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A Tragic Day This walks thru the process of a very unexpected event for Tinsel and Rick. The story starts at a new location in another outer space circuit. Not the one known as the Outer Space Meteor Stream, the circuit that was once bombarded by meteors, but the one deep in Fractalian Space, simply known as the Particle Accelerator. The usual mission for the Elite Mobile Task Force was to beat the next gen of space pirates and win this race, but it won't be easy as this course had a new gimmick, a cinnabar pad that enables an allusion of the track getting blurry and making it swerve rapidly if they should run over the Blinding Zone. Unless if they'd pay attention to the course layout on their radar, they'll either fall off course or collide into any of the walls. Or even fall behind other racers. To add to the festivities, Rick decided to don on his attire as the Young Capt. Falcon and race in the Blue Falcon GT, instead of his usual vehicle, the Dragon Bird! Tinsel, in her Silver Comet, arrived next to it, making Rick a little uneasy. He was concerned about her welfare; just a few weeks ago, she experienced some internal pain as well as spotting. Rick wondered if she was alright, she assumed it's normal as she was experiencing that time of the month, but it didn't discern him. Over time, Tinsel became more agitated and her temperature rose at times, making him adjust the air conditioning in the Falcon Fortress. She did experience some discomfort thru headaches and stomach cramps, and a little less of a drive and an appetite. Rick was also acting peculiar himself, as he noticed his drive has increased more, making him a little reckless with each race and bounty-hunting mission. He was also having constant sessions of meditation with Goroh at his grove in Planet Cryton to calm himself, as well as getting intimate with the exotic drums from Giant; almost every day he had gone away as well as getting more tense, while Tinsel was growing more fragile. Nevertheless, these unusual symptoms didn't hinder their relationship; however, Rick grew anxious about Tinsel. As their friends were beating the space pirates in that wavering course, Tinsel began to feel nauseous and light-headed upon the Blinding Zone interfering her machine including its G-Diffuser. Rick recently noticed she was growing paler before the race started and he wanted her to sit this one out, but she never budged. One time the Comet hovered over the disorienting obstacle, reducing her vision and increasing her anxieties. So much so, that she couldn't focus making her Comet slip hard to the side of the track. She literally felt she was going to faint! Seeing the incident, Rick called her name and immediately stopped then turned toward her vehicle. Since it was in the middle of space, he never exited the cockpit, instead he released a grappling hook which popped out of the Blue Falcon's trunk and attached to the head of the Silver Comet. Still out of it, she hardly noticed Rick pulling her to the finish line steadily, while the rest of their friends just defeated the group of scoundrels, known as Mr. Kool and the Master Class, and won the prize money! Meanwhile, the two machines stopped away from the Particle Accelerator track and he examined Tinsel, still out of it. She hardly noticed him as she muttered Rick. Without his helmet, he escorted her to the paramedics nearby and on a stretcher, she was loaded and taken back to Planet Nintae with Rick always by her side. He watched over her warily, hoping she wouldn't take a turn for the worst. Moments later, they went to a hospital where the Stewarts were awaiting them. They examined her straightaway, wondering what made her so weak and fatigued. Rick constantly reassured her she'll be alright and tendered her. She apologized for partaking in that race, disregarding his advice. Rick assured her their friends won, and he was glad she didn't slip away. Eventually, thanks to a liquid solution made from the Light Reactor Mights, Tinsel got her strength recovered, but still experiencing some discomfort. She wondered if it was something she ate, but the tests shown no signs of foodborne illness. She then suspected it was the course's new gimmick that made her pass out, although to Rick's knowledge she experienced these symptoms prior to which progressively worsened in the last 3-4 weeks, so it wasn't due to motion sickness. Luna and Robert Stewart then encouraged Tinsel to take a urine test, to which she obliged. Rick was still by her side for hours on end as she finally rested, while also giving her some of his comforting thermal energy; they didn't care who exactly won the race nor how much prize money there was involved, although some of it would go straight to the emergency procedure. The Stewarts still housed in Mute City, though out of concern following Rick's, they decided to relocate to the Port Town hospital prior to the Fractilian Space race. Heck, even Phoenix Levin decided to pay Tinsel some visits, even Jack. Despite his best efforts wanting to hang out with Rick to lighten the mood, it didn't help much. Several hours passed, and Dr. Stewart marched in, requesting Tinsel for analysis as the test results came back. Rick feared she may have contracted a sexual disease, as they had more frequent intimate moments, even sometimes twice a day. They usually diagnosed each other but each scan came back negative. Why now? Stewart asked if she can stand, and she slowly trotted to the other room. He even asked when