#rally 5ds

[number-1-kuaidul-fanboy]

Lizard Trail

YGO Rare Pair Week Day 7

Prompt: Trails/Camping

Pairing: Leo/Rally

Word Count: 968

Summary: Leo and Rally get lost on a nature trail together.

@ygorarepairweek tagging cuz my entries haven't been reblogged so far

“Rally… Are you sure we’re not lost?” Leo raised an eyebrow at the taller boy as he caught up to him.

Rally had stopped at a crossroads. Both routes lead down the mountain they'd hiked up, but because of that, they both looked practically identical, save for a stray boulder or fallen branch.

Sweat formed in Rally’s hairline. If he was being honest with himself, they’d been lost for a while. But he couldn’t tell Leo that! Leo would just freak out and if that happened, it would take them even longer to find the right way home! So Rally kept up the lie.

“Of course we’re not lost,” Rally insisted with a shrug and a chuckle. “What do you take me for?”

Leo frowned. “Someone who’s lost, honestly.”

“Well, I’m not!” Rally took Leo's hand, his tone boisterous. “Growing up in the Satellite gave me an innate sense of direction!”

“Yeah, for the city clearly! Not the wilderness!”

Panic slipped into Leo’s voice, making Rally stiffen. He’d been trying to give Leo a fun day out when he suggested they take this trail, not stress him out even more!

“We’re not in the wilderness, Leo,” Rally insisted, taking both of Leo’s hands this time. “We’re on a nature trail.”

“What’s the difference?!” Leo’s eyes were wild. “What’s stopping us from running into a lion or a wolf out here?!”

Rally couldn't bite back a chuckle. “The fact that neither of those animals live in this country.”

“O-oh…” Leo’s eye twitched a bit. “They don't?”

“No, they don’t. And there aren’t going to be any other dangerous animals out here. This place isn’t wild: it’s tamed countryside specifically for people to go on safe nature walks.”

“Well…” Leo’s shoulders relaxed a little. “I guess if you’re sure…” He looked back at the split path ahead. “So… Which way then…?”

“Um…”

Rally let go of Leo’s hands, turning away and discreetly flipping a coin on his finger. It landed on heads.

“This way!” Rally pointed to the left path, taking Leo’s hand in his other hand.

“Did you just flip a coin?” Leo asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Ha!” Rally forced a laugh as he led Leo down the left trail. “Good one, Leo!”

“I wasn’t- EEK!” Leo suddenly broke off with a squeal of alarm.

Rally flinched when a new weight was flung against his chest, making him stop in his tracks and instinctively throw his arms out to catch whatever it was. Turns out it was Leo jumping into his arms.

“LIZARD!” he yelled out, pointing at something.

“What?! Really?!” Rally perked up excitedly at the idea of a lizard.

Tilting his head to the side to see around Leo, he indeed caught a glimpse of a little green lizard darting off the edge of the trail and into the thick leafy undergrowth.

Rally frowned in disappointment. “Aww. I barely got to see it.”

“Lucky!” Leo wrapped his arms around Rally’s shoulders, and Rally noticed Leo was trembling. “That was so creepy! You said there wouldn’t be any wild animals out here!”

“I didn’t think we’d see a lizard,” Rally admitted in earnest. “But I wouldn’t really call a lizard ‘wild’. They’re pretty harmless to humans. A lot of people even have them as pets.”

“W-wha-? Really?!” Leo lifted his head, still not getting out of Rally’s arms as he met his gaze.

“Yeah.” Rally smiled a bit. “I honestly think lizards are really cute.”

“Well I don’t… And I don’t wanna be anywhere near another one! So! Why don't you just…” Leo gripped Rally's shoulders. “Carry me back to the city!”

Rally chuckled a bit. He thought Leo was being a little immature but wasn’t gonna complain about getting to carry him.

“Okay, no problem,” Rally replied with a shrug, continuing down the left trail.

“Thanks!” Leo’s eyes went wide for a moment. “I mean! Not that I was scared! I just didn’t want to accidentally step on a lizard since you love them so much!”

“Uh huh, uh huh.” Rally couldn’t keep the disbelief out of his tone.

It was beyond obvious that Leo was scared, Leo always tried to act tough when he was scared. Rally didn’t mind it though; it was kinda cute.

