Special thanks to CitrusUnshiu who helped me out with the chapter.
The chapter begins in Sherry's point of view.
Disclaimer: I do not own any Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's characters! I only own my OCs!
Chapter 97: The Birth of a New Present
I fell quickly into unconsciousness after I slipped out of Yusei's grasp. I thought I was going to be ripped apart inside the wormhole or suffocate to death, so I had accepted my fate and closed my eyes to face the death.
It was quiet around me. Is this how it felt like when you were dead? Then… Why did I feel like I was still alive? The pain in my right hand and shoulder felt so real. I didn't know what was going on.
I forced my eyes to open to see whether I was alive or I was in a dream as a lost soul. My sight was blurry for a short time before it cleared up. I swore I saw Papa looking down at me with his warm gentle smile.
"Papa…", I mumbled softly.
I sat up and looked around. We were in a world of endless whiteness. It felt awfully similar to the dimension where I got transported to after I checked my card in Sector Security a month ago.
"Where am I?" I asked before I looked at Papa. "Did I die?"
"No", Papa replied, but his mouth wasn't moving nor did his voice sound the same as I remembered. "And I'm not Dr. LeBlanc. The longing in your heart makes me look like Dr. LeBlanc."
He wasn't my father? "Then who are you?" I asked the man.
"I am the one who knows the truth", the man replied while avoiding my question.
"The truth?" I repeated. "What does that mean?"
"If you want to know the truth, I will tell you. But knowing the truth will greatly change your destiny."
"I don't mind!" I replied in frustration. "I want to know what's really going on!"
"Then come with me", the figure offered his hand to me.
I stared at the hand that was offering me the truth. If I accepted this figure's offer, maybe I could see my parents again. My goal was to get revenge, but now… I had to know the truth! I had to know if there was a possibility to be reunited with my parents!
Just as I was about to take his hand, I froze as another mysterious voice spoke inside my head. "Is that what you truly wish for, Sherry LeBlanc?"
I gasped visibly as the baritone voice spoke. I pulled my hand back and looked around to see if there was someone else with us. There was only me and the figure in this world. "Who's there?!" I yelled.
"What is it, Sherry LeBlanc?" the figure asked.
"Do you really wish to throw away what you have built in the short amount of time you have been in Japan?" the baritone voice continued talking.
"Who are you?!" I shouted loudly as I got up on my feet and tried finding the person who was talking to me. "Why do I hear you in my head?!"
The next thing I knew, I was floating in the middle of a cosmos with galaxies and stars around me. A dragon screech echoed in the universe before a large red and yellow serpent body appeared in front of me. I had seen ancient pictures of it before, so I knew right away who this was. "The Crimson Dragon…", I mumbled.
"Fret not", the Crimson Dragon spoke. "I have simply transported your soul to the realm between your world and the Spirit World. Your body is safe for now."
"Why did you bring me here?" I asked while glaring at the dragon God.
"I am here to warn you, Sherry LeBlanc", the Crimson Dragon responded. "If you join forces with Iliaster, you shall become my Signers' enemy."
"I'm willing to do that", I retorted irritably. "My affiliation with Yusei and the Signers were only temporary since we had the same goal!"
"Even if it means losing the friendship you have built with the Signer bearing the Mark of my Foot, Izayoi Aki?"
I held back a flinch when I heard Aki's name. At first, she only caught my attention for her psychic abilities, but after she had joined my team for the World Riding Grand Prix I couldn't help but wanting to spend more time with her. Keeping her at distance was hard for some reason. I shouldn't be that close to her, as that only means more danger for the red-head.
"But my family…", I mumbled, thinking about my mother and my father. I wanted to see them again, but at the same time the thought of losing the friendship with Aki makes my heart ache in pain.
My heart throbbed hard as I closed my eyes and thought about this problem. What should I do? I suddenly felt like a lost child who stood in front of a fork with two paths leading to different directions. One was my parents and the other was Aki and the others. Couldn't I choose both of them?
