Welcome to the fifth Arc of CSP! It's finally time for the World Racing Grand Prix! I'm looking so much forward working on the Turbo Duels. There will be so much action I hope you're looking forward to it!

As for those who have been nagging me to add Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon in Estelle's Deck; I'm not going to add the dragon, so stop asking me. Instead, I'll add some other new Monsters that might be a surprise for you.

Special thanks to FlowersHeart17 for giving me ideas for this chapter!

Jessi gates may have written the 975 review, but they have won before, so the next FF user writes a review and hasn't won yet gets the shout-out! Let's hope they will show up before the 1,000th review shout-out, which anyone can be the winner and they'll get a one-shot as the prize!

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

Chapter 77: Formation! Team 5D's

It was finally time.

After waiting for two weeks, we could now start using the new Turbo courses for practice runs before next week's big tournament. Each Turbo team had to register in the early morning to confirm they will join the Grand Prix, but we had plenty of time to use the courses from Monday noon to Friday noon. Each team got an hour for five days to use a course until it was time for the next team. Since there were thirty-two teams participating, the organizers made sure to divide everyone fair and square.

Summer vacation started at the same time, so Aki could join Sherry and Mizoguchi for their practice runs. Leo, Luna, Carly, Mei, and Sakura were with us to learn and observe any flaws on the Duel Runners, so they would know to what to look after during the actual Turbo Duels in the Grand Prix.

Since I was the back-up Duelist of Team 5D's, I was allowed to use the course. That was the reason why I was dressed in my riding suit along with Yusei, Jack, and Crow. Aki, Sherry, and Mizoguchi were already out on the course practicing, so we were waiting for our turn while checking the brackets list to see how the teams had been divided for the preliminaries.

"The preliminary rounds are like a league, right?" Luna asked.

"Japp (Yep)", I nodded. "There are thirty-two teams participating, so they've been divided into eight blocks. The goal is to defeat the opponent teams and the two teams who score the highest points in each block are advanced to the next part of the Grand Prix. After that, the structure will be switched to single-elimination."

"So, if you advance, it's like you're in the semi-finals", Bruno pointed out.

"Hey, could the first opponent we face be Team Unicorn?" Leo wondered when he spotted said team name in the same block we were in.

"Team Unicorn?" Luna blinked confusedly.

"Yeah, we met them before at the opening party two weeks ago!" Leo told his twin sister.

"Oh yeah, now I remember!" Luna nodded.

"Team Unicorn won the Atlantis tournament and they're rumored to be strong candidates to win the Grand Prix", Yusei told us.

"It would have been nice if we didn't have to face such opponents in the same block…", Leo sighed in defeat.

"Be they candidates to win or whatever… We'll just defeat anyone standing in our way!" Jack exclaimed determinedly.

"That's right!" Carly nodded. "We all know the underdogs will always surprise everyone and win!"

"Well… Our team is one of the lowest ranked teams because of Bolger's crime that got exposed a while ago…", Crow mumbled sheepishly.

"Then we have to show everyone we're in the Grand Prix because of our skills and not because of our reputation", I nodded.

"Right", Yusei nodded. "And if we're aiming for victory, we'll definitely face strong opponents sooner or later."

"This just means that time came sooner, right?" Crow commented.

"I guess that's true, but…", Leo mumbled softly.

"Let's worry about our opponents on the course next week", I suggested. "For now, let's focus on the practice runs."

"Which I believe it's soon your turn, Team 5D's", a familiar voice spoke up.

Sherry, Aki, and Mizoguchi walked over to us while carrying their helmets. They looked satisfied with today's practice. Mei and Sakura were walking behind them with binoculars resting on their chests.

"Hey, back so soon?" Crow grinned.

"Well, we're done with our part", Aki smiled. "The staff is going through the course to make sure it's clear, so it should be your turn any minute now."

