XXIII. Moving (part 2)

Johan Andersen left the very next morning before dawn. Antinomy followed him and Aki out into the woods near Bergen. Everything was still dark and quiet. Only the distant noises of cars and the state of the well-trodden path told him they were still in the past and not in his future, where no people still existed.

Johan was carrying a backpack that frankly seemed too large for him. He was struggling to hold it, but he didn't seem bothered. Aki had remarked on the size of his backpack and Johan had told them that once he made it to another dimension, the Gem Beasts would be around to help him.

They reached the middle of a clearing that was barely large enough to hold a duel on. Aki eyed the place with a frown. "You sure this is large enough?" she asked.

"It might cost us some trees." Johan shrugged, a sheepish look on his face. "Just try to get out of here before anyone comes to check out the mess, okay?"

People would be coming over regardless. No matter how deep in the woods they were, if Johan's stories were correct, then Rainbow Dragon was still taller than the trees surrounding them. An actual dragon combined with a dimensional portal? Antinomy was glad he had Delta Eagle with him; they might need to get out right away.

"Okay, ready?" Aki asked. Johan took a deep breath and nodded, glancing back down the path they'd come from. Antinomy took a step back. Aki stood in the middle of the clearing and looked up.

"Are you ready as well?" she asked to thin air. Whatever answer she got seemed to satisfy her. She shifted her stance into something Antinomy had seen Paradox do: feet apart at shoulder width, knees slightly bent. She closed her eyes and breathed in and out a few times. Then she moved her arm in a gesture far more forceful than the other times he had seen her summon monsters. Antinomy barely had the time to duck out of the way before the enormous shape of a dragon covered the skies and what little light the moon and stars provided. It was huge, far bigger than any monster he'd ever seen. This was Rainbow Dragon.

Back when he'd still dueled, Rainbow Dragon had been legendary. Many people his age had lamented how Johan Andersen had retired from the Pro Leagues and how he was the only person to ever summon the dragon; Antinomy himself wouldn't have minded taking it on.

Johan smiled, eyes softening as he looked up at the enormous dragon and patted its flank. "Thank you, Aki," he said. The dragon let out a soft noise — soft for a dragon, and therefore still loud enough to be heard by everyone in the vicinity. Like Antinomy had expected, the monster towered out above the trees of the forest. It could barely move without taking a couple trees down with it. It wouldn't take long before someone back in the city noticed the dragon. Johan would have to leave soon.

Aki shook her head, another gesture he'd seen Paradox make when the stress of summoning too big a monster became too much. But she looked fine, and on the Ark Cradle, she had summoned many more monsters. She stared up at Rainbow Dragon. Johan followed her eyes.

"He's big, isn't he? Took me by surprise the first time too," he said. The monster let out a low growl that resembled laughter. It bowed his head until it could face them.

"Thank you, Aki," it said as well, voice heavy and booming. Antinomy started. Even though he had seen the other Gem Beasts talk often enough in the course of the evening he'd spent in Bergen, he somehow hadn't expected the dragon to be able to talk.

"We should get going," Johan said, again with a glance towards the path they'd come from and the city lying below them. "The sun is going to come up soon. People will see."

Rainbow Dragon nodded its giant head and reared up, spreading massive wings in the process. Its wings brushed past the treetops, causing a shower of leaves and branches. Antinomy moved into the clearing, closer to the dragon.

"You should move back. Last time Rainbow Dragon crossed dimensions, the portal sucked in everyone nearby. I don't want you to get caught up," said Johan. Antinomy raised his eyebrows. No one had ever told them about that little tidbit.

Aki swallowed visibly. She walked forward and wrapped her arms around Johan, who hugged her back. "Be careful, okay?" Aki said. Antinomy could just detect the trembling in her voice. "I know you're prepared and all, but you said those other worlds were dangerous and—"

"Don't worry." Johan patted her on the back and released her again, resting his arms on her shoulders. "I know what I'm doing. I just need to find Judai and it'll all be fine."

Antinomy didn't find that particularly reassuring and clearly, neither did Aki. Who knew where Yuki Judai even was? Who knew if he was even still alive? His last message had been ages ago, and messages could easily be faked.

