FicWad

After encountering Akiza aka the Black Rose Witch in the Daimon Area, Yusei drove Leo and Dexter home before returning to Blister's garage. Blister himself packed his stuff and left us before the moon conquered the sky, promising us that he would contact us as soon as he reached Yusei's hideout.

Yusei slept in the garage, just like last night. I got to sleep in Blister's bed while Tanner and Yanagi shared the couch in the apartment. I first offered to let Yanagi sleep in the bed, since he was elderly, but he insisted that I should get proper rest for the Fortune Cup.

I initially couldn't fall asleep because of the many thoughts and questions in my head. To tell the truth, I was worried about the Fortune Cup. Who was I going to replace and who would I end up dueling? Which chain of events who change it's course due to my interference? I tried to shut my brain down and not dwell on it, instead thinking of something pleasant. Soon, my eyes were closed and I was lost in the world of dreams once again.

XXXXXXXXXX

I woke up to the smell of bacon and eggs coming from the apartment, causing my stomach to rumble in hunger. I got out of bed and entered the kitchen, seeing that Tanner had cooked a small feast.

"Mornin', Estelle!" Tanner greeted me as he placed two plates with eggs, bacon and toast on the desk in the middle of the room.

"Good morning..." I yawned while I covered my mouth.

"I'm glad you woke up!" Yanagi grinned as he sat by the desk and ate his share of breakfast. "I was just about to check on you."

"I'm fine, but thank you, Yanagi." I nodded as I rubbed my eyes underneath my glasses. "I'll just wash my face before eating."

"Sure, but you better hurry or the food'll get cold." Tanner said as he went to the door leading out of the apartment. "I'll go get Yusei so he can eat as well."

I went to the bathroom and did my business before returning to the living room and sat down to eat my breakfast. Seconds later, Tanner returned with Yusei who once again didn't have his jacket on. I assumed he woke up early in the morning to check on his Duel Runner again.

"Good morning." I greeted Yusei, secretly eyeing his arms, before looking at my plate of breakfast.

"Morning." He nodded as he sat down next to me.

"Did you sleep well?" I asked him.

Yusei nodded. "Thanks, and I did." He glanced softly from the corner of his eye. "You?"

"Pretty much okay." I confessed. "I had a hard time falling asleep initially."

"Well, at least you got a few hours of rest, Estelle." Tanner commented from the other side of the desk. "You're gonna need a clear head for this tournament."

"That kinda scares me, since I never dueled in a tournament like this before." I told him.

"We're both in the same boat." Yusei commented before eating a piece of bacon.

"Still, I don't like the feelin' I have bout Goodwin." Tanner said while crossing his arms. "He's got some kind of weird obsession with you, Yusei. You need to be careful how you play your cards, and I don't just mean your deck."

"That was a nice pun, Tanner." Yanagi laughed heartily. "I can't wait to see more of your cards, youngsters! Make sure you give everyone a great show!"

"I'll try my best to fulfill that wish, Yanagi." I smiled softly. "After all, I haven't revealed my ace Synchro monster yet."

Yusei stopped what he was doing before turning to me with slightly widened eyes. "You mean, none of the Synchros you've summoned so far are your ace monster?"

"That's correct." I nodded. "Let's just say that my ace Synchro monster...isn't exactly easy to summon."

"Well, look at that! A star can keep her secret safe and sound!" Tanner laughed. "Now I'm curious bout your trump card!"

"Me too!" Yanagi exclaimed in joy. "Maybe it's one of the Signer Dragons!"

"What do you mean, Yanagi?" Yusei questioned him. "Is it because Estelle had a glowing Mark too?"

"Why yes, of course I mean that!" Yanagi nodded. "Estelle must be one of the Signers, just like you and Jack Atlas!"

"But why did Estelle's Mark look like a star?" Tanner asked after sipping some hot coffee from a mug.

"I don't remember the details yet, but maybe Estelle's ace Synchro monster will trigger the gears in my head! After all, I'm gettin' old." Yanagi laughed sheepishly.

"You're not that old, Yanagi." I chuckled. "Your body might be, but not your spirit. You're still very lively."