After a while of walking, Rally stopped in his tracks at the sight of two familiar figures up ahead on the trail.

“Is that…?”

“Yusei! Luna!” Leo, seemingly forgetting his fear, hopped right out of Rally’s arms and booked it down the path.

“Leo! Rally!” Luna brightened at the sight of them.

“Hey, Yusei!” Rally ran up to them as well, his hand on the back of his neck. “So you came out to find us or are you guys lost too?”

Leo staggered back with a horrified gasp. “So we WERE lost?!”

“Not anymore,” Yusei assured them quickly, dipping his head. “We figured you two might be lost so we all went out looking for you.”

“All of you?” Rally bit his lip.

Luna nodded. “Jack, Akiza, and Crow each took a different path.” She turned to Leo with an annoyed frown. “You were gone so long we got worried!”

Leo broke into a nervous chuckle. “Sorry, Luna. But I was fine! Rally was with me the whole time!”

“Yeah, I kept him safe from all the scary lizards,” Rally teased, nudging Leo's side.

H-hey! -Leo's face was bright red as he exclaimed, -I wasn't scared! I just didn't wanna hurt your feelings by accidentally stepping on them.

Luna chuckled a bit. “Well, at least we found you. Come on, let’s get back to the city.”

“And get donuts?” Leo suggested with a bright smile as he followed his sister.

Luna rolled her eyes. “Pft. No way. You’re hyper enough as it is.”

“Aww!” Leo and Rally groaned in unison.

[ask-the-5ds-twinnies]

Sticker overload?!

[shionsky]

rally doodle:D

[digitaldashart]

Yugioh twins and Rally doodles :3

I love drawing these silly little guys

[moddeerling]

Some shitposty doodles cause the realization was a lil funny (and a lil sad-)

[hyperfixatinglove]

My sims adventures caused me to be attached to name Zafira because that's what I named my & ZEUS' daughter in Sims when I was creating us but ultimately deleted and now it won't leave me alone

@princess-hope-selfships

[watertribe-enya]

ygo5dsmonth2023 Day 3 - And the Grammy Goes to

My favorite background track in 5D's has to be "Sad End"

I always gets me emotional (maybe because it involves so many death scenes). It truly conveys a feeling of...farewell

@ygo5dsmonth-week

[noireservoir]

I dont wanna derail the convo around the boyvoice thing. Specifically transfems being comfortable with perceived masculine aspects of themselves. But i do wanna understand why everyone except transfems seems peeved by that

Im not a transman but i consider myself transmasc and i still like when that bit of high school girl peeks through despite me bein affirmed by being masc. I know other transmascs do too and tbh id hope that all trans people are able to love shit bout themselves that probably wouldve been labeled as dysphoric before sooooo like whats with the insistence of affirming transfems and their feminity when theyre not asking you for that. And then punishing them for challenging what that means for them personally like

[opelman]

79 - Lancia Stratos Gr.IV de 1974 by Laurent Quérité Via Flickr: Tour Auto 2023 Pilote : Bernard FIGUIERE Copilote : Isabelle GODIN Col de la Madeleine D19 Vaucluse France IMG_3437

[namitomoon]

Ok so I'm on Episode 25 of 5D's and just NOW I found out that Rally is supposed to be a BOY

[checkurselfb4umachuwreckurself]

5Ds is funny if you consider the team 5Ds and such a "found family" cuz like. Yuusaku already had a found family with Rally, Nerve, Taka, Blitz, Saiga, etc. Yuusaku was mad when Jack abandoned their group, but then also abandoned the rest of his group as soon as he could to start a new one with people he already considered his like-brothers. I can't even be mad because it's funny

[bitchywitchheart]

ygo characters I think aren't cis !

These r gonna b in alphabetical order bc I'm getting names off the wiki to make sure I don't miss anyone o7

Also! Please don't attack me for these I am just diseased (I enjoy a lot of characters enough to bestow them with various levels of lgbtq+ headcanons) (also i think all of them are inherently Not Cis but these are the Least Cis /silly)

Yu-Gi-Oh Season 0/Duel Monsters:

Aigami/Diva - Nonbinary. They/them

Ryou Bakura - ALSO nonbinary. They/he

Bandit King Bakura/Yami Bakura - He's just here because Ryou is. Idk what's going on with him.