"Thanks for the notification", Yusei nodded. "Jack, Crow, Estelle, let's hurry to our Runners."

"Right!" we replied before sprinting to our waiting Duel Runners.

I picked up my helmet and put it on before I led my Duel Runner toward the entrance to the course. The Satellite Trio soon joined me before we settled down on our Runners and waited for the go signal. The staff did some extra checks before they gave us the clear.

We slowly drove out to the course so we wouldn't accidently drive into each other. Once we were out, we could finally start playing. There was a stand next to the course that wasn't as empty as you would think. The courses across the city were currently off-limits to civilians, but there were still many authorized people and teams watching and "spying" to collect data of their opponents. Even a few officers from Sector Security were watching over the practice runs because we couldn't use the auto-pilot in the Grand Prix, so if there ever were an accident, Security could react fast for emergencies.

I spotted our friends by the stands and gave them a wave before I switched gear and let go of the hitch to pick up the speed. Soon I became one with the wind while driving after Yusei, Jack, and Crow. Their Duel Runners have been upgraded with the new engines and the program Yusei and Bruno worked with, so my Runner wasn't as fast as theirs, but I secretly got some help from the Kaiba brothers. While KaibaCorp was specializing in games, they did have the technology to upgrade Duel Disks and Runners, and that didn't stop Seto and Mokuba from helping me out in case I ever needed to step in as a substitute for Team 5D's.

That was actually their second birthday gift to me, and nobody else knew about it except me, the Kaiba brothers, and Goodwin. You could say KaibaCorp was my secret "sponsor".

"Yo, you're catching up, Estelle!" Crow called through the intercom.

"Yeah, but I'm still eating your dust and it doesn't taste good", I retorted sarcastically.

"Then you better pick up the pace if you don't want the dust in your face!" Jack said.

"Don't worry; I won't go blind!"

"That would be bad", Yusei chuckled. "But I'm surprised you're keeping up with us, Estelle."

"Let's just say I've got a few surprises for the Grand Prix."

The acceleration built up enough that I was now only meters away from the trio.

"Guess we all have surprises for the Grand Prix", Crow chuckled.

"Enough chit-chatting!" Jack yelled. "Let's beat the lap time of this course as many times as we can!"

"Aj-aj, kapten! (Aye-aye, Captain!)" I saluted.

"You and your gibberish Swedish!" Crow laughed.

"Can't help it!" I chirped in response.

In moments like these, I couldn't help but let my playful side take over. I just wanted to enjoy the calm before the storm and have fun while I had the chance.

XXXXXXXXXX

Time flew by so fast I didn't realize our time was up until a staff member informed us through the radio. By the time, we managed to do over thirty laps on the course and the sun was about to set down for the day.

"Team 5D's, practice is over."

"It's just as you've heard, Jack, Crow, Estelle!" Yusei called. "Let's leave the course through this exit."

"Yeah!" Jack replied.

"Okay", I nodded.

"Let me take one more pass!" Crow said before accelerating, slowly turning into a tiny black dot in the distance. "The next team won't be out so soon!"

Wait… If Crow did that, then… Oh no, the same incident as in the anime will happen!

"No, Crow! Don't do that!" I yelled.

"Hey, Crow!" Yusei shouted.

"That guy, doing things as he wants…!" Jack mumbled irritably.

"Crow, for the love of God, decelerate and exit the course!" I shouted.

"Chill out, Estelle! I'll be back in a flaaaaAAAH!" Crow screamed before I heard the static noise in the intercom.

"Crow!" Yusei shouted worriedly. "What happened?!"

"I knew it! Crow and his antics!" Jack muttered.

"Let's hurry in case Crow got hurt!"

We hurried to the stands, which we arrived to quite a chaotic scene with one of Team Unicorn's Duel Runner wrecked on the course next to one of the team members. The other two members of Team Unicorn hurried to their fallen ally while we stopped our Runners. Crow was safe, but he looked really stunned of what he had done. He tried apologizing, but one of Team Unicorn argued with him, so we jumped in to deescalate the fight.