Yanagi laughed heartily. "Thank you, lass!"

XXXXXXXXXX

Yusei and I drove to the Kaiba Dome on the young man's Duel Runner shortly after finishing breakfast. Ash wasn't far behind on his blue Duel Runner. Tanner and Yanagi took a cab, so we waited for them once we registered ourselves for the Fortune Cup by showing the receptionist our invitation letters. Just as the Facility duo, as I called Tanner and Yanagi, reached the dome, we met up with Leo, Luna and Dexter backstage. Leo introduced us to Luna who was wearing a disguise.

Leo had brought a bag with him, which contained some of Luna's clothes, so he ran to a bathroom to change. It took him five minutes to rejoin us, dressed like Luna. He had his hair tied into two pigtails, and he even went as far as putting on makeup, which made him look more like a clown than a girl.

"Well? What do you think? How do I look, guys?" Leo asked curiously.

"Leo, you're just as good as Luna as Luna is." Yanagi replied with a grin.

"Yahoo!" Leo cheered happily while bouncing up and down.

Luna rolled her eyes before she kicked her brother. "Don't embarrass me!"

"C'mon, Luna. Just chill out. I'm about to make you a dueling legend." Leo patted his sister's shoulder before turning to me and Yusei and speaking with a girly voice. "What do you say, Mr. Amnesia Man, Estelle? Ready?"

The twins and Dexter knew who I was after I introduced myself when we met up in the dome.

"Yup, but I think the makeup should go." Yusei answered.

"Okay, but only if you tell me your name." Leo said.

"You'll find out soon enough."

"Awesome! I bet it's really cool!" Leo grinned, but then that grin was replaced by a yelp when I suddenly crouched down and tried to remove the makeup with a clean tissue. "Hey!"

"Sorry Leo, but you better remove the makeup." I said. "You look more like a clown than a girl."

Leo groaned before he took the handkerchief to wipe the remaining makeup off. "Yeah, thanks Estelle."

XXXXXXXXXX

Yusei, Leo and I shared a locker in the lounge where we put our bags and Duel Disks before we were guided to a platform that would elevate us up to the surface of the duel field for the opening ceremony. I could hear the MC speak to the audience and them cheer loudly for the Fortune Cup. I would be lying if I said I wasn't nervous. I was very nervous. Thousands of people were going to be watching me. I hoped I wouldn't do something embarrassing and become a laughing stock. I've been humiliated so many times during my childhood by bullies who teased me for even the smallest things that I did. I knew I should let go of my past and move on, but the fear was still inside me.

An alarm went off, warning us contestants that the platform was about to elevate. I bent my knees a bit when the platform started rising up to the surface. I stood between Yusei and Leo as we slowly made it out to sunlight.

"Here we go. This is it." Leo commented before he looked around, seeing thousands of people in the dome. "Wow! Look at all the people!"

The audience cheered for us eight contestants. Shira stood next to Leo, and then came Greiger, but due to his giant size, I couldn't see the other contestants.

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

So Commander Koda was missing....meaning I had taken his place in the tournament. Did it mean I would duel Akiza if I made it past the first round? However, I was glad to confirm her name in this dimension.

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

"Yeah."

It wasn't long before the audience started booing and throwing profanities at Yusei because of his criminal mark, chanting "Lose the loser!" Yusei ignored them completely, but I didn't like the fact they were so prejudiced. The MC noticed the change in the atmosphere and didn't know what to do or say, but Greiger beat him to it as he stepped forward and grabbed the microphone out of his hand.

"I have to say something." Greiger announced, causing the audience to become quiet. "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 might have been branded 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. None of that really matters."

Director Goodwin stood up in his seat and started to clap his hands. That caused a chain reaction and the entire dome was now applauding Greiger's speech. The big guy bowed to Goodwin before returning the microphone to the MC and walking back to us, giving Yusei a small nod. Yusei returned it while keeping his poker face. Leo looked touched by Greiger's speech, and I was relieved Greiger was the same as he was in the anime.

