When I awoke, the sun had risen for what seemed to be quite a while. I felt woozy and strange, and no one was at the hideout, or at the very least inside the tent, when I woke up. Yusei must've been finishing up the final tune-ups on his Runner. I imagined Rally and the others were working or doing their own thing...

...until I remembered that Sector Security had found us and chased us down the last time I was awake. With invigorating fear, I stumbled out of the couch I had been sleeping in (why was I asleep?!) and scrambled out of the tent, panicked.

"Yusei?! Rally?! Nervin? Hello?!" My high-pitched calls echoed down the tunnels, and I could've probably been heard from a mile away. I wondered why I wasn't in prison, or why I was left at the hideout while no one else was there.

No one else was there.

My fear grew with every passing second of silence in response to my calls. I couldn't see anyone around, but the place looked normal. I was alone.

Why was I alone? I couldn't be alone. I wasn't strong enough to survive on my own. I wanted my friends. I needed my friends. I had to find them, I had to do something. I couldn't be here alone forever--!

I heard a voice calling me, but it wasn't familiar, so I ignored it. I needed to find my friends.

"Blitz! Tank!? Rally? Hello?!" I kept calling, and no one answered. It went on like this for several minutes. I was too afraid to go up to the surface, where I'd been attacked the last time I went, so I stayed on the same platform, desperately calling my friends' names, to prove I'd remembered them. To prove I cared about them.

I did. I really, really did. And their silence was deafeningly frightening to me, to the point I nearly began to break down in tears.

It was lucky, then, that before I started just straight-up sobbing that I heard Yusei's Runner come back from his run. (He was doing a test run at a time like this?!)

When he parked, he saw that I was awake and standing on the platform, shocked to see him. He propped his Runner to stand on its kickstand and ran up the stairs to meet me.

"Sylvia!" He hadn't even taken off his helmet. Was he surprised to see me awake? He lifted his visor and grabbed me by the shoulders. "Are you okay? Are you hurt? How're you feeling?" Before he gave me a chance to respond, he swiftly pulled his gloves off and reached behind my bangs to feel my forehead, checking my temperature. He used his other hand to compare it to his own forehead. "You don't look sick anymore... Have you eaten anything?"

I was so confused. Why was he checking my temperature? I didn't look sick "anymore"? Was I sick?

I wanted to back away and get his hand off my face, but the feeling of realness I got from it kept me grounded. Still, Yusei pulled away when he determined I had no fever. I tried to say something, but I couldn't bring myself to ask my millions of questions. Yusei spoke instead.

"Rally and the others told me you collapsed while you were running away," he explained. "I got Sector Security off our back, but the guys came back and you were just out cold, for no apparent reason. We've been taking turns looking after you since then."

Sector Security was gone? We weren't in danger anymore? Everyone was okay...?

My hands hovered over my heart and I let out a shaky breath. "...t-thank goodness... everyone's safe..."

"We don't know that for sure," Yusei said seriously.

I stiffened. "D... d-did someone get hurt...?"

Yusei stared at me like I'd just said the weirdest thing in the world. "What're you talking about? You got sick, somehow. You didn't wake up for four days; we were scared for your life!"

I couldn't process what Yusei said for a good minute. How much had I missed? Well, he'd just answered that. Four days, apparently.

"But... but the important part is... w-we're safe, right? Yusei?" I looked up at him hopefully, like a child looking for some kind of affirmation from a parent.

Yusei's hard gaze softened and he sighed. "We're safe. But you need rest. I'm glad you're awake, Sylvia."

I gave him a small smile, hoping it'd calm him--or me? No, both of us--down.

I'd offered to help Yusei finish tuning up his Runner that day, considering it'd be one of his last nights in the Satellite, but Yusei refused my help, insisting I rest in the tent. He made me some cup noodles Rally found from somewhere and left me to watch the steam rise as five minutes passed.

I'd been gone--no, asleep--for four days? That's so weird... The last time I slept for an unknowingly long amount of time, I'd forgotten everything in my past. I don't even know how long I'd been asleep when Rally and the others found me and fixed me up.

Speaking of which, my arm seemed to be completely healed. I don't know if it had anything to do with my being asleep for an exceedingly long amount of time, but the scars on my arm were completely healed.

I could hear Yusei testing out everything to make sure it all worked flawlessly while I ate. It felt like I hadn't eaten in a while. Actually, had I eaten? There's no way to swallow things while you're asleep, right? I don't know. I'd rather not think about it. I simply scarfed down the food gratefully and watched out of the corner of my eye as Yusei worked on everything.

He was dedicated and very, very determined to get back at Jack for what he did. Those things Jack stole must've been extra special to Yusei for him to go to these lengths to get them back. I felt bad. As I was right then, I couldn't do y see anything to help.

True to Yusei's word, it wasn't long before Rally arrived to come check up on me in the tent. Rally did pretty much the same thing Yusei did when he found I was awake, but Yusei filled him in before it got too overbearing. I was left to sit and watch as Yusei unplugged his Runner from all of his various gadgets and devices and Rally held the timer Yusei handed him, taking over my role as Yusei's time-tester.

I wonder if Rally's been doing that the entire time I've been asleep.

Quite a bit of time passed, and not much happened. Despite the hectic nature in which I had woken up from, the day was surprisingly uneventful. At least, during the daytime. Of course, if I'd learned anything about Satellite, it's that the most "interesting" things tended to happen at night.

Evening fell, and I was moved from the couch to my little corner beside the tent. Everyone in the Satellite had a place to stay, even if that place wasn't very comfortable. You find your own nook, dig up some garbage, and make do with what you have. That's how things go here.

When Rally first found me, I'd been staying on the couch in the tent, and the guys had pretty much dubbed it "my" space. But I didn't want to take it up forever. Everyone liked to sit there, since the couch was one of the few non-broken things they owned. Sure, it was a bit lumpy, but it was more comfortable than most of the stuff in the Satellite. So at one point, I took it upon myself to sneak around some abandoned houses--real houses, not just office buildings--and I created a colorful little corner of old couch cushions, weak pillows, and the occasional rare blanket I could wrap myself up in. Rally often loaned a faded blue one from me, since he was small enough to cover himself in it entirely.

