Who I Thought You Were - Yusei Fudo/OC [REWRITING]

Interlude -- A Quest For Revenge

The young woman watched from a highway overpass as her friend's Turbo Duel raged on. She'd always loved watching Turbo Duels more than regular duels. Whether it was the speed, the setting, or something else; she couldn't say. Sure, she enjoyed dueling, but if she was being honest with herself, she preferred watching others duel. She could learn so much more about people through seemingly arbitrary things. Something as small as their ace monster's special ability to the balance of Spell and Trap Cards as opposed to monsters in someone's deck could provide invaluable insight into the person themselves.

It's how she'd known Sherry was a good person—the two met by chance and Turbo Dueled over something neither girl could remember. Something about Sherry reminded her of an old friend. When she'd told Sherry to look into a specific Turbo Duelist to join their team, she'd pictured them meeting differently, but upon further thought, it didn't surprise her at all. She and Sherry both believed that there was no better way to make someone reveal their true colors than in a duel.

The thrill that came with a Turbo Duel was an added bonus.

"This young man is quite talented," the burly man next to her commented.

"He's a quick study. Always has been," the woman responded. "How did you two manage to lure him into a Turbo Duel?"

"Someone else did the work for us," the man said. "We helped him out of his pickle, and with a little white lie on our part, initiated the duel. But we didn't plan on the extra passenger."

The woman looked closer. It turned out that Sherry's opponent had someone with him: a teenage girl with maroon hair. Seven months prior, the sight of the girl would've made her stomach churn, but now she was proud to call her a friend.

"Oh, she's no threat," she said. "Besides. It doesn't matter how the duel plays out. I'm on Sherry's team. Wasn't that long ago I was on my own revenge quest. Someone needs to make sure she doesn't go too far." She pushed a stray lock of jet-black hair behind her ear.

"Sherry is lucky to have a friend like you. For nearly ten years, she's had only me," the man noted.

"She helped me once, Elsworth. It's my turn to help her," the woman said. She snorts as she looks down at the monitor on her own Duel Runner. "If it ain't broke, I guess."

"How do you mean?" Elsworth asked.

"His deck hasn't changed at all. He's used the same cards and the same combos since we were kids," the woman said. "Even my deck has evolved some."

"If his tactics are widely known, that could put him at a disadvantage," Elsworth said.

"You'd think so, wouldn't you. But he still finds ways to make it work. It's quite impressive," the woman answered, fingering through her shoulder-length hair and pulling it back in a messy ponytail. She looked up, noticing four men in suits standing on the highway above the Duel Lane. Three of the men wore ski masks.

"Hey, Elsworth? Do you have the same bad feeling about those guys as me?" the woman asked, nodding to the men.

"I do. I'll be right back," Elsworth said. He got on his own Duel Runner, which was shaped like an old-fashioned car, and sped down the highway toward the men. The woman knew better than to get in Elsworth's way—he was perfectly capable of protecting Sherry on his own, and now her.

She continued to watch the Turbo Duel—she'd looked away for a moment and needed to catch up. One of her favorite parts of a Turbo Duel was also an irritating part: the speed with which Turbo Duelists made their moves. But she watched the girl riding with the other Turbo Duelist take the card from his hand and place it on the Runner's Duel Disk.

She couldn't help but smile as she watched Stardust Dragon take to the skies, protecting Sherry from being crushed by a falling semi truck. The dragon's wings looked like they were made of crystal, and as she watched the dragon's wings sparkle, it was as if the dragon was alive. It was beautiful, but the dragon soon dissipated as red warning lights flashed through the Duel Lane, warning the duelists of an interruption. The play-by-play of the duel disappeared from the woman's Runner screen, and she snorted in annoyance before pulling her helmet on and joining Elsworth.

"You know I don't mind helping you beat the crap out of anybody who tries to hurt Sherry, right?" she said, half-joking, as she pulled up next to the man.

"Yes. But I would prefer if you didn't put yourself in harm's way," Elsworth responded. One of the men started to get up, and Elsworth slammed his heel into the man's ear. The woman cringed, reminding herself once again to not get on Elsworth's bad side. Elsworth straightened his bow tie, completely nonchalant.

"How's Sherry?" she asked, looking down at her friend.

"I'll go check," Elsworth said, getting on his Runner. "You stay here."

The woman nodded, returning her eyes to where her friend stopped. Her opponent had also stopped, and his companion—the one who'd summoned Stardust Dragon—got off the Duel Runner. They exchange words, and then Sherry reaches for her deck—the match would've come down to her next draw. But she doesn't draw. Instead, she salutes her opponent and heads for the exit ramp, likely to rejoin me.

"Well played, Yusei," the woman said to herself. "But I know you won't give up on Jack and Crow. So it looks like we'll be rivals once again."

A smile etched its way onto Nova Reyes's face as she started Apatura's engine and drove off to meet Sherry.