"Yes, we still have a lot left undone in our own eras", Judai replied.

"However, I think we'll be able to meet again", Yusei added. "And when we do, please allow me a Duel."

For a second, I tried calculating the year difference between each "season". The article we read back in GX, about the destruction of Domino City in Yugi's era, said it happened in 1997. So if the current year in 5D's was 2031… That meant both Yugi and Judai were possibly still alive in Yusei's era! They had a chance to meet again in a peaceful way instead of being forced to save the world together one more time.

"Right, I'm sure of it!" Yami Yugi nodded excitedly. "We'll meet again someday! As long as we believe in Duel Monsters, our bonds will always be joined together!"

Judai reached out his hand, palm down, so the three main protagonists could have a three-way shake to prove their bond was strong enough to cut through the era and be joined once again if danger should arise.

I smiled at them as I came up with the perfect title for the trio while gently squeezing Yusei's other hand that hadn't let go of mine since he helped me get up on my feet.

The Heroes of Time.

XXXXXXXXXX

The scenes with Meklord Astro Dragon Asterisk were inspired by "Transformers: Dark of the Moon" with the giant worm-like robot, Driller, controlled by Shockwave. You have to admit; they have some similarities.

Estelle's Warrior Form is based on the original design, except I made some tiny changes.

You can find both outfits on my DA account.