was the last time her menstrual cycle began, which was only a few weeks ago with spotting; he was impressed by how she kept track on red blobs in her holographic calendar from her key fob. Minutes later they returned with wide smiles on their faces, though Tinsel's was more nervous. She then broke the news. "Rick. I'm pregnant! I'm now expecting..!" she said bashfully. He then broke into a wide grin, his eyes and face glowing. "What..? No! No way!" He immediately rose and they held each other tightly as they cried with ecstasy! The Stewarts can't be more prouder, and neither could Rick! They didn't expect this could happen on account on Tinsel's angsts of inheriting her birth defects. She was worried the baby could have similar symptoms to hers both mentally and physically. They figured they'd let the docs use a uterine replicator after the next few weeks. It was a solution over their concerns on delivering a child; mostly Tinsel's, as it can't possibly pass on her birth defects nor would she experience the hardships of advanced pregnancy nor delivery. They were fully aware of what happened to Tinsel as her doomed late mom was giving birth, resulting the placenta being ruptured as well as the fetus lacking nutrients and oxygen. The infant would instead be grown, combining the inserts of samples from Tinsel's egg cells and Rick's sperm, as well as controlling the artificial womb's environment, and removing any corrupt DNA and RNA strands eliminating any chances of cancer, mental illness, and other genetic risks. However, the uterine replicator can be risky as it is experimental letting the fetus grow inside and in order for it to be healthy, the cells must be at their peak, hence making some lifestyle changes like diet and activity.   Inside the stasis tube, the fetus hadn't been forming throughout Tinsel's first trimester. Tinsel and Rick were called by Rodney as he made an appointment. He escorted them to the long glass cylinder attempting to scan thru the fluids fogging it, preventing the couple seeing the new lifeform from the outside. Despite his best efforts, no readings showed up... Tinsel grew worried. He then went to the other room to get the high-flying medico. He repeated the process as he continually and thoroughly scanned the tube. He asked how long it's been, and Rodney said they were right on schedule, a few weeks after the prognosis. Still, no results were found, just masses of cells floating inside the liquid tube... He and Rodney turned somber and offered to leave the depressed couple alone for awhile. They were deeply sorry for their loss, even Luna who sobbed for them just a few rooms away. As Rick and Tinsel got back to Port Town, he offered they should try again when she's ready. But, he only saw her sulking on the low-gravity mattress in the opaque bedroom just enough to hide her tears. He couldn't help but also shed some tears as he tried to comfort his beloved's devastation. Their chances for baring a child were lost. The uterine replicator process aborted. A/N: The Fractilian Space section, and the Particle Accelerator, were references to MegaRace, the futuristic-racing game made for the Sega CD and MS-DOS back in 94. This course in particular used to make me dread when I was very young, in fact I believe it was the farthest I might've gotten in the game since it seemed difficult and it stood out to me the most. Also...my hopes on a new F-Zero are dwindling. F-Zero: Overdrive, the fandub, was indeed a blessing, but I don't think Nintendo has what it takes to make a new game. Especially as long as obsessives, greedy, egotistical Myamoto takes the helm. So...Rick and Tinsel were unable to bear a child...

A/N: Just like Tinsel's short for Rick, I Like it When, this was also based on the segment in License to Wed. I...spent such a long time putting it on hold, as I was never sure on how Rick would describe Tinsel; I'm not Greg Abbey, so I'd always have it in the back burner. But I'll try here. From Rick to Tinsel, he said the following: I like it whenever Tinsel is in a good mood. You can see it both inside and outside. Like, when she smiles, her face and her eyes light up, and the latter sparkles just like a clear body of water or the comet itself. She also seems so energetic, especially when she recovered from Dark Million's thrall. Nothing seems to slow her down, and she always has such inspiration and beauty this way. It seems contagious and this is actually a pleasant sight as she tends to suffer from depression, anxiety, or any of her mental illnesses. Even when she gets giddy, it never bothers me. Actually, looking at her and in her eyes are like windows to the soul; I can see into her, how she's feeling, and who she truly is. I like it when she wants to be close, especially whenever she snuggles. I...miss that loving, secure, and warming feeling even when I was with Haruka. There's always someone loving close by and sometimes I feel discomfort when she's afar and I won't have that kind of contact. It really hurt me knowing I won't see my beloved Haruka again...until my new love, Tinsel, came to be. She and I both love this close contact, whether it'd be a handhold, a hug, kiss, snuggle, or even when we grow intimate; I even invite her over to do so a lot. It's so soothing for the both of us. I like it when she's willing to spend time with me. Just as Haruka used to do. Much like her, Tinsel's company gives me support, comfort, and encouragement to keep on living. She was the one who healed my deep wounds, and Haruka herself also said she's