Po-Ni-Oh! 5D’s: The Stars Are the Limit

Chapters

Episode 2: Scrapyard Showdown
Episode 3: Colossal Odds
Episode 4: A Match for the Record Books
Episode 1: Acceleration!

Episode 2: Scrapyard Showdown

Author's Note

Okay, wow. I don't even know what to say. This has been my most well received story so far. In only a few days, it's already doing better than Zexal, and that's been up for months. So from the bottom of my heart... thank you.

Whoa, I got a little cheesy there. Sorry. Next important episode is already in the works, and Zexal might be taking a break for a little bit. In the meantime, enjoy this shortish filler!

Episode 2: Scrapyard Showdown

Soarin, knowing that the old workshop location was probably compromised since Sector Security had found it, drove his D-Wheel to the other side of Satellite, where they had a backup garage in case of situations like this. He breathed a sigh of relief when he pulled in and saw that Thunderlane, Clear Skies, and Rumble had all made it there safely. “Good news. I managed to shake security,” he told them, setting his helmet down on a workbench and standing up from the bike. “They should leave us alone for a while as long as we stay out of trouble.”

Thunderlane sighed. “We know that staying out of trouble isn’t an option for us,” he muttered.

“I’m just glad you’re out of danger,” Rumble said with a smile.

“Me too,” Soarin said, fixing the kid with a stern glare. “But I hope you realize that I wouldn’t have been in danger in the first place if you hadn’t stolen that control chip.”

Rumble looked away ashamedly. “I know,” he said. “I just wanted you to get to Spitfire by any means necessary!”

“Even dropping down to her level?” Soarin asked.

Rumble opened his mouth to give a rebuttal, but he paused when those words sunk in. “I… didn’t think of it like that…”

“Obviously,” Soarin replied. “And it’s not just that. You put yourself at risk, too. They already put a marker on you, and security isn’t gonna be fairer with you just because you’re a kid.” He glanced at the yellow mark on Rumble’s cheek, just below his left eye. “You have too much ahead of you to be thrown in prison now. The card Spitfire stole from us represents the bond we share, and I’m going to retrieve that bond. I can promise you that. Don’t go doing stupid things like this again.”

“I promise I won’t,” Rumble said, nodding once. “I’m really sorry, Soarin.”

“It’s okay, Rumble. I forgive you,” Soarin said. He smiled at his young friend and ruffled his hair. “Now, I have a few more tests to run before I’m ready to head into the city. Wanna help me out?”

Rumble’s face broke into a wide smile. “Heck yeah I do!”

[Meanwhile…]

Spitfire sat in her penthouse, looking over her cards. Some of them, she had had since her days in Satellite. One in particular, Stardust Dragon, she had since the day she got out of Satellite. That had been the day she had left all her friends behind to come to Neo Canterlot City and become what she is now.

But what exactly was she? Yes, she was the Queen of the Course, but she always felt that there was something else. Something that had to do with her dragon cards. Setting Stardust Dragon down, she held up her Red Dragon Archfiend. As she looked at it, her eyes drifted down to her right forearm and the red mark it bore. It was a strange symbol, neither a tattoo nor a birthmark, looking sort of like the wings of a dragon. She had that mark for as long as she could remember, and whenever she summoned her ace monster, it seemed to itch a bit.

She sighed. “Why would Red Dragon Archfiend be connected to that mark? It’s just a card,” she said to herself. But she knew that to a Duelist, a card was never just a card. Soarin had been the one to teach her that. When she thought about that, she was reminded of the first time the two of them had Dueled each other years ago…

Flashback…

“I’ll equip my Red Dragon Archfiend with Axe of Despair! Archfiend, attack Stardust Dragon and finish Soarin off!”

“You may defeat me either way, but I won’t let Stardust go down!” Soarin shouted. “I play Half Shut!” The attack landed, and it caused an explosion that threw Soarin back a few feet, and he landed heavily on his back.

Spitfire rolled her eyes. “You tried to protect your cards that entire match and didn’t give a damn about your Life Points,” she observed. “Why do you play that way?”

“Because they’re more than just cards to me,” Soarin answered as he stood back up. “Don’t you feel a special connection to your deck?”

“That is a weird mentality,” Spitfire said bluntly. “And yet so much like you. But you have to watch out for yourself. No use protecting the cards if you lose.”

“But it takes skill to keep my cards protected without damaging myself,” said Soarin. “And I definitely have the drive to find that winning strategy.”

“With an attitude like that, you could go far someday as long as you had the ability to back it up,” Spitfire replied. “If only we weren’t stuck in this heap forever.”

“But we won’t be. Not as long as we have hope.”

End flashback…

Spitfire shook her head. “Why am I thinking about Soarin so much all of a sudden?” she asked herself. “I haven’t thought about him in two years, and now suddenly he’s on my mind all the time. Maybe we do have some kind of connection…?” She sighed. “I’m going for a ride. That always clears my head.”

[The next day…]

Rumble looked up from a computer and grinned as Soarin pulled back into the garage after another test. “Levels are holding. I think it’s just about ready to make the trip.”

Soarin nodded in agreement. “We’ll run a few more tests just to be safe. Thunderlane and Clear Skies should also look over the machine when they get back. A second opinion always counts.”

Speaking of those two, they ran back into the workshop, panting and looking frightened. “We have company,” Clear Skies warned. “Some guys we ran into at the scrapyard are coming, and they are pissed off.”

“Why is that?” Soarin asked.

“Because we literally ran into them. We knocked them over and made a break for it,” said Thunderlane. “And I don’t think they’re ready to accept our apology.”

No sooner did he say that than the door was broken down by three muscular guys, all of whom had markers like Rumble’s, but more of them. The one who was obviously the leader had three; one under each eye that curved around his cheekbones, and one on his chin. “You’re gonna pay for what you did!” he growled at the two engineers.

Soarin stepped between them. “Leave them alone. It was a mistake,” he said.

“Sorry, but no one crosses Crusher and gets away with it,” said the leader, whose name was apparently Crusher. He then glanced to the back of the garage and smirked. “Of course… I might let it slide just this once if you give me that D-Wheel.”

“Not a chance!” Rumble shouted. “Soarin worked too hard on that to just give it up!”

“Seems like a fair trade,” said Soarin, causing everyone to stare at him in disbelief. “But I have a better idea. We Duel. If I win, you forget about what my friends did. If you win, the D-Wheel is yours.” He walked over to the D-Wheel and pressed a button, causing the screen to disconnect from the vehicle’s main body and become a regular Duel Disk. After strapping it on, inserting his deck, and extending the solid vision card tray, he turned to face Crusher again.

“A hybrid machine, huh?” Crusher said. “Alright, I accept your challenge.” He activated his own Duel Disk. “I’m gonna enjoy demolishing you.”

“Let’s Duel!”

Soarin
LP: 4000; Hand: 5
Crusher
LP: 4000; Hand: 5

“I’ll go first,” Soarin said. “I’ll warn you, though. I defeated a high-ranking officer of Sector Security.”

Crusher snorted derisively. “Big deal. That only makes you a big shot on their hit list. Just take your turn so I can win already.”

Soarin shrugged. “Alright, you asked for it,” he said. “I set two cards facedown, then put a monster in defense mode. That’ll be all.” The enlarged projections of his facedowns appeared, hovering a couple inches above the floor.

Soarin
LP: 4000; Hand: 2
Crusher
LP: 4000; Hand: 5

Crusher laughed. “Is that really the best you can do?! That’s hilarious!” he taunted. “My turn. I draw!” The card he drew brought a smirk to his face. “You’re about to see my raw strength. I summon Scrap Hunter!” A monster made entirely of scrap metal with tank treads for legs rose from the ground. “Since I have a Scrap monster on the field, I can summon out my Scrap Orthros! Since it was summoned this way, I have to destroy a Scrap monster on the field.” A mechanical canine with two heads leapt into place and sank its teeth into Scrap Hunter.

Soarin frowned. “Interesting monsters. Why would you summon that Orthros if it meant destroying your other monster?”

“Because I have no use for the weaker monster. Besides, when a monster I control is destroyed, I can Special Summon Interplanetarypurplythorny Dragon from my hand!” Crusher replied, slapping another card on his Duel Disk, causing a large dragon with black scales and purple spike to descend.

“Well, that’s a mouthful,” Soarin replied.

“And it’s gonna have a mouthful of your monster!” Crusher said with a sneer. “Interplanetary, attack the facedown!” His dragon shot a blast of energy at the monster, causing an explosion. But when the dust settled, the monster was revealed to be a small pink bird and completely unharmed.

“Nice try, but my Sonic Chick can’t by destroyed by battle with your dragon since it has more than 1900 attack points!” Soarin informed the Scrap user.

“Then it’s a good thing my Scrap Orthros has 1700!” Crusher said as his monster charged in.

“I activate Scrap-Iron Scarecrow to keep my monster safe a little longer!” Soarin countered. “And the best part is this trap sets itself facedown again after I use it!”

Crusher snarled. “There’s no use keeping that weak monster safe. For now, I end my turn.”