Dartz - Nonbinary. He/him but in the way you'd refer to an unknown animal

Insector Haga/Weevil Underwood - Transmasc. He/him. He and Rex are t4t

Marik Ishtar - Unlabelled. He/him, but willing to experiment tbh

Yami Marik - ALSO unlabelled. It/he.

Mokuba Kaiba - Transfem. She/her.

Ryota Kajiki/Mako Tsunami - Transmasc. He/him.

Ghost Kozuka/Bonz - Nonbinary. They/them

Mai Kujaku - Transfem. She/her

Ryuji Otogi/Duke Devlin - Genderfluid. Any

Esper Roba - Nonbinary. He/they

Dinosaur Ryuzaki/Rex Raptor - Transmasc. He/him. He and Weevil are t4t

Yu-Gi-Oh GX:

Johan Andersen/Jesse Anderson - Transmasc. He/him

Daitokuji/Lyman Banner - Cis but a little to the left (he'd align with cat xenogenders if those existed back then). He/cat neos

Tsugio Kanda/Bob Banter - Demiboy. They/he

Mokeo Motegi/Belowski - He doesn't care. He/they but again he doesn't care

Martin Kanou/Marcel Bonaparte - Transfem. She/they

Cronos de Medici/Vellian Crowler - Transmasc. He/him

Yusuke Fujiwara - Nonbinary (Agender, even). They/them

Amon Garam/Adrian Gecko - Transfem. She/her. (HRT wouldn't have fixed anything but she and Echo deserved to be beautiful butches together)

Daichi Misawa/Bastion MIsawa - Transfem. She/her

Edo Phoenix/Aster Phoenix - Demiboy. He/they

Jun Manjoume - Demiboy. He/it (NOT including Chazz because Chazz is too different to me.)

Asuka Tenjoin/Alexis Rhodes - Transmasc. He/him (ALSO important to note I think he's aroace)

Fubuki Tenjoin/Atticus Rhodes - Transfem. She/her

Takuma Saio/Sartorius - Genderfluid. Pronouns are determined by the draw of a tarot card (assume they/them)

Sho Marufuji/Syrus Truesdale - Transmasc. He/him

"Kaiser" Ryo Marufuji/Zane Truesdale - Probably nonbinary but he doesn't have time to worry about that rn

Yubel - Genderless. It/she/they/he

Yu-Gi-Oh 5Ds (SO FAR):

Yusei Fudo - Transmasc. He/him

Crow Hogan - Transmasc, but his gender is the bit (he can and will "God forbid women do anything" you). He/him

Jack Atlas - CLAIMS to be cis but lord knows no theater kid is 100% cis. He/him

Rally Dawson - Bigender. He/she

Yu-Gi-Oh Zexal:

Astral - Doesn't really understand gender. He/they

Cathy - Gender nonconforming transmasc. He/cat neos

Droite/Dextra - Transfem. She/her. She and Gauche are t4t bi4bi

Takashi Todoroki/Caswell Francis - Nonbinary. They/them

Gauche - Transmasc. He/him. He and Droite are t4t bi4bi

IV (Thomas Arclight)/Quattro - Unlabelled. It/he

Ryoga "Shark" Kamishiro/Reginald Kastle - Transmasc. He/him

Number 96 - Genderless. Mirror Pronouns

Dog-chan/Pip - Unlabelled. They/she/pup

Don Thousand - Transmasc. He/him

III (Michael Arclight)/Trey - Unlabelled. He/fae

Yuma Tsukumo - Unlabelled. He/neos

Tokunosuke Omoteura/Flip Turner - His gender is the bit. Whatever helps him scam, really.

Vector - Genderless. It/its. (He/they as Rei Shingetsu)

[ask-the-5ds-twinnies]

🏳️‍🌈!?