the one for me. And she was right. Whether it'd be racing, bounty hunting when I don't worry so much of her welfare, or just simply living together, she's the anchor for me whenever I go astray, even when we're apart. A perfect example was when she was still with me as she and Haruka spoke in my mind to stop me before I gave in to Princia's charm. She has saved me on several occasions, even after I had that near-death experience while I was suffocating thanks to the Skull's black magic as Miss Killer attempted to destroy me, or enduring Dark Million's thrall. Even with those intimate moments, whenever she's with me, she always makes me feel complete. It's always a relief that there's someone who watches out for me both living and dead. I like it whenever she seems to be the voice of reason. Like a second voice or a conscience to me. Whenever I seem to be at wit's end or if I'm about to pounce on someone, Tinsel's the one who would help me restrain myself. She was the ice for my fiery persona, and vice versa. She's more of an introvert hence more cautious, where I'm the extrovert, so our opposites seem to benefit us. She even taught me the basics of F-Zero racing as she trains me, she helps me identify an enemy, like a new criminal/opponent, and always gives me sound advice without seeming so judgmental or overbearing. Like Jody or sometimes the late Dr. Clash. She has my back no matter how tense I am or the situation is. Like Haruka, she enters my mind and I'd either hear her words and/or see her face, reminding me she's always there for me; to catch me when I should fall. We are the personifications of the Ryu Suzaku (Vermillion Dragon Bird) and the Genbu (Black Tortoise), after all. I like it when she sings and dances for me, as she likes it when I should try to sing for her (but I don't have a good voice) and play for her on the taiko and exotic drums from Giant. She seems to be so passionate if she should pick a song/auto-racing flick/any 150-year-old race for me, or if she wants to demonstrate how much we love each other. She always tends to sing from the heart, even though she sometimes goes slightly off key. And while she's not a professional, she does dance very well; even while wearing that sensuous, organic Black Tortoise dress. Like her eyes and the comet, she tends to sparkle with every moment and movement, and I can feel it, the passion, as much as her giving it. Whatever she does, even while racing, she always tends to think a lot about me and uses her heart. From what I'd heard in one of Falcon's interviews, it's all that matters, even as a key for racing. Those are the traits of my new beloved, Tinsel Steelus Wheeler. My light in the darkness as I am hers. My kindred friend and life partner shall always be my inspiration and significant other. The one who's willing to share her heart, love, and soul with me. My chosen who has helped heal my deep wounds and angsts from the past. My comfort that shall last thru the tests of time, even if it should for another 150 years if we shall be in cold sleep together, or even for all eternity. Tinsel, I am forever grateful that you're truly the woman for me, and this, and our rings, proves our inseparable bond. I love you, now and always, Tinsel.  

A/N: Wow. Yugioh has been making a lot of appearances in the series. Three times in a row! This one takes place at the rare Outer Space circuit, in the 10th Lap of the anime, not the AX Cup. But rather, the Crystal Cup. I'm not including the Christmas Cup since that was an idea in the Japanese version... So, here's the last Lap in the tense trilogy! Final Lap Tinsel was assisting Rick who was on janitor duty for his month-long probation; she had to make it quick since Jody didn't want her to do so since this was Rick's severe punishment. He disobeyed orders at that lethal incident in Mute City last week. Just then, Dr. Clash came over, alerting Rick that the captain had something for him to see. He went to the large office Tanaka always hung out, with Tinsel following him. "I got here as soon as I could, Jody. What's up?" "I have something interesting to show you, Rick." Both he and Tinsel grew curious, as she inserted the golden cartridge embedded with the emblem of a falcon on it. A large plasma screen buzzed behind the two rookies as they looked up. On it were the schematics and the striking image of Miss Killer to the right and the Moon Shadow to the left! Both pilots were incredibly shocked as their minds flashed back to that incident when Rick was losing consciousness as he hardly saw her leap out of the window in his apartment; Tinsel also saw her escapade too as she raced away on top of the Sonic Phantom! "That's her. I'll never forget her face." Tinsel looked over to her best friend. "She was the woman that attacked you?" the captain queried. "Yeah. Definitely. I'll remember that face forever." Tinsel sobered at the thought; however, Tanaka was stupefied. "After what she did, I don't blame you, Wheeler." He stuttered for a moment. "Uhh, who is she, Jody?" "Her name's Luna Ryder. She's the new pilot who won the last F-Zero race." She then faced Rick, "And, I have evidence she's also working for Black Shadow." Rick was in shock, then she warned him, "She's entered in the Crystal Cup race. We've got to stop her." His demeanor turned serious as he nodded. "Right." Then he looked up at the flat screen again. So Tinsel was right, after all. So she's not the damsel I once knew... She seems to be a very formidable opponent. Tinsel followed his gaze. Rick, do not let her