Soarin
LP: 4000; Hand: 2
Crusher
LP: 4000; Hand: 3

“My move, then!” said Soarin. “I draw! And I’m activating Graceful Charity! This spell card allows me to draw three cards, so long as I discard two afterwards.” He looked over the cards he drew before nodding once. “I’m discarding Speed Warrior and Digitron. Now, I summon the tuner monster Junk Synchron!” His small orange monster appeared, a determined look on its face. “With his special ability, he can bring back Digitron in defense mode!”

“Why are you summoning so many weaklings?” Crusher asked, his eyes narrowed.

“There’s no such thing as a weak monster if you know what you’re doing,” Soarin replied. “I’m equipping my Sonic Chick with Synchro Boost, giving it 500 attack points—!”

“Still not strong enough,” Crusher interrupted.

“AND one level!” Soarin finished. “Level three Junk Synchron tunes my now level two Sonic Chick!” The Synchron revved its motor and launched itself into the air as it morphed into the three green tuning rings, and Sonic Chick flew into the rings, turning into two stars. “The stars come together to form a new power! Become the light that shows the way!” Soarin chanted as the beam of light illuminated the garage. “I Synchro Summon! Come forth! Junk Warrior!”

Crusher took a step back. “It’s stronger than both of my monsters…!”

“And it’s about to get even stronger thanks to Digitron, a monster that you called weak!” Soarin said, grinning slightly. “When Junk Warrior is Synchro Summoned, it gains the attack points of all the level two or lower monsters that I control at the time! Digitron’s 1500 will bring Junk Warrior from 2300 to 3800! Now, Junk Warrior, use your scrap fist to attack his Orthros!”

Crusher grunted, wincing as his monster was punched into oblivion. “He used three weaklings to make a monster that I can’t beat the way I am now…!” he growled in frustration.

“I’ll play one last facedown and end my turn there,” Soarin concluded.

Soarin
LP: 4000; Hand: 0
Crusher
LP: 2900; Hand: 3

Crusher whipped a card out from his Duel Disk as the turn was passed over to him. “You’re gonna suffer for that!” he shouted. “I sacrifice my dragon to summon Scrap Golem!” His new monster seemed to be made mostly of old, very rusty appliances, and it stood at least three feet taller than Junk Warrior. “I activate Scrap Golem’s special ability! Once per turn, I can revive a level four or lower Scrap monster, so I’m putting my Orthros back together!”

“Why would you put them in attack mode?” Soarin wondered. “They’re just easy targets for Junk Warrior now.”

“Then I’ll just have to destroy it,” said Crusher. “I activate Double Summon to bring out my Scrap Goblin! And now, level three Scrap Goblin tunes level five Scrap Golem!”

Soarin gasped. “What?!”

“I Synchro Summon! You’re about to see a pretty nasty beast! Rise, Scrap Dragon!” Crusher yelled, and a large dragon made of rusty metal swooped in. “I’ll play Scrap Dragon’s special ability, destroying one card on my field and one card on yours! I have to give up my Orthros, but you’ll have to say goodbye to your little scarecrow!” His monster unleashed a flurry of metal shards, wiping out the aforementioned cards. “And when a Scrap effect destroys Orthros, I can take a Scrap monster from my Graveyard and add it to my hand. Welcome back, Scrap Hunter.”

“Irritating, but not devastating,” Soarin said.

“Oh, but it will be,” Crusher said with a smirk. “When I equip Scrap Dragon with Megamorph to double its attack points to 5600!”

Rumble gasped. “Oh no! Without his Scrap-Iron Scarecrow, Soarin will take a hit!”

“I won’t let Junk Warrior be defeated so easily!” said Soarin. “I’m using my facedown quick play spell Half Shut! For the rest of this turn, Junk Warrior may lose half of his attack point, but he can’t be destroyed!”

“I remember this card,” said Thunderlane. “He used it to protect Stardust Dragon long ago, even though it cost him the match.”

“And it looks like the same thing is gonna happen with Junk Warrior,” said Clear Skies. “When those attacks land, he’ll be running on fumes.”

Crusher laughed. “That’s just pathetic. I can reduce your Life Points to almost nothing with a single attack. Scrap Dragon, attack Junk Warrior!”

Soarin didn’t even flinch as the two metal monsters mounted their attack. “I’m still waiting to be impressed.”

This certainly got Crusher pretty angry. “Stop being so smug! You’ve lost!”

“Not as long as I still have Life Points,” said Soarin. “By the way, your Scrap Dragon is looking a little sluggish.”

“What are you…?” Crusher started to say as he looked up at his now exhausted-looking monster, then down at his Duel Disk’s screen, and his eyes went wide. “Huh?! How is it down to 1400 attack?!”

“You need to know your own card effects,” said Soarin. “Megamorph only doubles a monster’s attack points while you have less Life Points than your opponent. Now that you’re in the lead, your dragon is falling behind.”

Thunderlane grinned. “So there were two reasons why he used Half Shut,” he realized. “To intentionally lower his own Life Points enough to trigger the negative effects of Megamorph…”

“And to keep Junk Warrior around to win it for him next turn!” Rumble finished. “That big guy never saw it coming!”

Crusher narrowed his eyes. “I end my turn…” he hissed.

Soarin
LP: 300; Hand: 0
Crusher
LP: 2900; Hand: 1

“My turn!” Soarin said, drawing his next card with a flick of the wrist. “I switch Digitron to attack mode and attack Scrap Dragon with it!” His small monster fired a little digital blast at the enormous Scrap Dragon, destroying it easily.

“I never thought I would see this happen,” Crusher breathed. “My powerful dragon was taken down by a little guy.”

“And now, you’ll go down with it,” Soarin declared. “Junk Warrior, attack directly! Scrap fist attack!”

Winner: Soarin

Crusher deactivated his Duel Disk and grinned. “Well, a deal’s a deal. You’re off the hook this time. Just make sure your buddies don’t bump into me again,” he said as he turned around to leave. “And whatever you need to do with that D-Wheel that’s so damn important, good luck. As for me, I’ll keep in mind what you said about there being no weak monsters.” With that, he took his two cronies and exited the workshop.

Clear Skies sighed quietly. “Glad they’re out of here. But I’m gonna have to replace the door now.”

“And now I know for sure that I’ve gotten strong enough to do this,” Soarin added. “Now we just need to finish putting the D-Wheel through its testing phases, and then it’ll be off to Neo Canterlot City with me. Spitfire will regret the day she turned against us soon enough.”

Thunderlane nodded. “Your day of reckoning is at hand, Spitfire.”

Speaking of whom, Spitfire paused in the middle of another one of her rides and glanced toward the horizon and the skyline of Satellite, as if she could sense what her old friends were doing. “Hurry up if you’re coming,” she muttered. “This is gonna be a match for the ages.”

Episode 3: Colossal Odds

Author's Note

Here's the next episode for y'all! It was a fun one to write, especially considering I got to bring in one of my favorite cards. Freaking love Colossal Fighter.

Quick shoutout to my new friend Aerodragon2 for helping me edit this one. Thanks for the input, dude! It was on his recommendation that I started including monster stats as well.

Anyway, enjoy!

Episode 3: Colossal Odds

Flash Sentry was at the headquarters of Sector Security, pleading with the chief. “Let me go after him again!” he said. “He’s up to something, and I can catch him in the act! I just need your authorization!”

The chief frowned. “And how can I be sure that you don’t just want to settle your grudge with him?” he asked. “You are infamously petty about these things, Officer Sentry.”

“Why else would he have that D-Wheel?” Flash asked. “Just give me one chance.”

After a moment of silent consideration, the chief nodded. “Very well. But I’m giving your deck an upgrade for this mission,” he said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a few Duel Monsters cards.

Flash took the cards and gasped quietly. “Wow… these cards are incredible…” He smirked as he looked back up at the chief. “They’re perfect. I won’t fail you, sir. This time, Soarin is going down.”

Actually, Soarin was going over the data from his D-Wheel’s tests at the moment. “Everything is stable,” he said when he had concluded examining the numbers and charts on the computer screen. “And velocity is where we need it to be. Tonight is going to be the night we pull this off, I can feel it.”

Thunderlane grinned. “Great. You can finally get back the card and D-Wheel.”

“We should go over the plan one more time,” Clear Skies said, pulling up maps and schematics of the Satellite area on another screen. He pointed to a spot near the shore, at the base of an unfinished bridge. “The pipeline where all the junk from the city comes in has an opening here. It constantly has trash going through it, except for a short window of time at exactly midnight when they shut it down for maintenance. It’s a small window, so you have to move fast. We’ll be tracking you the whole way to make sure you get through, but we’ll lose radio connection once you reach the city.”

Soarin nodded in confirmation. “Right. But before I go, I wanna thank you all for helping me every step of the way.”

“Hey, it was no sweat,” said Thunderlane. “Spitfire wronged all of us. We want this just as much as you do.”

Rumble pulled something out of his jacket and handed it to Soarin. “Let me help one last time,” he said. “Take this as a good luck charm.”

Soarin looked at the card in surprise. “The Calculator? But you love that card.”

“That’s why I’m giving it to you,” said Rumble. “So a part of me can be by your side when you win.”

There was a moment of hesitation. Then Soarin took the card and slipped it into his deck with a smile. “I’ll make sure it gets put to good use,” he promised, putting his helmet on. “I’ll see you when this is over.” He hopped on his D-Wheel and rode off toward the pipeline.