So I sat in my little corner as Tank, Blitz, and Nervin returned from the surface looking as though they'd just been in an awful fist fight. Of course, they were pretty surprised to see me awake (and I was more than relieved to see them alive), but Rally wouldn't let them know what was going on until we sat them down on the couch and patched up their wounds together. It was lucky Yusei had been back for a few minutes already, still tuning up his Runner to optimize its functions.

Yusei was really focused, wasn't he...

"Hey, watch it!" Blitz snapped as I applied gauze to his face. I flinched, but kept going nonetheless.

He only snapped because it stung. Of course we're still friends, why would you even think otherwise?

"S-sorry..." I think he felt guilty for snapping at me, and I wanted to tell him it was okay, but I was too focused on keeping my hands from shaking too much as I carefully applied a bandage to his wound. It looked like he'd scraped it from the concrete, most likely from falling in that fight.

Right, the fight. The guys filled us in on what happened when they were at work: Blitz and the others were just minding their own business, delivering recyclables to the other side of the plant, when a new guy from the City with a mark tripped Tank over, demanded new shoes or something? and Blitz defended him, resulting in the three of them getting involved in a pretty brutal-looking brawl. None of them had any serious injuries, but I was really worried about their wounds getting infected with all of the garbage and dirt here in Satellite and getting sick as a result.

Somehow, I apparently had kept gauze on me in my dress's pockets, and Rally had simple band-aids that he often used on the others in case of situations like this. It was certainly no doctor's office, but I was glad that I had gauze ready to use. Why would I have something like that, though?

Did I often use it? It seemed almost new when I pulled it out, save for a couple of missing pads, but still.

Rally was going to just close up the wounds with the band-aids and call it a day, but I advised him to at least grab some water to help me soak up the gauze. It took some time, but after a while we managed to get our hands on fresh water, boiled it to purify it, and after it cooled down enough not to burn anyone, I dipped my pads of gauze gently in the water so that it would be damp and healing.

I wonder how I knew about shortcuts like those. Maybe I needed them in the past?

I finished taping the gauze to Blitz's face and pulled away. "I'm sorry. I wish I could do more, but there's not much to work with here..."

Blitz, despite the clear pain on his face, waved me off. "You're doing more than Rally did."

"Hey!"

"Besides, we didn't know about these cool little tricks you have. Boiling water? That's clever on a whole 'nother level."

I shrugged. "If I had some kind of antiseptic I think I could do more, at least to clean the injury. But I guess this should work in the end."

Yusei turned to look at me over his shoulder, just to make sure everything was okay. "I think you did a good job, Sylvia. Thank you."

Rally beamed at me. "Yeah, besides what Blitz said," to whom Rally stuck his tongue out, "you've been a big help! We were all really worried when you just collapsed, though..."

"Hey, Yuse, how's the Runner?" Tank asked, sighing.

"Oh! Yusei maxed out his Duel Runner! We just passed his best time yet!" Rally gushed. "You should've seen him! I could barely keep up with all that speed!"

I softly smiled and nodded in agreement. "I'm glad. Yusei will be able to leave soon."

Yusei barely turned around from his Runner. "It's thanks to Sylvia and Rally."

Rally turned to him with a hand to his heart. "I wanna thank you too, Yusei! Ever since that duel you had with Sector Security, I haven't been tailed or chased again! I promise you, I'll never steal again."

Never steal again? It was kind of a tall order, considering the place Rally lived in, but I believed he could do it. Rally thanked Yusei with a promise, after all.

Should... I do the same? What kind of thing could I offer? What could I possibly promise to make Yusei happy?

"Huh. I guess there're even some sensible people in Sector Security, huh?" Blitz wondered aloud.

"A duel's a duel," Nervin responded. "Every respectable duelist has to follow the terms of one, after all."

"I wouldn't call him a 'duelist,' per se," Yusei remedied Nervin. "But for a dog who's in a position of power, he knows how to take a loss well."

I winced. "I-isn't that a little..." I stopped myself before finishing the sentence with the word 'harsh,' remembering my current position. I turned my gaze down to the ground and self-consciously rubbed my arm as I felt everyone but Yusei's eyes on me. "...sorry. M-maybe I shouldn't..."

"Since it's you, Sylvia," Blitz began, "I don't even hold it against you for thinking it. But if it were anyone else, they'd have met my fist right about now."

"R-right... s-sorry..."

"You just haven't lived here as long as us, that's all," Tank chimed in, trying to make me feel better. "And even if you have, you've forgotten a lot, so I think it's okay. Just try and remember, you can't win by being nice to everyone."

It was a powerful statement, and I'm not sure Tank even meant it to be. But the only thing I was remotely good at was being kind.

"...maybe I can't win that way," I gave in, taking a shaky breath. "But I can try anyway, can't I?"

I think I surprised them with that answer. Even Yusei had to turn and look at me to see if I was growing a second head.

Nervin sat up and cleared his throat. "Hey Sylv, I got a question for ya. What would you have done if that guy tripped you over and beaten you up?"

I sort of expected that question, but I couldn't help the hesitant pause I made before I answered. "Well... I probably wouldn't do anything. Not if I'm the one being attacked."

"What if you weren't?" Tank took over. "Let's say the guy was gettin' mauled by some people he bullied before, and they wanted revenge. What would you do then?"

I barely had to think to give my answer. "I'd defend him, at least for a little bit. My goal would be to get both sides to apologize to each other and stop the fight."

Blitz sighed. "Okay. Let's say you try and get between them to get them to talk things out. But things don't go like you planned. They don't listen to you, you get hurt instead, and you probably get mugged too, while they're at it. What then? You lose, right?"

I didn't know how to answer that. I guess Blitz was right. "...you're saying I'm being very idealistic?"

"Exactly. Uh, that means unrealistic, right?"

Nervin pushed his glasses up his nose. "Idealistic is basically being tied to the most ideal outcome possible, even if it's a highly unlikely one."