"Stop it! He said it wasn't on purpose!" Jack yelled as he pushed Jean away from Crow.

"Who knows?" Jean spat angrily. "It's our practice time now. Isn't it odd that you people would be on the lane now?!"

"That's true, but…", Jack trailed off.

"We're really sorry", Yusei spoke up. "It's all because of our carelessness. We didn't plan to bother you."

"Is anyone hurt? Shall I call for a medic?" I asked while removing my helmet.

"There are tons of people who are against us, after all", Jean snorted. "I'm reporting this to administration so you don't participate!"

"Stop it, Jean!" Andre stepped in, stopping his comrade. "There's no meaning in winning that way."

"No meaning?" Yusei repeated.

"Did you already forget our faces, Fudo Yusei?" Andre asked before he removed his helmet.

Yusei gaped as he finally recognized him. "You people are Team Unicorn!"

"I'm surprised that we would be paired up against each other in the preliminaries", Andre chuckled softly. "Let me reintroduce myself. I'm Andre." He turned to Jean who removed his helmet while Breo joined us. "This is Jean and Breo."

"Nice to meet you again", Breo nodded.

Jean just snorted loudly and turned away while rolling his eyes.

"I'm really sorry for what just happened!" Crow apologized to Breo. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, it was a good punchline", Breo joked.

"You're harsh…", Crow said sheepishly before looking at the wrecked Duel Runner. "Anyways, your Duel Runner has been totally…"

"Yeah, don't worry about it", Breo shook his head. "We have more than enough spares."

"Eh?" Crow blinked confusedly.

"Although we feel bad for our sponsors!" Andre commented. "Don't worry about it!"

"I won't do that! Let us repay you!" Crow insisted, feeling really bad of what he had done.

"Don't get ahead of yourself", Jean snorted. "You don't even have any money, right? Except your little dragon lady here."

"Stop it, Jean! You've gone too far", Andre scolded him.

Crow held back a growl because he really got upset about Jean's honest comment. "I'm pissed off, but I can't say anything!"

"But if you just let us off, it's just not right", Yusei said.

"I see…", Andre mumbled before he got the light-bulb expression. "Then how about this? We'll play a one-on-one match, and if you win, we'll call everything even."

"What?" Yusei blinked confusedly.

Oh yeah…! Wasn't this the part Team Unicorn used this accident as an opportunity to learn about Yusei's strategy?

"The course is practice time for Team Unicorn right now. There's no problem with us using our time to Duel", Andre explained.

"Stop it, Andre! Facing those guys is just a waste of time!" Jean argued.

"That's true", Andre nodded. "We don't have the time for all three people, so… How about a one-on-one match between Yusei and me?"

"With me?" Yusei asked.

"I've been interested in you from a long time ago", Andre explained. "Show me the skills that you used to win the Fortune Cup."

"How interesting! Do it, Yusei!" Crow said excitedly.

"But they're our opponents for the first round", Yusei argued.

"That's right, Yusei!" Jack agreed. "We don't have to show them our strategy. There's no need to accept this challenge."

"That's right, Andre. Defeating these useless people won't prove anything at all", Jean said, clearly provoking the blonde Signer.

"What?!" Jack growled, taking the bait.

"Isn't that right, former King of Games, Jack Atlas?" Jean mocked him.

"Damn you!" Jack exclaimed angrily. "That you would even talk to me like that, knowing that I'm Jack Atlas! Unforgivable!"

"Calm down, Jack", I told him, not liking Jean's attitude.

"Yusei! Accept this challenge! Got it?!" Jack shouted, not even hearing me.

I sighed softly in defeat and rubbed my forehead, sensing a headache was coming.

"What do you think, Estelle?" Yusei asked.

I looked at my crush with confused eyes. "Me?"

Yusei nodded in response.

