I figured if I added a Duel in the last chapter, it would be too long to read all together. So I hope you'll enjoy this chapter with a new fresh Duel.

I'd like to thank and credit M.H. Pintner for the idea they gave me for this chapter to feature a Duel between Estelle and one of the canon characters.

We also have the 675th review shout-out winner! And it's the same person who I've just credited for giving me an idea for the fanfic; M.H. Pintner! Congratulations! The next review shout-out will be by the 700 review.

The chapter begins in Estelle's point of view.

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

Chapter 38: A Fortune-Telling Duel

Misty's apartment building had a Duel stadium next to it. The stadium had three fields for Ground Duels and right now, no one was occupying them. The model got me and Carly two Duel Disks, both of them the standard version, so we prepared our Decks and inserted them in the devices. Carly and I took our places on the field as Misty and Aki stood next to it.

"Good luck, you guys!" Aki called.

"Do your best, both of you!" Misty added.

"Are you ready, Carly?" I asked.

"Yeah, I think so", Carly nodded hesitantly.

"If you want, I can take the first turn."

"Sure, that'd be good."

With that said, we activated our Duel Disks and said the magic word.

"Duel!"

Estelle: 4000 LP

Carly: 4000 LP

Carly and I drew the top five cards from our Decks. I got Monster Reborn, Shining Angel, Sakuretsu Armor, Dragon Shield, and Kuribandit. I drew my sixth card and got one of my two Breakthrough Skill cards. This was an okay hand, but I had to improvise.

"I start my turn by summoning Shining Angel in attack mode!" I called.

Shining Angel, Level 4: ATK 1400

"I place one card facedown and end my turn."

"Okay, it's my turn!" Carly declared as she drew her sixth card. "I start my turn by activating the Field Spell; Future Visions!"

The field turned into a mysterious room with colors that reminded me the inside of a nebula. It was beautiful, but its effects were very powerful.

"Whenever a Monster is Normal summoned, it's removed from play until the next Standby Phase of the Duelist who summoned it", Carly explained. "Now, I summon Fortune Lady Light in attack mode!"

Fortune Lady Light, Level 1: ATK ?

"Fortune Lady Light gains 200 attack and defense points for each of her Level, so her attack points are 200!"

Fortune Lady Light, Level 1: ATK ? – ATK 200

"Because of Future Visions, she's removed from play, but when she leaves the field, I can use her effect to Special summon another Fortune Lady from my Deck. I Special summon Fortune Lady Earth in attack mode!"

Fortune Lady Earth, Level 6: ATK ?

"Fortune Lady Earth gains 400 attack and defense points for each of her Level, so she's got 2400 attack points!"

Fortune Lady Earth, Level 6: ATK ? – ATK 2400

I hissed slowly through my teeth. This was going to hurt.

"Fortune Lady Earth, attack Shining Angel with Cursed Thorn!" Carly shouted.

Fortune Lady Earth twirled her wand before slamming it on the ground, causing a chain of stone thorns to sprout as they headed towards Shining Angel. Shining Angel tried to dodge the thorns by flying higher up, but a tall thorn shot up and pierced him into pieces.

Estelle: 4000 LP – 3000 LP

Carly: 4000 LP

My hair ruffled by the Solid Vision effect, but I didn't get hurt, so that was enough proof that Carly didn't possess psychic powers. "When Shining Angel is destroyed by battle and sent to the Graveyard, I can use his effect to Special summon one LIGHT Monster with 1500 or less attack points from my Deck, and the Monster I choose is Vylon Stella!" I called.

Vylon Stella, Level 3, Tuner: ATK 1400

"Oh… Wow! I didn't expect that!" Carly said in awe before checking her cards. "I end my turn. I didn't hurt you, did I?"

"No, I'm fine", I replied before drawing my next card. "I draw."

I got United We Stand. I was going to save it for later. It was time to heat things up a little.

"I play Monster Reborn to Special summon Shining Angel back to the field in attack mode!" I called.

Shining Angel, Level 4: ATK 1400

"And now, I tune Level 3 Vylon Stella with Level 4 Shining Angel! Spread those wondrous and beautiful wings, and strike down your enemies at the speed of light! Synchro summon! Appear now, Clear Wing Synchro Dragon!"