"It's great that you want to be kind to as many people as you can," Yusei finally spoke up, standing to stretch and turning to face us. "But if you hold on too closely to your ideals, you can lose your grasp on reality. The same goes the other way around. If you're too grounded in the real world, you blind yourself to the possibility of dreams and ideals. You gotta find an equal balance between the two."

Rally laughed. "As far as I'm concern, Sylvia's got her head in the clouds almost all the time! There isn't a time you don't run into her singing, dancing, or sitting down and doing something on paper!"

The others laughed. "True," Blitz added. "You're the most airheaded kid I know!"

"H-huh?!"

"I bet you were dreamin' even while you were asleep, weren't ya?"

"Tank, that's insensitive!"

"What? I was just jokin' around!"

Speaking of which...

"Actually, I did dream," I told them.

But instead of taking me seriously, the guys only burst into further laughter.

"Seriously?!"

"No way! I was jokin'!"

"Okay, that can't be a coincidence, haha!"

I tried to tell them about the clouds and the canvases when they quieted down, and how it all felt real, and that I woke up when the light engulfed me, but they shrugged me off.

"I'm sure it felt real," Nervin said casually. "It was a dream, after all. And maybe it's a little weird how you remember it in fine detail like you do, but that's just how it is sometimes. Dreams are weird, y'know?"

Rally gave me a casual grin. "It is pretty cool you dreamt of somethin' so close to ya, though. You think it has something to do with your memories? Like, maybe it means somethin'!"

"...like it's symbolic?"

"Yeah, that!"

I shrugged, and I was no longer confident in my whole "dream" idea. It wasn't anyone's fault; they were probably right and I must've been overthinking it. But it still made me feel down for some reason.

In the end, I ended up changing the subject. "So... I understand that getting to Domino City is really important for Yusei... but why is he going after the card Jack stole? I get that it's important, but... why?"

Rally rounded the others up to gather around Yusei so that they could tell the story while Yusei worked.

"Yusei hacked into the City's database one time to show us how Turbo Duels worked," Tank began. "And we learned about the development of Duel Disks and Duel Runners! We all got super stoked for it, and we wanted to do the same here in Satellite, so Yusei built a Duel Runner from spare parts from the recycling center."

"Seeing it for the first time was amazing!" Nervin continued. "I wish you could've seen it, Sylvia! It was brilliant, white, and it almost could've matched Stardust Dragon. Maybe with a paint job..."

"And then Yuse started it up and showed us what it could do, and it felt entirely unreal," Blitz went on. "He summoned Stardust Dragon as that Runner's first-ever Summon. Of course, it wasn't an official duel or nothin', but it could display the holograms really well, and Stardust Dragon was absolutely breathtaking."

Rally finished the story. "Jack stole both the Runner and the card, then rode off to Domino City. We even made a promise back then, that Stardust Dragon wasn't just Yusei's card, it was everyone's. Stardust was our faith and dreams! That's why it's really important that Yusei gets it back. Not just for him, or to get back at Jack, but for all of us!"

"...I see..." I glanced down at my belt and rested a hand on my deck box. "So if my deck is my memories... then your Stardust Dragon is your dreams. And by stealing that, you feel as though Jack stole your very future from you."

Yusei nodded. "That's right. This isn't the first Duel Runner I've made. At midnight tonight, I'll be leaving the Satellite through the city's pipeline."

We've all known this already. Yusei has been hacking, running simulations, and preparing for this night for the past... well, I don't know how long exactly, but I think I've been here almost three weeks now? So at least more than that. In that short time, I'd gotten quite attached to him, but I know I have to say goodbye to him.

I can't believe I woke up at the latest possible time to see Yusei again. Imagine if I'd woken up later and Yusei was gone...

"We'll be rootin' for ya, Yusei," Nervin said. "You got this."

"So this is where you lowlifes were hangin' out, huh?"

I heard the sound of a familiar engine revving, and it wasn't Yusei's Runner. The low thrum of the vehicle echoed down the halls of the subway, and an odd sense of panic shot through me as I ran to check what the source of the noise was.

There, where Yusei would normally have just finished a test run with his Runner, was some random guy with two lackeys at his side, riding an elegant-looking white Runner with six different-colored accents off the backside. I felt the same overwhelming feeling of familiar belonging as I possessed with my deck and Duel Disk.

That's mine. That's mine! It belongs to me! I know what that is! It's mine!

"Hah! Nice little gang you've got here. Shame y'all ain't worth much," said the man driving my Duel Runner. He revved the engine a couple of times, just to show off. "Oh, and about those shoes, Tank. Did you buy them for me yet?"

"Uh--y'see, the thing about that is, er...--"

"Never mind that. That a Runner I see? It'd make a nice addition to my..." He revved the engine again. "...collection."

Blitz stood in front of Yusei's Runner defensively. "You're not getting your hands on it."

"What a waste of a beautiful vehicle," the guy continued.

"...stop it."

I could barely have heard myself, but I think I was starting to really get angry. Like really, genuinely angry. As though that Runner he was riding--my Runner--held some kind of significant importance to me. Not just the money I most likely spent getting it, but some kind of deeper value.

Something almost like Stardust Dragon.

The man laughed. "What was that?!" he yelled exaggeratingly. "I couldn't hear ya over the sound of my sweet ride!"

I lost my temper. I don't know why I was so frustrated about this little thing. Instead of going and talking to him peacefully, like I ought to have done, I vaulted over the platform and landed in front of him, my own wheel threatening to run me over as I stood in his way.

"Give that back!" I yelled at him. "That's mine, you thief! Give me back my Duel Runner!"

The man didn't seem to care, though. Instead, he burst out laughing. "You, a tiny little girl, with a Duel Runner?! Hah! I don't think so, kid!"

I didn't even think when I activated my Duel Disk. My fingers flew across the screen and pressed a couple of buttons, and soon my Duel Disk was activated and...

"Pairing with Duel Runner... Duel Runner found." And a light on the front of the Runner began to flash, just like I thought it would. "Paired."

The guy and his lackeys were surprised it worked so well. To be honest, so was I. Whoever made my Duel Disk and Duel Runner had to have been a real technological genius, and I knew it wasn't me.

