Yusei was taken aback, looking at "Godwin" with some surprise, not expecting him to suddenly ask this.
"Back then, Dr. Fudo developed the 'Perpetual Motion Machine'," Yugen said slowly, "The key to it lay in an intermediary particle called the 'Yusei Particles.'
Dr. Fudo discovered that this particle had a very special property, it could bond with all other basic particles and serve as a bridge between any particles.
Later, he named his son after this particle..."
Yugen gave Yusei a meaningful look.
"Do you understand his meaning?"
Yusei's heart trembled, murmuring, "Yusei Particles, Yusei..."
Yusei himself was a tech enthusiast and had even cobbled together a Perpetual Motion Machine from scrap. He was well-acquainted with the fundamental knowledge of such machines. Of course, he knew about the existence of Yusei Particles and had thought about the coincidence of sharing a name with them.
It was just that no one had pointed it out directly before, so he couldn't think too deeply about it.
But now...
"Yes, I think you should understand," Yugen said, "Your father's hope was for you to become like the Yusei Particles.
To establish connections between people, to enable mutual understanding, and to become partners. In other words, what you call 'bonds.'
With the bonds between people, this power can overcome anything and bring hope."
This was also the main theme of the entire "Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's" series, and it was the primary way Yusei continuously leveled up throughout the storyline.
In a more fantastical sense, "bonds" are the "path" Yusei takes. The power of companionship and trust allows him to repeatedly break through boundaries, to draw divine cards and create miracles, even to shatter ZONE's understanding and create a new future unknown in all timelines ZONE knew.
This path was Yusei's origin. Yugen was helping him recognize this earlier, so he could discard confusion and evolve faster.
"But..." Yusei said, "What if there had been no Perpetual Motion Machine from the start..."
Jack, who had been silent for a moment, suddenly exploded, grabbing Yusei's collar: "How long are you going to let me see this pathetic look, Yusei!?"
Yusei: "Jack..."
Not long ago, Yusei had beaten Jack at the Lucky Cup and taken the title of Duel King, and while the two grew up together as playmates, they were currently in a small tiff. Jack originally didn't want to talk to him, but couldn't help it at this moment.
"You listen to me, Yusei! Neither I nor anyone else has ever thought that any tragic life was caused by you or your father.
I, Jack Atlas, control my life with my own hands. Every path I take is carved out by myself! If I have any fate, it's only to surpass you and become the strongest king, that's all!
So don't show me that cowardly look, hold your head high like the opponent of Jack Atlas, Yusei! It's pointless to dwell on the past; our only goal is the future, and that's enough!"
Yusei's heart trembled with emotion: "Jack..."
Though Jack was rough and his tone slightly taunting, Yusei knew well that as his partner, Jack was comforting him in his own way, which moved him deeply.
Yugen also said timely, "The birth of the Perpetual Motion Machine is an inevitability for human development, Yusei Fudo.
Whether it's Synchro Summoning or the Perpetual Motion Machine, even without their existence, other technological advancements in human evolution would take their place. If humanity cannot face the future with the right mindset, the future path would inevitably fall into darkness."
Yugen said this not only to Yusei but also to the hidden ZONE, simultaneously preparing Yusei against losing his beliefs when he encounters ZONE and the Taiyi Organization.
The history in Yu-Gi-Oh! has proven this point more than once: eliminating the Perpetual Motion Machine cannot solve problems or save the world.
As long as the darkness in human hearts remains, even without the Perpetual Motion Machine, there will still be Orichalcos, Darkness, and some naughty dragon-headed Great Evil God... and so on and so forth.
Endless bosses, almost all with similar backgrounds of "evil born from the heart." ZONE's human salvation plan was likely infeasible from the start; erasing the Perpetual Motion Machine from history can't save the future.
"Dr. Fudo was a great researcher and a beacon in human history," Yugen said, "The Perpetual Motion Machine was his dream machine, to which he dedicated his life, aiming to guide humanity to a future filled with light and hope.
Are you going to deny your father's lifelong dream and his expectations of you?"
Yusei's heart shook, and his gaze shifted slightly.
A moment later, he smiled gently and nodded: "Thank you, Jack, Godwin... I understand, and I won't be confused anymore."
Yes, the past is the past. For whatever reason, the Zero Reverse has happened. So even just to prevent similar tragedies from happening again, they must seize the future from now on.
Yusei clenched his fist, his gaze firmed once more.
Yugen could faintly sense that at this moment, Yusei's "aura" as a Duelist seemed to have become more solid. Through the battles in recent days at the Lucky Cup and with the Dragon Sealers, followed by battles with the Dark Markers, Yusei had already been tempered by many battles, and now with the change in mindset, it seemed like there were signs of a breakthrough in his realm.
A good thing, indeed a good thing.
Yugen nodded slightly, very satisfied.
At this rate, Yusei might improve faster than in the original story... no, he might even be able to summon the "Cosmic Radiance Dragon," which never appeared in the actual show.
Cosmic Radiance Dragon was a card released long after 5D's ended. Although it never appeared in the animation, its name did have a fleeting appearance.
In the animation, it's recorded that the Cosmic Radiance Dragon was a card printed by Yusei, who naturally evolved in a timeline where ZONE hadn't intervened. He achieved the realm known as the "Top-Level Bright Mirror Calm Water Heart," reaching the ultimate Synchro Monster that attained a godly level.
In the current animation era environment, if there were a Cosmic Radiance Dragon, it would be a total game-changer.
So we can imagine that, on the original timeline before ZONE's intervention, Yusei possessing the Radiance Dragon might have been similar to the First Generation Ousama holding the Three Phantom Gods among Duelists of that era, representing the pinnacle of the Duel Monsters Realm.
However, in the main story of the animation, due to ZONE's Taiyi Organization altering history and changing the timeline, it seems that the existence of the Cosmic Radiance Dragon was erased from history.
Perhaps in some future day after the animation concluded, Yusei might have also printed the Radiance Dragon, but without follow-up explanations, who knows?
Adjusting his mindset, Yusei looked at Godwin and, after a moment of silence, asked: "Godwin, did you... know my father before?"
Earlier, he felt that Godwin seemed to know many secrets about the Perpetual Motion Machine from back then, and now his tone sounded as if he was quite familiar with his father.
Yugen pondered for a moment, recalling his character setup.
Then he nodded, admitting.
"Yes."
"Dr. Fudo... was once my best friend."
Yusei: "!"