"Left one..."
"Right three..."
"Left four..."
"Right six!"
Warm sunlight streamed clearly through the hospital window, illuminating the room. Yugi Muto, holding his Duel Disk, looked on in surprise at his best friend, Joey Wheeler, mumbling in his sleep on the bed.
"Doc, how long has he been like this?" Yugi asked, turning his head and adjusting his Millennium Puzzle. His vibrant racing suit, emblazoned with a Duel Monsters motif, stood out sharply against the pristine white of the hospital room.
"He's your navigator?" the young nurse, clutching a notepad, curiously countered.
Yugi smiled. "Yeah, my best friend. My best Duelist friend."
The nurse chuckled softly. "Don't worry, his injuries are much better. He's probably just anxious about the big race; that's why he's talking in his sleep." After completing her final checks, she quietly closed the door and left the room.
The crisp click of the lock echoed, and Joey, his leg encased in a full cast, finally opened his eyes. His gaze was initially lost, then filled with dejection and self-reproach as he recalled his situation. But seeing Yugi, fully geared up beside him, he immediately forced a casual smile. "Hey, Yuge! I told you I'd be fine! Why'd you rush over? The race must be starting soon, right?"
Yugi confidently replied, "Plenty of time, Joey. I've memorized the track layout these past few days. This championship is ours, just like our duels!"
Joey sighed, a lingering note of self-blame in his voice. He earnestly cautioned, "Once you're on the track, forget the old ways, Yuge. The road conditions are tricky; it'd be dangerous if you lost your focus!"
Yugi accepted his friend's concern with a slight smile. "Still don't trust me, Joey? Just rest up here. When you're discharged, I'll personally come pick you up, trophy in hand, like a winning Duel Monsters card!"
Joey said no more, simply retrieving a wallet from his bedside table and pulling out a card he'd clearly been holding onto, placing it in Yugi's hand. It was a Yu-Gi-Oh! card. This card game, which had been popular for nearly two decades, had been a constant companion throughout their lives, shaping their very Duelist spirits.
From childhood, they'd saved up for even the simplest packs. Later, with more resources, they became true Duelists, collecting powerful cards. The first time they bought official cards, they opened hundreds of packs and each chose a beloved monster card as a memento. From then on, every time they participated in a rally race together, they would implicitly carry their cards with them. This time, due to a pre-race accident, Joey, unable to race, chose to give his card to Yugi. It was both a symbol of hope and encouragement, a true testament to the Heart of the Cards.
"Skilled Dark Magician..." Yugi took out his own Dark Magician card from his deck holder, placing the two specially meaningful cards together. He then vowed, "Don't worry, Joey. I'll definitely win, carrying your Duelist spirit with me!"
Joey shook his head. "Finishing safely is the best gift, Yuge."
Time was running short, and Yugi had to leave the hospital. Before he departed, Joey, lying on the hospital bed, gave him a thumbs-up. Yugi responded by holding up a single finger, not a gesture of "good luck," but "one"—as in "first place," the number of a true King of Games!
The Race Begins: A Duel on the Asphalt
Dust billowed on the winding mountain roads. Drivers had already set off on the narrow, perilous cliffside. Yugi, alone, brought his vehicle to a steady stop at the starting line. He glanced at the empty co-driver's seat beside him, his Duelist resolve hardening.
The intercom crackled from race control. His coach repeatedly emphasized, "Yugi, you're on your own this time. Just finish safely, get an average time, and consider it a win! We'll push for the championship next year!"
However, Yugi's gaze was somber. "But this is probably Joey's last time racing, isn't it?"
The coach froze. "You... you knew?"
Yugi didn't answer, simply continuing, "Besides his leg, he has a head injury. Future races, future Duels, won't be the same for him."
The coach gritted his teeth. "But Yugi... you can still race. The team will find you another navigator, another Duelist..."
Yugi's voice was firm. "But Joey only has this one last chance."
"We've dreamed of winning together for seven years, like two duelists battling side by side."
"This is his final race. I have to engrave 'Joey Wheeler' on that trophy! It's a promise!"
The coach fell silent, unsure how to persuade this stubborn young man. After all, how many who reach this level aren't truly passionate, driven by their own Duelist spirit? In the end, he could only silently pray for everything to go smoothly. Too many unexpected Trap Cards had already appeared on this particular track...
A Fateful Turn: The Heart of the Cards Guides the Way
The final countdown began. The referee walked up to the car window for a final check. Facing the distant camera, Yugi first gave a thumbs-up, then flashed the "number one" gesture again!
"SCREEEEEEEEECH!"
Tires clawed at the dirt, emitting a beastly roar! Huge clouds of dust billowed up, transforming into Yugi's cape as he sped forward!
While driving, Yugi mentally replayed the track layout, every single detail he'd painstakingly memorized. Yet, the voice echoing in his mind was that of his closest friend of many years—Joey Wheeler! It was like Joey's own Duelist spirit guiding him.
Yugi stared ahead. The snake-like winding cliff road rapidly fell away behind him. Everything was precisely as it had been in training, but the racer's instinct, honed by countless duels, told him it wasn't enough, far from it...
"What's the gap to first place?" Yugi shouted into the roaring engine noise, asking race control.
The coach hesitated. "Yugi, just maintain your Life Points..."
"How much more?!" Bursting out of a major turn, Yugi demanded again.
The coach took a deep breath, reluctantly responding, "Eleven... it's already pushing twelve seconds now..."
Yugi's heart tightened. In that moment, his eyes, burning with duelist passion, changed. The race control monitors showed his speed had increased significantly, and his times were steadily improving. Several newcomers cheered excitedly, but the coach remained grim-faced. He knew well that Yugi's performance today wasn't as good as in training because he had to divide his focus between driving and recalling the track. Now, he'd completely abandoned caution. While his speed was up, he was putting himself in extreme danger, as if drawing a risky Fusion Material!
Relying on his familiarity with the track and years of driving experience, Yugi wouldn't normally have an issue finishing the race. But this was a rally race, and on this specific track... Without Joey's guidance and putting all his focus on speed, it was like going into a duel without a clear strategy.
Yugi's car speed increased visibly, and he continuously closed in on the lead. Through turn after turn, the gap between him and first place narrowed to less than two seconds.
"Almost there... just like summoning Exodia!"
Yugi gripped the steering wheel, his mind calculating like a true Duelist.
"Just one more turn, and we've won!"
On the gravel-strewn cliff edge, Yugi's race car once again drifted incredibly close to the cliff face. But just as the car's front turned past the steep, massive rock, about to straighten out of the turn, a sudden, prominent rock shockingly appeared directly in front of him! It was like a hidden trap card!
Yugi didn't notice the fatal rock initially. By the time he, fully committed to the sprint, reacted, a massive crash already resounded from the front right of the car! This was immediately followed by a violent, disorienting spin!! The deadly tumble turned the entire race car into a chaotic mess. In the confusion, the card necklace flew from his chest, appearing before Yugi's eyes. The two specially meaningful cards, Dark Magician and Skilled Dark Magician, one face up and one face down, endlessly rotated.
"After all... did I... did I still fail, Joey?" Yugi murmured unwillingly in the last second before losing consciousness.
But just as he closed his eyes, the two Yu-Gi-Oh! Cards miraculously burst into light. A mysterious vortex, like a dimensional gate, engulfed him, and what came next was a new yet familiar world... a world where Duels were fought with the Heart of the Cards!