We have the winner of the 775 review shout-out! The winner is 99Yugioh! Congratulations! The next review shout-out will be by the 800 review! Remember, those who already have won a shout-out won't get another shout-out and the guest reviews don't count.

The winner requested a one-shot that I wrote for him. The request was not part of the shout-out. The next time you can win a one-shot is when the winner writes the 1,000th review of CSP. The one-shot is canon to CSP, so make sure to read it.

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 50: Love and Acceptance

The roads were wet and slippery as the snow was slowly melting in the beginning of February. My Duel Runner still had the winter tires and they had a good grip as I drove down the streets to get to the café where I was going to meet up with Carly. We made plans to hang out today and have a discussion about something the reporter was curious about. The Satellite Trio told me, Aki, and the twins they were going to visit Martha on the weekend, so, so this was perfect timing. Also, I had a feeling the trio was going to meet Mr. Bashford or Kuzuyama Tetsuzo, or whatever he was called in this world.

I parked my Duel Runner in the small parking lot next to the café. I removed my helmet and spotted Carly's little Bumblebee parked at the other side of the parking lot, so I knew she got here before me.

I grabbed my handbag and put away the helmet before heading into the café. The theme of the café was retro, so its interior felt like the old 1970 time, reminding me a lot of the film "Grease" with John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John. There was even an old-fashion jukebox in a corner of the café.

I found Carly in one of the booths and settled down across from her. "Hi, Carly."

Carly was writing something in her notebook, but snapped her head up when she heard her name. "Oh, hi, Estelle! Sorry, I was so deep into my latest scoop I didn't see you."

"It's fine", I chuckled softly. "What's the scoop about?"

"Well, it's mainly a report about a shrine nearby the Fountain Plaza that I came across a while ago."

"A shrine?"

"Yep! And after asking a few residents, they say it's called the Duel Shrine. They say if you leave a card there and pray to the Duel Goddess while making a wish, it will come true."

That sounded like the same shrine as in the episode when Jack defeated the loan shark Don Piero.

"Interesting…", I mumbled. "Are you, perhaps, going to make a wish there?"

"Umm…", Carly blushed hard as she looked aside. "Maybe someday after my report is published… But I don't think my boss will approve the story." Her blush vanished and got replaced with a deep sigh. "The boss has given me such a hard time, not approving most of my stories."

"Oh…", I mumbled softly, sad to hear it wasn't going well. "Well, how about we forget about work and have some lunch? You said you wanted to ask me something."

"Yeah, that's right!" Carly laughed sheepishly as she put her notebook in her bag. "I forgot I was hungry."

We ordered our food and ate it while having some minor talk about random things. I told her to let me know if she heard weird rumors of certain activities that could be related to Illiaster. I didn't tell her the name of the organization, but she promised she was going to contact me if she ever heard something that could potentially be a case for Sector Security.

I was stirring my glass of iced tea with the straw after the waiter took our empty plates. "So… What is it you wanted to ask me, Carly?"

Carly grew quiet as she looked out the window next the booth. "Estelle… What made you become a Turbo Duelist?"

I raised an eyebrow confusedly at the question, but decided to answer it. "I wanted to expand the world around me by trying out new stuff. And I wanted to catch up with Yusei, Jack, and Crow to learn more about Turbo Dueling. Why do you wonder?"

"I… I remember the flashbacks of when I was a Dark Signer… I was Turbo Dueling, but I drove the Duel Runner like a professional", Carly began nervously. "I've always been so clumsy, so for me to drive a Runner, even while being under the influence of the Earthbound Immortals… It feels odd."

I noticed her cheeks were looking a bit red as she softly bit her lower lip. I couldn't see her eyes through the thick spectacles, but I could sense her aura of curiosity and excitement. "Do you want to try driving a Duel Runner?"

"Eh?!" Carly gasped in surprise at the question before she calmed down and bowed her head as she nodded softly. "Yes… But I'm afraid I'll wreck the Runner, even if it's just a simple model! I don't have enough money to pay for the repairs!"

"Calm down, Carly", I told her as she started panicking.

Carly took a few deep breathes before settling down on the booth. "Sorry… I've always been poor, so even if I'll have a Runner on my own, I can't keep it for long."

"I know", I nodded, knowing Carly's finance issues. "But I know a place where you can drive a Runner without accidently wrecking it."

"You do?"

I took a long sip of my iced tea, the ice cubes clinging against the now empty glass. "Yep", I winked playfully. "Want to head there right away?"

