Vrrrm… vrrrm…
In a run-down sewer garage, the sound of a duel runner engine echoed under the rusty pipes. Sparks crackled. The engine let out a sputter before dying. A man with wild, crab-like hair crouched beside the machine, fine-tuning it with focused precision.
"Mm… this part's too loose… and this…"
Just as he was tightening a bolt, two voices—one excited, one shrill—came running from outside. A tall boy with banana-shaped yellow bangs and a shorter girl with three-blade fan-like hair barreled in, both beaming.
"Yusei!" the boy called out first, practically bouncing. "It's crazy out there! Cops and D-Wheels everywhere—everyone's getting ready for the event today!"
The girl gave him a sharp kick in the shin.
"Shut it, Yuya! Can't you see Yusei's tuning his D-Wheel?"
After a few tweaks, Yusei Fudo wiped the sweat from his brow, giving the two a faint smile.
"It's alright. Just finished up."
This was the Satellite Sector, the poorest zone in all of New Domino City. Rex Goodwin, head of Sector Security, had chosen it as the venue for interdimensional exchange. Apparently, visitors from another world—complete with their own Duel Monsters cards—were arriving soon.
Of course, Goodwin had been cautious. For a long time, he'd blocked all contact out of fear they meant harm. Only recently had he abruptly reversed that stance and greenlit a formal exchange.
And so, the Friendship Cup would take place in the Satellite Sector—the very bottom of society. Where trash and dreams lived side by side.
Yuya and Rin were orphans from the zone, spirited kids who looked up to Yusei like a big brother. And Yusei? A former street rat himself, now quietly fine-tuning engines in the shadows.
"I heard that if you beat the interdimensional duelists, you get a ticket to the upper city!" Yuya shouted. "You might even get into the Fortune Cup! Jack Atlas himself is gonna be there!"
Jack—The King.
A fellow Satellite native who clawed his way to the top, becoming the public face of the city's elite. Yuya and Rin idolized him.
Yusei's smile dimmed slightly at their excitement. He didn't want to spoil it.
The truth? He and the kids had been forced through two months of brutal qualifiers—what they called a "tournament" was closer to a deathmatch. Out of countless Satellite duelists, only they had survived. Chosen as New Domino's "ambassadors" to face these outsiders…
But everyone knew what they really were: cannon fodder.
The upper crust wanted to test the interdimensional threat—without risking any of their own.
Still…
Yusei closed the D-Wheel's casing and stood up.
If victory meant earning a chance to duel Jack again…
He'd go. No hesitation. No regrets.
Because there were things he still needed to ask—the betrayal, the stolen cards, the buried past.
Just then, sirens howled outside. Fists pounded on the door.
"Hey! Duelists! Time to move! The visitors are here! Don't be late or else!"
"Ugh, these cops are the worst," Yuya muttered.
"Let's go," Yusei said simply.
"Coming~~!" Rin chirped sweetly, elbowing Yuya in the ribs to get him moving.
"I got it, I got it! Let's go, Yusei!!"
They stepped out into the open, greeted by a sea of patrol officers and buzzing helicopters overhead. The force wasn't there to protect the people—they were guarding the elites. The whole Satellite sector was under surveillance, drones zipping between the shattered rooftops.
The spectacle was unlike anything the locals had ever seen.
Yusei, Yuya, and Rin said nothing as they walked the security-marked path to the staging area. When they arrived, the "outsiders" were already there.
At first glance, they didn't look strange—just people, most with weird hair but nothing too jarring. Then again, Satellite residents weren't exactly a fashion standard either.
The visitors were busy negotiating logistics with the Security officers. Food, shelter—they were going to be living in Satellite for two weeks, confined to a tight perimeter. Within it, they could do as they pleased: build, destroy, modify.
Some were already setting up bizarre devices—some looked like Magic Gates, others were just sound systems, lighting rigs, and cameras. Clearly, a broadcast was coming.
Helicopters hovered in formation. High above, screens flickered to life.
A familiar figure leapt from one of the aircraft: a middle-aged man with a pompadour and comical mustache. He landed with a flourish.
"Ladies and gentlemen! I am MC!"
Yusei blinked—he knew that voice.
"Never in my life did I imagine I'd be here, commentating the first ever duel between dimensions!"
With a dramatic stomp, he leapt onto an old trash can, raising his mic.
"Friends from another world! Citizens of New Domino City! Welcome to the rules presentation for the—"
In the sky above, a black LCD screen flashed to life.
A man in a sharp suit and white gloves appeared, calm and composed.
"Greetings, guests from another world. I am Rex Goodwin, Director of Sector Security. Due to work obligations, I cannot attend in person. I hope you understand."
"Still scared of being kidnapped, huh?" someone muttered near Hikaru Amagi.
Hikaru side-eyed the speaker, then turned his attention back to the screen.
Goodwin continued:
"Your itinerary has already been coordinated with KaibaCorp, so I'll keep this brief. The Friendship Cup is not about crowning a champion—it's about exchange. Each duelist will fight once. Only at the end will our King face one of your best to represent New Domino's strength."
Tag duels would be randomized. Solo duels too.
At that, he invited Seto Kaiba to spin the lottery machine.
Kaiba—surprisingly cooperative—strode forward, eyes narrowed. With all eyes on him, he cranked the handle.
"Contestant Number 1!"
Hikaru raised an eyebrow.
Of course. Since he'd signed up first, he was Number 1.
"Next—Number 7!"
"Wooo!!" someone shouted.
Hikaru turned.
He froze.
A familiar silhouette stood among the Satellite duelists. Then—
"Hey… isn't that girl…" Alexis blinked. "She looks just like Serena!"
"Whoa! You're right!" Jaden gasped. "She could be her twin!"
"Their ages match too," Chazz muttered. "So this is what 'parallel counterparts' look like… Though I thought underage duelists weren't allowed to compete."
Looking at the torn-up streets, the ragged clothes… he had a guess why exceptions were made.
Hikaru, though, knew exactly what was going on.
He wasn't just seeing Serena's counterpart. That spiky kid with the banana bangs?
And the guy behind him?
Yusei Fudo.
The protagonist of Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's.
Today was insane.
He glanced at Jaden, then over to Yugi Muto, now sketching on a notepad nearby.
The four main heroes of Yu-Gi-Oh in one timeline…
He shook his head.
Time to duel.
As contestant one, Hikaru stepped onto the makeshift arena. Across from him, his opponent was trying (and failing) to vault onto the platform, getting wrestled by two officers.
"Let go, I've got a pose to strike!"
Rin sighed and kneed him in the gut.
"Get up there already."
He stumbled onstage with a goofy grin, still rubbing his side.
Yusei called out from behind:
"Do your best, Yuya. They don't know anything about you, so you've got the advantage."
"No sweat! I'll blow 'em away!" Yuya pounded his chest, full of confidence.
MC took center stage, mic raised to the sky:
"Duel between dimensions! Day one! First match!!
From another world—the Absolute Fusionist, Hikaru Amagi!!
And from the Satellite Sector—uhh… Yuya!!"
Yuya scratched his head.
"Aw man, I forgot to come up with a cool title!"
Jaden, meanwhile, was freaking out.
"Wait, what? Fusion?! He's named Fusion!?"
"No, it's Yuya!!" Alexis barked.
"DUEL!" Hikaru shouted.
"O-oh! Duel!" Yuya fumbled with his Duel Disk, flashing a blinding white.
LP – Yuya: 4000
LP – Hikaru: 4000