Clear Wing Synchro Dragon, Level 7: ATK 2500

Clear Wing Synchro Dragon raised from the light and released a roar as she took over the field, hovering dangerously above Fortune Lady Earth who seemed to cold sweat at the sight of the dragon.

"Uh-oh…", Carly commented while cold sweating. "That dragon is stronger than Fortune Lady Earth."

"Only by one-hundred attack points", I added. "Clear Wing Synchro Dragon, take down Fortune Lady Earth with Clear Wind Tornado!"

Clear Wing Synchro Dragon roared as her wings glowed and released a powerful wind that shaped into a bright green tornado that swallowed the Fortune Lady. The humanoid Duel Monster cried inside the tornado before she was destroyed by the force.

Estelle: 3000 LP

Carly: 4000 LP – 3900 LP

"I place one card facedown and end my turn", I finished my turn by setting Breakthrough Skill.

"Alright. I draw!" Carly called as she drew her next card. "And Fortune Lady Light returns to the field by Future Visions' effect!"

Fortune Lady Light, Level 1: ATK 200

"I switch Fortune Lady Light to defense mode!"

Fortune Lady Light, Level 1: ATK 200 – DEF 200

"I place one card facedown and end my turn."

"Okay. My turn", I nodded as I drew my next card.

It was the Field Spell, Dragon Ravine, which was perfect. "I activate my Field Spell; Dragon Ravine!"

I placed the card on the Field Zone before the field itself changed. The mystic environment of Future Visions vanished and was replaced by transparent mountains with a gentle orange sunset.

"Wow… It's amazing what Solid Vision can come up with for each Field Spell", Carly said in awe.

"Yes, and now I activate Dragon Ravine's effect", I continued. "I send one card from my hand to the Graveyard to send one dragon Monster from my Deck to the Graveyard."

"Wait, what?!" Carly exclaimed in surprise. "Why would you do that?"

"It's called strategy, Carly", I replied as I sent Dragon Shield from my hand and Divine Dragon Lord Felgrand from the Deck to the Graveyard. "I now summon Kuribandit in attack mode!"

Kuribandit, Level 3: ATK 1000

I considered quickly whether I wanted to prolong this Duel or not. Carly did get confirmation a few turns ago that she didn't possess psychic powers, so I guess I could end the Duel now.

"Last, but not least, I equip United We Stand on Clear Wing Synchro Dragon! She gains 800 attack and defense points for each Monster I control! Since there are two Monsters on my field, she gains 1600 attack points!"

Clear Wing Synchro Dragon, Level 7: ATK 2500 – ATK 4100

Carly flinched when she saw my buffed Synchro Monster. "W-W-Wait! T-That means it's strong enough to get rid of all my Life Points!" she exclaimed.

"Battle! Kuribandit, attack Fortune Lady Light!" I shouted.

Kuribandit hissed as it summoned a dagger in its hand before it flew toward Fortune Lady Light. The spellcaster used her staff to try protecting herself from the incoming assault, but my little fiend was too fast and slashed her on the waist. Fortune Lady Light shrieked in pain before she exploded into pieces, leaving Carly's field empty, except for her facedown card.

"Clear Wing Synchro Dragon, let's end the Duel!" I yelled.

Clear Wing Synchro Dragon let out a soft cry before she headed towards Carly. The reporter stared at her in slight shock before shielding herself with her arms and Duel Disk. The Synchro Monster raised her right arm and slashed her. She didn't cause any physical damage, but the slight force of the attack caused the reporter to fall down on her backside.

Estelle: 3000 LP

Carly: 3900 LP – 0 LP

"Oww…", Carly whined s as she stood up and rubbed her backside. "That hurt."

"You okay, Carly?" I asked as I ran to her after our Duel Disks were deactivated.

"Yeah, I'm fine", she nodded with a smile. "I can take a lot more than that."

"You're a tough girl", I smiled softly before I held out my hand. "Thank you for the Duel."

"No, thank you for Dueling me", Carly replied as she shook my hand. "I feel a lot calmer now after learning I don't have psychic powers like Aki."

Said Signer and Misty walked over to us. "It was a good Duel, guys", Aki smiled.

"I'm impressed how you managed to get past Future Visions' effect by Special summoning Monsters, Estelle", Misty commented. "By the way, what was the facedown card you set, Carly?"