XXXXXXXXXX

I drove ahead while Carly drove after me in her VW Bug. I made sure to drive slowly so she could keep up with me, even though I gave her address if I happened to get lost in my thoughts and drove way ahead.

We reached to the part of the city that was close to the Daimon Area, where Yusei and I used to live in Blister's place for a while. I couldn't help but feel nostalgic as I recalled the short time we were there after we arrived to New Domino City months ago.

I braked next to an open garage that was also a Duel Runner repair workshop. Carly parked in the small parking lot next to me as I removed my helmet. We grabbed our bags and walked inside the garage where two young men were working on a blue sleek Duel Runner.

"Hello, Caius and Aeon", I called, waving my free hand.

I met them during the Daedalus Bridge Tournament as they were my and Yusei's final opponent. They were very tough, but we managed to defeat them.

Aeon Utopa was just as tall as Jack, or at least around his height, and had slight tanned skin, heterochromia eyes with the left eye being dark grey and the right eye being red, and short dark brown hair. He had a crimson headband in his hair, pretty much like Crow's, and had a black mask covering his mouth and nose. He was dressed in a white tank top, black vest, brown pants, and black boots.

Caius Yamigetsu was slightly taller than Yusei and I, but not as tall as Aeon. He had pale skin, white hair, and dark purple eyes that were hiding behind a pair of glasses. He even had a scar running down his left eye. He was dressed in a black undershirt, dark plum-colored shirt with a collar, a necklace-like choker with an iron skull pendant, black pants, and grey tennis shoes.

Caius looked up from the Runner, oil smeared on his right cheek. "Oh? Estelle, hi! I didn't expect to see you today."

"Yeah, sorry I came unannounced", I said sheepishly as I scratched my left cheek.

"No, it's fine", Aeon called as he got up from the floor, dressed in a black shirt with rolled-up sleeves and dark green overall stained in oil. "We need to take a break anyway."

At the moment, a door in the background opened before a tall young man stepped into the garage. He had pale skin, short red hair, and dark eyes. He was dressed in an orange shirt, black pants, and a brown denim cardigan. He was carrying a tray with two glasses of juice.

"Blaze?!" Carly exclaimed in disbelief, recognizing the stranger.

Blaze looked up as he gave one of the glasses to Aeon, surprise written on his face. "Carly?" His surprised look got replaced with a smile. "Hi! I didn't know you would come here."

"Estelle brought me here to show me something about Duel Runners…", Carly laughed sheepishly.

As soon as Caius took his glass of juice, Blaze placed the tray on a desk next to him and walked over to me, stretching out his hand. "Hi. I'm Blaze. I work for the same newspaper as Carly."

I smiled softly and took his hand for a handshake. "I'm Estelle, a friend of Carly's."

"Yeah, I know", Blaze nodded as we let go of each other's' hands. "She told me a lot about you, but not as much as she talks about Jack Atlas-"

"Shush!" Carly blushed hard as she covered Blaze's mouth with both her hands.

Blaze mumbled against her hands before he pushed them away. "What? It's true! You do it all the time."

"You're the same when you talk about your boyfriend twenty-four seven!" Carly retorted.

My brain froze shortly after that sentence. What did she just say? I cast a careful glance at Blaze and saw he was blushing even harder than Carly. His cheeks were literally in the same color as his hair. I noticed in the background how Aeon sheepishly looked away while Caius lightly elbowed him.

I was just a little surprised, since I have never personally known a same-gender couple until now. Back in my world, at the game center, I knew a few people who were gay and bi, but I had never seen them with a partner.

"Back to the subject", Caius called after he cleared his throat. "What's your business here?"

"Oh, right", I said, almost forgetting why I brought Carly to the garage. "Is the simulator free right now?"

"Yep", Caius nodded. "You wanna go for a test-ride?"

"Actually, it's for Carly", I confessed, turning to the female reporter. "She said she wanted to try driving a Duel Runner, but…"

"She's clumsy and is too afraid to wreck a real Runner?" Blaze filled in after he and Aeon finished kissing.

"Geez, how'd you know, Blaze?" Carly said embarrassingly as she blushed hard.

The rest of us laughed at her comment before Caius and Aeon showed Carly the way to the simulator. There was a Duel Runner frame that was connected to a monitor that displayed different Turbo courses, all from easy to super hard.

Carly got on the frame and looked around it, as if she thought it was going to break apart underneath her. Aeon grabbed a modified helmet from a shelf and brought it to her. "Here. Put this on, but take off your glasses first. They won't fit in the helmet."

"Okay…?" Carly said before she removed her glasses. "B-But I won't be able to see the screen!"