intimidate you. Somehow, I believe she is... "Tinsel?" Jody interrupted her reverie. "Yeah, Jody?" "I know you'd be interested in the next race, for Wheeler's sake, but sadly like the race last week, this one has also been overbooked." Her face fell. "What..? Oh no, not again..! How could this happen?" "The racetrack takes place in the Outer Space circuit just above Earth and near the gateway; it's a popular and new attraction, but also experimental. This is a very special race, and spectators and pilots had enlisted rapidly. I had already recruited Rick, Lucy, Jack, and EAD. Dark Million would go all out on this one." She sighed at Jody's words. Then, the leader perked up. "I'll tell you what, since you're that concerned over Rick's welfare, I'll have you as one of the spectators instead. I'll be counting on you to keep a close eye out." "Right. Thanks, Jody." Little did she know, Jody had an ulterior motive as this reminded the cyborg of another similar incident...   Tinsel was so ecstatic to be watching an actual race, only this was in space. Not only that, but the arena was pretty breathable, and the watchers were comfortably bemouth some energy shields protecting the pilots and the brown circuit from devastating meteors. She was so excited as she had never heard of this track before! She watched the competition as closely as possible, but the machines had already hid themselves as they emerged into the ice tunnel. It was quite a shame since Tinsel was barely able to see the spectacular blue tiles sparkle! A few moments later, the Dragon Bird, Astro Robin, and the Blue Falcon finally rushed out of it, resulting in a tag between the former and latter machines. The track began to split in two! "Take the shortcut! Take the shortcut!" Tinsel cried. But the two warring cars dragged toward the longer route, while the Robin made its way, much to her dismay. However, a few moments made her cringe as she noticed the lethal Moon Shadow, taking Jack out of commission! "Come on, Rick, be careful! Don't let her catch you off guard!" The three vehicles were neck-to-neck, and Tinsel was nearly so into their battle that in her peripheral vision, she noticed the shields dissipating! The deadly meteor showers began to fall onto the Meteor Storm track! "Oh no! How can this be happening? Rick, please be careful!" She almost instantly stood up, hoping to have a better vision of the Dragon Bird, but the pilots were too faraway, even for her nearsightedness. She then started to panic and her breathing went shallow! Then, she desperately took out her secret weapon beneath her seat, the Duel Disk! The lethal rock show continued to bombard the course as it was too late to call the Duelists again and they were so faraway. In addition exposure in space is just like an instant death! So, it was up to her now! She stormed behind the rows of seats and drew a few Monsters into her gizmo! Unlike last time, though, this was more accustomed to her skinny arms; Yugi and Joey regretted on giving her a larger size earlier. But Tinsel had no choice and she immediately summoned several Monsters at once, such as the Giant Soldier of Stone, Baby Dragon, Time Wizard, Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon, Catapult Turtle, Kuriboh, and the Winged Dragon aka the Guardian of the Fortress; every one was positioned in Attack Mode with the Cards facing tall ways, while the Soldier was positioned longways showing him in Defense Mode. She then hollered into the contraption, and the Monsters obeyed. "Duel Monsters! Protect the pilots from the devastating meteorites! Everyone, attack the falling rocks while you, Stone Soldier, defend from them!" The colossal golem roared as he stood up straight, bracing itself. The rest of the gang went all out toward the volley of deadly space rock. "Time Wizard! Use your time manipulation to slow down the meteors, and fast-forward to transform the Baby Dragon!" She figured the docile creature won't stand a chance and perhaps cower beneath the onslaughts. So she figured the best way was to use his altered form, just the way Joey did! "Time magic!" it replied in a digital tone. Its arms rapidly rotated making the Duel Monster transform gradually into the Thousand Dragon! Its stats changed, displaying on Tinsel's Disk! Then, the clock rewound its arms as it faced the meteors attempting to slow down the menace! Tinsel figured that Dark Million can be behind this crisis, no doubt! The Slow effect helped. but had little effect; however, the Monsters were able to reach and break their targets a little easier. The Winged Dragon kept using its Fireballs while avoiding other advances with ease. Thousand Dragon let out a volley of flames disintegrating them, while the Catapult Turtle continually launched the expendable Multiplying Kuriboh into the fierce melee! The Darkness Dragon blended into the environment, making it a stealth fighter as it dodged some space rock while incinerating others! Although, Tinsel's troops weren't entirely invincible... Several times already, the Monsters were hit by more meteors and their Life Points kept dwindling, one after the other. Especially one particular Spirit; the gallant Giant was losing its stamina as it was in the line of fire while towering over the pilots! But it still managed to hang in there! Then, the worst was yet to come... Tinsel saw the Black Bull bash into the lead, heading straight for the three leading pilots! She gasped, "Oh no, Black Shadow!" Sensing her fright, the Duel Monsters noticed the commotion and the humongous