But Johan Andersen was nothing if not a determined man. He nodded, let go of Aki's shoulders and looked up at Rainbow Dragon. "Ready when you are!" he called out. The dragon flapped its wings once and flew up, rising out above the tree tops. If they hadn't been spotted before, they definitely had been now.

The keening cry the monster released had Antinomy cover his ears, and the burst of rainbow light that followed immediately after saw him blinking as stars appeared in his vision. Aki stepped back, coming to a stop right next to him. She was looking up intently, her eyes having taken on the amber sheen that always denoted her psychic powers.

"It's so powerful," she whispered to him. Antinomy could only nod. It wasn't often that he saw monsters as massive as this one.

The portal opened. Antinomy could feel the energy displaced, how it wasn't natural but instead a force way stronger than anything he could comprehend. Other dimensions. Even with all their research, they had never been able to broach that particular subject. If their current plan failed too, could it be an avenue they could pursue? Would the other dimensions hold the solution to saving their own?

Johan stepped forward, into the rainbow light. For a moment, Antinomy saw the silhouettes of all the other Gem Beasts around him. Then there was a white flash and they all disappeared , the dragon's cry the last thing he heard.

The forest was quiet. Antinomy looked around for any trace of Rainbow Dragon or Johan, but apart from the damage done to the trees above them, there was nothing. Aki let out a long breath. Her eyes took on its regular color again.

"They're gone," she announced, her voice still trembling. She swallowed. "D'you think I did the right thing, summoning Rainbow Dragon? I mean, what if something happens in those other worlds and Johan can't come back or—"

"Don't break your head over it." He wasn't going to tell her not to worry; there was a distinct possibility that Johan wouldn't make it out of the other worlds unscathed. But one thing they'd all learned early on was that losing sleep over possibilities didn't help anyone. "He wanted to do this. If you hadn't done it, he'd have found another psychic to summon Rainbow Dragon."

Aki didn't look entirely convinced. "There are no other psychics who would summon Rainbow Dragon."

"Except Paradox."

Aki flashed him a half-smile. "Like I said, no other psychics. I think Johan might sooner have thrown Paradox off a cliff than let him near Rainbow Dragon again."

… Well, she wasn't wrong.

"Like I said, don't keep thinking about it. He did what he wanted to do and he's got his monsters."

Would Johan Andersen be fine? Most likely not, but that was the price you paid for jumping into danger. Antinomy grimaced. In the far distance, the sound of sirens cut through the silence in the forest.

"We have to go," he said. Aki nodded decisively and made her way over to Delta Eagle. The D-Wheel was loaded with more food than they had been able to carry by themselves: everything Johan had still had in the house when they'd arrived. Aki had tried to convince him to at least keep the non-perishables, but he'd smiled and told her that they needed it more than he did. He wasn't wrong. Fresh food was a luxury they hadn't been able to afford very often, even after the first experiments with time travel had been successful.

Antinomy grabbed Delta Eagle and wheeled her down the path they'd come from. Delta Eagle could jump through time almost right away, but he still needed some free space to move. He turned on the engine and swung his leg over the saddle. Aki got on behind him. In the distance, the sirens sounded like they were coming closer.

"Ready?"

"Yeah."

Antinomy cast a last glance around; when the emergency responders would arrive, they'd find nothing but broken branches. Perhaps, given time, some of the witnesses would be able to identify Rainbow Dragon. Soon, someone would notice that Johan Andersen had disappeared. But that wasn't any of their business. He checked his phone: both Aporia and Paradox had texted him.

"Something wrong?" Aki asked, falling in step next to him.

"Change of plans." Antinomy showed her his phone. Her eyes widened slightly as she read the messages.

"Right, the kids."

"It won't take long," Antinomy told her. He hadn't thought of Crow's kids or any of the other people he'd met during his time with Team 5D's and that didn't sit well with him. It had only been a few weeks. Had he really already fallen back into all their old patterns? At least between him, Paradox and Aporia it wouldn't take long to spare the kids from the consequences of their time travel. It'd only be a quick stop.