But he had no idea that he was being followed. Flash was scanning for active D-Wheels nearby, and he got a blip on his screen. “I have you now, Satellite scum.”

It was nearly midnight when Soarin arrived at the pipeline. He had only a minute before the maintenance began. As he watched, the flow of trash from the opening soon stopped. It was now or never. He went full throttle and zoomed forward. “I’m in,” he said into the headset equipped into his helmet.

“Excellent. It should be smooth sailing from here,” Clear Skies replied.

“Wait. We have something else on the radar,” said Thunderlane. “It’s right behind you.” Then there was nothing but static. They had lost contact.

Soarin glanced over his shoulder and groaned. Flash was in hot pursuit. “Pull over and surrender, Soarin!” he ordered. “It’s forbidden for Satellites to enter the city!”

“I don’t have the time or patience to deal with you right now,” Soarin said, facing forward again and continuing on.

Flash smirked and tapped a button on his D-Wheel’s console. “I’m activating the field spell Speed World Accel!”

“Duel mode on. Autopilot standing by,” the AI voice said from both machines. “Speed Cards dispersed.”

Soarin gasped as the notice appeared on his screen. “What?! You forced activation?”

“That’s right!” Flash said. “And this time, you won’t be getting away from me!”

Soarin sighed. “I guess I don’t have a choice. I’ll just have to defeat you within the time limit.”

“TURBO DUEL! ACCELERATION!”

Soarin
LP: 4000; Hand: 5; Speed Counters: 0
Flash Sentry
LP: 4000; Hand: 5; Speed Counters: 0

“I’ll take the first turn,” said Soarin. “And with it, I’ll put a monster facedown in defense mode!”

Flash chuckled. “Is that all? I would say I expected more from you, but that would be a lie,” he taunted.

Soarin scowled. “I set one card. Turn end.”

Soarin
LP: 4000; Hand: 3; Speed Counters: 1
Flash Sentry
LP: 4000; Hand: 5; Speed Counters: 1

“And now it’s my draw!” Flash declared, pulling the top card out from his deck. A wicked grin dominated his features when he saw that it was one of the cards he had gotten from the chief. “I summon Goblindburg!”

{Goblindburg
Lv4; 1400 ATK; 0 DEF}

Soarin looked at the red plane being piloted by a goblin in confusion, especially perplexed by the crate it was carrying. “This is a lot different from your usual warriors,” he observed.

“Make no mistake, Goblindburg is as much a warrior as every other monster in my deck,” said Flash. “I activate his special ability! When this card is normal summoned, I can change him to defense mode and Special Summon a level four or lower monster from my hand! And I choose Rose, Warrior of Revenge!” Goblindburg’s crate broke open. A woman with red hair, a tight black combat suit, and a white scarf jumped out of it and climbed to stand on the plane’s wings, drawing her sword.

{Rose, Warrior of Revenge
Lv4; 1600 ATK; 600 DEF}

“Two level fours. Trying to bring out Excalibur again?” Soarin guessed.

“Not this time,” Flash corrected. “You already proved that my old strategy won’t quite cut it, so I’m trying something a little different. Level four Rose, Warrior of Revenge tunes level four Goblindburg!”

Soarin gulped. “Say what?!”

Rose jumped into the air and formed four green tuning rings, and Goblindburg flew into position, becoming four stars. “The warrior whose fist shatters mountains!” Flash chanted. “My monsters synchronize their energies now, calling upon your immense strength to put my enemies in their place!” A beam shot through the rings. “I Synchro Summon! Come to the field! Colossal Fighter!”

{Colossal Fighter
Lv8; 2800 ATK; 1000 DEF}

Soarin stared as a monster that really lived up to its name emerged from the light. The thing was huge, at least ten feet tall, and its entire body was covered in off white metal plating. There were some smooth, blue, gem-like protrusions on its shoulders, wrists, and chest, and its eyes were covered by an emerald green visor. “Well that’s new.”

“And soon, you’ll be old news,” said Flash. “Not only is Colossal Fighter powerful to begin with, but he gains a hundred extra attack points for every warrior-type monster in our Graveyards.”

“And you used two warriors to Synchro Summon it,” Soarin remembered as the monster’s attack points increased to 3000.

“And it’s just gonna keep getting stronger,” Flash replied, smirking confidently. “Go, attack the facedown monster! Colossal crashdown!” His giant warrior rammed its fist into the card, but when it flipped up, it was revealed to be a teal creature with sea-foam-colored wings.

{Shield Wing
Lv2; 0 ATK; 900 DEF}

“It won’t be that easy,” said Soarin. “My Shield Wing can’t be destroyed by battle twice per turn.”

“It can’t keep you guarded forever,” said Flash. “I end my turn with a facedown.”

Soarin
LP: 4000; Hand: 3; Speed Counters: 2
Flash Sentry
LP: 4000; Hand: 3; Speed Counters: 2

Soarin started his draw phase and smiled when he saw his Junk Synchron. “I’m gonna need more of a boost if I want to take his monster down,” he said, zooming forward to grab a Speed Card. Flash tried to reach it first, but the officer was a split second too late. “I’m activating a Speed Card! Flock Together! This lets me target a monster on my field with a level, pay speed counters equal to that level, and Special Summon a monster of the same level from my deck! I’m bringing out The Calculator!” A small red robot with buttons on its chest and a numerical display for a face emerged on the field next to his Shield Wing, but his D-Wheel slowed down a bit with fewer speed counters. Even so, he was sure Rumble was excited about this card being summoned.

{The Calculator
Lv2; ??? ATK; 0 DEF}

Flash blinked. “The hell is that thing supposed to do?”

“Quite a lot, actually,” Soarin answered as his monster typed away at its own buttons. “The Calculator’s attack points are equal to the total levels of all monsters on my field times 300!”

“And what is that supposed to help you accomplish?” Flash asked.

“It may not be strong enough on its own, but it’ll help me defeat your Colossal Fighter!” Soarin declared. “I summon the tuner monster Junk Synchron!”

{Junk Synchron
Lv3; 1300 ATK; 500 DEF}

“That’s a total of seven levels on your field, so your Calculator has 2100 attack points,” Flash counted. “But I think I know where this is going.”

“Level three Junk Synchron tunes level two Shield Wing!” Soarin declared, chanting as his tuner formed its three rings and Shield Wing turned into two stars as it flew through them. “The stars come together to form a new power! Become the light that shows the way!” he said as a bright light flashed. “I Synchro Summon! Come forth! Junk Warrior!”

{Junk Warrior
Lv5; 2300 ATK; 1300 DEF}

“Your tuner was a warrior monster, so Colossal Fighter has 3100 attack now,” said Flash.

“But don’t forget Junk Warrior’s special ability!” Soarin shot back. “The Calculator is level two, and he’s about to gain all 2100 of those attack points, boosting him up to 4400! Attack Colossal Fighter with scrap fist!” His monster charged forward and jabbed its foe in the stomach, creating a tangible shockwave and kicking up a massive cloud of dust. “There. Now The Calculator is free to hit you directly.” As he was about to declare the attack, though, the dust cleared, showing that Colossal Fighter was still standing. “But how?”

Flash grinned tauntingly. “Did you really think it would be that easy? Colossal Fighter embodies the warrior spirit. Whenever he’s destroyed by battle, he can revive one warrior-type monster from the Graveyard, including himself.”

Soarin growled in frustration. “Damn, I thought I had you. I end my turn there,” he finished.

Soarin
LP: 4000; Hand: 3; Speed Counters: 1
Flash Sentry
LP: 2700; Hand: 3; Speed Counters: 2

“My turn!” Flash shouted. He smirked as he saw what he drew. “I activate the spell card Twin Twisters! By discarding one card from my hand, I can destroy up to two spell or trap cards on the field! I’ll discard Heroic Challenger- Extra Sword to take out your facedown!”

Soarin gasped. “No! My Scrap-Iron Scarecrow!” he cried. “And with another warrior in the grave, that’s just more strength for his monster…”

“And he won’t be stopping at 3200!” Flash proclaimed. “I activate my trap card Needlebug Nest to send the top five cards of my deck to the Graveyard!” He took the five cards and smirked as he looked over them. “Four more warriors, meaning Colossal Fighter shoots up to 3600!” After doing that, he revved his engine and grabbed a Speed Card a few feet ahead of Soarin. “A Speed Trap,” he observed. “Reduction. But this one works in my favor. I send the top three cards of my deck to the grave and take 200 damage for each monster sent.”

Soarin sighed. “He’s just gonna keep powering up…!” he said in frustration.

“And it’s worth the 400 damage I have to take from this,” Flash added as his monster powered up even more. “Now I activate Pot of Duality! This lets me check the top three cards of my deck, add one of them to my hand, and shuffle the rest back into the deck! The downside is I can’t Special Summon this turn.” He picked up the first card. “Dark Blade.” Then the second. “Mystical Space Typhoon.” And the third. “And this is the one I’ll take. Magnum Shield!”

“Oh no!” Soarin gasped.