[divinesayer]

i'll be cleaning up bottles with you on new years day

series: yugioh 5ds ship: yusei fudo/jack atlas rating: T tags: implied sexual content, fem!jack atlas, butch he/him lesbian yusei fudo, new years eve, marriage proposal notes (sorry i was rambling this time): this is my 100th 5ds fic on this account, and the end of... well, a totally crazy year. i think i've quadrupled my fic count this year (around about anyway), and i've refound such a passion for yugioh 5ds that i honestly thought i had lost forever. what a year! thank you to everyone who's read any of my works or supported me via kudos/comments/bookmarks. it means the world, and i mean that. i've got a lot of plans for 2025, so here's to an exciting year of insane 5ds fics!

read on ao3 | tip on kofi | commission info

He hadn’t expected her to bring it up herself one Sunday morning.

It had started when they were both young: a promise to take Jack’s hand in marriage one day. Yusei’s hand tight in hers as she tugged him around, a wide smile on her lips.

“I’d be honoured to be your wife someday, Yusei,” She had told him over a cup of ramen, and he had felt his heart explode in his chest. It didn’t matter that everyone else around him thought it was ridiculous – of course girls couldn’t marry each other – Yusei would find a way.

He wasn’t sure when her opinion changed, but the topic came up one evening, back when she still lingered around Yusei and his friends – she scoffed at the word, rolling her eyes as her arms crossed in front of her chest.

“Really never gonna?” He remembered Rally asking, watching her with wide eyes.

She turned her head away, ponytail tracking in the air. “Why the hell would I waste my time with it?” Yusei watched her leave a moment later, unaware she had pierced his heart with a dagger, leaving the dying muscle to spurt blood everywhere. Little did he know she would finish the job only a few weeks later.

When they met back up, two years older and with many more scars on their bodies and souls, Yusei didn’t dare to ask what her thoughts were. It didn’t matter how she looked at him, fluttering those long lashes with a smirk, leaning down to box Yusei into smaller and smaller spaces until he had no choice but to kiss her.

Even after becoming girlfriends, he still felt reluctant to touch the topic. He knew that he would always wish to be her wife – if she still had no interest, it would be the nail in the coffin, and he imagined their budding relationship dying like a plant in the snow.

No, it was much easier to avoid it entirely.

He hadn’t expected her to bring it up herself one Sunday morning. She sat perched by him at the table, stirring her coffee absently as the familiar tunes of her favourite album filled the air, her voice occasionally harmonising with the words, though he couldn’t understand what was being said.

He sighed, content, leaning back in his chair as his eyes closed. And that was when Jack struck.

“You know,” She began slowly, and he initially mistook the cadence in her voice for desire, one eye opening to watch her, “I hope you’ll make me a Fudo someday.”

Yusei sat silent for a moment, staring at her with wide eyes; it was only when they began to sting, tears blurring his vision, that he blinked, and she panicked.

“Shit, did I say something wrong?” Jack rose from her chair before he could respond, arms flung around him, pulling him close. “Sorry, I just…”

He shook his head, burying his face into the soft fabric of her – or was it his? – hoodie. “You just made me the happiest girl on Earth.” His voice was muffled, half from wavering and half from nuzzling his face further against her chest.

When she laughed, relieved, light and airy, her grip relaxed. “Well, thank God for that.”

A year later, and Yusei hadn’t forgotten.  While twisted up in their bedsheets, she promised eternity to him, and he swore it against her body. Each night, laying in the afterglow, he considered just asking her, the words dancing on the tip of his tongue as his fingers traced prayers along her spine.

But he couldn’t – he had to make it special.

The ring burned in his pocket, each movement stabbing a corner into his hip, a constant reminder that he couldn’t back out of this. He had set an internal deadline – by New Years – and the cut-off was looming at him, a large clock ticking the seconds down. Sure, she wouldn’t know any different if he asked after, but…

He had spent so long wanting to marry Jack Atlas. He was tired of beginning the speech and backing out. How she was unaware of what he was trying to do, Yusei would never know (but he was relieved for it all the same).

They had stood by the waterfront for a while on their walk home, and for a fleeting moment, he thought he had gained the courage, but it dissipated as quickly as it came when someone walked past behind them.

She hadn’t noticed anything, gripping his hand a little tighter, whispering, “Isn’t it pretty?”

Yusei hadn’t even looked over the waters, but he replied, breathless, “Yeah.”

By the time they returned to their apartment, it was already 11:50pm. He kicked his shoes off, watching as she did the same, sighing in great relief as she freed herself from her heels.