I suddenly heard a child's happy laughter. I opened my eyes and felt them widen as I saw the old memories of my childhood, when I was a little girl living a normal life with my parents and had no worries in the world. The memories flashed by and landed on the very last happy memory I had with my parents.
Papa had given me the teddy bear in which he hid the Z-ONE card inside. He held me in his arms as he and Maman stood in front of the large windows of Papa's office, the three of us watching the sunset.
"Sherry", Papa spoke up.
"Yes, Papa?" I replied as I looked up at him.
"No matter what happens in the future…", Papa began before he smiled warmly at me. "Know that your mother and I want you to be happy."
I tilted my head to the side, clearly confused by Papa's words. "Huh?"
Maman got closer to them and wrapped an arm around me while she held back a sad smile. "We're so happy we had you, Sherry. Whatever you'll choose to do in the future, you will always be our little white knight", she said as she caressed my hair, the long strands almost tangling themselves between the fingers. "Promise us you'll find your happiness and live a long and healthy life."
I was still a little confused of what my parents had just told me, but I responded with a bright smile and hugged the teddy bear close to my chest. "Yes! I'll find my happiness and live a long life as a white knight!" I smiled. "I'll protect you from the evil guys, Papa, Mama!"
Papa and Maman looked at each other with knowing glances of what was about to come, but they hid their sorrow with smiles and hugged each other together with their precious child. Maman planted a soft kiss on my cheek and papa kissed the top of my head, which had been their secret farewells.
I didn't notice a tear had escaped my eye and ran down my cheeks until the memory window vanished in front of me. My heart stung after seeing the last memory of my parents while they were still alive. I had almost forgotten about this particular memory. I didn't realize I had promised my parents that I was going to live a long and happy life. How could I have forgotten that?
"Papa… Maman…", I couldn't help but speak out loud as I wiped the trail of tear off my face.
"Every loving parent wishes for their child to be happy. I am certain their spirits have been watching over you throughout the years and were happy to see you finally opening up to your new friends. But… Is it really their wish for you to betray the friends you have made and join forces with the enemy who were responsible for your family's death? Iliaster are ruthless and can easily betray the beings they use to do their biddings. You have witnessed it yourself with the Vice-Director of Sector Security."
I was silent as I lowered my head so the bangs covered my face. My brain scattered all my thoughts around as I tried comprehending everything that I had just seen and heard from the Crimson Dragon.
"It is up to you whether you take heed of my warning or not", the Crimson Dragon's voice slowly faded away as my soul was being returned to my body in the white world where the figure was waiting for me. "I pray you shall choose the path that your heart wishes to follow…"
I was back in my body as I stared at my feet. I could hear the figure that still looked like Papa call out to me. "Sherry LeBlanc, have you decided? Will you come with me?"
After seeing the last hidden memory of my parents, I no longer felt confused of which path I wanted to choose. "I…", I began before I suddenly attacked the figure with a roundabout kick. "…will not!"
Just as I was about to kick him in the face, the figure dissipated in front of me. I regained my balance as he appeared a few meters from me, still in Papa's appearance. "Why are you declining my offer?" the figure asked calmly. "I have the power to alter history. If you help me fulfill my objective, I shall reunite you with your family. You will live the life you wished for with the parents you lost."
"Fulfilling your objective by killing more people?!" I growled. "My parents would never want me to join the enemy's side and hurt other families! You've already done so much harm in this world by changing the history! First with the Earthbound Immortals and now with the Meklord Emperors! I'd rather die than betray my friends!"
The figure's lips turned into a flat line as I stood ready to defend myself in case he was going to attack me. You never knew when the enemy would strike, so you had to be cautious and keep your senses on high alert.
"I am disappointed", the figure spoke up after shaking his head. "I thought you were an intelligent woman, but my assumption was wrong." His body started glowing, which forced me to shield my eyes, since the light was strong. It didn't take long before it faded away and revealed a new form. I recognized this appearance; it was the middle Emperor of Iliaster who got defeated by Yusei during the invasion.