“I’m equipping the Magnum Shield to my Colossal Fighter!” Flash declared, slapping the card down as his monster grabbed a red and gold shield seemingly out of nowhere. “A warrior equipped with this card while in attack mode gains attack points equal to its original defense, giving him a grand total of 4800!” He held up the last card in his hand. “And now, I normal summon Copycat!” A magician with a hand mirror appeared and drifted alongside the D-Wheel.

{Copycat
Lv1; 0 ATK; 0 DEF}

“When this guy is summoned, he gains the original attack and defense of one of your monsters, and I choose Junk Warrior!” His monster morphed into an off-color version of Soarin’s Synchro.

“Both my monsters are going down if I can’t do something,” Soarin muttered, looking over the three cards he held.

Flash grinned. “Colossal Fighter, take out his Junk Warrior with colossal crashdown!” he ordered, prompting his monster to ram a fist into its target’s face. “And Copycat, take down The Calculator! Without all those levels on the field, it’s down to 600 attack points!”

Soarin grunted and swerved as he took the damage. “This is bad…! And with Junk Warrior in the grave, that hulk just gets even stronger.”

“I keep telling you, you’re just Satellite garbage,” said Flash. “You will face justice soon enough. Turn end.”

Soarin
LP: 1900; Hand: 3; Speed Counters: 1
Flash Sentry
LP: 2300; Hand: 0; Speed Counters: 3

“Call me garbage one more time…!” Soarin growled. “But it changes nothing! Because the only garbage I see here is you!” he accused. “You call yourself a man of justice and law, but all you ever do is abuse your authority to walk all over the little guy and hurt people less fortunate than you are! And I’m sick and tired of people like that! You’re no man of justice. You’re not even an honorable Duelist! Faust as my witness, I’ll bring you down!”

Flash let out an amused laugh. “How do you expect to do that? You’re running on less than half your Life Points and have no cards on your field!”

“I just have to trust in my cards, and they’ll help me win,” said Soarin, positioning his hand over his deck. “Here we go. I… DRAAAAAAAAAW!” He whipped the card out with incredible force, looked over at it, then slowly turned it over to see what he got… and grinned confidently. “My deck came through for me. By discarding a monster from my hand, I can Special Summon my Quickdraw Synchron in defense mode!” A medium-sized robot with a tattered cape, a cowboy hat, and a pistol appeared in a dim flash of light. “And the monster I discarded was Quillbolt Hedgehog! This little fella can revive himself if I control a tuner monster!” The next monster was a little orange hedgehog with screws and bolts instead of regular quills. “Unfortunately, he’s banished when he leaves the field if he was summoned this way.”

{Quickdraw Synchron
Lv5; 700 ATK; 1400 DEF}
{Quillbolt Hedgehog
Lv2; 800 ATK; 800 DEF}

“Just building up your defenses, huh?” Flash asked. “You’re running away from the inevitable, Soarin! You already lost your precious Junk Warrior, and you couldn’t tune for it with this setup even if you hadn’t!”

“You assume that it’s my only Synchro monster.”

Flash paused. “Wait what?”

“Normally, I would need Junk Synchron to bring out this monster, but Quickdraw can substitute any Synchron when he’s used for a Synchro Summon,” Soarin said. “Now! Level five Quickdraw Synchron tunes level two Quillbolt Hedgehog!” Quickdraw drifted into the air, forming five rings to house the two stars that Quillbolt turned into. “Gathering roars turn into an echoing arrow which tears through the sky! Become the path its light shines upon!” Soarin shouted as a beam shot through the light formation. “I Synchro Summon! Take aim! Junk Archer!”

{Junk Archer
Lv7; 2300 ATK; 2000 DEF}

“More random trash?” Flash snorted as the orange and white mechanical bowman formed from the light. “Learn your lesson already. My monster is too powerful.”

“Then I’ll have to get rid of it,” said Soarin. “But first, I play Monster Reborn to bring back The Calculator! With nine levels on my field now, he’ll have 2700 attack points!” The little monster revived and typed out its current attack power on its chest. Then Soarin pointed at the enormous monster his opponent had out. “I’m activating Junk Archer’s special ability! Until the end of the turn, your Colossal Fighter… is banished!”

“What?!”

“Dimension shot!”

Flash stared as Soarin’s monster pulled back the string of its bow and let its shot fly. The arrow pierced Colossal Fighter through the chest and seemed to form a black hole at the point of contact, sucking the monster into the void. “N-no way!”

“Now,” Soarin continued. “I summon Zero Gardna!”

{Zero Gardna
Lv4; 0 ATK; 0 DEF}

“What’s the point of that?” Flash wondered.

“This. By tributing Zero Gardna, my monsters can’t be destroyed this turn!” Soarin answered. “So now it won’t be a crash when Junk Archer attacks your Copycat! Scrap arrow!”

“It can still attack when it uses that effect?!” Flash said incredulously as his last remaining monster was impaled by another arrow.

“This next hit is for you, Rumble!” Soarin shouted. “Calculator, attack Flash directly! Subtract the rest of his Life Points with a math masher!” His monster typed a few more numbers and charged forward, its fist sparking with electricity, punching the officers D-Wheel.

Winner: Soarin

Flash snarled irritably as his automatic breaks activated. “This can’t be real! How did I lose to you again?!”

“That’s just how the cookie crumbles,” Soarin taunted as he sped closer to the end of the pipeline. He only had a few seconds left. Just as he made it through, the hatch started closing, and he threw one last taunt over his shoulder. “Have fun at the family reunion that’s about to happen!”

Flash raised an eyebrow in confusion. “Family reunion? What?”

“WARNING! MAINTENANCE PERIOD IS NOW ENDING!” a loud machine voice echoed throughout the pipe as the exit slammed shut. “FUNCTION WILL NOW RESUME NORMALLY! PLEASE STAND CLEAR OF THE PIPE!”

Hatches began to open in the walls, each one spilling out a river of junk. Flash’s eyes widened when he realized that it was all heading right for him. “No!” he shouted as he and his D-Wheel were swept away by the refuse. “NO! NOOOOOOOOOO!”

In the workshop back in Satellite, Soarin’s friends were excited beyond belief. “He made it through!” Thunderlane and Clear Skies cheered. “Victory is ours!”

Rumble smiled as he watched the blip still moving on the screen. “You did it, Soarin. And with my card, too. Now give her hell.”

Later in the city, Soarin was driving through the streets, a determined frown creasing his features. This was step one down. There was still one last thing to do.

“So you finally made it,” a very familiar voice said.

Soarin screeched to a halt and looked to where the voice came from. Just as he expected, Spitfire was standing next to her own D-Wheel on a nearby overpass, apparently taking a break during one of her late night rides. “And you know what I want, Spitfire,” he said, scowling up at her.

Spitfire smirked and removed her helmet, revealing her spiky, flame-colored hair. “This day has been a long time coming for both of us.”

Episode 4: A Match for the Record Books

Author's Note

Here's my recreation of that first match between Jack and Yusei with their Signer Dragons. I was super pumped to write this Duel, and I hope you all enjoy reading it!

Once again, I'd like to give a shoutout to Aerodragon2 for helping me with the editing of this episode. Seriously, dude, it means more to me than I know how to express.

Now, without any further delay, let's rev it up!

Episode 4: A Match for the Record Books

Soarin glared up at Spitfire and her D-Wheel. It was a lot different from the one she had taken two years ago, having only a single large wheel that went around the whole machine like a ring. “Where’s the D-Wheel you stole from us?” he asked.

“That hunk of junk?” Spitfire said, smirking. “It broke down ages ago. You can probably still find its remains if you head back to Satellite right now.”

“And my card?” Soarin said through gritted teeth.

Spitfire reached into the deck box strapped to her belt and withdrew Stardust Dragon from it. “Got your dragon right here,” she said, holding it up for him to see. “And I should really thank you. Without Stardust, I would never have gotten this far.”

“Well, I came here to take it back,” Soarin told her.

“Sorry, but the Queen doesn’t just give out free cards,” Spitfire replied, shaking her head and putting the card back in her deck box. “If you want it so bad, you’ll have to beat me in a Duel.”

Soarin smirked. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

“Then meet me at the Turbo Duel stadium in ten,” Spitfire said. She donned her helmet, hopped onto her D-Wheel, and zoomed off down the road.

“I’ll be there,” Soarin said to himself, riding after her.

Later, they were both positioned at the stadium’s starting line, ready for the Duel that had been inevitable for two years.

“Here we are,” Spitfire muttered. “Two former friends reunited, about to play a card game on their motorcycles. I hope you brought your best, because I won’t hold anything back.”

“You better not. I’ve prepared too much for you to take pity on me,” Soarin replied.

“Then let’s do this,” said Spitfire, pressing a button on her D-Wheel. “I’m activating Speed World Accel!”

“Duel mode on. Autopilot standing by,” the AI said as the countdown was projected in front of the riders. “Speed Cards dispersed.”

“Three…” Soarin counted under his breath. “Two… One.”

“TURBO DUEL! ACCELERATION!” And they sped down the track.

Spitfire
LP: 4000; Hand: 5; Speed Counters: 0
Soarin
LP: 4000; Hand: 5; Speed Counters: 0

“The Queen of the Course always goes first!” Spitfire proclaimed. “I summon Twin Sword Marauder in attack mode!” A masked warrior with a sword strapped to each wrist started running alongside her D-Wheel.