"Whoa, that's Sylvia's?"

"Dude, she's had that Duel Disk since we found her. How did we not think about her Duel Runner looking so badass?!"

"Sylvia has a Duel Runner?"

"Duh, Tank. Her Duel Disk is a hybrid. Couldn't you tell from the start?"

"Er... no?"

"You're hopeless..."

The man finally got off the Runner, letting it rest on its kickstand and powering it down. "Alright then, kid. You've proven it's yours. But let's make some things interesting. I'm not giving this Runner back unless you can win it from me in a duel. It'd be a waste to return it otherwise, wouldn't it?"

His lackeys snickered.

Yusei moved forward in the corner of my eye, but I stopped him by stepping forward. "Fine."

"One more thing," the man--Lenny, I learned later--continued. "If you lose, not only do I get this Runner of yours, but I get that bright red one, too."

I hesitated on that front. Yusei's Runner was everyone's dream. To entrust it to someone who was practically a stranger would be near suicide. And the deadline was tonight!

But my Runner was important to me. Maybe if I had it, I could...

"And the Duel has to be a Turbo Duel. Since that Duel Disk of yours is so important to this Runner's functioning, I'm gonna need you to hand it to me. You can use the red one. How's that sound?"

A Turbo Duel?! Seriously?!

"N-no! That's not my Runner to drive!" I protested. "It's Yusei's!"

Lenny laughed. "As I thought. The kid's chicken."

"No! You're providing me with unfair terms! I don't agree to your unrealistic demands!"

"Sylvia!" Yusei's voice boomed over my indignant protests and I turned to look at him. Yusei unclipped his wrist dealer from his arm and removed his deck, holding the device out. "It'll be fine. You won't lose."

He was offering the wrist dealer to me. He was offering his entire Runner to me. He was offering the key to his very freedom to me.

"But--"

"You heard the man," Lenny jeered. "Turbo Duel or major drool, kid. Your choice."

Lenny made me absolutely seethe. I hated everything about what he was doing. And he was the same man who hurt my friends too, wasn't he?

What a lowlife. He wouldn't get away with hurting my friends, and he wouldn't get away with stealing what didn't belong to him, either. At least I got full permission from Yusei.

I begrudgingly removed my casual deck and walked over to my Runner, then demonstrated how to properly reinstall the Duel Disk. The touch pad on my Disk that usually displayed my Life Points was actually detachable, and it was the Duel Runner's own monitor that I could simply carry around wherever I went. The disk itself was to be attached to the body underneath the monitor, with the blades folding diagonally to better hold the cards. I handed my wrist dealer to Lenny with a scowl.

He extended his hand expectantly, with a stupid, smug grin on his face. I held out on giving it to him to say some final words: "I'm trusting you with this. You'd better take good care of it if you know what's good for you."

I don't think I expected myself to sound so foreboding, because even Lenny's smirk dropped when I finally handed him the wrist dealer and climbed up the ledge to meet Yusei.

"Yikes... remind me not to get on her bad side," Nervin shivered.

"Yuse, is it safe to be handin' our future to a little kid with amnesia?" Blitz asked nervously.

"Hey, I bet riding Yusei's Duel Runner will help you remember more about yourself!" Rally insisted. "Just like dueling me helped you remember your name!"

"Just... be careful, wouldja? We worked hard for this," Tank stammered.

Yusei put his hand on my shoulder. "I'm trusting you with this. Take good care of the Runner, okay?"

As he handed me the wrist dealer and helmet, I put them on with the utmost of care. Just like Yusei, I had a Turbo Deck ready in my pocket. But I'd never touched it until now, so sliding it into Yusei's device felt a little bit foreign to me.

I remembered riding with Yusei the one time--that first day when I'd woken up--when I sat down in Yusei's driver's seat. It was fitted for his body, of course, but as I found where my feet go, how the Runner revs, and as Yusei walked me through what each of the buttons on the dashboard do, I got more and more used to taking control.

Thankfully, Lenny agreed to allow me a couple of laps through the subway system using the map Yusei had installed to give me time to adjust to the new Runner. Yusei's Runner's handling ability was absolutely impeccable, and the speed regulation was surprisingly swift. It could handle some tough turns, and if I needed to maneuver around something, it was flexible enough to do so, while at the same time staying simple enough to function right. The dueling CPU was great, too. It detected cards well, the hologram functions worked perfectly, and it was just all-in-all a very impressive Runner. The speed in particular had initially caught me off guard, but after the second and third laps that I'd come around without any damage to the vehicle, I think I earned everyone's trust using Yusei's Runner a bit more.

Just before the Duel began, Yusei walked up to me and handed me a card. "Here," he told me. "Use it when you need it." I wordlessly nodded and inserted it into my deck, reshuffling the cards.

With that taken care of, it was time to line up for the start of the Turbo Duel.

"Duel Mode engaged. Auto-pilot standing by. Activate Speed World."

Lenny wore my white helmet and revved my engine over and over, obnoxious as ever. Meanwhile, I took care of my friend's Runner because I knew how much he cared about it. I wouldn't let Lenny get away with my Runner if I could help it.

Yusei had pulled up a program on his computer that allowed him and the others to spectate the duel after pairing up with his Duel Disk. A timer counted down for us, and when it was time, we shot off through the tunnels, keeping each other at neck-and-neck paces.

"Duel!"

Lenny: 4000
Sylvia: 4000

"I'll go first!" Lenny announced, drawing a card from his deck. "I summon Chainsaw Insect from my hand in Attack mode!"

Lenny: 1
Sylvia: 1

Chainsaw Insect was a monster with 2400 Attack Points, so he was immediately going to put pressure on me to win the duel.

"Next, I set a card facedown and end my turn!"

The face-down card was probably a trap. The only ways I could test that would be to see if it was a trap for summoning monsters, such as Bottomless Trap Hole, or a trap for attacking monsters. I had no way of destroying it right away, but I was lucky my monsters had such low attack points.

"My turn. I draw!" I swiped a card from my deck. Yusei's Runner ran smoothly as always. After examining my hand a little bit, our Speed Counters went up by one and I grabbed a card from my hand.