bringer of disaster. She wondered if HE'S responsible for letting this terror happen! She almost instantly cancelled the thought of attacking it; what mattered most was, "Forget about the Black Bull! Protect the pilots!" They did just that as they bravely continued their valiance, but Tinsel was beyond terrified as she saw a large meteor head straight toward the rear of the track, and the three leading machines were heading for it! "Oh NO! Rick! Captain Falcon!" She didn't care too much of the Moon Shadow, either. As if it heard her screams telepathically, the Giant Soldier of Stone responded as it gazed toward the oncoming storm! While remaining in Defense Mode, it simply secured its feet deep onto the lower layer of the course and raised its arms over its head, bracing for the worst! Willing to sacrifice itself, it took the destructive onslaught like a tree as a few meteors hit its arms! Then, the incoming large meteor impacted the Giant's chest, and it roared in agony as it fell back toward the further portion of the road! Simultaneously, the signal went dead, and the pic faded, replaced by a red X. "I lost the Giant Soldier of Stone! NO!" Tinsel sunk to her knees, never wanting to bare to see the pilots get murdered by the continuous storm nor behold Black Shadow winning! If anything should happen to Rick, Lucy, Falcon, EAD, and all her Monsters she might... Her Monsters gave their all, but each one caved into the might of the meteors; she ran out of Kuriboh leaving the Catapult Turtle nothing to launch, the Thousand Dragon was clobbered by a meteor making it sink to the unforgiving terrain and separated into two: the Time Wizard with its gears popped out, and Baby Dragon unconscious. Even the Darkness Dragon was eventually wiped out, and all that was left was the Winged Dragon! It still let out all its fireballs toward the line of fire, but it was too exhausted to avoid any more. It gazed on an oncoming meteor, and Tinsel broke down. ... Then, a miracle happened! While Tinsel was wallowing in her despair, the Meteor Stream became deathly silent, even the audience as they beheld the devastated race, and the shields are back online again! Rumbles were heard above, and she nearly heard Mr. Zero tallying the results from the 7 Laps the pilots made, although it turned out the Blue Falcon, Moon Shadow and the Black Bull disappeared with no signs of damage! The Guardian nuzzled her, and she gradually came to. She saw its toothy smile, assuring her that it did its bidding. She barely listened to the cyborg's announcements and the race had been cancelled due to severe track damage. She also saw the Dragon Bird safe and intact as a skinny Black Shadow robot crumbled into dust while it left a wrecked machine. It seemed the Emperor of Brutality made a copy of itself to avoid the onslaughts. The Robin, Great Star, and Elegance Liberty were also unscathed. "And it's Lucy Liberty in her first F-Zero victory!" "Ah, no way! She did it!" Tinsel cried with glee. She withdrew the Winged Dragon Card, the Monster dissipated and she ran to the stadium! She was overjoyed Lucy won by default, even when she was giggling while Clash was cheering for her and raising her high! They eventually met up with Jack, EAD, and Rick as they carefully trekked back to the starting line.   Moments later, they arrived at the Falcon House and Burt set up the festivities specially for Lucy! "Guys, you didn't have to do this." "Sure we did, Lucy!" Rick said. "Yeah, it's not everyday you get to win an F-Zero race, y'know." Jack added. She simply just admired all the dazzling banners lighting up, and a tall strawberry cake towered over them at the center of the table. Tinsel could barely resist to eat some of it. In addition, a large red banner had white, bold font saying, Congratulations, Lucy! "Well, Lucy, here's to hoping it's the first of many. To Lucy!" Rick cheered. "To Lucy!" Jack and Tinsel followed as they also raised their glasses. "Congratulations, Lucy." Burt said. "Here, here!" Jack added. "Yeah!" Tinsel cried. The new champion and young apprentice just laughed with admiration. Little did the heroes know that this victory was only a blessing and a start to a curse. Especially some great tumultuous trials ahead for Tinsel... A/N: Dang! Finally got this trilogy of error out of the way at last! Well that's it, futuristic racing fans! That's all the crossovers for F-Zero GP Legend and Yugioh. At...least till my all-time favorite epic. Though, Lucy's victory is a sure sign of tremendous trouble for Tinsel as it starts her curse on losing several races, she actually quits dueling and works for the Task Force all-time as Yugi and his posse deal with the Great Leviathan and a menacing 10,000-year curse. Plus, I'd rather here the extended version of the DDR song, Drop the Bomb, at the end of that episode! There was an error here... The Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon was a Duel Monster that didn't belong in the original Yugioh. But rather from GX; I saw an actual Card of it, and I thought it was one of Joey's Monsters, like a polar opposite to the Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon. I was wrong, but I still thought it was a cool Duel Monster. Again, like the last two, it was tense, as I thought my favorite pilots would be destroyed by the endless meteors. Heck, I thought that Zoda was actually killed when Black Shadow ripped off his...yellow tube, or whatever it was. Sadly he wasn't, damn! So this is the prelude to Tinsel's curse as well as my F-Zero epics ahead.