{Twin Sword Marauder
Lv4; 1600 ATK; 1000 DEF}

Soarin smirked. “Same old cards, I see.”

“I made a few upgrades,” Spitfire replied. “But before you see them, I’ll use another old favorite. Axe of Despair! This equips to my Marauder, giving him a thousand extra attack points!” A demonic axe appeared in the air, and her monster reached out to grab it. “I set one card facedown. Turn end.”

Spitfire
LP: 4000; Hand: 2; Speed Counters: 1
Soarin
LP: 4000; Hand: 5; Speed Counters: 1

“My turn!” Soarin shouted, drawing a card. “I activate the spell card Tuning! This lets me add a Synchron from my deck to my hand, then send the top card of my deck to the grave! I’m taking the good old Junk Synchron! Then I set a card and activate De-Spell to take out your Axe of Despair!”

Spitfire gasped as her monster’s weapon shattered. “I could tribute my monster to put that back on top of my deck, but I want defenses,” she muttered.

“Now, I summon Junk Synchron and activate his special ability!” Soarin declared. “The card I milled with Tuning was the level two monster Quillbolt Hedgehog, so he revives it in defense mode with its effects negated!”

{Junk Synchron
Lv3; 1300 ATK; 500 DEF}
{Quillbolt Hedgehog
Lv2; 800 ATK; 800 DEF}

“I see what’s going on here,” Spitfire grunted. “You’re bringing out your old pal.”

“Level three Junk Synchron tunes level two Quillbolt Hedgehog!” Soarin continued as his monsters moved into position to prepare for their tuning. “The stars come together to form a new power! Become the light that shows the way!” he said as the beam through the rings finalized his summon. “I Synchro Summon! Come forth! Junk Warrior!”

{Junk Warrior
Lv5; 2300 ATK; 1300 DEF}

Spitfire revved her engine, getting ahead of her opponent to look for a Speed Card. She couldn’t be down a monster already.

“Junk Warrior, attack Twin Sword Marauder!” Soarin commanded. His monster jumped toward its target, bringing its fist forward with an earth-shaking punch. “I’ll take this early lead and end my turn.”

Spitfire
LP: 3300; Hand: 2; Speed Counters: 2
Soarin
LP: 4000; Hand: 3; Speed Counters: 2

“My turn!” Spitfire growled. She drew a card and kept pushing her vehicle forward, finally spotting a Speed Card. Smirking, she leaned to the side and grabbed it as she passed. “Nice one, and just what I need. But first, I’ll Special Summon Vice Dragon from my hand since I have no monsters out, but its attack and defense are cut in half!”

{Vice Dragon
Lv5; 2000 ATK; 2400 DEF}

“Now, I’m activating the Speed Card Rev Revival! I can summon a monster from my Graveyard whose attack points are less than or equal to a thousand times my speed counters! Welcome back, Twin Sword Marauder!” Her monster jumped out of a dark portal and picked up its previous pace. “Now I activate my trap card Nightmare Archfiends! By tributing a monster, I can put three nightmare fiend tokens on your field!” Vice Dragon disappeared and three shadows appeared on Soarin’s field in defense mode.

{Nightmare fiend token
Lv6; 2000 ATK; 2000 DEF}

Soarin frowned. “That’s new. Why activate it if it doesn’t help you?”

“It actually helps me a lot,” Spitfire explained. “Every time a nightmare fiend token is destroyed, its controller takes 800 points of damage. And I have yet to normal summon, so I’ll bring out the tuner monster Delta Flyer!” She slapped the card down on her D-Wheel’s card tray, and a thin dragon with a golden body and white wings descended from the sky.

{Delta Flyer
Lv3; 1500 ATK; 900 DEF}

“You’re going for a level seven,” Soarin added up. “Too bad you can’t bust out your ace yet.”

“Guess again!” said Spitfire. “I activate Delta Flyer’s special ability! Once per turn, he can increase the level of one monster on the field other than himself by one! Give a star to your ally!” A single star drifted around the marauder before phasing into its chest, causing a dim aura to surround it.

Soarin gulped. “Five and three…”

“Yes! I tune level three Delta Flyer to level five Twin Sword Marauder!” Spitfire declared. Delta Flyer flapped its wings and flew high above the track before coming back down as three green rings around the Marauder, who became five stars. “The heartbeat of the Queen forms a line here! Witness the power of the rumbling heavens!” A roar echoed across the stadium as a blinding light shot through the rings. “I Synchro Summon! Behold, the avatar of my soul! Red Dragon Archfiend!” And her signature dragon appeared, its black and red scales gleaming, its body wreathed in flames.

{Red Dragon Archfiend
Lv8; 3000 ATK; 2000 DEF}

“This could be bad,” Soarin whispered to himself. “I need to find a way to counter that.”

“Red Dragon Archfiend, attack a nightmare fiend token! Absolute powerforce!” Spitfire commanded. “And when this card attacks a monster that’s in defense mode, all your defense-position monsters are destroyed! You’ll lose all the tokens and take 2400 points of damage!”

“I activate the special ability of the Junkuriboh in my hand!” Soarin said as his tokens were destroyed. A small metal creature appeared to shield him from the blast. “By sending this card from my hand to the grave, I negate an effect that would inflict damage to me!”

Spitfire snarled. “You’re just delaying your defeat, Soarin! I’ll end my turn with a facedown.”

Spitfire
LP: 3300; Hand: 0; Speed Counters: 3
Soarin
LP: 4000; Hand: 2; Speed Counters: 3

Soarin took a deep breath, then drew his next card. “My turn!” He zoomed ahead and snatched a Speed Card. “I activate Accel Draw! By paying two speed counters, I can draw two cards!” Looking over his cards, he made a decision about his next play. “I’ll use the spell card Double Summon, allowing me to bring out my Drill Synchron and Level Eater!” Two monsters appeared on the field: A round robot with tank treads and drills, and a small red bug with a yellow star on its back.

{Drill Synchron
Lv3; 800 ATK; 300 DEF}
{Level Eater
Lv1; 600 ATK; 0 DEF}

Spitfire frowned. “Never seen that Synchron before.”

“It’s still a tuner like the rest of them,” said Soarin. “So Quillbolt Hedgehog can revive itself! Since it wasn’t Special Summoned by its own effect, it went back to the Graveyard! And now, level three Drill Synchron tunes level one Level Eater and level two Quillbolt Hedgehog!” His small monster came back before turning into stars alongside Level Eater, then drifted into the rings formed by Drill Synchron. "Gathering power will turn into a spear that pierces the earth! Become the path its light shines upon!” Soarin chanted, and a whirring noise was heard inside the light. “I Synchro Summon! Break them apart! Drill Warrior!” The new monster was a tall humanoid clad in bronze armor. Enormous drill bits were equipped to its hands and feet.

{Drill Warrior
Lv6; 2400 ATK; 2000 DEF}

“I activate Drill Warrior’s special ability!” Soarin continued. “But halving his attack points for the turn, he can bypass your monsters and attack directly! Drill shot!” His monster launched a drill bit around Red Dragon Archfiend like a missile.

Surprisingly, Spitfire chuckled. “I was waiting for a direct attack,” she said. “Now I can activate King’s Consonance!” Her trap card flipped up, blocking the drill. “This negates your direct attack, and then I can Synchro Summon a monster by banishing the appropriate materials from my Graveyard!”

Soarin gasped. “That means you can bring out…!”

“I tune together the level three Delta Flyer and level five Vice Dragon in the grave!” Spitfire declared. Ghostly images of the aforementioned monsters shimmered into existence and broke down into their respective lights as Spitfire chanted. "Witness the wings guided by a great wind!” she shouted just before another roar sounded. “I Synchro Summon! Take flight! Stardust Dragon!”

{Stardust Dragon
Lv8; 2500 ATK; 2000 DEF}

Soarin scowled as the monster flew into place alongside Red Dragon Archfiend. Its scales were mostly white and sky blue, with patches of a darker blue reminiscent of the night sky on its chest and shoulders. It had long arms and wings, its nose was pointed like a spearhead, and its eyes were a piercing yellow. “You have some nerve using that card against me!” he shouted.

“The Queen does what it takes to win, even if her opponents don’t like it!” Spitfire retorted.

“Damn you…!” Soarin grunted. “I have to end my turn.”

Spitfire
LP: 3300; Hand: 0; Speed Counters: 4
Soarin
LP: 4000; Hand: 2; Speed Counters: 2

“My turn!” Spitfire bellowed as she drew. “I’m going straight in for the attacks! Red Dragon Archfiend, destroy Drill Warrior! Scorching crimson hellfire!”

Soarin slammed on the accelerator, causing his D-Wheel to shoot forward, but it wasn’t enough to avoid the attack. He didn’t care, though. He had to find a way to get Stardust on his side.

“You’re up next, Stardust Dragon!” Spitfire declared. “Take down Junk Warrior! Shooting sonic!” The white dragon shot a blast of cosmic power just as Soarin grabbed a Speed Card, destroying the warrior and lowering his Life Points. “Ha! What are you gonna do now, Soarin?!”

“Use my new Speed Card! Shared Bounty!” Soarin answered, slapping the card down.

Spitfire gasped in shock. “But that’s impossible!”