They reached a road with enough space for Delta Eagle to drive. He keyed in the coordinates for Neo Domino, turned the handle on Delta Eagle, and in the second flash of light that morning, they too left Bergen behind.

oOoOo

When Crow-niisan, Jack and Yusei had shown up with Ushio-san, the first thing Martha had told them was to hide. Stay in their rooms and don't come out until she told them it was safe. They hadn't needed telling twice. Sure, Ushio-san had helped them before but he was still Security and Crow-niisan and everyone else were on all those wanted billboards and everyone hated Satellite now, and Hikari had never had much trust in those City people anyway.

Martha-san had gone out to meet them and they had all crowded around the window to catch a glimpse of what was going on outside. There was talking and Martha-san listening very hard. And then she had smiled. Hikari thought it had been kind of a sad smile but at least Martha-san had led them all inside and called them all down again, and then they were much too happy to see Crow-niisan again to think very hard about the City and Security and everyone else.

But all the older kids already knew that Crow-nii and Jack and Yusei were going to leave. Only Kokoro hadn't realized it yet, but it was only a matter of time. No one had told them what they were going to do or what was going on, but Hikari knew it was bad from the hushed voices when they talked to each other or Martha.

She and Kokoro were sitting in front of the house, keeping an eye on the road and sorting through her cards, when the air shimmered and two D-Wheels appeared right the hell out of nowhere. There were two men and a woman she didn't recognize, but also—

"Aki-neesan!" Kokoro shouted, taking off with Hikari right behind her. Aki-neesan smiled when they ran up to her, but Hikari thought she looked very tired and sad as well.

"Hey Kokoro," she said, bending down to her level. Hikari looked at the other men and the women suspiciously.

"Crow-niisan is inside, and Jack and Yusei too!" Kokoro was saying. Aki-neesan nodded but she really didn't look happy.

"Then I think we'd better go talk to them." She got up and held out her hand for Kokoro. The other woman — Hikari knew her: Sherry Leblanc from Team Chevalier — followed her without a word. Hikari squinted at the two men. They didn't seem inclined to follow. The one in the blue suit who was also on Team Chevalier lifted his vizor and smiled at her.

"Hey, Hikari-chan."

How did he know her name? Hikari raised the duel disk Yusei had given her for her birthday. Sure, he had come with Aki-neesan but he was also on those wanted billboards.

"Whoa, hey!" The man waved his hands. "It's okay. It's me, Bruno!"

Bruno? The man took off his helmet. It was Bruno. But Crow-niisan hadn't raised any of them to be stupid and Bruno had been on the Ark Cradle. She didn't lower her disk. The other man grinned, taking off his helmet as well.

"Looks like you have a duel on your hands, Antinomy."

Strangely, that made Bruno smile. "Ask me that again in ten years," he said, and Hikari had the weirdest impression that he was actually looking forward to it.

"Are you coming?" Sherry Leblanc shouted. Bruno shot her another smile and went inside. Hikari followed behind him and the other man. She wasn't taking any risks. The man who'd come with Bruno shot her an amused smile when he passed in front of her. She bristled.

She didn't get to hear any of the conversation between them. Martha and Crow-niisan shuffled all of the kids in another room, leaving them to try to get a glimpse of the conversation through the keyhole. It went on for a long time. There was shouting. They only got a brief moment to greet them before they were sent to the other room again. Hikari bounced in place. She'd been here for over an hour at least and she wanted out.

She snuck outside when everyone else was fighting over the best spot near the door. There was no one inside. She briefly considered doubling back and listening at the window, but if Martha or Crow-niisan found out, she'd be in a world of trouble. So she sat down on the bench to the side of the house with a sigh and started shuffling through her deck once more.

After another ten minutes, someone else came outside. The man who'd been with Bruno when he'd first arrived. Crow-niisan had called him Paradox. He raised an eyebrow when he spotted Hikari. Hikari's hand hovered over the activation button of her duel disk.

"I'm not going to fight you," Paradox said. Hikari didn't relax.

"You were on the Ark Cradle."

Paradox nodded. He looked down at her. "Look kid, you're going to be an awesome duelist one day, but right now I can beat you without even lifting my duel disk. You're brave, but the next time someone shows up and you're not entirely sure you can take them, you run. Don't try to be the hero."