Jack was the first to step away from the entryway, shuffling her slippers along the hardwood floor as she made a beeline for the kitchen. “I’m opening the wine – the bells’ll be soon.” She spun around, a smile painted in shades of red across her lips. “Whiskey, yeah? Neat?”

“Please,” He replied softly, watching as her skirt flounced as she turned back round, disappearing behind the door for a few moments – she was humming again, something he had grown accustomed to. It was a tune he was unfamiliar with, but his heart swelled all the same.

When she stepped back into the living room with their drinks, he was already on one knee, the small box in his hand – a purple sapphire shone back at her, twinkling under the overhead lights.

“Will you—” was all Yusei managed before Jack’s hands failed her, both glasses smashing against the floor, spilling alcohol everywhere. Her eyes were wide, unblinking, and he wondered for a second if this was how Jack felt that one Sunday morning.

When she finally blinked, she was smiling, stepping closer gingerly, relieved at the lack of a crunch under her step. His other hand held hers, tight, and she nodded, silently encouraging him to finish.

“Will you marry me, Jack Atlas?” His words were shaky, nerves getting the better of him despite knowing the answer to the question.

“I will, Yusei Fudo,” She replied without a second of hesitation, tugging him upwards a moment later. “Make me Mrs. Fudo.” It was only when he put the ring on her finger that he realised – Jack was trembling too.

Yusei captured her lips in a kiss, the world fading away under their feet. He knew they would have to clean the drinks up from the floor, sweep away the glass before either of them hurt themselves on it, pour new ones.

All of that could wait.

As she pulled away, amethyst eyes shining, the fireworks outside began. A brief check of the time on his phone told him why: 12:00am 1st January. “Happy New Years, baby.”

“Happy New Years, my love,” she mumbled against his lips, pulling him ever closer.

[digitaldashart]

Ahhh!! Rally!

[pyropsychiccollector]

Yu-gi-oh 5D's: IF (Part 1)

A short while ago I voiced my thoughts on Starscream from Armada. Might as well lay out all my musings on 5ds. (人◕ω◕) Overall, it's a decent enough series. It was the last Yu-gi-oh anime that I enjoyed. I was even content enough that Kalin got his redemption later in Crash Town.

... That said, I'm a sucker for IFs (for those unfamiliar with Danganronpa, it's just another term for AUs). Might as well see what I could play with here. (人◕ω◕)

Let's see... I think a good starting point would be the Enforcers. There came a point when Crow and Jack left the group because Kalin went too far in his goals and actions. Yusei stayed, albeit he didn't agree with the changes in Kalin - he hoped that by staying, he could convince his friend to deescalate.

We'll say this was the main turning point. Yusei managed to convince Kalin that they needed to be better than the duel gang thugs they used to thrash. That he could understand Kalin's desire to keep the streets safe, but they needed to do it the right way. They already took down all the rival duel gangs, so that was a decent enough first step.

... The problem becomes that in the vacuum left by the gangs, Sector Security still took over Satellite much to Kalin's resentment and frustration. There's no getting around it, Kalin still has a great deal of rage in him, but Yusei's loyalty keeps him tempered and from flying too off the rails. There's also a tension between Kalin, Crow, and Jack left unresolved for a spell.

Kalin doesn't take the fight directly to Sector Security, but he and Yusei still beat back officers who seek to eliminate the duelists in Satellite. Not enough to wrestle back control over their home, not enough to save every duelist, but the pair of them are seen as unsung heroes for their efforts by the citizens of Satellite; and rogues with bounties on their heads issued by Sector Security.

Yusei and Kalin meet Rally, Nervin, Blitz, and Tank, and for a while they have a new gang backing them up even if the team dynamics and strength are different. Eventually things are mostly squared away with Crow and Jack when they see Kalin's deescalated for the most part. Though for Kalin, Crow, and Jack, the rift between them is only (mostly) forgiven - not forgotten. Kalin refuses to trust them anymore, and that wariness is reciprocated by the former two Enforcers as they keep their distance despite the mended friendships. Yusei still gets along better with them than Kalin does, but he does constantly get asked if it's worth the risk of being Kalin's anchor when he's already proven he can be a loose cannon and can be again with just the right circumstances.