I looked down and thought quickly about it. Obviously, Team Unicorn wanted to use this opportunity to learn more about Yusei's Deck and find every open spot they could use to counterattack in the preliminary round, so there was a risk with this Turbo Duel.

But on the other hand, Dueling Team Unicorn would also give us an advantage to study their Deck and learn about their strategy, unless they were going to use another Deck in the preliminary round… I couldn't remember other details at the moment.

It would be better to let Yusei about this.

I signaled with my right index finger to my crush to follow me. Yusei didn't question me as we walked a few meters away from the group so they wouldn't overhear us.

"What is it, Estelle…?" Yusei whispered.

"Yusei… I just want to warn you that Team Unicorn wants to use this opportunity to learn more about your Deck…", I replied in a low voice. "But… I don't remember whether the Deck Andre will use against you now will be the same he'll use in the preliminary round…"

"Ah…", Yusei nodded softly in realization. "Well, whether he'll use a different Deck now and in the preliminary round, I don't think it will affect the result… And I don't want to walk away not paying for the mess Crow caused…"

"It wasn't Crow's fault…", I spoke up. "Breo intentionally drove out to cause the crash…"

"What…?!" Yusei exclaimed a little too loud. He quickly realized that and covered his mouth with his left hand while his eyes were big as plates.

"Team Unicorn orchestrated this incident just to get a chance to Duel us before the Grand Prix…", I continued explaining.

Yusei slowly removed his hand from the mouth while his stoic expression returned to his face. "Are you certain…?"

"Yes…", I nodded.

"It makes me angry to hear that Team Unicorn would stoop so low just to get a glance of our Decks, but… Now that it's done, we can't do much about it…"

"Yeah… Will you still accept the Duel…?"

"I have to… It would look odd to refuse it now…"

"Hey, what're you two talkin' about for so long?" Crow called.

Yusei and I shared one last glance before we walked back to the group. "If you'll be satisfied by me accepting this challenge, I'll do so", Yusei told Andre.

"That's more like it!" Andre nodded.

"Let's clear the path first before you Turbo Duel", Breo suggested.

The others hurried to their Runners to drive back to the garage and clear the way for Yusei and Andre. I soon followed them, but not before giving Yusei a quick pat on his shoulder while leaning to his ear. "Don't reveal your trump cards, Yusei…", I whispered.

"Don't worry, I won't…", Yusei replied.

XXXXXXXXXX

Well, just like in the anime, Yusei and Andre couldn't finish the Turbo Duel in time, but that was okay. Andre was still satisfied with the result and assured Yusei that everything was going to be determined in the preliminaries.

Ever since that day, we've resumed our usual practice runs on the courses. On Thursday, Yusei gathered me, Jack, and Crow around after training because he got an idea.

"Listen up, everyone", Yusei began. "There's something we have to do if we want to beat the rivaling teams."

"What do you mean?" Crow wondered.

"We should all look over each other's Decks", Yusei explained. "We need to be able to connect to our teammates whenever we want to. In order to ensure this, you should memorize all the cards in your friends' Decks."

"I get it", Crow nodded. "If we do that…"

"We'll be able to use the cards our teammates left behind", I finished the sentence.

"Exactly", Yusei nodded. "Let's take turns to look at the Decks."

I gave my upgraded Deck to Crow while I got to see Jack's Deck. It didn't look that much different, but I spotted a few new and unfamiliar cards so I took my time to read their effects and memorize them.

XXXXXXXXXX

Friday arrived, which meant it was the final day to use the Grand Prix courses, but we decided to take a break and just enjoy the remaining days before the preliminaries. I decided to help the gardener by plucking the weeds from the flower beds. I made sure to wear a straw hat to not get heatstroke.