"Inherited Fortune", Carly replied. "I drew it on my first turn, but I didn't think about setting it back then. I wanted to wait one more turn depending on what Estelle might do." She rubbed the back of her head with a sheepish laugh. "I guess I misplayed a little bit."

"Maybe a little bit", Aki agreed with a nod. "But if your gut feeling told you to wait, then you should do that. However, it's always best to be precautious and set cards, especially when you are up against a strong Duelist."

"I'm not that strong…", I mumbled. "I'm still trying to find out which Deck is the one that I feel most connected to. That's why I'm using an Incan Deck to see whether it is the one or not."

"Like me and my plant-type Deck", Aki nodded.

"And me and my Reptilianne Deck", Misty added.

"You actually have a Deck, Misty?" I asked in slight surprise.

"Why, yes, I do", Misty confessed. "I've had my Deck since my high school years. I was quite the prominent Duelist, but I only saw Dueling as a hobby. My dream was to become a model, so I chose that career." She soon got a sad expression and looked at her locket that she had around her neck. "I put Dueling on halt after Toby…was killed and I fell into a depression. Not even modeling helped me get out of the depression until…"

The model stopped herself from talking. Aki and I shared a glance, knowing what Misty wanted to say, but she couldn't speak more about the darker times. Carly still didn't remember the days she was a Dark Signer, so it was best not saying anything related to that until the reporter felt ready to face the truth.

"Then… Would you like Dueling me, Misty?" Carly asked out of the blue.

"Huh?" Misty blinked in surprise.

"I want to Duel even more now and I'd like to challenge you!" Carly smiled widely. "Maybe your love for Duel Monsters will return if you just get a chance to Duel. I know you're busy with your career and all, but you should seize the chance to try out Dueling."

"I'd actually like to see that", Aki said.

"Me too", I nodded. "Unless you're busy for the rest of the day, Misty."

"Oh no, I have a clear schedule for the whole day", Misty said. "It's just…I didn't expect being challenged to a Duel."

"You don't want to Duel?" Carly said with a slight sad expression.

Misty shook her head. "It's not that", she replied before smiling softly. "I would actually love to try out Dueling again. I just need to fetch my Deck from the apartment."

The rest of us waited patiently as Misty returned to her apartment to grab her Deck. It took a few minutes, but the model returned quickly with her Deck in hand. I removed my Deck from the Duel Disk before I detached the device from my arm and gave it to her. She strapped the Duel Disk on her arm and inserted the Deck before she and Carly walked over to the field. Aki and I made sure to walk out of the field and stood next to it so we could get a good view of the Duel.

"This is going to be interesting", I told Aki. "How was Misty in the Duels you two had?"

"She was good", Aki replied before she looked down. "The second Shadow Duel, though, was…a little too emotional for me."

"Because of Misty's memories and…Sayer?" I questioned.

"Yeah…", Aki nodded before looking up. "Still, I'm glad I was able to save her from the Earthbound Immortal when it took control over her."

I placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed it gently. "Focus on the good memories and be proud that you were able to save the world with the other Signers", I told her.

"Absolutely", Aki nodded.

"Ready, Misty?" Carly called.

"I am", Misty replied.

The two women activated the Duel Disks and were ready to start the Duel. "DUE-"

"HOLD IT!"

I jumped by the sudden yell and turned around to see what was going on. My eyes widened in surprise when Jack stormed towards us with his face painted red in rage.

"Jack-", I began, only to get rudely interrupted.

"Don't Duel!" Jack demanded while marching towards me. "I told you not to force Carly to Duel, Estelle, and yet you go against your own word-"

"No, Jack!" Carly shouted. "Don't blame Estelle! I wanted to Duel!"

Jack stopped in his tracks, his angry eyes turning into confusion, as he turned to the reporter. "What? But why?!"

"Because I needed to find out if I've got psychic powers, like how I had them in my nightmares!" Carly explained. "I needed to know if I'm a danger to anyone I'll Duel in the future! I don't want to hurt you, Jack!"

Jack literally froze when he heard that. "Carly… Do you remember…?"

"No, she doesn't", I replied quickly. "And she doesn't have psychic powers. It was proved during our Duel."

Jack turned to me with a confused expression. "During your Duel…?" he repeated before his eyes widened in anger. "You two have already Dueled?!"