Yusei believes Kalin won't snap. He knows things were unstable for a while, but Kalin's got friends in Yusei and their new crew; he believes that's enough to keep Kalin grounded.

However... fate still seems determined to test Yusei's faith in his friends. Rex sends Lazar to approach Jack, who has ambitions of becoming the greatest duelist; it's the same deal as before: Steal the Duel Runner and Stardust Dragon, then escape through the pipeline to Neo Domino City.

With Kalin still around, Jack's friendship with Yusei is a little soured. He can see the constant guerrilla efforts against Sector Security eventually forcing Kalin to cross the line, and he'll drag Yusei along for the ride. Jack's sick and tired of nothing changing in Satellite, and so he seizes the chance to secure his own future. He puts Rally in danger and gives Yusei the ultimatum of saving Rally or stopping him.

Things don't go all according to plan. Jack takes Stardust Dragon and the Duel Runner when Yusei predictably goes to save Rally, but before he can relish in his victory for too long Kalin lunges and they brawl while Jack is en route to his destiny. Jack fends Kalin off fortunately for him; but unfortunately Kalin managed to wrestle Stardust Dragon away. Jack isn't left with any other choice - he has to make it to Neo Domino City with just the Runner. if he tries to stay and steal back the dragon, there's no guarantee he'll be able to make it through the pipeline, no guarantee that Lazar and his benefactor will provide another chance for him. He can't stay in Satellite after betraying his old friends... he burned that bridge and now he must live with his choices.

So Jack leaves the Satellite. Leaves and prays he'll have the chance to pursue being the greatest Turbo Duelist... It's all he's got left.

Of course, without Stardust Dragon, Jack's a lot less valuable to Goodwin. Jack is still a Signer and possesses a dragon of his own, but now he has no means of luring Yusei in when the time is right. So Goodwin reneges on his deal with Jack, refuses to endorse him. He allows Jack to stay in Neo Domino and forge his own path, but Goodwin will not lift a finger to mold the young man into a Champion. Because there's no benefit to Goodwin; he'll keep an eye on Jack but that's it. He'll need to draw up a new plan to bring the Signers together.

Two years go by. Kalin and Yusei work together on making new Duel Runners because Jack managed to escape the Satellite; he'd proven it was possible, so they bided their time and collected all the parts they could. They prioritized Yusei's new Runner, but through fights with Sector Security they acquired enough materials for Kalin to make his own as well. It took two years, but they succeeded.

Yusei and Kalin both want to go after Jack. After a certain point in the past year, Jack dropped off the grid in Neo Domino; they, along with Crow, Rally, and crew watched Jack enter the Pro Duelist Circuit and make a valiant effort to scale the ranks... And he managed quite well, all things considered.

But never enough to be Champion. That honor went to Dragan, who achieved the rank shortly before Jack disappeared as far as media coverage went. For his part, Yusei was concerned for Jack as a friend; the betrayal two years ago still stung, the theft of the original Runner hurt... But Kalin got Stardust back. And it wasn't worth holding a grudge when Jack's life could have been at stake. Yusei refused to believe Jack was dead, and so he was going to find his old friend.

For Kalin's part, however... Jack's betrayal cut far deeper, and he was hellbent on some kind of revenge against the would-be King. Jack endangered Rally, and tried stealing both Stardust and Yusei's Runner; the bastard managed to get away with the latter, but not for very much longer if Kalin had any say. Kalin couldn't find it in his heart to be as worried over Jack's possible fate. If he was already dead, so be it. Traitors deserve much worse, in Kalin's opinion. He understood Yusei was a much kinder, loyal man than him... But Jack brought this on himself. If there was a chance Jack was still living, Kalin was going to find him and figure out what he wanted to do. It was hazy, but Kalin felt he had to do something... Getting Stardust back for Yusei was the bare least he could have done after everything Yusei did for him through thick and thin. Jack needed to be punished.

He wasn't going to come out and admit that to Yusei, however. It was a darkness that Kalin had to wrestle through on his own time. The trip to Neo Domino... Kalin knew it was a risk with Sector Security so feverishly in pursuit of them, they'd absolutely get thrown in the Facility if they couldn't pull off Jack's miracle.

