"Every Body Listen!!"
Beneath a neon-blue electronic dome, a roaring crowd filled all 100,000 seats, the soundwave enough to stifle anyone walking through the entrance.
The ground-shaking bass boomed out, holographic monsters roared, and the thunder of applause swirled through the arena.
Center stage stood the iconic spiky-haired commentator in his red suit—the ever-dedicated MC who'd narrated all of 5DS, even to the world's end. Gripping his mic, he delivered his address passionately:
"The long-awaited Fortune Cup—has finally begun!
First, let's all cheer for the arrival of the King's Dragon!"
As if a dragon's claw tore open the air, a dark red-scaled dragon—lava veining through its basalt-like body—soared above the arena. So real, its hologram even scorched the steel supports it passed.
The Crimson Dragon Archfiend!
"RED DRAGON ARCHFIEND!" the MC shouted, full of energy, "And, naturally, the Duel Runner accompanying it is our King—
—Jack Atlas!"
A gleaming white Duel Runner sped out—a massive white circular ring, with the rider sitting within the rolling tire.
Of course, it was none other than our king of crash-outs—no, the King of New Domino, Jack Atlas!
Jack's Duel Runner roared, signature Archfiend flying loops overhead. The crowd exploded into its wildest cheers.
"There can only be one King!"
Jack boasted, raising his right hand high.
"And that's ME!!"
The MC continued, "Now, all dueling dreamers lucky enough to earn a spot in this match—please reveal yourselves!"
The ground opened in the center of the stage—a huge platform rising from below, bearing all the Dragon Signers and other contestants, Yusei Fudo among them, up into the spotlight.
"Whoa—the actual Crimson Dragon Archfiend!"
Leo squealed in excitement.
"And the King! This is my first time seeing the King so close!"
His sister Luna sighed, "You're too loud, Leo!"
In the original, Luna alone was invited as a contestant, but being shy and a total homebody, she hated public attention. So her twin brother Leo disguised himself to take her place.
But now, with altered timelines, Kira had sent an extra invitation to Leo. Luna still didn't want to duel in public, but Leo's persistent begging finally convinced her to come.
Akiza Izinski showed her trademark icy face, ignoring everyone—including King Jack Atlas.
Her gaze remained unwavering, fixed solely at the VIP seats—where Security Director Rex Goodwin sat.
There was no confusion in her eyes, only determination, hatred, and a burning desire for vengeance.
She had one reason for coming:
To win.
To be stronger. Stronger even than the King.
And to get revenge on that high-and-mighty director.
When Yusei Fudo's entry got a closeup, it prompted quite a murmur around the stadium.
"What's with him?"
"Is that the mark?"
"Even these marked trash get to compete? What's going on—did he steal someone else's invite?"
The "mark," of course, referred to the yellow lightning-shaped tattoo Yusei had gotten in the detention center. In this city, it marked you as an underclass citizen; wherever you went, you'd face discrimination and isolation.
Yusei showed no emotion, ignoring it all.
In the anime, a contestant called Greiger would have stood up for Yusei at this point, but not this time. Greiger didn't show up at all.
Greiger had been on the Fortune Cup invitation list, but when staff checked, he'd vanished without a trace.
Kira had frowned at the time, but Greiger wasn't critical to the plot—if he was missing, there was nothing to be done, so someone else replaced him.
The Fortune Cup's real purpose, after all, was to awaken the Dragon Signers. Greiger was a strong duelist, but he'd ultimately been defeated by Yusei, failing to prompt Yusei's awakening.
As the crowd's boos rained down, even the MC grew awkward. Kira rose and spoke into the main mic.
"Quiet," he said coldly.
The entire arena instantly fell silent.
"I am Rex Goodwin, Director of Security," Kira spoke. "Every contestant standing here was formally invited—a legitimate duelist in their own right.
A duelist's status—has nothing to do with rich or poor. True equality exists only here, on this battlefield."
With that, he stepped back for the MC to continue.
The MC quickly took over: "N-Now then, next up is the announcement of first-round matchups!"
Although said to be random, all matchups were predetermined. Each Dragon Signer faced an opponent carefully chosen by Security to maximize their awakening potential.
Also, none of the Dragon Signers had been matched against each other yet—another calculated move.
The first two rounds would have professionals with hypnotic or psychological skills to dig into the Dragon Signers' hearts, spurring their powers. Only after two rounds would the Signers face each other, triggering further awakening.
So far, the Fortune Cup was proceeding just as history dictated, with no major deviations.
—
In the depths of Satellite—
A shabby old house, dim candlelight—the refuge of the Dark Signers.
"...You alright, boss?"
A blue-haired Dark Signer eyed Roman, who had just returned, frowning.
"Where'd you go? You haven't been yourself since you got back."
"I'm fine."
Roman shook his head.
"More importantly... The new guy?"
He looked around.
"Weren't we supposed to have a newcomer?"
The Dark Signers glanced at each other.
"Haven't seen him."
Roman abruptly stood up.
"Damn it, don't tell me that guy... acted on his own already?"
…
…
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