I spotted a sheath with a sword on the right side of the man's hips. I cold sweated by the discovery. I didn't have a weapon on me to protect myself.
The figure pulled the sword out of the sheath with his left hand and held it in front of him. "I have no other choice but to terminate you. Fret not; I shall bring your corpse back to your guardian so you can be put to rest with your parents."
Without a warning, he ran towards me as his heels made noise in the silent world. He swung his sword, but I dodged aside in time. I crouched down as I landed on my feet and one hand, feeling the pain in my arm and shoulder again, but I couldn't waste time being hurt. I had to jump back immediately when the figure swung his sword at me again. This time, he managed to cut a few strands of my hair as I dodged the sharp weapon.
The cat and mouse game kept going for a while before I suddenly slipped after miscalculating my last jump. My foot twisted on the slippery floor before I collapsed onto it. I let out a painful grunt as I landed on my right arm, but I had to ignore the immense pain. I had to survive.
I was about to stand up when the figure appeared with his sword raised above me, his shadow covering my figure. "Farewell, Sherry LeBlanc."
This was it. I'm sorry, Papa, Maman, Aki… Everyone… I won't see you again…
All of the sudden, just as the figure was going to stab me, a red force field was formed around me. The sword collided with the force field, causing screeching noise like claws against a blackboard. Red sparkles erupted from where the sword met the shield.
"What?" the figure exclaimed in surprise before he withdrew by jumping backwards. "What is this?" His one eye widened briefly before a chuckle escaped his lips. "I see. The Crimson Dragon is protecting you, Sherry LeBlanc." He sheathed his sword, which surprised me, since he had been determined to kill me moments ago. "How it found its way to this dimension, I do not know. But if it is shielding you, it must mean it has chosen you."
Chosen me? What did that mean?
"I'm unable to terminate you this time, so I shall let you live for now", the figure said as his figure slowly faded away like dissolved water paint. "I wish you the best of luck trying to escape this dimension, Sherry LeBlanc…"
"Wait!" I yelled as I quickly got up on my feet and ran after him. He couldn't just leave me in a world where I had zero chances to survive! "Stop!"
I was just inches away from the figure when his body vanished and my hand slipped through the air where he once stood. I almost lost my balance, but I regained it after losing my chance to return to my world. "Putain! (Damn it!)" I swore loudly in frustration.
I blinked once and suddenly found myself in the cosmos realm again. The Crimson Dragon flew in front of me as I couldn't help but glare at it. "Bring me back to my world, Crimson Dragon!" I demanded. "I must go and eliminate Iliaster once and for all!"
"Even though your life will be at risk?" the Crimson Dragon asked.
"My life was always on the risk, but at least this time I won't be alone! I, Mizoguchi, Aki, and the Signers, we're all on the same side! We will work together to stop the enemy from destroying the world!" I exclaimed determinedly as I clenched my right hand into a fist in front of my face. "I survived so I could become the white knight who can protect the people I care for! I promised my parents and I will keep that promise for the rest of my life!"
The Crimson Dragon's expression never once changed, but I could sense he was satisfied by my answer. "You are a strong individual, just like my Signers and Priestess. I chose them because they all have a dark past, but they were able to overcome it and found strength to change themselves and walk to the path of light." He raised his head as his body emitted a bright light, but it strangely didn't sting my eyes. "I have decided. You shall be blessed by my powers."
The light from the dragon God shone brighter and engulfed both him and me as the cosmos realm was replaced by the white light. I closed my eyes and allowed the heat from the light wrap me as I felt a tingling sensation on my right arm. Then, everything turned black.
XXXXXXXXXX – Estelle's POV
Yusei, Jack, Crow, Bruno, Aki, and I drove to the wasteland where Moment Express was located, only to see it wasn't there anymore. The whole area was surrounded by a digital KEEP OUT fence. It was proof enough that Iliaster had indeed erased Moment Express from existence to cover their tracks. We had no other choice but to drive back to the city with empty hands.
We were around half-way back when I sensed my Mark tingling. I looked at my right arm and noticed the Star Mark was glowing. "Vad står på? (What's going on?)" my Swedish tongue slipped out before I stopped my Duel Runner.