"Don't worry", Caius shook his head. "The visor of this helmet can be adjusted for the rider's visual acuity, so you'll be able to see perfectly. What's your acuity?"

After fixing the visor, Carly put on the helmet that Aeon connected to the monitor by a cord. He and Caius fixed the rest around the simulator as they explained for her how it worked. Once Carly understood, she started driving on an easy course to get used to the feeling of driving a Duel Runner. She did it good in the three times she drove the same course. She then requested for the next slightly harder course. She struggled a little bit with the curves, but she didn't crash so far.

After a few tries, Aeon suggested to Carly to try Turbo Dueling. Carly hesitated at first, but she then agreed to it. She received a rental Turbo Deck that she inserted in the Wrist Dealer while Caius prepared an easy CPU opponent.

While Carly was into the Turbo Duel with Aeon supervising her and coaching her and Blaze giving her moral support, I decided to look around in the garage. I spotted in a corner a small Runner that looked like a… What was the word in English?

I picked up my smartphone and used the translation app. "Soapbox car…?"

I also couldn't help but think the Runner reminded me of Leo and Luna's Duel Runner in the manga adaption.

"What are you looking at, Estelle?" Caius asked behind me.

I turned around as I put away the smartphone. "At that soapbox car. Is that a mini Runner?"

"Yep", Caius nodded. "Aeon and I have been trying to construct a Duel Runner model for kids to drive and Turbo Duel."

"Really?" I said, surprised. "Is it something you want to launch and maybe create a company?"

"Yeah. The main goal for the Wheelie Breakers, as we named them, is for kids to Turbo Duel in official competition. They're absolutely not allowed to drive them on the streets, so Aeon and I are trying to make the Wheelies easy to dismount and put them in the back of the trunk and mount them in place of the competition or on a practice track."

Wheelie Breakers… Wasn't there a video game named like that, and it was related to Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's too?

"Interesting… How far have you come?"

"There're still some errors we need to fix, but after that it should be good enough to start looking for a sponsor. If we manage to find one, perhaps they'll make publicity for the Wheelies during the Grand Prix."

"I could help you spread the word, if you want", I suggested. "I've got some connections, so I could recommend the Wheelie Breakers for a few companies."

"Thanks, Estelle, but Aeon and I want to try achieving this by our own hands. It's something we've been working for years and we will finish it to the very end."

I could tell by Caius' voice how determined he and Aeon were to launch the Wheelies by their own efforts. They were very similar to Yusei, Jack, and Crow as they were determined to build the perfect engine for their Runners before the WRGP.

"Okay. If that's what you want, then I won't get in the way."

XXXXXXXXXX – Carly's POV

For the last few days, I had spent half my time at Aeon and Caius' garage to practice on the simulator while I used the other half on the article of the Duel Shrine. It was fun riding the simulator; it felt so realistic. Whenever I was about to crash, I panicked and fell off the frame, so I had new bruises everywhere on my body.

The Turbo Duels were the hardest parts, yet I managed to stay upward on the course the whole time. I lost in the Turbo Duels multiple times, but I won a few of them. Yeah, I admit those were the easy opponents, but I still felt so proud that I managed to beat the CPUs. I never won against Jack in the practice Duels, so I felt like I had achieved something.

After getting used to the Speed World 2 rules, I bought some Speed Spell booster packs and added the cards in my Turbo Deck with the Fortune Ladies to get used to play with my Monsters. That went so much better that I could defeat Rank 2 opponents.

I wanted to tell Jack about my practice runs, so I went to see him by the café in Fountain Plaza. I decided to be a bit discreet, so the first thing I told him was the Duel Shrine and even showed him some pictures I took of it. Just when I was about to reveal my biggest news, Crow interrupted and taunted Jack into working to pay his part of their place. That triggered Jack and caused him to go job-hunting, only to get fired in less than an hour at every place.

I followed Jack secretly and felt sorry that he couldn't keep a job, but I also felt a bit annoyed that he was so full of himself and couldn't be humble for once. That was his problem; he couldn't let go of his pride, and he thought he was a big-shot and everything and everyone around him were supposed to follow his rules. I couldn't help but compare myself to him. I was a whole lot more experienced because I worked so hard to keep my job at the newspaper, even though I didn't like it because of my stupid boss and he often threatened to fire me, but I wanted to follow my passion.

Things changed one way after another and Jack and I found ourselves unintentionally involved with the loan shark Don Piero after eavesdropping on this young boy Marco. He and his small family suffered by a contract they signed to Don Piero, but the loan shark tricked them, forcing them to give everything valuable they owned to him.

