Things were not okay right now.

Several days had passed since his duel with Gloria, and he could confidently say that the situation had turned for the worse on a cosmical scale.

It happened all of a sudden and without warning. He didn't have time to react when all went to shit.

"Keep looking. He shouldn't have gone too far! Remember that you can use force if necessary, but don't go overboard!" Joachim had already lost count of how many times he had heard the same words in the last few hours.

From his position on the rooftops, he could see numerous soldiers mobilizing like an army through every corner of the city. Every citizen was inside their houses watching through their windows with some sense of either discontent or trepidation at the events occurring.

They were performing actions that could only come from a dictatorship, and no one could object to it once they got a look at their overwhelming numbers. The golden-haired youth doubted they were here only to quench the small resistance that had been brewing in the city thanks to the infiltration of Ren and the others. There was another possibility, and one he had come to accept for a while.

'For me... They are here for me.' Looking at it like that, it seemed an exaggeration. To bring an army just to capture a single person—one that would not be able to oppose even half of that personnel. And yet... that was the cruel truth.

He never thought things would turn out the way they did.

Some days ago

It was all strange.

Rather than strange, it was suspicious.

After everything calmed down, and they returned to relative normalcy when he defeated Gloria in a duel, he enjoyed — save for the blonde's sulking — moments of peace that were much needed.

However, that, much to his disappointment, didn't last long. The signs were much too obvious for him not to notice or simply ignore them.

The way both sisters seemed to avoid having any kind of conversation with him; how they disappeared often with no explanation, or how they directly confined him to the house without any possibility of going out. It got so ridiculous that they were even offering themselves to do the jobs he usually did at the request of their mother. Though, more than offering, they just did it without asking for permission or his opinion.

One, maybe twice, he could have attributed to some weird occurrence close to a miracle. The problem was that the number of instances of that happening was beginning to be alarming. At that point, he would have to be an idiot to not understand what was happening, and while he appreciated their intentions, he doubted they were something that would really work.

Joachim didn't consider being in a world with deviances—an alternative universe in essence. With that said, he doubted the personality of the crazy bald man would have changed much even if that were the case. The things he had seen since he arrived were enough proof of that. It was the main reason why he didn't feel like the Professor would ignore him just because he decided to hide in the house.

It was why he knew with certainty that what they were doing was pointless. The man had even asked his son — who hated his guts and by that point had made an interdimensional crusade with the intention of defeating him — to join hands with him to end Yuya. He might not have had the biggest reaction other than some growling and empty threats at the rejection, but even so, the fact that he still tried was enough to know that the man wouldn't stop at anything, no matter how ridiculous, if it helped him achieve his goal.

The Profesor most likely thought he was the Marik, so he wouldn't spare any costs when it came to getting the youth under his control, and although he didn't want to be an alarmist, he knew that if the baldy had to, he would even use those disgusting parasites on him.

In the end, there was only one conclusion he arrived at.

It was time to say goodbye.

No matter how much those two softies tried to defend him from the clutches of that man, they wouldn't be able to. If Akaba Leo asked, in front of their faces, to turn him in, they would do it even if they didn't want to. And he wouldn't blame them if that were to happen. At the end of the day, they were kids. The pressure they would feel would leave them with no choice but to comply. Just the fact they are trying to 'buy some time' for him is already enough, and proof that they at least had some semblance of a conscience.

However, it was precisely because of their strange kindness that he didn't want them to go through unnecessary trouble. He wished they would stop carding people, though. But at least for now, with a heart filled with hypocrisy, he would forgive them because of what they did and are trying to do for him. And even though he had no moral right whatsoever, his forgiveness would only last until they separate. What will happen in the future would be fair game.

The final ultimatum arrived just as he reached his conclusion.

He was currently living in a port city, so it wasn't strange to hear the horns of ships from time to time. But on this occasion, it was something incomparable. There were several coming at the same time as if to be a show of force against whoever dared to stand in the way of Academia or their plans.

At that single moment, as he observed them from the window of his room, he got the feeling of 'Ah. So this is it.' which engraved itself deep within him.

It was time for the bird to finally leave its nest and traverse the unknown.

After making his decision, he quickly grabbed a pen and paper and wrote two different letters. One for the sisters, and one for Big Momma—or Dorothy, as he later found out thanks to Grace. In the first one, he explained to them how he was leaving since he didn't want them to get involved in something that could cause negative consequences not only for them but also for their mother. As for the second one, he told the woman that had taken him in how he was deeply thankful for what she had done for someone that didn't even know where he was, and that her kindness spoke wonders of the person she was, but that he had remembered something from his past, and wanted to follow up on that clue. He lied in the latter part; in the former, he was sincere.

He felt like scum for just leaving without telling her anything, but he was also aware that if he tried to talk to her, she would ask a lot of questions that he didn't know if he could answer with honesty. And, at least face to face, he didn't have the heart to lie to her. A big part of his decision was also because he didn't want to make her or her lifestyle a mess of complications.

When he was done and placed each respective letter in its place, he opened the window in his room and left.

