FicWad

I took a quick shower before the twins and I headed to the Kaiba Dome by cab. We met up with Yusei, Yanagi, Tanner and Dexter backstage to mingle before it was time for us contestants to attend the opening ceremony.

Leo ran to the bathroom for a moment, and to tell you the truth...he looked ridiculous when he returned with makeup on, trying to look like a girl. He had even replaced his clothes with Luna's.

"Well? What do you think? How do I look, guys?" Leo asked, his usual ponytail replaced by two pigtails.

"Leo, you're just as good as Luna as Luna is." Yanagi grinned.

"Yahoo!" Leo exclaimed happily, jumping up and down.

Luna kicked him to calm him down. "Don't embarrass me!" She was wearing a disguise with a hat to hide her pigtails.

"Come on, Luna. Just chill out. I'm about to make you a dueling legend." Leo assured his sister before turning to me and Yusei to speak in a girly voice. "What do you say, Mister Amnesia Man, Estelle? Ready?"

"No." I shook my head. "You're not going anywhere looking like that."

I knelt down to Leo's level and started wiping the makeup off with a tissue.

"Why not?" Leo whined while closing his eyes.

"Two reasons." I answered. "One, you look more like a clown than a girl with the makeup. Two, if the admins are aware of your family, they might become suspicious about a 11 year old girl wearing makeup."

"I agree with Estelle." Luna said. "I wouldn't wear any makeup now, but maybe I would when I get older."

"Okay, okay, I get it!" Leo sneezed after I finished wiping the makeup off his face.

I chuckled at the boy before standing up and throwing the tissue into a nearby trash can. "Now I think we're ready."

"Sweet!" Leo grinned before turning to Yusei. "By the way, what's your name, Mister Amnesia Man?"

"You'll find out soon enough." Yusei told him.

"Awesome! I bet it's really cool." Leo smiled.

XXXXXXXXXX

I was standing with Leo on my left and Yusei on my right as we were being lifted up to the stage. I started to feel very nervous. Thousands of people were going to watch me and I didn't exactly have the confidence to be the main star.

Leo looked around excitedly while we were on the surface. "Wow! Look at all the people!"

The audience cheered loudly for us eight contestants. I was a bit surprised there were only eight just like in the anime. Did it mean I was taking someone's place?

I glanced at Jack who glared at Yusei. When I looked at the raven-haired man, I noticed he was also glaring at the blonde-haired man. You could feel the tension between them.

The MC started introducing the contestants. "Now, let's hear it for the always mysterious Shira, the great Greiger, the Professor, Ms. Akiza Inzinski, Sir Randsborg, the lovely Ms. Luna, Ms. Estelle Malmstrom and Yusei Fudo."

Okay, so I was replacing Commander Koda. That meant I would face Akiza if I made it past the first round.

"So your name's Yusei?" Leo asked Yusei.

"Yep." He replied. "Now, don't wear it out."

"That's not much of a super hero name, is it?"

"Super what?"

"Never mind."

The audience began shouting profanities at Yusei who ignored them completely, but Greiger walked forward and took the mic from the MC's hand.

"I have something to say." Greiger announced, causing the crowd to become silent. "My name is Greiger. I know things are different in this city, but where I come from you judge a guy on his spirit." He turned around to point at Yusei. "This kid right here may be considered by you people as a no good, but when I look at him all I see is a duelist." He turned back to the audience. "And being a duelist myself, that means I have to respect him until he gives me a reason not to. Because a duelist doesn't judge another duelist based on where he comes from, or who his family is, or how much money he has. That isn't what really matters."

Director Goodwin stood up from his seat and started clapping his hands, which resulted in everyone in the dome beginning to clap after Greiger's speech.

Greiger bowed to Goodwin before he walked back to where he was standing and returned the mic. "Here's your mic."

The MC accepted it, a bit surprised. "Thank you..."

"Thank you for those well-chosen and heartfelt words." Goodwin told Greiger, making me roll my eyes, since I knew that he didn't really mean it. "In our world, social status and personal wealth draw a line between ourselves and our fellow man. But I had a vision of a tournament that would, if only for a little while, remove that line. A tournament separate from the competition of life where the haves and the haves not could meet each other on a level playing field and prove themselves to each other and the world. Fellow duelists, welcome to the Fortune Cup!"

