It was none other than Shin who descended from the sky. The radiant column of energy from the Speed Force explosion had been impossible to miss. Even Shin, who relied more on instinct than technical senses, could feel the massive fluctuations that rippled through space-time.
But upon landing, what greeted him was something entirely unexpected.
"Barry? I clearly remember throwing hot water on you."
The red-suited figure turned toward him, slightly confused. "Uh… do you know my parallel universe counterpart? Throwing hot water… is that some kind of custom unique to this world?"
Although puzzled by the comment, the Flash's tone remained warm and friendly. His cheerful demeanor and genuine confusion made it clear—this was no sinister doppelganger or dark inversion. This was the true Flash.
And so, even though Shin's question was baffling, the visitor answered without hostility.
Even earlier, when Grid, the villainous AI, was destroyed, the Flash hadn't aimed to kill. Had Grid been human, the outcome would likely have been very different. The Flash wasn't the type to strike lethally.
"Parallel universe counterpart... So, you're a Flash from another world?" Shin stroked his chin, absorbing this revelation with mild surprise.
"I'm glad you understand that concept," the Flash said, visibly relieved. His expression softened, and even a bit of excitement slipped through.
"Yes, I'm from a different universe. A variant of the Flash. May I ask who you are? And… does this world have a Justice League?"
Shin, known in some universes as the Traveler, let out a faint sigh. The idea of multiversal speedsters wasn't new to him, but the implications still had weight.
This Flash had crossed worlds. That meant his speed had reached or perhaps even surpassed the speed of light. In concrete terms, it meant moving at least 880,000 times the speed of sound.
Shin couldn't help but compare. His own recent breakthrough, topping out at around 10,000 times the speed of sound, suddenly felt modest.
He let the thought pass.
'In this world… I'm just a minor character,' he mused. 'Even in the cinematic versions, I'm the supporting cast. And in the comics? Cannon fodder at best.'
Still, he quickly composed himself and responded.
"Yes, there is a Justice League here. It's fairly new. Only recently established, and the roster has just barely passed double digits."
"Ah. I see. So it's still in its early stages," the Flash nodded. "What about you? What brought me here?"
"That's what I'd like to ask you," Shin said, raising an eyebrow. "You dropped in through the Speed Force. What happened?"
"Honestly? It was an accident." The Flash scratched the back of his head, a sheepish grin on his face. "I didn't mean to cross universes. I was working on something, trying to correct something, actually—and the Speed Force destabilized. Next thing I knew, I was here."
"So that's how it is," Shin muttered, his gaze sharpening slightly.
The Flash blinked. "Wait… you believe me? Just like that? No interrogation? No lab tests?"
"Why wouldn't I believe you?" Shin smirked. "The Flash traveling across timelines or universes is practically routine. If the movies can do it, the comics definitely can."
Besides, Shin had sensed the massive energy shift himself. His theory was already forming.
He recalled how, when he'd doused Barry with hot water earlier, it had likely triggered a reaction between the twin versions of the Flash. One version must have been generating excess Speed Force at the time, and when the other vanished, either reintegrated or erased, the leftover energy had nowhere to go.
The result? A violent detonation that likely tore a hole in the Speed Force membrane, pulling another Barry Allen from a different universe.
In the logic of American comics, this wasn't even considered strange.
"The Speed Force is a force of motion, but it's tied to both time and space," Shin explained. "It makes perfect sense that a dimensional rift would pull in another version of you."
"I'm not sure if the Flash in your world time travels, but I do that fairly often," Shin added casually, rolling his eyes. "So I believe 80% of what you're saying."
"You time travel too?" Barry looked impressed. "Wait… are you a speedster?"
"Not exactly. I use different methods to cross worlds. The Speed Force isn't the only way to traverse the multiverse."
He paused, eyeing Barry. "You don't seem too anxious. You just appeared out of the Speed Force. Surely you were doing something important. Don't you want to return to your own world?"
A shadow passed over Barry's face. He hesitated, visibly uncomfortable, like someone waiting for a coin toss to land but afraid of both outcomes.
"Not in a hurry," he said at last. "I'll go back eventually."
Then he forced a smile. "But you seem like you're dealing with trouble too. As a superhero, I can't ignore that. If I can help… I will."
At first, his tone wavered with uncertainty. But as he spoke, it grew stronger, more confident. He was convincing himself.
Shin studied him carefully. He wasn't entirely sure what level of Flash he was dealing with. In the DC multiverse, heroes often took dark paths, especially in alternate realities. Some versions of even the noblest figures became tyrants or monsters.
But the Flash, at least the Barry Allen version, was different.
Dark versions were rare. And when they did appear, they were usually the result of possession, corruption, or coercion. Never intentional villainy.
If this had been a version of Batman, Shin wouldn't have hesitated to send him back. Alternate Batmen were almost always bad news.
But the Flash?
Even if this one turned out to be a threat, what could Shin really do? The Flash before him clearly wasn't a rookie. He was 'Lightspeed' Flash an elite version with the ability to freely cross dimensions.
In truth, this wasn't even a fair fight.
If comic-tier speedsters came to a cinematic-tier world, they could easily obliterate it. Shin had little choice but to trust him.
"Alright. Since you're willing to help, come with me," Shin said at last.
The two speedsters returned quickly, traveling at relativistic speeds, which had its perks. Within moments, they arrived at the Justice League's headquarters.
"This is it? Your Hall of Justice?" Barry looked around curiously. "It's… uh, a lot smaller than ours. And where's the tech? Doesn't seem like there's much outside either."
He paced slowly, studying the structure. "Was this one designed by Batman too? It feels… low-tech."
Shin smirked but didn't reply.
They stepped into the main hall. Barry's eyes widened as he spotted a familiar figure, another version of himself, strapped to a lab table, restrained and partially covered with nanorobotic circuitry.
"Uh… is that… me?"
At that moment, Green Arrow, who had been adjusting the restraints on the nanobot-infested Flash, turned around. His eyes widened as he took in the new arrival.
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