Present Time

'They have been looking for me ever since.' He expected to have some time to plan things, but Lady Luck was not so kind to him. It was barely over an hour after he left when he heard those Academia grunts mentioning his name.

As much as he considered them subpar, he preferred not to engage them needlessly. Those guys have first-turn damage, so he would just get hurt pointlessly if he fought them. Not to mention, a duel would scream 'Hey, I am here' to every single one of them.

Unfortunately, once again, he wasn't so lucky. As he moved from rooftop to rooftop, he got spotted several times. Thankfully, Yami made quick work of them. As for what followed, he merely carded them. He didn't want to employ their same methods, but if they woke up, the fact that he was up there and not on the streets would be revealed. Additionally, Shadow Games only worked with Duels, so he couldn't go for that option either.

"As if things weren't bad enough, I can't go to Ren right now." His low mutter was filled with frustration. It was his plan at first, but in the middle of his escape, he removed that intention from his mind. He didn't believe himself to be conceited so as to think that he was the only one going through hardships. The XYZ Duelists also might be currently fighting—no... They definitely were. It was faint, but he could hear the distant sound of battle far away.

Thinking logically, if he were to appear next to them, and someone ratted him out, the pressure would not just increase twofold. They would be overwhelmed just by sheer numbers alone. However, it was that sound logic the one that frustrated him. Because he wanted to help, yet he knew his help would only cause more harm than good. Regardless, that didn't mean he would just stand still and wait for the storm to pass.

'Hey, Ra... I have fought against Gloria numerous times, right?'

That you did.

'I have also won a couple of times as well, right?'

You indeed did.

'Then that must mean I must have gone up the ladder as a Duelist, right?'

Wrong.

'Wha—?! But you!' Just a single word was enough to make the idea he was brewing inside his mind crumble to dust like burned paper. He couldn't do much in the first place, but if what little he could do turned out to be invalid then...

It is true that you fought that woman more times than I can count. However... how many of those times your Duel was a proper one?

'One...'

Precisely. You only properly fought against that kid, those three worms, and the girl once each. The first one was a draw; the second one was a win, but they were nothing that could help you improve. Finally, the third one, despite being a proper victory, it was not one that could grant you much. Listen here, kid. You would only improve when you face strong people whose desire to win is overwhelming. Otherwise, you will just remain mediocre.

'...Are you telling me that she didn't fight me with the intention to win?'

She wanted to win, that much I felt. And yet, her craving for triumph was lacking. She was more focused on teaching you a lesson than crowning herself the victor.

That was certainly a good way to bring his mood down. So that meant that what he did was pretty much meaningless; that even after countless duels he barely improved if at all.

Do not get disheartened... You might have not improved your power as a Duelist in a tangible sense, but you still managed to create a bond with your monsters. They responded to your call against that little girl, did they not? If it were the you from back then, you would have lost miserably. There are many ways to gauge a Duelist level. You would do well in remembering that.

'You are right, but... For what I wanted to do, it was the thing I needed to have improved upon.' As much as he appreciated his words of comfort, they were nothing against the cruel and harsh reality of his situation.

Joachim heard his companion sigh, seemingly resigning himself to the idiocy of his next words.

If we go by the bonds you forged, that Dragon who calls himself the ruler of time would be the one to answer your summons. That said, as we discussed before, you simply do not have the capabilities. Assault Wyvern would be your only option. One that met the requirements of bonding and power. But hearken, kid. You can only bring him out for a few seconds at most. More than that and your blood would start pouring from every orifice in your body.

The blonde's eyes narrowed with a sigh of resignation following soon after. He supposed it was better than nothing. That meant he would have to plan well when to call upon him, though. One single miss in the timing and he could say this second life goodbye.

There is another option.

'Ra...' More than a mind whisper, it sounded like the growl of a beast to the God card.

Do what you want then.

Joachim sighed once again after hearing the tone of finality on his companion. 'Sorry. It's just that... forget it. You wouldn't understand. Thanks for trying to help me, though.'

He received no answer, but he knew the Avatar of the Sun God heard him just fine.

"Yami." At this call, his loyal servant appeared instantly, kneeling as a sign of respect.

"Sir."

"Let's go. We will be sending some people back home, and I need your help with that."

Helping them fight was not an option anymore, and they would not retreat even if that meant their 'death'. In that case, a good punch from a Duel Spirit and some buttons on his Duel Disk would be enough to salvage the situation somehow. If anything, it would at least help Ren and the others gain some time to plan something else back in their Dimension. Though, he was counting on them being busy with the foreign occupants for a while.

Meanwhile, in a space of pure darkness, only illuminated by his own radiance, Ra observed the events transpiring outside. Even though he didn't possess human-like expressions, a good observer could tell that his face was not emanating positivism.

In the end, you are still a kid at heart. You matured quickly, yet you still hold onto childish beliefs.

A sigh escaped his mouth at that. The worst part was that no amount of words could change the young one's mindset.

Much I cannot expect. After all, change is only reserved for the living.