Jack Dueled Don Piero with his Red Dragon Archfiend and Phoenix Whirlwind at stake. Because Jack was using Marco's cards that he used to pray at the Duel Shrine, he asked me to bring the boy to watch the Duel. When it looked like he was going to lose, Jack managed to win with bright colors and got the contracts from the loan shark and ripped them apart, saving several households from paying back the false loans. He also gave Marco his cards back, encouraging the boy to stay true to his dreams and never give up.

Jack and I followed Marco home where his little brother and mother were worried about him after I forced him to come with me. Jack explained to the mother that she was free from the loan forever and she cried in joy by the news.

It was late night, but I still enjoyed the short time I was together with Jack. We walked back to the garage where my car was waiting.

"You were awesome against Don Piero, Jack!" I praised my crush. "I'm so glad I had my camera with me and took pictures! With them and the Duel, I can reveal Piero's true self to the public and save others from his claws!"

"You should certainly prioritize that story before the Duel Shrine, but you'd better write that I was the one who beat Don Piero in the article", Jack demanded softly.

"I will!" I giggled softly before I gasped in realization. "Wait! I wanted to tell you something else earlier today!"

"What?" Jack stopped walking and turned to me.

I didn't know why I suddenly felt so nervous about revealing the next news, but I took a deep breath to calm down. "I've begun practicing riding a Duel Runner!"

"Really?" Jack said confusedly.

I nodded excitedly. "Yeah! I remember I drove a Duel Runner when I was a Dark Signer, but because I'm so clumsy I couldn't really believe that memory, so I wanted to test it. Estelle showed me Aeon and Caius' garage where they have a simulator, so I've been practicing there for the last few days."

Jack didn't look amazed, but I saw one of his eyebrows raise up. "And how's it going?"

"Good so far! Except the few times I fell off the frame when I thought I was going to crash for real", I laughed sheepishly as I rubbed the back of my head. "But I'm working on it and I've already won a few Turbo Duels against the CPUs. One day, when I can own a Duel Runner, I want to challenge you on a Turbo Duel, Jack!"

Jack stared at me for a few seconds before he raised his hand and placed it gently on top of my head. I blinked confusedly at the action, but blushed hard as Jack leant down a bit to almost rest his forehead against mine.

Oh my God! My heart was almost pounding out of my chest!

"I'll be looking forward to that day then, Carly", Jack said with a super tiny smile.

I giggled like a fangirl at the close contact. It wasn't a kiss, but this was better than anything. "Oh, yeah!" I snapped out of my trance. "I wanted to give you some advice about your job-hunting?"

"What? You've got a job for me at that scandalous newspaper?" Jack said a bit harshly as he moved back with a frown.

"No, no! That's not it!" I shook my hands vigorously. "I've been following you the whole day and-"

"Figured as much…", Jack mumbled as he crossed his arms.

"-I think I've figured out what makes it so hard for you", I continued before getting serious. "You've got too much pride and think everyone should follow you, and that attitude is a big no in job-hunting!" Jack flinched slightly as he got surprised to see my serious self. "You need to be humble and put a lot more effort than this! You may have once been the King of Games and I get it you want to be important, but there's a long road ahead for that! You need to start from the bottom and reach each level one by one to reach the goal! Remember the legendary student at the very first Duel Academy that Kaiba founded, Yuki Judai? He began as a low-ranked Slifer Red Duelist, and yet he became an icon of Duel Academy even though he remained a Slifer Red in all three years! Even today, he's a legend and everybody knows his background and how much effort he put into Dueling! You should the same with both work and your future career as the King of Games!"

Jack remained silent as he processed my words. I waited silently to either get praised or get yelled at for lecturing him. He just stared at the air and I couldn't help but feel tensed by the silence, so I shut my eyes closed and waited nervously.

I snapped my eyes open when I felt a pat on my shoulder and a soft whisper in my ear. "Thanks, Carly. I'll think about it."

I turned around and watched Jack walk away. I noticed there was a change in his aura or was I just imagining it? Even so, I was happy I managed to talk some sense into him…hopefully.

I clenched my hand into a fist in determination. "Alright! I'll do my best and follow my dreams too!"

I bounced up cheerfully, but ended up tripping on the ground. I swear I got cursed by the God of Clumsy when I was born. Maybe I should make an offering at the Duel Shrine and wish for getting rid of my clumsiness, or should I wish for Jack's eternal love?

XXXXXXXXXX

Caius Yamigetsu, Aeon Utopa, and Blaze belong to darkworldprince.