But he trusted in Yusei, and trusted in the Runners they built together. They were armed with their decks even after all this time, and Kalin wasn't going to give up on liberating their home. It's just that if Yusei was going to go looking for Jack, Kalin would put his ambitions against the police dogs on hold and tag along. Because Yusei stuck with him, so his friend deserved reciprocation at the absolute bare minimum. They'd go to Neo Domino, find Jack, and... work out everything else after achieving that. Crow wanted to come as well, but they all decided one of the Enforcers should remain behind in case the worst came to pass and they never returned...

Not that Kalin and Yusei ever intended on failing. They just couldn't afford to leave Satellite completely without hope. The past two years did much in smoothing over the tension between Crow and Kalin, so barring the snafu with Jack everything was square with the Enforcers.

Yusei and Kalin manage to slip past Trudge and the officers pursuing them into the pipeline, Yusei defeating Trudge in a turbo duel before they cross over into Neo Domino. There's no fateful reunion with Jack in this instance, no Goodwin waiting for them, so the pair of Satellites slip into the city quietly and make finding a temporary base of operations their first priority.

They're quick to discover it's a lot harder to dodge patrols and surveillance in the heart of the city split in two. Their bounties are through the roof at this point, and that makes trusting the people of Neo Domino a lot harder. Makes their mission so much harder.

Hence, Yusei still manages to get caught and shuffled off to the Facility. Kalin doesn't take that very well, considering Yusei kept the Sector Security dogs on him exclusively. He vows to bust in there and save his friend. Whatever it took.

To Kalin's surprise, a new ally gets in touch with him. A man that goes by the name of Blister. Blister is willing to help orchestrate Yusei's release, if Kalin would let him handle it. He cites his long track record of breaking into places, including the Facility on many occasions. He'd be able to help Yusei out of there within the next day or so.

As tempting as the offer is, Kalin demands to know why Blister approached a total stranger seeming to know his full story, to know who the hell sent him. Because without those answers, Kalin refuses to accept any help. He'll bust Yusei out himself, regardless of how much more "impossible" that will be.

Blister is uneasy about revealing his client's identity. So Jack, looking rather homely and like he'd never left Satellite, reveals himself and explains he wants to make things right with Yusei. He explains where he's been for the past year, that he had to go under the radar when Rex Goodwin's lapdogs got too invasive. Had to pull out of the Fortune Cup attempts and lie low with Blister's connections. The same connections that allowed him to get Yusei's original Runner mended and allowed him a shot in the Fortune Cup at all. Jack knows he screwed up and betrayed everyone; he's not asking for forgiveness. He just wants to help Yusei because no one deserves to rot away in Sector Security's clutches. Because this is all he can do to help repay Yusei for the friendship they used to have as Enforcers.

... This goes about as well as one might think. Kalin barely held himself back from going nuclear on Jack from first sight, but after hearing all that... He goes ballistic. Kalin blames Jack for endangering Rally, for the stolen Runner, for trying to swipe the Stardust Dragon card... But he gets even more furious that Jack went into hiding because the heat got too real for him, and he didn't have the decency to somehow get a message back to Satellite... They're in this mess in Neo Domino because of Jack. Kalin can barely convey how pissed off he is and really struggles to not physically lash out at the former Enforcer.

Kalin thinks about it. He really does. Regardless if it turns into a full-out brawl, the only reason he holds back is he needs the strength to break into the Facility and get Yusei out himself. Kalin doesn't think it's worth accepting Jack and Blister's "help", not when this whole mess is their fault.

However, Blister proposes that Kalin can tag along if it means that much to him. Witnessing Kalin vent made Blister think about how Aero must think of him, and he wants to help set things straight with Jack and Kalin as much as possible. Kalin still holds clear reservations, so his only stipulation is that Jack stays behind on this "operation". He refuses to bear Yusei's neck to Jack again. They get in, get Yusei out, and the two of them go back to Satellite. Jack can go to hell for all that Kalin cares.

They do things as Kalin stipulated, much as Jack has reservations about staying behind on this one. However, during the escape Warden Armstrong catches up with them and Kalin takes it on himself to duel the thug and earn Yusei's freedom, as well as those new pals he made behind bars. Armstrong doesn't care too much to wager that because his end of the deal is if he wins then Kalin and Blister both get thrown into Lockdown with Yusei. Armstrong is too enticed by finally catching the slippery Blister.