A/N: Alright, here's Lap 2 where I add elements from Yugioh as Tinsel uses its Monsters again. Only this time, it's during an emergency while an F-Zero race is taking place. Lap 2 This began a week later from that incident in Planet Alcatrand and when Tinsel called Yugi for outside assistance. He and Joey received the alert and knew that Dark Million needed to be taken more seriously this time around. With the Battle City competition over, they had more free time, and Yugi has spent more time with Tea, while Mai kept turning Joey down. She just arrived at the Falcon House, ready to start her shift in the Elite Mobile Task Force, having the sweet coffee along with her best friend, Rick. They also met Lucy, Burt, as well as the young kid, Alias; the same one Tinsel, Lucy, and Rick met when the latter was chasing after Samurai Goroh. This time, the tyke was scared on receiving heart surgery next week. Then, a bodybuilder showed up. To Burt, his intergalactic delivery arrived, exotic mangoes, and he introduced the guy as Roger Buster. He has heard of the boy's plight, and he mentioned the delivery was exclusively for him, and that the Fake Star Race is coming up very shortly. He and Rick decided to participate and win for Alias. Nevertheless, he's still pretty nervous of the procedure, even though his mom said it'll save his life in the long run and make him stay healthier than before. Roger offered to win it for the sake of giving him the exotic Doreya mangoes he loves so much, while Rick volunteered to win it as a promise to Alias and as an incentive if he would take the surgery. "You have to take risks. If you want to be an F-Zero racer." Burt said. Alias lightened up and accepted Rick's proposition. "Then let's have a handshake and make it official." They did just that. Tinsel rooted for Rick to take the lead. But sadly, she was unable to register as the Fake Star Cup was already overbooked... With the rest of the Task Force consisted of Dr. Clash, Dr. Stewart, Tanaka, and Lucy, Tinsel watched the competition from the sidelines, still disappointed in her inability to get involved in that race. Heck, she even noticed Rick, Roger, Draq and Capt. Falcon there as well! However, surprisingly, there were no racers from Dark Million. She then grew very concerned... The signal interrupted her reverie and the race was on! Rick, EAD, and Jody were doing a decent job, though the Dragon Bird always kept getting its wings clipped by the persistent Mighty Hurricane. As the war raged on, despite her cheering for Rick, she still felt anxious, but not just for him. Meanwhile, the F-Zero Committee received an ultimatum from Zoda; that they must let all the racers slow down and remain in the orange zone, otherwise they'd explode if they should go above or below it! It was in exchange for them to give Zoda all the profits to him! 10 million space credits! They grew worried for the pilots' welfare, even if they should run out of fuel. The best they can do is alert the Galaxy Platoon! Meanwhile, Tinsel, along with her comrades, received news of a sudden threat. All of the racers must maintain the said speed limit, as a sensitive detonator had been detected on each vehicle, excepting for one... Of course, this wouldn't deter Rick nor Roger's ambition to win the race for Alias; they had a promise to keep, after all. Alarmed for Rick's sake, Tinsel caved in to her anxieties and ran out of the base, disregarding Lucy or Clash's worries. While she was storming to her Comet, she overheard Tanaka's cries, while Stewart was more stern when he suspected there's some kind of transmitter within the racetrack, and they must find and destroy it! With that objective in mind, Tinsel headed for her machine in the garage and made a distress call to Domino City again! According to Clash's analysis in the base, there were a total of nine sensors, though he believed it all to be a hoax, not willing to give away the prize money; however, a machine exploded showing the attack was real! "Duelists. Tinsel Steelus calling Duelists..! Yugi, Joey!" The former picked up the call via a cordless phone attached to a wall. Recognizing her voice, Yugi was anxious on answering it. His eyes widened as he heard the bad news! Meanwhile, Falcon looked over the side of the track and saw a glare coming from the distant mountainside. The Blue Falcon leapt off the track, startling the spectators and even Mr. Zero! But unbeknowst to them, his machine was still attached beneath the course! He was on hot pursuit for the sniper, but something else caught his keen eye. He then punched around the motherboard sending a transmission to Tinsel's key fob. She picked it up and noticed it was from him. Her face brightened but the situation was grim; according to him, there was a blimp circling the track figuring it has the transmitter for the activating sensors! Tinsel doubted, but then recoiled as the blimp never left the track and kept on orbiting it, never leaving a single advertisement; just monitoring the race without any glamor. So, she went with Falcon's advice and passed it on to Yugi. Joey also wanted to tag along as well. Then, her fob chirped when it received a map of sorts, and then she gave the schematics to Yugi. "Yugi! Rick's under attack! Take the Mute City warp gate! Help me out here!" "I'm on my way!" he said as soon as he received the location of Domino City's nearby warp gate! He and Joey ran