Lenny: 2
Sylvia: 2

"I Summon The Weather Painter Snow from my hand in Attack mode!"

In a brilliant whirlwind of flurrying snow, my Weather Painter revealed herself to the world, flying beside Yusei's Runner as she flapped her snowflake wings and left behind a glimmering cerulean trail behind her.

Lenny did a double-take. "What kinda monster is that?! I've never seen anythin' like it!"

To be honest, I was surprised someone from the city like him hadn't seen it. "Really? Never?"

"I wouldn't even call that thing a monster! It's too cutesy! Suits you, I suppose. You are a little girl, after all."

Aaaand my moment of peace was destroyed. I swung my hand to the side to gesture to Snow beside me. "When I Normal Summon Snow onto the field, I can place any Continuous 'The Weather' Spell or Trap card from my deck onto the field, and since there's no such thing as a Continuous Speed Spell, I have a whole arsenal of Trap Cards to choose from."

"Huh?!"

Snow began to dance around with her airbrush, creating a whirlwind of wintry magic, and when her mini-blizzard dissipated, I revealed the activation of The Weather Wintry Canvas.

Lenny gaped at my brand-new Wintry Canvas, probably surprised by its appearance and the fact that a small fairy like Snow had activated it.

"But your little snow fairy has no Attack Points! What's your little Trap gonna do to fix that?" Lenny asked me.

"I'm glad you asked! See, whenever Snow's in the range of The Weather Wintry Canvas's weather condition, Snow gains an extra ability!"

I hoped Rally was cheering me on.

"W-what kind of extra ability?"

"As long as I have two or more Speed Counters, Snow can visit the canvas and leave the field, and in doing so, she allows me to take another 'Weather' Canvas from my Deck and add it to my hand." Just like in Rally's duel, Snow disappeared into the card itself, leaving my field wide open while I added Rainbowed Canvas to my hand.

I could tell Lenny was getting a little bit cocky. "Hah! But now your field's wide open! On your next turn, I could just take out more than half your Life Points!"

"I wouldn't be so sure of that," I told him. "I set three cards facedown and end my turn!"

I had to be careful of what order I set my cards in. I was confident with the strategy I had going so far. Hopefully, Lenny would continue to be ignorant to my cards' effects. If I could use his lack of knowledge to my advantage, I could save Yusei's and my Duel Runner.

Lenny drew his card. "My turn! Draw!"

Lenny: 3
Sylvia: 3

"I activate Snow's effect!" Lenny gasped in surprise as Snow returned from her Canvas trip. "Once per turn, since she was banished for the effect of a 'Weather' effect, I can Special Summon her to my field. I set her in Defense position!"

Snow: 2200 DEF

"Huh?! No fair! Your monsters can come back?!" Lenny groaned. "I'll teach you to play dirty!"

"I'm not playing dirty," I shot back at him. "Weather Painters have unique effects. If you can't keep up with our combos, I suggest you forfeit the match and hand back my Runner."

"Not a chance! I'm continuing with my turn!" Lenny slapped a card on his Duel Disk. "I summon Pinch Hopper!"

An admittedly ugly-looking grasshopper began bouncing alongside my Runner, fully colored in Attack position. It had 1000 Attack Points. He wouldn't summon a monster that weak without reason.

"I can grab cards from my deck too, y'know! I activate Retribution of the Ant--huh?"

I couldn't believe him. My Runner was rejecting his Spell card, and for good reason. Did the guy actually not have a Turbo deck?

Lenny glanced at his card and my Runner's dashboard in surprise, looking between the two as though he'd find something if he squinted. Clearly he wasn't squinting hard enough.

"Are you kidding me?! This card isn't banned or anything! What's the deal?!" Lenny cried.

I slowed Yusei's Runner to match Lenny's pace. "Are you not using a Turbo deck?"

Lenny looked completely lost. "You need a whole 'nother deck for these kindsa duels?!"

I pulled up in front of him and turned a sharp 180, forcing Lenny to stop in his tracks and glowered at him. "You should've challenged me to a regular duel. You're telling me you don't have the cards to continue the Turbo Duel? Why even go through all the trouble of stealing my Runner, then?"

Lenny looked like he wanted to protest. "I--no, it's just--look, I've never ridden a Runner until now, and I even got good at playing cards and driving at the same time! What else was I supposed to do?!"

I wanted to hold my head, but I'd get fingerprints on Yusei's helmet's visor, and he needed to see for tonight. So instead, I groaned loudly. "You're kidding me!"

"Well, what're you gonna do with this piece of junk, anyway?! You're so small, I bet you can't even reach the foot pedal!" Lenny spat at me.

My grip on Yusei's Runner tightened, and I might've accidentally revved it a bit too much. But at the very least, Lenny didn't look so smug anymore, and he was finally starting to realize that I'm not just going to be pushed around by people like him.

But after a moment of self-reflection, I realized I was getting angrier than I needed to. Lenny must've just been excited with my Runner, that's all. It was normal to be excited, I thought. No use blowing hot air over it unnecessarily. After a deep breath, I faced him again. "I can give you a selection of some basic Speed Spells, but I expect them back after the duel."

Lenny looked surprised to hear my offer. Once again, I can't blame him. At the time, it seemed like such a normal thing to me. But Lenny clearly wanted to at least taste what it felt like to have a Turbo Duel. Who would I be to take that away from him? Besides, I was confident I could win if I just used my cards right. What was the harm in having a little fun before I won?

My smile returned, and I left Yusei's Runner to stand on its kickstand, then stood up and reached into my pockets, walking over to Lenny, still mounted on my vehicle.

"Set the duel to 'pause' and remove your deck for me, wouldja?"

"Uhhh..."

"Here, I'll help you." I operated my UI for him, pressing a few buttons on the screen and putting a temporary halt to the duel. After searching through my collection of Speed Spells, I gave Lenny a few with decent effects, each spread out for whenever he gets any amount of Speed Counters to give him more opportunities to use his deck to the fullest. They were very generic cards, which could probably be used by anyone, so he should be able to make good use out of them.