"What's wrong, Estelle?" Yusei asked as soon as he braked next to me.
"Is your Mark glowing too, Yusei?" I asked as I turned to him.
"What is it now, you two?" Jack called in front of us after he and the others stopped their Runners.
"Estelle's Mark suddenly started glowing!" Yusei shouted back.
I watched as my Mark shone along with the six tiny symbols of the Mark of the Dragon. The others walked over to me as the Signers' Marks also started glowing without warning.
"Now our Marks are glowing too?" Crow said.
"But why? The Crimson Dragon isn't with us", Aki pointed out as she looked around.
"Has this happened before?" Bruno wondered.
"Not what I can remember", Yusei shook his head.
The next thing I knew, my Star Mark vanished for a quick moment before it was drawn again, beginning from the top in one line. Except this time, three jagged lines each appeared under the tiny Marks of the Hand and Wings. That had never happened before. Why did the Star Mark change?
"What just happened?" Crow asked.
"We need to hurry back to the garage and ask the twins if their Marks glowed too", Aki suggested.
"Right!" I nodded.
Before the others could run back to their Runners, the ringtone started playing inside my helmet by a call from Luna. "Speak of the devil…", I commented before I pressed the answer button on the dashboard of my Runner. "Estelle."
"Estelle! You and the others need to hurry back!" Luna shouted in a slight panic voice.
"Luna, calm down. What happened?" I asked.
"Give me the phone, Luna…!" I heard Leo's voice in the background along with some struggle before he was heard clearly. "Our Marks glowed just now and as soon as they stopped… She… She…!"
"She?" I repeated.
"SHERRY IS BACK!" Leo screeched in the helmet so loud that my eardrums almost split apart.
XXXXXXXXXX – Normal POV
The group drove on max speed as they hurried back to New Domino City. Aki couldn't believe her ears when Estelle told her what Leo had said, so she was determined to find out whether it was true or not.
They made it to Fountain Plaza in record time and parked the Runners outside before hurrying to the twin doors of the garage. Yusei and Crow threw them open as the rest was right behind them. Aki pushed everyone to the side and forced herself to the front, accidentally knocking Crow down to the ground.
"Ow! Careful, Aki!" Crow shouted irritably from the pavement. "My shoulder has just healed up!"
"Sherry?!" Aki called desperately, the Blackwing Duelist's complaint fallen deaf in her ears. She ran upstairs where she saw the twins, Mizoguchi and Lazar standing next to a tall blonde woman that wore the Bolger & Company uniform. The woman turned around as soon as she heard the name being called.
"Hey", Sherry greeted softly, a small but tired smile was visible on her lips.
Tears accumulated in Aki's eyes. It really was Sherry? In the flesh? Not an illusion? She couldn't help but run toward the blonde woman. "Sherry!" she exclaimed again before she threw her hands around the tall French woman, pulling her into a hug.
"I-It's really you…is it?" Aki whispered softly, before she buried her face into Sherry's right shoulder, who hissed slightly at the contact, but soon relaxed her body. She gently placed her head on top of Aki's, while putting her left arm around the red-head's shoulders. "Yes, Aki. It's really me", she responded softly.
Noticing the hissing sound of the tall woman, Aki couldn't help but worry. "Are you hurt?" Aki asked softly.
"Yusei's futile try to save me hurt my arm and shoulder a bit", Sherry explained, which made Aki instinctively back away a bit, but Sherry wouldn't let her. She pulled the red-head closer to herself with her healthy left arm.
"Not that I'm not glad to see you, but how are you even here, Sherry?" Yusei asked as he and the others had gathered a few meters behind the members of Team Royal Knights. "You were sucked into the wormhole, weren't you?"
"Yes", Sherry confirmed she let go of Aki a bit, who in turn let go of the blonde woman as well. Sherry now only rested one of her hands on one of the red-head's shoulders. "I thought it was the end for me, but…", she turned to Estelle with a slight sour expression. "I was saved by someone."