out and summoned their Duel Monsters. For Yami after transforming into the pharaoh, he used his Curse of Dragon, while Joey followed suit with his Baby Dragon! They immediately loaded their Duel Disks as they entered the gates and materialized discreetly, soaring over the Mute City track. Capt. Falcon alerted the duo as soon as he saw them from upside-down! Just before his machine reached a gap, he ordered them to find and destroy that blimp with their best Monsters and stay discreet! They obliged and Yugi and Joey steered toward it. The Blue Falcon leapt toward it while the Duelists followed. Captain Falcon reached the end of the track before boosting, hurling his Blue Falcon through the air and straight towards the blimp, crashing into the command deck! The nose of the machine pierced thru the airship, seeing a swarm of Death Soldiers drawing out their weapons surrounding the vehicle. "Fireball attack!" Yami shouted, then the dragon unleashed its fury. It also unloaded a little passenger inside it. Joey drew out his Time Wizard and made his dragon age a century. The Thousand Dragon has emerged! Like his partner, the creature snorted and unleashed its own fiery fury, making them attack both sides and igniting the blimp! The invasion distracted the sentinels long enough for Kuriboh to enter the fray, glowed, and exploded the ship from the inside, making the Blue Falcon able to escape! It fell off, startling the duo, but thankfully it was caught in a large maw! "Whoa! I remember this spaceship!" Joey cried. "That's the Falcon Flyer, Joey!" Yami cheered as he made a fist. "Hmph! I should've known it'd be here. That'll put an end to this madness, and save the F-Zero competitors." He composed, "Tinsel was right; Dark Million IS truly raising the bar..!" "Oh man..! I wonder how we can manage both Dueling and this..!" Joey added, implying Tinsel's own angsts. They watched the blimp drop and give off a dazzling display similar to a Viking's burning boat as it descended sharply toward the mountainside! The sniper, Pico, noticed the crash landing too, and with his plan thwarted and his bombs destroyed, he became rampant as he scurried away and drove in his Wild Goose. "Rick! Slow down! That's an order!" Jody shouted back at the base. Tinsel was still in the garage as she received a message of their success. While Dr. Clash held his head never enduring the horror as the Dragon Bird accelerated and reached the finish line first! The crowd went wild for the victorious hero, but moments after the commotion, Roger slapped Draq squarely in the face for his betrayal. It turned out he was under scrutiny by Miss Killer demanding the ransom and he needed to win the race for Roger's sake if he should explode! Roger reprimanded him to take his mind off of their business for once and focus on what truly matters; their partnership, otherwise it'll soon become strained. Rick was also punished but by Jody for disobeying orders on never slowing down during the Fake Star race, putting him and his colleagues in serious danger. Though she did praise him for his first-place victory and receiving the 10 million space credits, he was still put on a long probation; for about a month! This put Tinsel at complete unease as she heard the briefing, even when Clash was still puzzled picking up the sensor from Rick's machine. "These sensors appear to be fake compared to the last machine that blew up." He examined it, no longer flashing. The stress was mounting and Tinsel blurted out, "They weren't fake, Dr. Clash! They were actually real! Didn't you see the other machine blow up? I should know because..." She stopped, then she gathered her thoughts, ignoring the squad's piercing looks. "Because, I saw Falcon leap over the track. And he...invaded a blimp overhead. Then, he made it crash toward the mountain. I think a sniper was there activating these things." She motioned toward the sensor Clash was holding, still perplexed. "Well, looks like we owe him one, Tinsel." Jody said. Although neither woman were pleased. She actually left out the Duelists' invasion to keep their identities safe. The last thing she wanted is to have them investigated for a possible murder. She was also very upset that the Task Force, Roger, nor Draq didn't notice them, as well as Rick receiving a hefty punishment despite keeping his promise to poor Alias. Just like in his last misadventure... Tinsel began to carry a grudge for their fearless leader, but not before she saw Rick stargazing out a large window toward Roger's delivery vessel, with Alias and his mom riding shotgun, while holding a Doreya mango. He just smiled and wished him luck as Alias praised him, "Thank you for winning that race, Rick." A/N: This Lap was a lot more tumultuous than the last one, as the Duelists, Falcon, and Tinsel got more involved. Like, the last Lap, it made me anxious to add the Duelists in, and Falcon didn't give me enough assurance since the tension was still mounting. Besides having Clash never know the attacker and having Rick on a serious probation really pissed me off to no end! You see, despite the good deed and his victory, he still receives the bitter end of the stick from Jody! THIS, aside from his treatment in GP Legend, started my hatred for her! Also, just for lulz, I'd probably add the catchy song from DDR Extreme, Absolute! That song always gives me the feels. Well, this Lap was done, so off to the last one!