Where did this guy get off on lecturing her? "I can handle myself."

"Not against grown men you can't."

He looked out in the distance. With the way the house was set up, they could see visitors coming long before the visitors saw them. It was something they'd taken advantage of many times in the past.

Hikari spotted the deck on the man's belt. She'd never seen him duel. But he'd been part of Bruno's team, hadn't he?

"Do you duel?" she asked.

"No."

"But you have a deck."

Paradox sighed impatiently and took out his deck. "It's for self-defense. If I didn't need it, I wouldn't have it."

What a weird guy. "Well if you don't need it, can I have it?" She loved the deck she'd made, but it wasn't nearly as good as she'd like.

Paradox laughed. "I still need it. But tell you what, if I somehow manage to survive all of this and I don't need a deck anymore, you can have it. Maybe you'll actually do it justice."

Hikari… Really didn't know what to say to that.

"Can I see your deck?" she said, curiosity winning out.

"Antinomy will love this," Paradox muttered, but he obediently took out his deck and passed it on to her. She shuffled through it, careful not to damage the cards. Her eyes widened. Some of these cards were expensive. She paused on Trishula and took out her own deck, thinking. If she could… She already had an Ice Barrier card, one she had found while straying far too close to B.A.D. One day. It was only a low-level monster and the edges of the card were frayed, nowhere near the mint condition Paradox's cards were in. But it had become a staple in her deck ever since she'd found it. She took it out now: Blizzed, Watcher of the Ice Barrier. It wasn't in Paradox's deck. Somehow, that made her feel better.

"Look," she said, holding up Blizzed.

"That's nice," Paradox said. She got the feeling he didn't quite get what she was trying to say, but then she also got the feeling he wasn't much of a duelist to begin with.

"Paradox, you here? Oh."

Bruno turned the corner, looking harried. He relaxed when he saw the two of them again.

"Hello again, Hikari-chan."

Hikari clutched Blizzed close to her chest. "Hello."

Bruno turned to Paradox. "We'll start getting the kids out of the timeline. Martha too, just to be sure."

"Easy enough to do."

Hikari had no idea what all of that meant. She was still holding Paradox's deck. Bruno spotted it and smiled, but his smile didn't quite reach his eyes.

"Time works in weird ways," he said. Hikari narrowed her eyes.

"What does that mean?"

"When you're older, you'll know."

Hikari hated it when people said that. She got up in a huff and held out Paradox's deck to him. He took it and Hikari put Blizzed back with the rest of her cards in the deckholder Aki-neesan had given her for her birthday. She has started coming by more often before the Ark and Hikari knew Crow-niisan liked having her around. Or had. He'd shouted a lot earlier.

"How are we doing this?" Paradox asked. "Time hop?"

"Just a few seconds, yes. Aporia's coming over in a bit." Bruno walked towards the D-Wheels parked out back. "Hikari-chan, Crow will explain it to you. Can you go inside again for a bit? We need to get our D-Wheels ready."

Ugh, fine. Hikari headed back inside where, to her great relief, everyone was still waiting for them. They'd leave. Very soon. But not just yet.

oOoOo

The one thing Rua absolutely did not like about this plan was the fact that Aporia would be coming with them. Antinomy would have been great. Paradox he could have dealt with. But he couldn't wrap his mind around who or what Aporia even was. A robot who was somehow all of Team New World combined?

Ruka had less trouble with it. After her initial fear, she had nodded solemnly when Yusei had explained the situation and given Aporia a sad look. Rua couldn't bring himself to feel pity. This was still Lucciano somehow and Lucciano had almost killed Ruka once before. Just because he had some kinda tragic backstory didn't mean Rua would forgive him for that any time soon.

"You will be mostly on your own," Aporia told them as he led them to the bike they'd be using to travel to the future. He had been gone for half a day, which they'd spent anxiously waiting with Mikage-san. Sure, Rua understood why they hadn't been allowed to go to Martha's as well, but he sure would have liked to join everyone else.