"Z-one…", Estelle mumbled quietly.
"He used an illusion of my father to coax me into joining his side…", Sherry started, but stopped herself for a second as she recalled the incident in the mysterious dimension. "But I rejected him."
"You rejected him?" Estelle said in surprise.
Sherry nodded before she pulled the Z-ONE card out from a pocket of her Bolger & Company suit. Mizoguchi had given it to her not long after she had returned to the garage. "I remembered an old memory that I forgot a long time ago", Sherry began explaining. "Thanks to that, I found a new light in my path and refused to join Iliaster. Z-one then used another illusion, the leader of the Riding Roids, and tried using that man's sword to kill me. Thankfully, the Crimson Dragon protected me from him. When he realized he couldn't terminate me, he left me alone in this white dimension. I demanded the Crimson Dragon to bring me back and he listened to me…" She pocketed the card before pulling up the right sleeve of her riding suit. "And then…", Sherry continued, pulling the right sleeve of her Bolger & Company suit up, slightly hissing while doing so.
Yusei and the others, minus the twins, Mizoguchi, and Lazar, couldn't help but gasp loudly in surprise when they saw a familiar yet unknown mark on the French's arm. It looked like an upside-down mirror J, except the top resembled the head of a dragon, the bottom a short tail, and three wings on the side.
Estelle recognized the shape immediately. "T-That's…the Mark of the Body!" she exclaimed.
"Mark of the Body?" Yusei repeated.
"Was there ever a Mark like that?" Jack asked.
"I thought there were just six Marks in total, minus the Star Mark", Aki pointed out.
"That's because the Mark never once made an appearance in the anime", Estelle revealed. "I didn't know someone will get it either."
"So… When our Marks glowed… That must've been when Sherry received her Mark!" Crow concluded.
"Possible", Estelle nodded before her eyes widened in realization. "Wait… That might explain the additional lines on my Mark! They represent the Mark of the Body!"
"It was quite a shock when there was a sudden red light in the garage and then… Boom!" Lazar said as he spread his arms. "Sherry LeBlanc is standing in the middle of the garage like nothing has happened."
"Much to my relief", Mizoguchi spoke up, a relieved smile on his face.
"Yeah, it really threw us off guard", Luna nodded. "Leo even tripped in surprise."
"I did not, Luna!" Leo retorted irritably, his reaction causing the others to laugh out loud, releasing the tension in their bodies.
XXXXXXXXXX – Estelle's POV
It was both a relief and surprise that Sherry had returned to us after she rejected Z-one's offer, but I never once expected her to become a Signer. But then again, after thinking about her history, it kind of made sense. She had a tough childhood and had been on the run since she was a little girl. She had to live in the shadows while finding out who was responsible for the LeBlanc murder and why. It was possible Sherry got a change of heart after spending time with the rest of us, especially Aki, and that might have given her a new light in her life.
Deep down in my heart, even back in my world, I always wished for Sherry to become a Signer or a permanent ally for the Signers instead of joining forces with Z-one.
After the whole incident, we settled down in the kitchen and living room while informing Sherry what happened to Moment Express. It had been erased for existence, which upset her immensely.
"Putain! (Damn it!)" Sherry growled before throwing her fist onto the wall next to the stairs. "I had the flash drive with information of Iliaster on me, but Z-one must've taken it from me while I was unconscious. I was so close uncovering the truth…!"
Crow was zapping between the channels so we could check the latest news of what else Iliaster had altered in the present.
"It was dangerous for Iliaster to keep their tracks around, so they erased them including Infinity", Yusei said while standing next to the couch, both he and Bruno still dressed in the Bolger & Company uniforms.
"In the end… The infiltration wasn't a win for us", Bruno added.
"Thanks to Iliaster, it was a waste of time", Jack frowned.
"Hey, guys!" Crow suddenly spoke up. "Check the news!"
We turned to the television as he increased the volume so we could hear what was happening. Angela Raines appeared on the screen with the background clearly showing the interior of an airport. There was a crowd of media behind her, but their focus was on something that was currently off-camera.
