Summary: We rewind a few seconds back in time to after Antimony picks up Z-ONE from LEO corporation, to where the cyborg travels to Neo Domino and pick up a familiar time traveler there. Afterwards he decides to have a small chat with him back at Arc V's universe.

And from there a talk ensues...

"You were always the most direct out of the group..."

Episode 8 - Black Sheep

...

"Z-ONE", stated Paradox, staring down at a humanoid cyborg in front of him. The cyborg had Yusei's hair and face, but it was droopy and wrinkled, signifying this was a different person.

"Paradox", Z-ONE stated in the same cold voice, the air between them suddenly gaining tension as not one individual made a single move. It was as if even the most singular atom in the room stopped moving.

"..."

"..."

"...Would you care for some tea, Paradox?", offered the cyborg, the tension in the room suddenly gone in the same speed it came. Paradox on his part raised his eyebrows, not expecting this turn of events.

"I would think you'd be more disappointed in me", Paradox crossed his arms, Z-ONE leading him to a nearby set of table and chairs for him to sit in. The blonde sat down in one of the chairs before continuing to converse.

"I have no grudges against you for your failures, Paradox, nor for any of our previous differences", stated Z-ONE, who headed towards the kitchen to get the warm teapot. "I wanted to get rid of Ener-D's influence on humanity; You wanted to get rid of Duel Monsters entirely. However none of that matters now; We're all freed from our goals as future's saviors."

Paradox seriously doubted that as Z-ONE returned from the kitchen, serving a decent amount of the dark liquid in each cup. The cyborg moved and carried himself like an old man, but even the blonde admitted his mental energy was all but.

"...Where even are we?", asked Paradox, lifting the cup to his face and studying the dark tea.

"My home", responded Z-ONE, looking down on his tea cup as he slowly sat down on the opposite chair. He then looked at Paradox with a forlorn expression, "My old home. It's the only thing I remember from my past."

His eyes then darkened even more as he added, "It was the last place where I've seen my smiling mother."

"..."

Some more seconds of silence as the two didn't speak a single word. Paradox slowly lifted his tea and placed it on his lips, however he didn't sip a single drop yet as he instead stated, "That Declan person you've allied yourself with recently... he has impressive technology if it lets you can replicate even your very house."

"He even implemented it in modern Duel Monsters' duels, with the help of his father and another individual", Z-ONE responded, figuring it was best to change the conversation at hand. "He coined it as 'Action Dueling'."

"Alternate futures do show an interesting infrastructure, it seems", stated Paradox, now fully sipping the dark liquid. It was clear and warm. He'd forgotten what tea tasted like, he didn't even remember the last time he'd drank tea at all.

"But... no matter how accurate the replica is, it's still a replica", Paradox declared, Z-ONE now looking at him with his usual expression. "You know better than anyone to not grovel yourself in the past too much."

"...I know, I just wanted I reminisce", the cyborg responded. He then stared directly at the blonde and added, "You were always the most direct person of the group. Everyone else held at least some level of caution when interacting with you, you know that?"

"Yes, I've always felt like the black sheep of the group", Paradox stated, before looking at a window outside. It showed the soft yellow-morning sky, complete with light clouds and flapping birds.

"...I still doubt him", suddenly spoke up Paradox, Z-ONE immediately knowing who he was talking about.

"He'd progressed even further than in our original timeline, and even joined all of humanity's feelings in a single duel", the cyborg duelist stated. "He became something even more than just a mere hero."

"..."

"..."

"...You know that isn't enough to satisfy my doubts."

"I know", nodded the old man in confirmation. "I personally think it would be better if you instead aid him directly. I will most certainly do that myself."

Paradox was next to nod as he placed his cup down.

"Do you know anything about the blue-haired girl?", asked Paradox. To this Z-ONE stopped drinking his tea.

He instead placed his cup down as he looked at Paradox again, "Yes; I've met her personally."

"I see", stated Paradox, his eyes staring down at the cup, yet still attentive at the conversation with definite interest, as he then asked, "What are her intentions?"

"None; She just wants to live a normal life", Z-ONE answered. "However she isn't hesitant to abandon that idea to help others. She has the same moral buildup as Yusei does."

"Interesting", was all Paradox stated, before both took a sip of their respective cups. They then both set the cups down at the same time.

"..."

"..."

"I want to interrogate her."

Z-ONE looked at the man before him once again.

"You think that's a good idea?", asked the cyborg, testing his old companion's determination. "I already told you about her intentions."

"...I just want to see what she's made of for myself", finished Paradox before standing up from his chair, now leaving towards the door as the room started to fade away, back to its original design.

Z-ONE shook his head with a small smirk before turning to look at Paradox one last time, "I told you were the most direct out of everyone."

"Yes", stated Paradox, the room now fully fading to black. "I was always the black sheep."

Author's Note: Hello guys; Pebbles here. I do want to apologize for what I would consider a short chapter, however things were not going as planned and I felt like time was a factor not on my side, so I instead wrote what I could. The story is far from dead, the last thing I want to do is abandon it when I still have so much to share. Nevertheless I thank everyone for still reading into the story.

Also, yes; I do not plan on making a romantic pair out of Jaden and Aoi, as stated in one of the previous chapters they will be best friends and nothing more. I will not reveal or de-confirm any other ships, though, so you guys will have that to think about in the meantime.

I once again thank everyone for reading the story, any ideas you guys have will be taken into consideration. Thanks everyone for reading and have a great day; Until the next entry, I'll see everyone later!

Edit: Do I need to clarify that Paradox visited Z-ONE inside one of Leo Corporation's rooms, and that all of Z-ONE materials were real, like the tea cups and tables? Well I already did so there's that.