Aporia's bike was a monstrous thing unlike anything Rua had ever seen before. Aporia started the thing, still talking: "I will be in touch with you regularly, but you will be responsible for your day-to-day living. Will that be a problem?"

"Not exactly a change from before."

"Good. We will be providing you with funds. Your rent will be paid automatically, so you do not need to worry about that. If anyone asks, your parents are on an extended business trip and have set up an account for you. The paperwork will check out." He saw them look. "We thought it best to stick as closely as possible to your real story. But we can come up with something else if that's too uncomfortable for you."

"No, that's fine," Rua said. At least they wouldn't actually have to deal with their parents.

"Where does the money come from?" Ruka asked.

"It's better you don't know."

"But—"

Aporia chuckled. "It's not exactly legal, true. If it helps, it comes from people who won't miss it and who weren't planning on doing anything beneficial with it."

Ruka didn't look happy but she didn't protest.

"You have been enrolled and your school fees have been paid for, but you will be responsible for keeping up your grades."

Rua made a face. Dumb elite schools.

"Don't worry. If it ever gets too complicated, Antinomy or Paradox will be happy to help you out."

Bruno had helped them with their homework before so that was fine. But Paradox? Rua couldn't for the life of him imagine Paradox having the patience to sit down next to them while they did their maths homework.

Aporia gestured at his massive D-Wheel. Time to go. Rua thought he'd feel more conflicted about this. Sure, he'd miss Tenpei and Patty and everyone else, but the rest of the guys weren't staying either and without them, this city didn't exactly hold a lot of great memories. Their parents were probably organizing a nationwide manhunt right at this very moment. He did not want to stay here.

He got on the bike without another word and Ruka followed him with a look of grim determination. Aporia started the bike and carefully steered it out onto the street. For several minutes, nothing much happened. Then Aporia hit the gas and they were careening down the highway at incredibly speeds. Ruka had her eyes clenched shut and her arms wrapped tightly around him, but Rua whooped. This was amazing!

"Five seconds!" Aporia shouted. Until what, Rua wanted to asked, but then the world disappeared in a flash of light and there was only white nothingness. Another flash, and they were back on a highway, but not the Neo Domino one. All around them were signs with familiar place names. Tokyo. The models of the cars around them were strange, more streamlined than they were used to. He looked up and there was a floating island in the sky.

Well then. So this was the future.

Ruka opened her eyes and looked around with ill-disguised unease. Rua felt it too. Things had developed too fast. There was a crackle in the air telling him that things would go wrong soon. Or maybe he just felt that way because he knew it would?

"Did Neo Domino look like this too?" Ruka asked after Aporia had left the highway and maneuvered his D-wheel through wide lanes that were still only barely large enough for it. Aporia nodded.

"I may have forgotten some things with age, but the city I remember was very much like this." He gestured at the Momentum-driven… everything with barely hidden contempt.

"Lucciano…"

"Yes."

Aporia drove on without saying another word. After fifteen minutes, they arrived at an apartment block that had a lot in common with the blocks in Tops. They took an elevator straight from the garage to their floor, bypassing the lobby entirely. With the way Aporia stood out, that was probably for the best. Aporia handed both of them key cards and directed them to a room labeled 512.

The flat was far smaller than their house back in Tops: a living room with a built-in kitchen, a bathroom and two bedrooms. There wasn't a single speck of personality anywhere, just a blank slate. Rua clapped his hands together.

"I love it," he declared, grinning broadly. Ruka grinned as well.

"Yes, it's perfect."

"I'm glad to hear it. It is now Thursday during spring break. School will resume on Monday. I suggest you get familiar with the place and the way to school and get your uniforms and anything else you'd like." Aporia handed Ruka a credit card. "You won't run out of funds. I'll stay here until you're settled in but I can't join you very often. Any questions?"

"What about the Momentum reactor?"

"I'll brief you properly once school has started. It's easier when you have an idea of where everything is. Okay?"

"All right." Ruka sat down and fished a pen and a piece of paper out of her backpack. "We'll need clothes, books, food, maybe metro passes…" she smiled. "Let's go shopping."

oOoOo

It was another overcast day that greeted them when they arrived on the outskirts of Domino City. They had arrived in what would later become the area between the city center and Tops. The city of Domino had expanded massively since he'd last seen it in 1994, Momentum already visible in its workings. At this early stage, the balance between Momentum-powered cars and fuel-driven ones still favored the latter. He took a moment to catch his breath and waited for the rest of the group to show up.

