Two crimson D-Wheels raced across the overpass like mirror images, their engines roaring in perfect overlap. Fudo Yusei and his other self crouched in exactly the same posture, their gazes equally sharp beneath their red helmets.
Every inch of their tires' contact with the road matched exactly, while particles from their exhausts carved two parallel trails of light through the night. When both machines leaned into the curve at the same time, even the subtle deformation of their metal frames under centrifugal force was identical, as though space-time itself had produced a perfect duplicate at this moment.
Yusei felt strangely conflicted.
It really was like looking at another version of himself. Not only were their D-Wheels and appearances alike, even their operating habits and the angles at which they took turns were completely identical.
More importantly, it was their presence.
It was something mystical that he could not clearly describe, like the unique aura of a duelist. From the other him before his eyes, he could sense the same thing he possessed.
"Who exactly are you? What do you want?" Yusei asked.
"Nothing. I'm merely preventing your defeat and stopping this world from repeating the same mistakes," Copy Yusei said calmly.
"What?"
"There's no point in saying more. Even if I told you, you wouldn't believe me. And even if you did believe me, you wouldn't stop. Because I understand you, Fudo Yusei. I am you."
Copy Yusei turned to look at the road ahead, the lenses of his helmet reflecting the lights along the overpass.
"Neither of us is the type to give up easily. Even if someone told you about a predetermined future, you would still believe that you could change it with your own strength. That's the kind of person you are."
Yusei's eyes flickered. "You..."
What