Kalin manages to come out on top, but of course Armstrong attempts to renege on their deal. Goodwin steps in and dismisses him as the Warden, and allows the motley crew of prisoners and jailbreakers to go. Because that was the deal Armstrong made. Blister disables their trackers for a little bit, but has no way of permanently getting them off.

Still, it's enough to get a headstart. Blister even helps retrieve Yusei's current Runner, which Sector Security impounded. Kalin's ready to bolt, but Yusei wants to see Jack and talk with him. This bittersweet reunion leads to the three Enforcers dueling back-to-back to get the worst out of their systems. But in dueling Yusei, the marks of the Crimson Dragon are activated, and Goodwin watches the duel from start to finish. Because of course he never lost track of Yusei or Jack.

Kalin is still furious with Jack, but Yusei of course has more or less forgiven him and moved on. Goodwin makes the request of Yusei and Jack participating in the Fortune Cup, holding Rally and the others hostage in Satellite. Kalin refuses to be left out and signs up for the contest as well; because he still wants to pound Jack into the ground for dragging them all down with him.

They still meet Leo and Luna. Still meet Greiger and Akiza. The Fortune Cup remains a clash of conflicted interests coming together. In the end, the final four duelists left in the competition are Luna, Yusei, Akiza, and Greiger (Jack and Kalin knocked each other out in their match). Yusei defeats Greiger; Akiza defeats Luna; and Yusei defeats Akiza. Greiger almost tries attacking Goodwin for destroying his home village, but Yusei talks him down and promises to do what he can to stop the Director. He keeps Greiger from being branded a criminal for hijacking the mic, and Greiger is accepted into their friend group as he wants in if they're going to take down Goodwin.

It comes down to Yusei and Dragan, who is not nearly as oblivious as Jack when it comes to the Director. He's aware Goodwin is up to something, but Dragan was hoping to bait the truth out of him by bringing together the four known Signers. Dragan wishes he could get a rematch with Jack, who was so determined to have another shot, but duels Yusei with honor and accepts his defeat graciously. Dragan isn't sure if his status as a holder of a Nordic God Card would allow him to become allies with the Crimson Dragon users... However, he isn't one for stuffy propriety. Not after a fantastic match.

With Dragan's help - he compiled a file of evidence over the past couple years of Goodwin's shady activities, including the kidnapping of Yusei's friends in Satellite - they get Sector Security to at least dismiss Goodwin as Director and detain him for further questioning. Lazar has no choice but to step in as the interim Director, though he's under much scrutiny as well because of his allegiance to Goodwin. Thus Lazar takes a radical shift in how he operates, staying as far away from Goodwin as possible because he doesn't want to be caught up in that possible scandal. Lazar even goes so far as to cut contact with Yliaster, as again he only knew a very partial view of the whole picture. Dragan's shrewd maneuver of gathering enough evidence to oust Goodwin terrifies him into behaving.

This leaves a lot of things up in the air. Even with Yusei as the Champ and Goodwin removed from the seat of power (for now, of course), getting the city to properly reintegrate Satellite is still a herculean task. There's many things to look into, and even in custody Goodwin is playing his mind games and nudging the Signers to prepare themselves for an inevitable war.

Who can say how events would unfold in the Dark Signers arc? (人◕ω◕) Methinks that in the wake of Yusei winning the Cup, there'd be a lot to unpack and resolve. Dragan and what he'd choose to do. Jack denied the title again, yet also in a healthier mindset because he wasn't a Champ built on lies and manipulation. Kalin's residual bitterness at Jack's betrayal and how easily he was accepted back. Blister having a bond with Jack because of their mistakes. Greiger along for the ride in dealing with Goodwin, not roped in as a Dark Signer. Lazar scrambling to cover his bum~

There's still Akiza and the Arcadia Movement to deal with. Still have to rescue Fairy Dragon. Still have to help Misty get over her vengeance. Carly will be coming in fast. And we won't forget Crow. (人◕ω◕) Stay tuned, I suppose. I'll think on it~