Aporia dropped off Jack and Crow mere minutes after Yusei himself and then disappeared again with a hasty 'good luck'. Sherry and Paradox had already gone back to the future right after they'd left Martha's, but Aki and Antinomy appeared moments later. Yusei led them through the streets downtown, keeping up half a conversation with Jack and Crow and studiously ignoring Antinomy and Aki. It was probably better than the shouting from earlier. The two of them trailed behind, deep in conversation. Yusei, unwillingly listening anyway, caught the words 'Rose Herald' and wondered once more about what it would take to achieve Clear Mind.

They needed a map to reach Yugi-san's home in the end, the city too different from what they were used to. Yusei stared up at the game shop. It had barely changed from when he'd seen it over fifteen years ago. The lettering was a little more faded, but the shop still looked inviting and his friends looked around with great interest when they entered. Yusei himself wouldn't mind spending some time here. There were so many cards that were either impossible to find or hopelessly outdated back home.

"I'll talk to them," he said as noise in the back announced the arrival of Yugi-san's grandpa.

"Welcome! How can I help you?" Mutou-san said, making his way to the counter. Like the shop, he too looked like he had barely changed in the intervening fifteen years. Yusei stepped forward and Mutou-san looked him over.

"Oh! You're… Yusei-kun, right? Has your dragon brought you back here?"

Yusei grimaced. "Something like that. Mutou-san, I'm glad to see you again."

"Good to see you too, kiddo. These are your friends?"

Yusei nodded. Mutou-san took his reappearance with remarkable aplomb.

"Yugi's not in at the moment, but I'll give him a call. I'm sure he'll show up as soon as I tell him you're here."

And so Yugi-san did, appearing in a rush fifteen minutes later, when they'd all been seated in the living room and provided with tea and coffee. He looked out of breath. Yusei got up. He'd met Yugi-san at 16 and at 50. This Yugi-san was in his early thirties.

"Yusei-kun! Everything alright?"

That was debatable. Yugi-san must have seen the look on his face, because he frowned. "That bad, huh?"

"Things didn't work out in our time. We need your help."

Yugi-san nodded, dragged over a chair from the kitchen table and took a seat. "Should I call Judai?"

"That might be for the best." Yusei glanced at the rest of the group. "Ah, I'm sorry, these are my friends: Jack and Crow. Aki. Antinomy."

"Pleasure," Yugi-san said, giving them a small, distracted smile. "You guys are all okay? Everything okay with Paradox?"

"Paradox is doing fine," Antinomy said, a harsh edge to his voice. He glared at Yusei as if daring him to contradict him. Yusei was very tempted.

"That's… good to hear." Yugi-san's eyes narrowed on Antinomy. "I'm calling Judai, just give me a minute."

He disappeared into the hallway. Yusei rounded on Antinomy.

"Can't you go five seconds without antagonizing anyone?"

"So sorry for defending my best friend, Yusei."

Yusei opened his mouth to reply, then decided it wasn't worth it. He turned away and towards Jack and Crow, who were glaring at Antinomy as well. They fell into an uncomfortable silence that only got interrupted when Yugi-san entered the living room again.

"Judai will be here in a bit," he said, looking around the room. He took in the way they were all turned away from one another and raised an eyebrow. "And I'm guessing there's a lot you have to tell us."

Yusei nodded. He didn't want to talk about it, but he'd have to, over and over again, if they ever wanted to get anywhere.

Judai arrived in a whirlwind of activity less than five minutes later, dressed in a tank top and shorts that were entirely out of place for the chilly November day. Yugi-san didn't look at all fazed by his unseasonable outfit. "Australia again?" he asked.

"Brazil, actually." He shivered. "Hi Yusei."

"Judai-san, it's been a while." This Judai had gone from slightly younger to slightly older than Yusei himself. It made the contrast more bearable.

Judai looked over the group and his eyes landed on Antinomy. "Oh hey, Timothy! Didn't expect to see you here!"