"Don't yell at Estelle, Jack!" Aki stepped in between us with a serious expression. "And, yes, their Duel ended a couple of minutes ago. Estelle won after Carly misplayed, and now Carly challenged Misty to a Duel."

"But-!" Jack growled.

"Jack, just let me Duel!" Carly demanded. "You can't control everything I do! I appreciate your protection, but this is just too much!"

Jack's expression looked like he just got hit in the stomach. His hands clenched into shaking fists as he was trying to control his feelings. He soon relaxed his shoulders and exhaled a sigh. "Alright", he said before glaring at Carly. "But just one Duel! No more than that!"

"Yes, Dad!" the reporter replied sarcastically.

Aki and I couldn't help hiding our giggles when we saw Jack's reaction at the nickname. Even Misty hid her own giggle after seeing the male Signer's stunned expression. Jack soon snapped out of the trance and crossed his arms and looked away to hide his embarrassed face that was painted in a nice pink color.

XXXXXXXXXX

The winner of this Duel was Misty. She showed full percent confidence in every move she made with her reptile Monsters. Carly was still a little reluctant, so it was clear she needed to work on her confidence as a Duelist. It made sense because her old Deck with Fortune Fairies was only used as tarot cards.

After the Duel, every one of us, including Jack, went up to Misty's apartment to get some refreshments. Jack insisted on having a cup of coffee instead of tea, so the model made both tea and coffee. We mainly talked about the two Duels just now and helped Carly come up with combos with the cards in her Deck. Jack sat next to Carly on the couch, but his attention was fully on the coffee.

The reporter tried writing down notes for the combos so she could memorize them for the future Duels. "I don't know if I can ever memorize the combos", she sighed. "I'm usually clumsy, so I'm afraid I'll keep making mistakes in Duels."

"Carly, you've got the skills to be a Duelist", I assured her. "You just need to believe in yourself."

"Yeah, you're a lot stronger than what you believe", Aki nodded. "And even if you lose, you can learn from it. Who knows; you might one day make it to the professional league."

"Really? Little me, a low-class reporter, could actually become something big…?" Carly mumbled to herself as she seemed intrigued by the idea.

"I disagree", Jack spoke up after sipping his cup of coffee.

"What?" Aki said in disbelief.

"Jack…", I said in a warning voice.

Jack ignored me as he placed the cup on the table and then wrapped an arm around Carly's shoulders. "You are a low-class reporter, so you still have a long way to go." His left hand that rested on Carly's left shoulder squeezed her for a second. "If you want… We can Duel each other once in a while."

My eyes widened a bit in surprise. I didn't expect Jack telling Carly they could Duel to improve their skills.

"Really, Jack?" Carly said excitedly.

Jack removed his arm and turned to her with a serious expression. "But don't expect me to go all soft on you, okay? A true Duelist accepts defeat just as much as they accept victory!"

"Okay!" Carly smiled brightly with red cheeks. "Can we Duel each other once a week?"

"Sure, why not", Jack's eyes traveled down her body and they widened in fear when he finally noticed Carly's dark orange coat. "Just don't wear anything in orange!"

"What? But why?" Carly asked confusedly with a hurt expression. "It's a nice color…"

"You look hideous in that color!" Jack retorted as he turned around with his arms crossed. "You look better in blue… Sky blue."

Carly's lips returned into a smile as she blushed hard. "Okay! I'll keep that in mind!"

Aki and I looked at each other as we tried to hold back our grins for seeing the interaction between Jack and Carly. The man tried to keep his pride while complimenting his crush…if it even was a crush or he was just trying to be nice.

"Are you feeling better now that you were able to confirm you don't have psychic powers, Carly?" Misty wondered.

"Yeah", the reporter nodded. "I feel relaxed that I won't hurt others in a Duel."

"I hear you", Aki nodded with a sad expression. "It took me a while to control my powers, but now I'm glad I don't feel the desire to destroy everything around me like I used to."

"That's because you actually have a soft and kind heart, Aki", I told her as I patted her back. "Sayer was the one who shut your heart and manipulated you to think everything can be solved with violence."

"Speaking of Sayer, Estelle…", Misty spoke up. "How's the investigation of the Arcadia Movement progressing?"

"Slow, but we're making good progress", I replied. "It will still take time, since we keep finding new evidence every day. Soon, we'll get to the bottom of the case."