"Thank you for those well-chosen and heartfelt words." Goodwin told Greiger before turning his attention to the audience. "In our world, social status and personal wealth draw a line between ourselves and our fellow man. But I had a vision of a duel tournament, that would, if only for a fretful while, remove that line. A tournament separate from the competition of life where the haves and have nots could meet each other on a level playing field and prove themselves to each other and to the world. Fellow duelists, welcome to the Fortune Cup!"

The audience cheered loudly as they were excited to watch the duels. I was glad the animosity was gone and everyone could focus on the duels instead.

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

I looked at the screen that showed the tournament schedule and the images of us eight duelists kept shuffling until they stopped. The duels would proceed like they did in the anime, except I would face the Professor in the first round.

XXXXXXXXXX

Once the opening ceremony ended, we were led to the lounge by the staff to prepare ourselves and wait for our turn to duel. The first duel was going to be between Luna aka Leo and Greiger. They had some time to prepare their Duel Disks and decks before it was showtime. Yusei, Leo and I sat on a couch while Sir Randsborg and Shira sat on another couch. Greiger sat at a table while Akiza sat alone at another table, her back turned to us all. The Professor was nowhere to be seen, which made me suspicious. I never liked him in the anime, especially considering what he did to Luna. Was he going to try to hypnotize and manipulate me as well?

"This Duel Disk you fixed up for me rocks!" Leo told Yusei after inserting his deck into his Duel Disk.

"Glad you like it." Yusei said with a small smile.

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

"Yep. Remember to adapt to your opponent." Yusei told him.

"And remember you're never alone out there on stage." I added. "Believe in your deck and your cards will respond when you need them the most."

"I can do that." Leo nodded with a determined expression on his face.

"Ms. Luna? Mr. Greiger?" A male staff member spoke up from the doorway with a clipboard in his hands. "It's time for your duel."

"Thank you!" Leo called out in a girly voice before turning to me and Yusei. "It's time! Wish me luck!"

With that said, Leo ran out of the lounge while Greiger walked over to the lockers to take his Duel Disk out of one. Once the device was on his left arm, he turned around and walked out of the lounge, looking big and strong. I wasn't the type to be attracted to big, muscular guys. My type was...well you already know.

I turned to Yusei, seeing that he had his poker face. "How do you think Leo will do out there?"

"I don't know what kind of duelist Greiger is, but something tells me he's packed with power." Yusei replied as he turned to me. "If Leo's using his own combos and doesn't adapt to his opponent, he will definitely lose."

XXXXXXXXXX

The duel between Leo and Greiger went like predicted. Leo lost the same way he did in the anime, meaning that Greiger was going to the semi-finals. The young boy entered the lounge with a lowered head and grabbed his bag with his clothes before leaving with a upset aura.

Yusei and I exchanged glances and without saying a word, we walked out to the corridor to meet up with Leo as soon as he was done changing.

"Leo did well." Yusei suddenly said, getting my attention. "He learned how to adapt in the end."

"Greiger was a tough opponent." I added. "He was backed into a corner by his Reactor monsters."

Yusei nodded before narrowing his eyes. "Still, it felt like Greiger was trying to make Leo emotional on purpose. I wonder why."

I nodded softly, knowing what he meant. Greiger was one of the four assassins competing in the Fortune Cup with the purpose of finding the Signers by agitating them during a duel. He failed to do that with Leo, because Luna was in the stands and she was the real Signer.

I looked up after hearing Leo, Luna and Dexter's voices as they walked down the corridor. Leo was back in his own outfit and tied his hair into a ponytail. Luna had removed her disguise now that the duel was over.

"Hey, try and cheer up, Leo." Luna told her still sulking twin brother. "It's not like everyone saw you lose."

"Yeah, she's right." Dexter nodded before grinning. "15,000,000 tops."

"Thanks." Leo replied sarcastically, pouting.

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

The three children noticed me and Yusei, then stopped in their tracks.

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

"No Leo, he didn't mean it that way." I shook my head as I walked over to the children and got down on one knee in front of Leo. "He meant that while you lost, you gained experience for your future duels by learning how to adapt to your opponent. It's not always a bad thing to lose a duel or two."

"Really?" Leo asked, confused.