After the garden, I went inside to take a shower and get myself clean from the dirt and sweat. Since it was summer, I decided to change my outfit. I kept the navy blue spaghetti-strapped top with stars across the chest, but I dumped my jeans and replaced them with dark grey shorts. The jacket was also replaced with a red and black waistcoat, and I changed the boots into black sandals. I kept the black fingerless gloves with golden bracelet cuffs and the necklace I got from Yusei.

I walked over to my desk and opened a drawer where I kept one of my precious treasures. The notebook I used as a diary shortly after I arrived to this dimension. One thing I did when I got the notebook was I wrote down everything I could remember of what happened in the original anime. That way, if I somehow forgot something or it slipped out of my mind, I could use the notebook and check what events were going to happen.

I first wrote down only the events happening in the Fortune Cup Arc and the Dark Signers Arc. I didn't write down the rest back then because I thought I was going to get sent back to my world after the Dark Signers events, but when I got to stay I wrote down the rest to make sure I wouldn't forget something.

I sat down by the couch and flipped through the pages. I couldn't help but stop and read some of my diary entries. I giggled to myself while thinking how fast the months had passed by and how much I had experienced in over a year.

I found the World Racing Grand Prix page and read the key words.

Crow – accident 3 days before Grand Prix – Team Catastrophe using Duel Monster "Hook the Knight something" given by Primo

My heart dropped when I read that. Crow's accident… Three days before the preliminary rounds…

I jumped up from the couch and grabbed my smartphone by the desk next to the door. I unlocked it and opened the contact app to find Crow's phone number. I had to call and warn him before he could get hurt. Just as I found his number, the phone started ringing. I almost dropped it by the sudden ringtone, but I quickly recovered and saw it was Yusei calling.

"Hello?" I said as I answered the call.

"Estelle, we have an emergency!" Yusei's panicked voice called.

"What's wrong?" I asked, but I already knew the answer.

"Crow called minutes ago, saying he crashed his Runner and his shoulder got hurt!"

The heat in my face vanished as soon as I heard that. "Oh no… Where are you now?"

"Jack and I are on our way to Crow's location! I've already called the twins and Aki to give them an update!"

"Okay! I'll tell Bruno and we'll join you soon!"

"Thank you, Estelle!"

XXXXXXXXXX

Crow was quickly driven to the hospital where he got a full examination. He was okay, but the main problem was his shoulder. Yusei, Jack, Bruno, and I were in the office with him to hear the news.

"There's a fracture in my shoulder's bone?!" Crow exclaimed in disbelief with his whole right arm in a cast from shoulder to wrist when the doctor gave him the diagnosis.

"Yes", the doctor nodded. "It will take about one month to fully recover."

"One month, you say?!" Jack exclaimed in disbelief.

"And the preliminary rounds are in three days…", I mumbled.

Crow's body grew stiff when he heard that before he got desperate. "Please do something!" he begged the doctor. "I have to participate in the tournament no matter what!"

"But you-", the doctor began before Crow continued his desperate rants.

"I'm begging you!" the Blackwing Duelist got down on his knees and bowed deeply. "I don't care if I can never Duel again! It's even okay if I lose! But I have to participate in this tournament! So please do something!"

"Don't say such foolish things!" the doctor strictly told him. "It's impossible for you to participate in the tournament with that condition!"

"You quack doctor!" Crow spat angrily as he got up on his feet. "I won't ask you for any more favors! I don't need this cast!"

He grabbed the cast on his shoulder, ready to rip it off, but he cried out in pain by the touch.

"Crow, calm down!" Yusei stopped him before he could do more damage to himself.

"Fuck it… Why…?" Crow cursed through his gritted teeth. "Why at a time like this?! What am I supposed to say to the kids?!"

I flinched inwardly when I heard that, feeling more guilt for not warning Crow about this incident sooner.

We silently exited the doctor's office and just stood there in the corridor, not knowing what to do next. I looked away from the young men while having a debate with myself. Should I tell them this was meant to happen or stay quiet?