The audience cheered loudly, excited to see the duels.

"And now, let's turn to the bracket shuffler." The MC announced. "And find out who's dueling who in the first match."

The duels turned out like this; Luna (Leo) vs Greiger, the Professor vs Estelle (me), Yusei vs Shira and Sir Randsborg vs Akiza.

But that meant I would face Greiger instead of Akiza if I defeated the Professor in the first round.

"Look! I'm facing Greiger in the very first duel!" Leo shouted excitedly.

"And I'll be in the second duel? I'm usually the last one in a competition." I muttered.

XXXXXXXXXX

We duelists were led to the lounge where we waited for our duels to start. Almost all of us sat together, but Akiza was by herself with a drink. I couldn't help but sneak a glance at her occasionally. She reminded me of how lonely I used to be.

Yusei, Leo and I sat on the couches close to the screen that showed the dome and the audience that was ready for some excitement.

Leo inserted his deck into his Duel Disk. "This Duel Disk you fixed up for me rocks!"

"Glad you like it." Yusei smiled.

Leo smiled. "I can't believe I'm actually about to do this. You don't have like any last minute pointers for me, do you?"

"Yup." Yusei nodded. "Remember to adapt to your opponent."

"And remember you're never alone on the stage." I added. "Believe in your deck and your cards will respond when you're in a critical situation."

"Okay." Leo nodded.

"Ms. Luna?" A staff member spoke up from the doorway. "It's time to go."

"Thank you!" Leo shouted in a girly voice before turning to me and Yusei. "I can do it!" With that said, the boy ran off for the duel.

I chuckled. "He's excited like usual. I just hope he won't be disappointed when he loses."

Yusei turned to me. "What makes you say that?"

I sighed. "Leo has a tendency to get upset every time he loses a duel. Last time I dueled him and won, he became very angry and refused to talk to them until later in the evening. I can't blame him, though. He's still a child."

Yusei nodded. "I used to get upset when I lost too, but then I realized I can learn from my mistakes and rethink my strategies."

I turned to Yusei with a smile. "That's exactly how I see things too when I lose."

We shared another smile before we turned our attention to the first duel between Leo and Greiger.

XXXXXXXXXX

Leo had just finished his first turn when I felt a migraine coming. I clutched my head and moaned slightly, feeling a little bit dizzy too.

"Estelle? What's wrong?" Yusei asked, concerned.

"Just a migraine." I replied with a smile. "Nothing serious."

Yusei eyed me for a minute before he nodded and turned back to the screen.

XXXXXXXXXX

Greiger had summoned all three Reactor monsters to the field and Leo was becoming scared, tears gathering in his eyes.

"Don't get scared, Leo." Yusei said.

I let out a sigh of relief when I felt the migraine lighten up, but then I felt a stabbing sensation in my brain, causing me to gasp in pain.

Yusei's attention was turned to me once again.

"Estelle?" He asked, worried.

"It's getting worse." I groaned as I clutched my head.

"Do you need to go the infirmary?" Yusei asked me.

I shook my head gently. "No...I just need to lie down."

I was about to stand up and lay down on the couch opposite of us when Yusei grabbed my arm and made me lay down on the couch, my head resting on his lap.

"Y-Yusei?" I stuttered with a blush.

"You should rest before your duel, Estelle." Yusei told me with a comfortable smile. "I'll wake you up when Leo's duel is over."

I nodded shyly. "Okay." With that said, I closed my eyes and let myself wander into the land of dreams.

XXXXXXXXXX

I opened my eyes to find myself in a place I didn't recognize at first. It was a forest with emerald green trees that reflected sunlight. Small fairies were flying around in the air, their wings leaving shiny powder behind.

"Vanta lite...Ar inte det har...Duel Monsters varld? (Wait a moment...isn't this...the world of Duel Monsters?)"

"So you have finally arrived, Priestess."

I looked around to find the source of the voice. "Who's there?"

The fairies started dancing around me as two of them waved their hands for me to follow them. I walked after them as we went deeper into the forest. I looked around once again to see that everything seemed fine, but there was something in the atmosphere that didn't feel right.

The fairies led me to a open landscape with a sea of grass. In the middle of the plains was a dragon that I recognized immediately.

"The Crimson Dragon."