"Really." I nodded with a small smile. "I know that personally from my past-"

"Excuse me!"

I looked over my shoulder and saw Akiza walk down the corridor with a nonchalant, but cold expression. She walked past Yusei while glaring at him, which he didn't react to. I quickly stood up and moved to the side with the children as Akiza showed no signs of walking past us. She walked forward like she owned the Kaiba Dome.

"What's her problem?" Leo asked, irritably

I couldn't help but feel bad for Akiza. I knew all too well what she went through and how unstable her emotions were deep down in her heart. Emotionally, I was in her position once. I didn't experience the same thing she did with her family, but I knew those feelings.

"Akiza!" I called out, surprising the children who looked at me in disbelief.

Akiza stopped in her tracks and looked over her shoulder, glaring at me for a second before they displayed confusion. She didn't say a single word.

I smiled gently. "Good luck out there. Show that knight who the queen is."

Akiza was briefly surprised with my encouragement before she glared at me again and walked away without a word.

"That was so rude!" Leo growled. "She could've said something back!"

"It's okay, Leo." I told him. "She might have given me the silent treatment, but I'm sure my words are embedded in her heart."

"Still, she didn't deserve that." Leo shrugged his shoulders.

"Even the worst and lowest human being deserves a ounce of kindness." I shook my head.

"You're strange, Estelle." Luna noted before a smile formed on her lips. "But in a good way."

I smiled back at Luna before looking at the empty corridor. I knew I couldn't interfere that much with the story line, since it was Yusei's duty to free Akiza from the darkness and Sayer's grip before he abused her and her psychic powers, but I wanted to help out somehow, even if it only meant saying a few words to her as encouragement or get her to think for herself.

XXXXXXXXXX

Yusei and I felt Akiza's painful emotions in our arms throughout the duel. When she Synchro summoned Black Rose Dragon, the pain got worse, but it quickly faded when her heart and emotions settled down at the end of the duel. However, the panic in the audience only increased when they realized Akiza was the mysterious Black Rose Witch and spouted profanities at her for being a cursed individual. That really upset me, but I kept my anger at bay. People could be really prejudiced and criticize a person quickly without getting to know them first. It's the same thing with people that have neurological disorders like autism, Aspergers Syndrome, ADHD and more. There was more to us than what was shown on the outside.

As soon as the duel ended, I headed over to the lockers to get my Duel Disk and deck. I inspected it and changed a few spell and trap cards around before inserting it into the Duel Disk. I even removed Star Eater from the Extra Deck, sensing that it wasn't a good idea to use him in the first round of the Fortune Cup.

I let out a soft sigh as I closed the locker door and walked back to the couch Yusei was sitting on. Greiger joined us during Akiza and Randsborg's duel to start a conversation. He occasionally asked us if we had a mystical bond with Akiza when we said that she would win the duel. It felt like he was trying to find clues about me and Yusei being Signers and report it to Goodwin.

I stood behind the couch while the big television screen in the lounge showed the paramedics running out onto the duel field to take care of Sir Randsborg. Akiza left the duel field with a poker face, ignoring the boos and profanity from the audience.

"This could be the last time we see Sir Randsborg duel." Greiger commented as the paramedics carried Sir Randsborg away on a stretcher. "He's lucky to be alive."

My eyes widened slightly after he said that. Did it mean that Akiza actually killed people with her psychic powers? I couldn't believe she was a murderer. She was just a unstable woman who needed the right people to help her.

I felt a cold chill run down my spine, sensing that someone was looking at me. I turned around and saw that the lounge was mostly empty. Shira had left at some point during the second duel. Two staff members stood in a corner talking to each other. The Professor never entered the lounge at all. Was he planning something behind my back?

"You okay, Estelle?" Yusei spoke up, probably sensing that I was nervous.

I turned and noticed he and Greiger were looking at me with concerned expressions.

"I'm fine." I smiled softly. "Just getting a bit nervous."

"Don't worry so much." Greiger told me. "Duelists usually forget that there's a audience when they start to duel. Just focus on your opponent."

"I'll try. Thanks for the advice, Greiger." I nodded.