After Lenny removed all of his normal and Continuous Spell cards, he inserted the Speed Spells, shuffled them in, and replaced his deck in the wrist dealer.

He stared at me strangely for a moment while I walked back to Yusei's Runner and started it up again. Before I could rev Yusei's engine, Lenny finally asked, "Why did you help me?"

I glanced up at him, confused. "What do you mean?"

"I stole your Runner, didn't I?"

"Yes. And the agreement was that I'd get it back when I win," I reminded him. "I don't want to win without giving you a chance to fight for it. Besides, I need this Turbo Duel."

I didn't answer any further, starting the engine and driving off again. It took some time for Lenny to catch up to me, but he made it, still looking clearly confused. "Need it? Why?"

Did I want to get into my memory issues with him? Or would that make him go easy on me? Did I care if he went easy on me? I frankly didn't know, but the duel had already begun. I wanted to show what I could do.

"...It's still your turn," I told him, ending the subject.

Lenny seemed to understand and re-examined his hand, thinking about his next move. "Okay, I think I got it. It's not quite the same, but I activate the Speed Spell Lightning Rod! And with it, I can destroy my Pinch Hopper, 's long as I have at least two Speed Counters."

I was surprised to see him destroy his own monster, but that meant it must've had some kind of special ability that only activates either when destroyed or when in the Graveyard. Pinch Hopper was electrocuted and destroyed in nearly an instant.

"Now I activate Pinch Hopper's effect!"

I knew it.

"When Pinch Hopper's destroyed, I can Special Summon an Insect-type card from my hand! Say hello to my Metal-Armored Bug!"

The small tunnel we were in was getting just a little bit cramped. The bug he summoned was absolutely huge, and it crawled way too quickly for its size. It wasn't called Metal-Armored for nothing. Its exoskeleton looked like it could've been built of steel, and its strength was definitely nothing to scoff at.

Metal-Armored Bug: 2800 ATK

"Thaaaaat's a big creepy crawly..." I mumbled. Yusei's mic, unfortunately, was in perfect working order because Lenny began to snicker a little bit.

"What, are you scared?"

"Oh, and you aren't?" I shot back. "Imagine that thing comes flying at you in the middle of the night; you'd be scared out of your mind!"

Lenny laughed, but this time, I wasn't too upset at him for it. I don't think he expected my snark, and just hearing it was funny to him. To be honest, it was funny to me too, and I began to laugh as well.

"You're not wrong there!" Lenny finally relented.

"Does it have any effects?" I asked.

"It doesn't need any. I've got a better effect in store," Lenny answered. "First, I activate Angel Baton, to draw two cards and send one to the Graveyard." He swiped a couple of cards and discarded one, though I couldn't tell which one it was. Still, he didn't activate Angel Baton because he needed to draw more cards. Clearly, he had the plan in his head right from the get-go. "Next, I remove two Insect-type monsters in my Graveyard from play to Special Summon an even creepier crawly! I summon Doom Dozer!"

That's what it was. He needed two Insect-types in his Graveyard to Special Summon a third pressuring monster.

I had to think about my plan quick. If I activated Rainbowed Canvas right now, then activated Snow's Rainbowed effect, I could...

"Battle!"

"I activate a Trap!" Rainbowed Canvas lifted from its dormant state, standing upright right beside Wintry Canvas. "The Weather Rainbowed Canvas!"

A heavenly light hovered over Snow, who was in range of the effect, and now the snowy flurries from the Wintry Canvas were reflecting in different colors of the rainbow.

I wondered how Yusei's Runner looked from an outside perspective. It must've been a beautiful sight.

"Huh?! Another Canvas card?"

"Of course! There's lots, after all," I told him. "It's still your move, isn't it?"

"You're not activating an effect?"

"Keep going and we'll find out!"

I didn't expect Lenny to let out my competitive side. it felt strange to challenge someone suddenly, playing coy to see if he'd attack me or not.

Luckily for me, he attacked.

"Chainsaw Insect, it's time to attack!"

As Chainsaw Insect closed in on Snow, colored entirely blue in Defense Position as she braced for the attack, I swung my arm to gesture to her again. "I activate Snow's effect, given to her by Rainbowed Canvas! I can banish her to Special Summon a different Weather Painter from my Deck right onto the field!"

As Snow dove into the portal to the Rainbowed Canvas, disappearing from the field, another monster came out in her place.

"I Special Summon The Weather Painter Sun in Attack Mode!"

The Weather Painter Sun was, in my best possible explanation, a Warm Santa. His hair was dark brown and he wore vivid orange and golden colors, but his beard, practically bald head with a crown, and big, wide smile reminded me of the kind of fairy tale grandfather everyone could rely on. He wielded his giant paintbrush and palette as though his brush were a magical staff of some kind, and his wings, in stark contrast to Snow's more traditional wing shape, flapped up and down instead of side to side.

Since I had no monsters to choose from before Chainsaw Insect could get to Snow, its attack was canceled out, leaving two more monsters to worry about.

"Your orange fairy isn't gonna save you! Metal-Armored Bug! Take out her little Sunshine Fairy!"

"I activate another Trap! The Weather Thundery Canvas!" My third Canvas card lifted to reveal its artwork, and a loud clap of thunder echoed through the subway tunnels. Lightning began to flash behind me, and Sun was in the center of the strangest weather spell of all time. To his right, a brilliant snowstorm, and to his left, lightning at every corner. Meanwhile, he was being bathed in heavenly rainbow light in the center of it all.

"What's Thundery Canvas do?!"

I grinned. "I'm glad you asked, Lenny! Thundery Canvas also gives Sun an ability, considering he's just as much a Weather Painter as Snow! Sun can banish himself if he battles your card, and now Metal-Armored Bug returns to your hand. Better luck next time with that one!"

Sun did a little Santa laugh and swung his paintbrush around, twirling it a couple of times, then fired a brilliant orange beam of paint-light at Metal-Armored Bug, forcing it to shrink back into Lenny's hand. Then, Sun disappeared into the Thundery Canvas, leaving my field open once again for a final attack from his Doom Dozer.