"Team New World, the team expected to win the WRGP, just arrived at the airport!" Angela exclaimed before her cameraman turned to the trio of Team New World who were none other than the Three Emperors of Iliaster!
"They're from Iliaster!" Yusei exclaimed in shock.
"Team New World? I didn't know that team existed", Crow commented.
"Jakob, Primo, and Lester altered history so they could appear in the Grand Prix and make them look like they've been part of it ever since the beginning", I explained.
Lazar looked so confused he had no choice but to sit down on the floor next to the couch and leant against the armrest. "What's going on?" he sighed exhaustedly.
Bruno let out a soft gasp when he realized something and hurried to the computer that was set up in a corner of the room. He switched it on and typed on the keyboard as articles of Team New World covered the screen.
"'Since their inception, Team New World has conquered tournaments around the world. They're one of the top Duelist teams. Their popularity and skills are among the world's elite'", Bruno read out loud. "This article is on every website."
"So… Just so I get this right", Leo spoke up. "The memories of everyone in the world are different than ours. Is it because we weren't affected by Infinity?"
"Exactly", I replied. "We know the truth because the Crimson Dragon protected us, Lazar, and Mizoguchi from Iliaster's power."
"Like the time my Mark protected Leo, Yanagi, and Tanner while we were in the Arcadia Movement and Dark Signer Misty summoned her Earthbound Immortal!" Luna exclaimed in realization.
Yusei ran over to Bruno who was still by the computer. "Bring up the brackets", he demanded.
"Okay", Bruno nodded.
A few types later, the bracket of the Grand Prix appeared on the screen. "Look! The tournament is different!" Yusei exclaimed.
"What?" everyone else said in surprise.
We gathered behind the duo while Bruno enlarged the poster of the brackets, revealing the Top 8 teams that had made it to the quarterfinals of the World Racing Grand Prix. The eight current teams were Team New World, Team The Arms, Team Ragnarok, Team Royal Knights, Team Fortune Ark, Team Taiyo, Team 5D's, and Team Black Baron.
"Both our teams are there", Luna stated.
"Don't tell me… Iliaster altered the present to make it seem like the preliminaries of the World Racing Grand Prix are done and we're advancing to the finals?" Sherry said in disbelief.
"Yes", I replied. "It's so they can accelerate to complete their objective sooner."
"That means Clark and the three Iliasters were telling the truth", Yusei said. "They manipulated the past to change the present."
"If the past changed, that explains why Moment Express vanished", Jack said before his expression became serious. "But if Iliaster has that kind of power, why don't they just kill us?"
"That's true", Aki nodded. "If Iliaster thinks we're an obstacle, then the quickest way is to change history and make us disappear." I noticed how Sherry frowned at that remark.
"It's because you Signers are the important chess pieces in their game", I explained. "Iliaster's objective is to bring the Ark Cradle into this era, but they need to complete the Grand Design or the Circuit for the summoning. For that to happen, they need the Ener-D produced by Duels to complete the Circuit and it's possible that the Ener-D you Signers and I produce contains more than the usual amount, hence why Primo built all those Riding Roids, since he knew it would attract Yusei to Turbo Duel and produce a lot of Ener-D."
"Then… Wouldn't it be better if we stepped out of the tournament?" Luna wondered. "If we produce more Ener-D, we can stall them by not Dueling for a while."
"It would just become a time game of when Iliaster finishes completing the Circuit and the Ark Cradle appears in our time", Yusei said with a determined expression. "Just as they said, they've shown up to enter the WRGP. That's why…we will continue participating and stop Iliaster from achieving their goal by defeating them."
"No matter which one of our team will face them, we will crush them once and for all", Sherry said determinedly.
"Estelle? Is everyone here?" Goodwin's voice called from the garage, which surprised me, since I wasn't expecting him to come here.
We turned to the stairs and saw my adoptive father walk up to the kitchen and living room with his hands behind his arms. Lazar immediately saluted him. "Director Goodwin, sir!" the Vice Director called.
