"So explain how we return to our dimension? I don't mind traveling horizontally through the timelines. I assume going back to the past would require more energy."
"Indeed, your intuition is simply outstanding. Time traveling would require an object to travel faster than light and keep the momentum as it goes through the time stream."
"I assume accelerating to the speed of light is more energy intensive than keeping something at that momentum?"
"Again, wonderful intuition. You are right once again. The farther the goal is on the time stream, the more energy hungry the journey is, and that doesn't take into account the energy needed to safely slow down."
"Then a timeline hopping's energy cost depends on how much the two timelines have diverged. The farther back the common timeline divergent point, the more expensive it is."
"Mister Igo Heita, are you sure you didn't come from the future too? Not even Miss Mirai is capable of that high level of intuitive thinking. The main difference is that you don't need to speed up to the speed of light if you only want to hop between timelines."
"Trainer… How do you know all of this?"
"Eh, it just makes sense."
"No, it's not!! Teio is malfunctioning from all of this high-level talk!! Look at her!!"
"Yeeee… Run… Weee~~~"
"She looks normal to me."
"Fair point. She isn't a good standard to choose when it comes to brain."
"So, computer, can you calculate the energy needed for us to travel to the original timeline?"
"Processing… Processing… Processing… Processing…"
*Hhuuummmm* *Hhuuummm*
"Processing… I could give you the exact number, but it's so massive that it might be hard for any of you to comprehend. In exchange, I shall use the battery that is attached to me as a measurement unit."
"That's fine by me."
"Wonderful. To create a hole in the dimensional barrier, I would need at least forty percent."
"That's oddly small… I thought you would need more."
"I'm a supercomputer from the far future, Mister Igo Heita. The calculations I did have been refined to the extreme."
"Fair. Then how about if you add a little time travel to the past. We are only here for a few days, so it shouldn't be that expensive, no?"
"Recalculating… Progress… Progress… Calculating… Progres… Answer has been found. It would need ninety-seven percent of the current battery capacity."
"It doubles and some more, huh?"
"The targeted timeline only diverges in the existence of Umamusume. Indeed, the history that includes horses would differ, but in the end, everything is fairly the same. This causes the comparably small energy cost to travel to that timeline."
"That's a fair price. What do you need to open that portal?"
"Ways to manipulate the world via injecting different combinations of energy. In short, you need to wire devices that can emit different kinds of things."
"Mind giving me the list?"
"Printing out the list… If you could, Mister Igo Heita."
The computer spewed out a piece of A4 paper, which the young man grabbed and took a good look at. Most of what was written were devices that would allow the computer to spew out different kinds of energy into the open– Electromagnetic energy, particle energy, thermal energy, and others. It also lists different kinds of chemical compounds, rare earth minerals, and a freaking antimatter.
"Quite the exquisite list you just gave me."
"Apologies, but it is not easy to travel between timelines."
"Don't worry, never expect it to be. We'll split this list. I'll go for the hardest one, and you girls go for the easy one."
McQueen wants to butt in to stop her trainer, but she knows better. It's not that he has completely recovered from his mental damage, it's just that he's ignoring it by focusing on something else.
It's not healthy–far from it, even. She could call him out on it, but what's next? Is there any way she could help him once the mask is off? Does she possess the capability to relieve him of his pain?
If she could, she would've done so, but the fact remains. McQueen lacks any meaningful way to heal the young man's pained heart. She lacks the quality to allow the young man to express his worry. She doesn't possess the quality to stand beside him as anything more than his trainee.
So the Queen remains silent in her defeat.
"Okay, trainer."