"I was waiting for you to meet me here in the world of Duel Monsters."

When I listened closely, the Crimson Dragon had a deep, baritone voice that reminded me of Peter Cullen's portrayal of Optimus Prime in the Bayverse films. But it wasn't the same voice.

"W-waiting for me? I don't understand."

"I am the one who brought you to this dimension because you have a purpose that you must fulfill."

"A purpose?"

I suddenly felt a strong wind ruffle my hair and clothes, making me hold my hair so it wouldn't get in my face.

"We do not have much time...I will explain everything later when we are not disturbed, Priestess."

"Priestess? What do you mean by that?"

"You must return...It is almost time for your duel."

I wanted to ask the Crimson Dragon one more question when I felt my soul float away from the world of Duel Monsters.

XXXXXXXXXX

I groaned as I slowly opened my eyes. I saw Yusei staring at the screen with a poker face. I rested my eyes for a few seconds before I noticed that I no longer had a headache. I didn't even feel the aftermath I usually had whenever I had headaches.

I moved a little before I sat up and looked at the screen. "Who won?"

"Greiger. He's a tough duelist." Yusei answered.

"And Leo's reaction?"

"Well...he was shocked to say the least."

I nodded before I stood up and walked over to a locker that contained my bag and Duel Disk. Before I put the Duel Disk on my arm, I tied my hair into a high ponytail with a black elastic ribbon.

When I was ready, Yusei followed me to the hallway to meet up with Leo. We waited by a corner when the young man turned to me.

"How's your headache?" Yusei asked me.

"It's better, thanks." I replied. "I just hope it won't return during my duel."

"Just take it easy and don't get nervous." Yusei advised.

"Easy for you to say." I retorted calmly. "I'm not used to being the main attraction."

I was getting more nervous as time ticked by. I felt my hands becoming sweaty so I had to wipe them on my jeans.

"Focus on the duel and it will be fine." Yusei instructed.

I looked up at him to see a small smile on his lips.

"I'll try." I shyly nodded, returning the smile.

Soon we heard the three voices of Leo, Luna and Dexter as they approached us. Leo was still sulking after his loss. He had changed back into his own clothes and had tied up his hair into a ponytail. Luna had discarded her disguise at this point now that the duel was over.

"Try to cheer up, Leo." Luna told him. "It's not like everyone saw you lose."

"Yeah, she's right." Dexter agreed. "Like 15,000,000 tops."

If this was a anime for real, then I would have sweat dropped after that comment.

"Thanks." Leo replied sarcastically.

"It's not a loss if you learned something." Yusei spoke up. "Now you know more than you did before, right Leo?"

The three children finally noticed us.

"Yeah, more about losing. I just can't wait to use that in my next match." Leo frowned.

"No Leo, he didn't mean it like that." I shook my head. "He means you learned more about how to adapt to your opponent. While you lost, you gained more experience for your future duels. So it's not always bad to lose a game."

"Huh? Really?" Leo tilted his head, looking confused.

I nodded. "Let's take myself as a example. When I was young and went to elementary school, I was bullied day in and day out." The others looked at me, surprised. "Of course, I didn't take it well and struggled every day at school because of the other students, and I felt weak. But now, after growing up, I realized I learned something from the situation."

"What was it?" Luna asked curiously.

I smiled. "I learned how to ignore the bullies in the future AKA I received experience that the bullies never got and that will make them weaker if they get bullied one day. So my motto is; 'Bad experiences in the past will become good experiences in the future.'."

"Sounds logical to me." Dexter smiled.

"Ms. Estelle Malmstrom." The loudspeakers sparked to life in the hallway. "We ask you to head to the stage now."

"That's my cue." I sighed.

"I know you can win, Estelle!" Leo encouraged me. "You defeated all those guys in the Daimon Area yesterday without breaking a sweat. You can do it!"

"Leo's right!" Luna nodded.

I felt calmer now after the twins encouraged and believed in me. I nodded before walking off, but not without waving to them. "Wish me luck, guys."

"You can win, Estelle!" Dexter hollered as I rushed to the stage.

I suddenly felt lighter in my heart. All my nervousness disappeared just like that. Maybe because I felt the warmth coming from my deck. My Duel Monsters would be there by my side and maybe the Crimson Dragon was watching over me.