“There are a few conditions for this card’s activation,” Soarin explained. “First, I have to have no monsters on my field. Second, you need to have at least twice as many speed counters as I do. Third, you need to control two monsters that were Special Summoned from the extra deck.”

“Check, check, and check,” Spitfire muttered.

“Now, by reducing my speed counters to zero and increasing yours by one, I can take control of the extra deck monster on your field with the fewest attack points!” Soarin finished. He grinned happily as Stardust Dragon roared and flapped over to his D-Wheel, staring down Red Dragon Archfiend.

The second Stardust changed sides, Spitfire felt a burning sensation on her right forearm. She winced, one of her eyes twitching slightly from the pain, and massaged it with her left hand. When she looked down at it, she was shocked to see her dragon wing mark. It was glowing with scarlet light through the sleeve of her riding suit. “What the hell…?” she grunted.

Soarin was wincing as well, having felt a burning of his own. Glowing through his sleeve was a red symbol in the arrowhead-like shape of the tip of a dragon’s tail. “What’s going on…?”

The two dragons on the field glowed with a bright, silver light and roared louder than ever, shaking the stadium. All around the area, electrical transformers shorted out and lights in buildings turned off. They had become overloaded with a sudden burst of energy.

On the edge of town, a pale woman with aurora-colored hair sat in her mansion, unaware of what was going on. At least until she got a call on her phone. “Yes?” she said as she answered it after the first ring.

“Miss Director!” a male voice on the other end cried out in a mixture of worry and glee. “We’re getting energy readings, and they’re off the charts! Moment is spinning faster than ever!”

The woman hummed to herself. “This can only mean one thing…” she breathed. “Two Signers are Dueling…”

Back with the Duel, things were continuing to heat up. Literally. Spitfire was alerted to a message on her D-Wheel’s screen. “Warning. Engine overheating. Aborting match,” the AI told her.

She snorted. “Screw that. Activate manual override.”

“Manual override engaged,” the AI replied. “All functions are now in the rider’s control.”

“What are you thinking?!” Soarin cried.

“I don’t care what all this is! We’re finishing this Duel!” Spitfire shouted. “I end my turn!”

Spitfire
LP: 3300; Hand: 1; Speed Counters: 6
Soarin
LP: 3200; Hand: 2; Speed Counters: 1

Soarin frowned, but he knew Spitfire was too stubborn to see reason, especially when it came to her pride as a Duelist. She could never leave a game unfinished. “My turn! Draw!” he said, wincing again as the glowing mark on his arm continued to burn. “You’re crazy, Spitfire! Whatever is going on here, it’s most likely dangerous!”

Spitfire growled. “I’m not letting things end in a draw or surrender!” she snapped. “If I have to fight through this to defeat you, then so be it! Do your worst!”

“I have to end this quick…” Soarin muttered. “I activate Cursed Armaments! This card equips to one of your monsters, decreasing its attack points by 600 for every monster I control!” Red Dragon Archfiend was surrounded by a dark aura, and its attack points dropped to 2400. “Then I equip Stardust Dragon with Synchro Boost, giving it 500 attack points and one level!”

Narrowing her eyes, Spitfire pushed her machine forward. “I won’t let you win!” she yelled.

“Stardust Dragon, attack Red Dragon Archfiend! Shooting sonic!” Soarin shouted. The dragon on his field blasted at its opponent, causing an explosion. As they clashed, the light around them grew even brighter.

Spitfire emerged from the resulting cloud with a Speed Card. “I activate Survivor!” she countered. “By paying half my speed counters, my monster isn’t destroyed!”

Soarin sighed. He was about to end his turn, but he got interrupted when his and Spitfire’s marks glowed even brighter. A screeching roar was heard, but it wasn’t either of their dragons. It seemed to come from the field between them.

Some of the light condensed on the track, and an enormous dragon that dwarfed both of the others emerged. Its body was long, serpentine, and seemed to be made of red energy. It glanced at the two Duelists and roared again, louder this time. Stardust Dragon and Red Dragon Archfiend both seemed to respond to this beast, whatever it was.

Spitfire winced and grunted, massaging her burning mark again. “Did you summon that thing?!” she asked over the noise.

“I thought it was one of yours!” Soarin replied as the serpentine creature circled around them in the air. “We have to stop now before we get hurt!”

“No!” Spitfire insisted. “No way in hell am I surrendering to you just because of this!”

“Then I end…!” Soarin grunted.

Spitfire
LP: 2700; Hand: 1; Speed Counters: 4
Soarin
LP: 3200; Hand: 1; Speed Counters: 2

“My turn!” Spitfire bellowed, forced to keep shouting over the dragons’ roars. She kept on going forward, searching for something to give her an edge. “I’ll activate Heavy Storm to clear away all spell and trap cards on the field!”

“I’ll use the counter trap card Solemn Judgement!” Soarin immediately said. “By paying half my Life Points, I negate the activation of your spell card!”

“Leaving you with 1600,” Spitfire said. “I’ll activate Pot of Greed to draw two cards, then set two cards facedown. Turn end.”

Spitfire
LP: 2700; Hand: 0; Speed Counters: 5
Soarin
LP: 1600; Hand: 1; Speed Counters: 3

“Now it’s my go!” Soarin yelled. As he was about to start, the giant red dragon beast flew above them, spreading its wings and straightening out its body. He then spied a couple Speed Cards ahead and revved his engine, snatching the first one. “I activate Overboost! This gives me four extra speed counters, but they get reduced to one at the end of the turn!” He then managed to grab the second one and hummed as he looked at it.

Spitfire smirked. “What’s the matter, Soarin? Grab a bad card?”

Soarin scowled. “I summon Speed Warrior! And during the battle phase of the turn he’s normal summoned, his original attack doubles!”

{Speed Warrior
Lv2; 900 ATK; 400 DEF}

“It’s not enough to finish me!” Spitfire spat.

“But I can come close since your Red Dragon Archfiend is still weakened!” said Soarin. “Stardust Dragon, bring it down!”

Spitfire actually started laughing. “I win! You fell for it!” she cackled. “I activate the trap card Magic Cylinder! This stops your attack and inflicts damage to you equal to Stardust’s current attack points, which are almost twice what I needed! Say goodbye, Soarin!”

Soarin glanced down at the Speed Card he had grabbed and quickly played it as the blast was redirected through an ornate wooden tube. “I activate the Speed Card Mir—!”

He was stopped by a combination of factors. First, the dragon of red energy had reached the peak of its ascent, its head about fifty feet in the air and its wingspan stretching across the entire stadium. It roared again, the sound resonating all around them, and glowed with a white light that nearly blinded both Duelists. Then they both got a notice on their D-Wheels. “Manual override disengaged. Aborting match now.”

“What?!” Spitfire shouted, shielding her eyes from the glow.

Results: Preempted

The two riders skidded their vehicles to a halt… right in front of a squadron from Sector Security. When they looked around, though, there was no sign of the dragon. Soarin rolled up his right sleeve and stared at his forearm, finding that the mark had vanished. “What’s happening here…?” he breathed.

“Attention D-Wheelers!” a security officer shouted into a megaphone. “You are using the stadium track during restricted hours! Please step away from the bikes!”

Soarin and Spitfire both dismounted, removed their helmets, and put their hands in the air. One of the officers that approached them soon after grinned maliciously. “Soarin. I heard from Officer Sentry over the radio that you escaped from Satellite. You’ll be coming with us to the detention facility. Madam Spitfire, we need you at HQ.”

Soarin sighed and didn’t fight back as the officers cuffed him and shoved him into the back of a squad car. But his mind was racing a mile a minute. That dragon, those marks, the reaction between his and Spitfire’s monsters… It had to mean something. But what…?

Episode 1: Acceleration!

Author's Note

Well, here’s something I’ve been wanting to do since I started watching 5D’s. Depending on how well received this is, I’ll probably update soon. A few notes before we begin:

1.) Cards from all eras of Yu-Gi-Oh! will be used. Yes, there will be some Link era cards, but no Link monsters or Link format.
2.) Turbo Dueling will be going through an evolution! I’ll be sort of combining the rules from 5D’s and Arc-V. Speed Spells won’t be used. Instead, there will be Speed Cards scattered around the track, which are like Action Cards that you need speed counters to use.

Now that that’s taken care of, I hope you enjoy! Let’s kick this fanfic into overdrive!

Episode 1: Acceleration!

Neo Canterlot City was a glowing beacon of hope for Duelists around the globe. Here, there was a chance to become a champion of the latest Dueling sensation: Turbo Dueling. The thrill of battling against your opponents on the motorcycle-like machines known as D-Wheels was a feeling unlike any other. Of course, that’s not to say it was easy. To actually be a champ, one first had to defeat the best Duelist around. The Queen of the Course, the Wheeling Wonder, the Master of Faster. No matter which of her titles was used, Spitfire was known across the land as undefeated.

She was in a rather tight spot at the stadium at this moment, though.

“This could be it, folks!” an announcer shouted into his microphone. “After two years of an unbroken win streak, is our Queen about to be dethroned by Blueblood and his Blue-Eyes?!”

Blueblood laughed as he pulled his D-Wheel up alongside Spitfire’s. “You’re finished! It’s time these people had a real champion to reign over the track!” he taunted. “You have no chance of bouncing back while I have three Blue-Eyes White Dragons on the field! Attack directly with white lightning!”