A Trilogy of Tension A/N: Yes. You heard right. There were 3 episodes, in a row, within the F-Zero anime that gave me so much tension, and these fanfics shall describe them all. This is just a series of scenarios in which F-Zero GP Legend crosses over with the original Yugioh series, aside from Cold as Ice. Indeed, there are three segments here. Lap 1 It was during a sunset at the end of Tinsel's shift, but just as she was heading for home, she once saw Rick at Memory Park, despondent, as he watched the boats go by. She heard that this reminded him of Haruka as they went on a balmy cruise together 150 years ago, and Haruka herself enjoyed watching them sail across the harbor beside the city line. It was sort of a hobby and became his as well. She once asked Rick why he was so down, could it be on account of the freakish accident back in the dangerous Mute City race, when the Dragon Bird crashed beside Zoda which in turn hit Jody next to it? He felt so ashamed about that sudden chain reaction ever since, but it wasn't the only thing that was bothering him; he still couldn't get his vengeance for Zoda off his mind, which was who he was aiming for, if only Jody didn't get in the way. He also told Tinsel about the secret he discovered, about Jody being a cyborg after the incident 5 years ago in which she and her brother, Andy Summer, got fatally injured during a shootout! To Tinsel, it wasn't the first time she'd heard of a police officer who's half-human; as she found out about another detective named Del Spooner who had a grudge against robots that were atttempting to dominate over humanity in Chicago back in 2035. So, to her, it wasn't too big of a surprise. He also remembered Jody's point of advice, "I hate what Zoda did, but we have a bigger mission than just stopping him. And that's to destroy the organization he works for..!" She'd said that he must remember the good things in life too, and they must never forget them nor be consumed with payback. Believe or not, Tinsel reluctantly agreed with that, as they must fight for the things and the people they cherish so much, and it's natural to forget the smaller things in life. She vowed that she'll be by his side so he won't go astray while facing the demonic monster. Soon, Jody was well enough to take her repaired White Cat for a "test run," when in reality she was heading to the abandoned maximum security prison in Planet Alcatrand. She hopes to find answers in looking to how she can defeat Zoda. Eventually, Rick and Tinsel came back to headquarters, he asked Clash where she went, and he said she took her machine! The Dragon Bird followed the signal emitting from it, leading to a warp gate. Tinsel actually tagged along but only several feet away to avoid detection. To her horror, though, she realized they'd headed to the home world of her worst fear, White Land! Thankfully there wasn't the deadly 50-foot gap she was unable to cross 13 years ago. Her body temperature dropped several degrees, and it wasn't the below freezing climate since the Comet was able to adjust in tepid and frigid environments. But intense fear! Her body began to quiver and break out in a cold sweat, remembering the fatal incident. Her mind fogged for a moment, then as she saw the Dragon Bird's backlights starting to fade, she slowly trodden toward it. Above the snowy horizon, she saw a distinctive spaceship. It was the same one Zoda often used for his assaults, even the one when he invaded the Galaxy Platoon soon after winning that said F-Zero race and reveling in his destruction, even scaring away the weak leader, John Tanaka. When she recovered, she noticed it shot a volley of bullets and Jody was under fire! Rick was also heading toward it making Tinsel alarmed! She immediately stepped on the gas as Rick left the cockpit, took off his denim jacket making him more exposed to the deadly climate and having his body covering her while the malicious madman continued to rain down more bullets! Tinsel hurriedly shot out the Comet's ice jets up toward the gunship's underside. A portion above the stem became frozen almost instantly showing a crystalized bright-blue hue! Knowing Zoda's onslaught had been disabled, he soared away from the hapless duo. However, to Tinsel's shock, they managed to survive, unscathed! It seemed as though the Comet had also frozen the battleship's bullets and they acted more like hailstones instead. Realizing Jody and Rick were alright, they headed back to Mute City together. But not before Tinsel, who was still shaken up, activated her telecom. "We're gonna need backup..!" she muttered. Sure enough, the transmission reached Domino City, in Yugi's and Solomon's home. Inside his bedroom, where it was still nighttime, Yugi picked it up; since it had a different time zone it was much later than in Mute City's, and the kid was a little groggy. Tinsel apologized for calling him so early, but they noticed that Dark Million had recently raised the bar. They should be taken much more seriously and he and Joey must use their Duel Monsters as outside help besides Falcon; they knew he wasn't very reliable on account he's a bounty hunter and thus is usually unreachable. They knew a war was coming, and since he, Yami, and Joey are currently free from dueling since the championship in Battle City, she hopes they'd be available. She believed there could be a warp gate from Japan to Mute City; however she was never sure where. They wished Capt. Falcon would know its whereabouts and assist them on their mission. A/N: Ah...finally got this lap out of the way. This scenario has always been in my mind for years, ever since I first saw the English version of Chain Reaction, although I never liked the order of episodes; as it was used for Lap 6 which is irrelevant since Miss Killer was shown and her debut's 2 episodes away. So instead it should be around Lap 9 since she's been introduced, Tanaka's tirade on Rick winning races would be relevant, and it would start Dark Million's more serious plans. Hence, in order to cope with the anxieties, I introduced Yugioh again since Cold as Ice. Speaking of which, I figured the Silver Comet making its move at a very cold planet would make the most sense allowing Zoda's gunship to retreat; I assumed that Zoda flew off thinking that Rick and Jody had been shot. Yet...they never showed any signs of injury, at all, not even hypothermia. Although, just recently, I figured the reason why was because Jody's a cyborg, while Rick seems a bi3t accustomed to the cold since he seems hotblooded and may have traits related to the Vermillion Bird/Ryu Suzaku. On the subject of cyborgs, I made a reference to the flick, I, Robot. Where Det. Del Spooner holds a grudge against robots, even against Sonny. Always reminds me of Jody even her ambition in the Task Force; both sources debuted in 2004 after all.