"At ease", Goodwin told him before turning his attention on the rest of us. "I assume you all are aware of the changes of the past and the present."
"So you still remember everything, Goodwin?" Yusei asked.
"Yes", Goodwin replied. "I called Ish shortly after the distortion and see how she was fairing. She also remembers the past, meaning Iliaster successfully altered history again."
"How come you and Ish remember the original past?" Crow wondered.
"Since we both were bearers of the complete seal of the Dragon and the Mark of the Crimson Star, we have a certain amount of protection blessed by the Crimson Dragon", Goodwin explained as he kept his poker face. "However, I am here to inform you about something disturbing. The World Racing Grand Prix was close to be canceled."
"What?!" Yusei exclaimed in disbelief.
"Why was the WRGP almost canceled?" Jack asked.
"There was a large amount of complaints against the World Racing Grand Prix after the preliminaries", Goodwin replied. "The organization committee thought it would be better to cancel the tournament. I do not blame them because the main reason was the disaster with the Riding Roids. Iliaster altered history and made that incident happen after the preliminaries instead of disrupting it like what they did."
"But you're part of the committee, right, Goodwin? Were you able to persuade them?" Aki asked.
"Yes, Aki", Goodwin nodded. "Since KaibaCorp and Sector Security are among the organizers, Kaiba and I convinced the rest of the committee to not cancel the Grand Prix after making it this far. It would just be a large backlash and cause more disappointment to the supporters who spent their money traveling to New Domino City."
"So the majority of the fans are still for the Grand Prix?" I asked.
Goodwin nodded before turning to Lazar. "Lazar, I understand if you choose to remain hidden from Iliaster, but I am in desperate need for your help", my adoptive father said. "Will you return to Sector Security and assist me for the rest of the World Racing Grand Prix?"
"Absolutely, Director Goodwin!" Lazar exclaimed determinedly. "I am returning from my long break!"
"Are you sure, Lazar?" Yusei asked. "If you show yourself again, you may be in danger."
Lazar turned around so his coat flew around him. "What's the point of being the Vice Director if I don't come back?" he said with a serious expression. "I've decided to fight against Iliaster!"
"Lazar…", Crow mumbled softly, probably surprised by the clown's change of heart.
"I don't know how helpful you'll be, but if you want to battle alongside us, go ahead", Jack told him.
Lazar's determined expression softened a little bit. "Fudo Yusei, Jack Atlas, Crow Hogan… Though my stay was brief, I learned many things from you while I was here. Thank you", he bowed to the trio before he became serious again. "I'll do whatever it takes to help Director Goodwin so the WRGP can proceed accordingly! Team 5D's! Team Royal Knights! You must win for the future of New Domino City and Satellite!"
"Consider it done!" Sherry exclaimed determinedly. "I won't get deluded by temptations from Iliaster ever again!"
Goodwin moved his right hand to the front and bowed lightly, Lazar mimicking his action. "We welcome the new Signer. As the Director of Sector Security, please protect the city alongside the other Signers, Sherry LeBlanc", the Director said.
"I shall assist you all the way to the finish line, Milady", Mizoguchi said as he slightly bowed to the female blonde.
Aki placed a hand on Sherry's shoulder to get the young adult's attention. "If you have questions about the Mark, you can ask me anytime", she smiled.
Sherry returned the smile with one of her own before she patted Aki's hand. "I appreciate it, Aki", she responded.
Yusei took one step forward. "Sherry", he called. Aki removed her hand from Sherry's shoulder so the blonde could turn around and face my crush. "I know we came to an agreement of being temporary allies in the WRGP before, but now that you're a Signer, we have to work together as a complete team." He held a hand out to Sherry. "Will you help us, not just as a Signer, but also as a friend, Sherry?"
The female blonde looked at the hand offered to her for a short moment before a smirk appeared on her lips and she shook hands with Yusei. "You can count on me, Yusei, everyone."
XXXXXXXXXX
Estelle's new Mark of the Crimson Star can be found on my DeviantArt page.