Spitfire smirked. “The Queen of the Course always has a backup plan!” she said. “I activate my trap card No Entry! This forces every face-up monster on the field into defense mode!”

“Hmph. A minor inconvenience at worst,” Blueblood snorted. “Turn end.”

Blueblood
LP: 2600; Hand: 4; Speed Counters: 3
Spitfire
LP: 300; Hand: 2; Speed Counters: 2

“My turn!” Spitfire bellowed. She whipped a card out from her deck as the two D-Wheels rounded a corner. “Since I have no monsters out, I can Special Summon my Vice Dragon from my hand by cutting its attack and defense points in half! And then I summon the tuner monster Dark Resonator!” A large dragon and a masked fiend with a tuning fork emerged on the field.

Blueblood gulped. “A tuner and a non-tuner…!” he added up. “You can’t possibly be about to…!”

“She’s actually doing it!” the announcer said excitedly.

“Level three Dark Resonator tunes level five Vice Dragon!” Spitfire shouted. Her Resonator flew up into the air and broke down into three green energy rings. The Vice Dragon flew up so the rings would circle around it, breaking down into five small stars, and Spitfire began to chant. “The heartbeat of the Queen forms a line here! Witness the power of the rumbling heavens!” A blinding beam of light flashed through the rings, and a roar could be heard. “I Synchro Summon! Behold, the avatar of my soul! Red Dragon Archfiend!”

“Incredible!” the announcer cheered. “Despite the seemingly insurmountable odds, our Queen has managed to summon her ace monster! But will it be enough?”

“It will be if I can get that first,” Spitfire said, having spied a Speed Card on the track ahead. These Speed Cards were part of what made modern Turbo Dueling so exciting. They were special cards scattered throughout the course that could give Duelists an advantage if they managed to grab them. Spitfire revved her engine and sped ahead, snatching the card at the last second. “I activate the Speed Card Synchro Speed Meteor! This allows one monster that was Synchro Summoned this turn to attack once for each speed counter I have, so that’s two!”

Blueblood scoffed. “That won’t do much good. I have three monsters on the field, so you won’t be getting to my Life Points.”

“Guess again!” Spitfire shot back. “After damage calculation, if Red Dragon Archfiend attacked a monster that’s in defense mode, all of your defense-position monsters bite the dust! Go, Red Dragon Archfiend! Attack with absolute powerforce!” Her enormous dragon shot a blast of blazing fire from its mouth, incinerating the three Blue-Eyes White Dragons.

“What?! But my dragons are invincible!” Blueblood cried.

“Might wanna tell them that,” said Spitfire. “And now, because of the effect of Synchro Speed Meteor, Red Dragon Archfiend can attack again and wipe out the rest of your Life Points! Scorching crimson hellfire!”

Winner: Spitfire

Blueblood’s D-Wheel skidded to a stop as the automatic breaks were applied, and he threw his helmet to the ground in anger. “This is an outrage! I demand a rematch!” he shouted, but his pleas fell on deaf ears as his opponent was swarmed by the paparazzi.

“Miss Spitfire, that was quite the comeback you made!” a reporter said, holding her microphone out to Spitfire.

Spitfire chuckled and took the mic in her hand. “What comeback? I was never in any danger. If he had some way to stop my trap, or even my dragon, I had Battle Fader in my hand since turn one. Either way, I had everything planned out for a victory. But it was still fun to toy with him.”

“What would you say was the biggest contributor to your success?” another reporter asked.

“Let me answer your question with another question. What do you think it takes to be the best?” Spitfire replied. “The answer: superior drive and superior skill. Those are two things that I acquired in my long Dueling career. Without them, I wouldn’t be the Queen!”

The crowd cheered and began chanting her name. Truly, Neo Canterlot City was a city of stars.

But you can’t have stars without darkness, and for this city, that darkness came in the form of Satellite. It was an island in the literal and figurative sense, and quite the opposite of the glittering paradise of the city. This was where all the unwanted junk was left, and to call the living conditions slums would be generous. The people of Satellite had to survive on scraps, and the way they were treated would make anyone with a sense of decency nauseous to even think about it. But even with so little, they still had their dream to one day get out of there and into the city’s gleaming metropolis. And right now, one particular Satellite citizen was working hard to make that dream a reality.

Soarin zoomed through an abandoned subway tunnel on a homemade D-Wheel. “Come on, just a little faster…” he urged his vermillion machine. He revved the engine and began to pick up speed. However, it wouldn’t last long. An error message flashed across the screen, and the D-Wheel spluttered to a slow halt. “Dammit! So close!” Soarin shouted. He jumped off the vehicle and began to push it back the way he had come, sighing. “Don’t worry, old girl. I’m not giving up yet.”

After a long time rolling his machine back down the tunnel, Soarin eventually returned to his hidden workshop where his friends were waiting. “Another failure?” asked Thunderlane, the oldest among them.

Soarin took off his helmet and shook his head. “Not a failure. Just another way not to make a faster D-Wheel,” he said. “I just need to find a way to make the Moment engine more compatible with the older control system.”

“We’ve tried everything we can,” said Clear Skies. “But it’s not like the asshole topsiders are gonna throw away parts that are good enough to get you out.”

“Then we’ll work with what we have. It’s what we Satellites do,” Soarin replied. “No matter what, I’m gonna get to Spitfire.”

Thunderlane nodded. “She’s gonna pay for what she did two years ago, betraying us and stealing your best card.”

Rumble, the youngest member of the group, entered the workshop with a grin. “Guys! You’ll never guess what I found!” he said in excitement, holding out his hands.

Thunderlane looked over at him and gasped. “Is that a control chip?”

Rumble nodded. “A brand new G3, top of the line! This should solve the compatibility issue!”

“Where did you get this?” Clear Skies asked. “You didn’t steal it, did you? Because Sector Security could track your marker if you did.”

“No way! I didn’t steal anything!” Rumble insisted, covering a yellow mark on his cheek self-consciously. “And even if I did, Soarin deserves it more than anyone else.”

Soarin hummed and took the chip, swapping it out for the older one in his D-Wheel. Instantly, the machine roared to life. “Looks like the engine is taking to it pretty well,” he observed.

“Awesome!” Rumble said, grinning excitedly. “Go take it for a spin and see what it can—!”

A searchlight suddenly blazed through a hole in the ceiling, causing everyone to look up. “Attention, fugitives! We have you surrounded!” said a voice amplified by a megaphone. “Come out with your hands behind your heads and nobody has to get hurt! This will be your only warning!”

Thunderlane swore under his breath. “It’s Sector Security,” he muttered, glancing at Rumble. “Are you sure you didn’t steal that chip?”

“I didn’t steal it!” Rumble repeated. Then Soarin gave him a stern look and he sighed. “Well… steal is a very strong word. I more so… secretly borrowed it with no intention of ever giving it back.”

“That’s pretty much the definition of stealing!” Clear Skies said incredulously.

“We don’t have time to argue,” said Soarin. He hooked up an electrode to Rumble’s marker and tapped a few keys on a nearby computer console. “There. That should disable the tracker long enough for you to escape. I’ll keep them busy.”

“What do you mean keep them busy?” Thunderlane asked.

Soarin put on his helmet and hopped on the D-Wheel. “Just trust me.” He revved the engine and sped off up a ramp to the streets above.

“Wait, Soarin!” Rumble cried out.

“Come on. Let’s get out while he’s giving us the chance,” said Thunderlane. The others nodded and escaped through the tunnel.

“You have thirty seconds to come out!” the security officer with the megaphone shouted. Then the squadron heard the roar of the engine as Soarin emerged.

Another officer with a D-Wheel smirked. “I’ve got him now. All chasers, follow him!”

Soarin grinned. “Just as planned,” he muttered. “And this new control chip is working like a charm. Not only am I moving faster, but I’m moving smoother too.” He rode his machine threw several alleyways and eventually pulled to a stop, letting security catch up a bit.

The officer at the head of the pack skidded to a halt, laughing to himself. “Well well well. Soarin. I finally found you.”

“Flash Sentry,” Soarin replied. “I see you finally got that promotion you were after.”

“That’s right, and your group is done evading Sector Security,” Flash said. “Especially after the little guy stole that chip.”

“I have a better idea,” said Soarin. “You’re a Duelist, right? What would you say to a Turbo Duel? If you win, I’ll come quietly and take all the blame for the theft. If I win, you leave Rumble alone and call off the chase.”

Flash laughed. “A Duel? You’re just a pathetic piece of Satellite trash! I bet you don’t even have a deck to face me with!”

Soarin reached into his jacket’s inside pocket and pulled out a deck of Duel Monsters cards. “I put one together.”

“Sir, you can’t seriously be considering this,” one of the other officers said.

“Head back to headquarters,” Flash ordered. “I can handle things here.”

The officers seemed surprised, but they all nodded and rode off.

Flash tapped a few buttons on the console of his D-Wheel. “You’ve got yourself a deal. I’ll crush you in less than a minute.”

“We’ll see,” said Soarin.

The computers on their vehicles linked up in preparation. “Duel mode on. Autopilot standing by,” a feminine-sounding AI said. “Duel lane selected.”