"…your fault…"

"Huh…?" I said softly before looking up, only to flinch when I saw Crow's deadly glare.

"This is your fault!" Crow repeated loudly. "You knew this was going to happen and you didn't warn me about it!"

I started getting very nervous by his outburst and glare. If looks could kill, I would be lying dead on the floor right now.

"I-I…", I began nervously.

"Crow, don't blame this on Estelle!" Yusei intervened before he stepped in between me and Crow, gently pushing his foster brother back.

"Don't defend her, Yusei!" Crow growled aggressively with tears in his eyes. "This must've happened in the show back in her world and she knew about it! She stayed quiet so she can take my place in the Grand Prix!"

I gasped loudly in shock by the accusation. That wasn't my intention at all!

"Crow, do you even hear yourself? She wouldn't do something like that", Yusei tried to speak calmly to deescalate the situation.

"I don't know; maybe because she's jealous we all get to Turbo Duel in the Grand Prix and she doesn't!" Crow retorted.

"I find it hard to believe Estelle would pull such a stunt, but you've could have at least warned us, woman!" Jack growled at me.

"I was about to-", I spoke up, wanting to explain my side, but I stopped when Crow barked more at me.

"Don't come with excuses now! You've ruined the team!" he yelled.

"G-Guys, calm down…", Bruno spoke up nervously as he looked around, seeing how many eyes were staring at us. "We're in a hospital-"

"SHUT UP!" Crow and Jack yelled angrily at him, scaring him in the progress.

"Guys, break it up", Yusei called before hurrying to his foster brothers. "Let's go outside and not start a fight inside the hospital."

"Why aren't you upset, Yusei?! You're supposed to be on my side!" Crow aimed his anger now at my crush.

I had enough. I couldn't take it anymore. I didn't my friends to fight because of this. My brain was getting overwhelmed by the whole situation and the guilt within me.

"I-", Yusei began before I reached my limits.

"I'M SORRY!" I yelled out.

The four men froze after I yelled out the two magic words. They turned to me while I did my best to hold back my emotions, but tears collected in my eyes while I looked at them.

"I'm sorry I didn't mention anything about this sooner! I forgot about it!" I confessed while having a meltdown. "I was only reminded about this incident when I looked at my notes earlier today! I was about to call you, Crow, and warn you about it, but Yusei beat me when he called and told me you got injured! You have no idea how much guilt I feel right now for not remembering this sooner! But I'm human! I have so many thoughts in my head to think about that I forgot about it! It was never my intention to take your place, Crow! Please, understand!"

The young men were silent while I took deep breaths to try calming down, but I had breached my limits. Tears ran down my cheeks and dripped to the floor.

I had to leave. I needed to hurry back home and get to my bedroom to calm down. That was my only comfort zone.

Without saying anything, I turned around and left my friends. I wiped the tears off my cheeks while hurrying to the exit of the hospital. I felt a few hiccups coming up from my throat, so I covered my mouth with my left hand to hold them back.

"Estelle!" Yusei called.

No… Not now. I didn't want to talk to anybody right now, not even to Yusei.

I felt a hand on my shoulder, but because of my emotional condition, it felt uncomfortable against my skin, like the thorns of a hedgehog or the tip of a thousand knives, so I harshly pulled away from him.

"I-I'm sorry… But, please, leave me alone…", I told him with a shaking voice.

I walked out of the building and hurried to my Duel Runner, never looking over my shoulder. Good thing I didn't, because I would have probably gotten more upset for seeing Yusei's hurt expression.

XXXXXXXXXX

Estelle's meltdown is directly based on the meltdowns I have extremely rarely. When someone on the spectrum has a meltdown, I suggest you guys to leave them alone and stay quiet since the impressions around them, like loud noise and crowds, can be too overwhelming for their senses. Give them some space so they can focus on something else that helps them calm down, like their special interests and hobbies.

Estelle's summer outfit can be found on my DeviantArt account.