"Now your field's wide open! Betcha didn't see that coming, didja, Fairy Kid? Doom Dozer, attack her directly!"

I was honestly terrified of the thing behind me, and seeing as I didn't have any other Traps to activate on the field, I had to take the hit to continue on to my next turn. There was nothing I could do to avoid the damage.

The beastly insect fired a bright red beam of light at me, and I was thankful that Yusei had a tinted visor to help see through the holograms.

Lenny: 4000
Sylvia: 1200

Sylvia: 1

"Ha! One little attack from my bugs and you're practically done!" Lenny bragged. "I should really thank you for giving me access to those Speed Spells of yours. You've practically handed me your Duel Runner on a silver platter!"

After a wince, I righted myself back up and allowed Yusei's Runner to slow down with my loss of two Speed Counters. "Don't mistake my kindness for complacency," I warned him. "The duel's not done yet."

Why did I feel so confident? Wasn't it only a few days ago that I was afraid to duel? Why wasn't I afraid to now?

Riding a Duel Runner, playing cards, and activating effect chains constantly... it all felt familiar. It felt right, I think? The various effects my cards had and their unique little gimmicks gave them a whole lot of heart I didn't think was possible to have.

I think... I'm going to win!

Lenny didn't seem to heed my warning, instead ending his turn. "Your move, Fairy Girl. Let's see how long you can last against my Insect Powerhouse!"

Lenny: 4
Sylvia: 2

"I draw!"

And what a perfect draw it was...

"Since it's the Standby Phase, my Weather Painters return from their trips into their respective paintings!" I declared, Special Summoning Snow in Defense Mode to the right of my Rainbowed Canvas, and Sun to the left of Wintry Canvas in Attack Mode.

Snow and Sun returned from their respective Canvases and danced around a little bit before Snow resumed her defensive posture with her airbrush at the ready while Sun was poised to attack, holding his brush steadily.

I glanced at the card in my hand. How could I use this...? I had three other cards, so I should examine them too, but...

I had the perfect setup. All I had to do was gain a few Speed Counters.

"I activate the Speed Spell Count Up! By discarding any number of cards from my hand, I can gain three Speed Counters per card." I discarded only one card from my hand, earning myself three extra Speed Counters, pulling just ahead of Lenny.

Sylvia: 5

"Now that I have at least four Speed Counters, I can activate another Speed Spell!" I declared, activating my next card. "Speed Fusion!"

Lenny gawked at me. "Your fairies can fuse?!"

I smiled. "Don't tell me you forgot how art works. You have to mix different colors and media to make beautiful works. The same goes for Weather Painters! By fusing together at least three Weather Painters with different colors, I can bring forth the mother of all Weather Painters!"

I placed Thunder on the field from my hand, so that she could join Sun and Snow in holding hands and mixing media. Snow left a trail with her airbrush, Sun with his paintbrush, and Thunder with her dazzling yellow crayon of lightning, and together they formed the ace of my Weather Painter deck.

"With every color at her command, a goddess of light descends from the skies to bring the silver lining you need! I Fusion Summon The Weather Painter Rainbow!"

To my left, where I had activated Thundery Canvas, The Weather Painter Rainbow appeared in all of her glory, lighting up even the darkest corners of the tunnels we drove through. I'd amazed Lenny, much to my delight, and I was sure I'd probably made the others proud, too.

Rainbow was clad in brilliant white attire, with her blonde hair fading into all colors of the rainbow around the front of her head. She wielded a paint brush, just like Sun, but hers was smaller and more akin to a wand than a staff. Alongside that, she also had seven tubes of colored paint surrounding her in a circle, each glistening brightly. Rainbow's entire presence gave off the feel of an elegant goddess who was kind and gentle in every way.

Attack: 2400

It was rare for an ace monster like her to have higher defensive power than offensive, but her 3000 Defense weren't for show. Still, I kept her in Attack position for this. There had to be more for me to do if I wanted to win against Lenny.

"I activate The Weather Painter Sun's effect! If he's in my Graveyard, I can Special Summon him to the field by removing a Canvas card and replacing it with another!" Sun reappeared on my side of the field, to the right of Rainbow, and I removed Wintry Canvas, replacing it with Clouded Canvas, right in the range of Sun and Rainbow. "I place The Weather Clouded Canvas!"

My hand was empty now, and I still had three Canvas cards on my field, with two Weather Painters ready to strike.

Not yet. I haven't won yet.

"I activate Rainbow's effect using Rainbowed Canvas! By banishing her, I can Special Summon another Weather Painter from my Deck anywhere onto the field!"

Understandably, Lenny watched in shock as Rainbow disappeared in a flash of multicolored light, and I Summoned yet another new Weather Painter monster to the field.

"Why would you send away your ace like that? Don't you gotta wait 'till next turn to attack now? You coulda taken down my Chainsaw Insect!" Lenny protested.

"I Summon The Weather Painter Aurora!"

In a veil of bright green light, Aurora floated out of the Rainbowed Canvas and joined us on the field, out of the range of all of the Weather effects except Rainbowed.

Aurora: 2200 ATK

I still had my other trump card in the corner of my Spell/Trap Card Zones. I'd put it far out of the way to keep from interfering with the weather effects on the field. I was too focused and committed now. I had to keep going, no matter what.

"I activate my Trap! The Weather Finishing Touches! Any Weather Painters who were banished this turn are brought back to the field!"

"Say what?!" I grinned. His surprise was amusing to me, though I couldn't quite understand why.

Rainbow came back in all her glory, looking as elegant and graceful as ever, even overshadowing Aurora in her brilliance.

Just as a quick roll call: I had The Weather Painters Sun, Rainbow,  and Aurora on my side of the field. Lenny had Chainsaw Insect and Doom Dozer. Doom Dozer was currently my biggest obstacle, with its 2800 Attack Points to conquer.

I'm so close to the finish line!

My trap, from my first turn. I hadn't used it before, because I wanted to wait for the perfect opportunity. I'd even managed to fit in some dramatic tension by lowering my Life Points a bit before winning the duel.