“I’m activating the field spell Speed World Accel!” Flash declared.

“Speed Cards dispersed,” the AI said.

“Let’s ride!” Soarin said as they turned their D-Wheels in the direction of the selected lane. A holographic counter appeared in front of them and began counting down to zero.

“TURBO DUEL! ACCELERATION!” both Duelists shouted, and they sped off so the match could begin.

Soarin
LP: 4000; Hand: 5; Speed Counters: 0
Flash
LP: 4000; Hand: 5; Speed Counters: 0

“I’m going first!” Flash said. “And I summon Heroic Challenger- Thousand Blades!” An armored warrior with a bladed spear in his hands and several swords sprouting from his back in a wing-like formation appeared on the field. “I’ll activate his special ability! By discarding a Heroic monster from my hand and changing him to defense mode, I can summon another Heroic monster from my deck! For the rest of this turn, I’ll only be able to summon other Heroics, but that’s fine by me. Join the battle, Heroic Challenger- Assault Halberd!” Another warrior appeared next to his D-Wheel, this one with violet armor and a wicked-looking halberd. “Then I’ll set one card and end my turn. And of course, during the end phase, we both get a speed counter on our Speed World Accels.”

Soarin
LP: 4000; Hand: 5; Speed Counters: 1
Flash
LP: 4000; Hand: 2; Speed Counters: 1

“My turn! I draw!” Soarin began. “I summon Speed Warrior!” A slim humanoid monster with a mask and wheeled feet sprinted from behind them and into position, easily keeping pace with the D-Wheels.

Flash smirked. “Only 900 attack points? That monster is as worthless as you,” he taunted.

“Don’t sell my monster short,” Soarin shot back. “During the battle phase of the turn he’s normal summoned, Speed Warrior’s original attack points double! And I’m equipping him with the spell card Synchro Boost! This gives the equipped monster 500 extra attack points and one level!”

“So when the battle phase begins, it’ll have enough attack points to defeat my monster?!” Flash realized.

“That’s right! Speed Warrior, attack his Assault Halberd!” Soarin commanded. “Sonic edge!”

Flash winced. “You may have defeated my Halberd, but Thousand Blades is still on the field!” he shouted.

“Not for long!” Soarin said. He swerved his D-Wheel to the side and grabbed a card. “I activate the Speed Card Double-Edged! By paying one speed counter, a monster I control that destroyed a monster by battle can attack again and inflict piercing damage this turn! Take out Thousand Blades!”

“Damn…!” Flash grunted. “That’s a heavy hit.”

“And since you took more than a thousand damage from it, you lose a speed counter! Not so trashy anymore, huh?” Soarin taunted. “I set two cards facedown. Turn end.”

Soarin
LP: 4000; Hand: 2; Speed Counters: 1
Flash
LP: 2300; Hand: 2; Speed Counters: 1

“My turn!” Flash growled. He drew, then revved his engine and zoomed ahead of Soarin to grab another card on the track. “I’m activating a Speed Card of my own: Aid of the Fallen! I can only activate this when I have the same number of speed counters as my opponent! By banishing a monster that was destroyed by battle from my Graveyard, I can add a monster of the same type from my deck to my hand!”

Soarin gulped. “So you can get any warrior you want?”

“Exactly!” Flash said with a smirk. “I banish Assault Halberd to take a second copy of him!” His deck was automatically shuffled by the D-Wheel, and the chosen card was ejected into his hand. “Now, since you control a monster and I don’t, I can Special Summon my Assault Halberd from my hand, and then I normal summon my Warrior Dai Grepher!”

“Two monsters on the field again,” Soarin muttered.

“You may be worthless Satellite trash, but I’m smart enough to realize that you’re tougher than you look,” said Flash. “That’s why I’m going all out! I use my level four Assault Halberd and Warrior Dai Grepher to build the Overlay Network!” His monsters glowed and transformed into energy before flying into a portal that opened between the two Duelists.

“Huh?!” Soarin gasped.

“You hit my Life Points! Now I’m gonna demolish yours!” Flash shouted as a red-armored knight with two units circling it and a glittering sword emerged from the portal. “I Xyz Summon! Tremble before the holy might of Heroic Champion- Excalibur!”

“I need a Speed Card…!” Soarin said, zooming forward.

“You won’t have the opportunity to reach one!” Flash taunted. “I activate Excalibur’s special ability! By removing both of his overlay units, his attack points double until the end of your turn!” His monster absorbed the units into his sword and roared a battle cry. “Excalibur, wipe out his Speed Warrior with holy sword strike!”

“I can avoid damage with the trap Scrap-Iron Scarecrow!” Soarin countered, flipping up his card. A metal scarecrow appeared in front of his warrior. “This negates a single attack, then sets itself facedown to be used again later!”

“I was expecting a useless card like that,” Flash said with a smirk. “I’m activating the counter trap card Dark Bribe! This will negate and destroy your Scrap-Iron, but you get to draw a card!”

Soarin winced as his Speed Warrior was destroyed, then pulled a card from the top of his deck. “Good thing I had another trap ready! Miracle’s Wake! This revives a monster that was destroyed by battle this turn, so I’ll do what we Satellites do best and recycle my Speed Warrior!”

“You honestly think it’ll help you now?” Flash laughed. “I end my turn. You’re going to the scrap heap where you belong.”

Soarin
LP: 1400; Hand: 3; Speed Counters: 1
Flash
LP: 2300; Hand: 2; Speed Counters: 2

Rather than look worried, Soarin seemed confident. “My turn! Draw!”

“It’s not too late to surrender, Soarin,” Flash offered, an infuriatingly smug look on his face.

“Not happening,” said Soarin. “You know what the funny part is? You keep calling me trash. I’m literally using a Junk deck, and I’m still gonna beat you. I activate the spell card that your Dark Bribe let me draw: Tuning! By sending the top card of my deck to the Graveyard, I can add to my hand one tuner monster with the word Synchron in its name!”

Flash gasped. “A tuner?! How did a Satellite like you end up with tuners?!”

Soarin smirked. “It’s surprising what you topsiders throw away these days,” he said. “I send a card to the grave to add Junk Synchron to my hand! And now I normal summon him and activate his special ability! This lets me bring back a level two monster from my Graveyard in defense mode!”

“Good thing you don’t have any of those,” Flash said.

“Are you sure about that? Because it just so happens that the card I had to mill was the level two Digitron!” Alongside Soarin’s short orange monster appeared a white monster that looked like a computer. “And now, since I Special Summoned a monster with 1500 or less attack points while you have a monster out, I can activate the spell card Inferno Reckless Summon! This card will summon all monsters with the same name as the monster I brought out from my hand, deck, or Graveyard! I summon two more Digitrons from my deck! And now, you can do the same thing with one of your monsters.”

“I have two more copies of Excalibur,” Flash said, “but they’re both in my extra deck, so I can’t bring them out!”

“And now for the fun part! I tune level three Junk Synchron with level two Speed Warrior!” Soarin declared. His tuner pulled a cord on its back and flew up into the air, turning into three green energy rings. Speed Warrior jumped through the rings and turned into two orbs of light. “The stars come together to form a new power! Become the light that shows the way!” Soarin chanted, a beam flashing through the rings. “I Synchro Summon! Come forth! JUNK WARRIOR!”

Flash sighed in relief as the blue mechanical warrior appeared. “Oh, good. Just more trash. I was actually worried for a second,” he said. “That thing still needs 1700 more attack points to even match Excalibur right now.”

“I activate Junk Warrior’s special ability!” Soarin shouted. “When this monster is Synchro Summoned, it gains all the attack points of every level two or lower monster currently on my field! My three Digitrons are all level two, and each one is giving Junk Warrior 1500 attack points!”

“But that’ll bring it up to 6800!” Flash cried.

“More than enough to finish Excalibur and you!” said Soarin. “Junk Warrior! Attack Heroic Champion- Excalibur! Scrap fist!”

Flash pushed his D-Wheel to the limit. He had spied a Speed Card ahead and was desperate to grab it before he was struck. But when he got it… “Ah! Attack Penalty! It’s a Speed Trap!”

Soarin smirked. “Looks like your monster is losing half of its attack points,” he said. “Junk Warrior, finish him! Show Flash just how powerful this trash can be!” His monster charged at the opposing knight, an aura of pure power glowing around its fist, then brought its arm forward to deliver a powerful punch.

Winner: Soarin

Flash yelled in frustration as his D-Wheel’s automatic brakes activated, forcing him to stop while the holograms faded away and his intended prey vanished into the distance. “Damn you, Soarin!” he growled. “I’m keeping my word, but this is far from over! I’ll make you pay for this humiliation!”

Much later, Soarin stopped his ride at the shore. Looking across the vast expanse of water, he could see the skyline of Neo Canterlot City. “Spitfire…” he muttered. “I’m coming for you soon. Be ready.”

Little did he know that Spitfire was looking in his direction as well from the balcony of her penthouse. In her hand was a card, but not her Red Dragon Archfiend. “Soarin. I know you’re coming to get this back. Be sure to bring your best,” she said, walking back inside and setting the card next to her deck on the table.

And that card was Stardust Dragon. A monster that had once belonged to her former friend.