What?

Antinomy drew in on himself slightly. "Yuki-san. I didn't think you'd still remember me."

Oh, better and better. "You know each other?"

"We met once," Antinomy said and Judai-san shrugged.

"Yeah, Kaiba Corp two years ago, right? Might've been longer for you. How've you been?"

"I'm fine."

"Good, that's good." Judai-san nodded. He didn't seem compelled to dwell on the issue even though Yusei desperately wanted to ask more. They went through another round of introductions and Judai-san opened up his bag to let out Pharaoh. Yusei smiled. The cat was still just as fat as the last time he'd seen Judai-san. He lazily stretched out; Antinomy's eyes lit up at the sight of the cat. With a pang Yusei remembered how enthusiastic Bruno had always been about any cat that crossed their path. For all the lies Antinomy had told, liking cats clearly wasn't one.

"So Yusei-kun, can you tell us what happened? How can we help?" Yugi-san asked. Yusei took a deep breath and started talking, occasionally helped out by Jack and Crow. Antinomy took over for a while to tell his and Paradox's side of the story.

"So Judai-kun disappeared…" Yugi-san said. Judai-san shifted, something weary in his expression.

"You were unable to get to us?" he said.

"We were working on it," Aki said. "I managed to summon Rainbow Dragon last week—my last week. Johan's gone looking for you."

"You summoned Rainbow?" Judai-san shot her an appraising look. "Good, that's good… The Gem Beasts will be able to get him there. He'll be fine." The last part sounded more like a reassurance to himself.

"He will be," Yubel said, appearing next to Judai. They all jumped, except for Yugi-san and Aki, who must've been able to see Yubel all along.

"But I won't be able to do much about your city in the future," Judai-san said. "That's why you came here, isn't it?"

"We thought we could find out what drove the first versions of Momentum." Yusei bit his lip. "I know you've talked to my parents, I was wondering…"

"If we could give you an in? Of course," Yugi-san said. "I'll get in touch with them. They'll be happy to see you."

Yusei shifted. He really did want to meet his parents, but was that a good idea? What if by seeing his parents, they ended up changing the future so much that they couldn't go back to Neo Domino at all? Was it worth losing the city he'd spent all his life in just to meet people he'd never thought he'd be able to meet to begin with? Yusei steeled himself and looked at Antinomy. He would know.

Antinomy caught his eyes and saw the unspoken question there. "I don't know what to tell you, Yusei. Everything you do in the past could potentially change the future. It's a risk. We can get the information without ever meeting your parents, I believe." He glanced at Yugi-san for confirmation. Yugi-san looked puzzled but nodded. "So I suppose the question is, how badly do you want to meet them?"

"Yusei, you should," Jack said, but that was just it, wasn't it? He was risking not just his own life in Neo Domino, but also that of his friends. Jack and Crow would never get to meet their parents. Yusei was the only one of them who knew who his parents were. Jack didn't even know if his name was really the one his parents had given him. Crow knew for sure it wasn't.

Could he ruin their lives when they wouldn't even get anything out of it? He might have longed for his parents more times than he could count, but Jack and Crow were the family who had actually been there all along for him. If he had to choose, however much it hurt, he'd choose them every time.

So he shook his head. "I'd rather we stay under the radar. Yugi-san, Judai-san, do you think you can get in touch with them?" He glanced at Antinomy. "I'm sure we can draw up the questions we need answered."

"We can. There are a great many we never found answers to," Antinomy added.

"Are you sure?" Crow asked. Yusei nodded. It hurt, but it was for the best. They'd get the answers they needed and hopefully get a better idea of the workings of Momentum. He'd never meet his parents at all, but it wasn't like he ever really had before, except that one time with his Dad… Maybe he could sneak into the back of one of their classes or something and see them from afar. It would need to be enough. It had always been enough before.


Judai and Antinomy met once before in a story I wrote that takes place in this same universe: chapter 3 of Five Times The Incarnation of Darkness Scared Someone. You can find it in my account or on AO3.

Next chapter: Back to school!

(Ngl I have been wanting to share this next chapter with you guys since forever)