It would all come down to the next--no, the last turn. My face broke out into an excited grin. I was so excited! Still, even before his turn came, I could do a bit of damage to him.

"Battle! I activate Sun's ability, given to him by Clouded Canvas!"

Sun began to paint the air again, dancing around a little bit before shooting a beam of light at Aurora on the other side of my field. Then, he disappeared into the Clouded Canvas, just like before.

The light bestowed upon Aurora by Sun lowered her Attack Points down to 1100, but that's exactly where my confidence shone.

"Why'd you go and lower your own Monster's Attack Points like that?!" Lenny exclaimed. "Ain't that the opposite of what you want?"

I couldn't help giggling. I really was excited, huh? This felt so fun to me. "Nah, not this time. Aurora's strength might've been cut in half, but now thanks to Sun, she can bypass your entire Insect army and hit your Life Points directly!"

Aurora hoisted her paint roller and swerved past Chainsaw Insect and Doom Dozer, flying right in front of Lenny, who yelped in surprise and swerved my Runner. I was scared for a moment that he'd crash it, but he righted himself again, to my relief.

"Aurora! Attack with Viridian Borealis!" I commanded.

Aurora lifted her tall paint roller and swung down with a powerful force, leaving a trail of green light in her wake. As she came back to my side of the field, she left a trail of auroral light, just like Snow had with her snowflakes and Rainbow with her light.

Lenny: 2900
Lenny: 3

"This'll be your last turn, Lenny!" I announced. "Make it count!"

With that, I ended my turn and Lenny moved on to draw for himself.

"I don't think so, Weather Girl! My draw!"

Lenny: 4
Sylvia: 6

"Rainbow and Sun come back from their respective Canvases!"

Rainbow returned from the Rainbowed Canvas while Sun returned from Clouded, and I placed both in Attack Position in their old spots, practically beckoning an attack from my opponent. Rainbow in particular must've looked like a perfect target, given how low her Attack Points were compared to Doom Dozer.

"I don't need my Metal Armored Bug to take you out! I already have the two perfect monsters on my field!" Lenny declared. "Doom Dozer, wipe out her Rainbow fairy!"

My smile was blinding. He took the bait. "I activate my final trap! Mirror Force!"

Lenny gasped. "No! My monsters!"

Looks like he knew exactly what Mirror Force did. I didn't even need to explain it to him. That saved me quite a bit of trouble. As his Doom Dozer closed in on Rainbow, she painted a brilliant wall of light in its path, reflecting the attack to destroy both Doom Dozer and Chainsaw Insect.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him slow the Runner, quickly giving up. I slowed to match his pace.

"Next time, you should know better than to underestimate my 'little fairies,' " I warned him. "Or they might do you in for good."

Lenny looked despairingly at his hand, then sighed. "I... I end my turn."

Looks like the Duel was won. Based on his reactions, I could assume that his facedown card wasn't a threat, but I could remove it anyway, just to be safe.

"I draw!"

Lenny: 5
Sylvia: 7

"I activate the Speed Spell Mystical Space Typhoon! By removing two Speed Counters, I can destroy a Spell or Trap card on the field!"

Sylvia: 5

I pointed at Lenny's field. "Naturally, I pick your face-down card!"

As it turns out, his facedown card wasn't even a Trap; it was a normal Spell, probably meant as a decoy. Ignoring the fact that it was placed down before he got access to my Speed Spells, so he couldn't have even activated it if he wanted to, that meant that now I was entirely safe to defeat him with my Weather Painters.

"Now for my Battle Phase!" I gestured to Aurora. "Aurora, attack him directly! Viridian Borealis!"

Aurora attacked him again, swinging down her paint roller at Lenny to lower his Life Points and Speed Counters.

Lenny: 700

"Now, Rainbow! Let's finish off this duel!" I declared. "I'm winning back my Runner and we're going to escape the Satellite together. I have a debt to pay to him and I'm not letting him go without fulfilling it! If I can fight for my new friends' futures, I will!"

Rainbow lifted her brush in preparation, her seven colored tubes coming together in front of her as she built up a powerful light.

I felt so amazing doing all of this. I felt like I was really doing something, like I was actually important. Like all of this made sense.

"Rainbow! Let's finish the duel together! Sign off with Prismatic Rainbow!"

All seven tubes shot different colored beams of paint-light at the same time, and Rainbow swished her brush like a wand in the air to guide the lights together. They all surrounded Lenny in a beautiful circle, then came together for a final attack, lowering his Life Points down to zero and ending the duel.

Lenny: 0
Sylvia: 1200

The duel was over. My automatic braking functions worked like a charm to stop Lenny and released white smoke to signify the end of the duel. I stopped Yusei's Runner just a bit too far ahead of Lenny, so I turned around and rolled back to him. I could see Lenny standing up and turning the function off, removing my helmet.

"...I guess you win, Fairy Girl," he relented, sighing. "I thought I could finally get back to my home, but I guess not."

I pursed my lips, nearly regretting winning. But just as much as I didn't know Lenny's story, Lenny didn't know mine, either.

I didn't stand from Yusei's Runner, but I lifted the visor to meet him face-to-face. "I'm an amnesiac," I told Lenny. "Yusei and the others took me in and saved me, when all I've been to them is a liability. That's why I have to take back my Runner and go with Yusei. All I know is that I'm a Turbo Duelist, I'm probably from the City, and I need to keep my cards and my friends as safe as possible."

Lenny kept his composure, so I wasn't sure if he was surprised that I shared all this with him. But in the end, he sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "I guess you kinda have a point there. Either way, you won the Duel, and fair's fair. The Runner's yours."

I thanked him with a smile and lowered the visor. "Can you drive it back to our hideout for me? I do have to bring both Runners intact, after all."

Lenny seemed excited to ride my Runner for just a bit longer, grabbing my helmet with a grin and revving it up. "Heck yeah! Let's tear it up!"

"Don't go too fast! I still have to make sure everything's in working order for tonight!"

"What's tonight?"

I laughed as we whizzed past the tunnels again, turning to follow Yusei's GPS. "Our last night here!"